Categories Of Residents Research Articles

A Short term Electricity Load Forecasting for Community Residents Based on Federated Learning and Considering Privacy Protection

INTRODUCTION: As the penetration rate of renewable energy increases and patterns of energy demand evolve, fluctuations on both the supply and demand sides of electricity are becoming more pronounced. Consequently, accurate forecasting of community residential electrical loads has become crucial. OBJECTIVES: Although the widespread adoption of smart meters among residents provides abundant data for model training, strict challenges arise during the training process due to the need for privacy protection and data security. METHODS: This paper proposes a privacy-preserving community residential short-term electric load forecasting method based on federated learning. Initially, the method applies shared random masking encryption to the sensitive data of community residents, ensuring data privacy while maintaining consistency with the original data after preprocessing. Subsequently, a private data aggregation scheme is established to perform dynamic clustering of the community’s electrical load. RESULTS: The clustered model then serves as the basis for establishing individual load forecasting models for each category of community residents to predict short-term electrical loads. Finally, an empirical analysis is performed using the electrical load data from 120 households across 6 communities in a city in Southern China. CONCLUSION: The analysis demonstrates that the proposed method can achieve the prediction of community residential electrical loads without sharing residents’ data, thus verifying the effectiveness of this approach.

Association between Homelessness and Temperature-Related Health Emergencies in the United States

Abstract Temperature-related illness (TRI) encompasses heat-related illness, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and cold-related illness, such as frostbite and hypothermia. TRI is typically the result of exposure to ambient weather conditions; because of this, unhoused individuals are hypothesized to have higher risk of TRI. However, no national epidemiological studies have been completed to determine this risk. The objective of this study was to determine the association between homelessness and emergency department (ED) diagnosis of TRI in the United States. We conducted a cross-sectional study of adult ED visits in the United States from 2005 through 2020 using data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), a nationally representative sample of nonfederal ED patient visits. Housing status (housed versus unhoused) was measured using NHAMCS patient residence category, with blank responses excluded. TRI was defined as ED clinician diagnosis of heat- or cold-related illness using International Classification of Disease, versions 9 and 10 (ICD-9 and ICD-10) codes. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine adjusted odds of TRI by housing status. There were 323 606 nonpediatric ED visits in the NHAMCS sample. TRI diagnosis was present in 288 (0.09%) visits. 4099 visits (0.9%) were categorized as unhoused. After adjusting for sex, mental health diagnosis, and alcohol or substance use or use disorder, the odds ratio of TRI diagnosis in unhoused individuals was 4.08 (95% CI 2.09, 7.95) compared to housed individuals. We found a higher adjusted odds ratio of TRI diagnosis at an ED visit among unhoused individuals compared with housed individuals. Significance Statement Temperature-related health emergencies, or illnesses caused by exposure to ambient weather conditions, affect numerous Americans each year and are expected to become more common as climate change continues. We wanted to understand whether unhoused individuals are at higher risk of these health emergencies. We used a national sample of emergency department visits in the United States to study this and found out that unhoused individuals are at more than four times the risk of these illnesses than housed individuals. Our work highlights the need for prevention of homelessness, stable housing for housing insecure populations, and heating and cooling centers during weather emergencies.

The cultural potential of the modern Russian region: infrastructure and consumption of services by the population (on the example of the Vologda region

The object of analysis in the article is the Russian region cultural potential in the context of infrastructure development and consumption of cultural and leisure services by the population. The purpose of the study is to identify quantitative and qualitative characteristics of various components of the cultural sphere of the region. The empirical basis is statistical data, reports from authorities, government programs and projects, as well as monitoring public opinion materials of Vologda region population in 2022 (n=1500). The methodology is based on a resource approach to studying the cultural potential of the region. Statistical data analysis shows negative trends in terms of a reduction in the number of cultural and leisure institutions in the region, a decrease in the consumption of certain types of services for 2000–2022, and the lag of municipal districts and rural areas in the development of cultural and leisure infrastructure compared to large cities. Positive changes are associated with the implementation of a comprehensive state cultural policy both on the part of the federal center and on the part of regional authorities: increasing in overall budget expenditures on culture was revealed with an insufficient share of extra-budgetary sources of funding. As an effective resource for leveling out problems with the involvement of extra-budgetary sources, examples of the participation of private investors within the framework of public-private and public-municipal partnerships are given. The results of the sociological survey recorded positive changes in the population’s assessment of the general situation in the cultural and leisure sphere of the region, identified the range of popular cultural, leisure and sports services, and a high level of satisfaction with their quality, which exceeds the Russian average. It has been established that the older generation; categories of residents with a low level of education and low-income residents are less active in consuming cultural and leisure services. As age increases, attendance at all of the institutions offered for choice decreases. The set of analysis results substantiates the need to use a more differentiated approach to the development of national and regional cultural policies, focusing on socio-demographic categories of the population, taking into account their needs.

Thickly Planting Seeds of Attracting Talents and Breaking through the Difficult Soil of Retaining Talents A Study Based on 140 Natural Villages in Guandu Township, Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, China

This research was carried out in the guiding background of the rural construction strategy and the important reports published in 2017, with seven categories of natural village residents of Guandu Town, Potou District, Zhanjiang City, local university students, rural construction cadres, government cadres, returning entrepreneurs, local industrial businessmen, and old and new vanguard members as the objects of the research, and was carried out through five major methods, including the interview survey method, the questionnaire survey method, the field survey method, and the case The research was carried out in five major ways, such as interview survey method, questionnaire survey method, field survey method and case study analysis method. After analyzing and summarizing the content of the research, we learned that there is a dilemma of talent construction in Guandu Town. This research aims to explore the current situation of talent in the construction of the countryside and the existing problems, through the Guandu Township as an example of its talent resources in the problem of targeted investigation and analysis, and further for the construction of the countryside to make the theoretical as well as practical impact and recommendations.

A case for race and space in auto ownership modeling: A Los Angeles County study

Auto ownership behavior is driven by complex relationships that can vary dramatically across different traveler groups and communities. Differences in auto ownership among racial groups have been of particular interest, given ongoing efforts to advance equity in transportation outcomes. There are a number of studies documenting racial disparities in auto ownership associated with racial and ethnic residential clustering, termed “automobile mismatch.” Yet, these differences in auto ownership behavior by race and residential location are virtually never considered in models of travel behavior, despite calls for the consideration for race in transportation planning and decision making. This study aims to bridge the gap between understandings of the connections between race and space and transportation outcomes, using Los Angeles County as a case study. A series of auto ownership model specifications are used to investigate statistical connections between the racial and ethnic categories of residents, and neighborhoods, revealing systematic variations across racial and spatial dimensions. The composite model, which includes racial and spatial indicators, outperforms the base model, suggesting that the inclusion of race and space explains significantly more information on variations in auto ownership and provides a superior fit to the data. Our findings also suggest that the exclusion of racial and spatial indicators may lead to overestimation of certain effects, and may completely misrepresent the importance of certain household, individual-level, and built environment effects in explaining auto ownership preferences. Given the increasing attention to equity and representation in transportation outcomes, models that exclude considerations for race and space may be poorly positioned to support meaningful transportation equity analyses.

Environmental sustainability and its antecedents among millennial and Gen-Z students in a public higher learning institution

Numerous segments have long discussed environmental sustainability as a significant topic. This is due to its importance to the environment's sustainable future. Many studies have focused on the issue of environmental sustainability. As a result, this study will add to the existing literature by identifying the distribution of environmental sustainability antecedents across gender, age, faculties, and area of residence among millennial students from a Malaysian higher education institution. We conducted this study using a cross-sectional research design. We designed a questionnaire and gathered information through an online survey. We used the Structural Equation Modelling Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) algorithm, specifically SMART PLS 3.2.7, to analyze the data for hypothesis testing. We find that the distribution of knowledge, perceptions, awareness, actions, and initiatives on environmental sustainability remains consistent across gender, age, and area of residence categories. However, other findings from the survey indicated that there is a statistically significant difference in the distribution of perceptions, actions, and initiatives on environmental sustainability across areas of study (faculties). It is evident from the results of the analysis that the context of the study could influence the level of environmental sustainability knowledge, attitude, and behaviour among millennials.

Changes in daily mobility and new public transport supply in Dakar (2000 – 2015)

In Dakar, the capital of Senegal, the urban transport policy aims to restructure and modernize the supply of public transport. The implementation of this policy since the years 2000 has led to the creation of the public bus company Dakar Dem Dikk and the replacement and reorganization of a number of minibuses owned by informal operators, which locally go under the name of Tata. However, this new supply still coexists with older, more or less informal, transport modes, mainly “Cars Rapides” and “Ndiaga Ndiaye” minibuses, collective clandestine taxis, and “yellow and black” taxis. The question then arises as to the impact of the new public transport supply on the mobility practices of the city’s residents. Data from two household mobility surveys, undertaken respectively in 2000 and 2015, in the Region of Dakar is used to conduct a diachronic analysis of mobility behavior. The results highlight the extent to which changes in public transport supply have modified flows and mode use for different categories of urban residents, in a context where daily mobility is highly dependent on public transport.

Residents' willingness to be compensated for power rationing during peak hours based on choice experiment

There is growing interest in demand-side interventions aimed at reducing residential peak-hour electricity consumption in response to energy transition. However, limited knowledge exists regarding residents' willingness to accept compensation (WTC) for power rationing during peak hours. This study empirically evaluates the compensation standards based on residents' willingness to accept power rationing in peak hours based on the Choice Experiment (CE). The results indicate that residents are concerned most with the attributes of power rationing seasons and power rationing periods, requiring higher compensation for power rationing in summer and at night, whether on weekdays or non-weekdays. Further analysis reveals significant regional and group heterogeneity. Specifically, residents in northern regions are not significantly concerned about the power rationing durations compared to those in southern regions, while they are more on power rationing degrees. Analysis based on the Latent Class Analysis (LCA) model shows that two classes of residents are willing to participate in the power rationing agreement for free on both weekdays and non-weekdays, as well as two categories of residents unwilling to participate in the compensated power rationing on non-weekdays. Based on this, we estimate that the adjusted participation rate of residents in compensated power rationing is 96.59% on weekdays, with compensation ranges from 0.67 ￥/kWh to 13.38 ￥/kWh, and a participation rate of 69.69% on non-weekdays, with compensation levels ranging from 3.99 ￥/kWh to 15.34 ￥/kWh. This paper also assesses the costs of power rationing compensation to provide evidence for policymakers when determining the compensation level of the power rationing program.

Patient perspective on virtual prechemotherapy visits in gynecologic oncology

ObjectiveTo assess gynecologic oncology patients’ experiences with virtual prechemotherapy evaluation and determine preference for incorporating virtual visits into a chemotherapy schedule. MethodsFrom June-August 2023, a survey was distributed to patients with gynecologic malignancies who had both an in-person and virtual prechemotherapy visit at a tertiary comprehensive cancer center. Patient satisfaction and preference for incorporating virtual visits was elicited. Patients who preferred ≥ 50 % of prechemotherapy visits to be virtual were classified as “virtual-leaning” and those who preferred < 50 % virtual as “in-person-leaning.” ResultsOf 110 eligible patients, 93 agreed to participate and 73 completed the survey, yielding an overall 66.4% response rate and 78.5% (73/93) survey completion rate. Overall satisfaction with in-person and virtual visits were rated positively at similar rates (in-person 87.7%, virtual 87.2%). Sixty-four (88.4%) patients preferred some proportion of their visits to be virtual, 5 (7.0%) preferred no virtual care, and 4 (5.0%) had no preference. In a 6-cycle schedule of chemotherapy, the median number of preferred virtual visits was 3 (IQR 1.8–4.2). Forty-six (63.0%) patients were “virtual-leaning” and 23 (32.0%) were “in-person-leaning.” When comparing groups, there was no difference in age, race, category of residence, commute, experience with technical difficulty, primary disease site, disease stage, number of prior chemotherapy cycles, or number of prior virtual visits. ConclusionsMost patients are highly satisfied with virtual visits and prefer virtual care to be included when undergoing chemotherapy. A hybrid model should be offered to gynecological cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, with patient preference dictating the cadence of virtual visits.

SOLVING THE PUZZLE OF CHINA’S LOW INFLATION: A NEW PERSPECTIVE FROM SECTORAL CORE INFLATION FLUCTUATIONS

China’s constantly rapid economic growth accompanying by a low overall inflation has long been mysterious in macroeconomics. The core purpose of this paper is to solve this puzzle. Therefore, we integrate overdetermined set of equations into a MUCSVO model to explore the volatility mechanism of the overall inflation from a sectoral perspective. Our key findings include: 1) the hedging effect of sectoral inflation fluctuations principally accounts for China’s long-run stable overall inflation; 2) the main contradiction of China’s inflation has been shifting from high price levels in the traditional food and residence categories to rising prices in the health care category; 3) as the proportions of inflation in the food and residence categories fall steadily, sectoral inflation weights become more evenly distributed. In conclusion, China’s overall inflation and deflation will be much less likely to occur, while inflation is still of sectoral imbalance. Unusual price fluctuations in the food and health care categories, which are highly relevant to basic living standards of the low-income group, deserve close attention in particular. Overall, besides solving the puzzle of China’s low inflation, our model is applicable to economies that do not publish inflation weights, which is a useful extension of core inflation measurement.

Prosocial Behaviour Towards Victims of Road Accidents: Examining Personality, Gender and Traumatic Experience

As Ebonyi State develops into a city with the attendant population growth and increasing motor traffic, the category of residents that can form part of the road safety network should be of great concern. The study investigated the strengths of personality, gender and traumatic experience as predictors of prosocial behaviour among motorists in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. One hundred and ninety-nine (199) road users in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, participated in the study. Participants were randomly drawn using a convenient sampling technique in a cross-sectional survey design. The Big-Five Personality Inventory, the Trauma History Questionnaire (THQ), and the Self-Report Altruism Scale were used for data collection. Data analysis using the multiple regression analysis revealed that some dimensions of personality (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience) were positively related to prosocial behaviour; gender was not significantly associated with prosocial behaviour and traumatic stress experience especially and positively predicted prosocial behaviour. The study observed that personality trait is the most significant predictor of prosocial behaviour toward road accident victims. Based on the theory of empathic altruism, we recommend aggressive and widespread education on road safety measures for all ages and establishing a civilian road safety network to complement the efforts of FRSC in Ebonyi State.

Kyiv’s Minusnyky: Regime Bans for “Uncertain” Citizens

The article deals with a special category of residents of the capital of Ukraine who were recognized as “socially dangerous” and punished by expulsion from the city, along with a ban on settling in a number of areas of the USSR; as well as with categories of citizens who were banned from living in Kyiv for other reasons. Those expelled by judicial, and more often extrajudicial, authorities received a sentence where the territories prohibited for them were designated as “minus 6”, “minus 12”, and “minus 15” (the numbers meant the number of designated areas, and the word “minus” entered Soviet slang as a root construction of the concept of “minusnyky”, which denoted the community repressed and discriminated against in this way). These and other persons mentioned above had a corresponding entry made in their passports, which made it impossible for them to stay in the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. The purpose of the article is to reveal the Kyivans-minusnyky population, a category of repressed people who for a long time were practically “invisible” to researchers. It also aims to transfer the concept of “minusnyky” with all its narrow and broad connotations from Soviet repressive slang to the academic historical dictionary. The research objectives are to analyze the logic behind the creation of regime prohibitions for “socially dangerous” persons, to highlight certain stages of “cleansing”/“sanitation” of the capital of the Ukrainian SSR and the 50-km zone around it, to consider the circumstances of punishment and discrimination, and to reconstruct the process of adaptation of minuscule population to the regime’s everyday life. The research methodology combines the tools of historical and legal analysis, social anthropology, and the concept of social creation of space. The scientific novelty is to expand the general understanding of political terror and its consequences for the Kyiv community. The atmosphere of regime rule in the capital of Ukraine is analysed as an organic component of the functioning of the totalitarian regime and the punitive and repressive mechanism, the first turns of which occurred simultaneously with the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks. The author traces the progressive growth of the Kyiv minuscule group, the reasons for their acquisition of such a status and strategies for survival in exile. It is proved that in the arsenal of total terror, in addition to the most severe repressions, targeted geographical isolation was actively used against Kyiv residents, which became an effective means of “cleansing” the capital of the Ukrainian SSR from “socially dangerous” persons, a mechanism of social engineering of prolonged effect. The creation of a large detachment of Kyiv’s “minusnyky” was part of the process of atomization of society, construction of spatial hierarchy, and social alienation of people and territories.

ANALYTICAL RESEARCH OF THE RESULTS OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION BY THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES OF KRYVIY RIH AND STRATEGIC GOALS OF ITS ACHIEVEMENT

Objective. The objective of the study is the substantiation of the goals and principles of state programs of regional development, the identification of influencing factors on the process of developing programs of socio-economic development of the city of Kryvyi Rih, and the development of strategic directions for the effective and efficient implementation of regional development programs. Methods. When preparing the article, general and special methods of scientific research are used, in particular, the method of retrospective analysis and synthesis - to generalize the main theoretical approaches to the formation and implementation of the local socio-economic development program and the order of its development; dialectical method - for a comprehensive study of relations between state administrations and local authorities; graphoanalytical – for a schematic representation of the theoretical and practical provisions of the research; method of system analysis - to determine the priority directions of reforming the socio-economic development program by the local authorities of a specific territorial community. Results. The definition of «local program of economic and social development» is studied, in particular according to the term, as well as the concepts of «regional development program» and «budget programs», which are closely related to the local program of socio-economic development. It is proved that the principles of development of local socio-economic development programs are defined as the expected achievements based on the results of the implementation of a complex of interrelated tasks and measures aimed at solving the most important issues of the development of the united territorial community. Analytical studies of the results of the implementation of the Social Protection Program for certain categories of Kryvyi Rih residents and the dynamics of the total amount of funding under this program for 2018-2022 are out. It is determined that in order to implement the measures of the Program for the Perspective Development of Education in Kryvyi Rih for 2019-2024, free meals are provided to pupils and children from large families in general education institutions of the city, children from student families in preschool institutions of the city, children whose parents were involved or killed or went missing as a result of the events in the East of Ukraine. It is noted that culture, the financing of which is provided for by the legislation of Ukraine from the local budget, is of no less importance for the development of Kryvyi Rih in the humanitarian sphere.. Special attention is paid to the Program for the reimbursement of part of the loans provided by the association of co-owners of apartment buildings and housing and construction cooperatives for the implementation of energy-efficient measures in the housing sector for 2016-2023. It is emphasized that for the purpose of social support of all categories of citizens of Ukraine who are in the territory of the Kryvyi Rih urban territorial community, during the period of martial law in Ukraine, and to increase their social security, free travel in public municipal public transport is introduced in the city. It should be noted that the Strategic Development Plan of the city of Kryvyi Rih for the period until 2025 has been approved at the local level, based on a transformational version of the city's development, which reflects the focus on supporting the positive development vector of all spheres of the city's life, innovative renewal and diversification of the economy. It is emphasized that the chosen Strategy provides for the provision of coordinated joint actions of local executive bodies and local self-government bodies in the conditions of a military/post-war state in order to implement a unified state policy for the development of Ukraine at the district level. The authors formulate strategic directions for effective and efficient implementation of Kryvyi Rih Socio-Economic Development Program for 2023-2025 based on the principles of developing local socio-economic development programs, namely: decentralization of management; development of interregional cooperation; implementation of a system for identifying and assessing priority social problems of a certain territory; optimization of state management structures and procedures; implementation of an active resource strategy by bodies of executive power and local self-government; promotion of public activity and development of various forms of self-organization of the population; raising the level of social culture and education of employees of state administration and local authorities, deputies of all levels.

Адреса первых петербургских художников в 1703–1741 годы

The foundation of St. Petersburg as the new capital of the Russian state in the 18th century was inextricably linked with the attraction of artists who brought social, cultural and propaganda benefits, being a special category of urban residents performing important work. Over the decades, as the city grew, on its map there appeared addresses related to the life and work of numerous painters, graphic artists, sculptors, and architects who cast their lot with St. Petersburg for a limited time or forever. In this article, for the first time in Russian art history and St. Petersburg local history, the author carries out a task of historical identification, systematization and description of urban places where homes, workshops, and craft unions of both the first Russian and foreign artists living in the new capital of the Russian state in 1703–1741 were located. The article will be of interest to historians of Russian art, specialists in Russian history of the 18th century, local historians, museum workers, and guides.

Climate Change and Urban Climate in the Western Balkans

Global climate change is a process that inevitably affects the European continent, and thus the countries of the Western Balkans, i.e. Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is located in Southeast Europe. Increasingly intense and long-lasting heat waves (especially during the summer period), the occurrence of intense cold waves in winter, intense short-term precipitation periods, as well as long-term dry periods are the consequences of climate change characteristic of the Western Balkans, and thus Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such temperature and precipitation extremes have become more frequent in the last twenty‒thirty years, as evidenced by the annual air temperatures in all Western Balkan countries, i.e. it is clear that most of the last few years are the warmest years since the beginning of the 20th century. Due to such extreme weather events, it is clear that urban areas in the Western Balkans are under stronger, primarily thermal pressure, due to the already modified micro and local climate due to the characteristics of surface geometry. As a result, even higher temperatures and a significantly higher number of tropical nights occur during the heat waves, and have a direct threat to the health of the population and the economy in urban areas. This study analyzed 49 publications that directly or indirectly analyze, primarily thermal values and indices, in urban areas in the Western Balkans, in Banja Luka, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Tirana and Skopje. The results clearly show higher thermal pressure in urban areas, when it comes to temperatures and indices of thermal comfort, and maximum differences in relation to the natural environment occur in the most urbanized and industrial parts of the city. Also, analyzes of thermal risk on the quality and mortality of the population in urban areas show that increased mortality is in the category of residents over 65 years of age.

Dynamics of social and economic development of the Yelets district of the Oryol province at the end of the XVIII – first half of the XIX centuries

Introduction. The article discusses the features of economic development and economic development, as well as an analysis of socio-demographic changes in the Yelets district of the Oryol province in the chronological period under consideration. This county was part of the historical region of the former Belgorod line and was for a long time in the zone of the southern Russian frontier.Materials and methods. This work is the result of a study of statistical sources relating to the last quarter of the 18th – the first half of the 19th centuries. As the main sources, materials were taken from the “Economic Notes to the General Land Survey Plans” of the late 1780s and mid-1790s, “Economic cameral description of the Yelets district in 1832”, as well as information on the land statistics of the Yelets district for 1828-29 The methods of mathematical analysis and statistical processing have become the main ones when working with these sources.Results. The materials of the “Economic Notes to the General Land Survey Plans” and “Economic Cameral Description of the Yelets Uyezd” had a similar form, which made it possible to consider the dynamics of the economic development of the county in a unified way, as well as to catch the sociodemographic trends of the period under review. First of all, this concerned changes in the ratio of arable land, forest, pasture and meadow spaces in the region. In addition, the sources recorded the number of households and the population for certain categories of residents (odnodvortsy, owning and single-dwelling peasants, etc.) both for individual settlements and for the county as a whole.Conclusion. Economic development of the historical region of the Belgorod line within the territorial framework of the studied Yelets district of the Oryol province at the end of the 18th century. has not yet reached its logical conclusion. Enclaves of virgin land continued to be preserved, which were introduced into agricultural circulation only in the first third of the 19th century. During the period under study, a significant increase in the population was recorded, especially the share of the owner-owning peasantry increased. This contributed to the acceleration of the development of the local economy and the final transformation of the once frontier zone into the granary of the Russian Empire.

Artificial intelligence and automation in the migration governance of international students

Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are newly impacting the governance of international students, a temporary resident category significant for both direct economic contributions and the formation of a ‘pool’ of potential future immigrants in many immigrant-dependent countries. This paper focuses on tensions within Canada’s education-migration (‘edugration’) system as new technologies intersect with migration regimes, which in turn relate to broader issues of security, administrative burdens, migration governance, and border imperialism. Using an Accidental Ethnography (AccE) approach drawing from practitioner-based legal research, we discuss three themes: (1) ‘bots at the gate’ and the guise of AI’s objectivity; (2) a murky international edu-tech industry; and (3) the administrative burdens of digitalized application systems. We suggest that researchers, particularly in education, can benefit from the insights of immigration practitioners who often become aware of potential trends before those less embedded in the everyday negotiation of migration governance.

Association of Chronic Otitis Media with Sjogren's Syndrome: A Case-Control Study.

There is a paucity of large-scale population-based study whether patients with Sjögren's syndrome are at higher risk of chronic otitis media. This study aimed to investigate the association of chronic otitis media with Sjögren's syndrome by utilizing the representative dataset of the Taiwanese population. We identified 9473 patients with chronic otitis media as cases. We used propensity score matching to select 28,419 controls. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to examine the association of chronic otitis media with prior Sjögren's syndrome after adjusting for age, sex, monthly income category, geographic location and urbanization level of the patient's residence, allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis and tonsillitis and adenoiditis. Chi-square tests showed a statistically significant difference in Sjögren's syndrome between patients with chronic otitis media and controls (4.89% vs. 2.93%, p < 0.001). In addition, we found patients with chronic otitis media were more likely to have Sjögren's syndrome (OR = 1.698, 95% CI = 1.509~1.910) relative to controls after adjusting for age, income, geographic location, residential urbanization level, allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis and tonsillitis and adenoiditis. We also found that of the male patients, patients with chronic otitis media had a greater tendency to Sjögren's syndrome than controls (adjusted OR = 1.982, 95% CI = 1.584~2.481). Similarly, a statistically significant association between Sjögren's syndrome and chronic otitis media remains in female sampled patients (adjusted OR = 1.604, 95% CI = 1.396~1.842). We found that patients with Sjögren's syndrome were associated with the occurrence of chronic otitis media. It may guide physicians as they counsel patients with Sjögren's syndrome on the possibility of chronic otitis media occurrence.

The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), a national survey of the prevalence of child maltreatment and its correlates: methodology.

To describe the aims, design, methodology, and respondent sample representativeness of the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS). Cross-sectional, retrospective survey; computer-assisted mobile telephone interviewing using random digit dialling (computer-generated), Australia, 9 April - 11 October 2021. People aged 16 years or more. The target sample size was 8500 respondents: 3500 people aged 16-24 years and 1000 respondents each from five further age groups (25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65 years or more). Primary outcomes: Emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, exposure to domestic violence during childhood, assessed with the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-R2 Adapted Version (Australian Child Maltreatment Study). selected mental disorder diagnoses (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, MINI), selected physical health conditions, health risk behaviours, health service use. The demographic characteristics of the ACMS sample were similar to those of the Australian population in 2016 with respect to gender, Indigenous status, region and remoteness category of residence, and marital status, but larger proportions of participants were born in Australia, lived in areas of higher socio-economic status, had tertiary qualifications, and had income greater than $1250 per week. Population weights were derived to adjust for these differences. Associations between the number of calls required to recruit participants and maltreatment rates and health outcomes were not statistically significant. The ACMS provides the first reliable estimates of the prevalence of each type of child maltreatment in Australia. These estimates, and those of associated mental health and health risk behaviours reported in this supplement can inform policy and practice initiatives for reducing the prevalence of child maltreatment and its consequences. Our benchmark study also provides baseline data for repeated waves of the ACMS that will assess the effectiveness of these initiatives.

Changes in Pregnancy-Related Mortality Associated With the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic in the United States.

To examine pregnancy-related mortality ratios before (January 2019-March 2020) and during (April 2020-December 2020 and 2021) the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic overall, by race and ethnicity, and by rural-urban classifications using vital records data. Mortality and natality data (2019-2021) were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's WONDER database to estimate pregnancy-related mortality ratios, which correspond to any death during pregnancy or up to 1 year after the end of a pregnancy from causes related to the pregnancy per 100,000 live births. Pregnancy-related mortality ratios were determined from International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes A34, O00-O96, and O98-O99. Overall pregnancy-related mortality ratios were partitioned by whether COVID-19 was listed as a contributory cause, and quarterly estimates were compared between 2019 and 2021. Pregnancy-related mortality ratios were compared by race and ethnicity and rural-urban residence before (2019-March 2020) and during (April 2020-December 2020 and 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic. Pregnancy-related mortality was significantly higher in 2021 (45.5/100,000 live births) compared with during the pandemic in 2020 (36.7/100,000 live births) and before the pandemic (29.0/100,000 live births). Pregnancy-related mortality ratios increased across all race and ethnicity and rural-urban residence categories in 2021. The largest increase occurred among American Indian/Alaska Native people during 2021 compared with April-December of 2020 (pregnancy-related mortality ratio 160.8 vs 79.0/100,000 live births, 104% relative change, P =.017). Medium-small metropolitan (52.4 vs 37.7/100,000 live births, 39.0% relative change, P <.001) and rural (56.2 vs 46.5/100,000 live births, 21.0% relative change, P =.05) areas had a larger increase in 2021 compared with April-December 2020 compared with large urban areas (39.1 vs 33.7/100,000 live births, 15.9% relative change, P =.009). Pregnancy-related mortality ratios increased more rapidly in 2021 than in 2020, consistent with rising rates of COVID-19-associated mortality among women of reproductive age. This further exacerbated racial and ethnic disparities, especially among American Indian/Alaska Native birthing people.