Vital Places Research Articles

The loss of rural vital places: A case study using the social determinants of health framework

Healthy food sources, recreational facilities, and social spaces serve as vital places for supporting health. Less is known about what happens when vital places are lost, especially in rural contexts that have experienced disinvestment and population decline. In this paper we use a case study of a small rural community in Pennsylvania that lost a substantial share of its vital places over a short period of time to explore the experiences of local residents. Using qualitative interviews with 26 local residents we show that the loss of vital places, which are part of the neighborhood and built environment, intersected with other social determinants of health with potential consequences for health and well-being. This was often because vital places were essential (i.e., few or no alternatives existed) and multifunctional (i.e., supporting health through multiple behavioral and social mechanisms). Examining experiences of local residents following the loss of vital places through a social determinants of health lens helps to identify consequences and inform adaptation strategies. We also use the findings to refine the vital places framework for rural contexts.

Basic Conditions for Support of Young Carers in School: A Secondary Analysis of the Perspectives of Young Carers, Parents, Teachers, and Counselors.

Young carers face a variety of challenges at school. While schools can be vital places of support, the assistance they receive at school often seems selective and fails to consider the unique life situations of individual students. This paper examines the perspective of multiple actors in the student's school environment and explores how schools can develop comprehensive, sustainable support systems for young carers-systems that consider and involve as many actors as possible in the student's school environment. In a secondary analysis of two interview studies, we analyzed how young carers as well as their parents, teachers, and school counsellors perceived the school support the carers received. We then developed an integrated model that incorporates these differing perspectives. The model offers an approach for implementing low-threshold support for young carers within existing school structures in relation to their family situation and outlines conditions that can support both recognized and "invisible" young carers, as well as other students.

Reimagining Pathways Into Culture and Creative Industries in the City of Seattle

In view that Culture and Creative Industries (CCI) are multi-sector, emergent, and complex, this paper couples the theoretical perspective of Margaret Archer’s Morphogenetic Approach with Adam Kahane’s Tansformative Scenario Planning (TSP) as its strategic framework to discover, articulate, and connect cross-sector (community-based organizations, industry, government, and education) CCI efforts. This study has sought to understand how and in what ways the actions found in the creative sector can be leveraged to enhance participation and ameliorate the outputs of socio-economic efforts across the full spectrum of the greater Seattle region. Thus, though this example it contributes to the creation of vital places of public welfare, where public frameworks and policies nurture accessibility and participate in connected culture and creative ecology.

Research on the Present Situation and Cultivation Strategy of Children's Social Communication Ability from the Perspective of Family-Kindergarten Coeducation

Family and kindergarten are the most vital places for children's life and education. Only by implementing family-kindergarten coeducation can we create a better growing environment for children and empower their peer communication. This study found three main problems, including children's poor peer communication ability, parents' insufficient sense of responsibility, and the severely limited development of family-kindergarten coeducation. Based on the above problems, this study puts forward that teachers should conduct targeted guidance according to the social communication needs of children in different age classes. Parents should improve their educational awareness and scientifically guide children to establish correct communication concepts. Meanwhile, kindergarten takes a dual approach to break through the communication barriers of family-kindergarten coeducation.

ANALISIS TEBAL PERKERASAN LENTUR JALAN DENGAN METODE BINA MARGA

The Tasikmalaya-Karangnunggal road section is one of the roads in Tasikmalaya Regency which is included in the category of provincial road status, the road section is located in the Cibalong-Parungponteng sub-district with a road length of 21,750 Kilometers, a road width of 6.5 meters, and a road shoulder of 2.5 meters. In general, the Tasikmalaya-Karangnunggal road section is in good condition, but at several points damage was found, either with potholes or bumps.As one of the roads that connect vital places, for example in shopping centers, education centers and other activities.With a high intensity of traffic flow and a large traffic load, it must be balanced with good road pavementIn this study the Bina Marga Method Pd T-01-2002-B was used to find the thickness of the flexible pavement. The data needed in finding the thickness of the flexible pavement is in the form of primary data obtained from direct field observations and secondary data obtained from the Department of Highways, Tasikmalaya Regency. The result of a flexible pavement with a design life of 20 years, with traffic growth of 5%, based on the Bina Marga Method Pd T-01-2002-B obtained 3,153,688,757.75Iss/Lajur/UR, the surface layer thickness of AC-WC was 4 cm, AC-BC 6 cm, class A aggregate was 15 cm, and class B aggregate was 26 cm .

Working freedom: Black farmers building industrious landscapes in Maryland, 1814-1880

This article studies the industrious strategies that Black farmers in Maryland’s Piedmont pursued before and after the Civil War and the resultant landscapes they created. An examination of antebellum landholdings, demographic patterns, and agricultural production trends demonstrate how free Black farmers leveraged ‘next to nothing’ to provide the foundations of the county’s Black industrious landscapes. In the years immediately following emancipation, additional Black land acquisitions had an importance that was out of scale to their relative paucity: an individual farm could help establish a new settlement. Analysis of agricultural census data, along with investigations of small-scale landscape features such as outbuildings, gardens, and orchards, shows how expanded household production remained a key strategy in the 1870s and 1880s. Black industriousness shaped homesteads, farms, and villages, and Black farming families created distinctive landscapes that endured well into the twentieth century. By embracing the industrious revolution, Black farmers established places of sanctuary and opportunity, in the midst of white hostility. Though these vital places have nearly disappeared from modern maps, Maryland’s Black industrious landscapes matter because they reveal Black farmers were responsible for extending the industrious revolution as it began to fade in other places and for other groups.

Exploring the Science of Marma - An Ancient Healing Technique: Marma Therapy

Marma Science, an extraordinary gem in the vast treasure of Ayurvedic knowledge, represents the science of specific vital places in the body (Marmas), that are the ‘seats of life’ (Prana - the vital life force). As any injury to these parts may lead to severe pain, disability, loss of function, loss of sensation, or death, therefore, they hold an important place in the science of surgery. The ancient scriptures have strictly prohibited causing any injury to the Marmas. However, recent researches have used Marma stimulation for theraputic benefits, with encouraging outcomes. Looking at these mutually conflicting, important applications of Marma Science, the present study was undertaken for its in-depth analysis. Previously, we have explored different aspects of Marma Science in ancient and classical Indian scriptures. In addition, our other study have provided detailed description of the number of Marmas, their location, structures involved, classification, effect of trauma, etc., as per classical texts, as well as correlation with modern science. Previously, we also published its use in Yoga and other ancient Indian traditions, both as a therapeutic technique, as well as for self-defense and inflicting injury on the opponents. The present article explored its application as a therapeutic procedure (Marma Therapy). Different methods of Marma stimulation have been compiled. Therapeutic classification and applications of Marmas have been listed, and several research studies on Marma Therapy have been presented. Several mechanisms for the mode of action of Marma Therapy have been discussed. It is concluded that Marma Science holds significant promise as an effective therapeutic procedure.

A New Surveillance and Security Alert System Based on Real-Time Motion Detection

Due to the frequent and widespread instances of burglary, effective and accurate intrusion detection with an alarm system is now necessary. In this study, the proposed system is used for secret and vital places that need a good monitoring system based on human motion detection. The system can protect museums that contain critical historical objects and libraries with old historical books. The security alert system is also essential to the protection of banks. The system uses a two-frame difference algorithm and a simple background modeling algorithm for motion detection with the help of AForge.NET. Whenever the system detects motion, it interprets the frames of motion to determine humans by using YOLO. The security alert system activates the alerts whenever it detects human motion, like sending an email to an authorized person, triggering the LED alert and sound alert, recording a video of that place, taking a motion picture, and saving it within the databases. The system has the advantages of low cost, a user-friendly interface, and high security. The system was thoroughly tested to detect human movement in unauthorized areas. The system successfully detected human activity indoors and outdoors and activated the alarms. Also, the system could detect human movement in all four directions and alert observers directly at the time of the incident. In low light or minimum illumination, the system can determine human motion. The evaluation results showed that the system's accuracy in detecting human movement was 95%, which shows that the system is able to protect vital and secret places and can successfully monitor areas.

The design and renovation for urban pocket park based on biophilic concept——A case of Larkin Street Park, Sydney, Australia

Urban parks are vital places for the protection of urban biodiversity and the environment, and their design and ethos are also relevant to the quality of life and human well-being in urban areas. With the development of cities and the improvement of the living standards of the people, some existing parks and open spaces have been unable to meet people's various needs for urban living environment, so the redesign and renovation of urban parks and open spaces has become a topical issue in the fields of architecture and urban planning. This study selected an urban pocket park in Sydney, Australia, as a case to explore a new approach to designing urban spaces – introducing biophilic concepts to address practical development needs. The case study also demonstrates the great potential and possibilities of biophilic concepts in improving the quality and appropriateness of urban spaces and environments. In addition, this study attempts to integrate the biophilic concept with the design and renovation of existing urban pocket parks and explore the characteristics and feasibility of the concept in terms of different functional areas and details. The significance of this study is not only to test the possibility of combining biophilic theory with urban spatial planning principles, but also to provide practical experience and suggestions for future construction and development of designs that are dominated or inspired by natural elements.

Least Cost Automation Based Wireless Sensor Networks in Multi Node with Multi Process Data Clustering for Vehicle Rim Manufacturing Industries

The least cost automation is a highly challengeable in manufacturing industrial sectors because of several processes takes vital places in manufacturing industries. In present scenario most of the industries are followed by the wired communication between one machine to another for the sequential operation for the production unit. Some of the industries are switch over to wireless communication mode in partially, that also causes to more expensive to develop the automation in industries. This paper look into that the implement of least cost various process automation for industrial environment in machine to machine interfacing efficiently with collection of sensor nodes are communicate with wireless principle. The dynamic manufacturing industries are anticipated to increase their productivity and efficiency with zero defect and errors; this will lead by least cost automation with industrial wireless sensor networks. Wireless Sensor Networks make available information for data in different machines under sequential process in industrial ambience. The least cost wireless sensor nodes are capable of monitoring physical variants like pressure, temperature, force, vibration and luminosity. The lowest cost WSN based automation involved in industrial environment focus to increase the entire quality of services for the factory automation.

Exploring the Science of Marma - An Ancient Healing Technique: Marma in Yoga and Other Ancient Indian Traditions

Marma Science is an extremely important branch of Ayurveda. Marma points are important vital places in the body, that are the ‘seats of life’ (Prana - the vital life force). As any injury to these parts may lead to severe pain, disability, loss of function, loss of sensation, or death, therefore, they hold an important place in the science of surgery, wherein they are considered ‘Shalya Vishayardha’ (half of the entire science of surgery). The ancient scriptures have strictly directed against causing any injury to these vital spots. However, recent research have attempted the stimulation of Marma points for therapeutic benefits, with encouraging outcomes. In view of these mutually conflicting, importance applications of Marma Science, the present study was undertaken for its in-depth study. Part-1 of this study presented information about different aspects of Marma Science in various ancient / classical Indian scriptures. Part-2 gave a detailed description of the number of marmas, their location, structures involved, classification, the effect of trauma, etc., as per classical texts, as well as correlation with modern science. The present article, which is part-3 of this study, explores the use of Marma Science in Yoga and other ancient Indian traditions. It is observed that various Yogic practices had been devised with the primary aim of stimulating specific Marma points, with important healing applications. Several ancient Indian traditions used Marma Science both as a martial art for self-defense and inflicting injury on the opponents, and as a therapeutic technique for healing purposes.

Exploring metro vibrancy and its relationship with built environment: a cross-city comparison using multi-source urban data

ABSTRACT Recent urban transformations have led to critical reflections on the blighted urban infrastructures and called for re-stimulating vital urban places. Especially, the metro has been recognized as the backbone infrastructure for urban mobility and the associated economy agglomeration. To date, limited research has been devoted to investigating the relationship between metro vitality and built environment in mega-cities empirically. This paper presents a multisource urban data-driven approach to quantify the metro vibrancy and its association with the underlying built environment. Massive smart card data is processed to extract metro ridership, which denotes the vibrancy around the metro station in physical space. Social media check-ins are crawled to measure the vitality of metros in virtual spaces. Both physical and virtual vibrancy are integrated into a holistic metro vibrancy metric using an entropy-based weighting method. Certain built environment characteristics, including land use, transportation and buildings are modeled as independent variables. The significant influences of built environmental factors on the metro vibrancy are unraveled using the ordinary least square regression and the spatial lag model. With experiments conducted in Shenzhen, Singapore and London, this study comes up with a conclusion that spatial distributions of metro vibrancy metrics in three cities are spatially autocorrelated. The regression analysis suggests that in all the three cities, more affluent urban areas tend to have higher metro virbrancy, while the road density, land use and buildings tend to impact metro vibrancy in only one or two cities. These results demonstrate the relationship between the metro vibrancy and built environment is affected by complex urban contexts. These findings help us to understand metro vibrancy thus make proper policy to re-stimulate the important metro infrastructure in the future.

The Place in Zahir Al-jizani’s Poetry

Building the narrative space of the place is one of the technical elements that contribute to the integration of the narrative text, and it is the general framework - in addition to the time - in which the events take place. Personalities are depicted through and must exist within certain place and time. The place is the necessary companion of time in a sense that two are essential components of technique in the narrative structure. The place is the space in which elements of narration are met. After studying the construction of the narrative space in the poetry of al-Jizani, the researcher recognizes a large presence of natural and public space. The researcher also notices that the natural place is not a general framework in which events take place only. Rather, it carries deep connotations that benefit the general meaning of the text. Furthermore, the public place is mentioned abundantly, especially the vital places that bustle with the population movement such as cities, markets, cafes. This indicates the poet’s realism and his integration into society.

Work, Life, and Identity Negotiation in a Foreign Land: A Study of Taiwanese Working Holiday Makers in Belgium

This study examined the living and working experiences of 14 Taiwanese working holiday makers (WHMs) in Belgium as they negotiate their identity and social lives while they live overseas, using both participant observation and semi-structured interviews. The study demonstrates that the low salary level and high work pressure in Taiwan are two of the major factors pushing these young Taiwanese to leave their homeland and work overseas. However, the majority of these Taiwanese WHMs face difficulties in speaking Belgium’s local languages, and their opportunities for work are further limited by the temporary visa regulations. Workplaces run by mainland Chinese, especially in the hospitality industry, have become vital places for Taiwanese WHMs to negotiate their ethnonational identity. Although they only have limited social lives and networks in the host society, they claim that they have developed intercultural competences and a greater open-mindedness by living in the multicultural and international environments of Brussels or other Belgian cities.

Could This Be the End of Schools as We Know Them? Another Way Is Needed

The crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic opens an opportunity to reconsider fundamental questions about education and society, and to remake schools as more vital, life-enhancing, humane and creative places dedicated to benefitting the child rather than fitting the child to the system. What is education's purpose? What are the best learning environments for our children and young people? How should we understand equity in relation to our education system?

From green spaces to vital places: connection and expression in urban greening

ABSTRACT Urban greening, the improvement or increase of green spaces in cities, has purported environmental, individual, social and cultural benefits. The extent and qualities of urban green spaces, and our opportunities to engage with them, reflect and shape human responses to those spaces. Planning scholars recognise the traditional role and obligation of planning to help reduce social problems and see the potential for the public to be leaders in defining responses. However, use of technical, scientific and economic approaches by urban land managers can limit recognition of diverse connections to urban green and advance narrow conceptions of nature. We sample people’s responses to different forms of urban green and greening in three case studies from Melbourne, Australia. We show that modern connections and expressions are personal, social and dynamic. Human experiences are embedded in nature and connections develop from interactions with and about nature, in formal and informal spaces. Diverse connections prompt responses to nature, and actions affecting nature itself. Accordingly, we propose ways to develop more receptive, responsive, inclusive and connected forms of urban greening. These include recognising diverse connections and expressions, encouraging dynamic relationships with nature, and providing varied ways of engaging with urban green spaces that foster stewardship.

Effect of elevated temperatures on properties of sustainable concrete composites incorporating waste metalized plastic fibres

The utilisation of industrial waste in the production of sustainable construction materials has attracted much attention recently due to the saving of vital places for landfills, low-cost of waste materials and also an improvement in the concrete properties. Exposing concrete structures to elevated temperatures causes progressive failure of the macro- and micro-structures of cement paste and, therefore, severe deterioration and damages in the load-bearing capacity. This study explored the effect of waste metalized plastic (WMP) fibres and palm oil fuel ash (POFA) on the performance of concrete exposed to high temperatures of 200, 400, 600 and 800 °C. Four concrete mixes comprising 0 and 0.5% WMP fibres, and 0 and 20% POFA content were cast. Properties studied include mass loss, compressive strength, and ultrasonic pulse velocity. The results showed that the adding of WMP fibre to the concrete mixes significantly improves the concrete performance at elevated temperatures with the lower rate of strength loss along with eliminating the explosive spalling behaviour as compared to those of plain concrete mixes. Furthermore, in comparing the results of compressive strength losses at a high temperature of 800 °C, strength losses were lower for specimens containing 0.5% WMP fibres than those of plain specimens. Moreover, green concrete decreases waste materials, the diminution of harmful impacts on the environment, and leads to sustainable and green cement and concrete industries.

Improving Accuracy and Reliability of Bluetooth Low-Energy-Based Localization Systems Using Proximity Sensors

One of the functionalities which are desired in Ambient and Assisted Living systems is accurate user localization at their living place. One of the best-suited solutions for this purpose from the cost and energy efficiency points of view are Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)-based localization systems. Unfortunately, their localization accuracy is typically around several meters and might not be sufficient for detection of abnormal situations in elderly persons behavior. In this paper, a concept of a hybrid positioning system combining typical BLE-based infrastructure and proximity sensors is presented. The proximity sensors act a supporting role by additionally covering vital places, where higher localization accuracy is needed. The results from both parts are fused using two types of hybrid algorithms. The paper contains results of simulation and experimental studies. During the experiment, an exemplary proximity sensor VL53L1X has been tested and its basic properties modeled for use in the proposed algorithms. The results of the study have shown that employing proximity sensors can significantly improve localization accuracy in places of interest.

Analysis of Land Use Land Cover in Annapurna Conservation Area in Gandaki Province, Nepal using Vegetation Index and Land Use Land Cover Datasets

Conservation areas are originally well-known for protecting landscape features and wildlife. They are playing key role in conserving and providing a wide range of ecosystem services, social, economic and cultural benefits as well as vital places for climate mitigation and adaptation. We have analyzed decadal changes in land cover and status of vegetation cover in the conservation area using both national level available data on land use land cover (LULC) changes (1990-2010) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (2010-2018) in Annapurna conservation area. LULC showed the barren land as the most dominant land cover types in all three different time series 1990, 2000 and 2010 with followed by snow cover, grassland, forest, agriculture and water body. The highest NDVI values were observed at Southern, Southwestern and Southeastern part of conservation area consisting of forest area, shrub land and grassland while toward low to negative in the upper middle to the Northern part of the conservation area.

Metro stations site selection in Karbala city using (GIS)

Karbala city suffers from a range of traffic congestion problems due to increased travel demand, population growth, and limited transportation infrastructure. A metro system has been proposed as a solution for this problem, and this paper thus aims to determine the best locations for stations based on multiple criteria, to serve largest volume of passengers and to connect vital places, and highly populated areas. This analysis is done using geographic information systems (GIS) as a powerful tool for spatial analysis. The Analytic Hierarchal Process (AHP) was used in weighting the criteria and a degree of importance selected for each one. The results showed that 31 station sites could be selected as the best sites for metro stations.