Specific Regional Characteristics Research Articles

Regional Specific Features of the Age Structure of the Siberian Population

Regional Specific Features of the Age Structure of the Siberian Population

E3ID: An efficient end to end person search model

Person Search has recently emerged as a challenging task that aims to jointly solve Pedestrian Detection and Person Re-identification (Re-ID). However, the existing approaches still stay at the image processing stage. In this paper, we proposed E3ID, an efficient end-to-end person search model for video, to better solve the person search problem in real densely populated areas. To speed up the model, a low-quality image filter is proposed to adaptively adjust the sampling frequency of Yolov5 according to the moving speed of pedestrians in the video with minimal computational effort. And the cropped pedestrian images are stored in the gallery library for the Re-ID step. Then, we exploit color feature enhancer to mine color features in specific regions that contribute significantly to the Re-ID process. Compared to other state-of-the-art methods, our proposed E3ID can reach 77.94 % on the evaluation index rank 1, which creates a feasibility of using this model in other complex real-world scenarios.

HPAC: a forest tree species recognition network based on multi- scale spatial enhancement in remote sensing images

ABSTRACT Forest tree species recognition is a pivotal subject in the field of remote sensing. To address this, deep learning has been extensively applied. Thus far, most classification methods have generally relied on learning certain global features, yet often overlook the characteristics of specific regions, thereby struggling to adequately handle the similarity between classes. Furthermore, due to the singular nature of features, effectively representing the attributes of tree species images becomes challenging, consequently impacting classification performance. To tackle these issues, a novel approach for forest tree species classification in remote sensing images is proposed, based on the Hollow Pyramid Attention Combination (HPAC) network. Initially, a Shallow Multi-scale Hollow Fusion (SMHF) module is introduced before the 7 × 7 convolution in the ResNet-50 network and the first residual block’s first layer. This module employs dilated convolutions to achieve varying receptive fields. Moreover, it incorporates positional feature information, significantly enhancing the shallow-level feature extraction capabilities, resulting in a richer feature representation. Subsequently, to minimize network parameters and computational workload while bolstering the capacity to recognize deep-level features, the last residual block of the ResNet-50 differentiation is substituted with a Maxpool Avgpool Fusion (MAF) module. This replacement serves to enhance classification accuracy. The classification process is ultimately concluded with a Softmax classifier. Experimental results underscore the effectiveness of the proposed method, achieving a classification accuracy of 95.89% on the PCANDVI dataset of forest tree species data (FTSD). In summary, the introduced HPAC network proves to be both feasible and effective.

Deviant spontaneous neural activity as a potential early-response predictor for therapeutic interventions in patients with schizophrenia.

Previous studies have established significant differences in the neuroimaging characteristics between healthy controls (HCs) and patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). However, the relationship between homotopic connectivity and clinical features in patients with SCZ is not yet fully understood. Furthermore, there are currently no established neuroimaging biomarkers available for the diagnosis of SCZ or for predicting early treatment response. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between regional homogeneity and specific clinical features in SCZ patients. We conducted a longitudinal investigation involving 56 patients with SCZ and 51 HCs. The SCZ patients underwent a 3-month antipsychotic treatment. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), regional homogeneity (ReHo), support vector machine (SVM), and support vector regression (SVR) were used for data acquisition and analysis. In comparison to HCs, individuals with SCZ demonstrated reduced ReHo values in the right postcentral/precentral gyrus, left postcentral/inferior parietal gyrus, left middle/inferior occipital gyrus, and right middle temporal/inferior occipital gyrus, and increased ReHo values in the right putamen. It is noteworthy that there was decreased ReHo values in the right inferior parietal gyrus after treatment compared to baseline data. The observed decrease in ReHo values in the sensorimotor network and increase in ReHo values in the right putamen may represent distinctive neurobiological characteristics of patients with SCZ, as well as a potential neuroimaging biomarker for distinguishing between patients with SCZ and HCs. Furthermore, ReHo values in the sensorimotor network and right putamen may serve as predictive indicators for early treatment response in patients with SCZ.

The Barriers to Green Public Procurement: Analysis of Four “Post-Socialist” Countries

ABSTRACT The amount of academic literature related to green procurement is steadily growing. However, the number of relevant articles in the “post-socialist” region is still minimal, and existing articles focus mainly on the situation of the current European Union. Our goal was to investigate the barriers to green public procurement in two “pairs” of “post-socialist” countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia as developed countries and Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as developing countries), establish any region-specific features related to them, and deliver relevant policy lessons. Our analysis confirms the already existing “mainstream” opinion related to the investigated region: national legislation includes relevant provisions, and in some cases, it even promotes the use of green public procurement. However, the actual scale of green public procurement is still very marginal. The article confirms the existence of all types of “standard” barriers in the region, but its specific contribution highlights the region’s specificity.

The Russian peasant family in the twentieth century: a structural-typological and dynamic analysis

ABSTRACT The study discusses the transformation of the peasant family in Russia in the twentieth century and focuses on the materials of the budget surveys of peasant households in the Middle Urals in 1928/1929 and in 1963. The population censuses of 1926, 1939, and 1959 allow us to compare the family structure in rural areas of the Urals diachronically and to chart the evolution of the Russian peasant family. While the Ural budget surveys reflect the national dynamics, they also bear the signs of specific regional characteristics: milder demographic effects because WOII, higher rates of urbanization in rural areas as a result of the accompanying migration processes. Our study has shown that the demographic transition in Russia was characterised by the following : a very fast, albeit belated, change in the family structure from 1920 to the 1960s; the family was affected by demographic disasters such as wars and political campaigns. As a result, the peasant family could not maintain the fertility rates at the replacement level. The structural-typological analysis and micro-level modelling of the family life cycle have demonstrated that peasant families had peculiar mechanisms of adaptation to internal and external pressures. While the life cycle of the traditional family household was largely determined by the peasant economy, in an urbanized society there were two main family types and, correspondingly, two types of the family life cycle. The reduced life cycle of the single parent family became secondary to the ‘model’ life cycle of the two parent family. Soviet modernization contributed to the transformation of ‘fragmented’ family forms into a typical version of the family landscape, not only in cities but also in rural areas.

A deep connectome learning network using graph convolution for connectome-disease association study

Multivariate analysis approaches provide insights into the identification of phenotype associations in brain connectome data. In recent years, deep learning methods including convolutional neural network (CNN) and graph neural network (GNN), have shifted the development of connectome-wide association studies (CWAS) and made breakthroughs for connectome representation learning by leveraging deep embedded features. However, most existing studies remain limited by potentially ignoring the exploration of region-specific features, which play a key role in distinguishing brain disorders with high intra-class variations, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here, we propose a multivariate distance-based connectome network (MDCN) that addresses the local specificity problem by efficient parcellation-wise learning, as well as associating population and parcellation dependencies to map individual differences. The approach incorporating an explainable method, parcellation-wise gradient and class activation map (p-GradCAM), is feasible for identifying individual patterns of interest and pinpointing connectome associations with diseases. We demonstrate the utility of our method on two largely aggregated multicenter public datasets by distinguishing ASD and ADHD from healthy controls and assessing their associations with underlying diseases. Extensive experiments have demonstrated the superiority of MDCN in classification and interpretation, where MDCN outperformed competitive state-of-the-art methods and achieved a high proportion of overlap with previous findings. As a CWAS-guided deep learning method, our proposed MDCN framework may narrow the bridge between deep learning and CWAS approaches, and provide new insights for connectome-wide association studies.

‘You Are Up Against It Down Here’. Providing Domestic and Family Violence Services in Regional Australia

Problems associated with recognising and reporting domestic and family violence (DFV) have been well established. Challenges around DFV service provision have been addressed by considering particular types of place, typically metropolitan or rural and remote areas. This article examines DFV services from the perspective of service providers in a regional area around 100 kilometres south of Sydney. In this context, DFV service providers reflected on the barriers and challenges of providing services to two target communities: challenges that were representative of nationwide service experiences but exacerbated by specific regional characteristics. Their experiences suggest that competitive, short-term and innovation-focused funding streams have contributed to a siloed service landscape that clients struggle to navigate. Greater attention to service integration would address many of these challenges.

Analysis of Watson for oncology and clinicians' treatment recommendations for patients with breast cancer in Korea: A single center experience.

Various clinical applications have been attempted using artificial intelligence (AI) clinical decision support system (CDSS), and it has become a starting point for personalized cancer treatment. We aimed to identify the degree of agreement between the AI-CDSS, Watson for Oncology (WFO), and the clinician in treatment recommendations for Korean breast cancer patients and to provide guidelines for future improvement. One hundred and eighty-three breast cancer patients who underwent treatment at the Pusan National University Hospital between January 1, 2016 and May 31, 2017 were enrolled in this study. The concordance between WFO's and clinicians' treatment recommendations were examined according to various factors. WFO gave the same treatment option recommendations as clinicians in 74 (40.4%) of the cases. According to the logistic regression, the difference in recommendation concordance between stage I and stage III was statistically significant (P = 0.004), and there was no difference among other factors. The concordance of treatment recommendations was low overall. However, this is largely attributable to the differences of medical insurance system and healthcare environment between the United States and Korea. In the future, region-specific features should be considered or reflected during the development of AI-CDSS.

Uncovering the molecular grammar of IDPs in desiccation tolerance.

Tardigrades, aka water bears, are remarkable for their ability to survive many environmental stresses, including desiccation (extreme drying). Desiccation tolerance in tardigrades depends on the accumulation of several families of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), of which Cytosolic Abundant Heat Soluble (CAHS) proteins are essential to survive desiccation. Beyond tardigrades, CAHS proteins can also improve desiccation tolerance in heterologous systems and prevent desiccation-induced protein damage in vitro. However, what sequence features drive CAHS protein function is unknown. Understanding the CAHS sequence-ensemble-function relationship will shed light on the molecular mechanisms by which tardigrades survive extreme stresses. Using a model CAHS protein, CAHS D, we show that helix formation is important for its protective capacity. Utilizing a rational mutagenesis approach, we find that an internal linker region is the protective portion of CAHS D. We find that within this linker region specific sequence features such as charge identity, hydrophobicity, and amino acid organization dictate specific biophysical properties, such as helix formation, and are correlated to the desiccation protection in vitro. However, small helical peptides by themselves cannot confer the same levels of protection as CAHS D. This indicates that along with helicity, other features likely play a role in determining the protective capacity of CAHS D. These findings support the existing theory of helicity provided protection by different stress-tolerant LEA proteins. Understanding CAHS D's sequence-structure-function relationship will not only provide insights into how IDP sequences dictate their conformational dynamics and functional properties, but can also be useful for real-world applications like designing stress-tolerant crops or helping increase the shelf-life of sensitive biomedical materials in a dry state.

On regional specific features of tourism in the Russian Federation

Subject. This article discusses the development of tourism in Russia. Objectives. The article aims to identify promising types of tourism and characterize the tourist resources of the regions of Russia. Methods. For the study, we used analysis and synthesis, scientific abstraction, induction and deduction. Results. The article finds that various regions of Russia have the potential for the development of primarily ecological, historical, cultural, and on-farm types of tourism. Conclusions. The full use of tourist resources of the regions of Russia, as well as the development of promising types of tourism will help correct the tourist traffic within the borders of the country.

Defining ‘metropolitan’ poverty: Isolation gradients in major US urban areas

As suburban poverty has become more prevalent in recent years, low-income neighbourhoods have emerged outside of many central cities. In many regions, however, there remains a stark divide between the core city and outlying areas. Measuring poverty concentrations, therefore, depends on the choice of geographic scale. Widespread urban poverty results in low measures of poverty concentration inside core cities, and whether this increases or decreases once suburbs are considered depends on specific regional characteristics. This study calculates ‘isolation gradients’ for the population in poverty in the 50 largest US Metropolitan areas (MSAs), extending from the core city to beyond the MSA level. A variety of patterns emerge, including sharp increases in isolation scores outside the city (as in Detroit) as well as decreases (for Atlanta). An econometric analysis of the ratio of MSA-level to core-city isolation scores finds that, controlling for land area and core-city poverty rates, much of the variance is explained by per-capita income and differences in racial segregation. A comparison of gradients in 2000 and 2015–2019 for a subset of cities shows additional patterns of suburban and urban convergence and divergence.

Restoring morphology of light sheet microscopy data based on magnetic resonance histology.

The combination of cellular-resolution whole brain light sheet microscopy (LSM) images with an annotated atlas enables quantitation of cellular features in specific brain regions. However, most existing methods register LSM data with existing canonical atlases, e.g., The Allen Brain Atlas (ABA), which have been generated from tissue that has been distorted by removal from the skull, fixation and physical handling. This limits the accuracy of the regional morphologic measurement. Here, we present a method to combine LSM data with magnetic resonance histology (MRH) of the same specimen to restore the morphology of the LSM images to the in-skull geometry. Our registration pipeline which maps 3D LSM big data (terabyte per dataset) to MRH of the same mouse brain provides registration with low displacement error in ∼10 h with limited manual input. The registration pipeline is optimized using multiple stages of transformation at multiple resolution scales. A three-step procedure including pointset initialization, automated ANTs registration with multiple optimized transformation stages, and finalized application of the transforms on high-resolution LSM data has been integrated into a simple, structured, and robust workflow. Excellent agreement has been seen between registered LSM data and reference MRH data both locally and globally. This workflow has been applied to a collection of datasets with varied combinations of MRH contrasts from diffusion tensor images and LSM with varied immunohistochemistry, providing a routine method for streamlined registration of LSM images to MRH. Lastly, the method maps a reduced set of the common coordinate framework (CCFv3) labels from the Allen Brain Atlas onto the geometrically corrected full resolution LSM data. The pipeline maintains the individual brain morphology and allows more accurate regional annotations and measurements of volumes and cell density.

Social and Economic Potential of the EU Countries’ Tourism and Hospitality Industry

Currently, the demand in the tourist services market tends to grow rapidly, which proves the tourist attractiveness of the EU member states and the industry’s potential profitability. By satisfying consumer demand, the tourism and hospitality industry positively impacts social and economic development. This impact depends on specific regional characteristics and the potential of each country. The study aims to assess the social and economic potential of the tourism and hospitality industry based on tourist activity in the EU countries. The following scientific methods were used in the research process: the coefficient method, the Euclidean distance method, the ranking method, the grouping method, and the segmentation method. Indicators for assessing the social and economic potential of the tourism and hospitality industry have been defined; an integral indicator has been calculated to assess the social and economic potential of the tourism and hospitality industry in the EU countries; the ranking and grouping of the EU countries according to the social and economic potential of the tourism and hospitality industry development has been carried out; regional features of the social and economic potential of the tourism and hospitality industry of the EU countries have been identified.

Craniometric aspects in forensic medical identification of the Kazakhstan population

The aim of this study is to estimate the variability limits of craniometric skull parameters, revealed in Kazakhstan, and find out significant criteria for forensic medical identification of the local population. The investigation included 25 standard craniometric skull parameters, revealed in Kazakhstan. Standard antropometric tests and tools were used. Current study confirm that the craniometrics indicators of Kazakhstan population have specific regional features. The skulls, revealed in Kazakhstan, are well craniometrically differentiated. Statistically significant differences were found out in 6 craniometric parameters in men (width of skull base, frontal chord, full face height, condylar and bigonial width, mandibular height) and in 4 parameters in women (transverse diameter, width of skull base, mastoid width, width of occipital foramen). The usage of updated data according to the regional features of the craniometrics parameters allow to significantly improve the forensic identification accuracy, study more completely the biological regularities of population formation and assess the comparative efficacy of individual features in the population reconstructions.

Geographical and spatial variations in bowel cancer screening participation, Australia, 2015-2020.

Participation in bowel cancer screening programs remains poor in many countries. Knowledge of geographical variation in participation rates may help design targeted interventions to improve uptake. This study describes small-area and broad geographical patterns in bowel screening participation in Australia between 2015-2020. Publicly available population-level participation data for Australia's National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) were modelled using generalized linear models to quantify screening patterns by remoteness and area-level disadvantage. Bayesian spatial models were used to obtain smoothed estimates of participation across 2,247 small areas during 2019-2020 compared to the national average, and during 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 for comparison. Spatial heterogeneity was assessed using the maximized excess events test. Overall, screening participation rates was around 44% over the three time-periods. Participation was consistently lower in remote or disadvantaged areas, although heterogeneity was evident within these broad categories. There was strong evidence of spatial differences in participation over all three periods, with little change in patterns between time periods. If the spatial variation was reduced (so low participation areas were increased to the 80th centile), an extra 250,000 screens (4% of total) would have been conducted during 2019-2020. Despite having a well-structured evidence-based government funded national bowel cancer screening program, the substantial spatial variation in participation rates highlights the importance of accounting for the unique characteristics of specific geographical regions and their inhabitants. Identifying the reasons for geographical disparities could inform interventions to achieve more equitable access and a higher overall bowel screening uptake.

Prevalence and contributing factors of anaemia among children aged 6-24 months and 25-59 months in Mali.

Although considerable global initiatives have been undertaken to tackle anaemia, its prevalence continues to be high in sub-Saharan African nations. In Mali specifically, anaemia represents a significant and pressing public health issue. The purpose of the present study was to examine the key risk factors related to anaemia among children aged 6-24 months (younger age group) and 25-59 months (older age group). We used the Mali 2018 Demographic and Health Survey data, collected from 8861 mothers with children under five. Logistic regression was used to assess the risk factors for childhood anaemia. The results suggest that the prevalence of anaemia was 88 % in the younger and 76 % in the older age groups. The risk factors unique to the younger age group were malaria (OR 4⋅05; CI 0⋅95, 11⋅3) and place of residence (OR 0⋅55; CI 0⋅32, 0⋅94), while for the older age group, they were morbidity (OR 1⋅91; CI 1⋅12, 3⋅24), drinking from a bottle (OR 1⋅52; CI 1⋅04, 2⋅22), and micronutrient intake (OR 0⋅61; CI 0⋅40, 0⋅91). Risk factors that significantly contributed to both age groups include breastfeeding, deworming, maternal anaemia, maternal education, and wealth index. Anaemia also varied by region. The widespread prevalence of anaemia can be attributed to a multitude of factors. In addressing this issue, it is imperative to acknowledge the unique characteristics of specific regions and rural areas, where the incidence of anaemia surpasses the national average. Therefore, any intervention efforts should be tailored to the specific needs and challenges of these areas.

Regional Focus of Ukrainian Book Design Formation

The purposeof the article is to study specific regional features in Ukrainian book design and determine the degree of their mutual influence. The research methodology is based on art analysis in the context of historical-chronological, iconographic, inductive, deductive, and comparative methods. The scientific novelty is represented by theses on the differences of conventionally defined Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and Odesa graphic schools, which had an impact on the development of local book design, and, consequently, on the formation of the artistic image of the modern Ukrainian book. The conclusions are conditioned by significant phenomena and trends in regional graphic art, which caused the corresponding processes in the formation of the image of the book publishing industries of Kyiv region, Lviv region, Kharkiv region, and Odesa region. In particular, the Kyiv school of graphic design in the all-Ukrainian cultural and artistic context is distinguished by a bold desire to master the latest technologies, active consumption of the experience of specialists from other collaborations, high genre elasticity, and a tendency to multivariate interpretations of traditional forms, which was accordingly reflected in local book design. On the other hand, the Lviv art book, which is a bright and heterogeneous phenomenon from the point of view of design due to the irregularity of its own development, today is an original product, formed after a long search for an individual image against the background of gravitation to European trends, which was manifested by the diversity of creative methods and author's approaches in its design. The artistic design of the Kharkiv book looks relatively more restrained and constructive, due to the dominance of the infographic approach in the design of multi-genre publications and the production of the classical tradition of Ukrainian bookmaking. In addition, the printing of books from this region deserves high praise. The Odesa graphic school, which from the middle of the 20th century had a solid foundation of realism with a flavour of social art, is characterised by the interpenetration of various regional features of book design due to the active migration of book artists between publishing houses and the multinationality of the creative center. Key words: book design, book graphics, Kyiv graphic school, Lviv graphic school, Kharkiv graphic school, Odesa graphic school, book art, regional features.

Современные подходы к обеспечению комплексного развития Северного морского пути: маркетинг-анализ транспортно-логистического потенциала

. The article on the basis of marketing approach analyzes the main factors, that determine the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in the context of increasing intensity of shipping and freight transport growth. The purpose of the research is on the basis of the three-dimensional matrix (consumers — needs function — technology to meet needs) to consider the expectations and needs of key actors of the Arctic marine highway use, assess the process of demand formation, identify and summarize the most important factors of functioning of the NSR taking into account regional specific features to meet the needs and preferences of the NSR user groups, analyze bottlenecks of cargo transportation in the conditions of strict competition in the market of maritime transport services. The expediency of the three-dimensional matrix is substantiated by systematizing the significant features of the NSR use, based on the characteristics of the product that are important for consumers (the NSR transport and logistics services). This toolkit made it possible to determine measures to increase the NSR operation attractiveness. It is noted that the needs of the NSR user groups demand the following: advanced organizational management structure, implementation of measures to ensure navigation safety, creation and development of coastal infrastructure, modernization and construction of multifunctional ports, modern ice-breaking fleet availability and operation of monitoring systems. The relevance of the use marketing tools to solve the problems of the integrated development of the NSR in order to attract consumers and increase its competitiveness was offered. The novelty of the work lies in the author’s view on the prospects of the NSR development manifested in the offered algorithm (three-dimensional matrix of diagnostics) of marketing analysis of maritime transport along the NSR with the consistent identification of factors influencing the shippers' choice of transport services. The results obtained show the practical significance of the research, and help more comprehensively and systemically study the priority areas of the NSR development and its transport and logistics potential.

Priorities of Digital Development in Russian Federation Regions

Digital transformation of national economy is one of national goals, which aims at improvement of the quality and comfort of life, business development and environment competitiveness. Implementation of the Strategy of Information Society Development in the Russian Federation for 2017–2030 requires well-balanced decisions both on national and regional levels. The development of Russian regions is not homogeneous, each region has its own specificity. Thus digital transformation shall be carried out with due regard to regional specific features and processes. The article analyzes challenges and prospects of implementing digital transformations in Russian regions. As a theoretical and methodological foundation of the research works by Russian and overseas experts in the field of building information society, digital economics and digital state governance were studied. The author uses analytical materials of international expert and analytical organizations, national research institutions, materials of the Federal Service of State Statistics. The research findings can be useful for identifying cause and effect relations and key challenges that face regions in realizing strategy of digital transformation and designing priority principles of digital development on the regional level.