County Town Research Articles

Assessing the Utilization of Commercialized Public Toilets in Kakamega Town

Human waste management continues to be a major global challenge facing urban growth. Managing sanitation is therefore a challenge facing most governments. The objective of this study was to assess the utilization of commercialized public toilets in Kakamega Town. The study adopted a descriptive research design carried out in Kakamega Town. The target population comprised residents of Kakamega town and those on daily transit. Purposive sampling was done for Kakamega County town and key informants, while Simple random sampling was done for town residents and business people. Systematic sampling was conducted on individuals using public toilets. A sample size of 351 participants was finally used and data was collected using observation, interviews, questionnaires, and document review. 265 (75.5%) of respondents knew of public toilets and their location with only 25.9% of females being very often users. The majority of respondents 256 (72.9%) chose public toilets because of their cleanliness and appearance. Physically challenged respondents were less likely to use commercial toilets in contrast to the able-bodied respondents (OR: 0.4; 95%CI: 0.2 – 0.8; p=0.008). Location, signage, and maps were among the factors identified as determining the utilization of the public toilet facilities in Kakamega Town. There were low incidents of open defecation, urination, and flying toilets in places where commercialized public toilets were. In conclusion, commercialized public toilets were highly utilized and preferred in Kakamega town due to their cleanliness, location, and accessibility. The study recommends the town increase the number of commercialized public toilet facilities and the management of non-commercialized public toilets in the county government of Kakamega to enhance cleanliness and access to all public toilets within the town

The Influencing Factors of High School English Teachers Choosing Different Teaching Media

The issue of high school English teachers' selection of teaching media has garnered widespread attention. However, there remain significant gaps in understanding the influencing factors. This paper analyzes the determinants behind teachers' choices using grounded theory and three-level coding, incorporating interviews with educators from both first-tier cities and county towns in China. The findings reveal substantial disparities in resource availability, technological proficiency, and institutional support between urban and rural schools. Urban teachers benefit from abundant resources and robust technical support, which facilitate higher technological proficiency and more effective media integration with curriculum goals. Conversely, rural teachers face challenges with basic access to technology and limited professional development opportunities. Based on these findings, this paper proposes several recommendations to optimize the use of teaching media: enhancing resource availability through increased funding and community support, improving technological proficiency via targeted professional development, strengthening school support with dedicated IT staff and flexible funding policies, and aligning media with curriculum needs to enhance student engagement.

The Development Potential of Urbanization in China's Third-tier Cities: A Case Study of Taizhou Area

With the acceleration of China's urbanization process, the development potential of third-tier cities has become increasingly prominent, becoming an important part of the national urbanization strategy. Taking the Taizhou area as an example, this study first conducts a comprehensive evaluation of the current status of urbanization development in Taizhou, aiming to reveal its development level and characteristics in various aspects such as economy, society, culture, and environment. On this basis, a multi-dimensional evaluation system including urbanization level, quality of citizenization, urban functions, and urban governance is constructed to comprehensively consider Taizhou's performance in several key areas of urbanization development. In terms of data processing, the study uses the Taizhou Statistical Yearbook from 2018 to 2022 and other related reports as the main data sources to ensure the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the evaluation. Through the dimensionless processing of data and the weights of indicators determined by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the development potential of urbanization in Taizhou was quantified and evaluated. The research results show that the urbanization development in Taizhou has shown a steady growth trend, especially significant progress in the quality of citizenization and urban functions, but there is still room for improvement in some key areas. Based on the research results, targeted policy recommendations are proposed: first, to improve the quality of citizenization, including deepening the reform of the household registration system and improving the level of public services; second, to optimize the pattern of urbanization, strengthen regional collaborative development and county town construction; third, to promote the construction of new types of cities, covering the improvement of urban innovation capabilities and the construction of smart cities; fourth, to deepen the integrated development of urban and rural areas, promote resource sharing and coordinated economic growth, aiming to guide Taizhou to achieve more balanced and sustainable urbanization development, and provide a reference for similar cities.

The Development Potential of Urbanization in China's Third-tier Cities: A Case Study of Taizhou Area

With the acceleration of China's urbanization process, the development potential of third-tier cities has become increasingly prominent, becoming an important part of the national urbanization strategy. Taking the Taizhou area as an example, this study first conducts a comprehensive evaluation of the current status of urbanization development in Taizhou, aiming to reveal its development level and characteristics in various aspects such as economy, society, culture, and environment. On this basis, a multi-dimensional evaluation system including urbanization level, quality of citizenization, urban functions, and urban governance is constructed to comprehensively consider Taizhou's performance in several key areas of urbanization development. In terms of data processing, the study uses the Taizhou Statistical Yearbook from 2018 to 2022 and other related reports as the main data sources to ensure the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the evaluation. Through the dimensionless processing of data and the weights of indicators determined by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the development potential of urbanization in Taizhou was quantified and evaluated. The research results show that the urbanization development in Taizhou has shown a steady growth trend, especially significant progress in the quality of citizenization and urban functions, but there is still room for improvement in some key areas. Based on the research results, targeted policy recommendations are proposed: first, to improve the quality of citizenization, including deepening the reform of the household registration system and improving the level of public services; second, to optimize the pattern of urbanization, strengthen regional collaborative development and county town construction; third, to promote the construction of new types of cities, covering the improvement of urban innovation capabilities and the construction of smart cities; fourth, to deepen the integrated development of urban and rural areas, promote resource sharing and coordinated economic growth, aiming to guide Taizhou to achieve more balanced and sustainable urbanization development, and provide a reference for similar cities.

Analyzing the differences and correlations between key metabolites and dominant microorganisms in different regions of Daqu based on off-target metabolomics and high-throughput sequencing

Daqu is usually produced in an open environment, which makes its quality unstable. The microbial community of Daqu largely determines its quality. Therefore, in order to improve the fermentation characteristics of Daqu, samples were collected from Jinsha County (MT1), Xishui County (MT2), and Maotai Town (MT3) in Guizhou Province to explore the microbial diversity of Daqu and its impact on Daqu's metabolites.Off-target metabolomics was used to detect metabolites, and high-throughput sequencing was used to detect microorganisms. Metabolomics results revealed that MT1 and MT2 had the highest relative fatty acid content, whereas MT3 had the highest organooxygen compound content. Principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis revealed significant differences in the metabolites among the three groups, followed by the identification of 33 differential metabolites (key metabolites) filtered using the criteria of variable importance in projection >1 and p < 0.001. According to the microbiological results, Proteobacteria was the dominant bacteria phylum in three samples. Gammaproteobacteria was the dominant class in MT1(26.84 %) and MT2(36.54 %), MT3 is Alphaproteobacteria(25.66 %). And Caulobacteraceae was the dominant family per the abundance analysis, MTI was 24.32 %, MT2 and MT3 were 33.71 % and 24.40 % respectively. Three samples dominant fungi phylum were Ascomycota, and dominant fungi family were Thermoascaceae. Pseudomonas showed a significant positive connection with various fatty acyls, according to correlation analyses between dominant microorganisms (genus level) and key metabolites. Fatty acyls and Thermomyces showed a positive correlation, but Thermoascus had the reverse relation. These findings offer a theoretical framework for future studies on the impact of metabolites on Baijiu quality during fermentation.

Book review: Gabdrafikova L.R. County town Menzelinsk (late 18th – early 20th century): monograph (Kazan, 2023)

Book review: Gabdrafikova L.R. County town Menzelinsk (late 18th – early 20th century): monograph (Kazan, 2023)

Early Warning of Regional Groundwater Pollution： A Case Study for Plain Area of Barkol-Yiwu Basin

Groundwater pollution early warning is an effective means for regional groundwater pollution prevention. The groundwater pollution early warning model coupled with the current situation of groundwater quality, groundwater quality variation trend, and groundwater pollution risk were applied to the plain area of Barkol-Yiwu Basin, and the regional scale groundwater pollution early warning was realized by combining the early warning of groundwater quality status and trend. The TOPSIS method based on comprehensive weight was used to evaluate the current situation of groundwater quality. The variation trend of groundwater quality was analyzed by calculating the trend interpolation results of 18 in-situ groundwater quality monitoring wells. The groundwater vulnerability map, groundwater pollution load map, and groundwater function value map were superimposed using the superposition index method to evaluate groundwater pollution risk. The results showed that the groundwater quality was good and relatively good, and the poor groundwater quality in some areas was mainly affected by the shallow groundwater depth and the large porosity of the vadose zone. Groundwater quality was stable from 2011 to 2022, mainly due to the leakage of wastewater generated by industries and agriculture into groundwater, resulting in the deterioration of groundwater quality in some areas. Groundwater pollution risk was generally low, and the dual effects of high vulnerability and high pollution load of groundwater led to local areas with high pollution risk. The early warning level of groundwater pollution was generally low, and the heavy and highly heavy warning areas accounted for 16.4% and 17.5% of the study area, respectively, mainly distributed in Xiamaya Township of Yiwu County and northern Santanghu Town, Dahongliuxia Township, and Dahe Town of Barkol County. The quaternary sediments exposed were mainly sandy pebbles, with developed pores and strong water permeability. The interception and adsorption capacity of pollutants were weak. Pollutants produced by industries, agriculture, and life easily leaked into groundwater aquifers, resulting in poor groundwater quality and high risk of groundwater pollution, which ultimately led to a high early warning level of groundwater pollution in some areas. The research on early warning of groundwater pollution provided an important theoretical basis for the development of groundwater pollution remediation.

Organizational features of the reform of local self-government in 1870 in the county towns of the Central Chernozem region (on the example of the Tambov province)

Importance. Cities in Russian history have always been distinguished by their special social, political, economic and cultural status, which was also manifested in internal organizational aspects. For almost two and a half centuries, there has been a domestic city government, which has gone through many modernization stages and has become an important socio-political institution in the field. In this regard, the issues of continuity and traditions in its development remain important. The purpose of the study is to identify and analyze the organizational features of the urban reform of 1870 in the counties of the Central Chernozem region.Materials and Methods. The source basis of the study is the materials of the State Archive of Tambov region and published publications of the Tambov Provincial Statistical Committee. Various legal acts are used to describe the mechanisms of regulatory regulation of urban selfgovernment. The methodological basis of the research is based on the principles of objectivity, historicism and consistency.Results and Discussion. The process of implementing the reform of urban self-government in 1870 in the provinces of the Central Chernozem region lasted for several years and was mostly completed only in 1873. This situation was explained by a number of reasons: firstly, the law did not contain norms aimed at the transition from the old system of urban governance to the new one, secondly, the legislator did not set a strict time frame related to the implementation of the reform, thirdly, urban societies themselves slowed down the process of reorganizing local government, making numerous mistakes in procedural There are internal disagreements among the electors.Conclusion. The formation of a new system of self-government in the county towns of the Central Chernozem region had a number of common legalized and arbitrary features. The “delayed” procedure for the enactment of the law made it possible to organize elections in provincial centers and form the practice of work of supervisory authorities. In some cities, the implementation of the reform was slowed down due to the incompetence of representatives of urban societies involved in the modernization of local governments. Finally, the censorship policy of the state and the unsettled mechanism for nominating candidates served as the basis for serious competition and numerous complaints that delayed the process.

Changes in human settlement environments and their drivers in valley cities located in arid and semi-arid regions: A case study of Lanzhou in Western China

Development of urban human settlement environments (HSEs) is an integral part of promoting high-quality and sustainable regional development and constructing a beautiful China. The city of Lanzhou, located at the geometric center of China, is the only provincial capital traversed by the Yellow River. Given the constraints posed by the valley topography and the need for economic development, the development of this HSE, which is located within an arid region, poses considerable challenges. Evidently, an understanding of the evolution of HSEs and drivers of changes in them contributes to high-quality, sustainable urban development in arid and semi-arid regions. An analytical model was developed using the parameters of relief degree of land surface, human comfort days, the land cover index, nighttime light index, and precipitation. This model was used in combination with population density and the gross domestic product to analyze the spatial distribution of Lanzhou's HSE and its drivers. The results showed that landscapes in Lanzhou underwent significant changes between 2000 and 2022, with an increase in building-up land (+0.946%), cultivated land (+0.134%), and forest land (+0.018%) and a decrease in grassland (−1.10%). There was significant outward expansion of the main urban zone of Lanzhou and of various county towns, with the increase in building-up land being most prominent. During this period, there were significant changes in the periphery of the core urban area and county towns in Lanzhou, with decreases moving from the urban center (the highest value) to the surrounding areas (Yongdeng County had the lowest value). The correlation between the HSE and population density grew stronger in Anning and Chengguan Districts but became weaker in Xigu and Qilihe Districts. Spatiotemporal variations in the HSE were primarily caused by climate change, followed by human activities, and were also influenced by the valley topography. Overall, the spatial distribution of population density and the HSE in Lanzhou demonstrated good consistency under the influence of economic development and urbanization.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Land Cover and Landscape Ecological Risk in Wuyishan National Park and Surrounding Areas

Previous studies on national park conservation have focused mainly on their internal areas, and few studies have focused on national parks and their surrounding areas as unified entities. Therefore, the investigation of land cover and landscape ecological risks in national parks and surrounding areas is essential for overall ecosystem protection and regional sustainable development. This study examines the spatiotemporal evolution of land cover and its landscape ecological risk in Wuyishan National Park, China, and its surrounding areas (WNPSA) from 1990 to 2020. The results show that (1) the land cover of WNPSA from 1990 to 2020 predominantly exhibited a consistent decline in forested areas, paralleled by an augmentation in farmland and impervious surface areas. The center of standard deviation ellipse of impervious surfaces has been progressively moving further south in tandem with the expansion of these surfaces, primarily located within the county town of Fujian Province. (2) The Wuyishan National Park (WNP) areas were dominated by low values of landscape index, and the high value areas in the park were mainly located at the provincial boundary area, with a gradual narrowing during 1990–2020, suggesting a decrease in landscape heterogeneity within the park. High value areas in the surrounding areas mainly occurred in areas with clustered impervious surfaces (e.g., the county town), where part of them located in Wuyishan City have spread to the edge area southeast of WNP. (3) From 1990 to 2020, the lowest-risk areas continue to expand. However, as the medium-risk zone of the adjacent region extends into the edge of the national park, the low risk zone within the national park exhibits a trend from continuous to separate with the neighboring low risk zone. This led to an escalating stress effect on the ecological security of both the adjacent regions and the national park’s boundary areas due to land cover changes.

Research on the Implementation Plan of Urban and Rural Sanitation Integration in County Towns in China

This paper deeply discusses the implementation plan of the integration of urban and rural sanitation in county towns in China. First of all, the main problems facing urban and rural sanitation in the county are analyzed, including inadequate sanitation facilities, scattered management and low efficiency of resource utilization. Then, it puts forward the necessity and importance of urban and rural sanitation integration, pointing out that it helps to improve the county's environmental health level, promote resource conservation and recycling, and promote the coordinated development of urban and rural areas. In the implementation of the program, this paper puts forward a series of concrete measures. It includes strengthening the construction of sanitation infrastructure, improving the system of garbage collection, transfer and treatment; Promoting the reform of the environmental sanitation management system to realize the unification and coordination of urban and rural sanitation management; Strengthen environmental sanitation technology innovation and personnel training, improve the quality and efficiency of environmental sanitation services; At the same time, pay attention to the combination of policy guidance and market mechanism to attract social capital to participate in the cause of environmental sanitation. Through this study, the aim is to provide a scientific implementation plan and reference for the integration of urban and rural environmental sanitation in the county, and promote the healthy development of environmental health undertakings in the county.

County Town Comprehensive Service Functions in China: Measurement, Spatio-Temporal Divergence Evolution, and Heterogeneity of Influencing Factors

Strengthening the service function of small towns, using its fundamental role in the urban system to drive rural development, is the main issue that needs to be addressed urgently in numerous developing countries. County towns are unique types of small towns in China. Analyzing the spatial-temporal patterns and differentiation mechanisms of comprehensive service functions of county towns in China from a geographic point of view can not only provide a basis for the macro-control of county towns but also provide typical regional research results for the study of urban systems and urban–rural coordination in developing countries. Based on Point of Interest (POI) data of 1788 county towns in China, this study analyzes the evolution of spatial and temporal differentiation of comprehensive service functions and influencing factors by using modeling methods such as Getis-Ord Gi* analysis, the random forest model, and Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR). The obtained results show that (1) from 2012 to 2021, the average value of the comprehensive service function index (CSFI) of county towns in China shows a significant increase, and the proportion of county towns with medium–high service levels and above increases from 3.41% to 54.50%; (2) spatially, the comprehensive service function of county towns is characterized by the basic pattern of “high east, low west; high south, low north”, which keeps getting stronger. During the study period, eastern China has always been a high-level region, northwestern and southwestern China have always been low-level regions, and northeastern China has been a stagnant region, while central, northern, and southern China have been fast-growing regions; (3) county general public budget revenues, value added of secondary industry, GDP per capita, county town resident population, altitude, and GDP per capita of affiliated prefecture-level cities to which it belongs are the key factors influencing the comprehensive service function of county towns in China. The county general public budget revenue indicator, which represents the governmental capacity, has the strongest influence; and (4) the results of the MGWR analysis indicate that there is spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the intensity of the above-mentioned key influencing factors on the development of comprehensive service functions of county towns in China. Based on this finding, differentiated strategies should be proposed to policy makers and urban planners in different regions in order to effectively enhance the level of comprehensive service functions of county towns in China.

Internal Causes, Challenges and Realization Paths of Regional Coordinated Development to Promote Common Prosperity

Realizing regional coordinated development is not only conducive to implementing the new development concept, but also conducive to building a new development pattern and realizing the goal of common prosperity. However, at present, there are some problems, such as the gap between the northeast and the east, middle and west, the gap between the north and the south and the internal gap of the "the belt and road initiative", the spatial layout of metropolitan areas and urban agglomerations is dense in the east and sparse in the west, and the cooperation process between regions is slow. During the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period and in the future, we should focus on cultivating economic growth points, taking county towns and central villages (towns) as important nodes of urban-rural integration and development, and metropolitan areas and urban agglomerations as growth poles to promote the construction of cross-regional economic belts; Focus on the construction of major economic belts and build a criss-crossing regional coordinated development network; Take "the belt and road initiative" as the guide and accelerate the construction of a new development pattern.

Understanding the Sustainable Mechanisms of Poverty Alleviation Resettlement in China’s Developed Regions under the Background of Land Relocation: Drivers, Paths and Outcomes

In the context of land relocation, poverty alleviation resettlement (PAR) is considered an effective approach to improve the man–land relationship and development issues. However, current studies pay little attention to PAR and its spillover effects within developed regions. Furthermore, the complete mechanism chain has received little research concentration. Thus, employing a qualitative survey, this study aims to investigate the overall mechanisms of developed regions’ PAR in the context of land relocation. The study will deal with the following questions: Why does PAR occur in developed regions? How does the resettlement approach to poverty alleviation (i.e., paths)? What are the effects of resettlement on poverty alleviation, including its own effects and spillover effects? Through answering these questions, this study will highlight PAR in developed regions and investigate the spillovers from social, economic and ecological perspectives. Particularly, a comprehensive mechanism analysis framework for PAR will be presented to motivate future studies. Results indicate that PAR is generally caused by ecological poverty alleviation, geological disaster prevention and county town urbanisation promotion and that emigration and resettlement are the paths to PAR. In addition, the direct outcome is the overall rise in the number of resettlers over time, and the spillovers show the sustainable collaboration of economic, social and ecological dimensions. These findings will influence future land reform and housing initiatives.

Revival of trade in the Tambov province in the early 1920s

Importance. The p roblem o f r estoring t rade i n a r ural p rovince a fter i ts p rohibition during the years of “war communism” is considered. Without a commodity-producing, well-organized trading network, it was impossible to develop industry, agriculture and minimal satisfaction of the needs of the population. The study of the process of trade revival in the early 1920s shows not only the practical experience of restoring exchange operations in the agricultural region of the country, but also the state of the economy of the Tambov province as a whole.Research methods. Published and unpublished sources are used. The historical and comparative method allows us to reveal the essence of the phenomena under study on the basis of available facts within the narrow time limits of the new economic policy.Results and Discussion. The problems of restoring trade in the Tambov province with a predominantly rural population are shown. The conditions of the trade’s revival are considered, the peculiarities of the state cooperative and private trade's organization are revealed, the trading enterprises’ specialization is shown. The transition difficulties to the elements of a market economy are presented against the background of the economic life of an agricultural region. The dynamics of trade development in the early 1920s has been determined.Conclusion. The trade restoration in the Tambov province was complicated by the economic crisis, devastation, falling productivity of peasant farms, and low purchasing power of the population. With the new course's announcement of economic policy, petty bazaar trade begins to revive. Public- cooperative organizations had difficulty competing in the market with private trade and central trusts. The largest retail department stores in Tambov city and the county towns belonged to state and cooperative trade organizations. In cities, large-scale indoor trade grew more systematically, while in rural areas the trading apparatus was revived much more slowly. Small-scale universal trade prevailed in rural areas. Since 1923, the Bolshevik state has sought to establish control over the movement of goods from producer to consumer.

Temporal and Spatial Dynamics in Carbon Utilization Efficiency and Driving Mechanisms in Southeast Tibet from 2012 to 2022

Carbon utilization efficiency (CUE) in terrestrial ecosystems stands as a pivotal metric for assessing ecosystem functionality. Investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics of regional CUE within the context of global climate change not only provides a theoretical foundation for understanding terrestrial carbon cycling but also furnishes essential data support for formulating sustainable management strategies at a regional scale. This study focuses on the southeastern region of Tibet. Utilizing monthly and yearly MOD17A2HGF as primary sources, we employ Thiel–Sen estimation and Mann–Kendall trend analysis to scrutinize the spatiotemporal dynamics of CUE. Systematic analysis of the stability of CUE spatiotemporal changes in the Southeast Tibet region is conducted using the coefficient of variation analysis. The Hurst model is then applied to prognosticate future CUE changes in Southeast Tibet. Additionally, a comprehensive analysis of CUE is undertaken by integrating meteorological data and land-use data. The findings reveal the following: (1) At the monthly scale, regional CUE exhibits discernible variations synchronized with the growth season, with different vegetation types displaying diverse fluctuation patterns. The high-altitude forest area manifests the least annual CUE fluctuations, while evergreen needleleaf forests and evergreen broadleaf forests demonstrate larger variations. At the yearly scale, CUE reveals a non-significant upward trend overall, but there is an augmented fluctuation observed from 2019 to 2022. (2) CUE in Southeast Tibet demonstrates sensitivity to temperature and precipitation variations, with temperature exhibiting a more pronounced and strongly correlated impact, especially in Gongjo County and Qamdo Town. Temperature and precipitation exert opposing influences on CUE changes in the Southeast Tibet region. In the southern (below 28° N) and northern (above 31° N) regions of Southeast Tibet, the response of CUE to temperature and precipitation variations differs. Moreover, over 62.3% of the areas show no sustained trend of change. (3) Vegetation type emerges as a principal factor determining the scope and features of vegetation CUE changes. Grassland and sparse grassland areas exhibit markedly higher CUE values than evergreen broadleaf forests, deciduous broadleaf forests, evergreen needleleaf forests, and deciduous needleleaf forests. Notably, the CUE fluctuation in shrublands and areas with embedded farmland vegetation surpasses that of other vegetation types.

Coping with National Language Policy Shift: Voices of Chinese Immigrant Parents in an Irish County Town

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the diaspora Chinese community in Limerick – an Irish county town in the southwest of the Republic of Ireland – and examines how Chinese parents have responded to the education policy shift resulting from the 2017 Irish foreign language strategy, which added Chinese to the official educational curriculum. A semi-structured group interview was conducted with four Chinese-speaking parents. Analysis of the data revealed that identity preservation and maintaining bonds with extended family are the predominant expressed reasons for parents to cultivate their children’s Chinese proficiency. English and Irish are prioritized over Chinese. Though the parents hold positive attitudes towards the inclusion of Chinese as a school subject in Ireland, they are disempowered from taking advantage of participating in the implementation of this national language shift due to a lack of access to social, cultural, and economic capital. Analysed through a Bourdieuian lens, the findings further expose the limitations or constraints placed on family language policy and the discrepancy between macro- and micro-level language policies. The paper is intended to shed light on education, social justice, and equality, bridging the gap between micro-level family language practices and macro-level language policy.

How Semi-Urbanisation Drives Expansion of Rural Construction Land in China: A Rural-Urban Interaction Perspective

The expansion of rural construction land in China has led to ecological consequences under the context of rural depopulation, despite government land use controls. While previous studies have investigated the local factors contributing to the expansion of rural construction land, the semi-urbanisation of urban immigrants distant from rural areas has received less attention. To better understand the connections between the semi-urbanisation in the urban areas and the construction land expansion in rural areas, this study constructed a network/spatial lag of N/X (N/SLX) model that incorporated the network lagged term of the socio-economic traits of semi-urbanised migrants to analyse how urban semi-urbanisation influenced rural construction land. Our findings suggest that both the income of rural-urban migrants and the difficulty of obtaining urban household registration are positively correlated with the expanding extent of rural construction land. Conversely, the living expenses of migrants and city economic development are negatively correlated with that of rural construction land. Considering our findings, we propose that policies facilitating the settlement and integration of rural out-migrants into cities and proceeding urbanisation based on county towns are crucial to curb the inefficient expansion of rural construction land.

Започаткування та розвиток тюремного піклування в Херсонській губернії (1828-1857 рр.)

The purpose is to study the specifics of prison care in the Kherson province in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. The research methodology is based on the principles of a specific historical approach or historicism. The study uses historical and genetic, historical and comparative, periodisation, and descriptive methods. The scientific novelty of the study is that it is the first attempt to form a holistic view of the origins of prison care in the Kherson province, in particular in such cities as Kherson and Alexandria. The study analyses for the first time the formation and activities of the Kherson Prison Care Committee, and examines its work in modernising the prison system. At the same time, the first attempts to establish trusteeship committees in the county towns of the province are studied. In turn, the activities of the Kherson Committee of Trustees were examined in the context of the formation of prison care in the Ukrainian provinces of the Russian Empire. Conclusions. It has been established that the Kherson Prison Trusteeship Committee emerged after the construction of the Kherson prison castle, which was a typical phenomenon in the Ukrainian provinces of the empire. The development of its activities, like most regional committees, can be divided into two stages. From its foundation in 1835 to the 1840s, the committee introduced significant changes to the prison regime and prisoners' living conditions, trying to organise the functioning of the provincial prison on the basis of the Prison Instruction of 1831. During the 1840s, until the reform of prison care in 1851 and the provincial audit, the committee's activity declined and it performed exclusively economic functions. The reason for the passivity of local elites in promoting prison reform is associated with the lack of educational and ecumenical ideals inherent in the organisers of prison reforms in Western Europe and the capital of the Russian Empire..

Analysis of Learning Pressure for High School Students in County Towns and Research on Alleviating Strategies

Analysis of Learning Pressure for High School Students in County Towns and Research on Alleviating Strategies