Lakeshore Communities Research Articles

The Rebirth:Can We Live?

Nathaniel Stone, the principal of Lakeshore Community High School, was summoned to a meeting in the city. The gathering included more than a dozen influential leaders. The conversation that unfolded was, literally, unreal. Mr. Smith, a government official of sorts, called for the destruction of a social movement that was having a positive effect on the academic achievement and life chances of Black and Hispanic youth throughout the country. This narrative is constructed in the spirit of Derrick Bell’s chronicles and acknowledges the systemic nature of racism, its presence in the nation’s public schools, and its aim to disenfranchise people of color. Furthermore, it is intended to make this reality palpable to aspiring school leaders and to thwart color-blind school leadership.

Subaqueous landslides at the distal basin of Lago Nahuel Huapi (Argentina): Towards a tsunami hazard evaluation in Northern Patagonian lakes

The May 22nd, 1960 Valdivia earthquake, Chile (Mw 9.5) triggered a series of subaqueous mass-wasting processes (debris flows and slides) in Lago Nahuel Huapi (Argentina), generating a tsunami-like wave that hit the coasts of San Carlos de Bariloche. Aiming to provide a first preliminary insight into tsunami hazards for the lakeshore communities, in this paper we identify and characterize the subaqueous landslides at the populated distal basin of the lake. Swath bathymetric and seismic profiling surveys were carried out and high-resolution digital elevation models were derived from these data to perform a landslide inventory map. A series of morphometrical parameters (including the landslide area, the volume of displaced materials and the run-out distance, among others) were estimated upon selected events. The results indicated that landslide activity at the distal basin of Lago Nahuel Huapi has been concentrated in the vicinity of Bariloche (massive landslide triggered by the 1960 earthquake) and within steep delta fronts where the slope failures typically initiate at shallow waters (9–11m depth). The sliding mass frequently travels basinward along a great distance (≥1000m). At the delta fronts, the volume of material removed by landslides can reach ~40×104m3, leaving scar areas of up to 13m thick. The periodic occurrence of rotational–translational mass movements initiating at the upper edge of the delta fronts, with vertical displacements of the mobilized materials reaching ~200m, probably represents a potential tsunami hazard for the nearby populated coasts.

‘Everyone is exhausted and frustrated’: exploring psychosocial impacts of the lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation in Usoma, Kenya

The lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation pose significant health challenges for many individuals and communities in low and middle-income countries. Aside from direct health issues, the lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation is increasingly associated with psychosocial concerns that affect the wellbeing of individuals and communities. However, the nature of these concerns has received little attention in peer-reviewed literature. This paper draws on environmental stress and ecosocial theories to explore psychosocial concerns related to water and sanitation in Usoma, a lakeshore community in Western Kenya. The study used qualitative key informant interviews (n = 9) and focus group discussions (n = 10). Results reveal deep feelings of anxiety and frustration, embarrassment, negative identity, feelings of marginalization, and lack of self-efficacy. These stressors were a byproduct of daily lived experiences associated with lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation, as well as the coping strategies people adopted. The paper suggests that benefits of water interventions transcend disease reduction to improved wellbeing through complex social pathways. The findings contribute to knowledge gaps within the water–health nexus and direct policy responses toward largely unexplored psychosocial concerns associated with water and sanitation.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices towards Leptospirosis among Lakeshore Communities of Calamba and Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Leptospirosis is a serious and potentially fatal zoonotic disease, but often neglected owing to lack of awareness. This study examined the knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning leptospirosis among agricultural (n = 152) and non-agricultural (n = 115) workers in the lakeshore communities of Calamba and Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. The findings showed no significant differences for the knowledge and attitude scores between agricultural and non-agricultural workers. However, agricultural workers had significantly lower prevention practice scores than non-agricultural workers. The ordinary least squares regression model identified gender, use of broadcast media as a source of health information, and knowledge and attitudes about leptospirosis as significant predictors of prevention practices common to both workers. Higher educational attainment was significantly associated with prevention practices among agricultural workers, while higher age and income level were significantly associated with prevention practices among non-agricultural workers. Public health interventions to improve leptospirosis knowledge and prevention practices should include health education and promotion programs, along with the strengthening of occupational health and safety programs in the agricultural sector.

Impact of wildfires on lakeside tamarisk communities in Northern Caspian Sea region

The current state and resilience to wildfire disturbances of the natural tamarisk (Tamarix laxa Willd) communities at on the coasts of Lake Buluchta, a salt lake, Caspian Depression (the Volga and Ural Rivers interfluve) is considered. The unique ecosystems of the natural Tamarisk communities are able to persist in specific biotopes of natural water basins only.

Using Photovoice as a Community Based Participatory Research Tool for Changing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Behaviours in Usoma, Kenya.

Recent years have witnessed an increase in the use of community based participatory research (CBPR) tools for understanding environment and health issues and facilitating social action. This paper explores the application and utility of photovoice for understanding water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) behaviours and catalysing community led solutions to change behaviours. Between June and August 2013, photovoice was conducted with eight (8) women in Usoma, a lakeshore community in Western Kenya with a follow-up community meeting (baraza) in May 2014 to discuss findings with the community members and government officials. In the first part of the study, photovoice one-on-one interviews were used to explore local perceptions and practices around water-health linkages and how the ecological and socio-political environment shapes these perceptions and practices. This paper, which is the second component of the study, uses photovoice group discussions to explore participants' experiences with and (re)action to the photographs and the photovoice project. The findings illustrate that photovoice was an effective CBPR methodology for understanding behaviours, creating awareness, facilitating collective action, and engaging with local government and local health officials at the water-health nexus.

Dreaming of toilets: Using photovoice to explore knowledge, attitudes and practices around water–health linkages in rural Kenya

As part of a knowledge, attitudes, practices and empowerment (KAPE) project implemented by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) in the Lake Victoria Basin, this paper reports findings from a photovoice study with women in Usoma, a lakeshore community in Western Kenya. Drawing on ecosocial and political ecology theory, findings reveal that access to water, perceptions and practices were shaped by ecological and broader structural factors. Further, collective actions to improve access were constrained by institutional and economic structures, thus (re)enforcing inequalities.

“A deluge of shrieking unreason”: Supernaturalism and Settlement in New Zealand Gothic Fiction

“A deluge of shrieking unreason”: Supernaturalism and Settlement in New Zealand Gothic Fiction

Detection of persistent Plasmodium spp. infections in Ugandan children after artemether-lumefantrine treatment.

During a longitudinal study investigating the dynamics of malaria in Ugandan lakeshore communities, a consistently high malaria prevalence was observed in young children despite regular treatment. To explore the short-term performance of artemether-lumefantrine (AL), a pilot investigation into parasite carriage after treatment(s) was conducted in Bukoba village. A total of 163 children (aged 2-7 years) with a positive blood film and rapid antigen test were treated with AL; only 8.7% of these had elevated axillary temperatures. On day 7 and then on day 17, 40 children (26.3%) and 33 (22.3%) were positive by microscopy, respectively. Real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that multi-species Plasmodium infections were common at baseline, with 41.1% of children positive for Plasmodium falciparum/Plasmodium malariae, 9.2% for P. falciparum/ Plasmodium ovale spp. and 8.0% for all three species. Moreover, on day 17, 39.9% of children infected with falciparum malaria at baseline were again positive for the same species, and 9.2% of those infected with P. malariae at baseline were positive for P. malariae. Here, chronic multi-species malaria infections persisted in children after AL treatment(s). Better point-of-care diagnostics for non-falciparum infections are needed, as well as further investigation of AL performance in asymptomatic individuals.

Household food insecurity associated with child cognitive development in a rural Kenyan community on Lake Victoria (378.6)

Household food insecurity around Kenya’s Lake Victoria is widespread. The goal of this study was to examine the associations between food insecurity, child anthropometry and child development in 300 children 0‐2 years old living in a rural lakeside community in Kenya. Outcome measures obtained included anthropometric measurements (length and weight) and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire [ASQ] (Gross Motor, Personal‐Social, and Communication sub‐scales). Household food insecurity was assessed using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale [HFIAS], and a scale of household food security was created using standard techniques. Results indicate that household food insecurity was associated with scores on the ASQ. In sub‐scale analyses, performance on the Gross Motor sub‐scale was most strongly associated with food insecurity (p=0.008). Stunting is significantly associated with gross motor scores (β=‐0.012, 95%CI:‐0.022 to ‐0.0029, p=0.01) and personal‐social scores (β=‐0.021, 95%CI:‐0.042 to ‐0.00079, p=0.04). Mediation analyses suggest that some of the association between household food security and child development is explained by child anthropometry (length‐for‐age). The associations between food insecurity and child development have potential policy and program implications. Understanding these findings may also inform future interventions designed to improve child cognitive development.Grant Funding Source: NSF‐GEO grant #115057, NAS Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research

New Insights into the Molecular Epidemiology and Population Genetics of Schistosoma mansoni in Ugandan Pre-school Children and Mothers

Significant numbers of pre-school children are infected with Schistosoma mansoni in sub-Saharan Africa and are likely to play a role in parasite transmission. However, they are currently excluded from control programmes. Molecular phylogenetic studies have provided insights into the evolutionary origins and transmission dynamics of S. mansoni, but there has been no research into schistosome molecular epidemiology in pre-school children. Here, we investigated the genetic diversity and population structure of S. mansoni in pre-school children and mothers living in lakeshore communities in Uganda and monitored for changes over time after praziquantel treatment. Parasites were sampled from children (<6 years) and mothers enrolled in the longitudinal Schistosomiasis Mothers and Infants Study at baseline and at 6-, 12- and 18-month follow-up surveys. 1347 parasites from 35 mothers and 45 children were genotyped by direct sequencing of the cytochrome c oxidase (cox1) gene. The cox1 region was highly diverse with over 230 unique sequences identified. Parasite populations were genetically differentiated between lakes and non-synonymous mutations were more diverse at Lake Victoria than Lake Albert. Surprisingly, parasite populations sampled from children showed a similar genetic diversity to those sampled from mothers, pointing towards a non-linear relationship between duration of exposure and accumulation of parasite diversity. The genetic diversity six months after praziquantel treatment was similar to pre-treatment diversity. Our results confirm the substantial genetic diversity of S. mansoni in East Africa and provide significant insights into transmission dynamics within young children and mothers, important information for schistosomiasis control programmes.

Impact of changing flood regime on a lakeshore plant community: Long-term observations and individual-based simulation

Disturbance events shape plant communities depending on the disturbance regime as well as on the properties of the species constituting the community. We studied a lakeshore community at Lake Constance, a pre-alpine lake in Central Europe, where disturbance by flooding has a strong impact as the water level is almost not regulated by man. The lakeshore habitats are shaped by annual summer flooding during the vegetation period of plants, with seasonal course and magnitude of water-level fluctuations varying considerably between years. By a combination of field work and modelling we examined (1) whether flooding tolerance and interactions between individuals can explain zonation and species coexistence at lakeshore, (2) how strongly invasive species are affecting habitat specific species, and (3) whether changing flooding regimes due to potential climate changes will affect species composition.The study was based on a long-term monitoring record (23 years; 1988–2005) of presence/absence of six species along two transects in a species-poor community at Lake Constance and on detailed records of annual flooding. We succeeded in parameterizing a spatially explicit individual-based life-cycle model of community dynamics on a pattern-oriented basis. This gave results on species demography, dispersal, and interactions. The parameterized model could be verified along additional data recorded in 2011.The results of model parameterization showed that the habitat specialists (characteristic species for the studied lakeshore community) will be able to coexist with stable zonation over the coming decades, mainly due to a contrast between flood tolerance and strength of competitive interactions forming a variant of the competition–colonization trade-off model of coexistence. As a consequence, long-term shortening of the average flooding period, as predicted for the future, should negatively affect flood-tolerant but weakly competing habitat specialists. Here, an avoiding strategy, a shift of flood-tolerant plant species to lower parts of the lakeshore beyond transect boundary and hence beyond present model range, is to be expected.The modelling results revealed that two native but invasive species will have an increasing impact on the community, and they are predicted to endanger habitat specialists on a long run. This was verified already by the re-examination in 2011. Following the parameter values, invasive species threatening the lakeshore community are both flood-tolerant and competitive. Their expected importance for the fate of the community even exceeds that of possible changes in flood duration.The study demonstrates that an individual-based model can be developed on the basis of nonstationary, temporally and spatially changing local abundance data. Such a model goes beyond conventional matrix modelling by the inclusion of nonlinear features as a consequence of individual interactions, and such features turn out to be decisive factor for dealing with species coexistence and displacement in a plant community.

Competing Philosophies in John McGahern's That They May Face the Rising Sun

This essay takes up the challenge of Joe Cleary's provocative characterisation of John McGahern's work as naturalism that retreats into pessimistic fatalism by instead considering Rising Sun as the end-point of a career-long journey fraught with Kierkegaardean implications. Kierkegaard's concept of infinite resignation in Fear and Trembling is noted in McGahern's characters Bill Evans and Johnny Murphy, but John Quinn raises ethical problems soluble only by considering the co-existent presence of precepts from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. This Stoicism, it is argued, is Aurelian through the prism of O Criomhthain's An tOileanach, which McGahern greatly admired, so the characters are religiously Catholic and simultaneously philosophically Stoic in response to the harsh landscapes that order their lives. The inhabitants of this lakeside community lead messy spiritual lives that are Stoic and Kierkegaardean, with the Catholic Church continuing to be an important source of ritual. This eclectic but harmonious combination represents a hopeful new mode of life as play, exemplified by Jamesie, which is worth passing on. Rising Sun can thus be read as the end of a Kierkegaardean transition from infinite resignation to exulting in finitude through a vision of the absurd.

Ancient tsunami devastated Lake Geneva shoreline

Sediments suggest wave was triggered by massive rock fall, highlighting risk to modern lakeside communities.

Artemther-lumefantrine is partially effective for treating chronic multi-species malaria in Ugandan pre-school children

Background In Uganda artemether-lumefantrine (AL) is the first-line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria. During a longitudinal study (SIMI project) investigating the dynamics of intestinal schistosomiasis and malaria in Ugandan lakeshore communities, a consistently high prevalence of malaria was found in young children (including many mixed infections of Plasmodium falciparum with P. malariae and/or P. ovale sspp), despite use of AL for home-based management of malaria. As a first step to gather evidence on the effectiveness of AL in this setting, a community-based observational study was initiated in an area of intense malaria transmission.

Is tourism employment a sufficient mechanism for poverty reduction? A case study from Nkhata Bay, Malawi

Extensive attention has been paid to the magnitude and distribution of economic benefits derived from tourism employment by impoverished populations. However, less is known about how economic benefits, such as increased income, relate to poverty conditions at the intra-household level, particularly within the unique contexts of least developed countries. In this paper, we examine the relationship of tourism employment to poverty conditions in a lakeshore community in Malawi. First, we quantitatively compare employment and poverty conditions among the households of tourism employees with those of employees of non-tourism sectors. Secondly, we undertake a qualitative investigation into lodge employment, and its remuneration and fringe benefits from the perspectives of lodge owners and employees. Our findings of the former analysis reveal that while employees of the tourism sector experienced better working and monetary conditions, this group did not exhibit an improved status in other poverty conditions. The latter qualitative analysis shows that most tourism lodge owners adhered to labour standards of minimum wage, and voluntarily offered fringe benefits such as paying medical, funeral, and education expenses of lodge employees. However, despite this adherence to labour standards, there is little evidence that lodge employees and their households experience an improvement in poverty conditions.

Improving Access to Health Care Services for the Medically Underserved Residents in a Small Lakeshore Community in Western Michigan

Improving Access to Health Care Services for the Medically Underserved Residents in a Small Lakeshore Community in Western Michigan

Reduction in the Water Level of Lake Victoria and Its Implications on Livelihoods in Rwanjaba Lakeshore Community, Uganda

Abstract This paper examines the livelihood challenges experienced in Rwanjaba Lakeshore Community during the period of low water level in Lake Victoria between 2004 and 2007 and identifies the livelihood coping strategies that were adopted to address them. A total of 55 households were randomly sampled and the data collection methods included household questionnaires and participant observations. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and the results presented with the help of descriptive statistics. The livelihood challenges experienced during the low lake water level included fish shortage (34.5%), household food scarcity (23.6%), sex for fish (18.2%), family breakdown (12.7%), increased theft (7.2%) and accidents due to the exposed rocks in the lake (3.6%). The livelihood coping strategies adopted to redress the challenges included cainternatl labour (32.7%), maize roasting (23.6%), sand mining (18.2%), selling of snacks (12.7%), selling household property (9.1%) and resorting shop and market credits (3.6%). The paper proposes a number of recommendations for improving the livelihood of the community ranging from policy reforms to the diversification of activities.

Práticas territoriais indígenas entre a flexibilidade e a fixação

Em sua busca pelo reconhecimento de seus territórios costumeiros, as populações indígenas das Américas têm progressivamente lançado mão de técnicas modernas para a definição precisa de territórios. Isto resultou em tensões entre suas práticas muitas vezes altamente flexíveis e as modalidades mais fixas de territorialidade produzidas por tais técnicas. O objetivo deste artigo é explorar essas tensões e suas consequências sociais por meio da análise das práticas territoriais dos Uros, um grupo indígena que habita ilhas flutuantes nos juncais do lago andino Titicaca. Tais práticas serão analisadas tanto no nível da comunidade quanto em suas relações conflitantes com as comunidades vizinhas na costa do lago e com uma área protegida administrada pelo Estado peruano. As práticas territoriais internas dos Uros revelam elevados níveis de mobilidade física e flexibilidade social, resultantes do constante fundir e separar das ilhas artificiais de junco. No entanto, seu envolvimento com o Estado e suas práticas territoriais têm resultado em profundas transformações em seus arranjos com as comunidades ribeirinhas. Em especial, redundou numa transformação dos territórios flexíveis, vagamente definidos e compartilhados, em territórios fixos, claramente definidos e exclusivos. Por fim, analisarei conflitos que emergiram entre os Uros quando seus líderes tentaram aplicar mecanismos de fixação territorial, de forma a controlar a constante fusão e separação das ilhas flutuantes.

Integrated prevalence mapping of schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis and malaria in lakeside and island communities in Lake Victoria, Uganda

BackgroundIt is widely advocated that integrated strategies for the control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are cost-effective in comparison to vertical disease-specific programmes. A prerequisite for implementation of control interventions is the availability of baseline data of prevalence, including the population at risk and disease overlap. Despite extensive literature on the distribution of schistosomiasis on the mainland in Uganda, there has been a knowledge gap for the prevalence of co-infections with malaria, particularly for island communities in Lake Victoria. In this study, nine lakeshore and island districts were surveyed for the prevalence of NTDs and malaria, as well as educational and health infrastructure.ResultsA total of 203 communities were surveyed, including over 5000 school-age children. Varying levels of existing health infrastructure were observed between districts, with only Jinja District regularly treating people for NTDs. Community medicine distributors (CMD) were identified and trained in drug delivery to strengthen capacity. Prevalence levels of intestinal schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis were assessed via Kato-Katz thick smears of stool and malaria prevalence determined by microscopy of fingerprick blood samples. Prevalence levels were 40.8%, 26.04% and 46.4%, respectively, while the prevalence of co-infection by Schistosoma mansoni and Plasmodium spp. was 23.5%. Socio-economic status was strongly associated as a risk factor for positive infection status with one or more of these diseases.ConclusionsThese results emphasise the challenges of providing wide-scale coverage of health infrastructure and drug distribution in remote lakeshore communities. The data further indicate that co-infections with malaria and NTDs are common, implying that integrated interventions for NTDs and malaria are likely to maximize cost-effectiveness and sustainability of disease control efforts.