Specific Geographical Locations Research Articles

Locating the Risk: Using Participatory Mapping to Contextualize Perceived HIV Risk across Geography and Social Networks among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Deep South

ABSTRACT HIV incidence among African American (AA) young men who have sex with men (YMSM) has remained stable even though they made up the largest number of new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) in 2017. HIV spreads at increased rates in dense sexual networks. Identifying the location of risk behaviors “activity spaces” could inform geographically circumscribed HIV prevention interventions. Utilizing the modified social ecological model we completed five semi-structured focus groups incorporating a modified social mapping technique, based on Singer et al.’s approach. Participants included 27 AA YMSM. Focus groups explored how and where HIV transmission happens in Jackson, Mississippi. Result themes included: 1) location of sexual behaviors, 2) knowledge of geographic hotspots of HIV infection in Jackson, and 3) traveling to meet partners: at home and away. HIV transmission or “activity spaces” may be occurring outside identified HIV hot spots. Mixed geospatial and qualitative methods offered a comprehensive assessment of where HIV transmission occurs, and suggests that geographically circumscribed interventions may need to focus on where individuals living with HIV reside and in specific geographic locations where they engage in behaviors that raise their HIV acquisition risks.

NBFTP: a dedicated data transfer system for remote astronomical observation at Dome A* *The source code has been uploaded on gitee ( https://gitee.com/AstroTJU/NBFTP ) and china-vo ( https://code.china-vo.org/ast3/nbftp ).

Dome A, Antarctica, has been thought to be one of the best astronomical sites on the Earth for decades. Since it was first visited by astronomers in 2008, dozens of facilities for astronomical observation and site testing were deployed. Due to its special geographical location, the data and message exchange between Dome A and the domestic control center could only depend on Iridium. Because the link bandwidth of Iridium is extremely limited, the network traffic cost is quite expensive and the network is rather unstable, the commonly used data transfer tools, such as rsync and scp, are not suitable in this case. In this paper, we design and implement a data transfer tool called NBFTP (narrow bandwidth file transfer protocol) for the astronomical observation of Dome A. NBFTP uses a uniform interface to arrange all types of data and matches specific transmission schemes for different data types according to rules. Break-point resuming and extensibility functions are also implemented. Our experimental results show that NBFTP consumes 60% less network traffic than rsync when detecting the data pending to be transferred. When transferring small files of 1KB, the network traffic consumption of NBFTP is 40% less than rsync. However, as the file size increases, the network traffic consumption of NBFTP tends to approach rsync, but it is still smaller than rsync.

Port system evolution in Chinese coastal regions: A provincial perspective

Against the background of provincial port integration in China, provincial port groups have become critical market players in the port industry. It has become necessary to review the evolution of the port system in Chinese coastal regions from a provincial perspective. This paper investigates the evolution of the Chinese port system by treating eleven coastal provinces as the units of analysis. The port system is categorized into four segments according to cargo type, namely, containers, solid bulk cargo, general cargo and liquid bulk cargo. Multiple methods are applied to study the port system from the perspectives of market shares, cargo concentrations, the port hierarchy and port specialization. The findings suggest that no province holds a leading market position in all cargo sectors, and interprovincial port competition remains intense. The degree of specialization in the provincial port systems is generally moderate, though Hebei Province is an exception with a high level of port specialization due to its special geographical location. This paper also elaborates on several policy implications for provincial port groups.

Cellular Automata based Cryptography Model for Reliable Encryption Using State Transition in Wireless Network Optimizing Data Security

Authors propose a hardware based approach for reliable encryption in wireless network using Cellular Automata (CA). Distinct layers of encryption have been utilized in proposed model for enhancing data security. Transmitter and receiver modules are designed for performing state transition based encrypted activities. Transmitter module is required for capturing environmental turbulences (noise) from a specific geographical location and send encrypted signal to receiver module through wireless network. Receiver module analyses received signal after decryption for desired activities based on real time situations. Different hardware components are selected and compared based on market study targeting efficient construction of proposed modules. Time complexity and code break complexity are measured using different key lengths, keysets, and data sizes for proposed CA based encryption scheme achieving unique results in hardware based cryptography system. Encryption key length, index, and keyset are required for computing code break complexity in design model. Large data size is effectively managed to calculate protection ratio and reliability factor for realizing efficient protectiveness and accuracy. Comparative study between existing encryption technique and proposed CA based encryption technique is established based on time complexity and code break complexity.

DEVELOPMENT OF BIAK’S WAR TOURISM


 Background and Goals
 
 The Battle of Biak that took place in 1944 between the United States Army and the Japanese Army left the area of Biak in the Province of Papua with abundant remnants of war. Some years after the battle, the area became an international destination for war tourism with visitors especially originated from Japan. Tourists normally visited the battle zone for pilgrimage purposes and commemoration of the loved ones losing their lives in the battle. As time went by, Biak war tourism started to decline as pilgrimage trips to the area became rare. Special measurements should be made to help revitalize this historical zone. 
 
 
 Methods
 
 An exploratory study on Biak’s war tourism has been undertaken using a qualitative method which focused on ethnographic approach. The study adopted a perspective that tried to find out the underlying potentials of Biak’s war tourism which offered the historical battle fields in the war zone. In the study, some observations were made which includes mapping of battle fields, and bulks of war remnants—both secured and taken care of or left in situ. The researcher also made some in-depth interviews with the Japanese pilgrims to identify the motives of their visit, and with some local people which serve as curators, caretakers, or keepers of war remnant and descendants of local people who inherit the historical stories of what happened in the area.
 
 
 Expected Results/ Conclusion/ Contribution
 
 The result of the study suggested that the flow of Japanese pilgrim visits to Biak were unable to assure sustainable visit in terms of war tourism. That’s because the pilgrims were people who had close connection and was associated with the soldiers killed in the battle zone. They certainly had a deep intention of visiting the battle zone for sentimental reasons, and coupled with the wish to perform cultural ritual for respecting their beloved ancestor. As time passed, the descendants of the war casualties aged themselves and their younger generation does not have the same sentimental feeling with their elders towards the casualties of Biak War and therefore they had lower interest in making the pilgrimage to the battle zone and this led to a drastic decline of the battle zone visits. Meanwhile, potential tourists not associated with the war or the war zone do not come in a significantly big number. Yet, Biak still has the potentials to develop the tourism with a different approach and more aggressive marketing efforts which can grow potential travellers’ interest in tourism in general and Biak’s war tourism in particular. Both tangible (such as war remnants) and intangible (such as the rituals, festival, history) cultural heritages of the war zone can be smartly developed along with development of thanatourism and dark tourism naturally invented from the said historical war zone. Above all, owing to the special geographical location, Biak can be developed into a Pacific War Trail.

Cross-cultural Perspective of Ethnic Cultural Changes in Panxi Region of China

China's national cultural characteristics are diverse, and each national culture has its own characteristics and its own development history, which is a highlight of our country. However, in the wave of development of the times, the cultures of many ethnic minorities have gradually merged and degraded. The interaction among heterogeneous cultures is a common phenomenon in human society, and the exchange and collision of different regional cultures is an important factor for culture to thrive. This article is based on a cross-cultural perspective, combined with the special geographical location and diverse geographical environment of Panxi, China, and in-depth discussion, which is the process of cultural change of ethnic minorities in Panxi region of China. The ethnic culture of the Panxi region and the fascinating natural ecology complement each other, creating a unique place where the Tibetan, Qiang, Yi, Naxi, Lisu, and other diverse cultures converge in the ethnic minority areas of China. After the foundation of New China, the social system in Panxi region has undergone earth-shaking changes, and its national culture has undergone drastic changes. With the development of modernization, industrialization, and urbanization, the national culture of Panxi region of China has been constantly changing in the process of cross-cultural interaction, and new characteristics have continuously formed.

Applying value at risk and riskiness models to analyze the flood loss of transportation construction projects in Taiwan

ABSTRACT Because of Taiwan’s specific geographical location, disastrous weather phenomena such as typhoons, extreme rainfall, flooding, and regional flooding occur frequently, resulting in devastating casualties and property loss. The losses caused by flooding are NT$5.5 billion per year. This study used insurance claims data on flood damage in Taiwan’s transportation construction projects (from 1996 to 2007) as a sample space. Statistical actuarial model analysis was performed to normalize the loss factors, thereby enabling loss model testing and quantitative analysis of the normalized loss factors. To evaluate the risk in transportation construction, two models were separately applied in the analysis: the value at risk and riskiness models. The results may aid in estimating flooding damage losses in transportation construction projects.

Biogeographic structuring of benthic microbial communities influence the establishment of global bioindicators for coastal aquaculture impact monitoring

With an increasing demand for finfish from aquaculture, the importance of monitoring the impact of aquaculture installations on coastal ecosystems becomes more and more important. The traditional approach employs macroinvertebrates as bioindicators to assess the ecological quality (EQ) of near-field benthic ecosystem, which is costly and time consuming. Modern approaches using environmental DNA metabarcodes of microbial organisms (eukaryotes and prokaryotes) have shown to be a powerful alternative. It is crucial that the ecological quality determined by molecular bioindicator signatures mirrors the results of standard macroinvertebrate inventories. Previous studies looking for bioindicators of organic enrichment have so far only analyzed samples within a specific geographic location (e.g. one farm, farms from one country). To answer the question if there are global bioindicators (or core communities) across different biogeographic regions, we analyzed 328 samples from three salmon producing countries (Norway, New Zealand, Scotland) to find commonalities in bacterial and ciliate DNA metabarcodes communities within the same ecological quality groups. We used supervised machine learning (SML) to predict both country origin and ecological status for both bacterial and ciliate eDNA markers. We then investigated if prediction accuracy for ecological quality increases if the dataset is reduced to single-country or two-country subsets to eliminate country/region specific effects. Further, core communities including only cosmopolitan ASVs were tested to detect possible global bioindicators for each individual EQ class. Based on the obtained results, we discuss the potential of a globally applicable database and a global training of an SML algorithm to predict ecological quality in aquafarm sediments using eDNA metabarcodes from benthic bacterial and ciliate communities.

Is EBV Associated with Breast Cancer in Specific Geographic Locations?

Simple SummaryEpstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a virus that infects people and then remains within their bodies for life. Almost everyone is infected with EBV by the time they are an adult. EBV is called a cancer virus because it causes some cancers of blood cells and some cancers of the stomach and nose. Some scientists think that EBV may also cause some cases of breast cancer, but others disagree. It is difficult to be sure whether a pathogen that most people are infected with is the cause of any disease. Here, we review and discuss the evidence for and against the link between EBV and breast cancer and pose the questions that could help to answer whether EBV is a cause of breast cancer.Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a virus that establishes a life-long infection in people, and infection with EBV is nearly ubiquitous by adulthood. EBV was identified from biopsy material from a child with Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) in sub-Saharan Africa. EBV has a well-characterised role in the development of some cancers, notably, Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL), Hodgkin’s disease (HD), gastric carcinoma (GC), and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Links have also been made between EBV and breast cancer (BC), but these have been controversial. For all EBV-associated cancers, the ubiquitous nature of infection with EBV, contrasted with the relatively rare development of cancer, highlights a problem of determining whether EBV is an aetiological agent of cancer. In addition, the geographic distributions of some EBV-associated cancers point to contributions from additional co-factors. Recent meta-analyses of the incidence of EBV within BC biopsies has revealed that the diversity in the conclusions remain, however, they also show more of an association between EBV and BC biopsies in some study locations. Here, we review the evidence linking EBV with BC, and conclude that the evidence for the presence of EBV in BC biopsies is concentrated in specific geographic regions but is currently insufficient to provide a causal link. We pose some questions that could help to resolve the question of whether EBV contributes to BC and probe the contribution EBV might make to the aetiology of BC.

Angström-Prescott empirical model to estimate solar radiation in Norte de Santander, Colombia

The document shows the application of the empirical Angström-Prescott model in different places in Norte de Santander, Colombia. The model estimates solar radiation from hours of sunlight, at a site where brightness and solar radiation are measured. The data were obtained from the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, IDEAM; algorithms were developed in RStudio to process and analyze the information. The model establishes a linear relationship between solar radiation and the hours of sunlight, in a specific geographic location. Therefore, regression analyzes were performed for three different sites, using historical records of brightness and solar radiation, obtaining the R-squared coefficients of: 0.73, 0.78, and 0.42. The models were then extrapolated to nearby regions with solar brightness records, but without solar radiation data, to obtain an estimate of radiation at these locations. Finally, a database was created with monthly average information on solar radiation for various subregions of Norte de Santander, which can be used for the design and implementation of photovoltaic systems.

Earthquake Disaster Rescue Model Based on Complex Adaptive System Theory

China is located in the intersection area of two seismic zones. Due to this special geographical location, earthquake disasters occur frequently in China. Earthquake emergency rescue work is one of the key construction works of disaster prevention and mitigation in China. This paper mainly studies the earthquake disaster rescue model based on the complex adaptive system theory and establishes the earthquake disaster rescue model by analyzing the complex adaptive system theory and combining the earthquake rescue process. In this paper, through the task allocation mechanism task, the disaster rescue task is divided into simple task and complex task, and the executive task subject is divided into single task subject and multitask subject. On the basis of considering the shortest emergency rescue time goal and the goal of maximizing the deployment utility of rescue team, the reasonable deployment of a rescue team is realized through a complex adaptive system, that is, the deployment utility of the rescue team is maximized. In this paper, the simulation experiment and comparison of the earthquake disaster rescue model based on the complex adaptive system theory are carried out. The experimental results show that the model used in this paper is better than the other two models in terms of algorithm convergence, rescue number, and overall score; in different scenarios, the relative survival probability of the model in this paper is 58.92%, 67.85%, and 77.46%, and the proportion of the wounded rescued is 66.31%, 76.45%, and 83.06%, which were higher than those of the other two models. The earthquake disaster rescue model based on the complex adaptive system theory proposed in this paper provides an effective theoretical basis and method system for postdisaster emergency rescue decision making and enhances and improves the emergency response ability to deal with large-scale geological disaster events.

Soil physicochemical properties under eucalyptus tree species planted in alley maize cropping agroforestry practice in Decha Woreda, Kaffa zone, southwest Ethiopia

Different studies have shown that the effect of eucalyptus trees on soil physicochemical properties is variable, which indicates that more investigations that focus on different specific geographical locations and eucalyptus tree species are required. The objectives of this study was to evaluate the status of soil nutrients under four eucalyptus tree species planted in hedgerow system in comparison with that in its adjacent open land. To achieve these objectives, soil samples were taken from a soil depth of 0-20 cm from 15-20 spots by using auger and composited for respective treatments. Each soil samples analyzed at Teppi soil laboratory following standard procedures. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and treatments separation were made by using Least Significance Difference (LSD) at 95% probability level. The analysis result indicated that there were no significance differences between Eucalyptus tree species and its adjacent open land in the level of soil nutrients (total N, available P, pH, OM, soil moisture and OC) (p<0.05). The only significant difference recorded between Eucalyptus tree species and its adjacent open land in the level of sand percentage whereas non-significant difference was noticed between the treatments on the level of silt and clay percentage in the study. Finally, the results indicate that the eucalyptus tree species established in hedgerow system on clay soil in high rainfall area have no significant impact on soil physicochemical properties under short rotation period of the tree species.
 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 10(2): 7-14, December 2020

Analytical Framework for Homeowner-Focused Computational Cost-Benefit Mitigation Decision Making

As a result of increasing windstorm losses in the United States over the past 50 years, a variety of residential wind hazard mitigation strategies have been recommended. Wind hazard mitigation undoubtedly reduces windstorm losses; however, little customized information is available to support the economic decision-making process for individual stakeholders, especially at the consumer level. Therefore, there is a need for decision support tools to calculate, evaluate, and present the economic benefits of mitigation over variable decision-making time horizons for unique building characteristics in specific geographical locations. This paper presents a cost-benefit computational decision-making recommendation framework that evaluates and presents the cost effectiveness of mitigation, customized based on location, years of interest, and building characteristics. The decision-making framework consists of two cores. The user-independent core and user-dependent core which consists of eight steps, divided into four subprocesses: (1) data acquisition, (2) data evaluation, (3) cost-benefit calculation, and (4) results comparison and decision making. To demonstrate the framework, a wood-framed single-family home in light suburban terrain in Golden Meadow, Louisiana, is used as a case study, considering retrofit mitigation with a $15,000 budget and a decision-making time horizon of 30 years. The case study provides six mitigation options, with cost ranging between approximately $2,000 and $15,000 and net benefit/cost ratios ranging from 2.4 to 13. Once fully implemented in a decision making information tool, the developed mitigation recommendation framework will provide valuable information that can be used by home designers, builders, owners, and other stakeholders to better understand the economic facets of wind hazard mitigation, providing critical information as part of the overall decision-making process.

Wykorzystanie potencjału mikrobiomu środowiskowego w kryminalistyce

Biometrics is one of the basic detection techniques used in law enforcement activities on a daily basis. Like other techniques, it is constantly changing. This article aims to provide an overview of what was in the past, what is now, and what will be in the near future. It presents the selected methods of collecting some of the data, as well as the systems used to rocess them. In addition, practical guidance is provided on how individual biometric data should be collected and, for specific cases, it explains why the data collection procedure is carried out in one way and not another, and what it means for its subsequent processing. As problems sometimes arise during recovery of the material they have been presented together with an overview of the reasons for that. In addition to information on the technical aspects, the article also includes references to legal acts regulatingissues related to biometrics.

К вопросу о роли Спасо-Каменного монастыря в карательной политике Российского государства (XVI–XVII вв.)

The purpose of the article is to reveal causes and features of punitive practice of the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery in the pre-imperial period when there was a rapid separation of the state and church jurisdiction in various spheres of society. The article tries to define the most significant events which determined the inclusion of this monastery in the punitive policy of the state. Another task of the research is to determine the peculiarities of the exile to the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery at the early stage of its development. Due to its special geographical location, initially it was used for punitive purposes rarely and rather selectively. The complexity of the research work can be explained by the limited availability of the sources related for the period under consideration, which did not allow us to recreate a complete picture of the functioning of the prison premises and the everyday life of prisoners. It was possible to create a more detailed picture only by turning to the documents of the era of the regular state of Peter the Great. Therefore, the accent in the research was made first of all on generalization and analysis of the most striking and at the same time insufficiently studied facts of exile to the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery of various well-known persons, including Metropolitan Zosimus, Metropolitan Varlaam, Archbishop Arsenii, and Archimandrite Ivan Neronov, who played an important role in the history both of the church and of the state. The author analyzes the causes and conditions of exile in the context of the events of that time. The conclusion is made that the content of punitive functions of the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery was constantly changing. The basis for these changes was the desire of the grand-princely power to see the monastery as a supporter of the spread of its own influence. A peculiarity of the first stage in the punitive activity of the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery was the fact that representatives of the religious elite were exiled there. It was explained by special natural conditions and geopolitical location of the island monastery. Later this trend continued, but the contingent of exiles significantly expanded.

Intelligent Collaborative System Planning Of “City Cluster + Airport Group” In GBA

In February 2019, the Chinese government issued the outline of development planning for Guangdong-Hongkong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), which required all departments in all regions to implement it in combination with the actual situation. The implementation of the “one belt and one way” strategy is inseparable from Guangdong with special geographical location and special development orientation. The rapid development of Guangdong relies heavily on the coordinated development of “city cluster + airport group” in GBA. “City cluster + airport group” in GBA will serve as the two centers, and cooperate with each other to carry out the intelligent coordinated development of different industries and the same industries around the two centers.

Synthetic Cap Rate Indices (1991-Covid era)

We introduce a method that combines Euclidean distancing and OLS techniques to project synthetic capitalization rate indices (`SCXs') for metropolitan statistical areas in the US. SCXs are projected independently of market prices, asset specific characteristics and geographic location (ex-ante). In contrast to market cap rates, driven by geographic proximity and market comparables, our new method is driven by economic proximity. We find SCXs provide better forward guidance than market cap rates for: commercial real estate (`CRE') defaults, macroeconomic indicators, and future CRE values, before and during Covid. Our method establishes benchmark indices that connect CRE valuation to the macroeconomy.

РУССКИЙ ФОЛЬКЛОР В СИСТЕМЕ МАССОВОГО МУЗЫКАЛЬНОГО ВОСПИТАНИЯ ДЕТЕЙ В ДОРЕВОЛЮЦИОННОЙ РОССИИ (60–80-е годы XIX века)

The 60s — 80s of the XIXth century were the period of arousing interest in music pedagogy and awareness of the need to develop theoretical research for organizing musical education and upbringing of children in family and school, representing the first musical collections for children based on Russian folklore. The analytical base of the research (sources) are collections of folk song arrangements, created with a specific pedagogical purpose, both for special educational institutions and for students of mass schools. Its content allows to demonstrate the views of Russian teachers, music educators and composers on the use of Russian folklore in the system of mass musical education for children. The most important achievement of the studied period is the appearance of the first children's song collections with a realized scientific approach to the publication of folklore works for pedagogical purposes, in which authentic melodies are presented without accompaniment written by the composer, and the song texts are supplemented with information about specific geographical recording location and performers. Theoretical and practical experience of musical education gained in the second half of the XIXth century is very valuable for modern music pedagogical science and practice.

Research on criminal judicial assistance in the context of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area——A case study of combating cross-border money laundering in Macao

According to the 「Outline Development Plan for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area」, the relationship between Macao, Hong Kong and Guangdong Province is becoming closer and closer, and Macao SAR should integrate into the overall development of the country. Due to the special industrial structure and geographical location, the crime of cross-border money laundering in Macao SAR is very widespread, so the criminal judicial assistance has also been put on the agenda. The article will start from the legislative evolution and judicial status of money laundering in Macao and its neighboring areas, analyze the principles involved in the controversial issues in the process of exploring the dilemma of criminal judicial assistance, and demonstrate the feasibility of criminal judicial assistance in the context of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao from three dimensions of constitutional basis, existing legislative, legal basis and practical basis. Finally, on the premise of adhering to the principle of sovereignty and mutual respect, through expanding the case investigation system, strengthening the inter regional police cooperation and exchange mechanism, and promoting the signing of criminal judicial assistance agreements between different regions, we can seek to form a new mode of criminal judicial assistance in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao under the 「one country, two systems」.

TOURIST DESTINATION AS AN OBJECT OF RESEARCH OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

This article describes the basic concept of "tourist destination" in the tourism system, its content and essence, the definition given by various scholars, that destination is a geographical region with a certain attractiveness for tourists. The definitions of the concept of "destination" proposed by the authors in scientific sources are based on the division into four groups according to their important aspects: territorial, economic, social, administrative. While the assessment of the concept of "tourist destination" in the regional context is based primarily on the criterion of "dependence" on the specific geographical location of the region, economically tourist destination is considered as a specific destination for tourists and is considered an economic category. one is that there is a tourist demand.
 While the social aspect is the interpretation of a tourist destination as a specific socio-geographical place, it is conceived that any system is governed by forces of a natural nature as a subject of management that characterizes the concept of a tourist destination. The article also touches on the concept of "tourism industry" and the work on the development of tourism in Uzbekistan today.