Border Region Research Articles

Community perspectives of Ebola Viral Disease in high-risk transmission border regions of Tanzania: a qualitative inquiry

BackgroundTanzania faces ever-rising concerns due to the recurrence of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. This necessitates a better understanding of the community perspectives in high-risk regions for effective risk communication and preparedness.MethodsThis rapid ethnographic assessment study used explorative qualitative methods to collect data. People from diverse backgrounds participated in 59 in-depth interviews, 57 Key Informant interviews, and 35 focus group discussions. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis approach.FindingThe study revealed existence of awareness of EVD and its symptoms, with radio and television being the main sources of information. However, there were varied perceptions of EVD’s cause and transmission, some attributed it to bats, monkeys, and wild animal meat, while others associated it with high fever, a dirty environment, changing dietary patterns, and the COVID-19 virus. Physical contact with an infected person’s body fluids and eating meat from infected animals were perceived as EVD transmission routes. Women, school children, boda-boda (motorcycle) riders, and fishermen were considered the most susceptible to EVD infections due to their daily activities. Preventive measures included avoiding physical contact, touching fluids, and refraining from eating wild animal meat. Prompt reporting of suspected cases to health facilities was deemed crucial for earlier outbreak identification and containment.ConclusionThe high-risk regions of Tanzania had a high level of awareness and perceived susceptibility to EVD, coupled with varying degrees of misperception about the etiology and its transmission. To improve community perspectives and preparedness in the case of an outbreak, there is a need for ongoing risk communication and participation in EVD prevention and responses.

Disparities in Testicular Cancer: A Review of the Literature.

Background: Testicular cancer is the most common malignancy diagnosed in adolescents and young adults, and evidence has emerged regarding disparities that affect different groups of patients. Methods: In this article, we conducted a thorough review of this area and summarized the existing literature. Results: Some of the pertinent findings from our review include poorer outcomes for various groups including the native Māori population of New Zealand, those who live in the United States-Mexico border region, those who live in Eastern Europe, those who are uninsured and those with poorer socioeconomic status, amongst others. In the United States specifically, there is significant evidence showing that racial/ethnic minorities, compared to white patients, tend to fare worse with later presentation at higher stages and worse survival rates. Hispanic patients in particular appear to have the potential for more aggressive tumor biology than other groups and are projected to have the highest incidence rates in the US by 2026. Conclusions: Overall, disparities exist in many aspects of testicular cancer and are striking in some instances, and further research is needed in this arena and in potential solutions.

Economic Security in Border Areas: The Fulfillment of Community Welfare

Border area management entails navigating geographical complexity and socio-cultural diversity, necessitating a comprehensive approach that integrates security and welfare. This article highlights a paradigm shift from traditional to economic security, recognizing economic dependence as a potential national vulnerability. Despite challenges like geographic remoteness and economic inequality, border regions are vital for economic growth. Using a conceptual approach, the article emphasizes the need to balance security and welfare through cross-border trade development and community empowerment. While Law Number 43 of 2008 aims to manage borders, unclear authority and regulatory overlap hinder effectiveness, compounded by military-focused defense strategies, limited budgets, and inadequate infrastructure. To address these issues, enhancing international cooperation, clarifying authority, and empowering communities through local wisdom are essential. Such empowerment is expected to bolster self-esteem, reduce economic dependency, and strengthen economic security, emphasizing the importance of balancing protection with economic development. Strategies like expanding trade zones and enhancing social capital, alongside infrastructure development and improved social services, are crucial for ensuring access and fostering the welfare of border communities.

The leading causes of death in the US and Mexico's pediatric population are related to violence: a note on secondary analyses of registered deaths from 2000 to 2022.

our objective was to analyze the trends in the leading causes of death among the pediatric population aged 1-19 years in Mexico and the United States (US) from 2000 to 2022. Methods. Data for Mexico were sourced from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), while the US data were extracted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC-WONDER) databases. Homicide has been the leading cause of death since 2017 in Mexico and since 2019 in US youths aged 1-19. In Mexico, it reached 6.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022. Despite the overall pediatric mortality decline from 2000 to 2022 in both countries, the pediatric homicide rate has increased by 93.3 and 35.8% In Mexico and the US, respectively, and suicide by 86.6 and 36.9%. In both countries, death by firearm-related injuries had risen in a parallel sense. In the US, deaths by drug overdose and poisoning have increased by 314.8%. Despite advancements in infant healthcare over the past two decades in Mexico, there remains a significant gap in the provision of healthcare services to the adolescent population. Addressing issues related to violence, mental health, and substance abuse through targeted public policies is imperative for both Mexico and the US, especially given their shared border region.

Modelling And Research on Water Level Control of Great Lakes Based on Neural Network PID Algorithm

The Great Lakes are situated in the border region between the United States and Canada, which has a significant impact on the climate and the lives of those living in the surrounding areas. The objective of this paper is to establish a network of the Great Lakes through Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis and to construct a two-tank water level model based on a PID control system in order to effectively manage the dynamics of the Great Lakes. Firstly, the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two variables is quantified through Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis, which involves the collection of observational data and the calculation of mean values. This analysis serves as a fundamental basis for predictive modelling and hypothesis testing. Secondly, based on the flow balance principle, mathematical expressions are constructed to simulate the water flow, and a PID control system is constructed to achieve optimal water level maintenance. By analysing the Pearson's correlation coefficient, the interrelationships among the variables in the Great Lakes network can be understood, thereby providing guidance for scientific research and decision-making. The results demonstrate that the constructed two-tank water level model combined with the PID control system and SHAP algotithm can effectively manage the water level of the Great Lakes and achieve optimal water level regulation.

Служилые тарханы Западного Приуралья в XVI–XVII вв.

Research objectives: To analyze the evolution of the status of the institution of serving tarkhans of the Western Cis-Urals during the period of this territory’s entry into the Moscow state (second half of the 16th–17th centuries). Research materials: The empirical basis of the study is unpublished documents of the 17th century from the “Ufa Prikaznaya Izba” collection of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, act materials from the Kazan Khanate period introduced into scientific circulation, as well as the works of scientists who touched upon the problem of the functioning of the institution of serving tarkhans in the Turkic-Tatar states and the Moscow principality in their works. Results and scientific novelty: The data revealing the legal status of the serving tarkhans in the eastern uluses of the Kazan Khanate were studied and summarized, and the evolution of the position of representatives of this stratum of service people of the Moscow state on the territory of the Ufa district in the 17th century was shown. Based on the studied materials, it was concluded that the tarkhans were an integral part of the Tatar service class who had significant patrimonial estates in the border regions of the Kazan Khanate. After the Urals became part of the Muscovite kingdom, the Russian administration maintained the previous rights of the tarkhans, including in the area of land ownership. Significant changes in the status of the tarkhans were noted in the second half of the 17th century, when a group of “new” tarkhans began to form from among the yasak population (Bashkirs) who did not have tax immunity, which contributed to the rapprochement of the tarkhans with representatives of the Bashkir class.

A STUDY ON THE SOCIAL DISTANCE OF RESIDENTS OF BORDER REGIONS OF RUSSIA AND KAZAKHSTAN

He article presents an analysis of the social distance, which was measured as part of an empirical study on the socio-psychological characteristics of the ethnic identity of residents of border regions in Russia and Kazakhstan. The social distance was measured in two groups, which were determined by the type of residence of the respondents. The article describes such types of residence as diffuse and compact ones. The authors determined social acceptability and social expansiveness in the studied groups, as well as the social distance in these groups towards representatives of five ethnic groups. The results of the survey aimed at studying attitudes towards ethnicity and interethnic relations are presented.

Different impacts of similar crises? The financial and COVID-19 crisis in border and non-border regions

ABSTRACT The last two decades have seen an increase in the number and intensity of shocks and crises. The financial crisis of 2008/2009 and the COVID-19 crisis of 2020/2021 have led to economic recessions. During the COVID-19 crisis, national borders and the impact of crises in border regions were often the subject of political debate and media coverage. Border-regional resilience has only been discussed in the academic discourse for the last few years. This article uses a diverse set of socio-economic indicators to examine the (border)–regional resilience of German regions in the wake of the financial crisis and the COVID-19 crisis. A distinction is made between border and non-border regions, urban and rural regions, and regions in the old and new German federal states. The results show, first, that the COVID-19 crisis had a stronger socio-economic impact than the financial crisis. Second, border regions tended to be more affected by the financial crisis than non-border regions. Surprisingly, this was not the case for the border-specific COVID-19 crisis. Moreover, the study shows that it is not so much the border location that determines regional resilience, but rather the socio-economic level, the degree of urbanization and the associated embeddedness in global networks.

Can Spatial Proximity to Another Country Drive Short-distance Transnationalism? Evidence from Social Ties in Three European Border Regions

ABSTRACT This article draws inspiration from social network analysis (SNA) to investigate the impact of spatial proximity on the geography of strong social ties in three European border regions. We consider cross-border friendship and kinship as a measure of short-distance transnationalism, examine the conditions under which the latter is likely to emerge, and systematically compares our findings with “traditional” forms of transnationalism. The study is based on a large-scale and representative quantitative survey (N = 3,215) conducted in the Geneva, Lille, and Basque border regions in order to assess the impact of cross-border integration intensity on the inter-personal relationships of all residents, regardless of their migration experiences. The results indicate that only 11.9% of the residents reported having at least one strong cross-border tie. Binomial regression models are used to demonstrate that cross-border ties are not solely shaped by proximity, but also depend on individuals’ socioeconomics, on their mobility experiences, and on contextual factors. This article shows that cross-border integration primarily fosters cross-border friendships rather than kinships, and that cross-border ties are not evenly distributed among the population. Individuals born in the studied border regions do not have the highest levels of short-distance transnationalism, raising a discussion about the importance of promoting cross-border rootedness.

Generational Factors Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Completion for Americans of Mexican Decent Living along the United States-Mexico Border Region.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 vaccine uptake variation remains a significant barrier to overcoming the spread of COVID-19. Individual beliefs/attitudes about the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine vary significantly across generations due to personal experiences, access to accurate information, education levels, political beliefs, and trust in healthcare systems. Methods: This analysis used data from the baseline visit of Project 2VIDA!, a cohort of Americans of Mexican descent (AoDM) and African American individuals (n = 1052) in San Diego, CA, along the U.S.-Mexico border region. The survey assessed sociodemographics, healthcare access, socioeconomic factors, and trust in public health information/SARS-CoV-2 prevention. We conducted a logistic regression involving AoDM individuals to identify generational factors associated with completing the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine series. Results: The results of the logistic regression analysis revealed that Generation X (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.33-0.82), Millennials (OR = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.14-0.41), and Generation Z (OR = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.05-0.22) were less likely to complete the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine series when compared to Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation. Conclusions: Participants with a history of SARS-CoV-2 testing and trust in the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine were significantly more likely to complete the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine series. Efforts to address vaccine series completion should be tailored to the specific concerns and motivations of different age groups.

COVID-19 pandemic, pregnancy care, perinatal outcomes in Eastern Myanmar and North-Western Thailand: a retrospective marginalised population cohort

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine health care and antenatal and birth services globally. The Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) based at the Thailand-Myanmar border provides cross border antenatal care (ANC) and birth services to marginalised pregnant women. The border between the countries entered lockdown in March 2020 preventing cross-border access for women from Myanmar to Thailand. SMRU adapted by opening a new clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar. This study explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and response on access to ANC and pregnancy outcomes for marginalised pregnant women in the border regions between Thailand and Myanmar.MethodsA retrospective review of medical records of all pregnancies delivered or followed at antenatal clinics of the SMRU from 2017 to the end of 2022. Logistic regression was done to compare the odds of maternal and neonatal outcomes between women who delivered pre-COVID (2017–2019) and women who delivered in the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022), grouped by reported country of residence: Thailand or Myanmar.ResultsBetween 2017 and the end of 2022, there were 13,865 (5,576 resident in Thailand and 8,276 in Myanmar) marginalised pregnant women who followed ANC or gave birth at SMRU clinics. Outcomes of pregnancy were known for 9,748 women with an EGA ≥ 28 weeks. Unknown outcome of pregnancy among women living in Thailand did not increase during the pandemic. However, there was a high (60%) but transient increase in unknown outcome of pregnancy for women with Myanmar residence in March 2020 following border closure and decreasing back to the baseline of 20–30% after establishment of a new clinic. Non-literate women were more likely to have an unknown outcome during the pandemic. There was no statistically significant increase in known stillbirths or maternal deaths during the COVID pandemic in this population but homebirth was over represented in maternal and perinatal mortality.ConclusionDecreasing barriers to healthcare for marginalised pregnant women on the Thailand-Myanmar border by establishment of a new clinic was possible in response to sudden border closure during the COVID-19 pandemic and most likely preventing an increase in maternal and perinatal mortality.

How War Is Rebordering Ukraine

Ukraine’s border regions have been long associated with the country’s cultural and linguistic diversity, but also with political cleavages and alternative geopolitical orientations. The annexation of Crimea by Russia and the military conflict in Donbas violently reshaped Ukraine’s eastern borderlands and led to alienation between the two countries. At the same time, the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement and visa-free regime facilitated the growing reorientation of Ukrainian society toward Europe. The 2022 Russian invasion, occupation of further Ukrainian territories and mass displacement intensified these trends. While the war is forging the country together, it is experienced in very different ways in its regions, and these collective experiences will matter for postwar Ukrainian politics.

Reconstructing solar magnetic fields from historical observations

Context. The relation between the intensity of chromospheric emissions and the photospheric magnetic field strength has been examined in several studies, but the effect of the magnetic field inclination on chromospheric emissions remains almost unexplored. Aims. We study how the inclination of the photospheric magnetic field, as measured by the full 3D magnetic vector from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), affects the relationship between the magnetic field strength and the far-ultraviolet emission at around 1600 Å observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). We also study how these parameters change spatially close to the active region perimeter. Methods. We analyzed the mutual dependence of 1168 co-temporal AIA and HMI observations from 2014 to 2017. We focused on magnetically active regions outside sunspots (e.g., plages and network) close to the solar disk center. We studied how the AIA and HMI parameters change with distance from the active region perimeter. Results. The AIA 1600 emission typically decreases with increasing (more horizontal) inclination. For all inclinations, AIA 1600 emission increases with increasing magnetic field strength until saturating at some peak intensity, which depends on the cosine of the inclination, with horizontal regions saturating at lower intensities. In addition, we find that activity clusters have a narrow boundary (< 2 arcsec) in which the AIA 1600 intensity, magnetic field strength, and inclination distributions and relations differ significantly from those in the inner layers. Conclusions. This study demonstrates the significant effect that magnetic field inclination and activity cluster border regions have on chromospheric emissions. Although the observed effects are likely reduced in low-resolution observations where different regions are averaged together, a detailed study is needed to examine the emission–magnetic field relation at different resolutions.

Impact of Public Policies and Initiatives on Corporate Social Responsibility of Healthcare Institutions

The present study aims to examines the impact of public policies and initiatives on corporate social responsibility of the healthcare institutions working in the Northern Border Regions of Saudi Arabia. The study used descriptive and analytical methodology. The questionnaire was designed, and distributed to the random sample of 300 members of the staff chosen from the healthcare institutions including public hospitals, private hospitals and health centers. The descriptive statistics results showed that all variables of the study are characterized by a mean value higher than 3. Moreover, results showed that all the variables of the public policies and initiatives have a statistically significant effect on the environment indicators of corporate social responsibility. On the hand, the legal framework and the capacity building have positive effect on the CSR however, integrating activities impact the environment indicators of social responsibility negatively. Keywords: Public Policies, Corporate Social Responsibility, governance, initiatives, integrating activities

Queer Limitrophic Dwelling

Based on twenty-one months of ethnography and interviews with transborder commuters in the San Diego-Tijuana border region, this article develops the notion of “queer limitrophic dwelling.” Building on queer, feminist, and transnational scholarship on home and dwelling, the article demonstrates how transborder commuters negotiate white Euro-American renditions of home and domesticity that emphasize privacy and fixity as the “proper” ideal vis-à-vis the home. It argues that transborder commuters enact several life-making or queer tactics — practices not necessarily enacted by LGBTQ+ subjects — that spatially decentralize their homes in Tijuana by harnessing transborder kinships and by making queer use of spaces and objects at the San Ysidro port of entry and across San Diego. In doing so, transborder commuters’ domestic labor practices produce ephemeral mobile dwellings when needed, allowing them to navigate multiple temporalities and survive normalized conditions of displacement occasioned by US land ports of entry and racial capitalism. Importantly, queer limitrophic dwelling highlights the US-Mexico borderland's capabilities to nourish and maintain life while also being a product of US settler colonialism engendered through historic and ongoing border violence and exclusion.

Cross-border competition in the gasoline retail market: Impact of proximity at the German-Polish border

In this article, I analyze how persistently lower gasoline prices in Poland affect the prices set in the German border region. Based on a complete dataset of German gasoline prices and an assessment of driving distances between gasoline stations, I estimate the impact of one additional kilometer of distance to the nearest Polish competitor on the price charged by German gasoline stations. Following the fixed effects filtered estimator approach proposed by Pesaran and Zhou (2018) and controlling for various station characteristics, I find no evidence that German gasoline stations enter price competition with their Polish counterparts. My descriptive analysis of gasoline station infrastructure in the German border region reveals increasingly sparse gasoline station density when approaching the Polish border, along with an increasing share of premium brands. These results may reflect the effect of substantially lower taxes in Poland, discouraging German gasoline stations from locating near the border and effectively ruling out cross-border price competition. Although indirect, my findings suggest the presence of fuel tourism.

Leveraging a geographic information system (GIS) to identify lung cancer care disparities and opportunities in rural Appalachia.

78 Background: The Rural Appalachian Lung Cancer Screening Initiative is led by the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) and patient advocacy partners. Recognized by the White House Cancer Moonshot, this initiative seeks to improve lung cancer screening rates by partnering with health systems in rural Appalachia to develop and implement interventions. An 11-county region bordering West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky has significantly higher mortality and lung cancer incidence rates than the national rates of 35.0 and 54.0 per 100,000 people, respectively (Table 1). This region was identified as the focus area for the initiative with participation from health systems in Pike County, KY, and Buchanan County, VA. Methods: To understand availability of local resources, ACCC developed an interactive GIS tool that identifies screening and referral locations as well as essential services in the region. Lung cancer screening sites, oncology services, mammography locations, critical access hospitals, NCI-designated cancer centers, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and look-alikes, rural health clinics, and primary care/general health services were identified from publicly available data and data requested from state departments of health. Facilities were contacted to verify services when unclear. STATA 18 was used to combine and clean data for upload to Google MyMaps, creating an interactive map. Results: Of the 11 counties, all contain at least 1 FQHC or primary care site. However, 5 of the counties do not have lung cancer screening sites and 7 of the counties do not have oncology service sites (Table). The closest NCI-designated cancer centers to the participating sites are over 140 miles away. Conclusions: While there is a notable presence of primary care, access to lung cancer screening and oncology care is limited. Sites can utilize this map to inform development of interventions by considering potential geographical challenges, identifying referral sites, outreach opportunities, and partners to facilitate lung cancer screening and education. Further, these methods are replicable, and can be used to inform current access to care and improve equitable delivery of lung cancer screening in regions across the U.S. Distribution of lung cancer mortality, incidence, and infrastructure within initiative focus region. Region Mortality*(per 100,000) Incidence*(per 100,000) # Lung Cancer Screening Sites # Oncology Services Sites KY (1 county) 70 109.3 2 2 VA (6 counties) 45.0 – 61.4 42.9 – 68.6 4 3 WV (4 counties) 57.6 – 74.8 100.4 – 111.5 1 0 *Lung & Bronchus, 2016-2020 age-adjusted death rates (KY, VA, WV) and incidence rates (KY, WV). Lung & Bronchus, 2015-2019 age-adjusted incidence rate (VA). Source: statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov.

POSSIBILITIES OF CREATING CROSS-BORDER TOURIST DESTINATIONS IN EAST-CENTRAL EUROPE

Tourism development is one of today's popular tools for mitigating regional inequalities, thus many regions see tourism as an opportunity to break out. This is no different in the case of border regions, where development in this direction is also supported by cross-border, EU-financed or (co-)financed programs. The aim of the paper is to investigate whether there is a real possibility of connecting the areas along the national borders for tourism purposes and creating sustainable tourism in these regions. The study examines the possibility of creating cross-border tourist destinations in three pre-selected areas in the Hungarian-Croatian, Hungarian-Slovenian and North-Western Hungarian-Slovakian border regions during the last two, already closed programming periods. Results of the research show, that cooperation between border countries for real tourism purposes is still possible today, and it only really aimed at creating uniform reception areas that ignore borders in a few cases. After the implementation of the programs, cross-border destinations as sellable tourist products were not created. The study shows that, in the case of two regions, the potential is given and the initiatives aimed at creating cross-border destinations are promising.

Literature Synthesis on the Impact of Organizational Culture and Innovation Climate on HRM Digital Technology Adoption in the Border Public Sector

This research aims to understand how organisational culture and innovation climate influence the adoption of digital technologies in human resource management (HRM) practices in the public sector, particularly in border regions. In this context, organisational culture encompasses the values and norms present in an organisation that can support or hinder change, while innovation climate refers to an atmosphere that encourages creativity and acceptance of new technologies. This research method uses a literature study approach with the following steps: 1. Literature Search: Collecting relevant sources on the application of digital technology in HRM. 2. Initial Screening: Screening literary works based on title and abstract. 3. Inclusion Criteria: Establishing criteria to select the analysed literature. 4. Literature Analysis: Analysed the selected literature to synthesise findings and relationships between factors. 5. Recommendations: Provide recommendations for organisations in the public sector. The results showed that an organisational culture that supports change and innovation positively contributes to the adoption of digital technology in human resource management (HRM). In addition, a positive innovation climate, with support for innovative behaviour, also promotes successful adoption. However, challenges in the public sector, such as limited infrastructure, may affect organisational readiness to adopt new technologies. The study's conclusions suggest that an organisational culture that supports change and a climate of innovation play an important role in the adoption of digital technologies in human resource management (HRM), especially in the public sector. Recommendations for future research include focusing on the context of border regions, conducting longitudinal studies to understand the evolution of technology adoption, as well as exploring other factors such as infrastructure and government support that may influence the adoption process.

Structural Equations Modeling Approach: Issues in selecting a University

Higher education is a continuation of secondary education that is organized to prepare students to become members of the community with academic or professional abilities. Therefore, selecting a university is essential for helping students acquire knowledge and skills and prepare themselves to be independent individuals. This study intends to determine the distribution of decision-making students who select the university based on factors of academic ability, individual characteristics, psychology, instrumental, and environmental factors. The study's methodology, which involves the collection of primary data from 474 respondents from high schools in the Indonesian-Timor Leste border region, is robust and rigorous, instilling confidence in the reader. The method used for data analysis is quantitative, which involves applying structural equation modeling to identify factors that influence students’ selection of universities. The study results showed that out of the six structural models formed, they could provide evidence that factors such as academic ability, individual characteristics, psychology, instrumental factors, and environment influence students’ selection of universities. This can be seen from the test values of the regression model formed in the structural modeling, which gives a P-value of less than 5%. The variable that provided the largest percentage, partially influencing student interest in selecting a state university, was the school environment, which was 98%. The value was based on the path coefficient of structural equation modeling. These findings have significant implications for the design of university admission processes and the development of student support programs.