Geographical Dimensions Research Articles

COVID-19 NATIONWIDE LOCKDOWN OF 2020- OBSERVATIONS ON PROMINENT POLLUTANT IN THE COASTAL CITIES OF CHENNAI AND MUMBAI

The pan-India Lockdown of 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point in impacting the environment and generating new trends lends it to specific analysis. In this context, the urban scenarios are most widely discussed and the Indian metropolitan cities stand pertinent examination. While many studies exist on analyzing air quality and air quality parameters in distribution and varying trends, works on highlighting the nature of dominant pollutant in time and space is not observed. The current study is distinctive in method as it tends to observe the evolving nature and distribution of primary pollutant in the air of two coastal cities of Chennai and Mumbai for every day of the COVID-19 nationwide Lockdown period of 2020. A comparative analysis is further attempted by taking air quality data for the period of national Lockdown in the matrix of 92*7 plus 92*4 time periods for Mumbai and Chennai respectively. Results reveal that despite being coastal in location, both cities have a distinct nature and distribution of Prominent Pollutant during this period. An examination of such a kind is pertinent in outlining the nature of pollution and its geographical dimensions across an urban area. This can help in the observation and management of pollution problem in a practical dimension.

Socio-demographic development and burden of mental, substance use disorders, and self-harm: An ecological analysis using the Global Burden of Disease study 2019.

Whether a country's level of development is associated with an increased or decreased burden of mental and behavioural problems is an important yet unresolved question. Here, we examined the association between the burden of mental and substance use disorders and self-harm with socio-demographic development along temporal and geographical dimensions. We collected data from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019, which uses robust statistical modelling techniques to calculate disease burden estimates where data are sparse or unavailable. We extracted age-standardized Disability Adjusted Life Year rates as a measure of disease burden for 204 countries and territories, as well as the Socio-Demographic Index, a measure of development reflecting income per capita, fertility rate and level of education. We tested the association between Socio-Demographic Index and Disability Adjusted Life Years for mental and substance use disorders and self-harm, between 1990 and 2019, and across six geographical regions as defined by the World Health Organization. The association between Socio-Demographic Index and Disability Adjusted Life Years was heterogeneous across world regions for all mental and behavioural conditions. For substance use disorders and self-harm, these regional variations were further moderated by time period. Our findings were robust to down-weighing outlier observations, as well as controlling for other socio-demographic variables, and the number of data sources available in each country. Based on data from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019, we demonstrated that the association between mental and substance use disorders and self-harm with socio-demographic development is dependent on geographical regions and temporal periods. This heterogeneity is likely related to geographical and temporal variations in socio-cultural norms, attitudes towards mental problems, as well as health care and social policies. Better knowledge of this spatial and temporal heterogeneity is crucial to ensure that countries do not develop at the expense of a higher burden of mental and behavioural conditions.

The geographical dimension of productivity in Great Britain, 2011–18: the sources of the London productivity advantage

ABSTRACT The UK government has committed to ‘levelling up’ regional economic performance. Through deriving geographically disaggregated estimates of total factor productivity from plant-level data, we show that the productivity advantage of London is far greater than differences between other regions. Evidence is then provided on the extent to which differences in multinational ownership, trade involvement, enterprise structure, plant age, research and development, subsidization, size, and industrial structure explain the London productivity advantage. Less than half can be explained by these characteristics, which suggests that they should not be the main focus of policy to reduce spatial productivity differentials.

Spatial Analysis of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hungary

This paper examines the spatial dynamics and regional distribution of the novel coronavirus epidemic in Hungary in an effort to obtain a deeper understanding of the connection between space and health. The paper also presents comprehensive epidemiologic data on the spatiotemporal spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the epidemic waves. Following a comparison of the growth rates of infection numbers, the current study explores the geographical dimension of the three pandemic waves. The partial transformation of spatial characteristics during the three epidemic waves is among the most important results found. While geographical hotspots influenced the first wave, newly confirmed coronavirus cases in the second and third waves were due to community-based epidemic spreading. Furthermore, the western-eastern spatial relation and the core-periphery model also affected the regional distribution of new cases and deaths in the initial two waves. However, a new spatial pattern - realised by the northern-southern spatial orientation - appeared during the third wave. The outputs of this paper offer feasible suggestions for evidence-based policymaking in pandemic prevention, mitigation, and preparedness.

Ten years of China\u2019s new healthcare reform: a longitudinal study on changes in health resources

BackgroundChina launched a new round of healthcare-system reform in 2009 and proposed the goal of equal and guaranteed essential medical and health services for all by 2020. We aimed to investigate the changes in China’s health resources over the past ten years after the healthcare reform.MethodsData were collected from the China Statistical Yearbook and China Health Statistics Yearbook from 2009 to 2018. Four categories and ten indicators of health resources were analyzed. A descriptive analysis was used to present the overall condition. The Health Resource Density Index was applied to showcase health-resource distribution in demographic and geographic dimensions. The global and local Moran’s I were used to assess the spatial autocorrelation of health resources. Concentration Index (CI) was used to quantify the equity of health-resource distribution. A Geo-Detector model and Geographic Weighted Regression (GWR) were applied to assess the association between gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and health resources.ResultsHealth resources have increased over the past ten years. The global and local Moran’s I suggested spatial aggregation in the distribution of health resources. Hospital beds were concentrated in wealthier areas, but this inequity decreased yearly (from CI=0.0587 in 2009 to CI=0.0021 in 2018). Primary medical and health institutions (PMHI) and their beds were concentrated in poorer areas (CI remained negative). Healthcare employees were concentrated in wealthier areas (CI remained positive). In 2017, the q-statistics indicated that the explanatory power of GDP per capita to beds, health personnel, and health expenditure was 40.7%, 50.3%, and 42.5%, respectively. The coefficients of GWR remained positive with statistical significance, indicating the positive association between GDP per capita and health resources.ConclusionsFrom 2009 to 2018, the total amount of health resources in China has increased substantially. Spatial aggregation existed in the health-resources distribution. Health resources tended to be concentrated in wealthier areas. When allocating health resources, the governments should take economic factors into account.

Organizational integration mechanisms and knowledge transfer effectiveness in MNCs: The moderating role of cross-national distance

Building on the knowledge-based view of the firm, this study investigates the usefulness of two organizational integration mechanisms (i.e., formal inter-unit communication and informal connectedness and shared values) to effectively transfer knowledge between MNC units and explores how their effectiveness is affected by different dimensions of cross-national distance. Data on 131 knowledge transfer relationships between units of five Spanish MNCs were used to test the hypotheses. Results reveal that, although both mechanisms are positively associated with knowledge transfer effectiveness, the effect of formal inter-unit communication is comparatively higher. Moreover, this formal integration mechanism seems to work independently of the type of distance that separates the units involved in the transfer. By contrast, the effectiveness of informal integration mechanisms is influenced by economic, geographic and administrative dimensions of distance. Adopting a contingent perspective, and taking into account the multidimensional character of cross-national distance, this article contributes to the literature on knowledge management in international firms by showing which organizational integration mechanisms are more useful to transfer knowledge within MNCs depending on the type of distance that separate their units.

Шошоолог: этноним и этническая история

Introduction. This article under takes a study of the clan name Shoshoolog (Šošōlog) in the context of ethnogenesis and ethnic history of the Mongolic and Turkic peoples of Inner Asia and Siberia. New historical and ethnographical data, including the evidence of ethnonymics as a part of the ethnic history of the Mongolic and Turkic peoples of the region will contribute to the knowledge of the migration and settlement history of the Shoshoolog people. The study aims at examining the etymology of the term šošōloγ, the area where it wasspread and theways of itsspread. Data and methods. The authors have taken into account written documents, ethnographical and folklore sources that contained references to the ethnonym in question. The written sources of the period between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, mainly in Russian, such as Cossacks’ otpiski (reports), and, more recent, travel and census reports, contain various forms of the ethnonym, often incorrectly spelled but still of interest as evidence pointing at the settlement areas of the ethnic group, as well as a source for linguistic speculation. The ethnographical sources include references to the ethnic group in question based on the legends and sagas shedding light on the people’s origin and settlement patterns both in the Baikal area and in Mongolia. The folklore texts written down by N. N. Poppe, S. P. Baldaev, etc. Include the stories of the Shoshoolog as a Buryat clan with a strong Shamanic background, as well as various forms of the ethnonym. Granted the available knowledge of the historical patterns in the language evolution, the orthographical forms of the ethnonym contained in different records were used as the data for further phonetical reconstructions and localizations of the ethnonym’s phonetic shape in terms of chronological and geographical dimensions. This data, alongside other material on the ethnonymics and onomastics of Mongolic and Turkic peoples, contributes to the linguistic part of the database in the field. Conclusions. A comparative analysis of ethnonymic evidence contained in a variety of sources examined resulted in phonetic reconstructions of the ethnonym under study to finally shed new light on its etymology, as well as to project further developments of its phonetic shape.

Practising fashion and wardrobe studies: A geographical reframing?

AbstractEveryday household sustainability challenges and dilemmas, particularly related to consumption of domestic resources energy, water, and food, are already an important focus in contemporary geographical inquiry. This paper seeks to advance the perspective by exploring a less obvious aspect: everyday fashion consumption practices specifically in the use phase of clothing. Whereas research on clothing sustainability impact has largely pursued production, acquisition, and divestment, here the spotlight is on the active everyday use of clothing already owned. Data were gathered in Ireland using wardrobe studies, a range of visual, verbal, and aural methodological approaches employed to uncover knowledge about wardrobe contents, user practices, cultures, and experiences, along with overarching systems. A central aim of the paper is to explore what geography can learn from wardrobe studies methodologies, thereby opening new opportunities to investigate and to generate valuable data regarding sustainable consumption in both the home and the wardrobe. Consequent to a critical review of current geographical work concerning the sustainability implications of clothing use and an examination of existing research on the geographical dimensions of household sustainability, the paper presents some key ways in which wardrobe studies may be more widely employed by geographers as an effective research method to reframe, analyse, and appreciate the complexities of everyday actions in the clothing use phase. Much research on clothing sustainability impact has largely pursued production, acquisition, and divestment. Here, the spotlight is on the active everyday use of clothing already owned. Data were gathered in Ireland using wardrobe studies, a range of visual, verbal, and aural methodological approaches employed to uncover knowledge about wardrobe contents, user practices, cultures, and experiences, along with overarching systems. A central aim of the paper is to explore what geography can learn from wardrobe studies methodologies, thereby opening new opportunities to investigate and to generate valuable data regarding sustainable consumption in both the home and the wardrobe.

Dialectics of Association and Dissociation: Spaces of Valuation, Trade, and Retail in the Gemstone and Jewelry Sector

abstract This article aims to substantiate how processes of valuation translate between different registers of value. We develop an analytical framework of how valuation is intertwined with geographic origination and the geographies of association and dissociation, which establish how commodities and consumer products are either associated with, or dissociated from, matters that are beneficial or damaging for sales and brand reputation. The article focuses on the rather unexplored gemstone and jewelry sector, and shows how the analysis of value is not reducible to Marxist notions of exchange and use value but needs to take into account symbolic and sign value, and embrace dis/association dialectics. It develops a novel conceptual framework that draws upon the early work of Baudrillard on symbolic value, together with Marxian value theory, and mobilizes it for the analysis of association–dissociation dialectics and practices in global value chains. We are particularly concerned with the role of origination and provenance to highlight the intrinsically geographic dimensions of gemstones that are enacted by traders and retailers in the valuation process. The article shows how valuation and consumption of gemstone and jewelry play out through complex and multiscalar, relational associative and dissociative practices, which intertwine with revealed sustainability problems in the diamond industry. It also shows how a current rise in the value and popularity of colored stones interrelate with a corporate refocusing away from mined diamonds, and entails even more in-transparent supply networks.

A Review of Small Farmer Land Use and Deforestation in Tropical Forest Frontiers: Implications for Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods

Forest conversion for agriculture is the most expansive signature of human occupation on the Earth’s surface. This paper develops a conceptual model of factors underlying frontier agricultural expansion—the predominant driver of deforestation worldwide—from the perspective of small farm households—the majority of farmers globally. The framework consists of four causal rubrics: demographic, socioeconomic, political–economic, and ecological. Following this approach, the article explores the current state of knowledge on tropical deforestation in tropical agricultural frontiers with a focus on Latin America, the region of greatest deforestation worldwide during recent decades. Neo-Malthusian arguments notwithstanding, in many tropical nations, deforestation has proceeded unabated in recent years despite declining rural populations. However, evidence from the global-to-household scale suggests that population size and composition are also related to farm forest conversion. Existing particularist or behaviorialist theories sometimes fail to capture key geographical and temporal dimensions, yet studies support the notion that certain cultural, individual, and household characteristics are crucial determinants of forest clearing. Conversely, while institutional arguments sometimes fail to emphasize that the ultimate land use change agents are local resource users, their livelihood decisions are shaped and constrained by policies governing economic subsidies, and market and infrastructure development. Further, although ecological change is usually modeled as an outcome in the deforestation literature, increasingly acute climate change and natural farm endowments form a dynamic tabula rasa on which household land use decisions are enabled. To more fully comprehend frontier forest conversion and to enhance protection and conservation while promoting vital local livelihoods, future research may fruitfully investigate the interaction of demographic, social, political, economic, and ecological factors across spatial scales and academic disciplines.

Song varies with latitude, climate, and species richness in a Neotropical bird

AbstractAnimals can encode information within acoustic signals, particularly, bird songs can be remarkably complex and can indicate individual identity and quality. Two main sets of hypotheses attempt to explain the evolution of increased birdsong complexity across large-scale geographic ranges: 1) larger acoustic space availability, and 2) greater sexual selection intensity, both of which would favor the evolution of more complex songs at higher latitudes, more seasonal and/or species-poor environments. However, few studies have assessed patterns of song complexity for birds with broad geographic ranges. Here, we determined patterns of song variation in the blue-black grassquit (Volatinia jacarina), considering metrics of song complexity, structure and performance. This Neotropical bird occurs from Mexico to Argentina and produces a monosyllabic song. Using recordings from online databases, we calculated song metrics, such as bandwidth, song rate, number of song components, and proportion of vibratos of this signal. We found that song features varied with latitude, climate seasonality, bird species richness, and hemisphere. However, contrary to theoretical predictions, complexity mostly decreased with latitude and greater seasonality, while it was positively correlated with bird species richness. Proportion of vibratos was positively correlated with latitude and seasonality, and may be a feature under sexual selection in this species. Overall, our results did not support the main hypotheses proposed as explanations for song complexity. Our findings also highlight that song complexity does not vary uniformly among songbirds and song parameters, and future studies encompassing more species should clarify patterns and drivers of song variation across broad geographic dimensions.

A geographical dimension of resource endowment of Ukrainian territories


 
 
 Given the multidisciplinary nature of this research, it is important to develop a common understanding of the security and complexity of the rational consumption of available minerals. Considerations for the availability and depletion of minerals are part of a diverse range of research focused on sustainable development, in areas such as resource critical shortage, life cycle assessment and material flow analysis. Mineral resources are non-renewable resources that provide humanity with a wide range of goods and services. Although their value has been recognized for millennia, their large-scale industrial production did not grow until after World War II due to efficient industrial production processes and rapidly growing demand due to demographic growth, urbanization and economic wealth growth in developed countries. The proposed research confirms the high level of supply of the territory of Ukraine with mineral resources. The objective idea of mineral and self-sufficiency of Ukraine, its inclusion in the top groups of the states most provided with the most valuable types of minerals is strengthened and the high level of availability of mineral resources in Ukraine in terms of its economic and geographical areas and regions is confirmed. At the same time, a number of mineral deposits in modern social and economic conditions are preserved and not used. For the first time, a cartographic interpretation of the periodic table of chemical elements (D. I. Menedeleev's table) is given, which is reinforced by data on the distribution of mineral resources and minerals in terms of selected groups of regions within the administrative regions of Ukraine. There are 33 chemical elements extracted from more than 100 mineral deposits. The provisions and conclusions of the article testify the mineral self-sufficiency of Ukraine and can act as a lever for developing strategies for socio-economic development of the United Territorial Communities (UTC) of Ukraine, which today are the new centers of management of territories and its resources. D. I. Mendeleev's table and its mineral content are positioned as an objective factor in the specialization of Ukraine and the international geographical division of labour. It is noted that the main advantages of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, including its structure, logic, objectivity, a system in relation to the economic and geographical regions of Ukraine are considered as an element of monitoring the mineral component of natural resources of the country, the lever of further development of exploratory geology and geomorphology. The information obtained from this research ultimately influences the future policies of the territories and its plans for the balanced use of available mineral reserves and can be used to promote the sustainable use of mineral resources in the regions.
 
 

Transformative Leadership Journeys: Learning and Identity of University Leaders of Engaged Scholarship

University-community engagement (UCE) researchers have developed taxonomies, frameworks and practices for the field, but have not deeply considered issues of social, cultural, political, geographical and economic dimensions of theory and practice in institutions and their communities, including faculty, staff, and senior leadership. These dimensions may include institutional and personal history, such as religious affiliations; epistemology; forms of leadership; power structures; and social locations, among others. These cultural forms are reflected in institutional discourse, for example the narratives of engagement actors, and can be expressed in a variety of cultural artifacts including personal stories of praxis. Leading community engagement efforts is a transformative values-driven activity; we believe that transformative leadership is a process of continual, transformative learning, which is fundamentally a process of identity transformation. The narratives of six institutional leaders of community-engaged scholarship (CES) in higher education are examined for how their various scholarly and professional identities have developed through transformative learning processes), revealing themes of serendipity, moral coherence, values congruence, agentic change, moral courage, authenticity, relational practice and generativity that integrate these stories.

Epidemiological features of domestic and imported cases with COVID-19 between January 2020 and March 2021 in Taiwan.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic affecting numerous countries around the world. This study elaborates Taiwan's epidemiological characteristics from the 2020 to 2021 COVID-19 pandemic from human, temporal, and geographical dimensions. Big data for cases were obtained from a public database from the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in April 2021. The data were analyzed and used to compare differences, correlations, and trends for human, temporal, and geographical characteristics for imported and domestic COVID-19 cases. During the study period, 1030 cases were confirmed and the mortality rate of 1.0%. The epidemiological features indicated that most cases (953/1030, 92.5%) were imported. A comparison of the domestic confirmed and imported cases revealed the following findings: No significant difference of COVID-19 between males and females for sex was observed; For age, the risk of domestic transmission was significantly lower for 20 to 29 years old, higher for 50 to 59 years old, and >60 years old with odds ratios (ORs) (P value < .05) of 0.36, 3.37, and 2.50, respectively; For the month of infection, the ORs (P value < .05) of domestic confirmed cases during January and February 2020 were 22.428; and in terms of area of residence, the ORs (P value < .05) for domestic confirmed cases in northern and southern Taiwan were 4.473 and 0.033, respectively. Thus, the increase in domestic cases may have been caused by international travelers transmitting the virus in March 2020 and December 2020, respectively. Taiwan has been implementing effective screening and quarantine measures at airports. Moreover, Taiwan has implemented and maintained stringent interventions such as large-scale epidemiological investigation, rapid diagnosis, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, safe social distancing, and prompt clinical classifications for severe patients who were given appropriate medical measures. This is the first report comparing imported and domestic cases of COVID-19 from surveillance data from the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control during January 2020 and March 2021. It illustrates that individuals infected during overseas travel are the main risk factors for the spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan. The study also highlights the importance of longitudinal and geographically extended studies in understanding the implications of COVID-19 transmission for Taiwan's population.

Effect of geographical origin and dimension of corms on saffron production in Basilicata Region (southern Italy)

Effect of geographical origin and dimension of corms on saffron production in Basilicata Region (southern Italy)

Enacting a just and sustainable blue economy through transdisciplinary action research

AbstractTo enact a just and sustainable blue economy, one must consider all the actors involved in its shaping. This paper argues that a quintuple helix approach to stakeholder engagement – involving government, academia, the business community, and civil society – and an inclusive transdisciplinary action research (TAR) methodology are promising avenues with which to do so. Embracing critical pragmatism as a foundational framework, key ideas from three strands of research are consolidated: (1) the recent work on the geographical dimension of socio‐technical sustainability transitions; (2) the literature on just sustainabilities and just transition; and (3) action research and transdisciplinary approaches to problem solving. This allows for the reimagination of a common future for the blue economy that is developed through a different kind of democratic process driven and informed by co‐learning, and shared experiences. By adopting a transdisciplinary action research approach, actors from different disciplines and spheres of experience can gain a better mutual understanding and find commonality through the open door of collaboration. The theoretical argument presented in this paper is illustrated by a vignette of an ongoing TAR project at Southern Connecticut State University, which outlines the challenges and opportunities inherent to implementing a TAR approach.

Traditional Tausug Pagkawin in Sulu

In the history of human race, intimate relationship is normal. When civilization begun to flourish, norms and standards of societies also thrived and preserved. copulation is lawfully decreed to be bound by marriage. Marital norm is either prescriptive or proscriptive which depends upon the societal standard. The Tausugs claims to be a Muslim tribe, their marriage custom is traditional however, but anchored on the Islamic principle where they are obliged to carefully observe the so-called ritual Nikah or Pagkawin.&#x0D; Due to geographical dimensions of Sulu Archipelago, Pagkawin among the Tausugs is of the same concept but slightly different in practice. This paper will discuss the Traditional Pagkawin and their variations in five different municipalities of Sulu.

Articles: When near is far and far is near: Physical and constructed dimensions of geography and their implications for inward FDI performance

Building on a sociology theory of space, we conceptualize physical geography as separated from its constructed connotations and suggest that the impact of geographic location on countries’ attraction for foreign direct investment (FDI) is contingent upon their constructed qualities – that is, their unilateral characteristics and connectivity to other countries. Quantile regression analyses confirm these predictions and show notable variations across the distribution of FDI. The findings show that geography is not destiny and should rather be treated as an endogenous country characteristic whose consequences for FDI are subject to actions of policymakers and firms. Subsequent analyses show that the level of economic development affects the relationships between the physical and constructed consequences of geography on FDI, introducing significant differences between developed and developing countries. We outline the role for policy in shaping the contingencies that affect the relationships between geographic location and FDI.

Geographies of the public library: Institutions, architectures, interactions

AbstractPublic libraries are increasingly recognised in popular discourse as key sites within urban space. They are implicated in encompassing projects of civic investment and abandonment, education and memorial, as well as providing specific settings for the unfolding of everyday life. However, despite their clear geographical dimensions, geographers have only taken a sporadic interest in public libraries. By taking stock of existing geographical research and extending into allied literatures, the paper proposes three interconnected directions of enquiry, through which geographies of the public library might be considered. First, institutional geographies of the public library involve political‐economic projects and processes, and the changing practices of an institution. Second, architectural geographies of the public library involve aesthetics, arrangement and naming of libraries, focusing on transformation at a branch scale. Third, interactional geographies of the public library involve relations between individuals in the physical library, and the increasing work of care for librarians and other library staff. In the face of digitisation, austerity and other forces that appear intent on assigning the physical presence of the public library to history, this paper highlights some key reasons for their continuing endurance in place, and suggests an agenda for emerging scholarship.

The price\u2013rent ratio inequality in Scottish Cities: fluctuations in discount rates and expected rent growth

The price to rent ratio can be used to identify properties which are either overvalued or undervalued according to market fundamentals. Fluctuations in the price to rent ratio over time, can be traced to either changes in expectations of future house price growth (expected returns) or rental growth. In this paper, we measure the impact of these latent variables in Scotland’s main cities by implementing a state-space model based on the present value. The model estimates show that the proportion of expected rent growth and expected returns driving the price to rent ratio differs across Scotland. Glasgow seems to be driven mostly by expected returns, while rent growth drives price movements in Edinburgh. A geographic dimension is noted as cities on the East coast share similar expected returns and expected rent growth. Housing market trends in Scotland mostly follow the Edinburgh experience. Further decompositions show that house price changes are driven by an equal combination of expected rent growth and expected returns in Dundee and Aberdeen.