Large Towns Research Articles

Deagrarianisation of the Economic Structure and the Evolution of Rural Settlement Patterns in Poland

Since the Second World War, Poland has been undergoing an intensive process of transformation of the economic structure of rural areas, manifested, among other things, in the change in the occupational make-up of its inhabitants. The development of non-agricultural methods of management in rural areas has led to the emergence of multifunctional rural areas, where the role of agriculture as a source of income for the inhabitants is decreasing. There is a process of deagrarianisation of the economic structure, which has been indicated by many researchers as an unavoidable process, connected with the changes taking place in rural areas. One of the effects of this process are changes in rural settlement patterns. The aim of this article is to present the spatial effects of the deagrarianisation process in the Polish countryside, expressed in the changes in the rural settlement network. The authors used the statistical database of the Central Statistical Office (over 41 thousand records) to draw up the classification of rural areas by the nature of changes in population numbers in the period 1950–2011, which was compared with the research carried out as part of the Monitoring of Rural Development in Poland. The study confirmed that the factor behind the evolution of the rural settlement network is the process of decreasing agricultural demand for labour. As a consequence, there is a polarisation of localities into multifunctional rural localities, mainly headquarter villages and local government offices, and those with a predominantly agricultural function. On a supra-local scale, a process of polarisation of rural areas between a growing suburban population and a reducing peripheral location around large and medium-sized towns has been observed.

Obesity Measures and Definitions of Sarcopenic Obesity in Singaporean Adults - the Yishun Study.

Due to the lack of a uniform obesity definition, there is marked variability in reported sarcopenic obesity (SO) prevalence and associated health outcomes. We compare the association of SO with physical function using current Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) guidelines and different obesity measures to propose the most optimal SO diagnostic formulation according to functional impairment, and describe SO prevalence among community-dwelling young and old adults. Obesity was defined according to waist circumference (WC), percentage body fat (PBF), fat mass index (FMI), fat mass/fat-free mass ratio (FM/FFM), or body mass index (BMI). SO was defined as the presence of both obesity and AWGS sarcopenia. Muscle function was compared among phenotypes and obesity definitions using ANOVA. Differences across obesity measures were further ascertained using multiple linear regressions to determine their associations with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Community-dwelling adults 21 years old and above were recruited from a large urban residential town in Singapore. 535 community-dwelling Singaporeans were recruited (21-90 years old, 57.9% women), filling quotas of 20-40 participants in each sex- and age-group. We took measurements of height, weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences, body fat, muscle mass, muscle strength, and functional assessments. Questionnaire-based physical and cognitive factors were also assessed. Overall prevalence of SO was 7.6% (WC-based), 5.1% (PBF-based), 2.7% (FMI-based), 1.5% (FM/FFM-based), and 0.4% (BMI-based). SO was significantly associated with SPPB only in the FMI model (p<0.05), and total variance explained by the different regression models was highest for the FMI model. Our findings suggest FMI as the most preferred measure for obesity and support its use as a diagnostic criteria for SO.

LEARNING FROM PISA EXPERIENCES: READING TASKS TO EXPLORE BIASED INFORMATION

The paper presents the results from a study involving 70 students in grade 9, from two technological highschools situated in a large town in Romania. In September 2020, the 15 year olds read and answered the questions from one of the released units after PISA 2018, and then reflected on their reading experience in a self assessment sheet. The results show good results in working with information from one article and poor ability in corroborating conflicting information from two sources that focus on a same topic. The students display little familiarity with biased information even if the majority enjoyed the reading challenge of two divergent points of view. The results are consistent with the PISA reading trend for Romania. In order to improve reading comprehension, teachers should renovate the reading practices by challenging students with work on multiple texts and tasks that focus on evaluation and reflection and on the sources credibility.

Lower average daily step count is associated with poorer executive function and rurality in a veteran cohort

AbstractBackgroundAn active lifestyle is associated with better cognitive health in older individuals. This relationship is understudied in U.S. Veterans, a population at risk of cognitive impairment due to the high prevalence of associated risk factors and comorbidities. Passive monitoring of daily activities provides objective measures of activity that may serve as a sensitive index of day‐to‐day function and dementia risk.MethodParticipants (age &gt; 57) were enrolled as part of Collaborative Aging Research using Technology (CART), a multi‐site study examining the feasibility of unobtrusive remote sensing and monitoring of physical, cognitive, and health‐related activities. The Veteran cohort consists of volunteers living in largely rural communities in the Pacific Northwest, self‐identified as being a Veteran, and included their cohabitant, if applicable. Daily step counts were acquired using a wrist‐worn device. Baseline one‐month averages were compared with rurality and cognitive function.Result114 nondemented participants residing in 67 homes underwent neuropsychological assessment and passive monitoring of daily activities (55% male, age 70.7, MOCA 23.4). 70% resided in a rural area (rural‐urban commuting area (RUCA) score &gt; 4 ) and 29% had &gt; three vascular risk factors. Participants with 14+ days of gait activity measured within a one‐month period near baseline cognitive assessments not using a walker in the home were included (n = 107). Average daily step count obtained over an average of 27.7 days was 3,065 (median 2,515) and was greater in large rural towns compared with small‐isolated rural (p = 0.07) or urban (p = 0.04) towns. After adjusting for potential confounders, lower average daily steps were associated with worse performance in executive function, a relationship observed in Veterans in large rural, but not urban or small rural towns.ConclusionIn a cohort comprised primarily of rural Veteran’s and their spouses, lower average number of steps per day is associated with poorer executive function and this relationship varied by rurality. Real‐world monitoring of daily activities may identify those at greatest risk of cognitive decline for interventional studies aimed at dementia prevention in older individuals, and is of particular relevance in rural settings, where access to specialty care is limited.

Malnutrition and Sarcopenia in Community-Dwelling Adults in Singapore: Yishun Health Study.

To determine the overlapping prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia and the association between parameters of malnutrition with muscle mass and strength in a community-dwelling Singaporean adult population. This was a cross-sectional study. Large north-eastern residential town of Yishun in Singapore. Random sampling of community-dwelling Singaporeans aged 21-90 years old (n=541). Anthropometry, body composition and handgrip strength (muscle strength) were measured. Sarcopenia was identified using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan (muscle mass). Nutritional status was measured using Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF). Other questionnaires collected included physical activity and cognition. Associations between nutritional status with sarcopenia as well as with muscle mass and strength were analysed using multinomial logistics and linear regressions. The overall population-adjusted prevalence of those at nutritional risk and malnourished were 18.5% and 0.1% respectively. More than a third of participants (35%) who were at nutritional risk were sarcopenic. Malnourished participants were all sarcopenic (100%, N=2) whereas those who were sarcopenic, 27.0% (N=37) were at nutritional risk/malnourished. Being at nutritional risk/malnourished was significantly associated with 2 to 3 times increased odds of sarcopenia in multivariate analyses adjusting for age, gender, physical activity level and cognition, and fat mass index. Favourable MNA parameter scores on food intake and BMI were positively associated with greater muscle mass and handgrip strength (p<0.05). Given the overlapping clinical presentation of malnutrition and sarcopenia, community screening protocols should include combination screening of nutritional status and sarcopenia with appropriate interventions to mitigate risk of adverse health outcomes.

Distributional effects of distinct aid types on local economic development in Malawi: new evidence

PurposeThe anecdote of this paper is to bring the aid effectiveness debate to the sub-national level using the change in night lights as an alternative measure of economic activity. We observe non-robustness of results regarding the effects of aid types on development in antecedent literature to arise due to the effects of aid being treated as a unitary component. provoked by such insightful observation and literature deficiency we employed geocoded data to examine Causal links between the varying types of aid and local economic development in Malawi.Design/methodology/approachThe main objective of the empirical examination is to examine the distributional effects of distinct aid types in local towns in Malawi. For that purpose, the authors thus have a panel dataset for each aid type indicator. Allowing for fixed time and town effects, the baseline light density growth regression model to estimate the effectiveness of disentangled aid on night light intensity was accomplished by employing a spatial dynamic panel data (SDPD) approach with instrumentation. Thus, panel regressions were performed to investigate both conceptual and policy implications.FindingsCross-city evidence shows that category aid type brings both negative and positive results depending on location within a country. There are cities and locations where certain aid type(s) does not matter whereas it matters most in some. This speaks to different levels of growth between different regions and cities in Malawi. As a result, we observe the size of the effect of distinct aid type(s) on economic activities to vary (increase/decrease) with the size of the location.Research limitations/implicationsIt may be interesting to generalize results from this study to a panel case over long periods of time using dynamic modelling with both threshold analysis and interaction effects Institutional factors need also to be includes in similar analyses. The authors leave this for a follow-up study. Second, the most immediate opportunity is application of the methodology to the other countries with geo-coded AidData. The authors expect to expand the analysis by taking into account other determinants of aid effectiveness at the local level, including the characteristics of donors and varieties of targeted development programmes.Practical implicationsResults in some geographical locations and towns indicate that the authors do not have sufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis of the research study at 5% level. However, other geographical locations like Zomba indicate that aid category has a significant bearing on local economic growth. Therefore, as opposed to unitary aid approaches, we recommend distribution of relevant disentangled growth-enhancing aid type to specific administrative regions but with a bias toward smaller socially and economically deprived regions and towns.Social implicationsThe unique insight from this study is that foreign aid-growth benefits are symmetric and skewed toward large towns. If such unbalance aid-growth benefits anomalies are not addressed in a transparent manner it has the possibilities of promoting interregional migration which from Nielsenet al.(2011) and Findleyet al(2011)'s evidence might trigger regional tensions and violent armed conflicts. Thus, there is need for equitable distribution of social and economic developmental aid free from political or ethnic inclination but based on transparent needs assessment model(s). Locations where social and developmental aid types seem to have negative or no effect serves as a salient indicator of aid leakages due to rent seeking tendencies of bureaucrats or weak institutions which ultimately pose welfare burden on citizens.Originality/valueApart from contributing to the extant literature on aid and economic growth, this paper relates to at least three other strands of research. First, the work partially answers a call by Minoiu and Reddy (2010), Schmid (2013) and Khomba and Trew (2019) for researchers to examine the growth effects of distinct aid types on local economic development. Second, the increase in aid volumes to Africa and the worsening of economic conditions has been the subject of considerable interest amongst development economists (e.g. Ravenhill, 1990; Lancaster, 1999; Easterly, 2003; Bräutigam and Knack, 2004 and Collier, 2006). This makes the use of a major aid recipient developing economy (Malawi) as a laboratory an anecdote. Third, use of disaggregated as opposed to unitary aid data with an African flavour.

A Smart Campus’ Digital Twin for Sustainable Comfort Monitoring

Interdisciplinary cross-cultural and cross-organizational research offers great opportunities for innovative breakthroughs in the field of smart cities, yet it also presents organizational and knowledge development hurdles. Smart cities must be large towns able to sustain the needs of their citizens while promoting environmental sustainability. Smart cities foment the widespread use of novel information and communication technologies (ICTs); however, experimenting with these technologies in such a large geographical area is unfeasible. Consequently, smart campuses (SCs), which are universities where technological devices and applications create new experiences or services and facilitate operational efficiency, allow experimentation on a smaller scale, the concept of SCs as a testbed for a smart city is gaining momentum in the research community. Nevertheless, while universities acknowledge the academic role of a smart and sustainable approach to higher education, campus life and other student activities remain a mystery, which have never been universally solved. This paper proposes a SC concept to investigate the integration of building information modeling tools with Internet of Things- (IoT)-based wireless sensor networks in the fields of environmental monitoring and emotion detection to provide insights into the level of comfort. Additionally, it explores the ability of universities to contribute to local sustainability projects by sharing knowledge and experience across a multi-disciplinary team. Preliminary results highlight the significance of monitoring workspaces because productivity has been proven to be directly influenced by environment parameters. The comfort-monitoring infrastructure could also be reused to monitor physical parameters from educational premises to increase energy efficiency.

INDOOR RADON MEASUREMENTS FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN WEST COAST PENINSULA.

Granite commonly contains high concentrations of uranium, with consequent high exhalation of radon. The geology of the West Coast peninsula of South Africa is dominated by granite, and a recent article predicted potentially high indoor radon concentrations in this region's two largest towns, Vredenburg and Saldanha. This research aimed to measure indoor radon levels in these towns. Measurements were first done for a minimum of 3d during warmer months, with houses typically being more ventilated. Thirty-four homes in Vredenburg and 27 in Saldanha were measured, and the average indoor radon determined to be 40 and 58Bqm-3, respectively. The measurements were then repeated during the colder months, and an increase in average radon concentration of 173Bqm-3 for Saldanha and 153Bqm-3 for Vredenburg was found. The granite geology and lifestyle of occupants during the colder months seem to contribute towards elevated levels of indoor radon concentrations.

Small-Scale Nuclear Energy

Ensuring an ongoing supply of power in a low carbon economy is one of the major national and international challenges that almost every country faces. Investments in alternative and renewable energy technologies have risen steadily over the last decade, particularly since the ratification of the 2030 Paris Agreement. Although reasonable progress has been made as a result of this, even the most developed renewable energy technologies, for example, solar, wind and hydro, cannot satisfy the rapidly growing energy demand of the world. Arguably a non-renewable energy source, nuclear energy may be one clean energy answer for the future. More specifically, small-scale nuclear energy holds considerable potential. Such potential exists in the form of light water small modular reactors (LW-SMRs). These SMRs have the capability to meet the energy independence and the energy security needs of many countries while reducing capital and operating expenditure and environmental and physical footprint. The modularity aspect of this technology allows for varied application, from large towns to rural regions that currently rely on individual generators. It also creates the opportunity of cogeneration with already existing conventional power generation technology to diversify power generation and increase grid stability. LW-SMRs are not a new idea; in fact, they have been used to power U.S. aircraft carriers and submarines for almost 60 years. This case study will address the advantages and disadvantages of the LW-SMR, using the market leader NuScale as an example. NuScale in Oregon, United States, is arguably the most experienced and influential LW-SMR nuclear energy company when it comes to the factory fabrication of LW-SMRs.

Promoting tangible and intangible hidden cultural heritage: local communities influencing civic decision-making and international cultural policy

ABSTRACT This paper explores international policy approaches to inclusive cultural heritage within urban centres and communities. It defines and identifies hidden cultural assets, tangible and intangible, and examines how, and why, some cultural assets are hidden. We explore the use of two complementary digital methods: digital cultural asset mapping and digital storytelling to reveal hidden heritage and engage the local citizen’s voice. The paper draws on a local city example that had ambitions to influence international reach and policy agendas; a year-long practice-based research project in Paisley, a large town on the edge of a major city conurbation in Scotland, as set within the context of wider cultural heritage policy discussion. The research reveals how hidden cultural heritage can be used to inform governmental decision-making on a national and international stage and simultaneously inform policy and practical step changes in peri-urban cultural regeneration whilst contributing significantly to sustainable development goals.

Awareness of russian doctors about autism spectrum disorders (results of sociological research)

Aim.Identification of awareness in doctors of different specialties (pediatricians, child psychiatrists, neurologists) on a wide range of issues of diagnosis, etiology, therapy of children with ASD.&#x0D; Methods.There was a survey conducted on the authors questionnaire. It was answered by 400doctors working in the large, medium, and small cities and towns in 35subjects of the Russian Federation, representing all Federal districts. In the sample there were pediatricians (53%), psychiatrists (24.2%), neurologists (14.7%), 8.2% did not specify a specialty. 89.2% of respondents are women and 10.2% are men.&#x0D; Results.70% of doctors believe that the number of children with ASD has increased dramatically in recent years. A fifth of respondents found it difficult to answer, 10% said that the number remained the same. The distribution of responses to the question by the profile of specialists indicates the relationship of variables. Neuropathologists and psychiatrists more often chose the answer option increased sharply (2=32.528, p0.01). The distribution of different specialists opinions on the factors that cause changes in the number of children with ASD in society did not have statistically significant differences. About 40% of pediatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, and other doctors chose the factors improvement of quality in diagnostic procedures and increasing availability of medical care; about a third noted reducing child mortality and, as a result, increasing diversity, about a quarter chose an environmental impact, changing the rules of medical statistics. It is alarming that when asked about the impact of vaccinations on the occurrence of autism, only 46.9% indicated that this is a myth, about 2.8% indicated that autism is a reaction to vaccination, the majority of respondents (50.3%) chose the option that there is not enough data in medicine to confirm or disprove this position.&#x0D; Conclusions.The results of the study allow us to conclude that it is necessary to increase the awareness of doctors about the current state of research on the problem of ASD. Educational programs are needed taking into account not only medical data but also approaches developed in the social Sciences.

A qualitative study of the accessibility of a typical UK town cycle network to disabled cyclists

IntroductionCycling offers significant benefits for disabled people in the form of independent mobility and improved management of chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity through increased physical activity. However, disabled people in the UK have a lower propensity to cycle than the general population. This is often assumed to reflect lower levels of interest and reduced capability to cycle, although there is little reported evidence on the actual cycling experiences of disabled people. This study contributes to knowledge in the field by exploring the infrastructural and environmental challenges negotiated by a group of disabled people who currently cycle and utilise the cycle network in Swindon - a typical large town in the UK. MethodsFocus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 disabled cyclists and support workers from an inclusive cycling centre. Some participant also chose to take part in a ‘ride-along’ interview to complement participants' own accounts with observational data. ResultsParticipants who used adapted cycles experienced the greatest difficulties in using the cycle network and generally considered their cycles unsuitable for transportation purposes. This was due to both physical obstructions and a requirement to ‘dismount’ in pedestrianised areas where cycling is prohibited. Compared with adapted cycle-users, participants with ‘invisible disabilities’ using standard cycles experienced a greater sense of vulnerability when cycling in motor traffic, as drivers exhibited less care around them. Financial and social barriers to cycling also emerged strongly in participants' accounts. ConclusionsMany challenges faced by disabled cyclists reflect those experienced by non-disabled cyclists, but barriers are much more profound for disabled people. Public authorities need to improve the inclusivity of cycling in towns through measures such as: creating pathways to help more disabled people progress from learning to cycle to cycling independently; regular audits of the network using an adapted cycle; and legally recognising cycles as mobility aids.

Bone mineral density reference values in Singaporean adults and comparisons for osteoporosis establishment \u2013 The Yishun Study

BackgroundWhile there have been studies in Singapore on the prevalence and economic burden of osteoporotic hip fracture, there is a severe lack of reference data on bone mineral density and prevalence of osteoporosis. The purpose of this study is to establish the reference values for BMD and compare prevalence of osteoporotic conditions using other available reference values so as to better understand the status of bone health in Singaporean adults.MethodsWe carried out a population-based cross-sectional study using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (Hologic Discovery Wi) to measure the bone mineral density of Singaporean adults aged ≥21 years. A total of 542 participants were recruited from the large north-eastern residential town of Yishun. We computed T- scores (denoted by TSG) for each individual in the study. Similar diagnoses were also done based on T-scores provided by the densitometer (TDXA), NHANES database (TNHANES), and China (TCHN), and the differences in prevalence compared. We then compared the concordance between TSG and TDXA in the classification of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis was defined according to criteria by the World Health Organization (WHO).ResultsPeak lumbar spine BMD was 1.093 ± 0.168 g/cm2 in women, and 1.041 ± 0.098 g/cm2 for men. Peak whole-body BMD was 1.193 ± 0.93 g/cm2 in women at, and 1.224 ± 0.112 g/cm2 for men. Prevalence of osteoporosis based on lumbar spine was 9.3% in postmenopausal women, and 0.7% in men after 50 years of age. The percentage difference in prevalence range from 60.5–163.6%, when using reference values from TDXA, TNHANES, and TCHN. Comparing diagnosis using TDXA and TSG cut-off values, 28 versus 15 women were diagnosed as osteoporotic respectively.  The kappa statistics was 0.81 for women and 0.85 for men.Conclusion: Our study shows that T-scores provided by DXA manufacturer over-diagnosed osteoporosis in Singaporeans, and the prevalence of osteoporotic conditions is not accurately represented. This over-diagnosis may result in unnecessary treatment in some individuals.

Analysis of the structure and dynamics of household income from entrepreneurial activity

Introduction. In conditions of modern economy, one of the indicators of economic development and the presence of positive environment for private business development is the household income level from entrepreneurship. But the instability of political and economic events in recent years has had a significant impact on private entrepreneurs activity. So the studying the structure and dynamics of household income from entrepreneurial activity today is an important area of research. The purpose of the research is to analyze and establish the main trends in the development of household income from entrepreneurial activity in the structure of cash income and total resources. Research methods. The methodological basis of the work is the conclusions and generalizations of economic science and scientific works on the subject of research the structure and dynamics of household income from entrepreneurial activity. The research uses logical, comparative and complex approaches, as well as methods of observation, comparison, graphical and complex analysis. Results. The paper studies the composition and dynamics of household income from the sale of entrepreneurial skills implementation in the structure of cash income and total resources, which shows almost doubled household income from entrepreneurial activity in the sampling period, as well as a significant increase in household income from agricultural products sales and property income. Based on research of household income in the structure of cash income and total resources by geolocation, it was found that the highest level of household income from entrepreneurship activity is reached in large and small towns, and household income from agricultural products sales and household income from property - in villages. According to results of the analysis of household incomes from entrepreneurial skills implementation, depending on the region, it was found that the highest level was reached by the regions of western and central Ukraine, and Kyiv. Based on the tools of correlation and regression analysis, it was determined the main factors of environmental influences on household income from entrepreneurial activity, which are the fluctuations in the inflation index and gross domestic product (GDP). Conclusion. Thus, the tendency to reduce of some income categories from entrepreneurial skills implementation, particularly in terms of income from agricultural products sales in rural households, which are the most sensitive to economic fluctuations, requires a comprehensive review and improvement of business conditions for small businesses at the national level. The scientific value of study is to determine the main trends in household income from entrepreneurship activity, which will allow to get quality information on the private business development level, to use it to predict the future development of small business and in developing normative acts on state regulation of entrepreneurship.

Spatial inequality and aspirations for economic inclusion among Latin American youth

• We explore differences in young people’s aspirations for work, wealth, and success. • We compare populations living in towns of different sizes. • Residential context affects youth’s aspirations for economic inclusion. • Significant gender differences exist. • Policies targeted to youths should combine people- and place-based interventions. Youths’ aspirations formation is typically analysed in its association with individual, family and school characteristics. This paper adopts a wider perspective and uses descriptive and econometric analysis to investigate the relationship between aspirations for economic inclusion of Latin American youths and the population size of the town where they live, as a proxy for development levels, in a context of high spatial inequality. Results indicate a significant relationship of population size with young people’s aspirations for economic inclusion: youths living in smaller towns attribute significantly higher importance to work, and significantly lower importance to wealth and success, compared to their peers living in larger towns. Youths living in towns of intermediate size resemble their peers living in smaller towns with respect to work-related aspirations, and youths living in larger towns in aspirations for wealth and success. We observe no differences between young men and women in the importance attributed to employment, while aspirations for wealth and success are consistently lower among young women. The importance of population size is stronger for youths than for adults. This significant relationship between spatial inequality and aspirations suggests that public policy should invest not only in people-based but also in place-based interventions for young people to be able to develop their potential, taking gender differences into account.

The role of geography in the complex diffusion of innovations

The urban–rural divide is increasing in modern societies calling for geographical extensions of social influence modelling. Improved understanding of innovation diffusion across locations and through social connections can provide us with new insights into the spread of information, technological progress and economic development. In this work, we analyze the spatial adoption dynamics of iWiW, an Online Social Network (OSN) in Hungary and uncover empirical features about the spatial adoption in social networks. During its entire life cycle from 2002 to 2012, iWiW reached up to 300 million friendship ties of 3 million users. We find that the number of adopters as a function of town population follows a scaling law that reveals a strongly concentrated early adoption in large towns and a less concentrated late adoption. We also discover a strengthening distance decay of spread over the life-cycle indicating high fraction of distant diffusion in early stages but the dominance of local diffusion in late stages. The spreading process is modelled within the Bass diffusion framework that enables us to compare the differential equation version with an agent-based version of the model run on the empirical network. Although both model versions can capture the macro trend of adoption, they have limited capacity to describe the observed trends of urban scaling and distance decay. We find, however that incorporating adoption thresholds, defined by the fraction of social connections that adopt a technology before the individual adopts, improves the network model fit to the urban scaling of early adopters. Controlling for the threshold distribution enables us to eliminate the bias induced by local network structure on predicting local adoption peaks. Finally, we show that geographical features such as distance from the innovation origin and town size influence prediction of adoption peak at local scales in all model specifications.

Contribution of Social Determinant of Health Factors to Rural-Urban Preventive Care Differences Among Medicaid Enrollees.

1) Assess whether rural-urban disparities are present in pediatric preventive health care utilization; and 2) use regression decomposition to measure the contribution of social determinants of health (SDH) to those disparities. With an Ohio Medicaid population served by a pediatric Accountable Care Organization, Partners For Kids, between 2017 and 2019, we used regression decomposition (a nonlinear multivariate regression decomposition model) to analyze the contribution of patient, provider, and SDH factors to the rural-urban well-child visit gap among children in Ohio. Among the 453,519 eligible Medicaid enrollees, 61.2% of urban children received a well-child visit. Well-child visit receipt among children from large rural cities/towns and small/isolated towns was 58.2% and 55.5%, respectively. Comparing large rural towns to urban centers, 55.8% of the 3.0 percentage-point difference was explained by patient, provider, and community-level SDH factors. In comparing small/isolated town to urban centers, 89.8% of the 5.7 percentage-point difference was explained by these characteristics. Of provider characteristics, pediatrician providers were associated with increased well visit receipt. Of the SDH factors, unemployment and education contributed the most to the explained difference in large rural towns while unemployment, education, and food deserts contributed significantly to the small/isolated town difference. The receipt of pediatric preventive care is slightly lower in rural communities. While modest, the largest part of the rural-urban preventive care gap can be explained by differences in provider type, poverty, unemployment, and education levels. More could be done to improve pediatric preventive care in all communities.

Prediction of Stresses Around Tunnel in Rock during Advancing TBM

Drilling machines (TBM) used for civil engineering work in large towns to significantly reduce the harmful effects of expenditure on the earth's surface. The tunneling process complicated due to the dependence of this relationship on construction technology that lead to undesirable consequences such as damage to adjacent structures, so the use of the finite element method has become common to simulate construction stages model using the Hoek-Brown ,the methodology includes using the finite element method by constructing the model to predict the behavior of stresses during the tunnel construction stages and to collect the required data so that it is appropriate to the requirements of the region and to analyze the parameters of the numerical model entry and comparing the natural condition of the rocks during the various tunnel construction stages. During tunneling development, vertical stresses at the top and bottom of the tunnel are reduced while horizontal stresses are increased. Three vertical sections are selected to test the TBM tunnel 's impact on nearby rocks. The first section (x = 0) passes through the center of the tunnel. The second section is near the side edge of the tunnel whereas the third section is more or less selected than the edge of the tunnel. Progression of TBM is reflected through one to five phases. By conducting an axial symmetric FE analysis, the results of math measurement showed major changes in stress that occur in rock regions near the tunnel boundary mostly affects closeness to rocks. This increasing pressure decreases as you step horizontally away from the tunnel and the seams achieve exceedingly small values for lengths greater than 12 m from the edge of the tunnel.

Analysing local newspaper coverage of murders involving street sex workers

ABSTRACT Based on victim hierarchies, news media framing of murdered sex workers is especially pejorative, often shaped by notions of deviant feminine sexuality and sex workers’ social and legal marginalisation. The analysis presented in this article explores these themes by focusing on five murders involving young women linked to sex work in a large town in the North of England. It corroborates themes identified in the previous literature relating to shallow and derogatory framing, as well as the way women are reclaimed as victims via the family trope and notions of community. Lastly, the article explores representational tensions in coverage, between acknowledging victimhood and victims’ place within their communities, whilst also continuing to Other victims.

Phytochemistry of Verbascum Species Growing in Iraqi Kurdistan and Bioactive Iridoids from the Flowers of Verbascum calvum.

Traditional medicine is still widely practiced in Iraqi Kurdistan, especially by people living in villages on mountainous regions; medicinal plants are also sold in the markets of the large towns, such as at Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region. About a dozen of Verbascum species (Scrophulariaceae) are commonly employed in the Kurdish traditional medicine, especially for treating burns and other skin diseases. However, the isolation of bioactive secondary metabolites from these plants has not been the subject of intense scientific investigations in Iraq. Therefore, the information reported in the literature about the species growing in Kurdistan has been summarized in the first part of this paper, although investigations have been performed on vegetable samples collected in neighbouring countries, such as Turkey and Iran. In the second part of the work, we have investigated, for the first time, the contents of a methanol and a hydromethanol extract of V. calvum flowers. The extracts exhibited weak antimicrobial activities, whereas the methanol extract showed significant antiproliferative effects against an A549 lung cancer cell line. Moreover, both extracts exhibited a significant dose-dependent free radical scavenging action against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, comparable to that of ascorbic acid. In the subsequent phytochemical study, a high phenolic content was determined in both extracts by the Folin–Ciocalteu assay and medium-pressure liquid chromatographic (MPLC) separation led to the isolation of iridoid glucosides ajugol and aucubin from the methanol extract. In conclusion, the high anti-inflammatory effects of aucubin and the remarkable antioxidant (antiradical) properties of the extracts give scientific support to the traditional use of V. calvum flowers for the preparation in Kurdistan of remedies to cure skin burns and inflammations.