Sparsely-populated Areas Research Articles

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in riverine sediments of rural area driven by urbanization.

Rural revitalization denotes the gathering of large populations in rural areas and the subsequent gradual urbanization. Rural environments have been deteriorated by heavy metals (HMs) over the last few years. Without the existence of large-scale industries, the accumulation of HMs in sediments due to population aggregation in rural environments needs to be scientifically confirmed. Therefore, in this study we first understand the sediment pollution in rural environments in China and across the globe, and subsequently investigate HMs in sediments in rural micro water. The study area, Sichuan Province, China, was divided into two areas, namely, sparsely populated areas (SPA) and densely populated areas (DPA). Eight typical HMs (As, Zn, Ni, Hg, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Pb) were selected to target in riverine sediments, and the content and spatial distribution characteristics were analyzed. The results indicate that As, Hg, Cd, and Pb concentrations in sediments were higher than background values (BVs), with high concentration sample sites located in the DPA. In addition, the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), pollution load index (PLI) and potential ecological risk index (RI) were used to quantitatively evaluate the pollution characteristics of HMs in sediments, revealing that the sediments exhibited high As and Hg pollution in the DPA (PLI = 1.09). In general, mild (RI = 48.76) and moderate (RI = 154.92) HM pollution was observed in the sediments of the SPA and DPA, respectively, based on the high PLI (> 1.0) and RI (> 150) values. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) indicate that the Cd in the sediment generally originated from geogenic sources, while the other elements (Zn, As, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni and Pb) were primarily linked to anthropogenic sources. Finally, the results demonstrate that population aggregation will lead to the enrichment of HMs.

Exploring population redistribution at sub-municipal levels – Microurbanisation and messy migration in Sweden's high North

To contribute to more balanced perspectives on sub-municipal population change in sparsely populated areas (SPAs), this paper closely examines a local pocket of growth in a shrinking Northern Swedish municipality. Integrating Swedish register data with in-depth qualitative insights, the geographic study examines patterns and processes of uneven local population dynamics linked to life course migration. This is done through a socio-spatial cluster analysis containing, first, 15 aggregate socioeconomic variables for sub-municipal areas, and then individual characteristics like birth countries, age groups, sex ratios, educational attainment, and employment status. A Foresight approach and interviews with locals, municipal officials, and incoming lifestyle migrants complement this. Studying these individuals' practical compromises regarding housing, income, and leisure at sub-municipal levels helps in overcoming fallacies in population change research at broader regional levels, and illustrates the limits of relying solely on quantitative demographic change indicators. The paper shows that urban traits in the municipal centre and rural natural amenities around a dogsledding trail combine to attract and retain different population groups. This adds to population change studies and shows that municipal administrative centres in SPAs are not necessarily growing while other villages are declining, and that population redistribution at the municipal level does not automatically imply the movement of people to municipal centres from a municipality's minor villages.

Accrual and access to neuro-oncology trials in the United States

Abstract Seeking to understand the trends in participant accrual and barriers to neuro-oncology clinical trial access, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of past and ongoing neuro-oncology trials in the United States (US). Data from the ClinicalTrial.gov registry revealed that most closed trials failed to meet their enrollment goals, with the trend worsening over time. We explored factors that may impact trial accrual and access, finding an increasing demand for participant enrollment. Investigating geographic, socioeconomic, and population factors, we found that trial-hosting infrastructure may not exist in large geographically-contiguous and sparsely-populated areas, and where existent, underserves higher-populated disadvantaged areas.

Development and Validation of a Sub-National, Satellite-Based Land-Use Regression Model for Annual Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations in North-Western China.

Existing national- or continental-scale models of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure have a limited capacity to capture subnational spatial variability in sparsely-populated parts of the world where NO2 sources may vary. To test and validate our approach, we developed a land-use regression (LUR) model for NO2 for Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR) and surrounding areas, a small rural province in north-western China. Using hourly NO2 measurements from 105 continuous monitoring sites in 2019, a supervised, forward addition, linear regression approach was adopted to develop the model, assessing 270 potential predictor variables, including tropospheric NO2, optically measured by the Aura satellite. The final model was cross-validated (5-fold cross validation), and its historical performance (back to 2014) assessed using 41 independent monitoring sites not used for model development. The final model captured 63% of annual NO2 in NHAR (RMSE: 6 ppb (21% of the mean of all monitoring sites)) and contiguous parts of Inner Mongolia, Gansu, and Shaanxi Provinces. Cross-validation and independent evaluation against historical data yielded adjusted R2 values that were 1% and 10% lower than the model development values, respectively, with comparable RMSE. The findings suggest that a parsimonious, satellite-based LUR model is robust and can be used to capture spatial contrasts in annual NO2 in the relatively sparsely-populated areas in NHAR and neighbouring provinces.

The role of proximity in stakeholder networks for Smart Specialisation: a Sparsely Populated Area case study

The European Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) with its underlying aim to support regional growth, cohesion, and innovation has by now been widely applied to European Sparsely Populated Areas (SPAs). Previous works have identified that intra-regional stakeholder networks are important for a successful S3 implementation, and that their establishment is related to the level of proximity between stakeholders; however, the nature of such networks in the context of developing S3 in SPAs deserves further investigation. This paper explores how different dimensions of proximity are associated with intra-regional networks aimed at implementing S3 in a Northern European SPA (Lapland, Finland). The results suggest that geographical and cognitive proximity are positively associated with both formal and informal networking, while institutional proximity is negatively related with informal networking, suggesting that effective policy interventions require multiple relationships to be activated through supporting greater diversity between SPAs stakeholders.

Growth management of service- and technology-based firms in sparsely populated areas

The aim of this study was to clarify growth management of service- and technology-based firms in sparsely populated areas (SPAs). This retrospective multiple case study reached this aim by investig...

Possibility of Applying Social Impact Bonds and a Proposed Scheme for Public Transportation in Sparsely Populated Areas of Japan

Possibility of Applying Social Impact Bonds and a Proposed Scheme for Public Transportation in Sparsely Populated Areas of Japan

Smart Specialisation in sparsely populated areas: challenges, opportunities and new openings

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses to what extent Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) are applicable in sparsely populated areas (SPA) departing from the S3 concept’s theoretical background and the experiences of S3 implementation in five European SPA. It was found that S3 has induced a transition in how innovation is addressed, for example, through a more decentralized support system and more proactive approaches to natural resource management unlocking new market opportunities for bio-based innovations. Finally, the research noted a drive to find new governance mechanisms (multi-actor, multi-sectoral and multilevel), in order to sustain human capital development, the most critical resource in the SPA.

Consideraciones para la aplicación del método hidráulico R2CROSS para estimar caudales ecológicos en Colombia

Colombia es un país privilegiado en cuanto a la oferta hídrica, sin embargo la mayor parte de ésta, que se encuentra en zonas poco pobladas y la fracción de agua superficial, disponible para las áreas de mayor concentración poblacional, se ve afectada por la sobreexplotación y la contaminación de los ríos. Por esta razón, se sugiere la estimación del caudal ecológico como un instrumento para el manejo de las cuencas del país. Dentro de este trabajo de revisión bibliográfica se presentan los principales conceptos asociados al caudal ecológico, las diferentes metodologías utilizadas para su estimación y se analizan los antecedentes en Colombia. Posteriormente, se hace énfasis en el método hidráulico R2CROSS, se mencionan sus bases teóricas y se muestra el caso de estudio de los ríos Assabet y Charles en Massachusetts (Estado Unidos). A partir de allí, se hizo un comparativo con las condiciones locales para definir las ventajas y desventajas de la aplicación de este método en Colombia. Algunas de las ventajas identificadas fueron la relación costo-beneficio, el poco tiempo requerido para su aplicación, la obtención de resultados similares a los de métodos más complejos como el de la Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM) y la conveniencia para usarlo en lugares con información hidrológica incompleta. Por otro lado, dentro de sus desventajas se encuentra un mayor costo que los métodos hidrológicos, los sesgos derivados de suponer que a partir de los parámetros hidráulicos se pueden determinar las condiciones óptimas para todas las especies del ecosistema acuático y rivereño y finalmente, su precisión que depende de una correcta elección de la sección del río.

The sacred foodscapes of Thai Buddhist temples in Sweden

Thai Buddhist communities are by far the fastest-growing Buddhist establishments in Sweden, and – contrary to other Buddhist congregations that are mainly clustered in the cities – Thai Buddhist temples can be found in sparsely-populated areas and rural parts of Sweden. This article aims to document and analyse the ‘foodscape’ of diasporic Thai Buddhism in Sweden. In particular the article identifies and discusses five different strategies used by local communities- in order to support their temples in urban as well as rural areas: 1) local support, 2) pre-cooking and freezing, 3) pre-organised almsgiving in nearby cities, 4) change of food gifts, 5) change of the nikaya. A temple’s location in a rural area can drive forward a reinterpretation and adaptation of the monk’s rules, and contribute to a changing composition of food gifts. Food performs several functions. In addition to the religious functions that are associated with almsgiving, food can also serve as a means of generating bonding and bridging civic social capital, and providing economic income to temples.

Anonymisation of address coordinates for microlevel analyses of the built environment: a simulation study

BackgroundData privacy is a major concern in spatial epidemiology because exact residential locations or parts of participants’ addresses such as street or zip codes are used to perform geospatial analyses....

Evaluation of MS Kinect for Elderly Meal Intake Monitoring

Abstract Any form of eating disorder is detrimental for health. Having an eating disorder increases the risks for chronic diseases and general morbidity, leading to several health problems such as obesity, hypertension and cardio-vascular diseases. The risk is greater for elderly people, as ageing submits the body to several functional changes that affect health and nutrition conditions. Automatic monitoring systems can help to prevent these risks by supporting people to maintain appropriate eating behaviours. Ageing services based on ICT assistive services are increasing as a result of the awareness of the growing socio-economic relevance of this issue, especially when we consider the rural and very sparsely-populated areas. In order to assess these requirements, systems should be automatic, non-intrusive and low cost. This paper presents an evaluation test of the Microsoft Kinect sensor for monitoring older people's meal intake, with the aim of contributing to the development of an automatic diet monitoring system.

Road Side Unit Deployment: A Density-Based Approach

Currently, the number of vehicles increases every year, raising the probability of having accidents. When an accident occurs, wireless technologies enable vehicles to share warning messages with other vehicles by using vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communications, and with the emergency services by using vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communications. Regarding vehicle to infrastructure communications, Road Side Units (RSUs) act similarly to wireless LAN access points, and can provide communications with the infrastructure. Since RSUs are usually very expensive to install, authorities limit their number, especially in suburbs and areas of sparse population, making RSUs a precious resource in vehicular environments. In this paper, we propose a Density-based Road Side Unit deployment policy (D-RSU), specially designed to obtain an efficient system with the lowest possible cost to alert emergency services in case of an accident. Our approach is based on deploying RSUs using an inverse proportion to the expected density of vehicles. The obtained results show how D-RSU is able to reduce the required number of RSUs, as well as the accident notification time.

Renewing the Theory and Practice of European Applied Territorial Research on Mountains, Islands and Sparsely Populated Areas

Gløersen E. Renewing the theory and practice of European applied territorial research on mountains, islands and sparsely populated areas, Regional Studies. The mention of mountains, islands and sparsely populated regions in the European Treaty and in the European Commission's Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion (2008) reflects the importance of these categories in policy debates. Different studies have investigated whether there is an evidence base that would support the design of policies targeting the social and economic development of concerned areas. This paper argues that these categories are mental constructs as much as physical realities. On this basis, a critique of currently prevailing methods in the study of these areas is developed and alternative approaches are proposed. Gløersen E. 重塑欧洲山脉、岛屿及人口稀少地区领土应用研究的理论与实践，区域研究。欧盟条约和有关领土凝聚力的欧盟绿皮书中对山区、岛屿及人口稀少地区的提及，反映了这类领土在政策争论中的重要性。曾有不同研究探索是否有证据基础可以表明，政策的设计是以这些相关地区的社会和经济发展为目标的。本文认为这类区域不仅是物质存在，更关乎于精神建设。基于此，本文批判了当前通行的针对这些区域的研究方法，并提出了新的见解。 凝聚政策 地域多样性 山区 岛屿 人口稀少地区 Gløersen E. Renouveler les fondements théoriques et la pratique de la recherche territoriale appliquée sur la montagne, les îles et les espaces faiblement peuplés, Regional Studies. Le Traité européen et le Livre vert de la Commission européenne (2008) sur la cohésion territoriale font allusion aux montagnes, aux îles et aux espaces faiblement peoples, ce qui reflète l'importance accordée à ces catégories dans les débats politiques. Différentes études ont cherché à déterminer si on peut justifier empiriquement l'élaboration des politiques visant spécifiquement à promouvoir le développement social et économique des territoires concernés. L'article soutient que ces catégories géographiques sont des constructions mentales autant que des réalités physiques. Dans ce contexte, une analyse critique des méthodes actuellement en vigueur pour étudier ces territoires est développée et des approches alternatives sont proposées. Politique de cohésion Diversité territoriale Espaces de montagne Îles Espaces faiblement peuplés Gløersen E. Erneuerung der Theorie und Praxis der angewandten europäischen Territorialforschung über Berge, Inseln und dünn besiedelte Gebiete, Regional Studies. Die Tatsache, dass Berge, Inseln und dünn besiedelte Regionen im EU-Vertrag und im Grünbuch der Europäischen Kommission über territoriale Kohäsion erwähnt werden, zeugt von der Bedeutung dieser Kategorien in den politischen Debatten. In verschiedenen Studien wurde untersucht, ob es Belege gibt, die für die Entwicklung von Politiken zur sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung der betroffenen Gebiete sprechen. In diesem Beitrag wird argumentiert, dass es sich bei diesen Kategorien ebenso um mentale Konstrukte wie um physische Realitäten handelt. Auf dieser Grundlage wird eine Kritik der momentan bei der Untersuchung dieser Gebiete vorherrschenden Methoden entwickelt, und es werden alternative Ansätze vorgeschlagen. Kohäsionspolitik Territoriale Vielfalt Bergregionen Inseln Dünn besiedelte Gebiete Gløersen E. Renovar la teoría y práctica de la investigación territorial aplicada europea sobre las montañas, las islas y los espacios escasamente poblados, Regional Studies. El hecho de que se mencionen montañas, islas y regiones escasamente pobladas en el Tratado Europeo y en el Libro Verde de la Comisión Europea sobre la cohesión territorial refleja la importancia de estas categorías en los debates políticos. En diferentes estudios se ha investigado si existe una base empírica que apoye el diseño de políticas que aborden el desarrollo social y económico de los territorios en cuestión. En este artículo argumentamos que estas categorías son tanto construcciones mentales como realidades físicas. Sobre esta premisa, hacemos un análisis crítico de los métodos actuales predominantes en el estudio de este campo y proponemos enfoques alternativos. Política de cohesión Diversidad territorial Áreas montañosas Islas Espacios escasamente poblados

Improving RSU service time by Distributed Sorting Mechanism

In recent years, Vehicle Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) have become very popular. A VANET network is mainly constructed with an infrastructure composed of mobile vehicles and fixed Road Site Units (RSUs). RSUs are usually very expensive to install, this limits their number, especially in suburbs and areas of sparse population. Therefore, RSUs are precious resource in VANET. In order to promote the utility of RSUs, we propose a novel mechanism, Distributed Sorting Mechanism (DSM), to improve the efficiency of communication between vehicles and RSUs (Vehicle to Infrastructure, V2I). In DSM, every vehicle can individually calculate its own priority of communication, and the time to compete and obtain the channel can be reduced. We further consider the vehicles moving away from the coverage of communication and adjust their priorities of communication appropriately. Moreover, DSM owns the characteristic of “Deadline First” in specific situations. Using DSM not only simplifies the handoff procedure and reduces the network overhead, but also achieves adequate utilization of RSU resources.

Lessons for Service Learning in Rural Areas

The literature about service learning in planning education contains a wealth of insights from practitioners at large research universities in urban settings. Very little has been written about experiences in rural areas. The Environmental Studies Department at St. Lawrence University has experimented with several strategies for service learning in rural northern New York. As a type of service learning, the research seminar offers several advantages over conventional internships and community-based independent study. These advantages are critical in rural areas of sparse population, where few agencies exist. Case studies involving conservation easements, community planning, and historical preservation demonstrate that some agencies derive real benefits from service learning. The case studies also illustrate the following lessons: the research seminar can engage a variety of planning issues and organizations; it is helpful, though not necessary, if sponsoring organizations articulate needs, but they should not anticipate preferred results from research; university staff should pay close attention to the sociopolitical context of participating agencies and ensure that students are fully immersed in the community; and service learning can make tangible contributions to the quality of rural life, thereby making these areas more attractive for residents who wish to stay.

Paediatric referrals in rural Tanzania: the Kilombero District Study - a case series.

BackgroundReferral is a critical part of appropriate primary care and of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy. We set out to study referrals from the aspect both of primary level facilities and the referral hospital in Kilombero District, southern Tanzania. Through record review and a separate prospective study we estimate referral rates, report on delays in reaching referral care and summarise the appropriateness of pediatric referral cases in terms of admission to the pediatric ward at a district hospitalMethodsA sample of patient records from primary level government health facilities throughout 1993 were summarised by age, diagnosis, whether a new case or a reattendance, and whether or not they were referred. From August 1994 to July 1995, mothers or carers of all sick children less than five years old attending the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) clinic or outpatient department (OPD) of SFDDH were interviewed using a standard questionnaire recording age, sex, diagnosis, place of residence, whether the child was admitted to the paediatric ward, and whether the child was referred.ResultsFrom record review, only 0.6% of children from primary level government facilities were referred to a higher level of care. At the referral hospital, 7.8 cases per thousand under five catchment population had been referred annually. The hospital MCH clinic and OPD were generally used by children who lived nearby: 91% (n = 7,166) of sick children and 75% (n = 607) of admissions came from within 10 km. Of 235 referred children, the majority (62%) had come from dispensaries. Almost half of the referrals (48%) took 2 or more days to arrive at the hospital. Severe malaria and anaemia were the leading diagnoses in referred children, together accounting for a total of 70% of all the referrals. Most referred children (167/235, 71%) were admitted to the hospital paediatric ward.ConclusionsThe high admission rate among referrals suggests that the decision to refer is generally appropriate, but the low referral rate suggests that too few children are referred. Our findings suggest that the IMCI strategy may need to be adapted in sparsely-populated areas with limited transport, so that more children may be managed at peripheral level and fewer children need referral.

Pursuing failure

Observation-based testing calls for analyzing profiles of executions induced by potential test cases, in order to select a subset of executions to be checked for conformance to requirements. A family of techniques for selecting such a subset is evaluated experimentally. These techniques employ automatic cluster analysis to partition executions, and they use various sampling techniques to select executions from clusters. The experimental results support the hypothesis that with appropriate profiling, failures often have unusual profiles that are revealed by cluster analysis. The results also suggest that failures often form small clusters or chains in sparsely-populated areas of the profile space. A form of adaptive sampling called failure-pursuit sampling is proposed for revealing failures in such regions, and this sampling method is evaluated experimentally. The results suggest that failure-pursuit sampling is effective.

SUPPLYING LOCAL BUS SERVICES IN SPARSELY POPULATED AREAS

SUPPLYING LOCAL BUS SERVICES IN SPARSELY POPULATED AREAS

Alternate cycle agroforestry

Agroforestry research and design has heavily favored intergrated production of annuals and perennials, that is production of tree crops on the same parcel of land and at the same time as production of food crop annuals. For areas having high population densities and intensive modes of agricultural production, integral agroforestry may be appropriate, but for areas of sparse population where extensive agriculture is practiced or marginal hill lands, alternate cycle agroforestry may prove more suitable. Alternate cycle agroforestry, in the form of modified forest swidden systems, is discussed and compared to integral agroforestry systems. Advantages and disadvantages of each system are discussed relative to their use on marginal hill and forest lands.