Poor Territories Research Articles

Does haze pollution inhibit innovation efficiency in China? The mediating role of human capital and the moderating role of government attention

The problem of low innovation efficiency in developing countries has gained increasing attention, although there is little empirical evidence to examine this issue, especially from a haze pollution perspective. To fill this critical gap, this paper employs a series of empirical methods to investigate the impact of haze pollution on innovation efficiency and takes a panel dataset covering 30 provincial-level regions in China over 2010–2018 as a case study. Results show that: (1) An increase in haze pollution has an inhibitory effect on China's provincial innovation efficiency, whether for the overall, R&D, and commercialization efficiency. (2) Such a negative effect is exacerbated in provinces with low levels of urbanization and financial development, presenting a preference for poor territories. (3) Regarding spatial spillover effects, innovation efficiency in a given province is negatively correlated with haze pollution from neighboring provinces. (4) Regarding mediating factors, haze pollution reduces human capital and subsequently can inhibit innovation efficiency, i.e., the “human capital loss effect”. (5) Regarding moderating factors, rather than a “cost following effect”, government attention mitigates the inhibiting effect of haze pollution on innovation efficiency through an “innovation compensation effect”. In general, policymakers should seek a win-win situation between innovation activities and environmental protection.

The Evolution of Mate Attachment.

AbstractWhether natural selection leads to attachment in monogamous pair bonds has seldom been addressed. Operationally defining attachment as a behavioral modifier that decreases divorce probability with pair duration, we develop a model for the evolution of attachment. If divorce (the ending of a pair bond when both individuals survive to the next breeding season) is more likely to occur out of poor-quality reproductive opportunities (i.e., poor territory or low-quality mate), individuals in experienced pairs are more likely to be found in high-quality opportunities. Consequently, when divorce decisions occur using imperfect information from reproductive success, pair duration provides individuals with information about the quality of their reproductive opportunity and attachment can evolve. We show that high survival rates, divorce propensities, and probabilities of nest failure favor the evolution of attachment. Attachment is also more likely to evolve when individuals can directly assess the quality of their reproductive opportunity (as opposed to relying on imperfect information from reproductive success), when the quality of the reproductive opportunity has adult survival ramifications, and when divorce coevolves with attachment. We show that our core conclusions are robust to a variety of assumptions using individual-based simulations. Our results clarify how attachment can be adaptive and suggest that studying pair bonds as dynamic entities is a promising avenue for future work.

Taraxacum stepanekii, a replacement name for Taraxacum roseolum Kirschner & Štěpánek non Charit., with nomenclatural notes on the taxonomic legacy of Boris S. Kharitontsev in the digital era

The botanical publications of Boris S. Kharitontsev, who has worked on the flora and vegetation of Tobolsk District (Tyumen Region, south-western Siberia, Russia) for 30 years, make a typical case of grey literature in taxonomic botany. Kharitontsev has described about 400 local “new species” from a single district in this floristically poor territory. Although the taxonomic results of this work are not credible, this vast nomenclatural output requires attention and urges for comprehensive indexing due to requirements of the botanical nomenclature (principles of priority and homonymy). A new species name, Taraxacum stepanekii Sennikov, is proposed for Taraxacum roseolum Kirschner & Štěpánek from Kyrgyzstan, which is an illegitimate later homonym of Taraxacum roseolum Charit.

Better to Divorce than Be Widowed: The Role of Mortality and Environmental Heterogeneity in the Evolution of Divorce.

AbstractDespite widespread interest in the evolution and implications of monogamy across taxa, less attention-especially theoretical-has been paid toward understanding the evolution of divorce (ending a socially monogamous pairing to find a new partner). Here, we develop a model of the evolution of divorce by females in a heterogeneous environment, where females assess territory quality as a result of their breeding success. Divorce results in females leaving poor territories disproportionally more often than good territories, while death of a partner occurs independent of territory quality, giving an advantage to divorce. Increasing environmental heterogeneity, a decreasing benefit of pair experience, and moderate survival rates favor the evolution of higher divorce rates, even in the absence of variance in individual quality and knowledge of available territories. Imperfect information about territory quality constrains the evolution of divorce, typically favoring divorce strategies that remain faithful to one's partner whenever successful reproduction occurs. Our model shows how feedbacks between divorce, widowhood, and the availability of territories are intricately linked in determining the evolutionary advantage of divorce. We detail testable predictions about populations that should be expected to divorce at high rates.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО РАЙОНИРОВАНИЯ ТЕРРИТОРИИ РОССИЙСКО-КАЗАХСТАНСКОГО ТРАНСГРАНИЧНОГО РЕГИОНА

The article deals with the zoning of the territory of the Russian-Kazakh cross-border region based on the analysis of the main indicators of socio-economic development of the border regions. The study is the basis for understanding various risks in the field of border security and analyzing the stability of the Russian-Kazakh border. A significant amount of work is devoted to the generalization of scientific works on the socio-economic zoning of the territory of Russia, including the space of the Russian-Kazakh cross-border region. A multi-stage method of zoning has been developed, including the main components and features characterizing the socio-economic development of the territory by main groups and types. The proposed zoning model makes it possible to analyze in detail certain features of the socio-economic development of a cross-border region, and to consider the problem comprehensively and comprehensively in a broader format. As a result, four socio-economic regions have been identified in the space of the Russian-Kazakh cross-border region: Western, Central, Northern and Eastern. Each district has a special specificity of organization and development. The Western and Northern regions were included in the group with a predominance of more developed regions, while the Central and Eastern regions turned out to be less developed and poor territories. At the same time, a pattern was revealed that in more developed socio-economic areas there is a significant asymmetry in the development of adjacent border territories, and in less developed areas such asymmetry is weakly expressed or absent. As a result, the data obtained revealed a high degree of differentiation of the socio-economic development of the territory of the Russian-Kazakh cross-border region.

Overview of Epidemiology of Malaria Associated with Pregnancy in Northwestern Colombia, 1985-2020

Background: Knowledge about malaria associated with pregnancy (MAP) is scarce in Latin America and Colombia. Methodology: This paper presents an overview of studies captained in Pubmed, Lilacs, GoogleScholar and thesis repositories from six Colombian universities and bibliographic references of manuscripts. Results: The following topics have been described: study sites, infectious agents, genetic variation of Plasmodium in MAP, vector resistance to insecticides, incubation period, natural susceptibility and resistance to infection, immunity in MAP, frequency, coexistence of gestational (GM) and placental (PM) malaria, associated factors, efficacy of antimalarial treatment, material living conditions in MAP. The MAP has a high prevalence, with a high frequency of submicroscopic infections. There are cases of MAP due to P. falciparum, P. vivax, or both. Monotherapy with chloroquine or amodiaquine for MAP for P. vivax has efficacy greater than 95% and artemether-lumefantrine or artesunate-mefloquine 100% for P. falciparum. There are high rates of anemia in pregnancies (30-70%). In “The Region,” there is no problem of resistance of vectors to insecticides. MAP occurs in poor territories, with interaction of food insecurity, chronic malnutrition, dissatisfaction of basic needs, intestinal parasites, violence and abuse of human rights. Conclusions: MAP study is just beginning in Colombia; there are no programmes that effectively operate to detect and solve this problem; Government agencies, international health organizations, and private companies should finance the multidisciplinary and comprehensive research (natural and social) of the MAP, in order to know its main characteristics throughout the country and use that knowledge as a basis to seek solutions.

VESPRA Enabling Communities through a Community Based Psychosocial Support Program 1965-1970

The objective of this report is to share with the reader, an early method of community mobilization in a then resource poor territory of the United States: Puerto Rico. The program initiated the mobilization method by recruiting youth to visit communities, engage its citizens in conversations that resulted in prioritization of problems, identification of community capitals, and action. The U.S. Federal Government provided funding for the program from 1965-1971. Importance of the study: Community mobilization is gaining importance within the scientific areas of psychosocial support and community mental health as the world faces natural disasters, movement of people and climate change. While this study looks at events that happened in the 1960’s the results of this strategy and community experiment are used today in programs such as VISTA in the United States and Humanitarian Agencies providing community-based programs to poor people. Method for data collection: This is a qualitative study and so a multi method approach for collection, interpretation and analysis of data relies on the facts as gathered from a desk study of the U.S. Government, and Government of Puerto Rico Archives as well as trying to make sense of events on the ground through participant observation and interviews with former volunteers, paid staff and participant communities (1965-1971), and offering examples from newspaper reports, of the period, to relate to the reader the meaning people gave to these events in real time. Reporting of Findings: The findings for this study are reported sequentially from 1965 to 1971. The format is: 1) the fact, 2) impact, and 3) event. The findings include explanation of training methods, recruiting of personnel, administrative tasks, and the consequences on the ground as reported in newspapers, or follow-up quarterly reports from the field. The most important event was the formation of the Poor People’s Council, and their subsequent participation in Boards of programs that impacted their future. Footnotes are used within text to represent additional content that supplements the text.

Imaging Chromosome Territory and Gene Loci Positions in Cells Grown on Soft Matrices.

It is well established that the genome is non-randomly organized in the interphase nucleus with gene rich chromosome territories toward the nuclear interior, while gene poor chromosome territories are proximal to the nuclear periphery. In vivo tissue stiffness and architecture modulates cell type-specific genome organization and gene expression programs. However, the impact of external mechanical forces on the non-random organization of the genome is not completely understood. Here we describe a modified protocol for visualizing chromosome territories and gene loci positions in cells exposed to reduced matrix stiffness by employing soft polyacrylamide matrices. 3-Dimensional Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (3D-FISH) protocol followed by image analyses performed on cells exposed to extracellular matrices of varying stiffness properties, enables the determination of the dynamics of chromosome territories as well as gene loci in the interphase nucleus. This will be useful in understanding how chromosome territories respond to changes in substrate stiffness and the potential correlation between the repositioning of chromosome territories and their respective transcriptional profiles.

Reintroducing endangered raptors: A case study of supplementary feeding and removal of nestlings from wild populations

Abstract Supplementary feeding is a common practice to raise reproductive output in raptors and other species; nevertheless, its application in conservation has only recently been discussed critically. Here, we analyse the effect of supplementary feeding in territorial raptors, taking advantage of two long‐term datasets for the Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) and bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus). In both species, supplementary feeding was used over four years, allowing the extraction of eggs or nestlings for reintroduction programmes. Both populations increased during the last 20 years. In 2001, only 10 Spanish imperial eagle pairs were found in Sierra Morena, increasing to 91 pairs in 2015 (810% of increase). The Bearded vulture population in Aragon increased from 15 occupied territories in 1988 to 67 in 2012 (347% of increase). Density‐dependent breeding productivity on habitat heterogeneity was established in both populations. Results of generalized linear mixed model analysis with relative productivity as the dependent variable, species and supplementary feeding as fixed factors, and territory as random factor showed a significant effect of supplementary feeding on relative productivity in both species as well as in the interaction between territory and supplementary feeding. This implied a different response among territories to supplementary feeding. Birds in poor‐quality territories with low productivity levels responded more strongly to supplementary feeding than birds in territories with higher levels of natural productivity. A reintroduction programme based on supplementary feeding and extraction of nestlings costs eight times less than the same programme based on captive breeding and takes 10 years less. Synthesis and applications. Supplementary feeding in territorial raptors could be useful (1) in an episodic main prey collapse and (2) in poor‐quality territories in a high‐density population, to produce extra young for reintroduction programmes. For greatest efficiency, supplementary feeding needs to be targeted at poorer territories in which the reproductive rate has the potential to be raised by provision of extra food. The extra young produced can then be used in reintroduction programmes in which chances of recruiting to a breeding population are high.

Disentangling the effects of date, individual, and territory quality on the seasonal decline in fitness.

The seasonal timing of reproduction is a major fitness factor in many organisms. Commonly, individual fitness declines with time in the breeding season. We investigated three suggested but rarely tested hypotheses for this seasonal fitness decline: (1) time per se (date hypothesis), (2) late breeders are of lower quality than early ones (individual quality hypothesis), and (3) late breeders are breeding at poorer territories than early breeders (territory quality hypothesis). We used Bayesian variance component analyses to examine reproductive output (breeding success, number fledged, and number of recruits) from repeated observations of female Northern Wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) and individual territories from a 20-yr population study. The major part of the observed seasonal decline in reproductive output seemed to be driven by date-related effects, whereas female age and territory type (i.e., known indicators of temporary quality) contributed to a smaller degree. Other, persistent effects linked to individual and territory identity did not show any clear patterns on the seasonal decline in reproductive output. To better disentangle the quality effects (persistent and temporary) of individual and territory from effects caused by the deterioration of the environment we suggest a protocol combining experimental manipulation of breeding time with a variance-covariance partitioning method used here.

Utopia and censorship: Iranian cinema at the crossroads of love, sex and tradition

Abstract Iranian censorship forbids depictions of unrelated men and women touching one another. Given this, western scholars generally view Iranian cinema as poor territory for exploring love, sex and desire, with some even suggesting that pornography and Iranian cinema are two contrasting entities. Granted, it is difficult to find a direct representation of love and sex in Iranian movies but this limitation does not mean that Iranian cinema is devoid of such topics. In fact, as Hamid Naficy and Shahla Haeri both argue, Iranian directors have proposed very sophisticated, complex and ingenious methods for discussing eroticism, love and passion in their movies. When faced with strict censorship and social and moral barriers, what methods have Iranian directors developed in order to address love, desire and passion? In what ways do these methods emancipate or emasculate Iranian artists in their quest to express love and eroticism? This article attempts to answer these questions, arguing that it makes little sense to say that any authoritative system with a system of hegemony could prevent its citizens from expressing this impulse in their works since the sexual instinct is life’s drive and only at the moment of death can humans deny its existence. What is essential, radical and utopian is to read the meaning of eroticism in Iranian cinema through the specific culture in which the drive has been developed and shaped.

Spatial patterns of extra‐pair paternity for spotted towhees Pipilo maculatus in urban parks

The extra‐pair (EP) mating system of birds may be influenced by food resources, such that nutritionally stressed females are unable to pursue EP fertilizations (constrained female hypothesis; CFH), or that females on poor territories acquire EP fertilizations during extra‐territorial forays in search of food (mating opportunity hypothesis; MOH). Edges of urban habitat fragments are sites of apparent high food abundance for spotted towhees Pipilo maculatus, and we used distance to habitat edge in four urban parks in Portland, OR, USA (2004–2006), to test the CFH and MOH. EP paternity was independent of park identity and year; 44% of nests contained EP young and 26% of all young were EP. As predicted by the CFH, EP paternity was more common in nests of long‐tailed (presumably) high quality females. However, independently of tail length, younger females had more EP young than older females, a finding consistent with the MOH. Contrary to predictions of both hypotheses, the probability that a nest contained EP young was highest both at the habitat edge and habitat interior while the proportion of young in nests of EP origin (for nests with EP young) was highest at intermediate distances from habitat edge. We propose that high frequency of EP paternity among females in the interior occurred because, as predicted by the MOH, they ranged more widely in search of food and often encountered EP males. High probability of EP paternity near edges was likely unrelated to female quality. Instead, anthropogenic food sources may have attracted individuals to edges and increased encounters between potential EP mates. Simple opportunity seems likely to account for patterns of EP paternity in spotted towhees, suggesting that human altered environments have the potential to substantially affect EP mating behavior.

A multiprofessional perspective on the principal barriers to universal health coverage and universal access to health in extremely poor territories: the contributions of nursing.

Objective: to investigate the knowledge of managers and health professionals, social workers and education professionals regarding the principal barriers to universal health coverage and universal access to health on the part of the extremely poor population; and to point to the contributions made by nursing for the promotion of this right. Method: a qualitative study whose reference was, for ensuring the right to health, the reorientation of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) towards universal coverage and access in these territories. Interviews were held with 27 members of the multi-professional team of a municipality with high social vulnerability. The data were worked on using thematic content analysis. Results: the following were ascertained as the principal barriers to universal health coverage and access to health: failures in the expansion and strengthening of the services; absence of diagnosis of the priority demands; shortage of technology, equipment, and material and human resources; poor local infrastructure; and actions with low resolutive power and absence of interdepartmental policies. Within the multi-professional team, nursing acts in the SUS in unique health actions and social practices in these territories, presenting an in-depth perspective on this harsh reality, being able to contribute with indispensable support for confronting these disparities in universal health coverage and universal access to health. Conclusion: nursing's in-depth understanding regarding these barriers is essential for encouraging the processes reorienting the SUS, geared towards equality in the right to health.

Evaluating Sustainable Competitive Advantages: Entry and Exit Barriers

The authors discuss entry and exit barriers and their interaction as basic building blocks of a decision making process for evaluating competitive advantage of a business. While the concept of entry barriers is much discussed in the context of high quality businesses, the authors posit that exit barriers are also very important and in many cases, may cancel the positive effects of entry barriers. Through the examples of auto makers and airlines, the author show that when strong exit barriers coincide with a high fixed cost structure, the returns on capital frequently end up in poor territory.

Effects of territory size on the reproductive success and social system of the giant otter, south‐eastern Peru

AbstractThe link between resource abundance, dispersion and cooperative breeding in mammals has been a topic of much debate among ecologists. The giant otter social system is facultatively cooperative. Extended families inhabit home ranges where only a dominant pair breeds, and other family members assist with cub defence and food provision. But this system can be affected by local ecology. In the floodplain of the Manu River, in Manu National Park, Peru, oxbow lakes are patchily distributed and form the resource‐rich cores, or territories, of giant otter family home ranges. We present data from a long‐term study at this site, linking territory size variability to the composition of resident giant otter groups and their reproductive success. Territory size predicts group structure; both the size of groups and the number of post‐emergence cubs are positively correlated to the total lake area within the group territory. Territories with small lake areas (likely to be poor territories) often support only a pair, and the pair may not breed successfully every year. Cubs are more likely to survive in years when more non‐breeding adults are present at the time of emergence. However, there may be a negative effect on survival where more non‐breeding adults are present in the subsequent year. Finally, cubs produced in larger territories are more likely to disperse and breed successfully away from the natal territory. We conclude that giant otter societies are likely shaped by the spatial dispersion of lakes, and food abundance and dispersion within these rich patches.

The Economics of Secession: Analysing the Economic Impact of the Collapse of the Former Yugoslavia

This paper looks at the economic impact of secession through the lens of the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. It uses an econometric analysis covering the period between 1956 and 2011—including a series of factors linked to the independence process, socio-economic and structural controls, and the level of development—in order to assess whether (a) breaking away from the former Yugoslavia delivered an ‘independence dividend’ to the newly independent countries and whether (b) independence had a more favourable impact in richer, rather than poorer territories. The results of the analysis underline that there has been no favourable economic impact of secession and that how secession was achieved is key in understanding the subsequent economic performance of the newly independent countries. In cases of secession without conflict, independence did not have a noticeable impact on ensuing economic performance. Secession achieved by conflict, by contrast, seriously dented growth prospects.

Using manipulation of density‐dependent fecundity to recover an endangered species: the bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus as an example

Summary Endangered species subjected to reintroduction programmes often occur as small and isolated populations with local high density and depressed fecundity. Variation in territory quality may lead to this low fecundity owing to increasing occupation of suboptimal territories as population density grows, known as the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis (HHH). In this context, food supplementation in poor territories may be used to produce extra young which could be allocated to reintroduction programmes. We analyse the density‐dependent fecundity pattern and the underlying mechanism in a small population of bearded vultures Gypaetus barbatus in Aragón (northeast Spain). We then use population simulations to examine the viability of a hypothetical reintroduction programme using extra young produced by supplementary feeding on poor‐quality territories and the effect on the donor population. We also compare the economic cost of such a reintroduction programme in relation to the cost of a traditional captive breeding programme. The wild population showed clear negative, density‐dependent fecundity regulation driven by the HHH mechanism. Simulations showed that extractions for translocations had no relevant long‐term effects on the donor population viability, but a marked population reduction during the extraction period. However, the implementation of supplementary feeding to produce extra young for translocation lessened significantly this expected initial population reduction. Analyses showed that the annual budget of a captive breeding programme for this species could be seven times more expensive than the translocation of extra young produced by food supplementation. Synthesis and applications. Reintroduction programmes based on translocation of wild‐reared individuals, after a supplementary feeding programme oriented to poor‐quality territories, provide a source of young at least seven times cheaper than those from captive breeding programmes. The use of this approach would decrease initial effects on donor population avoiding public criticism. Increasing the number of young released during the first years of the reintroduction decreases total financial cost and increases the final population size in the new area.

Entre a “Guerra” e a “Paz”: Os Modelos de Policiamento e o Discurso Midiático Sobre Segurança Pública no Rio De Janeiro

This work is an effort to comprehend the midiatic speech. The theme treated here is the public security. More specifically, the propose is to analyse how different politics of public security are propagated by the media. Using the theory about the different types of policing (BAYLEY, 2006; BAYLEY E SKOLNICK, 2006), there is the tension between the models of confrontational policing and community policing in Brazilian reality. My hypothesis is the governmental intervention in poor territories were (and are) intimately linked to the "image" that these territories have in the society. The analysis of newspapers was made in order to capture some "pictures" in his speech. The analysis of the papers is divided into two blocks. Two cases are considered: The first is dedicated to understand the implementation of the UPP in Santa Marta, localizing the related news and the way how they were presented during the analysed period. In sequence, there is an analysis of the newspapers during the period when Complexo were the center of several police actions are analysed, considering the number of reports, their location contents Keywords: public security; policing; media; violence; favela.

Trabalho, moradia e cidade: zonas de indiferenciação?

A partir de observações etnográficas, este artigo busca detectar algumas das forças estruturantes presentes nas relações entre transformações provenientes dos processos de mundialização e suas modulações locais no âmbito brasileiro. A mundialização, no contexto nacional e, especificamente na cidade de São Paulo, produziu transformações silenciosas nos espaços urbanos por meio da articulação nem sempre visível entre o chamado "mundo do trabalho" e o "mundo da moradia".

Pale and dark reddish melanic tawny owls differentially regulate the level of blood circulating POMC prohormone in relation to environmental conditions

Knowledge of the hormonal pathway controlling genotype-specific norms of reaction would shed light on the ecological factors to which each genotype is adapted. Environmentally mediated changes in the sign and magnitude of covariations between heritable melanin-based colouration and fitness components are frequent, revealing that extreme melanin-based phenotypes can display different physiological states depending on the environment. Yet, the hormonal mechanism underlying this phenomenon is poorly understood. One novel hypothesis proposes that these covariations stem from pleiotropic effects of the melanocortin system. Melanocortins are post-translationally modified bioactive peptides derived from the POMC prohormone that are involved in melanogenesis, anti-inflammation, energy homeostasis and stress responses. Thus, differential regulation of fitness components in relation to environmental factors by pale and dark melanic individuals may be due to colour-specific regulation of the POMC prohormone. Accordingly, we found that the degree of reddish melanic colouration was negatively correlated with blood circulating levels of the POMC prohormone in female tawny owls (Strix aluco) rearing a brood for which the size was experimentally reduced, but not when enlarged, and in females located in rich but not in poor territories. Our findings support the hypothesis that the widespread links between melanin-based colouration and fitness components may be mediated, at least in part, by the melanocortin system.