Geographical Location Research Articles

Between Comforts and Discomforts: Indo-Bangla Relations in a Changing Reality

Its geographical location, vast population, economy, and the size and power of its military have transformed India into an Asian influence with the cherished dream of becoming a “World Power.” Bangladesh, a country that is almost entirely surrounded by India, is generally regarded as its closest neighbor. These two countries rely on each other for their common strategic interests, such as security and development. It is widely perceived that Indo-Bangla relations are currently at their peak, and that these two countries are jointly moving forward for their mutual benefit. By reviewing the secondary literature for the purpose of conducting an institutional analysis, however, this article will critically analyze this relationship in a changing reality, that comprises the rise of Hindutva, China’s growing influence in South Asia, and the Rohingya crisis, which have causing simultaneously disadvantaged positions for both India and Bangladesh, the latter having been dominated by India historically. Thus, each of these dimensions might potentially turn positive aspects of the Indo-Bangla relations into negative ones, and Delhi must address Bangladesh’s concerns meaningfully in order to safeguard its geopolitical interests.

Exploring Co-labeling Strategies in Local Food Markets: Insights from a Choice Experiment on Southern Buyers’ Preferences for Cherry Tomatoes

Labeling strategies are often discussed in the context of local food purchase. Substantial research has been undertaken to discern buyers’ preferences for different labeling strategies associated with a production practice or a geographic location. Some studies have also emphasized the substitution or complementarity effects that may occur across these different labels. Using a large choice experiment with 1820 respondents across six US southern states, this research evaluates buyers’ preferences for co-labeling strategies, focusing on the association of a production practice and certifications (USDA Organic and Certified Naturally Grown) alongside six different production locations, ranging from local to imported sources. We focus on pint baskets of cherry tomatoes, chosen due to their popularity among purchasers of fresh produce. Based on the results provided by a Bayesian Mixed Logit model, we derived the respondent-specific posterior distribution of the partworths associated with each production location and regressed each of those against demographic indicators. Our findings highlight that most buyers substitute between USDA Organic and Certified Naturally Grown (CNG), and a minority consistently opt for the same production practice option. In addition, we underscore that price, or an indication of origin predominantly guides nearly half of buyers’ choices. We find that the premium for CNG is slightly superior to the organic one. Last, older respondents and respondents with a higher degree of education value produce grown within their state over neighboring states and more distant origins.

Prevalence and Antibiogram of Escherichia coli Isolated from Children Under Five Years of Age Presented with Acute Diarrhoea: Cross Sectional Study from a Tertiary Care Centre in South India

Aim: The study aimed to analyze the prevalence and antibiogram of E. coli isolated from stool sample cultures collected from children below five years of age who were presented with acute diarrhoea in a tertiary care centre. Background: Multidrug-resistant strains of diarrheagenic E. coliremain a major public health concern for greater morbidity and mortality. Antibiotic resistance and susceptibility patterns of E. coli were found to vary with geographical location. Objective: To determine the prevalence and antibiogram of E. coli isolated from cultures of diarrhoea stool samples collected from children below five years of age from laboratory records. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to analyze the report on stool culture of children (aged below five years) presented with acute diarrhea during the period between 2017 and 2020. The prevalence of E. coli and its antibiogram were analyzed. The data were subjected to statis-tical analysis. Results: A total of 245 diarrhoea stool samples results were analyzed. E. coli was confirmed in 176 samples (72%). More number of isolates (51/176, 28.9%) were found in children below one year of age with male dominance. Amoxicillin resistance was found in all the E. coli strains isolated with no significant difference (p=0.2233) between genders and age groups below and above one year. A significant difference (p=0.0001) was found between male and female chil-dren of age below and above one year for cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin resistance. Polymyxin B (72%) followed by imipenem (69%) sensitivity was exhibited by the isolated E. coli strains. Conclusion: E. coli isolates were more sensitive to polymyxin B and imipenem while they were most resistant to amoxicillin. Effective antibiotic treatment strategies should be developed to control E. coli infections in children.

β-lactamase and Plasmid-mediated Quinolone Resistance Determinants Among Proteus spp. Isolates at a Tertiary-care Hospital in Kolkata, India

Background: Emerging antibiotic resistance (ABR) in Proteus spp., especially to third-generation cephalosporins (3GCc), carbapenems, and fluoroquinolones, challenges the treatment outcome and infection prevention. Limited studies pose a knowledge gap between them and ABR. Methods: We investigated the in vitro efficacy of therapeutic options and prevalence of β-lac-tamase and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) traits in 3GC- and/or fluoroquino-lone-nonsusceptible Proteus (P.) spp. (n=27) in Kolkata, India, during 2021–2022. P. mirabilis was commonly isolated (>80%) from superficial and urine samples. The majority of the isolates (48-78%) remained susceptible to piperacillin-tazobactam, meropenem, amikacin, cefoperazone-sulbactam, and cefepime. Results: All isolates showed >0.2 multiple-antibiotic resistance index, with >65% being multi-drug and >30% being extensively drug-resistant. blaTEM (n=9), blaNDM (n=9), and qnrA (n=6) were commonly noted with the co-production of β-lactamases and PMQR in ten (37%) isolates. More than 50% of the isolates were devoid of the tested acquired genes. Conclusion: The study concludes that superbugs dominate, with limited occurrence of plasmid-borne markers in this geographic location.

Cross-border acquisitions: The case of SPACs

We examine one aspect of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) in the U.S. market, namely their focus on foreign targets. Using a sample of 1737 SPAC IPO filings and 537 SPAC mergers with targets from 28 countries between 2003 and 2022, we study both the geographic preference revealed in SPACs' IPO filings and the geographic location of target firms in the subsequent acquisitions. Our results show that 69% of SPACs with a declared foreign focus are subsequently successful in acquiring a foreign target. However, they take longer time to identify and complete mergers compared to those with a domestic focus. When a merger is announced, SPACs with U.S. targets exhibit significantly higher announcement returns compared to those with foreign targets, with an even more pronounced difference when targets are from China or other emerging markets. Post merger, all SPACs exhibit poor market-adjusted returns. SPACs with Chinese targets suffer the worst one-year post-merger stock performance, whereas those with targets from other emerging markets perform considerably better than the rest of their peers. Further examination suggests that country-level factors, such as investor protection and accounting standards, are significant determinants in post-merger market performance of SPACs engaged in cross-border acquisitions.

Worldwide fluctuations in carbon emissions: Characterization and synchronization

Coordinated and cooperative efforts among international actors are necessary for climate policy effectiveness. From a macroeconomic perspective, the greater the synchronization of business cycles, the greater the potential for policy coordination and joint decision making. In light of the procyclical behaviour between the business cycle and the carbon emission cycle, this work tries to shed light on carbon emission fluctuations of sixteen major developed and developing economies during 1946–2021. In analogy with “classical” business cycle research, the analysis dates expansionary and contractionary phases, determines their durations and amplitudes. It also inspects emission synchronization between pairs and groups of countries in order to assess their degree of carbon integration. Carbon emission fluctuations are mostly an expansionary phenomenon. Compared to developed countries, developing countries feature on average longer cycles (i.e., a lower number of full cycles), less time spent in contraction, longer expansionary phases, shorter contractionary phases and larger absolute amplitudes. Pairwise carbon emission fluctuations are synchronized in 34.2% cases. Developed economies have their own common emission cycle. As for developing economies, results are heterogeneous. Only part of them, in fact, shows evidence of a common carbon emission cycle despite a relatively recent history of cooperation, heterogeneous geographical locations and socio-cultural features.

A statistical approach to evaluate the effect of obstacles on Green Building Development in Northeast India

The practice of "green building" (GB) is gaining popularity in the building sector as a practical means of meeting the rising demand for eco-friendly or sustainable structures. However, the adoption of GB has been slower than it ought to have been. This study examines the significance of several obstacles to the widespread acceptance of GB. The findings gathered through statistical analysis of the responses received from a questionnaire survey provided to experts in the field of GB throughout the Northeastern states, are provided. A thorough review was done to identify 18 possible barriers to GBD in Northeast India. Descriptive and inferential statistical studies (ANOVA and Exploratory Factor Analysis) were done to evaluate the effects of different obstacles on GBD and categorize them into manageable factors. To examine the impact of various obstacles on GBD, a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was established. The results revealed that poor geographic location, rating system limitations, enormous financial consequences, inadequate market conditions and policies, project viability, and poor public perception of GB contribute to Northeast India's GBD challenges. The conclusions of this paper might assist policymakers in identifying issues in GB adoption and developing appropriate measures for their wider acceptance.

Attitudes towards harm reduction amongst social work professionals in three geographical areas in Sweden

ABSTRACT Professionals’ understandings of substance use interventions and treatment goals impact treatment recommendations. We aimed to explore social work professionals’ (SWP) attitudes towards harm reduction philosophy and measures in three areas of Sweden with very differing development of their harm reduction: Malmö (most developed), Gothenburg (moderately developed), Gävleborg (least developed). We conducted a survey of SWP working with people who use drugs, utilizing the Harm Reduction Acceptability Scale (HRAS). An ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc correction was performed to assess for differences in mean HRAS score. There were 208 valid survey responses (Malmö: 79, Gothenburg: 82, Gävleborg: 47). The overall mean score indicated positive attitudes towards harm reduction. Means differed based on geographic location, with Malmö and Gothenburg scores indicating significantly more positive attitudes towards harm reduction than scores in Gävleborg. Opinions on implementation of new harm reduction measures such as heroin assisted treatment, supervised consumption sites, and decriminalization of drugs for personal use were more negative overall. These opinions followed the above trend, with regard to differences based on geography. Differences indicated that SWP who are more exposed to harm reduction have more positive attitudes. Increased knowledge of harm reduction among SWP could lead to improved access to interventions and reduced risks for people who use drugs.

Melatonin Affects Leymus chinensis Aboveground Growth and Photosynthesis by Regulating Rhizome Growth

Leymus chinensis is a perennial rhizomatous clone plant. It exhibits strong rhizomatous tillering and clonal growth through asexual reproduction. The root system is interdependent with aboveground growth and root growth can regulate aboveground growth and photosynthesis. Melatonin has been shown to regulate root growth and promote photosynthesis. However, it remains unclear whether melatonin affects aboveground growth and photosynthesis by regulating rhizome growth. To address this gap, we studied nine Leymus chinensis from different geographical locations, all grown under the same conditions. We selected two materials with strong (LC19) and weak (LC2) rhizome growth abilities from nine materials and treated them with exogenous melatonin. We found there were significant positive correlations between stem length, plant height, leaf number and rhizome traits. Additionally, rhizome traits showed significant positive correlations with photosynthetic indices and chlorophyll content. Specifically, for LC2, treatment with 200 μmol/L melatonin significantly increased root length, the number of extravaginal ramets and rhizome clonal growth rate by 88.72%, 43.75% and 43.70%, respectively, resulting in significant increases in aboveground traits. Similarly, for LC19, 200 μmol/L melatonin treatment led to significant increases of 74.66%, 23.02%, 62.71% and 62.72% in four traits, respectively, along with aboveground trait improvements. Furthermore, around 300 μmol/L melatonin treatment promoted photosynthetic efficiency in LC2, while around 100 μmol/L melatonin treatment had the same effect in LC19. In conclusion, our study highlights the relationship between rhizome growth ability, aboveground growth and photosynthesis in Leymus chinensis. Additionally, it suggests that exogenous melatonin can enhance aboveground growth and photosynthesis by regulating rhizome growth.

Intelligent Transportation System Technologies, Challenges and Security

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) first appeared in 1868 with traffic lights. With developing technology, the need to bring a smart approach to transportation applications within the scope of speed and environmental protection has emerged. Protecting ITS infrastructure against cyber attacks has become a matter of reputation for states. It is essential to provide the necessary technological infrastructure for the integrated operation of the systems used in ITS, especially geographical location, communication, and mapping. These technological developments bring cyber attacks, risks, and many dangers that should be avoided, especially on the systems used. This study examines ITS architecture, applications, communication technologies, and new trend technologies in detail. This study includes contributing to studies in the field of ITS and preventing attacks and incidents that may occur in terms of cyber security. The most important cyber attacks that may occur in ITS applications are included. In addition, the minimum security requirements that can be taken in ITS applications and infrastructures against these attacks are included.

Understanding Academic and Athletic Transfer Patterns for Latina/o College Athletes

Using the Student Athlete Climate Dataset, this paper examined factors associated with Latina/o college athletes’ intent to transfer for academic and athletic reasons. This study offers insight regarding how gender, NCAA Division, and geographic location can influence Latina/o college athletes’ decision to transfer. In addition, the roles of faculty members and head coaches were significant in Latina/o college athletes’ intent to transfer for athletic reasons.

Education Model for Paediatric Palliative Care

Introduction: Meeting the palliative care needs of children and their families is complex and challenging. For countries such as Australia, whose relatively small paediatric palliative care population is dispersed across a very large geographical area, one challenge is maintaining a skilled workforce in regional, rural, and remote areas, where, when compared to major cities, there are fewer resources, and the workforce is often transient. Methods: The Quality of Care Collaborative Australia (QuoCCA) Pop-up Model of Education was used to provide palliative care education to health professionals across three geographical locations and facilities, to facilitate a 2,500-km transfer of a child with complex palliative care needs from a tertiary hospital to the remote family home on Country. Results: Each Pop-Up provided effective education to facilitate the successful transfer of the child to the next hospital location. Over 18 months, three Pop-Ups occurred. Relational learning and real-time problem solving enabled health professionals to build confidence and capacity to successfully transfer the child from the regional hospital to the remote family home. Implications: The QuoCCA Education Pop-up Model is a feasible method to deliver timely access to speciality education. The model can be successfully applied in multiple settings. Keywords: paediatric, palliative care, integrated health care delivery, learning, rural, education models.

Identifying determinants of spatial agglomeration of healthcare resources by using spatial econometric methods: a longitudinal study in China

BackgroundHealthcare resources are necessary for individuals to maintain their health. The Chinese government has implemented policies to optimize the allocation of healthcare resources and achieve the goal of equality in healthcare for the Chinese people since the implementation of the new medical reform in 2009. Given that no study has investigated regional differences from the perspective of healthcare resource agglomeration, this study aimed to investigate China’s healthcare agglomeration from 2009 to 2017 in China and identify its determinants to provide theoretical evidence for the government to develop and implement scientific and rational healthcare policies.MethodsThe study was conducted using 2009–2017 data to analyze health-resource agglomeration on institutions, beds, and workforce in China. An agglomeration index was applied to evaluate the degree of regional differences in healthcare resource allocation, and spatial econometric models were constructed to identify determinants of the spatial agglomeration of healthcare resources.ResultsFrom 2009 to 2017, all the agglomeration indexes of healthcare exhibited a downward trend except for the number of institutions in China. Population density (PD), government health expenditures (GHE), urban resident’s disposable income (URDI), geographical location (GL), and urbanization level (UL) all had positive significant effects on the agglomeration of beds, whereas both per capita health expenditures (PCHE), number of college students (NCS), and maternal mortality rate (MMR) had significant negative effects on the agglomeration of institutions, beds, and the workforce. In addition, population density (PD) and per capita gross domestic product (PCGDP) in one province had negative spatial spillover effects on the agglomeration of beds and the workforce in neighboring provinces. However, MMR had a positive spatial spillover effect on the agglomeration of beds and the workforce in those regions.ConclusionThe agglomeration of healthcare resources was observed to remain at an ideal level in China from 2009 to 2017. According to the significant determinants, some corresponding targeted measures for the Chinese government and other developing countries should be fully developed to balance regional disparities in the agglomeration of healthcare resources across administrative regions.

Systematic Review Overview: Violence Against Adults with Disabilities.

This study aimed to conduct an overview of systematic reviews in the field of violence against adults with disability. Eight electronic databases as well as gray literature from January 2022 to April 2023 were searched to identify systematic reviews that focused on violence against adults with disabilities. A total of 13 high-quality systematic reviews were included in the overview. Findings show that adults with disabilities experience a higher rate of emotional and physical violence than the general population. Sociodemographic, financial, and cultural risk factors, prevention, and treatment approaches were discussed. Although the large body of studies on disability and violence have explored different aspects of the issue, there are some limitations and gaps in the literature that need further attention. The most important gap in the literature is the lack of attention to diversity. Accordingly, there is little knowledge about disability and violence in a variety of geographical locations. In addition, studies on violence based on ethnicity/race, age, gender identifications, and some types of disabilities such as hearing impairments or severe disabilities were scarce. There is a need to reach diverse populations of adults with disabilities, through employing a variety of data collection methods and qualitative research methodology. Prevention and treatment programs should be developed with attention to types of disability, and they should be culturally and linguistically sensitive.

Burden of tobacco-related cancers in urban, semi-urban and rural setting of Nepal: Findings from population-based cancer registries 2019.

Nepal is one of the high prevalent countries for tobacco use in Southeast Asia regions. Tobacco related cancer share the major burden since a decade, however, population-based estimates is still lacking. This study provides results from population-based cancer registries on tobacco-related cancer (TRCs) burden in Nepal. The data were collected by population-based cancer registry conducted in nine districts by Nepal Health Research Council. The districts were categorized in urban, semi-urban and rural regions on the basis of geographical locations and facilities available in the regions. Analysis was done to identify tobacco-associated cancer incidence, mortality and patterns along with cumulative risk of having cancer before the age of 75 years. Tobacco-related cancer was 35.3% in men and 17.3% in women. We found that every one in 36 men and one in 65 women developed tobacco-related cancer before age 75 in Nepal. Cancer of lung, mouth, esophagus and larynx were among the five most common tobacco-related cancers in both men and women. The incidence of tobacco-associated cancers was higher in urban region with age adjusted rate 33.6 and 17.0 per 100,000 population for men and women respectively compared to semi-urban and rural regions. Tobacco-associated cancer mortality was significantly higher compared to incidence. The prevalence of tobacco-related cancer found high in Nepal despite of enforcement of tobacco control policy and strategies including WHO framework convention on tobacco control. Concerned authorities should focus towards monitoring of implemented tobacco control policy and strategies.

Pushing the envelope: the feasibility of using a mailed contrast sensitivity test to prioritise cataract waiting lists.

Cataract waiting lists are growing globally. Pragmatic, cost-effective methods are required to prioritise the most urgent cases. Here we investigate the feasibility of using a third-party pen-and-paper contrast sensitivity, CS, test (SpotChecksTM), delivered by mail, and performed by patients at home unsupervised, to flag eyes requiring surgery. Pen-and-paper CS tests were mailed to 233 people waiting for a cataract assessment, along with a prepaid return envelope (cross-sectional study). Response rates were tabulated (stratified by age, sex and socioeconomic status), and test scores analysed to see how well the home tests predicted which eyes were listed subsequently for surgery. A subset of patients (N = 39) also underwent in-person follow-up testing, to confirm the accuracy of the home data. Forty-six percent of patients responded (216 eyes). No gross differences were observed between respondents and non-respondents, either in terms of age, sex, socioeconomic status, or geographic location (all P > 0.05). The home-test CS scores predicted which eyes were subsequently listed for surgery, with an AUROC {±CI95%} of 0.69 {0.61-0.76}. Predictive performance was further-improved when machine learning was used to combine CS scores with letter acuity, extracted from patients' medical records (AUROC {±CI95%} = 0.77 {0.70-0.83}). Among 39 patients who underwent follow-up testing, home CS scores were correlated with various measures made in clinic: biometry signal-to-noise (P = 0.032), LogMAR acuity, Pelli-Robson CS and SpotChecks CS (all P < 0.001). Mailing patients pen-and-paper CS tests may be a feasible, 'low-tech' way of prioritising patients on cataract waiting lists.

Rapid quality assessment and traceability of ginger powder from Northeast India and Indian market based on near infrared spectroscopic fingerprinting.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) varies widely due to varying concentrations of phytochemicals and geographical origin. Rapid non-invasive quality and traceability assessment techniques ensure a sustainable value chain. The objective of this study is the development of suitable machine learning models to estimate the concentration of 6-gingerol and check traceability based on the spectral fingerprints of dried ginger samples collected from Northeast India and the Indian market using near-infrared spectrometry. Samples from the market and Northeast India underwent High Performance Liquid Chromatographic analysis for 6-gingerol content estimation. Near infrared (NIR) Spectrometer acquired spectral data. Quality prediction utilized partial least square regression (PLSR), while fingerprint-based traceability identification employed principal component analysis and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE). Model performance was assessed using RMSE and R2 values across selective wavelengths and spectral fingerprints. The standard normal variate pretreated spectral data over the wavelength region of 1,100-1,250 nm and 1,325-1,550 nm showed the optimal calibration model with root mean square error of calibration and R2 C (coefficient of determination for calibration) values of 0.87 and 0.897 respectively. A lower value (0.24) of root mean square error of prediction and a higher value (0.973) of R2 P (coefficient of determination for prediction) indicated the effectiveness of the developed model. t-SNE performed better clustering of samples based on geographical location, which was independent of gingerol content. The developed NIR spectroscopic model for Indian ginger samples predicts the 6-gingerol content and provides geographical traceability-based identification to ensure a sustainable value chain, which can promote efficiency, cost-effectiveness, consumer confidence, sustainable sourcing, traceability, and data-driven decision-making.

Research on Talent Policy and Optimization Path of Wuhan City based on SWOT Analysis

This study adopts SWOT analysis to analyze Wuhan's talent policy in depth, aiming to explore its advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and challenges. The study finds that Wuhan has significant geographical location and resource advantages in terms of talent policy, as well as outstanding performance in policy innovation and talent cultivation. However, there are also problems such as talent drain and insufficient policy implementation. In the face of fierce competition for talents at home and abroad, Wuhan should seize the opportunity to strengthen policy promotion and implementation, optimize the talent service system, and enhance the attractiveness of talents. This study proposes targeted optimization paths, including improving the talent policy system, strengthening the construction of talent teams, and improving the quality of talent services, with a view to promoting the sustainable development and optimization of Wuhan's talent policy.

IMPACT OF ONLINE ADVERTISING IN MARKETING OF THE PRODUCT

In recent years, the landscape of marketing has undergone a profound transformation, largely propelled by the exponential growth of the internet and the emergence of various digital platforms and technologies. Online advertising, encompassing a diverse array of formats such as display ads, social media ads, search engine marketing, video ads, and influencer partnerships, has emerged as a cornerstone of modern marketing strategies. One of the primary drivers behind the rise of online advertising is its unparalleled ability to reach highly targeted audiences with precision and efficiency. Unlike traditional advertising mediums like print or television, online advertising offers sophisticated targeting capabilities based on factors such as demographics, interests, behavior, and geographic location. This granular targeting allows advertisers to tailor their messages to specific audience segments, thereby maximizing relevance and resonance. Moreover, the real-time nature of online advertising enables businesses to measure and track the performance of their campaigns with unprecedented granularity. Through metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, impressions, and engagement metrics, advertisers can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven optimizations in real-time. This iterative approach to advertising not only improves campaign performance but also enhances return on investment (ROI) by ensuring that marketing budgets are allocated efficiently. Furthermore, online advertising offers unparalleled flexibility and scalability, allowing businesses of all sizes to launch and manage campaigns with varying budgets and objectives. Whether it's a small startup looking to build brand awareness or a multinational corporation aiming to drive sales and conversions, online advertising offers a range of solutions to suit diverse marketing goals and budgets. In addition to its targeting capabilities and measurability, online advertising also plays a crucial role in enhancing brand visibility and awareness in today's crowded marketplace.

Diversity of mosses (Bryophyta) in Pangi valley (Himachal Pradesh, India): an unexplored domain of northwestern Himalaya

Diversity of mosses of a unique and unexplored geographical location in Himalaya, the Pangi valley in Himachal Pradesh, India is investigated. A total of 49 moss species belonging to 21 families have been recorded, including Hedwigia emodica, the detail on the type specimen of which is uncertain and Encalypta vulgaris, a rare moss in the Himalaya. In addition, 13 moss species are new records for Himachal Pradesh. The dominant mosses of the surveyed area are Philonotis and Grimmia, where the latter is frequently found on basic, barren boulders in sunny positions. Among the recorded moss species, 35 are terrestrial, six aquatic, and eight epiphytes. The findings will be useful for forest policies and management of bryophytes conservation in areas which have extreme climatic conditions.