Urban Population Centers Research Articles

Data Gap: Air Quality Networks Miss Air Pollution from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.

In the U.S., the agricultural sector is the largest controllable source of several air pollutants, including ammonia (NH3), which is a key precursor to PM2.5 formation. Livestock waste is the dominant contributor to ammonia emissions. In contrast to most controllable air pollutants, satellite records show ammonia mixing ratios are rising. The number of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that generate considerable livestock waste is also increasing. Spatial and temporal trends in USDA-reported animal numbers normalized by county area at medium and large CAFOs provide plausible explanations for patterns in satellite-derived NH3 over the contiguous U.S. (CONUS). The correlation between summertime ammonia derived from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) and CAFO animal unit density in 2017 is positive and significant (r = 0.642; p ≈ 0). The temporal changes from 2002 to 2017 in animal unit density and NH3 derived from NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) are spatially similar. Trends and ambient concentrations of PM2.5 mass in agricultural regions are difficult to assess relative to those of urban population centers given the sparseness of rural monitors in regulatory surface networks. Results suggest that in agricultural areas where ammonia concentrations and animal density are highest, air quality improvement lags behind the national average.

“Where were you shot?”: analyzing location rhetoric as strategic maneuvering in contemporary gun-control discourse

This essay analyzes contemporary American gun rhetoric with particular attention to location. Funded by a pragma-dialectic perspective, I examine conservative and progressive attempts to situate the national discussion about firearms and gun control legislation in urban locations (especially Chicago) and in suburbs (especially schoolhouses), respectively. I demonstrate that these location rhetorics function as strategic maneuvering, enabling both sets of discussants to move the conversation to issue sets that favor them and make their policy preferences seem more reasonable, even as they often prevent the public from responding to the bulk of actual gun violence. To begin, I develop a perspective on public argument based on pragma-dialectic argumentation theory. Next, I attend to conservative rhetoric that publicizes gun violence in large urban population centers, especially Chicago. Then, I turn to liberal gun rhetoric that centers attention on leafy suburbs where mass shootings often occur. In the final portion of this paper, I argue that both strategies disadvantage the public and forestall meaningful improvement on this important issue.

Detection of Hemopathogens in Chelonoidis carbonaria: Microscopic, Molecular, Hematological, and Clinical Biochemistry Aspects.

Background: The growing contact between men and wild animals, caused by the increase in the population in urban centers and the destruction of the habitat of these animals, has been leading to a greater circulation of pathogens between humans and wildlife. Chelonoidis carbonaria, a tortoise found throughout South America, is one of the animals most rescued from animal trafficking and illegal breeding. Considering this situation, this study aimed to verify the occurrence of hemoparasites in C. carbonaria. Materials and Methods: Blood samples from 73 C. carbonaria were collected from animals located in (1) a rural commercial breeding unit, (2) an urban zoo, and (3) a center of rescued animal screening. Genomic DNA was extracted from these animals and used in PCRs to detect specific genomic fragments of haemogregarines (i.e., Hepatozoon and Hemolivia), and members of the Anaplasmataceae Family (i.e., Ehrlichia sp. and Anaplasma sp.). Blood samples were screened for hemopathogens by direct microscopy and were used for hematological assays, and serum samples were analyzed to determine the concentration of serum components. Results: It was found that 34.2% of the tortoises presented Sauroplasma sp. in their blood samples; these animals showed clinical biochemistry changes that indicate altered liver function. Two zoo animals were positive for Ehrlichia sp. in PCR, and also presented clinical biochemistry and hematological changes. Conclusion: The present project is pioneer in the detection of Ehrlichia sp. in C. carbonaria, and was able to identify changes in clinical biochemistry that can be a result of the infection by hemopathogens in this species.

Analysis of clinical and hematological characteristics and search for hemoparasites in owls (Strigiformes: ‎Strigidae) seized or rescued from the Atlantic Forest biome of the Rio de Janeiro (southeastern Brazil)

Hemoparasitism is known to vary according to the presence of vectors and hosts, and hematological examination can be a useful tool for early diagnosis in avian medicine, contributing to monitoring and conservation of bird populations. In this context, we aimed to analyze the clinical and hematological aspects of free-ranging owls seized or rescued from the Atlantic Forest biome of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The animals, with or without clinical signs of diseases, were studied regardless of their age, sex, and physical status. Blood samples were collected and complete blood counts were carried out. Five different species were obtained in this study. These species were Megascops choliba (50%), Asio clamator (18.75%), Athene cunicularia (18.75%), Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana (6.25%), and Strix huhula (6.25%). Orphaned birds and traumatic injuries were the causes of admission to the wildlife rehabilitation facility. The search for hemoparasites revealed infection by protozoa of the genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, and Trypanosoma. We concluded that hematological findings in seized or rescued owls predominantly suggested the presence of stress or inflammation resulting from post-traumatic situations. The causes of admission were mostly due to human interference, which demonstrates to have a negative impact on the health aspect of owl populations in urban centers, such as Rio de Janeiro. Blood protozoa are circulating among the different populations of owls and although infection by Haemoproteus spp. and Trypanosoma spp. seems to trigger a low pathogenic potential, Plasmodium infection may indicate unfavorable prognosis, endangering wild species.

The Social Determinants of Health Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Adults in Nashville, Tennessee.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations experience widespread disparities in health outcomes, health behaviors, and access to care compared to their non-LGBT counterparts. Moreover, very few studies have either studied the social determinants of health (SDoH) of LGBT populations or LGBT health in large cities located in the US South. This study uses novel, community-informed, and representative data to study the SDoH of LGBT adults in Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee. Compared to non-LGBT adults (n = 1583), LGBT adults (n = 128) in Nashville, Tennessee, were more likely to report being dissatisfied with life and feeling emotionally upset or physical symptoms as a result of how they were treated based on their race/ethnicity compared to non-LGBT adults. LGBT adults in Nashville were also less likely to keep a firearm in the home than their non-LGBT peers. This study documents new disparities in the SDoH for LGBT adults living in one of the largest and fastest growing cities in the southeastern US. More research on LGBT populations in urban centers located in the US South is critically needed. Meanwhile, locally based community organizations and public health leaders may consider developing and testing innovative solutions to enhance social networks and social supports among LGBT populations. Addressing the SDoH among LGBT adults in southern cities will be essential for achieving health equity for all LGBT populations in the USA.

Health literacy and social determinants of health

Health Literacy and Social Determinants of Health are closely intertwined. Health disparities and inequities, overall health outcomes, understanding health information, and the ability to be fully informed about medical decisions can have long-term consequences. This connection is even more pronounced in rural and underserved urban areas where low health literacy is prevalent. This review seeks to identify correlations between health literacy and social determinants of health. It further proposes to indicate how key constituencies (healthcare organizations, healthcare providers, and patients) can further develop and disseminate health literacy initiatives to improve overall health and wellness. The research team used the Covidence database to screen, review, and extract peer-reviewed research articles for this study. The initial review identified 75 articles based on term harvesting and keyword searches considered relevant to the review. Selection, review, and characterization were performed by three reviewers on a team of four researchers. The articles’focuses are different regarding the observed impact on literacy concerning certain chronic health conditions, rural versus urban population centers, health education, ethnic and racial differentiation, and other variables. There are notable gaps in the current literature that relate to concrete methodologies to address these concerns.

Characteristics of High-Resource Health System Users in Rural and Remote Regions: A Scoping Review.

A small proportion of health care users are recognized to use a significantly higher proportion of health system resources, largely due to systemic, inequitable access and disproportionate health burdens. These high-resource health system users are routinely characterized as older, with multiple comorbidities, and reduced access to adequate health care. Geographic trends also emerge, with more rural and isolated regions demonstrating higher rates of high-resource use than others. Despite known geographical discrepancies in health care access and outcomes, health policy and research initiatives remain focused on urban population centers. To alleviate mounting health system pressure from high-resource users, their characteristics must be better understood within the context in which i arises. To examine this, a scoping review was conducted to provide an overview of characteristics of high-resource users in rural and remote communities in Canada and Australia. In total, 21 papers were included in the review. Using qualitative thematic coding, primary findings characterized rural high-resource users as those of an older age; with increased comorbid conditions and condition severity; lower socioeconomic status; and elevated risk behaviors.

Methodology for Mobile Toxics Deterministic Human Health Risk Assessment and Case Study

Air toxic emissions from on-road mobile sources are significant contributors to the degradation of air quality in urban and dense population centers. Research led by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified more than 1162 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in the exhaust and evaporative emissions from on-road mobile sources. However, less than 70 hazardous air pollutants are monitored by regulatory agencies. HAPs emitted from Mobile Sources are known as Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSATs). The EPA estimates that approximately half of the cancer risk and 74% of noncancer health impacts from air toxics is attributed to mobile sources. The quantification of the risk associated with MSATs exposure remains limited to date, and only a few MSATs have ambient air quality standards to protect human health and welfare. This work presents a novel and validated methodology to quantify the myriad health risks associated with exposure to on-road mobile emissions. This methodology is introduced in the form of a pipelined analysis process, which may be employed in existing and new transportation projects. The proposed new methodology integrates results from three different types of models: on-road vehicle emissions inventory models such as MOVES and IVE, air dispersion models such as AERMOD and SCIPUFF, and risk estimate models for human and ecological receptors such as the 2005 Final U.S. EPA Human Health Risk Assessment Protocol for Hazardous Waste Combustion Facilities. The result of this research work is a new methodology that provides regulators and risk analysts with a more detailed awareness of the health impacts of MSATs. A case study of Saint Paul, Minnesota, validated the air dispersion modeled results against monitored data, and the agreement was acceptable (i.e., the estimates were within a factor of two of the observations). Three high-population locations in the Saint Paul area were evaluated for human health risk, with the observation that at two of these locations, the Saint Paul—Ramsey Health Center and Anderson Office Building, the calculated cancer risk is in excess of the target risk level of 1.0E-05 for benzo(a)pyrene. The methodology presented in this paper allows regulators, risk analysts, and air quality engineers to better estimate multi-pathway cancer and noncancer risk associated with acute and chronic exposure to MSATs. Moreover, this work provides a science-based aid to policy decision makers when considering factors that most significantly affect population health and ecology.

FREQUENCY ANALYSIS OF ANNUAL AND MAXIMUM DAILY RAINFALL IN HA’IL AREA USING PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION MODELS

This study uses the Frequency analysis of the maximum daily and annual rainfall recorded during the period 1976-2020 at eight rain-measuring stations in the Ha’il region: Jubbah (106H-196), Baqa’a (103H-193), Simirah (105H-793), Uqlah Ibn Jibrin (208H-508) and Faydat Ibn Suwaylim (108H-198), Al Ha’it (111H-797), Al Ghazalah (215H-812) and Ha’il (101H-191), currently supervised by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA). These stations were selected due to their locations in the Hail region, which is in great urban development causing an increase in demand for water resources to meet the growing population in urban centers. This paper compares four probability distributions (Normal, Log Normal, Gumbel and Exponential) using the rainfall data recorded in eight rain stations located in Ha’il area. Sets of data cover a period of about 45 years. Therefore, this study aims to estimate the maximum daily and annual rainfall by applying 4-four probability distributions, which are the Normal, the Log-Normal, the Exponential, and the Extreme Values-type 1, using the (Chow) model estimation. Results showed that Gumbel (EV 1) distribution has the least critical values in the tests. Hence, it is considered the best fit distribution for annual rainfall in Simirah and Baq’a. Furthermore, based on the results, it is evident that the exponential distribution is the best in Al Ha’it, Faydat Ibn Suwaylim, Al Ghazalah, Ha’il, and Jubbah. Whilst, the log normal distribution is the best in Al Uqlat. The results also showed that Gumbel (EV 1) distribution has the least critical values in the tests. Thus, it is regarded as the best-fit distribution for the maximum daily rainfall in Simirah and Ha’il, and the normal distribution is considered the best for the rest of the rain stations.

Clinical characteristics of Plasmodium falciparum infection among symptomatic patients presenting to a major urban military hospital in Cameroon

BackgroundUrban malaria has received insufficient attention in the literature. The prevalence and clinical characteristics of Plasmodium falciparum infection amongst patients presenting with suspected malaria were investigated at a major urban hospital in Douala, Cameroon with a particular focus on anaemia.MethodsA cross-sectional, 18-week demographic and clinical survey was conducted of patients presenting to the Emergency Department of Douala Military Hospital with suspected malaria, largely defined by the presence or recent history of fever. Venous samples were tested for P. falciparum using rapid diagnostic tests and PCR, and anaemia was defined by haemoglobin level according to WHO definitions. Likelihood ratios (LR), odds ratios (OR), and population attributable risk percent (PARP) were calculated.ResultsParticipants were ages 8 months to 86 years, 51% were women (257/503), and all districts of Douala were represented. Overall, 38.0% (n = 189/497) were anaemic, including 5.2% (n = 26/497) with severe anaemia. Anaemia prevalence was significantly higher (OR: 2.20, 95% CI 1.41–3.45) among children < 15 years (53.1%, n = 52/98) compared to adults (34%, n = 133/392). Plasmodium falciparum was detected in 37.2% by nested PCR. Among all participants, several factors were associated with clinically significant LR for P. falciparum infection, including age 10–14 years (positive LR: 3.73), living in the island district of Douala VI (positive LR: 3.41), travel to any of three northern regions (positive LR: 5.11), and high fever > 40 °C at presentation (positive LR: 4.83). Among all participants, 8.7% of anaemia was associated with P. falciparum infection, while the PARP was 33.2% among those < 15 years of age and 81.0% among 10–14-year-olds.ConclusionsThe prevalence of P. falciparum infection in the urban hospital was high. Mirroring trends in many rural African settings, older children had the highest positivity rate for P. falciparum infection. Anaemia was also common in all age groups, and for those 10–14 years of age, 80% of the risk for anaemia was associated with P. falciparum infection. Malaria rates in major urban population centres can be high, and more research into the multifactorial causes of anaemia across the age spectrum are needed.

All Aboard the Net-Zero Express: Examining the Effectiveness of China’s High-Speed Rail for Decarbonizing the Transportation Industry

This work reviews the development of High-Speed Rail (HSR) in China from multiple energy perspectives and discusses its implications with regards to reaching net-zero within the country’s transportation sector. This paper finds that HSR contributes to several research-backed environmental benefits, such as reductions in PM2.5 concentrations and other pollutants in both a local and nation-wide scale. In addition, HSR provides greater connectivity across the country, facilitates quick movement between the growing urban population centers, and diverts passengers from taking more polluting types of transportation, such as airplanes. However, the operation of HSR lines can have large environmental effects when considering the project full life cycle (such as construction and maintenance) and scopes two and three emissions (such as the production of the electricity powering these trains, mostly coal). Moreover, when compared to conventional electric rail, HSR pollutes more, due to the non-trivial association between energy and speed. Lastly, the over construction of passenger HSR has also disregarded the development of freight rail, shifting the transport of cargo to other more polluting yet less expensive modes, like trucking. This work concludes by recommending a series of points that the Chinese government, policy makers and transportation planners could implement in order to use HSR more effectively as a tool for decarbonizing the transportation industry in the country.

Adolescent medicine subspecialty workforce: Insights from Canada.

Adolescent Medicine (AM) in Canada has undergone significant growth since being accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) in May 2007. A deeper understanding of the workforce is needed in order to identify current gaps, to improve clinical care and scholarly endeavors, and to inform future developments. This is the first AM workforce survey administered in Canada and included 39 multiple-choice and 3 open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and thematic analysis was used for open-ended questions. We identified 62 AM specialists from across Canada. The overall response was 97% (60/62). Most AM specialists were women (39/53, 74%), Caucasian (38/53, 72%), between 30 and 39 years old (22/53, 42%), and completed their subspecialty training in either Toronto (24/48, 50%) or Montreal (12/48, 25%). Nearly half of participants worked in either the Toronto, Ontario (13/49, 27%) or Montreal, Quebec (10/49, 20%). Nearly all participants (46/49, 94%) practiced in large urban population centres and were based in academic health science centres. The primary clinical areas of focus included eating disorders (25/51, 49%) and mental health (9/51, 18%). Almost all participants were satisfied with their career choice (41/50, 82%). Two-thirds of the participants (31/48, 65%) believed that there was an insufficient number of AM specialists in Canada. Highlighting current characteristics of the AM subspecialty will help government and academic policymakers in understanding the workforce available to care for Canadian adolescents and the need to develop training programs and policies to address gaps and shortages.

CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF MIGRATION AND ITS REFLECTIONS ON CONTEMPORARY ART: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS

Changing the place where humanity lived for many reasons in the historical process has brought social, economic, cultural, psychological and sociological changes. Leaving behind the place where people were born and lived had great effects on cultural identity as a whole, as well as on their individual identity. In the transition from agricultural societies to industrial societies, there has been a large-scale migration in the current sense, and the most important reason for this has been economic concerns. Other reasons for migration include security concerns and the desire for a better life. Migration also takes place in different dimensions, including vertical and horizontal mobility. Considering the results of migration, vertical mobility from small settlements to larger living centers causes an increase in population in urban centers, the emergence of housing shortages, and economic problems cause political problems. It is seen that it creates negative outcomes such as de-identification, isolation and alienation. However, for individuals who are subject to forced migration, this situation causes great traumas that will last a lifetime. The cultural dimensions of migration are also a broad subject that can be addressed from different perspectives. In the research, physical situations such as migration, urbanization, squatting, and psychological situations such as immigration, otherness, destruction of identity, alienation and loneliness are analyzed through diagrams created through the indicators that refer to these situations and phenomena. Finally, the indicators, themes and approaches to the problem in the works of artists who have personally experienced the immigration situation, and the narrative form and indicators in the works of artists who have not directly experienced this phenomenon, are handled comparatively, and it is aimed to reach a common data by making a thematic analysis on the works taken as a sample.

The Relationship Between Rail Transit and Industrial Agglomeration: Mediating Effect of Labor Agglomeration

The urban transit system is considered the backbone of any society as it heavily depends on economic progress. The railway transit system is crucial for any urban transit system. Based on this notion, the present research explores the industrial agglomeration in China’s prefecture-level and cities from 2010 to 2020. The research analyses the processes of urban rail transit building, industrial agglomeration, and labor agglomeration due to the railway’s transit network development. The findings are summarized in three main points; first, the agglomeration of the labor force is positively affected by the construction of urban rail transit infrastructure. Secondly, the development of railways infrastructure stimulates the agglomeration of manufacturing industries in and near urban population centers leading to the development of services industries. Third, the development and integration of railways networks with other transportation networks also optimize the allocation of capital in these areas as well. In the present research Preacher and Hayes, Behavior research methods, 2008, 40 (3), 879–891 methodology has been applied to determine the relationship between the development of railways transit system and concentration of industries, by taking into account the mediating effects of labor agglomeration. The development of railways network tends to bring economic and industrial development to these regions resulting in overall social development.

The Social Cost of Cheap Food: Labour and the Political Economy of Food Distribution in Britain 1830–1914

The Social Cost of Cheap Food: Labour and the Political Economy of Food Distribution in Britain 1830–1914

Restart: A Route Planner to Encourage the Use of Public Transport Services in a Pandemic Context

Public transport services play an important role in the mobility of the population in urban centers, allowing a decrease in the number of private vehicles in circulation and contributing to a more sustainable mobility. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic had a serious impact on the mobility habits of the population, with a substantial reduction in the number of public transport passengers due to the fear of contagion, which raises questions about the future sustainability of cities. Thus, it is essential to restore the confidence of travelers to feel safe and comfortable using public transport services. Taking advantage of the widespread use of mobile technologies, this article intends to propose a route planning system for public transport that meets the needs of passengers in terms of safety and comfort. After a systematic review of the existing literature and a series of focus group sessions, a prototype of the system was developed, and subsequently evaluated by potential users through usability tests. The results obtained are a good indicator of the system’s functionality and ease of use. This assessment allowed us to corroborate the potential that the proposed route planning system has in promoting the use of public transport services as a means of mobility.

The structure, centrality, and scale of urban street networks: Cases from Pre-Industrial Afro-Eurasia.

Cities and towns have often developed infrastructure that enabled a variety of socio-economic interactions. Street networks within these urban settings provide key access to resources, neighborhoods, and cultural facilities. Studies on settlement scaling have also demonstrated that a variety of urban infrastructure and resources indicate clear population scaling relationships in both modern and ancient settings. This article presents an approach that investigates past street network centrality and its relationship to population scaling in urban contexts. Centrality results are compared statistically among different urban settings, which are categorized as orthogonal (i.e., planned) or self-organizing (i.e., organic) urban settings, with places having both characteristics classified as hybrid. Results demonstrate that street nodes have a power law relationship to urban area, where the number of nodes increases and node density decreases in a sub-linear manner for larger sites. Most median centrality values decrease in a negative sub-linear manner as sites are larger, with organic and hybrid urban sites' centrality being generally less and diminishing more rapidly than orthogonal settings. Diminishing centrality shows comparability to modern urban systems, where larger urban districts may restrict overall interaction due to increasing transport costs over wider areas. Centrality results indicate that scaling results have multiples of approximately ⅙ or ⅓ that are comparable to other urban and road infrastructure, suggesting a potential relationship between different infrastructure features and population in urban centers. The results have implications for archaeological settlements where urban street plans are incomplete or undetermined, as it allows forecasts to be made on past urban sites' street network centrality. Additionally, a tool to enable analysis of street networks and centrality is provided as part of the contribution.

64 Progression of COVID-19 from Urban to Rural Areas in the Southwest: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Prevalence Rates

COVID-19 emerged in the United States on January 20, 2020 and has rapidly proliferated across the nation affecting more than 15 million individuals. Case incidence rates vary at the local, county, and state levels and it is unclear if a difference exists in the incidence of new COVID-19 cases among urban or rural counties. Due to county population density and geographic progression of the virus over time, COVID-19 may demonstrate variable incidence rates among urban and rural population centers.

Original

In response to the changes in the human and natural environment, developing countries have experienced dramatic urbanization. In this paper, North 24 Parganas district has been taken to understand the changing pattern and the causes of urbanization, its relationship with socio-economic development. The urbanization process has been analyzed for the period 1951-2011 of all the 22 Blocks using the Census of India data. The decadal growth rate of urban population and urban centers are analyzed to study the trend pattern of urbanization. The trend of urbanization in the district shows a different pattern than in the state. Though the share of the urban population and the number of urban centers in the district are the highest in the state, the growth rate of the urban population shows a declining trend. At the Block level, the spatial and temporal pattern of urbanization in the district is highly variable due to socio-economic disparity. The western part of the district shows highly urbanized due to its proximity to the agglomeration and outgrowth of the Kolkata metropolitan Centre.

Comparative Analysis of Machine Learning-Based Approaches for Anomaly Detection in Vehicular Data

The rapid growth of demand for transportation, both for people and goods, as well as the massive accumulation of population in urban centers has augmented the need for the development of smart transport systems. One of the needs that have arisen is to efficiently monitor and evaluate driving behavior, so as to increase safety, provide alarms, and avoid accidents. Capitalizing on the evolution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), the development of intelligent vehicles and platforms in this domain is getting more feasible than ever. Nowadays, vehicles, as well as highways, are equipped with sensors that collect a variety of data, such as speed, acceleration, fuel consumption, direction, and more. The methodology presented in this paper combines both advanced machine learning algorithms and open-source based tools to correlate different data flows originating from vehicles. Particularly, the data gathered from different vehicles are processed and analyzed with the utilization of machine learning techniques in order to detect abnormalities in driving behavior. Results from different suitable techniques are presented and compared, using an extensive real-world dataset containing field measurements. The results feature the application of both supervised univariate anomaly detection and unsupervised multivariate anomaly detection methods in the same dataset.