A new monograph by Lithuanian scientists explores circular economy patterns in small open economies

In the book, published by Springer Cham, the authors explore the implementation of the CE model in small open economies in Europe.

Book Announcement

KAUNAS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

 

IMAGE: CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODELS IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY PUBLISHED BY SPRINGER CHAM, THE AUTHORS EXPLORE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CE MODEL IN SMALL OPEN ECONOMIES IN EUROPE. view more 

CREDIT: SPRINGER CHAM

More than half of the European Union countries are small open economies, and smooth circular transformation of the entire EU significantly depends on these countries as well. According to the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania scientists, in today’s rapidly changing economic environment, their role in shaping global trade patterns and circularity issues deserve special attention.

A shift to a circular economy (CE) can be an answer to many issues caused by the prevailing linear economy model characterised by the intensive use of natural resources and the amount of waste produced. However, CE is an inherently complex, systemic, and multidimensional concept, and the integration of CE principles and practices varies across countries and industries.

“The topic of circular business models is gaining a lot of attention both in practice and in the academic literature. The circular transformation raises many questions for business and society. Such as: when does a business model qualify as circular? What are the main barriers and challenges that manufacturing companies face? Why the uptake of circular business models is slow?” says prof. Dr Lina Dagilienė, a researcher at the KTU School of Economics and Business.

Dagilienė, one of the authors of the recently published monograph Circular Business Models in the Manufacturing Industry, believes that the shift towards circularity should be based on a business model transformation as the validation of a circular business is not about the single sale, but about the life cycle of the product aligned with successful multi-actor collaboration among business partners, consumers, government and civic society.

Smaller can be smarter

In the book, published by Springer Cham, the authors explore the implementation of the CE model in small open economies in Europe. In addition to a theoretical review of data from various sources, the monograph provides practical insights by investigating case studies on the textile, furniture, and plastics industries in Lithuania.

“While previous research on the circular economy has mainly focused on large economies such as the US, China, Japan, Germany and the UK, there is a growing realisation that small open economies have unique adaptive characteristics that can drive their circularity performance. It is time to recognise the important role of small open economies in the global economy, as they show how smaller can be smarter,” says Justina Banionienė a researcher at the KTU School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania.

She is convinced that the size of the economy is not the only determinant of productivity and growth. According to her, while small open economies (SOEs) have limited influence on global output levels and prices, they take advantage of their small size to make the most of their opportunities, thanks to their flexibility and speed of decision-making.

It is evident that there is a direct link between economic disparities among various small open economies within the EU and the implementation of circular economy practices. Justina Banionienė gives examples, that economically stronger SOEs tend to exhibit more green innovation and higher resource productivity, while weaker ones prioritize improving social conditions for employees. Besides, SOEs holding leadership positions in industries tend to implement more circular activities. This suggests that industry leadership plays a role in driving circular practices “Besides, small open economies with leading industrial positions are more likely to implement circular economy activities overall. This suggests that industrial leadership plays an important role in promoting circular economy practices,” adds the researcher.

The relevant patterns of the CE in Lithuanian manufacturing companies

CREDIT

KT

Motivational factors to shift to circularity vary

According to Dagilienė, when moving towards circular business models, paradoxical contradictions arise for companies in different industries.

“Linear business model is validated when a certain level of sales of goods and services is sold. However, to verify a circular business model in practice is much complicated. Modifying product ingredients or switching to biodegradable packaging are minor changes that lead to new eco-efficiency practices, but do not fundamentally change the prevailing business model principles,” explains Prof Dagilienė.

The factors that can influence a manufacturing organisation’s shift to a circular business model are numerous. More importantly, sometimes the same factor can be both a motivator and a hindrance, depending on the industry, institutional environment and ecological values. For example, some manufacturing companies simply comply with existing legislation and decide to do nothing or do the minimum when the legislation is ambiguous. But other companies are taking a more responsible role and are involved in developing new rules, norms and practices for the future to ensure circular solutions.

Moreover, pressure from brands, global companies is seen to be more important than government regulation. This is due to the fact that many Lithuanian manufacturers are sub-contractors and need to adhere high level eco-standards in their value chains.

Dr Viktorija Varaniūtė, a KTU researcher and co-author of the book, among the factors that urge restructuring of the traditional supply chain, lists consumer pressure, institutional regulations and individual companies’ efforts to become more green or sustainable. The study, conducted by a team of researchers from KTU School of Economics and Business on 139 manufacturing companies in Lithuania, revealed that they mainly focus on the efficient use of materials and energy resources while aiming for circularity. However, the motivating factors depend on the nature of the industry.

“The companies, operating on a biological cycle (e.g. food companies) focus on introducing technological solutions, however, in Lithuania, the majority of manufacturing companies are based on the technical cycle (e.g. furniture, plastics, textiles). Moreover, most of them are involved in a global network of value chains, so the main motivating factor for them to change their circularity approach is influenced by the requirements that are set by industry leaders,” says Varaniūtė.

The data shows that reverse logistics or green public procurement are not very relevant motivating factors for Lithuanian manufacturing companies to make more circular decisions in their operations. Varaniūtė believes that this may be due to excessive bureaucratic burdens.

Circular business models are often industry-specific and context dependent

In the book Circular Business Models in the Manufacturing Industry, CE practices were analysed in three different industry sectors – textile, furniture, and plastics – in one of the small open economies, Lithuania. According to one of its co-authors, Dr Jurgita Bruneckienė, a Professor of the Sustainable Economy Research Group at KTU, the type of circular business model applied by a company depends on the specifics of the industry.

The Lithuanian textile manufacturers usually are export-orientated subcontractors and focus mostly on eco-efficiency through energy and material optimization, and cleaner production through adoption of technological innovations.

„From a circular economy point of view, Lithuanian textile manufacturers still lack eco-design solutions and novel business models orientated to product life-cycle extension,” says Dr Bruneckienė.

The furniture industry in Lithuania is highly technologically developed, with an increasing focus on digitalization. Business models embedded in the economics of Lithuanian furniture are orientated towards eco-efficiency through input material optimization and cleaner production processes. Although, among furniture manufacturers eco-design solutions are becoming more common, human-centred design, product integrity and sustainable materials issues are still need to get attention. According to the researcher, the greatest challenge for this industry’s shift to circularity is closing the loop, as furniture manufacturers sell to large furniture retailers and do not contribute to the reverse value chains.

However, according to the KTU scientists’ research, the Lithuanian plastics industry is highly technological with sufficient innovation to implement the circular economy principles. The plastics sector has sufficient cooperation with other industries through well-developed reverse logistics aimed at closed loops, even though they sell their products to other manufacturers or retailers.

---

DOI

10.1007/978-3-031-28809-8 

 

New research reveals historic migration’s link to present-day implicit racial bias

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SOCIETY FOR PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Roughly six million Black people moved away from the American South during the Great Migration between 1910 and 1970, hoping to escape racial violence and discrimination while pursuing economic and educational opportunities. Now, research has uncovered a link between this historic event with present-day inequalities and implicit biases.

In a new Social Psychological and Personality Science article, researchers report that current implicit bias among White people at the county-level is associated with the proportion of Black residents living in that county during the Great Migration (circa 1930). The research supports the Bias of Crowds theory—which emphasizes the role of unequal environments or situations in contributing to collective levels of implicit bias.

“Our work suggests that the consequences of historical racism are not confined to the past,” says lead author Heidi Vuletich of the University of Denver. “The systems and structures that we all navigate can often go unquestioned and unchanged—the theory inspiring this work says that maintaining the status quo can mean allowing negative historical legacies to continue.”

Researchers analyzed over 1.6 million responses from White people visiting Project Implicit and taking the Implicit Association Test, which measures people’s associations between the racial categories “Black” and “White” and evaluations “Good” and “Bad.” Respondents were spread across 37 states and 1,981 counties in the North and Western United States. In counties that had larger Black populations in the middle of the 20th century, present-day White people showed a stronger implicit preference for White over Black people.

Researchers also analyzed data from nearly 215,000 Black people who completed the Implicit Association Test, and did not find the same associations as White respondents to historical legacies. Dr. Vuletich notes that understanding their response can help researchers understand the psychological processes and circumstances under which environmental factors relate to bias.

Dr. Vuletich explains that this data can help inform strategies for combatting racial inequity going forward.

“Even as explicit forms of racism have become less prevalent, implicit biases remain common and manifest even in people who value equity and inclusion.

Organizations, governments and other institutions pursue solutions that focus almost exclusively on how to change individuals’ thoughts and behaviors,” Dr. Vuletich says.

“Our results corroborate the need to spotlight structures and systems as contributors to bias in our communities.”

Despite the community-level focus of this research, Dr. Vuletich also emphasizes the need for people to examine their own prejudices on an individual level.

“Our findings do not exonerate people from responsibility to reduce their biases, but they do exhort them to pursue structural solutions and change.”

---

JOURNAL

Social Psychological and Personality Science

DOI

10.1177/19485506231181718 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

The Great Migration and Implicit Bias in the Northern United States

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Jul-2023

 

UV disinfection in the treatment management of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants

Scientists investigate the inactivation efficacy of different UV wavelengths and assess the safety profile for effective management of COVID-19 risks

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NAGOYA CITY UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: SOLID CIRCLES SHOW THE VIRAL INFECTIVITY OBTAINED BY TCID50 ASSAY, AND SOLID SQUARES SHOW THE REDUCTION IN RNA AMPLIFICATION DETERMINED BY QPCR, WHERE THE RELATIVE RATIO TO THOSE OF UNEXPOSED CONTROLS WAS USED. THE INACTIVATION EFFICACY OF (A) 220 NM LIGHT, WHICH IS CONSIDERED SAFE FOR THE HUMAN BODY, WAS APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AS THAT OF HEALTH HAZARDOUS (B) 260 NM LIGHT FOR BOTH BA.2 (DARK DOTS) AND BA.5 (LIGHT DOTS). view more 

CREDIT: TAKAHIRO MATSUMOTO FROM NCU, JAPAN

The global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its new variants has created a need for effective disinfection technologies to protect against harmful pathogens. While vaccines offer some protection, their effectiveness against future variants is uncertain. Therefore, additional strategies are important during the pre-vaccine stage.

UV irradiation has lately emerged as a safe, effective, and convenient strategy to inactivate and eliminate disease-causing micro-organisms. The wavelength range of 200-235 nm, often referred to as far-UVC, is being increasingly investigated as a novel disinfection wavelength. Even though it has been shown to be harmless to mammalian cells due to the strong absorption effect of the stratum corneum layer, the safety of UV irradiation on mammalian cells is not well-established, and there are concerns that high levels of far-UVC light can cause damage to the skin cells. Further, available study data has significant inconsistencies that might be caused by the differences in both the strains of SARS-CoV-2 and experimental conditions such as the spectrum of the light sources. To address these issues, Prof. Takahiro Matsumoto from the Graduate School of Design and Architecture, Nagoya City University, along with his team, conducted systematic experiments using varying UV wavelengths without variance in other experimental conditions. The dedicated team of scientists included Prof. Makoto Tomita from Shizuoka University, Prof. Tadao Hasegawa from Nagoya City University, and Prof. Yasuhito Tanaka from Kumamoto University, among others. Their study was published online on 15th June, 2023 in Scientific Reports. 

To explore the interaction of UV rays with two omicron variants of coronavirus, the team conducted a series of experiments. First, they isolated omicron BA.2 and BA.5 variants of SARS-CoV-2 from the infected cells (VeroE6/TMPRSS2). Next, they subjected the isolated omicron BA.2 and BA.5 variants to UV irradiation across a range of wavelengths, specifically ranging from 200 to 260 nm. For each wavelength, varying doses of UV irradiation, ranging from 0 to 18 mJ/cm2, were applied. The inactivation rate constant–which quantifies effectiveness of the treatment—was calculated by using two methods, TCID50 (tissue culture infectious dose) and qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction).

The study showed that both omicron BA.2 and BA.5 variants have almost identical UV inactivation properties. Although the inactivation rates were highest at 260 nm, the rates obtained with 220 nm light were similar to those obtained with the former. The findings highlight the potential of far-UVC light as a safe germicidal option. "The comparable inactivation efficacy between 220 nm and 260 nm light suggests that far-UVC light could be a promising and safe approach to mitigate airborne virus transmission,” concludes Prof. Matsumoto.

Furthermore, it was found that the UV inactivation rate constants obtained in a liquid suspension were approximately 10 times lower than those previously obtained in an aerosol, suggesting the potential role of the Mie scattering effect in enhancing UV irradiance within aerosol droplets.

Additionally, the bacteria E. coli was used as a reference point to compare and understand the differences in inactivation and genome damage when compared to the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants. The study found that, above 240 nm, both SARS-CoV-2 and E. coli exhibit similar sensitivities to UV light, indicating UV-induced inactivation primarily targets genes (DNA or RNA). However, below 240 nm, significant differences were observed, which can be attributed to the difference in thickness of the protein layer covering DNA or RNA. Also, the spectral sensitivities obtained through TCID50 assays and qPCR assays indicated correlation between the two methods. 

This study provides valuable insights into the UV susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants. The observed similarities in inactivation efficacy between 220 nm and 260 nm light, in combination with aerosols, suggest the potential use of far-UVC light for preventing airborne virus transmission in a safe and practical manner. It is expected that, the results obtained here will pave way toward safe ultraviolet sterilization technologies in the near future.

---

JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-023-36610-6 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Cells

ARTICLE TITLE

Wavelength dependence of ultraviolet light inactivation for SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants

 

Is it a healthy day in the neighborhood?

Simmons College of Kentucky, University of Louisville partner on project to define neighborhood assets that support residents’ health

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE

 

IMAGE: SIMMONS COLLEGE OF KENTUCKY STUDENTS CONDUCTED NEIGHBORHOOD ASSET MAPPING SURVEYS IN LOUISVILLE IN 2021 AS PART OF A PILOT STUDY. view more 

CREDIT: SIMMONS COLLEGE OF KENTUCKY

What characteristics of a neighborhood contribute to the health of its residents – or reduce it?

The University of Louisville and Simmons College of Kentucky are embarking on a new project to answer that question and discover how changing a place can improve the health of its residents. A $500,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will fund an 18-month study to identify the features all neighborhoods should have in order to promote the health of all residents.

Researchers from Simmons’ Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. Center for Racial Justice and UofL’s Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, along with urban studies expert Michael Emerson of Rice University and legal scholar Shavonnie Carthens of the University of Kentucky, will survey residents of two Louisville neighborhoods, review existing data on environmental factors that affect health and consider legal aspects of neighborhood development, all with the goal of defining a “universal basic neighborhood” (UBN). A universal basic neighborhood is one that has all the necessary community assets that help residents thrive in their place.

The most recent Health Equity Report from the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, published in 2017, highlights stark differences in morbidity and mortality of those living in different neighborhoods across the city. For example, in Louisville’s predominantly Black communities, life expectancy is as much as 12.6 years less than in the most affluent, predominantly white communities. Black babies born from 2011-2015 have a death rate 1.95 times higher than the Louisville Metro average and 2.31 times higher than white babies. Diabetes, heart disease and cancer rates vary by location, race and income.

“We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world and we still have places where living conditions contribute to diseases that are entirely preventable,” said Ted Smith, director of the UofL Center for Healthy Air, Water and Soil, part of the Envirome Institute. “This work is about diagnosing and treating places so that the health benefits are shared by many.”

Most existing efforts to address health inequities focus on providing health resources to eligible individuals. This study instead looks for ways to improve health at the neighborhood level by providing resources that make it easier for residents to make healthy choices.

“Neighborhoods, no matter where they are, are not inherently bad or good. They're just neighborhoods. However, one thing that makes neighborhoods different from each other is access to health-supportive resources,” said Nancy Seay, chair of the James R. L. Diggs Department of Sociology at Simmons. “We know that every neighborhood has a rich fabric of local resources that residents access, and we want to uncover these and promote their utilization. Everyone, no matter where they live, wants and deserves to enjoy good health and a long life. This project can be a game changer for the way we think about designing and supporting neighborhoods and their residents.”

The scope of the research

The research team, led by Seay and Smith, will assemble evidence for place-based factors that are associated with good health, identify and map assets in two demographically distinct Louisville neighborhoods, examine the history of civic investment in Louisville and determine how to develop and implement city policy that supports health.

In the same vein as historic efforts to ensure clean drinking water and waste removal for entire communities, the UBN project will assess and rank factors that contribute to longer, healthier lives, such as opportunities for exercise and recreation, greenness and access to healthy food and transportation. This project approaches health equity with the idea that it is more efficient to invest in resources that benefit the health of all residents of underserved neighborhoods than in health interventions for individuals.

In the first stage of the project, set to start in September, Seay will lead work to map assets of Louisville’s Crescent Hill and California neighborhoods. Students in her Participatory Action Research class at Simmons will conduct door-to-door surveys, interviews and focus groups in those neighborhoods to reveal how residents of those communities find good health, what aspects of their environment they believe contribute to health and how empowered they feel to make changes. They also hope to identify important assets related to the specific interests and culture of those living in the neighborhoods that have not been studied previously. UofL students also may take the class through a reciprocal agreement with Simmons.

At UofL, Smith will lead a review of published studies that can help justify components of a UBN and provide criteria for weighting those components. Factors evaluated will include those that contribute to disease and those that promote health, such as access to parks, forms of transit and the variety of educational, recreational and entertainment venues.

Carthens, a legal scholar at the UK’s J. David Rosenberg College of Law and formerly at UofL’s Brandeis School of Law, will delve into the deep drivers of policies that must be reformed in order to achieve an optimal neighborhood environment. She will identify the legal framework required to support the public provision of a UBN and sectors of society best positioned to provide these resources.

The project also includes Emerson, Chavanne Fellow in Religion and Public Policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute and co-founder of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

At the project’s completion, the team expects to have a "playbook" that will assist communities in defining their own neighborhood needs and outline steps toward implementing the plan.

For more information:

Residents of the California and Crescent Hill neighborhoods who are interested in participating in surveys or focus group interviews for the project may contact Patricia Reeves at  patricia.reeves@simmonscollegeky.edu.

Community Partners who are interested in learning more about the project and opportunities for collaboration may contact Lauren Anderson at lauren.anderson@louisville.edu.

Project updates will be shared on social media at Simmons College and the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute.

 

Storing fat at the waist may NOT up diabetes risk, surprise findings indicate

For some people, gene variants may cause abdominal fat storage while protecting from diabetes

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH SYSTEM

 

IMAGE: “THERE IS A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE FOR METABOLICALLY HEALTHY OBESITY. IN THIS CONDITION, PEOPLE WHO WOULD NORMALLY BE AT RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND DIABETES BECAUSE THEY ARE OBESE ARE ACTUALLY PROTECTED FROM ADVERSE EFFECTS OF THEIR OBESITY. IN OUR STUDY, WE FOUND A GENETIC LINK THAT MAY EXPLAIN HOW THIS OCCURS IN CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS,” SAID RESEARCHER METE CIVELEK, PHD, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE’S CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH GENOMICS. view more 

CREDIT: UVA HEALTH

Conventional wisdom holds that storing fat around your belly puts you at increased risk for type 2 diabetes. But surprising new findings from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggest that naturally occurring variations in our genes can lead some people to store fat at the waist but also protect them from diabetes.

The unexpected discovery provides a more nuanced view of the role of obesity in diabetes and related health conditions. It also could pave the way for more personalized medicine – treatments tailored to the individual. For example, doctors might prioritize weight loss for patients whose genes put them at increased risk but place less emphasis on it for patients with protective gene variants, the researchers say.

“There is a growing body of evidence for metabolically healthy obesity. In this condition, people who would normally be at risk for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes because they are obese are actually protected from adverse effects of their obesity. In our study, we found a genetic link that may explain how this occurs in certain individuals,” said researcher Mete Civelek, PhD, of UVA’s Center for Public Health Genomics. “Understanding various forms of obesity is important to tailor treatments for individuals who are at high risk for adverse effects of obesity.”

As medicine grows more sophisticated, understanding the role of naturally occurring gene variations will play an important role in ensuring patients get the best, most tailored treatments. The new work by Civelek and his team, for example, indicates that variants can simultaneously predispose some people to store fat at the abdomen – thought to put them at increased risk for a cluster of health problems called metabolic syndrome – while also protecting them from type 2 diabetes. (Metabolic syndrome raises the risk for diabetes, stroke and other serious health issues.)

One of the metrics doctors use to determine if a patient has metabolic syndrome is abdominal obesity. This is often calculated by comparing the patient’s waist and hip measurements. But Civelek’s research suggest that, for at least some patients, it may not be that simple. In the future, doctors may want to check a patient’s genes to determine how to best guide the person down the road to good health. 

“We found that among the hundreds of regions in our genomes which increase our propensity to accumulate excess fat in our abdomens, there are five which have an unexpected role,” said Yonathan Aberra, the lead author of the study and a PhD candidate at UVA’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, a joint program of the School of Medicine and School of Engineering. “To our surprise, these five regions decrease an individual’s risk for type 2 diabetes.”

In addition to producing surprising findings, Civelek’s research provides important new tools for his fellow researchers seeking to understand the complexities of gene variations. The sophisticated approach Civelek and his collaborators developed to identify the relevant variants and their potential effects will be useful for future research into metabolic syndrome and other conditions.

The tools could also prove invaluable in the development of new and better treatments for metabolic syndrome, the scientists say.

“We now need to expand our studies in more women and people from different genetic ancestries to identify even more genes that underlie the metabolically health obesity phenomenon,” Civelek said. “We plan to build on our findings to perform more experiments to potentially identify a therapeutic target.” 

The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal eLife. The paper is open access, meaning it is free to read.

The research team consisted of Yonathan Tamrat Aberra, Lijiang Ma, Johan L.M. Björkegren and Mete Civelek. The researchers have no financial interest in the work.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, grant R01 DK118287; the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, grant T32 HL007284; the American Diabetes Association, grant 1-19-IBS-105; and the National Science Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Bridge-to-the-Doctorate Virginia-North Carolina Alliance Fellowship. 

To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to the Making of Medicine blog.

---

JOURNAL

eLife

DOI

10.7554/eLife.79834 

 

Study examines struggles of Haitian migrants self-managing diabetes on Dominican Republic sugar cane fields

University of Missouri findings have implications for impoverished people struggling to self-manage their diabetes worldwide.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA

 

IMAGE: SUGAR CANE FIELDS view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A new study from the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing found that barriers, including poverty, low health literacy, cultural beliefs, lack of infrastructure and political issues, all work together to hinder diabetes self-management for Haitian migrants working in sugar cane fields in the Dominican Republic.  

Rosalia Molina, a nurse who has taken previous medical missionary trips to the Dominican Republic to help impoverished individuals self-manage their diabetes, led the study as part of her doctoral studies at the MU Sinclair School of Nursing. She interviewed health care workers in the Dominican Republic about their challenges providing care to Haitian migrants working in “bateyes,” which are impoverished shanty-town camps on remote sugar cane fields.

“These workers have very little resources, as the bateyes often have no running water, electricity or plumbing, and many of the individuals with diabetes have not been diagnosed or don’t know what to do to effectively self-manage their diabetes,” Molina said. “By first better understanding the compounding barriers that are limiting access to health care for these struggling individuals, we can develop more targeted interventions to help them survive as long as possible.”

Poverty and lack of resources

While rice may be the primary source of food for these remote migrant workers, rice is a high-carb food, which may interfere with optimal blood sugar levels for those with diabetes. Through the interviews, Molina learned the impoverished migrants often see no other choice but to eat the high-carb food to avoid starvation.

Insulin is a common drug given to help individuals with diabetes regulate the amount of glucose in their blood. However, it requires proper refrigeration in order to be most effective, and the remote bateyes unfortunately have no refrigeration options available.

Low health literacy and cultural beliefs

Through the interviews, Molina learned many of the migrants were more likely to trust their Haitian village priests who preach about Vodou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion, rather than licensed medical professionals who may be unaware about the Haitians’ religious and cultural beliefs.

“For example, a common diabetes symptom is foot wounds, but the individuals may tell us they believe the foot wound was caused by witchcraft, so it speaks to the low health literacy rates as a potential barrier to self-management of diabetes,” Molina said.

Lack of infrastructure

Roads leading into the bateyes are often unpaved, and after heavy rainfall, the roads become so muddy that the remote bateyes become inaccessible for vehicles carrying health care professionals.

Political issues

Molina added that many of the migrant workers come to the Dominican Republic on a seasonal basis without the required work permits. Therefore, being undocumented leads many of these migrant workers with diabetes to avoid seeking medical help at hospitals to avoid the possibility of deportation.

Informing the future

While these challenges compound with each other to hinder access to health care for impoverished individuals, Molina said the findings can help inform possible solutions, such as planting community gardens in these remote areas to offer the workers alternative food sources, as well as working with Haitian village priests to incorporate health care education into their lectures.

“What is interesting is I am also active here in Missouri helping the Hispanic community — many of whom immigrated from Mexico and South America — with their diabetes self-management, and the challenges they face are often very similar to the challenges faced by the Haitians in the Dominican Republic,” said Molina, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 1995. “It is important for the public to realize that diabetes is a very expensive and difficult disease for people to manage on their own, especially if they live in poverty, and I am passionate about trying to help.”

“Enhancing diabetes health outcomes among Haitian migrants living in Dominican Bateyes” was recently published in The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care. Maithe Enriquez is a coauthor on the study. Funding was provided by The Research Foundation – Kansas City.

Note: Molina earned her doctoral degree from MU in 2022 and now works as an assistant professor at Research College of Nursing in Kansas City, Missouri.

Pronunciation guide: Batey is pronounced BAY-TEE

---

JOURNAL

The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care

DOI

10.1177/26350106231178838 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Enhancing Diabetes Health Outcomes Among Haitian Migrants Living in Dominican Bateyes

 

DNA analysis offers new insights into diverse community at Machu Picchu

Peer-Reviewed Publication

YALE UNIVERSITY

New Haven, Conn. — A genetic analysis suggests that the servants and retainers who lived, worked, and died at Machu Picchu, the renowned 15th century Inca palace in southern Peru, were a diverse community representing many different ethnic groups from across the Inca empire.

The genomic data, described in a new study in Science Advances, is the first investigation of the genomic diversity of individuals buried at Machu Picchu and adjacent places around Cusco, the Inca capital. It builds upon previous archeological and bio-archaeological research, including a 2021 Yale-led study which found that Machu Picchu (AD 1420-1530) is older than was previously believed.

“The DNA analysis not only confirms the historical accounts that retainers were drawn from many different ethnic groups under Inca control, but it also demonstrates a much greater diversity of origins than had been suspected with individuals being brought from the entire empire,” said archaeologist Richard Burger, the Charles J. MacCurdy Professor of Anthropology in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and lead researcher for the Machu Picchu project.

“Our analyses show that the population at Machu Picchu was highly heterogenous, with individuals exhibiting genetic ancestries associated with groups from regions throughout the Inca empire including the coast, highlands, and Amazonia,” Burger said.

Researchers from Yale, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco (UNSAAC), the University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC), Tulane University, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and other institutions conducted the study, under an agreement to return artifacts and human remains from the Hiram Bingham collection back to Cusco for exhibition, conservation, and study.

Machu Picchu is perhaps the most famous archeological site in the Western Hemisphere. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than a million visitors toured the site. Yet until quite recently, little was known about its inhabitants.

Scholars now believe Machu Picchu was a royal estate connected to the lineage of Pachacuti, the emperor credited with establishing the Inca empire. Royals resided at these estates seasonally, but a retinue of servants and retainers, known as yanacona, was left behind to take care of the facilities. Yanacona, who were brought to the estate from conquered lands, were believed to be privileged compared to the general population.

For the new study, researchers generated DNA data for 34 individuals buried at Machu Picchu who were believed to be retainers or attendants assigned to serve the Inca royal family, as well as 34 individuals from Cusco for comparative purposes.

“An unexpected result was the finding that many of the retainers were of Amazonian origin and about a third of them have DNA reflecting significant amounts of Amazonian ancestry,” said lead author Lucy Salazar, a research associate in Yale’s Department of Anthropology. “At least two zones within the Amazonian region are represented.”

Another unexpected result, the researchers said, was that many of the individuals had mixed ancestries, often from regions distant from each other. The researchers said this suggests individuals at Machu Picchu were selecting mates from other genetic groups, producing a diverse population unlike those found in agricultural villages.

“This study does not focus on the life of ‘royals’ or political elites, but on the life of those that were brought to Machu Picchu to serve the nobility that lived there and operated the place,” said co-corresponding author Lars Fehren-Schmitz, a professor at UC-SC and a former Yale post-doctoral researcher. “Thus, it gives us a unique insight into the life of a highly diverse community of individuals and their families who were subject to Inca forced relocation and resettlement policies, a group usually referred to as retainers or yanacona.”

Co-corresponding author Jason Nesbitt, a former Yale Ph.D. student who is now an associate professor at Tulane, noted that few of the individuals buried at Machu Picchu were from the Inca heartland of the Cuzco Valley or the adjacent Lake Titicaca region. He also said the four cemetery areas at Machu Picchu were not organized by genomic origin. Even the individuals buried in a single burial cave represented diverse genomic backgrounds.

“These results suggest that Machu Picchu was a cosmopolitan community in which people of different backgrounds lived, mated, and were interred together,” Burger said.

---

JOURNAL

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.adg3377 

ARTICLE TITLE

Insights into the Genetic Histories and Lifeways of Machu Picchu’s Occupants

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

26-Jul-2023