179 results
Simulations of radiatively cooled magnetic reconnection driven by pulsed power
- Rishabh Datta, Aidan Crilly, Jeremy P. Chittenden, Simran Chowdhry, Katherine Chandler, Nikita Chaturvedi, Clayton E. Myers, William R. Fox, Stephanie B. Hansen, Chris A. Jennings, Hantao Ji, Carolyn C. Kuranz, Sergey V. Lebedev, Dmitri A. Uzdensky, Jack D. Hare
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- Journal:
- Journal of Plasma Physics / Volume 90 / Issue 2 / April 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 19 April 2024, 905900215
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Magnetic reconnection is an important process in astrophysical environments, as it reconfigures magnetic field topology and converts magnetic energy into thermal and kinetic energy. In extreme astrophysical systems, such as black hole coronae and pulsar magnetospheres, radiative cooling modifies the energy partition by radiating away internal energy, which can lead to the radiative collapse of the reconnection layer. In this paper, we perform two- and three-dimensional simulations to model the MARZ (Magnetic Reconnection on Z) experiments, which are designed to access cooling rates in the laboratory necessary to investigate reconnection in a previously unexplored radiatively cooled regime. These simulations are performed in GORGON, an Eulerian two-temperature resistive magnetohydrodynamic code, which models the experimental geometry comprising two exploding wire arrays driven by 20 MA of current on the Z machine (Sandia National Laboratories). Radiative losses are implemented using non-local thermodynamic equilibrium tables computed using the atomic code Spk, and we probe the effects of radiation transport by implementing both a local radiation loss model and $P_{1/3}$ multi-group radiation transport. The load produces highly collisional, super-Alfvénic (Alfvén Mach number $M_A \approx 1.5$), supersonic (Sonic Mach number $M_S \approx 4-5$) strongly driven plasma flows which generate an elongated reconnection layer (Aspect Ratio $L/\delta \approx 100$, Lundquist number $S_L \approx 400$). The reconnection layer undergoes radiative collapse when the radiative losses exceed the rates of ohmic and compressional heating (cooling rate/hydrodynamic transit rate = $\tau _{\text {cool}}^{-1}/\tau _{H}^{-1}\approx 100$); this generates a cold strongly compressed current sheet, leading to an accelerated reconnection rate, consistent with theoretical predictions. Finally, the current sheet is also unstable to the plasmoid instability, but the magnetic islands are extinguished by strong radiative cooling before ejection from the layer.
VaTEST III: Validation of eight potential super-earths from TESS data
- Priyashkumar Mistry, Aniket Prasad, Mousam Maity, Kamlesh Pathak, Sarvesh Gharat, Georgios Lekkas, Surendra Bhattarai, Dhruv Kumar, Jack J. Lissauer, Joseph D. Twicken, Abderahmane Soubkiou, Francisco J. Pozuelos, Jon Jenkins, Keith Horne, Steven Giacalone, Khalid Barkaoui, Mathilde Timmermans, Cristilyn N. Watkins, Ramotholo Sefako, Karen A. Collins, David R. Ciardi, Catherine A. Clark, Boris S. Safonov, Avi Shporer, Joshua E. Schlieder, Zouhair Benkhaldoun, Chris Stockdale, Carl Ziegler, Emily A. Gilbert, Jehin Emmanuël, Felipe Murgas, Ian J. M. Crossfield, Martin Paegert, Michael B. Lund, Norio Narita, Richard P. Schwarz, Robert F. Goeke, Sergio B. Fajardo-Acosta, Steve B. Howell, Thiam-Guan Tan, Thomas Barclay, Yugo Kawai
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- Journal:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia / Volume 41 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 11 April 2024, e030
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NASA’s all-sky survey mission, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), is specifically engineered to detect exoplanets that transit bright stars. Thus far, TESS has successfully identified approximately 400 transiting exoplanets, in addition to roughly 6 000 candidate exoplanets pending confirmation. In this study, we present the results of our ongoing project, the Validation of Transiting Exoplanets using Statistical Tools (VaTEST). Our dedicated effort is focused on the confirmation and characterisation of new exoplanets through the application of statistical validation tools. Through a combination of ground-based telescope data, high-resolution imaging, and the utilisation of the statistical validation tool known as TRICERATOPS, we have successfully discovered eight potential super-Earths. These planets bear the designations: TOI-238b (1.61$^{+0.09} _{-0.10}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-771b (1.42$^{+0.11} _{-0.09}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-871b (1.66$^{+0.11} _{-0.11}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-1467b (1.83$^{+0.16} _{-0.15}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-1739b (1.69$^{+0.10} _{-0.08}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-2068b (1.82$^{+0.16} _{-0.15}$ R$_\oplus$), TOI-4559b (1.42$^{+0.13} _{-0.11}$ R$_\oplus$), and TOI-5799b (1.62$^{+0.19} _{-0.13}$ R$_\oplus$). Among all these planets, six of them fall within the region known as ‘keystone planets’, which makes them particularly interesting for study. Based on the location of TOI-771b and TOI-4559b below the radius valley we characterised them as likely super-Earths, though radial velocity mass measurements for these planets will provide more details about their characterisation. It is noteworthy that planets within the size range investigated herein are absent from our own solar system, making their study crucial for gaining insights into the evolutionary stages between Earth and Neptune.
Modeling relaxed policies for discontinuation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus contact precautions
- Jiaming Cui, Jack Heavey, Leo Lin, Eili Y. Klein, Gregory R. Madden, Costi D. Sifri, Bryan Lewis, Anil K. Vullikanti, B. Aditya Prakash
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 26 February 2024, pp. 1-6
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Objective:
To evaluate the economic costs of reducing the University of Virginia Hospital’s present “3-negative” policy, which continues methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) contact precautions until patients receive 3 consecutive negative test results, to either 2 or 1 negative.
Design:Cost-effective analysis.
Settings:The University of Virginia Hospital.
Patients:The study included data from 41,216 patients from 2015 to 2019.
Methods:We developed a model for MRSA transmission in the University of Virginia Hospital, accounting for both environmental contamination and interactions between patients and providers, which were derived from electronic health record (EHR) data. The model was fit to MRSA incidence over the study period under the current 3-negative clearance policy. A counterfactual simulation was used to estimate outcomes and costs for 2- and 1-negative policies compared with the current 3-negative policy.
Results:Our findings suggest that 2-negative and 1-negative policies would have led to 6 (95% CI, −30 to 44; P < .001) and 17 (95% CI, −23 to 59; −10.1% to 25.8%; P < .001) more MRSA cases, respectively, at the hospital over the study period. Overall, the 1-negative policy has statistically significantly lower costs ($628,452; 95% CI, $513,592–$752,148) annually (P < .001) in US dollars, inflation-adjusted for 2023) than the 2-negative policy ($687,946; 95% CI, $562,522–$812,662) and 3-negative ($702,823; 95% CI, $577,277–$846,605).
Conclusions:A single negative MRSA nares PCR test may provide sufficient evidence to discontinue MRSA contact precautions, and it may be the most cost-effective option.
6 Remote Smartphone Cognitive and Motor Testing in Frontotemporal Dementia Research: Feasibility, Reliability, and Validity
- Adam M Staffaroni, Jack Carson Taylor, Annie L Clark, Hilary W Heuer, Amy B Wise, Masood Manoochehri, Leah Forsberg, Carly T Mester, Meghana Roa, Danielle Brushaber, Julio C Rojas, Joel H Kramer, Bradley F Boeve, Howard J Rosen, Adam L Boxer
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 604-605
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Objective:
Therapeutics targeting frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are entering clinical trials. There are challenges to conducting these studies, including the relative rarity of the disease. Remote assessment tools could increase access to clinical research and pave the way for decentralized clinical trials. We developed the ALLFTD Mobile App, a smartphone application that includes assessments of cognition, speech/language, and motor functioning. The objectives were to determine the feasibility and acceptability of collecting remote smartphone data in a multicenter FTD research study and evaluate the reliability and validity of the smartphone cognitive and motor measures.
Participants and Methods:A diagnostically mixed sample of 207 participants with FTD or from familial FTD kindreds (CDR®+NACC-FTLD=0 [n=91]; CDR®+NACC-FTLD=0.5 [n=39]; CDR®+NACC-FTLD>1 [n=39]; unknown [n=38]) were asked to remotely complete a battery of tests on their smartphones three times over two weeks. Measures included five executive functioning (EF) tests, an adaptive memory test, and participant experience surveys. A subset completed smartphone tests of balance at home (n=31) and a finger tapping test (FTT) in the clinic (n=11). We analyzed adherence (percentage of available measures that were completed) and user experience. We evaluated Spearman-Brown split-half reliability (100 iterations) using the first available assessment for each participant. We assessed test-retest reliability across all available assessments by estimating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). To investigate construct validity, we fit regression models testing the association of the smartphone measures with gold-standard neuropsychological outcomes (UDS3-EF composite [Staffaroni et al., 2021], CVLT3-Brief Form [CVLT3-BF] Immediate Recall, mechanical FTT), measures of disease severity (CDR®+NACC-FTLD Box Score & Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Rating Scale [PSPRS]), and regional gray matter volumes (cognitive tests only).
Results:Participants completed 70% of tasks. Most reported that the instructions were understandable (93%), considered the time commitment acceptable (97%), and were willing to complete additional assessments (98%). Split-half reliability was excellent for the executive functioning (r’s=0.93-0.99) and good for the memory test (r=0.78). Test-retest reliabilities ranged from acceptable to excellent for cognitive tasks (ICC: 0.70-0.96) and were excellent for the balance (ICC=0.97) and good for FTT (ICC=0.89). Smartphone EF measures were strongly associated with the UDS3-EF composite (ß's=0.6-0.8, all p<.001), and the memory test was strongly correlated with total immediate recall on the CVLT3-BF (ß=0.7, p<.001). Smartphone FTT was associated with mechanical FTT (ß=0.9, p=.02), and greater acceleration on the balance test was associated with more motor features (ß=0.6, p=0.02). Worse performance on all cognitive tests was associated with greater disease severity (ß's=0.5-0.7, all p<.001). Poorer performance on the smartphone EF tasks was associated with smaller frontoparietal/subcortical volume (ß's=0.4-0.6, all p<.015) and worse memory scores with smaller hippocampal volume (ß=0.5, p<.001).
Conclusions:These results suggest remote digital data collection of cognitive and motor functioning in FTD research is feasible and acceptable. These findings also support the reliability and validity of unsupervised ALLFTD Mobile App cognitive tests and provide preliminary support for the motor measures, although further study in larger samples is required.
6 - Healthcare
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Book:
- Covert Violence
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp 90-103
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Summary
Hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities are potential hotbeds for covert violence, if for no other reason than the fact that many, many people die there every year. After all, patients typically check into a hospital because of serious illness or injury, and nursing homes are intended for those who need round-the-clock care. Although most of the sick and injured who seek medical care in the United States and elsewhere are treated and then released on the road to recovery, many others die on the operating table or in their hospital bed. Death is very much part of life in healthcare facilities, which unfortunately also makes them places where a killer can operate unnoticed for long periods of time without being discovered.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diseases, illnesses, and other naturally occurring medical conditions account for more than 90 percent of U.S. deaths each year, with a large proportion of those occurring in medical facilities (although at lower rates than in the past, as greater awareness of palliative care and concern for patient preferences have resulted in more people dying in their own homes; see Shmerling [2018]). Add to that U.S. deaths from accidents (the third-highest cause of U.S. deaths), assaults, and complications of medical and surgical care—many of which also occur in medical facilities—and the death toll seems staggering. With nearly three million total U.S. deaths a year (Xu et al., 2021) and more than 700,000 people dying annually in hospitals (Shmerling, 2018), it seems reasonable to estimate that at least one million deaths collectively occur in U.S. healthcare facilities each year.
The lack of clear data related to medical deaths is an enormous obstacle preventing better understanding of the covert violence that occurs in these settings. The CDC recorded 5,329 U.S. deaths in 2019 that were caused by “complications of medical and surgical care” (Xu et al., 2021). This category includes deaths from medical devices, adverse effects related to incorrect doses of therapeutic medications, and difficulties that arose during surgical or medical care. However, deaths from accidental overdoses of a drug or from drugs administered in error are excluded here, even when they occurred in a healthcare setting and/or the drugs were administered by a doctor or other healthcare professional.
About the Author
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp v-vi
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Frontmatter
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp i-ii
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Appendix: Case Summaries
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp 131-147
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Summary
Using the Nexis database of newspapers and newswires across the United States, we collected the following 37 cases covering a three-year period (June 2017 to July 2020) in which a death that was originally classified as something other than homicide was subsequently reclassified as homicide.
David Schlachet (Vincent and Dorn, 2020)
In July 2018, the superintendent at 48-year-old Lara Prychodko’s Manhattan apartment building found her mangled body in the trash compactor after an apparent 27-flight fall down the garbage chute. Authorities said she had an abnormally high alcohol level in her system and ruled it a “fatal accident.” A year later, however, New York City former chief medical examiner Michael Baden agreed to take another look. Finding indications that Prychodko had been strangled to death before being placed into the chute, as well as seeing little bleeding from lacerations sustained in the fall, the doctor concluded that the manner of death was most likely homicide. Moreover, Baden said the fact that Prychodko’s body was found topless would be unusual in an accident scenario and might be evidence that a struggle took place. At the time of her death, Lara and her estranged husband were in the midst of a highly contentious divorce, even though 55-year-old David Schlachet’s construction company continued to struggle after a 2016 bankruptcy. He had also been ordered to pay alimony and attorney fees to Prychodko, who was favored to gain child custody and a percentage of their millions of dollars in assets.
Karl Karlsen (Flynn, 2020)
Karl Karlsen’s first wife, 30-year-old Christina, died in a January 1991 house fire in Murphys, California. When the fire broke out, she was trapped in a bathroom behind a boarded-up window and had no way to escape the conflagration. Firefighters ruled the blaze accidental, and Karl Karlsen collected $200,000 in life insurance that he had taken out on Christina shortly before her death. He then moved with his children across the country to Varick, New York and remarried. In November 2008, he killed his son by making a truck slip off its jack while the 23-year-old was underneath it, crushing him to death.
5 - Politics and Government
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp 74-89
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Summary
Covert violence has always played an important role in supplementing conventional warfare. In 2016, for example, British special forces waged covert military operations in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Libya (Curtis and Kennard, 2019). However, two days after the U.K. Secretary of State for Defence stated that there were no plans to deploy troops to the Middle East, reports surfaced that British troops had secretly blown up an Islamic State vehicle carrying large amounts of explosives. Clandestine attacks by weaker operatives have also occurred, with devastating consequences in the United States, a country widely known for its military might. The most infamous examples include the December 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces and the September 11, 2001 attacks perpetrated by al-Qaeda terrorists; each resulted in the loss of thousands of American lives, many more injuries, and massive destruction of property.
Moreover, biological warfare has a centuries-long history around the world, as well as in the United States, such as the British colonists’ deliberate distribution of smallpox-infected blankets to Native Americans in the 1760s (Frischknecht, 2003). In modern U.S. history, the worst bio-terrorism attack—in terms of number of victims—occurred nearly 40 years ago in Oregon under highly unusual circumstances. In the early 1980s, several hundred followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the Indian spiritual leader who founded the Rajneesh movement, established a compound in northern Oregon, about an hour east of Portland. The Rajneeshees, as the followers were known, unnerved the residents of nearby Antelope (which has maintained a population under 100 since the 1940 Census). At first, it was because they all wore the same red clothing, participated in communal chanting and meditation, and demonstrated other odd forms of behavior. Later, it was because they began to outnumber the longtime residents and take over local politics. In fact, the city of Antelope was briefly renamed Rajneesh, Oregon, around this time.
When the Rajneeshees decided to aim even higher politically, they set their sights on the county seat of the city of The Dalles. The outnumbered group tried various strategies to sway the 1984 county election in their favor, including bussing in thousands of homeless people from around the United States who promised to vote for the Rajneeshee candidates—until that move was blocked by an emergency rule for suspected voter fraud.
Acknowledgments
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp vii-viii
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3 - Formal Education
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp 47-61
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Summary
On a beautiful Monday afternoon in the late fall of 2008, two men arrived at the Houston, Texas, home of their friend, a philosophy professor at the nearby university. They looked forward to the weekly discussions that focused on the theoretical traditions known as “Continental philosophy” and planned to continue their engaging dialog on Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time from the week before. A quick glance at their friend’s empty carport told the pair that the popular professor must be running late—most likely lingering to entertain the seemingly endless questions of his eager-minded students—but waiting together in the warm Southern sun was no bother. Plus, it wasn’t unusual for their friend to be a little late for a meeting now and then; he carried a heavier teaching load than most other faculty members in the department and always prioritized his students’ needs above all else.
After more time had passed, the men decided to call their friend’s cellphone to check on him. It wasn’t until that call went unanswered that they started to worry. Despite the professor’s absent vehicle, they thought that he still could be home and mused at how silly they would feel if they had waited outside all that time for no good reason. One of the men tried the front door and found it unlocked. When he tried to push it open, however, something seemed to be in the way. After managing to open the door enough to squeeze by and step inside, the man who had just been chatting and laughing with one friend while waiting for another, who had planned to while away the evening in debate and deliberation, suddenly realized that nothing would ever be the same again. There, at the bottom of the staircase just inside the front door, was the body of his friend—the beloved professor—now with a bluish tint to the skin and blood trickling on the floor behind his head. The man yelled to his waiting companion to dial 911.
The 54-year-old scholar was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy revealed the cause to be trauma to the back of the head—presumably from a tumble down the stairs—and the medical examiner ruled it an accidental death.
7 - Mass Media
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp 104-115
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Summary
When thinking about violence against members of the mass media, the cases that tend to come to mind are those with the most famous victims, the most brazen perpetrators, and the most bizarre details. These cases involve mostly overt methods that frequently begin with an innocent-seeming initial contact before escalating over time to stalking behaviors and eventually one or more attempted or completed physical attacks, perhaps with a firearm or a knife. Indeed, numerous entertainers have been subjected to potentially violent stalkers. Media personalities are at particular risk for being stalked partly because of their high profile, but also because their role—whether they happen to be an entertainer, news anchor, radio morning show host, or politician—requires them to pander to an audience and sustain public attention (Wilson et al., 2018).
Many people have sent fan mail to their favorite celebrities and/or reached out to them on social media, and some die-hard fans pay exorbitant sums of money for backstage passes and meet-and-greet events with A-list stars. Very few would ever attempt to get closer than that, and rarer still are the handful of deranged individuals out there who develop unhealthy obsessions with famous people that may lead to dangerous—and sometimes deadly—consequences. Among the most notorious of these incidents are the fatal shootings of singer John Lennon in 1980 by an angry Beatles fan, of actor and model Rebecca Schaeffer in 1989 by an obsessed devotee, and of singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez in 1995 by the former president of her fan club. Several laws and other practices changed in the 1990s (particularly in response to the death of Schaeffer, who was shot in the doorway of her home after the killer obtained her address via California Department of Motor Vehicles records) that have helped to prevent more of these incidents, though they certainly still occur.
In a recent example, up-and-coming singer Christina Grimmie (who finished in third place on season six of The Voice) was fatally shot in 2016 by an obsessed fan while the 22-year-old signed autographs after a concert in Orlando, Florida. Stalkers have broken into the homes of Sandra Bullock, Selena Gomez, and Jennifer Lopez; have trespassed on properties owned by Kendall Jenner, Madonna, and Taylor Swift; and have sent unwanted letters and gifts to numerous others.
List of Figures and Tables
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp iv-iv
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Contents
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp iii-iii
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Index
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp 148-154
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2 - Family and Close Relationships
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp 22-46
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Summary
One finding from our exploratory study of reclassified U.S. deaths (see Chapter 1) suggests that the perpetrators and victims in cases of covertly committed murder are disproportionately more likely to have shared a familial or other close relationship compared to those involved in overtly committed incidents. Indeed, an established relationship with a would-be victim—especially if that relationship includes the assumption of trust—would be an advantage for a covert perpetrator. That is because covert violence often requires the perpetrator to have close access to either the intended victim or to an item that they would not hesitate to ingest or have in close proximity. While most people would be suspicious of food or drink that was left on their porch by an unknown person, they would likely put no thought at all into accepting a cup of coffee from a friend or eating a meal prepared by their spouse.
Related to the apparently higher incidence of covert violence within families and friendships is another finding from our study: that women appear to commit covert acts of violence at far higher rates than is reported in official data on violent crime. This may be explained, in part, because of an inverse relationship between women’s access to power and their access to family members and friends. The family happens to be the one social institution in which U.S. women are disproportionately deficient relative to men in all three types of power that are relevant to covert violence (that is, physical, economic, and personal). Economically, women in paid work still earn less than men on average (Aragao, 2023), and mothers are more likely than fathers to head a single-parent household (Livingston, 2018). These facts combined help to account for women’s higher rate of poverty compared to men (Semega, 2019).
While it may be pure mythology to depict our cave-dwelling masculine ancestors as clubbing their female companions before dragging them off by the hair, the contemporary version of the mythical caveman has its counterpart in reality. It is clear, however, that men’s greater-on-average capacity to physically overpower women is exponentially more dangerous when combined with traditional gender roles that legitimate male aggression and encourage female submission, a dynamic that still exists in many American families today.
8 - Shining Light on the Shadows
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp 116-130
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Summary
Preventing covert violence is perhaps even more difficult than preventing overt forms of criminal behavior. To a large degree, this is because the covert version is often harder to detect and/or is easily misunderstood as something else. Enough cases of presumed accidental deaths subsequently turn out to be murders that we can reasonably assume that many acts of covert violence are either never discovered or never identified as intentional.
Some incidents remain in an indefinite state of uncertainty within the minds of officials. The Pepsi and Tylenol cases in Chapter 4 are perfect examples, as each implicates customers and companies in plots that they may or may not have initiated. Similarly, the 2001 anthrax attacks in the aftermath of 9/11 continue to generate significantly divided opinions among experts and members of the public as to their origins, with some accusing prominent scientists or the 9/11 terrorists and others promoting conspiracy theories that involve images of a deep state within the U.S. federal government. If those infamous incidents were never officially solved, then it would not be surprising to find that many lower-profile cases are missed entirely.
Unlike unsolved cases, in which the action is recognized as malicious even if the identity of the perpetrator is unknown or ambiguous, undetected covert cases produce nothing that appears to need solving. Compared to maliciously inflicted injuries and deaths, those that are deemed accidental, due to natural causes, or self-inflicted generally require much less (if any) investigation and follow-up. And once an official classification has been made, there are virtually no mechanisms in place for routine reconsideration. It often takes years of persistence from a victim’s friend or family member to convince an authority figure to take another look, and frequently that suspicious person must uncover some kind of new evidence before they find anyone who will listen.
There are also practical reasons for not investigating a death when the manner and/or cause appears to be obvious. Determining the exact cause of a death requires available and sufficient funding, as well as other limited resources such as the time and expertise of physicians and/or other scientists.
4 - The Workplace
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Covert Violence
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- Bristol University Press
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- 03 April 2024
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- 17 October 2023, pp 62-73
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Summary
On July 20, 2006, Adrienne Miranda, of Lutherville, Maryland, received the call that every parent dreads. On the line was her ex-husband, with whom she shared two sons, informing her that their 19-year-old son Joseph was dead. The only information known at that time was that the teenager had been found face down in the dirt after somehow being crushed under a Bobcat earth mover while working at his summer landscaping job. Joseph had recently graduated from high school and planned to attend college to become a landscape architect when his life was cut short. In the ensuing days after the tragedy, questions swirled around what exactly had happened to Joseph. One of the two witnesses at the scene—the Bobcat driver—seemed as confused as anyone, while the other told a shifting story about a supposedly freak accident.
What seems clear is that Joseph had been well liked by the other employees and was quickly climbing the workplace ladder, having already achieved a promotion to foreman at the time of his death. However, such success at a young age sometimes breeds resentment from others—especially those with more work experience or years with the company who have been denied the benefits and/or promotions to which they believe they are entitled—who feel the sting of powerlessness.
In any case, Adrienne never believed that her son’s death was an accident, even though this was the official ruling of every county authority that reviewed the case, including the prosecutor’s office in Carroll County (where the landscaping company was located), the prosecutor’s office and police in Baltimore County (where she and her son lived), and even prosecutors in nearby Frederick County. Nevertheless, the grieving mother vowed to fight as long as it would take to prove that her son was murdered—or to at least convince someone in authority to listen. It took more than five years, but she finally succeeded.
In August 2011, Joseph’s manner of death was officially changed from accident to homicide. Dr. Zubiullah Ali, the assistant medical examiner for Baltimore County who agreed to re-examine the autopsy report, found “no plausible explanation as to why [Joseph] was in a face down position while run over by the Bobcat” (Hermann, 2011), instead concluding that he had been pushed or knocked down into the path of the reversing machine.
1 - An Introduction to Covert Violence, Power, and Social Institutions
- Jack Levin, Northeastern University, Boston, Julie B. Wiest, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
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- Book:
- Covert Violence
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 03 April 2024
- Print publication:
- 17 October 2023, pp 1-21
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- Chapter
- Export citation
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Summary
Violent crime and sadistic behavior are often featured prominently in Western news and entertainment media. Many of these consumers, particularly in the United States, have become accustomed to reports of deadly school shootings, mass killings in public places like cinemas and shopping malls, and racist attacks inside community centers and houses of worship. Every day in cities and towns around the world, brutal gang warfare and acts of domestic violence tear at the fabric of social life. These types of violence are explicit, shocking, and often sensationalized, spreading fear throughout a community. They have also received plenty of attention from academics, journalists, members of law enforcement, and members of the public with an interest in crime and violent behavior.
Covert violence, on the other hand, is a type of everyday violence that exists deep in the shadows of society. Until now, these acts of murder, mischief, and mayhem have been mostly overlooked in academic and mainstream studies of criminal behavior. They are generally unnoticed by would-be victims, too—that is, until it is too late. Indeed, inconspicuousness is a common feature of these violent acts, and the perpetrators rely on others’ inattention as they plot and prepare before striking surreptitiously and then slinking back under cover.
Most reported violence involves an overt act, or an explicit and aggressive encounter between offender(s) and victim(s). In contrast, property crimes tend to be covert acts in terms of the offenders’ efforts to avoid detection and contact with victims. Most home break-ins occur in unoccupied dwellings, for example, and acts of vandalism are rarely committed in broad daylight. The clandestine aspect of covert violence defies this crime pattern, but its damage is just as devastating and potentially deadly as any other violent event. These acts of violence are committed by perpetrators who avoid drawing attention to themselves by maintaining a low profile and staying far away from the public spotlight. Not unlike many property offenses, covert acts of violence typically remain subterranean. Unlike many school shooters and rampage killers, those who commit covert violence—even deadly violence—are not interested in seeing their name in the news or their picture on the cover of People magazine.
Covert Violence
- The Secret Weapon of the Powerless
- Jack Levin, Julie B. Wiest
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- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 03 April 2024
- Print publication:
- 17 October 2023
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Covert violence occurs in all social institutions and this compelling, much-needed book is for all those who seek to understand - and strive to prevent - violence in society. This book takes a new and engaging focus on the perpetrators of surreptitious violence on unsuspecting victims.