Sudden Emergence Research Articles

Research on the evaluation of emergency management capability for urban public health emergencies under the perspective of resilience-a case study of Henan Province, China.

With the rapid development of the economy and society, the likelihood of sudden public health emergencies in urban areas continues to rise. In particular, major infectious diseases that have gained global attention, such as the SARS virus, H1N1 influenza, Ebola outbreak, and COVID-19 pandemic, have presented significant challenges to urban emergency management systems. Evaluating emergency management capability is a fundamental requirement for developing emergency response capacity. To this end, this study combines the theory of resilience with the theory of full-process equilibrium emergency management, selects 31 evaluation indicators from six key aspects: preparedness, forewarning, mitigation, disposal, recovery, and learning. The indicator weights are determined using the AHP-Entropy Weight Method, and a TOPSIS model is constructed to assess the emergency management capability of urban public health emergencies. The model's applicability is validated by examining 18 cities in Henan Province. The findings suggest that Jiaozuo, Hebi, Zhengzhou, and Luohe possess relatively robust emergency management capabilities for sudden public health incidents, whereas Kaifeng, Pingdingshan, and Shangqiu exhibit weaker capabilities.

Chronic infections can generate SARS-CoV-2-like bursts of viral evolution without epistasis.

Multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants have arisen during the first years of the pandemic, often bearing many new mutations. Several explanations have been offered for the surprisingly sudden emergence of multiple mutations that enhance viral fitness, including cryptic transmission, spillover from animal reservoirs, epistasis between mutations, and chronic infections. Here, we simulated pathogen evolution combining within-host replication and between-host transmission. We found that, under certain conditions, chronic infections can lead to SARS-CoV-2-like bursts of mutations even without epistasis. Chronic infections can also increase the global evolutionary rate of a pathogen even in the absence of clear mutational bursts. Overall, our study supports chronic infections as a plausible origin for highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 variants. More generally, we also describe how chronic infections can influence pathogen evolution under different scenarios.

Parallel maturation of rodent hippocampal memory and CA1 task representations

Hippocampal-dependent memory is known to emerge late in ontogeny, and its full development is protracted. Yet the changes in hippocampal neuronal function that underlie this delayed and gradual maturation remain relatively unexplored. To address this gap, we recorded ensembles of CA1 neurons while charting the development of hippocampal-dependent spatial working memory (WM) in rat pups (∼2-4weeks of age). We found a sharp transition in WM development, with age of inflection varying considerably between individual animals. In parallel with the sudden emergence of WM, hippocampal spatial representations became abruptly task specific, remapping between encoding and retrieval phases of the task. Further, we show how the development of task-phase remapping could partly be explained by changes in place-field size during this developmental period as well as the onset of precise temporal coordination of CA1 excitatory input. Together, these results suggest that a hallmark of hippocampal memory development may be the emergence of contextually specific CA1 representations driven by the maturation of CA1 micro-circuits.

The role of behavioral decision-making in panic buying events during COVID-19: From the perspective of an evolutionary game based on prospect theory

Sudden public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered widespread panic buying incidents globally, causing disruptions in commodity markets characterized by imbalances between supply and demand. This has posed a serious threat to social stability. During sudden public health events, panic buying typically complicates epidemic prevention and control efforts, leading to adverse consequences such as resource wastage, supply-demand imbalances, and market failures, which pose a threat to social stability and economic development. The progression of panic buying is significantly influenced by the actions and choices of both the public and local authorities. Therefore, studying the impact of the behavioral decisions made by the public and local governments plays a pivotal role in the evolution of such events. Building upon this premise, this paper studies the role of behavioral decisions in the COVID-19 panic buying event from the perspective of an evolutionary game. First, the public’s attitude toward the development of the event is divided into two categories: those with a negative attitude and those with a positive attitude. At the same time, the concepts of mental benefits and mental costs are introduced and quantified, serving as key factors in public decision-making. Second, prospect theory is used to elucidate the risk preferences and loss aversion of decision-makers. An evolutionary game model is constructed with the public and local governments as the main entities based on prospect theory. The replication dynamic equation is constructed using the benefit perception matrix, and the equilibrium point and stability conditions of the model are deduced. Third, the impact of participants' behavioral decisions during the panic buying event on the event’s evolution process is discussed through numerical simulation analysis. The results show that (1) in the context of sudden public health emergencies, material demand is the primary cause of public panic buying behavior. Postpanic buying events, such behavior is influenced primarily by the proportion of individuals with negative attitudes within the population. Local governments should release positive information regarding supplies in a timely manner during the nascent stage of panic buying events and actively monitor the proportion of individuals with negative attitudes. (2) There is a positive correlation between risk preference and public panic buying behavior, whereas loss aversion has the opposite effect. The spiritual benefits perceived by the public from engaging in panic buying increase with higher risk preference, whereas perceived costs related to health issues increase with deeper levels of loss aversion. (3) When response costs exceed what local governments are willing to bear, reputation gains and losses play a crucial role in their decision-making. The probability of local governments adopting responsive strategies increases with their emphasis on reputation and aversion to reputation losses. Higher-level governments should enhance the dissemination of positive and negative examples of government handling, enhancing local governments' sense of responsibility and honor to improve their perception of reputation gains and losses, thereby encouraging proactive management of panic buying events.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Performance of Selected Bakeries in Abuja, Nigeria

The food industry's role in developing any economy cannot be over-emphasized due to the significant investment of disposable income into the sector. However, the sudden emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic attracted global attention and significantly disrupted many countries' economic sectors. The study determined the production pattern of the Bakeries in Abuja and further assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Bakery performance in Abuja. The study covers only staff selected from twenty (20) bakeries in Abuja using a multistage sampling technique. The first stage involved the selection of twenty (20) bakeries extracted from the listing of master baker’s association of Abuja using a purposive sampling technique. The second stage is the selection of ten (10) staff from each selected bakery in the study area using a simple random sampling technique, thus, making a total of 200 respondents to participate in the study. Data were obtained using a set of questionnaires along with interviews. Secondary data were sourced from the internet, libraries, Journals and reports. Data obtained were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, mean ratings, and Analysis of variance (ANOVA). The study revealed that Bakeries made nine (9) distinct aggregate products in Abuja. These comprise a combination of butter-filled Bread, Chocolate Bread, Wheat Bread, and Low-fat Bread. These products were indicated to be produced always by the bakeries. Finally, the analysis showed that there is a statistically significant (P<0.05) difference in the variation between the mean rating of Increase in sales volume (2.82), Increase in customer satisfaction (3.38), Increase in customer loyalty (3.49) and Customer buying decision (3.45). The study further shows that there is a statistically significant (P<0.05) difference in the variation between the mean rating of the Bread distribution (2.98). The study concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown significantly impacted the performance of bakeries in Abuja and recommends that the adopted quality of products be sustained to enhance this performance.

Out-of-sync evolutionary patterns and mutual interplay of major and minor capsid proteins in norovirus GII.2.

Human noroviruses are the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis, resulting annually in 219 000 deaths and a societal cost of $60 billion, and no antivirals or vaccines are available. The minor capsid protein may play a significant role in the evolution of norovirus. GII.4 is the predominant genotype of norovirus, and its VP2 undergoes epochal co-evolution with the major capsid protein VP1. Since the sudden emergence of norovirus GII.2[P16] in 2016, it has consistently remained a significant epidemic strain in recent years. In the construction of phylogenetic trees, the phylogenetic trees of VP2 closely parallel those of VP1 due to the shared tree topology of both proteins. To investigate the interaction patterns between the major and minor capsid proteins of norovirus GII.2, we chose five representative strains of GII.2 norovirus and investigated their evolutionary patterns using a yeast two-hybrid experiment. Our study shows VP1-VP2 interaction in GII.2, with critical interaction sites at 167-178 and 184-186 in the highly variable region. In the intra-within GII.2, we observed no temporal co-evolution between VP1 and VP2 of GII.2. Notable distinctions were observed in the interaction intensity of VP2 among inter-genotype (P<0.05), highlighting the divergent evolutionary patterns of VP2 within different norovirus genotypes. In summary, the interactions between VP2 and VP1 of GII.2 norovirus exhibit out-of-sync evolutionary patterns. This study offered valuable insights for further understanding and completing the evolutionary mechanism of norovirus.

Design and Psychometrics of the Awareness and Self-Care Performance Questionnaire of Diabetic Patients in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Background: The sudden emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic worldwide has led to numerous problems for patients with chronic diseases, such as diabetics, due to the lack of required information to deal with the disease. The present research aims to investigate the design and psychometrics of the Awareness and Self-Care Performance Questionnaire of diabetic patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The present methodological study aimed to investigate the design and psychometrics of the Awareness and Self-Care Performance Questionnaire. The face and content validity were assessed through both quantitative and qualitative studies. For the quantitative study, 100 diabetic patients were randomly selected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using the internal consistency method by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Results: The original version of the questionnaire was designed with 82 items and the final version with 56 items (awareness [32 items] and self-care performance [24 items]) with seven areas, including disease characteristics, prevention ways, ways of disease transmission, disease symptoms, disease risk factors, diet, and care methods. The content validity index (CVI) was 0.97, the content validity ratio (CVR) was 0.93, and the internal consistency of the questionnaire was calculated to be 0.80 using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, showing the appropriate validity and reliability of this questionnaire. Conclusion: The Awareness and Self-Care Performance Questionnaire of diabetic patients in the COVID-19 pandemic possesses the required validity and reliability to evaluate the knowledge level of diabetic patients in infectious pandemics, such as COVID-19, and it has the applicability to be used in similar conditions. It is suggested that the questionnaire’s construct validity be measured to enhance the content validity.

Naked modernisation: the rise and fall of the erotic humour magazines in 1930s Turkey

This article discusses four erotic humour magazines – Piliç (Chick) (1930–1931), Bıldırcın (Quail) (1931), Çapkın Kız (The Flirtatious Girl) (1931) and Güvercin (Pigeon) (1931) – that appeared one after the other between 1930 and 1931 within the political, social and cultural atmosphere of the period in Turkey. It argues that the sudden emergence of these magazines was due to two important factors. The first factor is related to the rapidly reviving nightlife and entertainment scene in Istanbul from the 1920s onwards. The second factor is that the print media gave more space to sexual images of women to recover its sales figures, which suddenly dropped after the adoption of the Latin script in 1929. These magazines, published by well-known publishers in Istanbul and fuelled by the images in erotic magazines and postcards coming from abroad, promoted Western notions of beauty and fashion trends while glorifying monogamous relationships and sexual heteronormativity achieved through marriage along the lines of the modernist elites. This visual and textual erotica, which soon became the centre of controversy and was curbed by criminal sanctions, constitutes an important source to contribute to the literature on women's social position and sexual lives in early republican Turkey.

Enhancing Road Safety: Fast and Accurate Noncontact Driver HRV Detection Based on Huber-Kalman and Autocorrelation Algorithms.

Enhancing road safety by monitoring a driver's physical condition is critical in both conventional and autonomous driving contexts. Our research focuses on a wireless intelligent sensor system that utilizes millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar to monitor heart rate variability (HRV) in drivers. By assessing HRV, the system can detect early signs of drowsiness and sudden medical emergencies, such as heart attacks, thereby preventing accidents. This is particularly vital for fully self-driving (FSD) systems, as it ensures control is not transferred to an impaired driver. The proposed system employs a 60 GHz frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar placed behind the driver's seat. This article mainly describes how advanced signal processing methods, including the Huber-Kalman filtering algorithm, are applied to mitigate the impact of respiration on heart rate detection. Additionally, the autocorrelation algorithm enables fast detection of vital signs. Intensive experiments demonstrate the system's effectiveness in accurately monitoring HRV, highlighting its potential to enhance safety and reliability in both traditional and autonomous driving environments.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Elderly Patients at Midnapore Medical College, West Bengal.

Background Depression, anxiety, and stress are leading causes of disability worldwide and major contributors to suicide.The burden of these disorders among the Indian geriatric population is often described as a silent epidemic. The sudden emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has only intensified this public health problem.Finding out factors associated with poor mental health is critical to improving overall healthcare for high-risk patients, especially in underserved and inaccessible communities. Aim This study was conducted to measure the prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and stress and their sociodemographic correlates among the Indian geriatric patient population. This study also aimed to assess the coping strategies employed and difficulties faced by the population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire. A total of 107 participants were recruited through convenience sampling. Depression, anxiety, and stress were measured using the Bangla version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21 BV), a 21-item self-reported questionnaire. Results Of the sampled group,43.9%, 32.7%, and 34.6% were moderately to extremely severely depressed, anxious, and stressed, respectively. Factors associated with worse mental health were increasing age, female gender, living separately from their spouses, unemployment, retirement, or any occupation that did not require one to leave their house. Of the sample population,80.3% had experienced a loss of income due to the pandemic. The most frequently used coping strategy was to solve problems they faced daily, closely followed by praying and participating in religious activities. Conclusion Depression, anxiety, and stress showed a higher prevalence than previously described, before the pandemic. This could be due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study also demonstrated some of the factors associated with and the most commonly used ways to tackle poor mental health. Adequate educational awareness programmes that are accessible in different regional languages, strengthening mental health infrastructure, and community mental health services will significantly improve outcomes, especially among high-risk populations.

Guaranteeing the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 4 through Temporary Guardianship in Times of Sudden Public Emergencies: Analytical Evidence from China’s Policies during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The requirements for children’s health, well-being, and education are covered in Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 4. In response to the crisis in survival and development sustainability faced by children during the COVID-19 pandemic, China adopted the temporary guardianship system. The purpose of this study is to examine whether this system does contribute to safeguarding children’s sustainable development, well-being, and health. The study adopted a descriptive qualitative approach with content analysis and applied qualitative document analysis of relevant regulations. Data were obtained through 12 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the institutional staff and individuals. The results indicate that the multiple supports provided to children during the COVID-19 pandemic by the institutions and individuals responsible for assuming temporary guardianship were basically adequate to meet the needs for achieving children’s objective well-being and sustainable development and safeguarding their health. Despite some deficiencies, the temporary guardianship system is worthy of becoming a sustainable system for supporting children’s sustainable personal development and safeguarding their health and well-being, and of serving as a blueprint for other countries to pursue Sustainable Development Goals in times of sudden public emergencies.

The pattern of antibiotic utilisation among intensive care unit patients hospitalised in a Gauteng (South African) provincial tertiary hospital: Comparing findings before and during COVID-19.

Various mechanisms may contribute to and direct the progression of antibiotic resistance. A prominent driver associated with antibiotic resistance is inappropriate use or consumption. The sudden emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 ) changed the conventional practices related to antibiotic utilisation through repurposing the use of antibiotics. Apart from the implementation of antibiotic stewardship programmes, the pressure COVID-19 placed on healthcare systems resulted in poor prescribing and medication review practices, potentially exacerbating antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, the public health system has issues that make it difficult to routinely monitor, quantify antibiotic consumption, and offer evaluation, feedback and intervention, particularly in low- and middle- income countries such as South Africa (SA). Therefore, this study aimed to determine antibiotic utilisation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Gauteng provincial tertiary hospital (GPTH) in SA. To determine, examine, and compare antibiotic consumption among intensive care unit (ICU) patients admitted to a GPTH during the pre-COVID-19 period and during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to determining the prevalence of the World Health Organisation (WHO) 'watch' category antibiotics before and following the emergence of COVID-19 . A retrospective cross-sectional data analysis was undertaken of 335 medical files of ICU patients hospitalised in a GPTH between January 2017 and December 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to examine patient characteristics and antibiotic prescribing variables (antibiotic selection, dosage, route of administration, frequency, duration of course and indication for which antibiotic was prescribed). The study found that the most frequently prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin in combination with clavulanate (pre-pandemic 31.99%; amid-COVID-19 38.43%), followed by ceftriaxone (pre-pandemic 15.44%; amid-COVID-19 14.55%), piperacillin in combination with tazobactam (pre-pandemic 11.40%; amid-COVID-19 8.58%) and azithromycin (pre-pandemic 7.725%; amid-COVID-19 19.78%). The macrolide and penicillin (in combination with a beta-lactamase inhibitor) classes demonstrated an increase in consumption from the pre-pandemic period moving into the COVID-19 pandemic. This highlights the need for improved antibiotic stewardship programmes and policies to combat inappropriate and unnecessary antibiotic usage.

Research on the evolution of cross-platform online public opinion for public health emergencies considering stakeholders.

To explore the different processes of the themes and emotional evolution of various stakeholders in the network public opinion of sudden public health emergencies at different stages of the public opinion evolution lifecycle. This paper proposes a cross-platform analysis method for online public opinion during the public health emergencies based on stakeholders. Firstly, data from multiple platforms are collected and integrated. Secondly, stakeholders are categorized and the stages of public opinion evolution are determined based on stakeholder theory and lifecycle theory. Finally, the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA)+Word2vec model and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model are used to analyze the themes and emotional evolution of stakeholders during different stages of public opinion evolution. There are differences in the evolution patterns of different types of stakeholders. The evolution process of stakeholders' focus points exhibits a two-stage transition from concentration to divergence. The focus points of stakeholders are closely associated with their respective social domains. The emotions of the public undergo a three-stage process of positive-negative-positive change. This study can provide a reference for the government to have a more comprehensive understanding of the development trend of public opinion and reduce the negative impact of public opinion.

Therapeutic Management with Repurposing Approaches: A Mystery During COVID-19 Outbreak.

The ubiquitous pandemic that emerged due to COVID-19 affected the whole planet. People all over the globe became vulnerable to the unpredictable emergence of coronavirus. The sudden emergence of respiratory disease in coronavirus infected several patients. This affected human life drastically, from mild symptoms to severe illness, leading to mortality. COVID-19 is an exceptionally communicable disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. According to a genomic study, the viral spike RBD interactions with the host ACE2 protein from several coronavirus strains and the interaction between RBD and ACE2 highlighted the potential change in affinity from the virus causing the COVID-19 outbreak to a progenitor type of SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2, which could be the principal reservoir, is phylogenetically related to the SARS-like bat virus. Other research works reported that intermediary hosts for the transmission of viruses to humans could include cats, bats, snakes, pigs, ferrets, orangutans, and monkeys. Even with the arrival of vaccines and individuals getting vaccinated and treated with FDAapproved repurposed drugs like Remdesivir, the first and foremost steps aimed towards the possible control and minimization of community transmission of the virus include social distancing, self-realization, and self-health care. In this review paper, we discussed and summarized various approaches and methodologies adopted and proposed by researchers all over the globe to help with the management of this zoonotic outbreak by following repurposed approaches.

Coincident development and synchronization of sleep-dependent delta in the cortex and medulla

In early development, active sleep is the predominant sleep state before it is supplanted by quiet sleep. In rats, the developmental increase in quiet sleep is accompanied by the sudden emergence of the cortical delta rhythm (0.5-4Hz) around postnatal day 12 (P12). We sought to explain the emergence of the cortical delta by assessing developmental changes in the activity of the parafacial zone (PZ), a medullary structure thought to regulate quiet sleep in adults. We recorded from the PZ in P10 and P12 rats and predicted an age-related increase in neural activity during increasing periods of delta-rich cortical activity. Instead, during quiet sleep, we discovered sleep-dependent rhythmic spiking activity-with intervening periods of total silence-phase locked to a local delta rhythm. Moreover, PZ and cortical delta were coherent at P12 but not at P10. PZ delta was also phase locked to respiration, suggesting sleep-dependent modulation of PZ activity by respiratory pacemakers in the ventral medulla. Disconnecting the main olfactory bulbs from the cortex did not diminish cortical delta, indicating that the influence of respiration on delta at this age is not mediated indirectly through nasal breathing. Finally, we observed an increase in parvalbumin-expressing terminals in the PZ across these ages, supporting a role for local GABAergic inhibition in the PZ's rhythmicity. The unexpected discovery of delta-rhythmic neural activity in the medulla-when cortical delta is also emerging-provides a new perspective on the brainstem's role in regulating sleep and promoting long-range functional connectivity in early development.

The dynamics of frost formation on road surfaces: an experimental analysis

This study delves into the complexities of frost formation on road surfaces, a phenomenon that presents significant safety hazards in transportation due to its sudden emergence and unpredictable nature. Despite advanced meteorological warning systems for snowfall and freezing rain, black ice and frost remain difficult to predict and counteract. To address this, a controlled indoor simulation experiment was designed to investigate the characteristics of road surface frosting at low temperatures.Results from the experiment indicated that growth of the frost layer thickness follows a parabolic trend with extended freezing time yet the mass of the frost layer increases at a roughly linear rate. The data also revealed that lower temperatures expedite the phase transition of water vapor to ice, leading to faster increases in frost layer height. Additionally, the effects of air temperature and velocity on frost properties were examined. Interestingly, higher air temperatures facilitated rapid frost formation initially, but later stages displayed a plateau phase in the rate of accumulation. Furthermore, increased air velocity up to 1 m/s resulted in greater frost mass, but higher velocities diminished frost formation due to enhanced heat transfer.In conclusion, this study offers a detailed analysis of frost layer development under controlled conditions, providing valuable insights into the environmental factors influencing this hazardous phenomenon. The findings contribute to the understanding of frost dynamics on road surfaces, with implications for improving predictive models and developing effective countermeasures for road safety during icy conditions.

Energy-information trade-off induces continuous and discontinuous phase transitions in lateral predictive coding

Lateral predictive coding is a recurrent neural network that creates energy-efficient internal representations by exploiting statistical regularity in sensory inputs. Here, we analytically investigate the trade-off between information robustness and energy in a linear model of lateral predictive coding and numerically minimize a free energy quantity. We observed several phase transitions in the synaptic weight matrix, particularly a continuous transition that breaks reciprocity and permutation symmetry and builds cyclic dominance and a discontinuous transition with the associated sudden emergence of tight balance between excitatory and inhibitory interactions. The optimal network follows an ideal gas law over an extended temperature range and saturates the efficiency upper bound of energy use. These results provide theoretical insights into the emergence and evolution of complex internal models in predictive processing systems.

Molecular and Epidemiological Investigation of Fluconazole-resistant Candida parapsilosis-Georgia, United States, 2021.

Reports of fluconazole-resistant Candida parapsilosis bloodstream infections are increasing. We describe a cluster of fluconazole-resistant C parapsilosis bloodstream infections identified in 2021 on routine surveillance by the Georgia Emerging Infections Program in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Whole-genome sequencing was used to analyze C parapsilosis bloodstream infections isolates. Epidemiological data were obtained from medical records. A social network analysis was conducted using Georgia Hospital Discharge Data. Twenty fluconazole-resistant isolates were identified in 2021, representing the largest proportion (34%) of fluconazole-resistant C parapsilosis bloodstream infections identified in Georgia since surveillance began in 2008. All resistant isolates were closely genetically related and contained the Y132F mutation in the ERG11 gene. Patients with fluconazole-resistant isolates were more likely to have resided at long-term acute care hospitals compared with patients with susceptible isolates (P = .01). There was a trend toward increased mechanical ventilation and prior azole use in patients with fluconazole-resistant isolates. Social network analysis revealed that patients with fluconazole-resistant isolates interfaced with a distinct set of healthcare facilities centered around 2 long-term acute care hospitals compared with patients with susceptible isolates. Whole-genome sequencing results showing that fluconazole-resistant C parapsilosis isolates from Georgia surveillance demonstrated low genetic diversity compared with susceptible isolates and their association with a facility network centered around 2 long-term acute care hospitals suggests clonal spread of fluconazole-resistant C parapsilosis. Further studies are needed to better understand the sudden emergence and transmission of fluconazole-resistant C parapsilosis.

Climate Change and Child Marriage: Evidence from Bangladesh

This paper examines the effects of environmental vulnerability on the risk of child marriage in Bangladesh. Community vulnerability measures are constructed for 240 rural communities in eight districts according to the presence of three indicators of environmental vulnerability—history of cyclones, flooding, and waterlogging. Community data are linked to individual-level adolescent survey data from a representative sample of 15,000 adolescent girls in those communities. Types of environmental vulnerability and the effect on adolescent girls’ marriage outcomes have been explored using discrete time survival analysis. Results show that coastal communities with prolonged waterlogging and salinity have significantly higher child marriage rates, and there is no evidence of higher risks of child marriage in flood-affected areas. The paper concludes that slow and rapid onset events vary in their impact on child marriage. It is important to distinguish between rapid onset factors, such as floods and cyclones, and slow and less dramatically visible factors, such as waterlogging, that affect marriage through longer-term impacts on lives and livelihoods. Programs need to cast a wider net to safeguard girls living in the communities not only where immediate and sudden environmental emergencies have occurred but also in the areas where climate-induced disasters may not seem very visible but have slow, cascading effects and pose a risk for child marriage.

Volunteering intentions during social crises: The role of considering the welfare of others and consequences of own behavior

In the current paper, we investigate how people with experience with volunteering in their lifetime intend to engage in hypothetical crisis volunteering in the future. We took into account two types of hypothetical social crises: a pandemic and a refugee crisis. We suggest that individual differences in considering the welfare of others (social value orientation) and consideration of future/immediate consequences play a role in the volunteer responses to crises. We also control for the willingness to volunteer in the proximal (a month) and distal (3 years) future, gender, age, and length of volunteer experience. We conducted two survey-based online studies in October 2023. We recruited N = 287 people for Study 1 (Poland) and N = 231 for Study 2 (Italy). Our results suggested that people who declare they want to remain volunteers intend to engage during social crises, but not necessarily in a proactive way. Furthermore, consideration of future consequences can result in proactivity, which was especially visible in the Italian sample. Consideration of immediate consequences can have twofold correlates – one might be the engagement in volunteering in case of a sudden emergency or refraining from the voluntary activity. These results can be used by people leading volunteer activities to predict what to expect from their volunteers and plan the volunteer recruitment and retention processes during crises.