Cancer burden facing Asian Americans partly caused by racism

Commentary in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests racism affects Asian American cancer inequities

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - DAVIS HEALTH

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) published a commentary today on the significant cancer disparities facing Asian Americans. The article is authored by seven researchers from across the country who participated in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence “Conversations on Cancer” held on July 29, 2021. The virtual “conversation,” the first by the FDA, focused on the unfair cancer burden impacting Asian Americans. The lead author of the commentary is Moon Chen, associate director for community outreach and engagement with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In percentage terms, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing U.S. racial group for the past three censuses, yet data aggregation obscure distinctions within subgroups of the more than 24 million Asians living in the United States. The JNCI commentary illustrates the harmful impacts this is having on Asian American communities.

Chen said the neglect of Asian American cancer inequities stems from multiple factors. They include historical prejudices against Asian Americans and the myth of Asian Americans as the model healthy minority, compounded by language and cultural barriers as well as racism.

“Asian Americans are unique as the first U.S. population to experience cancer as the leading cause of death,” said Chen. “Bigotry against Asian Americans, pervasive since the 19th century, but especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, is only exacerbating the cancer disparities that are costing Asian Americans their lives.”

High rates of certain cancer in Asian Americans

The authors cite a disproportionate rate of certain cancers affecting Asian Americans including:

• Cancers due to infectious origin such as the human papillomavirus. For example, Vietnamese American women experience the highest U.S rates of cervical cancer. 
• High rates of liver cancer caused by chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection rates in Asian and Southeast Asian Americans, including Hmong Americans.
• Nasopharyngeal cancers, occurring in the upper part of the throat behind the nose, affecting Chinese Americans at high rates.
• Stomach cancers, which have the highest rates among Korean Americans.
• Lung cancer among never-smokers that disproportionately affects Asian American women at a rate of more than twice that of non-Hispanic white women.

The authors note an “infinitesimal proportion” of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget funded Asian American research even though the population is experiencing the highest percentage increases of any U.S. racial population for the past three decades. Between 1992 and 2018, only 0.17% of the total budget of the NIH funded research on Asian Americans. A portfolio analysis of grants funded by the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences showed a very limited number of studies focused on Asian Americans, with none at the time addressing the causes of cancer.

Asian Americans are also underrepresented in clinical trials. According to the commentary, only 1% of clinical trials emphasize racial and ethnic minority participation as a primary focus. Only 5 such trials focus on Asian Americans as compared with 83 for African Americans and 32 for Hispanics.

“Classifying Black Americans and Hispanic Americans as underrepresented minorities in clinical trials is helpful, but it is regrettable that our national policy excludes designating Asian Americans as underrepresented minorities, as documented by data in this commentary,” said Chen. “There is a myth that Asian Americans don’t get cancer, but that is far from the truth.”

What needs to happen to equalize cancer inequities

To rectify inequities, the authors recommend a call to action:

1. Disaggregate data for Asian American subgroups (Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). The commentary calls for a separate focus on Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.
2. Assess the impact of lived experiences and historical trauma. The authors state that culturally competent oncology care is required to improve access to health insurance/health care. They assert it is also needed to address language and cultural barriers that prevent Asian Americans from getting the medical help they need.
3. Listen to community voices. Rich diversity and unique experiences within Asian American communities are best understood and appreciated by listening to and partnering with patients and community advocates. Research must ensure community representation, buy-in and engagement.

“It is also important to focus on the impact of racism on cancer disparities and prioritize funding resources. Otherwise, we will not take the necessary steps forward for achieving health equity for Asian Americans,” Chen added.

The other authors on this commentary  include: Richard J. Lee, Ravi A. Madan, Van Ta Park, Susan M. Shinagawa, Tracy Sun, Scarlett L. Gomez.

The Oncology Center of Excellence at the FDA sponsored Conversations on Cancer: Advancing Equity in Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities: Racism and Injustice, which was the virtual panel discussion upon which the commentary is based. The work was supported by the National Institute on Aging (R24AG063718) and the National Cancer Institute (P30CA093373).

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) published a commentary today on the significant cancer disparities facing Asian Americans. The article is authored by seven researchers from across the country who participated in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence “Conversations on Cancer” held on July 29, 2021. The virtual “conversation,” the first by the FDA, focused on the unfair cancer burden impacting Asian Americans. The lead author of the commentary is Moon Chen, associate director for community outreach and engagement with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In percentage terms, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing U.S. racial group for the past three censuses, yet data aggregation obscure distinctions within subgroups of the more than 24 million Asians living in the United States. The JNCI commentary illustrates the harmful impacts this is having on Asian American communities.

 

Chen said the neglect of Asian American cancer inequities stems from multiple factors. They include historical prejudices against Asian Americans and the myth of Asian Americans as the model healthy minority, compounded by language and cultural barriers as well as racism.

“Asian Americans are unique as the first U.S. population to experience cancer as the leading cause of death,” said Chen. “Bigotry against Asian Americans, pervasive since the 19th century, but especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, is only exacerbating the cancer disparities that are costing Asian Americans their lives.”

High rates of certain cancer in Asian Americans

The authors cite a disproportionate rate of certain cancers affecting Asian Americans including:

• Cancers due to infectious origin such as the human papillomavirus. For example, Vietnamese American women experience the highest U.S rates of cervical cancer. 
• High rates of liver cancer caused by chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection rates in Asian and Southeast Asian Americans, including Hmong Americans.
• Nasopharyngeal cancers, occurring in the upper part of the throat behind the nose, affecting Chinese Americans at high rates.
• Stomach cancers, which have the highest rates among Korean Americans.
• Lung cancer among never-smokers that disproportionately affects Asian American women at a rate of more than twice that of non-Hispanic white women.

The authors note an “infinitesimal proportion” of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget funded Asian American research even though the population is experiencing the highest percentage increases of any U.S. racial population for the past three decades. Between 1992 and 2018, only 0.17% of the total budget of the NIH funded research on Asian Americans. A portfolio analysis of grants funded by the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences showed a very limited number of studies focused on Asian Americans, with none at the time addressing the causes of cancer.

Asian Americans are also underrepresented in clinical trials. According to the commentary, only 1% of clinical trials emphasize racial and ethnic minority participation as a primary focus. Only 5 such trials focus on Asian Americans as compared with 83 for African Americans and 32 for Hispanics.

“Classifying Black Americans and Hispanic Americans as underrepresented minorities in clinical trials is helpful, but it is regrettable that our national policy excludes designating Asian Americans as underrepresented minorities, as documented by data in this commentary,” said Chen. “There is a myth that Asian Americans don’t get cancer, but that is far from the truth.”

What needs to happen to equalize cancer inequities

To rectify inequities, the authors recommend a call to action:

1. Disaggregate data for Asian American subgroups (Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). The commentary calls for a separate focus on Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.
2. Assess the impact of lived experiences and historical trauma. The authors state that culturally competent oncology care is required to improve access to health insurance/health care. They assert it is also needed to address language and cultural barriers that prevent Asian Americans from getting the medical help they need.
3. Listen to community voices. Rich diversity and unique experiences within Asian American communities are best understood and appreciated by listening to and partnering with patients and community advocates. Research must ensure community representation, buy-in and engagement.

“It is also important to focus on the impact of racism on cancer disparities and prioritize funding resources. Otherwise, we will not take the necessary steps forward for achieving health equity for Asian Americans,” Chen added.

The other authors on this commentary  include: Richard J. Lee, Ravi A. Madan, Van Ta Park, Susan M. Shinagawa, Tracy Sun, Scarlett L. Gomez.

The Oncology Center of Excellence at the FDA sponsored Conversations on Cancer: Advancing Equity in Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities: Racism and Injustice, which was the virtual panel discussion upon which the commentary is based. The work was supported by the National Institute on Aging (R24AG063718) and the National Cancer Institute (P30CA093373).

---

JOURNAL

JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute

DOI

10.1093/jnci/djac055 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Charting a Path Towards Asian American Cancer Health Equity: A Way Forward

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-Apr-2022

Recent advancements in batteries

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Many of the resources used to make batteries, such as lithium and pure graphite, are in limited supply or can potentially harm the environment after being disposed of. So, researchers are investigating ways to make batteries last longer, recover compounds from spent batteries or even incorporate alternative components. Below are some recent papers published in ACS journals that report insights into more sustainable technologies and materials to produce the next generation of batteries. Reporters can request free access to these papers by emailing newsroom@acs.org.

“Self-Oxygenated Blood Protein-Embedded Nanotube Catalysts for Longer Cyclable Lithium Oxygen-Breathing Batteries”
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
March 23, 2022
Lithium-oxygen, or Li-O2, batteries are candidates for high-capacity, rechargeable energy-storage devices. But as they’re discharged, solid lithium peroxide builds up, and eventually, the system can’t be recharged. Now, researchers demonstrate that hemoglobin proteins — acquired from cow’s blood and embedded inside carbon nanotubes — catalyze the complete removal of these solids during charging, thereby helping extend the rechargeability of this type of battery.

“Alkaline Roasting Approach to Reclaiming Lithium and Graphite from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries”
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
March 21, 2022
Here, researchers recycled high-purity, high-performing graphite and lithium from dead lithium-ion battery anodes (negative electrodes) without generating harmful waste. They heated spent graphite with sodium hydroxide and then rinsed out most of the impurities, including newly formed lithium hydroxides and salts, with water. Both lithium and sodium hydroxide can be reclaimed from the wastewater, reducing the process’s waste and increasing its profitability.

“Sustainable Nitrogen Self-Doped Carbon Nanofibers from Biomass Chitin as Anodes for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries”
Energy & Fuels
March 16, 2022
In this paper, researchers charred chitin — the main stuff in shrimp, lobster and crab shells — and show that it can be a naturally abundant replacement for graphite in the anode of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The resulting coin battery could be drained and recharged repeatedly without compromising the high capacity of its full charge. Charred chitin is a renewable source material for successfully generating high-performing and cost-effective lithium-ion batteries, the researchers say.

“Bimetallic Selenide Decorated Nanoreactor Synergizing Confinement and Electrocatalysis of Se Species for 3D-Printed High-Loading K–Se Batteries”
ACS Nano
Feb. 3, 2022
Potassium-selenium, or K-Se, batteries are considered promising for rechargeable energy storage because they’re produced from low-cost, abundant resources. But current versions lose their energy storage capacity very quickly. Here, researchers combined selenium, cobalt and nickel (Se/CoNiSe2) into spherical nanoreactors and 3D printed them into the cathode (positive electrode) of a button battery. The additional metals significantly lengthen the K-Se battery’s lifetime and make the system feasible for commercialization.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Follow us: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

MIT engineers introduce the Oreometer

Mechanical engineers put an Oreo’s cream filling through a battery of tests to understand what happens when two wafers are twisted apart.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

When you twist open an Oreo cookie to get to the creamy center, you’re mimicking a standard test in rheology — the study of how a non-Newtonian material flows when twisted, pressed, or otherwise stressed. MIT engineers have now subjected the sandwich cookie to rigorous materials tests to get to the center of a tantalizing question: Why does the cookie’s cream stick to just one wafer when twisted apart?

“There’s the fascinating problem of trying to get the cream to distribute evenly between the two wafers, which turns out to be really hard,” says Max Fan, an undergraduate in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

In pursuit of an answer, the team subjected cookies to standard rheology tests in the lab and found that no matter the flavor or amount of stuffing, the cream at the center of an Oreo almost always sticks to one wafer when twisted open. Only for older boxes of cookies does the cream sometimes separate more evenly between both wafers.

The researchers also measured the torque required to twist open an Oreo, and found it to be similar to the torque required to turn a doorknob and about 1/10th what’s needed to twist open a bottlecap. The cream’s failure stress — i.e. the force per area required to get the cream to flow, or deform — is twice that of cream cheese and peanut butter, and about the same magnitude as mozzarella cheese. Judging from the cream’s response to stress, the team classifies its texture as “mushy,” rather than brittle, tough, or rubbery.

So, why does the cookie’s cream glom to one side rather than splitting evenly between both? The manufacturing process may be to blame.

“Videos of the manufacturing process show that they put the first wafer down, then dispense a ball of cream onto that wafer before putting the second wafer on top,” says Crystal Owens, an MIT mechanical engineering PhD candidate who studies the properties of complex fluids. “Apparently that little time delay may make the cream stick better to the first wafer.”

The team’s study isn’t simply a sweet diversion from bread-and-butter research; it’s also an opportunity to make the science of rheology accessible to others. To that end, the researchers have designed a 3D-printable “Oreometer” — a simple device that firmly grasps an Oreo cookie and uses pennies and rubber bands to control the twisting force that progressively twists the cookie open. Instructions for the tabletop device can be found here.

The new study, “On Oreology, the fracture and flow of ‘milk’s favorite cookie,’” appears today in Kitchen Flows, a special issue of the journal Physics of Fluids. It was conceived of early in the Covid-19 pandemic, when many scientists’ labs were closed or difficult to access. In addition to Owens and Fan, co-authors are mechanical engineering professors Gareth McKinley and A. John Hart.

Confection connection

A standard test in rheology places a fluid, slurry, or other flowable material onto the base of an instrument known as a rheometer. A parallel plate above the base can be lowered onto the test material. The plate is then twisted as sensors track the applied rotation and torque.

Owens, who regularly uses a laboratory rheometer to test fluid materials such as 3D-printable inks, couldn’t help noting a similarity with sandwich cookies. As she writes in the new study:

“Scientifically, sandwich cookies present a paradigmatic model of parallel plate rheometry in which a fluid sample, the cream, is held between two parallel plates, the wafers. When the wafers are counter-rotated, the cream deforms, flows, and ultimately fractures, leading to separation of the cookie into two pieces.”

While Oreo cream may not appear to possess fluid-like properties, it is considered a “yield stress fluid” — a soft solid when unperturbed that can start to flow under enough stress, the way toothpaste, frosting, certain cosmetics, and concrete do.

Curious as to whether others had explored the connection between Oreos and rheology, Owens found mention of a 2016 Princeton University study in which physicists first reported that indeed, when twisting Oreos by hand, the cream almost always came off on one wafer.

“We wanted to build on this to see what actually causes this effect and if we could control it if we mounted the Oreos carefully onto our rheometer,” she says.

Cookie twist

In an experiment that they would repeat for multiple cookies of various fillings and flavors, the researchers glued an Oreo to both the top and bottom plates of a rheometer and applied varying degrees of torque and angular rotation, noting the values  that successfully twisted each cookie apart. They plugged the measurements into equations to calculate the cream’s viscoelasticity, or flowability. For each experiment, they also noted the cream’s “post-mortem distribution,” or where the cream ended up after twisting open.

In all, the team went through about 20 boxes of Oreos, including regular, Double Stuf, and Mega Stuf levels of filling, and regular, dark chocolate, and “golden” wafer flavors. Surprisingly, they found that no matter the amount of cream filling or flavor, the cream almost always separated onto one wafer.

“We had expected an effect based on size,” Owens says. “If there was more cream between layers, it should be easier to deform. But that’s not actually the case.”

Curiously, when they mapped each cookie’s result to its original position in the box, they noticed the cream tended to stick to the inward-facing wafer: Cookies on the left side of the box twisted such that the cream ended up on the right wafer, whereas cookies on the right side separated with cream mostly on the left wafer. They suspect this box distribution may be a result of post-manufacturing environmental effects, such as heating or jostling that may cause cream to peel slightly away from the outer wafers, even before twisting.

The understanding gained from the properties of Oreo cream could potentially be applied to the design of other complex fluid materials.

“My 3D printing fluids are in the same class of materials as Oreo cream,” she says. “So, this new understanding can help me better design ink when I’m trying to print flexible electronics from a slurry of carbon nanotubes, because they deform in almost exactly the same way.”

As for the cookie itself, she suggests that if the inside of Oreo wafers were more textured, the cream might grip better onto both sides and split more evenly when twisted.

“As they are now, we found there’s no trick to twisting that would split the cream evenly,” Owens concludes.

This research was supported, in part, by the MIT UROP program and by the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program.

###

Written by Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office

Paper: “On Oreology, the fracture and flow of ‘milk’s favorite cookie’”

https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0085362

---

JOURNAL

Physics of Fluids

DOI

10.1063/5.0085362 

ARTICLE TITLE

“On Oreology, the fracture and flow of ‘milk’s favorite cookie"

Twisting Oreos shows creme filling sticks to one side

Chewing on cookies, creme characteristics with Oreology

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS

 

IMAGE: THE TEAM AFFIXED COOKIES TO A LABORATORY RHEOMETER AND DESIGNED A 3D-PRINTED OREOMETER TO STUDY THE INFLUENCES OF ROTATION RATE, FLAVOR, AMOUNT OF CREME, AND ENVIRONMENT ON OREOS. view more 

CREDIT: CRYSTAL OWENS

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2022 – Imagine the perfect way to eat an Oreo. Perhaps you twist the top layer, separating the cookie into two parts, and then eat them one by one. Alternatively, you could dunk the treat into milk to soften it just the right amount. Or maybe, if you're a rheologist who studies complex fluids, you snack on the cookie while you test its mechanical properties in your lab.

In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology characterized the flow and fracture of Oreos, finding the creme, which is officially "mushy" in rheological texture, tends to stick to one side of the cookie.

"Rheology can be used to measure the texture of food depending on the failure stresses and strains," said author Crystal Owens. "We were able to characterize Oreo creme as quantitatively mushy."

They placed Oreos in a rheometer, a laboratory instrument they used to measure torque as it fixed one side of the cookie in place and carefully twisted the other. After the filling failed and the cookie broke apart, they quantified the amount of creme on each wafer by visual inspection.

"I had in my mind that if you twist the Oreos perfectly, you should split the creme perfectly in the middle," said Owens. "But what actually happens is the creme almost always comes off of one side."

The authors investigated the influence of milk, cookie flavor, amount of filling, and rotation rate on the final creme distribution. After being dipped in milk, the cookies degraded quickly, crumbling after about 60 seconds. Flavor and filling seemed to have little effect on cookie mechanics, but breaking the cookies apart cleanly did depend on the rotation rate.

"If you try to twist the Oreos faster, it will actually take more strain and more stress to break them," said Owens. "So, maybe this is a lesson for people who are stressed and desperate to open their cookies. It'll be easier if you do it a little bit slower."

The creme may stick consistently to one side because of the way the cookies are manufactured and then oriented during packaging. Cookies from the same box often followed the same trends and varied from box to box, possibly due to different storage conditions.

By also designing an open-source, 3D-printed "Oreometer" powered by rubber bands and coins, the team hopes to encourage educators and Oreo enthusiasts to continue studying the cookies and learning about rheology.

"One of the main things we can do with the Oreometer is develop an at-home education and self-discovery plan, where you teach people about basic fluid properties like shear strain and stress," said author Max Fan.

See a video of the Oreometer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_gaJ4po_Nw.

###

The article, "On Oreology, the fracture and flow of 'milk's favorite cookie®'" is authored by Crystal E. Owens, Max R. Fan (范瑞), A. John Hart, and Gareth H. McKinley. The article will appear in Physics of Fluids on April 19, 2022 (DOI: 10.1063/5.0085362). After that date, it can be accessed at https://aip.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/5.0085362.

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

Physics of Fluids is devoted to the publication of original theoretical, computational, and experimental contributions to the dynamics of gases, liquids, and complex fluids. See https://aip.scitation.org/journal/phf.

###

---

JOURNAL

Physics of Fluids

DOI

10.1063/5.0085362 

ARTICLE TITLE

On Oreology, the fracture and flow of 'milk's favorite cookie®'

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-Apr-2022

ITS BEEN DONE BEFORE

Which Side Of The Oreo Gets The Icing

When You Twist, Proven By Science

The answer is actually pretty surprising.

by MEGAN FRIEDMAN

OCT 19, 2016


GETTY IMAGES


There are many ways to eat an Oreo, from just taking a bite to my preferred method, dunking it in milk until it's deliciously soggy. But for many, the time-tested tradition is to twist the cookie in half and see which side got all the icing. And now, engineers with a little too much time on their hands have cracked the code of how to predict which side gets the icing.

Quartz reports that back in 2014, three Princeton graduate students studying mechanical and aerospace engineering were chatting about the "Oreo twist-off game," which would help them settle disputes as kids, wishbone-style. But one of them remembered having one friend as a kid who always won the game. How did he do it? They decided to experiment until they figured it out.

They put cookies into complicated machinery to test exactly what happens with different separation techniques, from twisting to pulling apart. They also tested on their family and friends, using bulk boxes of hundreds of Oreos. But it turns out that there's no complicated physics to the twist-off game, just manufacturing techniques.

If you want to predict which side will get the icing, just test one cookie from the box. Every other cookie in your entire package will turn out the same way. According to the Princeton scientists, just position your Oreo box so the text faces the right way, then take the cookie out from the upper left hand corner. If the icing is on the left side, it'll be on the left side for every other cookie, and the same goes if the icing is on the right.

Oreo won't give away its secrets, but the Princeton team thinks that during manufacturing, a machine pumps the icing onto one wafer and then puts the second wafer on top. The icing just sticks better to the first wafer, kind of like hot glue, and then the cookies are loaded into the packages all in the same way. It's unclear whether the same method goes for the Double Stuf and other varieties, so you'll just have to undergo your own delicious experiments to find out.

Follow Delish on Instagram.

Utopia-likeness that utilises the energy of true utopias activates regional development

In polyphonic regional development, it is preferrable to use utopianism as a means of challenging traditional ways of thinking rather than as design aiming for perfection

Reports and Proceedings

UNIVERSITY OF VAASA

 

IMAGE: MIKKO KARHU view more 

CREDIT: RIIKKA KALMI, UNIVERSITY OF VAASA

Utopia literally means an imaginary ideal place that in principle can never be realised. However, in practical regional development, utopia-likeness is needed, because it promotes, involves and inspires social reforms, says Mikko Karhu, Licentiate of Administrative Sciences, who is defending his doctoral dissertation at the University of Vaasa on 22 April.

Mikko Karhu’s doctoral dissertation examines the interpretation and uses of utopias in regional development. Classics of utopian and dystopian literature, such as T. More’s Utopia, A. Huxley’s Brave New World and G. Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four were used as material in the dissertation, alongside expert interviews in regional development.

Regional development includes both true utopias and utopia-likeness. Both emanate from people’s need to dream of something better. Today, regions are being developed in a pluralistic and practical manner. Implementing large-scale idealism has become difficult. It has been overtaken by more practical utopia-likeness.

Utopia-likeness is idealisation included in development and control. It involves state authorities, local government organisations, businesses, organisations, residents or other operators participating in regional development conveying a desirable or avoidable vision of the future for the region.

– Utopia-like discourse may come across as strongly reliant on the ideal future. This is a good thing when various parties are encouraged to participate in the implementation of shared goals, says Karhu.

According to Karhu, visions of the future and even institutions include utopia-likeness.

– Space settlement and other ultra-futuristic visions will not be feasible for a long time on the scale that technological utopians claim. On the other hand, the ideological idea of established institutions, such as national states, of a united nation that shares the same values and goals can never be fully realised either, says Karhu.

Despite their dangers, true utopias fascinate

As a contrast to utopia-likeness, ideal utopias and ideological utopias are considered true utopias. Ideal utopia is a fictional place detached from reality that is described in utopian and dystopian literature.

Ideological utopia is an implicit and often enforced pursuit of an ideology. Ideology utopias aim at large-scale, even totalitarian changes that can lead to a great deal of misery. The current restriction of the freedom of speech and the sovereignty of the ruler in Russia bear a strikingly close resemblance to the Ministry of Truth, Thought Police and Big Brother in Orwell’s novel.

According to Mikko Karhu, true utopias will never fully disappear from regional development. Ideal utopias may be useful when speculating about distant futures and also in innovation processes. On the other hand, an unquestioned operating model enforced from above, such as blind belief in artificial intelligence or continuous economic growth as a guarantor of happiness, can be concerning if it grows into an ideological utopia.

– In polyphonic regional development, it is preferrable to use utopianism as a means of challenging traditional ways of thinking rather than as design aiming for perfection, Karhu says.

Doctoral dissertation

Karhu, Mikko (2022) Utopiat ja utopiankaltaisuus aluekehittämisessä. Acta Wasaensia 483. Väitöskirja /Doctoral dissertation. Vaasan yliopisto / University of Vaasa.

Publication pdf: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-395-016-0

Public defence

The public examination of Lic.Sc.(admin.) Mikko Karhu’s doctoral dissertation in Regional Science "Utopiat ja utopiankaltaisuus aluekehittämisessä" will be held on Friday 22.4.2022 at noon at the University of Vaasa in Tritonia building, Auditorium Nissi.

Doc., PhD Päivi Rannila (Tampere University) will act as an opponent and University Lecturer, PhD Ilkka Luoto as custos. The defence will be held in Finnish.

 

Utopias and utopia-likeness in regional development

Bear, Mikko (2022-04-12)

---

See/Open

 978-952-395-016-0.pdf (4.070Mb)

Downloads: 21

Bear, Mikko

12.04.2022

View all description information

The permanent address of the publication is
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-395-016-0

Description

peer-reviewed

The aggregate thesis combining regional science and utopia research examines the interpretation and use of utopia in regional development. By looking at the classic works of utopia and dystopian literature and the discourses and narratives associated with regional development, the study examines how utopias work and behave in a multi-voiced environment of societal development. The work examines utopias or utopian-like features in regional development.

The post-structural research consists of an article on the topic, two articles on the classics of utopia and dystopian literature, and two articles on the municipal topics of the future. The starting point for the work is the traditional definition of utopia as an idealized place. Articles on literature and interview material are examined using a model that parses utopias and theories about the functions and speech patterns of utopia. The data is analysed by interpreting the universal development themes derived from utopia and dystopian literature as utopia species, as well as the ways experts speak about the regions and the municipality of the future.

Based on the data, five utopia species were discovered. The real utopias are ideal utopias and nobility utopias. In addition, utopia-like radical imagining, institutional utopianism and discourse utopia were identified as utopian species. The ideal utopias of utopia and dystopian literature and the discourse utopias of regional development speech patterns are reflected in the development of regions as alternative interpretations of places and their meanings. Utopias are instruments of hope, criticism and change that are also suitable for persuasion. Ideal utopia represents an imagined detachment from realities that fits creative thinking, representing the desired or avoidable outcome of development. Utopias bring alternatives to social debate. Extensive and influential activities can include features of nobility. Radical imagery, institutional utopianism and discourse utopias are not real utopias, but are reflected in the objectives of regional communities, regional organisations and organisations in their various forms. Radical imagery perceives bold possibilities for the distant future. Institutional utopianism meaningfuls communality with idealistic traits. Discourse utopias can be used to play down development ideas, but also to promote them and multi-voiced debate. This doctoral thesis combines regional studies and utopian studies by exploring interpretations and uses of the idea of utopia in regional development. The most well-known definition of utopia as an idealized place was selected as a starting point. By examining the classics of utopian and dystopian literature, alongside discourses on regional development policy, the study clarifies the role of utopias in today's society that is characterized by polyphony. Traits of utopias and utopia-likeness in regional development are examined.

The approach of the study is based on post-structuralism. The study consists of a summary and five articles. One article introduces the utopian perspective on regional development policy. Two articles explore the classics of utopian and dystopian literature. The other two articles deal with discourses on future municipalities based on the analysis of data gathered via themed interviews. The data are scrutinized through models and theories categorizing utopias and explaining their functionality and discursive nature. Research material is also analyzed by interpreting universal themes related to development theories and ideas derived from utopian and dystopian literature. The themes are finally defined as utopia types.

Five types of utopias were defined and the following labels applied: 1) ideal utopias and 2) ideology utopias were categorized as true utopias. 3) Radical imagination, 4) institutional utopia-likeness, and 5) discourse utopia were categorized under utopia-likeness. Ideal utopias represented in utopian and dystopian literature, and also discourse utopias, emerge in developing regions, expressing alternative interpretations on places and their meaning. Utopias are tools for hope, critiques, change activators, persuasions, and alternatives. Ideal utopias break away from reality and are intellectual tools to spur creative thinking by visualizing wished for and feared outcomes. Ideology utopias are involved in large-scale and influential activity. They are manifest in the ambitions of regional communities and organizations. Radical imagination explores the possibilities of a far distant future. Institutional utopia-likeness gives functionality and meaning to the community. Finally, discourse utopias are used to both undermine and promote ideas of development and inclusive discussions.

New PSU research predicts the disappearance of Olympic Peninsula glaciers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

By 2070, the glaciers on the Olympic Peninsula, in Washington State, will have largely disappeared, said Andrew G. Fountain, professor of geology and geography at Portland State University, who led a team of researchers on the subject. Although some glaciers will probably remain — albeit as tiny shells of their former selves. 

Fountain’s study was recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, Earth Surface in an article titled “Glaciers of the Olympic Mountains, Washington – the past and future 100 years.” Since about 1900 the region has lost half of its glacier area and since 1980, 35 glaciers and 16 perennial snowfields have disappeared. 

“There’s little we can do to prevent the disappearance of these glaciers,” Fountain said. “We’re on this global warming train right now. Even if we're super good citizens and stop adding carbon dioxide in the atmosphere immediately, it will still be 100 years or so before the climate responds.”

Even though preventing glacier melt at the hand of global warming isn’t in the cards, ensuring things don’t get worse is a critical goal, Fountain said.

“This is yet another tangible call out for us to take climate change seriously and take actions to minimize our climate impact,” he added.

Dan Cayan, research meteorologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, said this research reveals that glaciers are a “hydroclimate finger on the pulse of Pacific decadal climate.” The long-term loss of glacial mass found in the Olympic Peninsula is a strong indication of a warming global climate, he added.

“This is a clear and compelling signal of changes that are rolling out across many North American landscapes,” Cayan said. “It is regrettable that the Olympic glaciers are very likely to melt away as climate warming over the coming decades runs its course.”

Glacier disappearance will trigger a chain of impacts, beginning with diminishing alpine streams and species like bull trout that have adapted to the cold water streams. 

“Once you lose your seasonal snow, the only source of water in these alpine areas is glacier melt. And without the glaciers, you're not going to have that melt contributing to the stream flow, and therefore impacting the ecology in alpine areas,” Fountain said. “That's a big deal with disastrous fallout.”

U.S. Geological Survey data shows a similar decline of glacier ice in the North Cascades of Washington, farther inland in Glacier National Park, Montana and further north in Alaska, according to USGS Research Physical Scientist Caitlyn Florentine. 

“This assessment of glaciers in the Olympic Mountains underscores two key elements of glacier vulnerability. The first is warming summer temperatures, which affect the persistence of glacier ice throughout the summer melt season,” Florentine said. “The second, less obvious, is warming winter temperatures, which affect the replenishment of glacier ice during the winter snow accumulation season. This double whammy has downstream implications for glacier-adapted ecosystems in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.”

The Olympic glaciers are particularly vulnerable because of their lower elevation as compared to glaciers elsewhere at higher elevations where temperatures are significantly cooler such as the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington.

“As the temperatures warm, not only will the glaciers melt more in summer, which you'd expect, but in the wintertime, it changes the phase of the precipitation from snow to rain,” Fountain said. “So the glaciers get less nourished in the winter, more melt in the summer, and then they just fall off the map.”

With this research completed, Fountain will turn next to the entire Western U.S. to develop a comprehensive view of glaciers in Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.

---

JOURNAL

Earth and Space Science

DOI

10.1029/2022JF006670 

ARTICLE TITLE

Glaciers of the Olympic Mountains, Washington—The Past and Future 100 Years

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-Apr-2022