People In Town Research Articles

Social Determinants of COVID-19 Pandemic Control: Participatory Learnings From Everyday Experiences in Cape Town, South Africa.

As countries adapted their disaster responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa responded with an alert-level risk approach based on epidemiological principles that impacted all societal levels. We explored the everyday experiences of people in Cape Town whose basic needs were met and who could report on the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic control. Gaining insight into their perspectives contributes to knowledge that can inform policies and practices for managing future public health crises. Community-Based Participatory Research principles guided the design and a series of facilitated dialogues with 18 research participants. The thematic analysis was deepened through two colloquiums with members of an overarching research consortium and a participant reflection workshop. The pandemic impacted individuals, their interpersonal relationships, workplaces and communities, leading to societal processes such as stigma, virtue signalling and the subversion of mandates. The public health response had mixed reactions, with useful information about preventive measures being diluted by COVID-19 denialism and fake news. Health and other authorities were frequently perceived as out of touch with, and unresponsive to, the everyday realities of local communities. Our study demonstrates the connectedness of people and the need to maintain and re-establish severed connections. A holistic approach to health care and promotion from social determinants of health and a community-engaged perspective may significantly increase the outcomes of public health responses. People with everyday experience of the COVID-19 pandemic-including community members, healthcare workers, case managers, carers and researchers-collaborated on the study design, interview schedule, data interpretation, analysis and refinement of this article.

A probational experiment on directing citizens of Vilnius to libraries and its preliminary results

A series of experiments on directing town people to libraries was carried out under the program of sociological-psychological research on the theme "The role of libraries in developing and satisfying professional and spiritual interests of young workers." Between October 1, 1981, and December 31, 1981, a test experiment was carried out in 23 departments of the Vilnius Central Library and its branches. Its purpose was to ascertain the importance of a newspaper announcement in the form of an invitation/information in directing young workers and other categories of readers to libraries. The total data accumulated over the experimental and pre-experimental control period (1980) covered 3,263 working days, 10,372 new readers (of whom 2,112 were workers), and 143,157 visits to the library. The preliminary results of the analysis of the general tendencies in the development of these processes have shown that the announcement had a practical impact in the communication system "Newspaper - reader - library." The announcement had particularly enhanced the dynamics of these processes: over the period of the experiment, the direction of workers to libraries increased by 8.49 percent, the number of new readers by 16.99 percent, and the number of visits to the library by 15.77 percent, as compared with the pre-experimental control period. Besides, the experiment has tested in practice and confirmed the correctness of the methodological conception underlying it as well as its technological model.

Proportion and factors influencing healthcare-seeking behavior among older people in Motta town, East Gojjam: a community-based cross-sectional study, Ethiopia, 2023

BackgroundIn resource-limited countries, older people who are at risk and face numerous health problems, often receive insufficient attention regarding their healthcare-seeking behavior. Assessing the proportion of healthcare-seeking behavior and associated factors among older people in Motta town, was the aim of the study.MethodA community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from April 22 to May 22, 2023. The study subjects were chosen using a systematic random sampling technique. To identify candidate variables for multivariable analysis, a bivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. Variables having a P-value of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.ResultsFrom the total, 161 (39.3%) of respondents had good healthcare-seeking behavior with 95% CI [35%, 44%]. Secondary school [AOR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.27, 5.68], Education college and above [AOR = 4.6, 95% CI = 2.27, 9.33], Family support during their illness [AOR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.05, 3.09], Members of CBHI [AOR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.21, 3.36], and presence of chronic illness [AOR = 2.55, 95%, CI = 1.64, 3.97] were significantly associated with good healthcare-seeking behavior.Conclusion and recommendationThis study found that good healthcare-seeking behavior among older people is significantly associated with higher education, strong family support, Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) membership, and chronic illnesses. Improving health literacy through education, strengthening family support systems, expanding CBHI participation for better healthcare access, and developing targeted chronic disease management programs to enhance this behavior is recommended. These strategies can collectively improve healthcare utilization and outcomes for older people.

Rethinking Trans Trajectories via Life History

This article provides a life history analysis of Pepa Moreno, a transgender individual from Puebla, Mexico. The life events that she narrated in the interview conducted at her home and business—her move out of street sex work and her start as a business and property owner—offer a glimpse into the intertwining of personal/familial history and the processes unfolding in the spaces of society and economy. The article employs a critical realist framework around identity, based on life history as method, setting the scene around major restructurings of economy that private property regimes, urban transformation, morphing class realities, and capital investment (under neoliberalism) effected over her life: from adolescence into middle age. These transformations conjugate with changes across Pepa's own trajectory; key here are the meanings of “legitimate” work and moral worth that lie at the heart of the moral-legal economies that trans people in town, especially of working-class backgrounds, must confront. Labor status and class deeply intersect with a remaking of herself, which culminates with her naming herself as transgender once she has established herself as property owner and businessperson. However, even while invoking this category, she does not use it in line with the activist and sexological discourses that arose from the late 1990s on in Mexico City and which became prominent in Puebla in the early 2000s. The article thus maps the changing positions—and positionalities—of Pepa, examining the dialectics between lived experience and social structure, and the spaces of agency achieved through identity work.

The seroprevalence of antibodies to Japanese encephalitis virus in five New South Wales towns at high risk of infection, 2022: a cross-sectional serosurvey.

To determine the proportion of people in New South Wales towns at high risk of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infections during the 2022 outbreak; to identify risk factors for JEV infection. Cross-sectional serosurvey study of the seroprevalence of JEV-specific antibodies in NSW. Convenience sample of people (all ages) from five regional NSW towns deemed to be at high risk of JEV infections after first outbreak of Japanese encephalitis in southeastern Australia in early 2022 (Balranald, Corowa, Dubbo, Griffith, Temora), 21 June - 22 July 2022. Proportion of people seropositive for JEV total antibody, assayed by defined epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; prevalence odds ratios for exposure risk factors and protective behaviours. Eighty of 917 eligible participants (559 girls or women, 61%; 42 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 4.6%; median age, 52 years [IQR, 37-62 years]) were seropositive for JEV-specific total antibody (8.7%); the median age of seropositive people was 61 years (IQR, 48-70 years). The seropositivity proportion was largest for people aged 65 years or more (30 of 192; weighted proportion, 13.7%) and larger for male than female participants (30 of 358, 10.6% v 50 of 559, 7.5%). Five of 42 samples from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants were seropositive (12%). We found mixed associations with a range of potential risk factors. We found evidence for a substantial number of JEV infections in five regional NSW towns during a single arbovirus season in 2022. Public health responses, including effective surveillance, vaccination against JEV, and mosquito management, are critical for controlling outbreaks. Promoting behaviours that reduce exposure to mosquitoes is a core component of prevention, particularly when the vaccine supply is limited.

Movers, returners and stayers: the role of place in shaping the (im)mobility aspirations of young people in coastal towns

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the role of place in shaping the (im)mobility aspirations of young people in coastal towns. In the Global North, youth mobility has become a normalised part of the journey to higher education and ‘cosmopolitan’ adulthood. However, we argue that this is only part of the story for young people in coastal towns in England. Many of these coastal towns now face persistent socio-economic and infrastructural challenges. Against this backdrop, many coastal youth feel that they are marginalised within their towns, and that the town itself is on the margins - culturally, economically, and geographically. This sense of marginality simultaneously propels youth out-migration and stigmatises those that stay behind. The stigma associated with staying overlooks the fact that some young people do not aspire to be mobile, preferring instead to stay because of their familial, social, and place-based attachments. To make this argument, we draw on qualitative data we co-produced with young people in two coastal towns in North East Lincolnshire. In these data we identified three types of mobility narratives (Movers, Returners and Stayers) that help us to contribute to the existing literature on youth (im)mobility aspirations and place-based sociology of youth.

PENGARUH KEBERADAAN KAMPUS UNIVERSITAS ISLAM AN NUR LAMPUNG TERHADAP KONDISI EKONOMI MASYARAKAT DESA SIDOHARJO DALAM PRESPEKTIF EKONOMI SYARIAH

The point of this examination is to decide the impact of the presence of A Nur Lampung Islamic College on the monetary states of the encompassing local area. The Impact of the Presence of A Nur Lampung Islamic College on the Financial States of the Sidoharjo Town People group in a Sharia Monetary Viewpoint (Contextual investigation of the Sidoharjo Town People group, Jatiagung Locale, South Lampung Rule). The strategy utilized in this exploration is a quantitative examination technique. The number of inhabitants in this study were occupants of Sidoharjo Town who had the situation with Head of Family. Corresponding arbitrary examining method. The example in this study was 25 heads of families spread across two villas in Sidoharjo Town. The information utilized is information on the quantity of family heads (KK) in every villa. The assortment strategy is as documentation and surveys. The information was handled and dissected utilizing the cross organization information examination strategy (crosstab). The exploration results show that the presence of the A Nur Lampung Islamic College grounds for the most part emphatically affects new financial development. In light of the presence of the A Nur Lampung Islamic College people group, financial circumstances should be visible from the synchronous cost assurance coefficient r table. The consequences of the examination acquired a rtable cost of 0.511. In this manner, it shows that the presence of A Nur Lampung Islamic College impacts financial circumstancesWatchwords: Islamic Economics¸ Social Circumstances, College

How town people help village people and village people help town people: a report from the Gulf Province

How town people help village people and village people help town people: a report from the Gulf Province

“Ghost city” or habitable city? The production and transformation of space in China's new towns

China's new town and ghost city phenomenon has attracted interest from academics and the media since the 2010s. There is, however, little research on the lived experiences of people in new towns, or of the transformation of these new towns. This paper uses Lefebvre's spatial triad to examine how the spaces of the new town are produced and transformed by interactions between multiple actors. Using an analytical framework based on the spatial triad, we explore the interactive mechanisms and the dialectical relationships within the triad. Taking Kangbashi, a new town in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, as a case study, we explore how the spatial production of a new town is co-created by multiple actors, and local government-led conceived space plays a dominant role in that creation. Through interactions in the dynamic nexus of conceived-perceived-lived space, the new town space is in the process of transformation from an empty “ghost city” to a comfortable habitable city. This research deepens our understanding of new towns and production of space by connecting state-led and capital-driven urban construction with the lived practices of residents. Moreover, this empirical Chinese study contributes to knowledge and understanding across diverse global urban contexts.

Research on the Design of Public Space for Social Interaction of Young People in Small Towns

The purpose of this paper is to study the design of public space for the social interaction of young people in small towns, so as to further understand their social needs and create a better social environment. With the disappearance of demographic dividend, the value of talents becomes increasingly prominent. The development trend of labor-intensive industries has shifted to focus on high-tech industries, and small-town youth refers to young people living in smaller towns or rural areas, who usually face limited social places and resources. Therefore, this study will focus on analyzing the social behaviors and needs of young people in small towns, and exploring the influence and acceptance of different types of public space design on them. Through case study, interview and field observation, this paper tries to provide targeted public space design ideas for small town communities and create an environment that meets the social needs of young people in small towns, so as to enhance the self-identity and sense of belonging of young talents and alleviate the psychological and social problems of "lying flat" young people.

Reversed urban-rural gradient in COVID-19 seroprevalence and related factors in a nationally representative survey, Poland, 29 March to 14 May 2021.

BackgroundWe anticipated that people in rural areas and small towns with lower population density, lower connectivity and jobs less dependent on social interaction will be less exposed to COVID-19. Still, other variables correlated with socioeconomic inequalities may have a greater impact on transmission.AimWe investigated how COVID-19 affected rural and urban communities in Poland, focussing on the most exposed groups and disparities in SARS-CoV-2 transmission.MethodsA random digit dial sample of Polish adults stratified by region and age was drawn from 29 March to 14 May 2021. Serum samples were tested for anti-S1 and anti-N IgG antibodies, and positive results in both assays were considered indicative of past infection. Seroprevalence estimates were weighted to account for non-response. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) were calculated using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsThere was serological evidence of infection in 32.2% (95% CI: 30.2-34.4) of adults in rural areas/small towns (< 50,000 population) and 26.6% (95% CI: 24.9-28.3) in larger cities. Regional SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence ranged from 23.4% (95% CI: 18.3-29.5) to 41.0% (95% CI: 33.5-49.0) and was moderately positively correlated (R = 0.588; p = 0.017; n = 16) with the proportion of respondents living in rural areas or small cities. Upon multivariable adjustment, both men (AOR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.09-2.35) and women (AOR = 2.26; 95% CI: 1.58-3.21) from these areas were more likely to be seropositive than residents of larger cities.ConclusionsWe found an inverse urban-rural gradient of SARS-CoV-2 infections during early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland and suggest that vulnerabilities of populations living in rural areas need to be addressed.

New town development and housing affordability: A case study in Hong Kong

New towns and housing affordability are the hot topics among city planners, urban researchers, policymakers, and economists in recent years. Yet, whether the existing new town development could mitigate the problem of housing affordability for low-income people is understudied. To fill this important knowledge blank and research gap, this study selects Hong Kong to conduct the empirical analysis. Through examining the data from multiple sources such as Census statistics from the Hong Kong government, market-rate housing transaction records, and private housing transactions from the property agents’ website, we found that new town development mitigates the problems of housing affordability in Hong Kong in general but not for low-income tenants in particular. The low-income people in new towns pay more for living in unsubsidized affordable housing/subdivided units as their last shelters. As more new towns will be developed in the upcoming years, the results also found that the announcement of new development areas increases the housing rent rate by 9.4% in the new development areas. We suggest that the priority of the newly built subsidized housing in the new development areas should be allocated to the local/indigenous low-income people; otherwise, the housing affordability of low-income people may repeat the same pattern associated with the past new towns’ development.

Application of SWAT and WEAP Models for Sustainable Management of Water Resources in the Two Rivers Dam Catchment, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Kaptagat Forest, the main source of the Ellegerini River, which feeds the Ellegerini Dam and Two Rivers Dam, is under threat of extinction due to human activity. The Two Rivers Dam catchment that has over the years been a source of water in Uasin Gishu County is slowly depleting and urgent measures are required to restore it. Activities including commercial logging, charcoal burning and firewood harvesting have exerted a lot of pressure on the catchment, posing a great threat to the livelihoods of the people of Eldoret town who depend on the reservoirs for water supply. The main objective of this study was to customise SWAT and WEAP models for the sustainable management of water resources in the Two Rivers Dam catchment. The specific objectives were to set up and apply the SWAT model to generate simulated river flows draining to the Two Rivers and Ellegerini Reservoirs as an input to the WEAP model to determine the impact of land use change on the hydrological function of the Two Rivers Dam catchment, to set up, calibrate and validate a WEAP model for the Two Rivers Dam catchment and to apply the WEAP model in analyses of various management and infrastructural development projects scenarios to enhance river flow and water storage in the Two Rivers and Ellegerini Reservoirs. The goodness of fit SWAT model statistical evaluation indices attained during the calibration period was R2 = 0.854, NSE = 0.822 and Bias = 0.392. Additionally, for the validation period, the R2 = 0.786, NSE = 0.815 and Bias = 0.381. The modelled results indicate that the land use change resulted in decreased baseflow and increased surface runoff hence the high fluctuations of water levels in the Two Rivers and Ellegerini reservoirs. The WEAP model results for actual and simulated water demand in the calibration period of 2019, the R2 = 0.88, while during the validation period in the year 2020, the R2 = 0.85. The results of the model simulation indicated that the management option that had the most impact on all the scenarios was the reduction of unaccounted-for water, while the one with the least impact was increased water use efficiency. It was concluded that the models were able to simulate the observed conditions reasonably well and can therefore be used to effectively manage water resources and assist the relevant stakeholders in decision-making. The study recommended that forested areas need to be properly conserved in order to restore the hydrological function of the catchment.

Alter-Narrativity and Ecofeminism in the Mythical Account of Sogidi Lake in Awe, Oyo, Nigeria

ABSTRACT Before modernity, oral narratives were an invaluable means of solving ecological challenges, of which the woman’s image was an integral part. Existing studies on mythical stories among Yoruba people of Western Nigeria focus on cultural realities that underscore the socio-historical experiences of the people. Still, little attention has been paid to the ecofeminist experiences foregrounded in the Sogidi Lake as a mythical, alter-narrative text. This study, therefore, examines the myth as an alter-narrative to ecological conservation, which conveys the cultural practices and taboos of the Awe people in Oyo town that serve as protective measures against climate change and human-induced disruption of the eco-tourist site. The study adopted the Ecofeminist Theory to examine ecological and gender issues foregrounded in the mythical narrative. The selected narrative was tape-recorded, translated and subjected to close literary analysis. Also, literary devices such as narratological strategies, symbolisms, characterisation, and poetic devices are evident in Sogidi Lake.

The Causes and Origins of the Ekiiti-Paraapo War

The Ekiiti-Paraapo War, also known as the Kiriji War, was a 16-year civil war that split the Yoruba people into two subethnic kingdoms: the Western Yoruba, which included primarily the Ibadan and Oyo-speaking Yorubas, and the Eastern Yoruba, which included the Ekiti people, the Ijesha people, the Ijebu people, and others. The study examines Ajele's leadership, the root causes of the Ekiti-Parapo War, both immediate and distant, and the strategies used by the War Chiefs. The analysis also demonstrates that Imesi-Ile served as the Civil War's focal point. Many primary and secondary sources, including books, journal articles, and other scholarly publications that are pertinent to the topic are widely consulted in this study. It also gains from the vast knowledge and wisdom of old leaders and intellectuals in the Ekiti region. According to the study's findings, the effects of the conflict caused a concentration of Yoruba people in numerous cities and towns in Yorubaland, many of which are still standing today.

Ming Yun (Destiny) by Cai Chongda

Reviewed by: Ming Yun (Destiny) by Cai Chongda Guo Jie CAI CHONGDA Ming Yun (Destiny) Hangzhou. Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House. 2022. 380 pages. MING YUN (DESTINY) is a novel that follows Cai Chongda's Pi Nang (Vessel: A Memoir), which familiarizes readers with Atai, who is also the protagonist of Destiny. Based on the life experience of this extraordinary woman, Destiny makes use of the ninetynine-year-old Atai's memories to connect the life stories, life choices, and vicissitudes of the times to several generations of people in coastal towns in southern Fujian Province in China. The construction of "home" in Destiny is particularly touching. At the age of fifteen, Atai is predicted to die without children and grandchildren. To rewrite her destiny, she makes all the efforts that a woman could undertake, including getting married, trying to give birth to a child, adopting children, fighting against a difficult and impermanent life, and writing her own life into a "symphony of destiny." After her original hope fails, three homeless children from all over the world adopted by Atai help establish "home" another way. This kind of strong tie, not based on blood relationship, breaks the traditional definition of "home." Compared with the destiny hanging over everyone, home, as an undercurrent hidden under the text, gives people the courage to look ahead and the confidence to face destiny calmly. Most of the gods in southern Fujian were originally humanized. When an individual bears great suffering, he/she can be regarded as a god. This book is characterized by a secular writing of the gods. The gods are not mysterious masters of fate but are endowed with human characteristics, who love beauty, bicker, fight in chaos, and part in reluctance. The temples where the gods are located are not places of pilgrimage but warm daily spaces, highlighting the close position of the gods in people's hearts: they hide in every individual's heart as a belief and even precipitate into a collective unconsciousness. The gods are both the patrons and accompaniers of mankind. Atai not only worships the gods, asks them for help, but also dares to quarrel with them. This kind of goodwill and unyielding spirit support the unique philosophy of survival in South Fujian—to rise from impermanence. When the story of Atai comes to an end, death becomes her close, old friend. She finally becomes the mother of her own destiny. When the old woman who has waded across the river of destiny smiles to readers so warmly, she must have a lot of tenacity in her life. Perhaps exploration, confrontation, and reconciliation in tenacity are an important part of destiny. Guo Jie Nanjing Normal University Copyright © 2023 World Literature Today and the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma

Never stop working to improve

Jerrid P. Freeman, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, remembered doubting he was cut out for the college environment. “I'm a farm kid. I grew up in a small town in Nebraska — there were a whopping 1,000 people in my town,” he said. “It was one of those things where college was just not on my radar.”

The best colleges for adult learners never stop working to improve

“I'm a farm kid. I grew up in a small town in Nebraska — there were a whopping 1,000 people in my town,” Jerrid P. Freeman, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, said. “It was one of those things where college was just not on my radar.” Freeman pursued his undergraduate degree at the University of Nebraska at Kearney while playing sports and came to love the higher education environment, going on to earn his master's and doctorate.

Aplikasi Pencarian Hotel di Kota Jakarta Berbasis Android dengan Metode Location Based Service (LBS) Menggunakan Android Studio

The hotel is a resort for Jakarta and out of town people. Not all hotel locations are known to the public. Both in Jakarta city and out of city. This is due to the lack of information about hotels in Depok City. In order to be able to quickly provide information that can be used anytime, anywhere, it is necessary to advance and develop the times, such as the use of today's technology. B. Using an Android-based smartphone application to help a member of the public find a location and find a route to his Hotel of interest. Jakarta city. The waterfall process model is adopted as a research method. The hotel search application implementation uses JavaScript programming using Android Studio, location-based services, and maps sourced from the Google Maps API. The results of the survey are provided in the form of an Android-based hotel locator application in Jakarta city, allowing residents inside and outside Jakarta to find information about hotels and easily route from the user's location to the desired hotel in Jakarta. You will be able to obtain Cities with the help of GPS.

The best colleges for adult learners never stop working to improve

“I'm a farm kid. I grew up in a small town in Nebraska — there were a whopping 1,000 people in my town,” said Jerrid P. Freeman, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. “It was one of those things where college was just not on my radar.” Freeman pursued his undergraduate degree at the University of Nebraska at Kearney while playing sports, and came to love the higher education environment, going on to earn his master's and doctorate.