Large Towns Research Articles

Begho: Life and Times

Abstract Begho was the largest town in the interior of what became the Gold Coast when the Portuguese arrived in 1471. Excavations were conducted from 1970 to 1979. Radiocarbon dates, tobacco pipe and ceramic sequencing, and imports provide its chronology. The town consisted of at least six quarters of which two were associated with the local Brong. There were two Kramo quarters, occupied by Mande-speaking Muslims. Iron was obtained locally and smelted some four kilometers from the town at Dapaa. Brass-working was undertaken at the Dwinfuor (artisans’ quarter). Ethnoarchaeological research conducted between 1970 and 1998 provided historical interpretations for the archaeological material. Cloth production was substantiated from numerous spindle whorls and dye pits; the ritual nature of the Brong chieftaincy was suggested from decorated ivory trumpets and the discovery of a shrine room with inverted offering cups. The presence of weights of stone, terracotta, and beads attested to the importance of the gold trade.

Factors for Preterm Births in Germany - An Analysis of Representative German Data (KiGGS).

Introduction: Preterm birth is a global scourge, the leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity. This study set out to identify the principal risk factors for preterm birth, based on the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). A range of possible factors influencing preterm birth were selected for inclusion in the questionnaire, covering factors such as gender, national origin, immigrant background, demography, living standard, family structure, parental education and vocational training. Methods: All data were taken from the aforementioned KiGGS survey conducted between 2003 and 2006. A total of 17 641 children and adolescents (8656 girls and 8985 boys) drawn from 167 German towns and municipalities deemed to be representative of the Federal Republic of Germany were included in the study. Gestational age at birth was available for 14 234 datasets. The questionnaire included questions from the following areas as possible factors influencing preterm birth: gender, national origins, immigrant background, demography, living standard, family structure, parental education and vocational training. Results: The preterm birth rate was 11.6 %, higher than that of other national statistical evaluations. Around 57.4 % of multiple pregnancies and 10 % of singleton pregnancies resulted in preterm delivery. Multiple pregnancy was found to be the most important risk factor (OR 13.116). With regard to national origins and immigration background, mothers from Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa had a higher incidence of preterm birth. Preterm birth was more prevalent in cities and large towns than in small towns and villages. Conclusion: Risk factors associated with preterm birth were identified. These should help with the early identification of pregnant women at risk. The preterm birth rate in our survey was higher than that found in other national statistical evaluations based on process data. More than half of all multiple pregnancies ended in preterm birth.

The Impacts of Forced Migration on Regional Economies: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

The civil war in Syria which began in 2010 has led to a significant migration wave in the region. Many countries neighboring Syria, especially Turkey, have received a large number of immigrants in their lands. Initially thought to be temporary, this necessary move has become a significant economic, political and social problem with the intensification of the internal conflict in Syria. According to official figures, the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey reached 1.7 million in 2015. A significant proportion of refugees live in camps near the Syrian border and in large cities and towns close to the camps. Such humanitarian crises have a number of negative effects not only on the immigrants themselves but also on the host countries. The main objective of the study is to discuss the economic impacts of the Syrian immigrant crisis since 2011 on Southeastern Anatolia region, which is intensely populated by the migration and in Turkey in general. The effects of migration on unemployment, prices, internal migration and regional foreign trade will be examined.

Výběr základní školy v ČR a faktory, které jej ovlivňují

The influence of family background on educational attainment in the Czech Republic is strong compared to other countries internationally and there is great variation in the composition and academic performance of students between schools. Research to date has focused primarily on this issue in reference to multi-year gymnasia. This article concentrates on variation at the primary-school level, on which there are only limited empirical data available on the distribution of students. It looks at how important the choice of primary school by parents of preschool-age children is, how that choice is realized over time, and what parental characteristics influence their choice of school. The answers to these questions are obtained from an analysis of data from a questionnaire survey conducted in 2014 amongst a representative sample of 2008 parents of preschool-age children. The authors employ a logistic regression analysis and compare data for 2014 with data obtained in 2009 in a survey of parents with children who were of compulsory school age. These analyses reveal that there is currently universal support amongst parents for the right to choose between schools. The possibility to choose puts at an advantage those children whose parents have at least upper secondary education and live in large towns, who are able to effectively obtain information on the quality of schools, the potential effect of which is to reinforce existing educational inequalities.

Statistical analysis of Nomao customer votes for spots of France

We investigate the statistical properties of votes of customers for spots of France collected by the startup company NOMAO. The frequencies of votes per spot and per customer are characterized by a power law distributions which remain stable on a time scale of a decade when the number of votes is varied by almost two orders of magnitude. Using the computer science methods we explore the spectrum and the eigenvalues of a matrix containing user ratings to geolocalized items. Eigenvalues nicely map to large towns and regions but show certain level of instability as we modify the interpretation of the underlying matrix. We evaluate imputation strategies that provide improved prediction performance by reaching geographically smooth eigenvectors. We point on possible links between distribution of votes and the phenomenon of self-organized criticality.

Impact of rurality on maternal and infant health indicators and outcomes in Maine

Rural residents may face health challenges related to geographic barriers to care, physician shortages, poverty, lower educational attainment, and other demographic factors. In maternal and child health, these disparities may be evidenced by the health risks and behaviors of new mothers, the health of infants born to these mothers, and the care received by both mothers and infants. To determine the impact of rurality on maternal and child health in Maine, USA, 11 years of data (2000-2010) for the state of Maine from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) project were analyzed. PRAMS is a national public health surveillance system that uses questionnaires to survey women who had delivered live infants in the previous 2-4 months. Using a geographic information system, each questionnaire response was assigned a rurality tier (urban, suburban, large rural town, or isolated rural community) based on the rural-urban commuting area code of the town of residence of the mother. Results from the four rurality tiers were compared using the survey procedures in Statistical Analysis Software to adjust for the complex sampling strategy of the PRAMS dataset. Means (for continuous variables) and percentages (for categorical variables) were calculated for each rurality tier, along with 95% confidence intervals. Significant differences between rurality tiers were tested for using F-tests or χ2 tests. If significant differences between rurality tiers existed (p<0.05), specific tiers were judged to be different from each other if their 95% confidence intervals did not overlap. A total of 12 600 mothers responded to the PRAMS questionnaire during the study period. Compared to mothers from more urban areas, rural mothers were younger (10.5% of mothers from isolated rural areas were teenagers compared to 6.2% of mothers from urban areas), less well educated, less likely to be married, and more likely to live in lower income households (39.6% of isolated rural mothers had household incomes ≤US$20 000/year vs 28.8% of urban mothers). Rural mothers had higher pre-pregnancy body mass indexes (BMIs; average BMI 26.1 for isolated rural women vs 25.3 for urban women) and were more likely to smoke but less likely to drink alcohol (both before and during pregnancy). Compared to mothers from more urban areas, rural mothers were not sure they were pregnant until a later gestational age but received prenatal care just as early and were just as likely to receive prenatal care as early as they wished. There were no differences among rurality tiers in Caesarean section rates, rates of premature births (<37 weeks gestation), or rates of underweight births (<2500 g). However infants born to rural mothers were less likely to be breastfed (52.9% of isolated rural vs 60.9% of urban infants breast fed for ≥8 weeks). These results show that, while rural women face significant demographic and behavior challenges, their access to prenatal care, the care they receive while pregnant, and the outcomes of their pregnancies are similar to those of urban women. These results highlight areas where focused pre-pregnancy and prenatal education may improve maternal and child health in rural Maine.

Permeability and persistence of physical and social boundaries in the context of incarceration in nineteenth century Western Australia

AbstractIdentifying the documentary and archaeological indications of torture, punishment, discipline and imprisonment are key factors in addressing the ways in which society exerts its control over the individual; particularly the non‐conformist, the criminal, the indentured and the enslaved. Expressions of forced labour control are quite common in the archaeological record, at places such as large institutions, plantations, mining towns and industrial sites. But there are distinct differences between criminal imprisonment and racial enslavement, which become evident when one examines the permeability and persistence of physical and social boundaries. The ways in which Euro‐Australian and Aboriginal prisoners were treated in nineteenth century Western Australia gave rise to a system in which physical boundaries were more or less permeable for one group, but not the other. Although it was outlawed by the British Parliament just a few years after the Swan River Colony was established, both formal and informal types of incipient slavery seem to have persisted in the guise of forced incarceration, indentured servitude and illicit abductions. This was, in a way, reminiscent of the enslavement of native North Americans in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Several examples are provided to illustrate these ideas.

Small and Far Between: Peacekeeping Economies in South Sudan

The massive expenditure on UN peacekeeping missions combined with a significant commitment of personnel and infrastructure creates ‘peacekeeping economies’ within host societies. We need to understand when and how peacekeeping economies are created and the kinds of factors that mitigate their occurrence, size and impact. Previous research indicates an overall tendency of UN missions to minimize involvement in host communities’ economies, and considerable variation in the level of economic impact. Especially in insecure environments, the modalities of UN peacekeeping limit the level of economic interaction with host societies. South Sudan is a case in point. Annually about 10,000 people are employed and $1 billion on average spent on peacekeeping in South Sudan. However, at both the macro and micro levels the economic impact of peacekeeping has been overshadowed by the concurrent influx of oil revenue. Oil money has created a boom in the larger towns that dwarfs the impact of peacekeeping activities. The lack of domestic markets and skilled labour reduces opportunities for the missions, and their foreign personnel, to engage in economic transactions with South Sudanese.

The last free-range children? Children’s independent mobility in Finland in the 1990s and 2010s

The study reports the degree of children’s independent mobility (CIM) in Finland for over two decades, from the beginning of the 1990s up to 2011. The first part of the research examined the differences of CIM in five different settlements in 2011: inner city, suburban, large town, small town, and rural village. A cross-sectional survey was used on a total of 821 7- to 15-year-old children in various settlements in different parts of Finland. Independent mobility was operationalized both as mobility licenses, meaning parental permits to perform certain activities independently, and as actual mobility, the proportion of active and independent school travel and independent weekend activities. In the second part of the study, we used the same measures to compare the independent mobility of Finnish children in the 1990s and 2010s. The second sample consisted of a total of 306 8- to 10-year-old children and their parents who participated in the CIM study in 1993–94 or in 2011. The major finding of the study was that in Finland children’s independent mobility had decreased significantly during a span of 20years, even more noticeably in the small town and rural village settings than in the inner city settlements. Finnish children, nevertheless, still enjoy a very high degree of independent mobility when compared with the children from the 16 countries involved in the large international comparative study for which the current research was conducted. In the discussion, we give some possible factors that can provide some understanding of and explanation to these trends.

Relationships between politics, cities and architecture based on the examples of two Hungarian New Towns

During the state socialist era, a small number of New Towns were also built in Hungary. Few of these were true ’green-field’ projects, as most of them were developed into larger towns from one or more smaller settlements. Nevertheless, we can still call them New Towns, since they were turned into cities of national importance in a short time through a conceptual construction process. They provide many lessons to be learned. The heyday of their construction lasted a few years beginning from the early 50s, the period when Hungary underwent significant changes in political and social values which noticeably left their mark on our built environment. According to the contemporary press, the building of these towns was also a kind of experiment. Today this is well-known. Also, it is clear that these towns should be much more flexible in order to adapt to the many changes of the past 65years. The following paper analyses the first two Hungarian socialist New Towns to be constructed. It describes the political context, the political and economic reasons behind the construction of industrial New Towns, and their impact on the planning process, structure and architecture of these settlements. Regarding the questions of how a municipality can deal with this kind of historic heritage today and whether it can replace its lost identity with new elements in a very different social political situation, it highlights the role of reinterpretations of central public areas in (mental and physical) urban renewal.

Examine the Possibility of Increasing the Size of Openings According to Seismic Behavior of Masonry Structures Isolated with Sliding Layer Compared with the Fixed Structures Under Naqan Earthquake

Masonry buildings have a large share in the context of large and small towns, For example, in the city of Bam more than 90 percent of the buildings with brick and masonry structures, which are about 40% of the amount of masonry structures. According to reports, all masonry buildings are damaged in the earthquake of 20 to 100 percent. Research shows that the bulk of the damage to buildings caused by non-compliance with the provisions of the Building Regulations 2800, including the opening of the wall, the opening in the wall, resulting space restrictions, the wall of the building and etc. In this paper, a masonry structures under earthquake made great naqan modeling the structures in abaqus software in the form of macro, and the first to be connected and then a layer of sand sliding sought to separate the topside of the use and analyzed them. After this, the effect on the seismic behavior of the proposed system and create havoc in the corners of the openings are possible. Find answers to the two-state system; it is found that the proposed isolation system, while considerably reducing damage, the size of the openings can be considered more of a standard.

Urban inoculation and the decline of smallpox mortality in eighteenth-century cities-a reply to Razzell.

Smallpox was probably the single most lethal disease in eighteenth‐century Britain but was reduced to a minor cause of death by the mid‐nineteenth century due to vaccination programmes post‐1798. While the success of vaccination is unquestionable, it remains disputed to what extent the prophylactic precursor of vaccination, inoculation, reduced smallpox mortality in the eighteenth century. Smallpox was most lethal in urban populations, but most researchers have judged inoculation to have been unpopular in large towns. Recently, however, Razzell argued that inoculation significantly reduced smallpox mortality of adults and older children in London in the last third of the eighteenth century. This article uses demographic evidence from London and Manchester to confirm previous findings of a sudden fall in adult smallpox mortality and a rise in the importance of smallpox in early childhood c. 1770. The nature of these changes is consistent with an increase in smallpox transmission in London and Manchester after 1770 and indicates that smallpox inoculation was insufficient to reduce smallpox mortality in large towns. It remains unclear whether inoculation could have operated to enhance smallpox transmission or whether changes in the properties of the smallpox virus drove the intensification of smallpox mortality among young children post‐1770.

Zagadnienia prawne systemu dochodów samorządu powiatowego i propozycje jego reformy

There are two types of the counties in Poland: land county (encompassing a number of small towns and communes) and urban county (a large town above 100 000 inhabitants). The current system of budget revenues of the counties is doubtful and should be changed. This article presents proposals for creating of land county revenues system and a separate system for revenues of large towns. Local taxes, subventions, grants must be built separately for these two different types of local governments.

Introductory editorial thematic issue: Mediterranean karst hydrogeology

This Special Thematic Issue of Environmental Earth Sciences (EES) is a collection of contributions from authors of the Mediterranean region in the specific field of karst hydrogeology. The editors invited well known researchers from Mediterranean countries, some of whom are members of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) Karst Commission, and encouraged them to provide a general or case history paper. Apologies are made to authors who were not invited with the hope to involve them in future projects. The idea to have such an issue originated during a meeting organised by the IAH-Italian Chapter in preparation for the 42nd Congress of IAH to be held in Rome in September 2015 (AQUA 2015). This opportunity is taken to thank the President of the Organising Committee of the IAH Congress, Marco Petitta, (University of Rome ‘‘La Sapienza’’) and Jo de Waele (University of Bologna) who have supported the idea and facilitated arrangements for this Special Thematic Issue. Support of the Editor in Chief of EES, James LaMoreaux, who approved the idea and followed up the publication process, is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also given to the Italian IAH Chapter, University of Rome ‘‘La Sapienza’’ and University of Sannio, which supported this issue. Finally, papers in this issue provide material that complements the Guides for several of the excursions organised on the occasion of this congress. Interest in karst aquifers continues to increase worldwide mainly because groundwater resources in these environments are generally more abundant than those in other environments which have been greatly exploited. In Mediterranean countries research in the field of karst hydrogeology has a long history and most methods have been applied and/or developed in various case studies in this region. The importance of karst aquifers in the Mediterranean area also relates to locally specific climatic conditions, characterised by long, dry and hot summers. Especially in the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean, the dry period could extend more than 6 months while in contrast the wet period could be reduced to 1–2 months. In such a climatic context variation of groundwater reserves in karst aquifers and the deficit of water in waterworks during dry periods (summer–autumn) is more the rule than the exception. Many engineering master works have been constructed in the past with the aim of regulating karst aquifer regimes; protecting fresh ground water from sea water intrusion; or keeping vulnerable karstic waters from uncontrolled pollution. These attempts have had great importance in the historical and economic development of the Mediterranean area as well as its civilization. The most powerful karst springs were easily tapped, and gravity channels allowed water to be supplied to high concentrations of people. Most large towns along the shoreline built up in the vicinity of large karstic springs. Ancient Rome and its empire are probably the most significant example: powerful karst springs fed ancient aqueducts, supplying large quantities of water for towns, villages, harbours, thermes and pools. More than 13 m/s of water flowed during that time & Francesco Fiorillo francescofiorillo@libero.it; francesco.fiorillo@unisannio.it

The Affectivity of the Cities in Transition

During the last few years, several Italian city-planners have considered the concept of urban transition as something aprioristically able to produce new social practices. The aim of this article is to analyze the effects of transition in the metropolitan area of Bari (a large town in Southern Italy) where most of the recent public works have ignored the need for empathy. In particular they have not considered the way to capture the citizens’ imagination which is essential for distribution of affectivity into human relationships as those with public institutions. This thesis takes its cue from the results of recent studies regarding the negative effects on the affective tone produced by the botulinum toxin used in plastic surgery, and argues that public works are performed according to an aesthetic view that does not consider the value of beauty as sociability.

Statewide Vaccine Registry Data Indicate High Number of Missed Opportunities for the HPV Vaccine Among Eligible Girls

Abstract This study investigates the rate of missed opportunities for the HPV vaccine among eligible girls using statewide vaccine registry data. Methods: Using data from the Utah Statewide Immunization Information System (USIIS) from 2008–2012 for approximately 55,000 girls ages 11–18, we assessed the frequency of missed opportunities (receipt of other recommended vaccinations such as TDap, MCV4, and/or flu and not the HPV vaccine) among eligible female patients for the HPV vaccine. USIIS is a free, confidential, web-based information system that contains immunization histories for Utah residents of all ages. Records of all persons born in Utah since 1998 are in USIIS. USIIS is designed to help enrolled healthcare providers track immunization records for patient care by consolidating immunizations from enrolled providers into one centralized record. Vaccine administration from 86% of healthcare providers in Utah is reported to USIIS. USIIS data used for the study include date of birth, age, gender, ethnicity and race, zip code, and date and type of vaccine received. Descriptive statistics and chi- square tests were used to assess rate of missed opportunities for the HPV vaccine and associated demographic factors. Results: Approximately 65% of preteens (ages 11–12; N = 2,593) and 32% of female teens (ages 13–18; N = 4,937) had a missed opportunity for the HPV vaccine between years 2008–2012 in Utah (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Race and ethnicity related to rates of missed opportunities for the HPV vaccine among all girls ages 11–18 (Whites = 36%, N = 2,454; Hispanics = 21%, N = 254) (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Rural and urban locations were also associated with rates of missed opportunities for the HPV vaccine (urban = 31%, N = 4,448; large rural town = 42%, N = 202) (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Conclusions: For more than eight years, a vaccine to prevent cervical and other HPV-related cancers has been available, yet receipt of the 3-dose HPV vaccine in the United States is far below national goals for girls (33% vs. 80%; actual vs. target). Using statewide vaccine registry data, our study demonstrates that administering the HPV vaccine when providing other recommended adolescent vaccinations may dramatically improve rates of HPV vaccination among girls in a state with low HPV vaccine uptake. In addition, targeting rural communities and non-Hispanic White patients may further reduce missed opportunities.

Ocena struktury spożycia żywności w Polsce w aspekcie wymogów zrównoważonej konsumpcji

Structure of food consumption in Poland was evaluated in the context of demands for consumption. Research sources included data from CSO (Central Statistical Offi ce) and the results of own study conducted in 2014, using a 600 person sample from large towns in the Mazovia voivodeship. Using the food balance sheets, trends in consumption of animal and plant-based foods were determined. The results of household budget surveys from 2000 and 2012, for households in total, and for various socio-economic groups were used to evaluate the structure of food consumption. For this we aggregated quantitative consumption into 9 groups, consistent with the recommendations for consumption Livewell Plate 2020. The study showed that food consumption structure in the Polish households is very different from those recommendations. Moreover, macroeconomic data demonstrate, that during the period 2000-2012 there were further changes away from them. Primary data show that 35% of respondents declared familiarity with the concept of sustainable but only 18% interpreted it correctly (this constitutes 6% of the total sample). Results demonstrate necessity of popularizing consumption, to secure generational health and food security.

RELIEF IN THE STREET NAMES AND IN THE PERCEPTION OF URBAN SPACE (CITIES OF THE CHERNOZEM’E AS AN EXAMPLE)

Of 4100 names in the 5 largest cities of Chernozem’e (Voronezh, Lipetsk, Kursk, Belgorod, Tambov) related to landforms (morphogodonims) the maximum number is in Kursk (3.8% of total street number), the minimum number – in Belgorod (0.9%), though the territory of the latter has the most complex morphology. It indicates an absence of correlation between relief complexity and morphogodonims frequency in the cities which differ historically and administratively. Morphogodonims are situated by the most part in the places with prominent relief. In the large towns of Chernozem’e there is a tendency for the morphogodonims to disappear: the new streets aren’t named by relief features and old names are frequently changed to new ones not related to land surface morphology.

Field experiment evidence of substantive, attributional, and behavioral persuasion by members of Congress in online town halls

Do leaders persuade? Social scientists have long studied the relationship between elite behavior and mass opinion. However, there is surprisingly little evidence regarding direct persuasion by leaders. Here we show that political leaders can persuade their constituents directly on three dimensions: substantive attitudes regarding policy issues, attributions regarding the leaders' qualities, and subsequent voting behavior. We ran two randomized controlled field experiments testing the causal effects of directly interacting with a sitting politician. Our experiments consist of 20 online town hall meetings with members of Congress conducted in 2006 and 2008. Study 1 examined 19 small meetings with members of the House of Representatives (average 20 participants per town hall). Study 2 examined a large (175 participants) town hall with a senator. In both experiments we find that participating has significant and substantively important causal effects on all three dimensions of persuasion but no such effects on issues that were not discussed extensively in the sessions. Further, persuasion was not driven solely by changes in copartisans' attitudes; the effects were consistent across groups.

Abstract P137: Updated Trends in CVD Risk Factors and Rurality in Appalachian Children using Surveillance, Clustered Statistical Design and GIS Capabilities

Research suggests a link between rurality and CVD risk factors; however, our previous work found that metropolitan (rather than rural) areas were associated with CVD risk factors in WV fifth grade children. Our goal is to examine developmental trends as well as updated CVD risk factors stratified by Rural-Urban Continuum Code (RUCC) classification. Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities (CARDIAC) data include 14,226 Kindergarten, 10,784 Second grade, 80,635 Fifth grade, and 1,451 Teenage children. The clustered analytic design nested children’s results within zip code using a six-category RUCC (Figure 1), and controlling for age, gender, race, and maternal education. Least squares means are reported. Outcomes included BMI percent above ideal (BMI%) for all grades, and HDL, LDL, and SBP for fifth grade. Developmental Trends: Kindergarten: Significant effect of RUCC on BMI%, p&lt;0.0001, Metro (M=10.11) and Town (10.43) had higher means than Rural (6.66). Second grade: Metro (16.82) and Town (16.41) had higher means than Small Metro (12.48), Rural (10.48; p&lt; 0.0001). Fifth grade: Metro (21.5) and Town (21.5) had higher means than Large Metro (17.78), Small Metro (17.86; p0.05). CVD Risk Factors: Metro (49.31), Non-metro Urban (49.28), and Town (49.76) had lower HDL than Large Metro (M=52.9), Rural (52.54) and Small Metro (51.36; p&lt;0.05). Metro (95.76) presented with higher LDL than Rural (89.11), Town (90.25), Large Metro (91.08), Small Metro (91.28) and Non-metro Urban (91.8; p&lt;0.05). Large Metro (108.97), Metro (109.03) and Town (108.76) had higher SBP than Rural (106.95) and Small Metro (107.28; p&lt;0.05) Results suggest that younger children from rural areas had lower BMI% than metro and town areas. This trend appears to reverse as children enter middle and high school. Examination of fifth grade CVD risks found mid-sized metro areas presented with the worst outcomes.