Spatial Patterns in the Association between the Prevalence of Asthma and Determinants of Health

The World Health Organization endorses the study of diseases from the perspective of the Determinants of Health (DH), that is, the circumstances in which people are born and raised, the environment in which they grow up and age and their lifestyle. The aim of this study is to analyze the spatial behavior of the prevalence of asthma in Aragon, a Mediterranean region in Spain, under the DH approach. The methodological process entailed building a spatial database collating asthma prevalence as dependent variable, and lifestyle, socioeconomic, and climate indicators as explanatory factors, and then evaluating the spatial variability of the relationships by combining the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) models and cartographic design techniques. MGWR evidenced spatially varying relationships operating at different scales. Lifestyles seem closely tied to the prevalence of asthma in most of the study area while urban functionality and local climate patterns seem to boost prevalence rates in some specific enclaves. Consequently, the social and environmental conditions that characterize the study area translate into several DH scenarios modulating the spatial distribution of asthma. This differential DH behavior detected by local regression models is relevant to guiding and refining public health decision-making.     

灾难记忆与新冠疫情纪念空间构建理路

新冠疫情留下了深刻的集体记忆.抗击疫情的事件、人物、器具、场所、文献等,形成了特定的灾难记忆与文化空间,值得保存、纪念、展示和反思.灾难记忆可通过空间形式来存储和再现,并对记忆进行提炼和延伸,形成特定的灾难型纪念空间,诸如用博物馆再现抗疫篇章、用文化空间再造抗疫地标、用文化符号致敬抗疫英雄、用名录表达对逝者的敬重等.建...     

The Prevalence and Health Implications of Concha Bullosa in a Population from Mediaeval England

Concha bullosa is hypertrophy of the middle nasal concha attributable to its pneumatisation. It is considered to be the most common anatomical variant of the ostiomeatal complex, but it has been little studied in skeletal populations. It is uncertain whether the prevalence of concha bullosa varies in different world populations. Some have suggested that it predisposes to sinusitis, but this is controversial. The aim of the current work is to assess the prevalence of concha bullosa in a pre‐modern population and to investigate whether it is associated with maxillary sinusitis. Results showed that concha bullosa was present in 17 out of 45 individuals, a prevalence of 38%. There was no evidence of an association with sinusitis. This adds to a growing body of evidence that calls into question concha bullosa as a significant risk factor for sinus disease. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Association between Population Density and The Market Areas of Towns

This paper examines the relationship between population density and town spacing in four kinds of environment. These are: (1) linear curves of demand, transport and production costs and an even population distribution; (2) nonlinear transport cost curves over space; (3) variable population density within hinterlands; and (4) variation of transport costs with population density. Previously, it has been shown that the criterion of free entry does not uniquely determine town spacing. The implications of four stronger criteria are therefore examined in this paper. These location criteria are: (a) the number of towns is maximized; (b) the number of towns in minimized, subject to all consumers' being served; (c) the towns are all owned by one profit-maximizing monopolist; and (d) the average of some consumer utility function is maximized. In cases (a), (c), and (d) spacing decreases with density; in (b) spacing is an increasing function of density. Actual data are presented on the spacing of towns in Iowa and shopping centers in Chicago which indicate that spacing and population density are not associated. These results are consistent with the notion that entry is free but are not consistent with the stronger constraints employed in this paper.     

新冠疫情下的博物馆:困境与对策

目前依然在全球肆虐的新冠疫情深刻影响着博物馆的当下与未来.纵观欧美各大博物馆,短期来看,疫情导致的闭馆直接引发了系列财务、减员等问题,而包括系统性歧视的平权运动在内的各类全新的社会议题同样亟待博物馆关注;长期来看,在疫情这场"持久战"面前,博物馆面临着应急、恢复、提升等三方面困境,以及将困境转变为机遇的挑战.为此,加拿...     

贵州省人口老龄化的现状趋势特点及对策

本通过“五普”、“四普”及相关的资料,分析了贵州省人口老龄化的现状、趋势和特征,探讨了老龄化将会给贵州带来的可能影响并对应采取的对策提出了看法。     

Spatial Analysis of Physicians' Offices with Respect to Population and Hospital Beds in Istanbul

Maldistribution of medical staff is a subject of criticism in many developing countries. This paper investigates the spatial distribution of physicians' offices with respect to population and hospital beds in Istanbul. The spatial distribution of physicians' offices is investigated with respect to socio-economic and locational characteristics of the districts. The results show that only a few districts benefit from an amazing growth in the concentration of physicians' offices while the periphery of the city, where mostly low-income people live, has a lower physician/population ratio than the metropolitan average. In addition, the spatial distribution of physicians offices with respect to population and hospital beds is investigated by the use of regression analysis within time. According to the results, while there was some relationship between the physicians' offices and the hospital beds in the 1980s, there was no relationship with population or hospital bed distribution in the 1990s. Increasing the number of factors which affect the distribution of physicians and testing the model in other metropolitan areas in order to obtain more general results are suggested for further research.     

Spatial Reflections of Population Movements in Gokceada and Sustainable Tourism

Since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey Gokceada has experienced many population movements due to various internal and external factors. While some of the citizens of the Island who were the inhabitants of the traditional settlements left, they were replaced by new dwellers. This transformation in the population undoubtedly has paved the way for certain changes in the cultural and spatial structure. Besides all these changes, the demand for tourism in the Island has increased recently. Yet, there is a general expectation that the unique natural beauty and historical heritage of the Island should be preserved, and for this reason the quality of tourism has an immense significance in terms of preserving its natural areas, and its history as a social memory. In this study, population movements have occurred since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey is evaluated with respect to the preservation of the cultural heritage and sustainability of tourism. For this purpose, a literature search, an analysis of the population data and the assessment of field surveys have been carried out.     

The Changing Health Care Behaviour of the Hmong Refugee Population in Sydney

Health care behaviour of Hmong refugees in Sydney was investigated after research in the United States had shown that, within the Southeast Asian refugee community in that country, Hmong refugees not only had the lowest rates of use of Western medicine but also were the most likely to assess their quality of health as only fair ( Brainard and Zaharlick, 1989 , 849). In contrast, this study found that the Sydney Hmong generally used Western medicine as a system of first choice. At the same time, most continued to use traditional medicines, albeit in a modified form. Minimal costs, freedom to choose their own doctor and appropriate, long term health education were the most important factors in Hmong using Western medicine in Sydney. Other contributing factors included the structure and size of the community, the presence of a long‐term Hmong resident in Sydney upon arrival and familiarity with Western medicine. Thus, the Sydney Hmong community was able to maintain a reasonable quality of health at an affordable price. An unexpected finding was the improved social, economic and health status of Hmong women. Such differentiated results are a powerful argument for not looking at refugees as a homogenous group, even when investigating a single, national, ethnic or cultural group. This study highlighted both the multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary nature of health care behaviour and the contribution that a small in‐depth case study can make to health and migrant policy.     

Relational coupling of multiple streams: The case of COVID-19 infections in German abattoirs

After a series of COVID-19 outbreaks among employees in the German meat-processing industry, the Work Safety Control Act protecting these workers made it on the government's agenda in July 2020. From a Multiple Streams perspective, local corona hotspots may be understood as policy windows for introducing respective measures. However, this alone is not sufficient to explain agenda setting. This study investigates the coupling of streams within policy windows. Introducing the notion of relational coupling to the MSF research agenda, discourse network analysis provides a new methodology to reveal entrepreneurial activities. Studying the German mass media discourse on the issue identifies two stages: (1) An initial problem brokerage without coupling of core policies, followed by (2) a coupling across all streams based on a focusing event. We argue that relational coupling allows for an enhanced understanding of agenda setting.     

Unmasking the Essential Realities of COVID-19: The Pasifika Community in the Salt Lake Valley

Pacific Islanders in diaspora are disproportionately contracting COVID-19, experience hospitalization and develop complications. In Utah, Pacific Islanders have the highest contraction rate in the state. Pacific Islanders constitute only 2% of the state's population, but represent 4% of the those infected with COVID-19, begging the question how we might explain the high rates of contraction? As community engaged scholars and practitioners, we offer discussion, insight, and commentary on the COVID-19 pandemic affecting Pacific Islanders in Utah. Grounding this discussion is a history of the Pacific Islander community as an essential workforce that dates back to the 1850s, before statehood. We argue that historical discrimination against these early Pacific Islanders shaped the way this group is racialized as essential laborers today. The authors offer this assertion along with practices and protocols that honour cultural norms of socialization, which we see is the pathway to provide safe measures that are relevant to the Utah Pasifika community.     

Spatial Analysis of Employment and Population Density: The Case of the Agglomeration of Dijon 1999

The aim of this paper is to analyze the intraurban spatial distributions of population and employment in the agglomeration of Dijon (regional capital of Burgundy, France). We study whether this agglomeration has followed the general tendency of job decentralization observed in most urban areas or whether it is still characterized by a monocentric pattern. To that purpose, we use a sample of 136 observations at the communal and at the IRIS (infraurban statistical area) levels with 1999 census data and the employment database SIRENE (INSEE). First, we study the spatial pattern of total employment and employment density using exploratory spatial data analysis. Apart from the CBD, few IRIS are found to be statistically significant, a result contrasting with those found using standard methods of subcenter identification with employment cut‐offs. Next, in order to examine the spatial distribution of residential population density, we estimate and compare different specifications: exponential negative, spline‐exponential, and multicentric density functions. Moreover, spatial autocorrelation, spatial heterogeneity, and outliers are controlled for by using the appropriate maximum likelihood, generalized method of moments, and Bayesian spatial econometric techniques. Our results highlight again the monocentric character of the agglomeration of Dijon.     

Population Trends in the Russian Federation: Reflections on the Legacy of Soviet Censorship and Distortions of Demographic Statistics

A noted demographer assesses the reliability of data in the 1989 census of the Soviet Union for 14 regions of the Russian Federation affected by distortions designed by Soviet authorities to conceal the populations of "secret towns" of the military-industrial complex. More specifically, using declassified population data available but only selectively published following the disclosure of these hidden settlements (and their populations) in 1994, he re-estimates the urban populations of these regions in 1989, and compares differences in 1989-2002 population change indicated by use of the original and adjusted 1989 data sets. Distortions of up to 10 percent of the regional populations (and as high as 13 percent for their eponymous regional capitals) are examined in light of their implications for the calculation of a variety of demographic and population-based indicators in studies of Russia comparing the late Soviet and early post-Soviet periods. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: J11, O18, R23. 8 tables, 35 references.     

当代美国大都市区的空间结构特征与交通困境

第二次世界大战后美国大都市区的交通拥堵现象越来越严重,而且从20世纪70年代以来出现了新的发展趋势,即交通拥堵由原来的中心城市不断向郊区延伸.美国大都市区交通拥堵的原因深深地植根于大都市区的空间结构之中,其中包括郊区的低密度蔓延、住宅和就业的失衡、社区土地利用模式的单一性、郊区社区的空间设计和道路系统等.由于这些结构性问题十分难以克服,美国大都市区的交通陷于困境之中.     

Spatial and Sectoral Characteristics of Relational Capital in Innovation Activity

The paper presents prima facie evidence of the role of relational capital in innovation activities, and underlines the spatial and sectoral difference of the effects of relational capital on innovation processes. Relational cpaital is defined in this paper as the stock of relations that a firm can entertain with other firms, institutions, research centres, measured through the intensity of cooperation among local actors. The paper is structured in two parts. In the first part, a review on the literature is presented, and the similarities and differences between the concept of relational capital and the more common concept of knowledge spillovers is underlined. In the second part, the empirical results of the analysis are presented; the empirical analysis is based on a database of 133 firms' observations, located in different geographical areas. With a quantitative approach, the paper replies to the following key questions: Is relational capital a determinant for innovation activities? If it is so, does it have the same role in urban and non-urban areas? Does it have a different role in specialized and despecialized areas? The empirical results to these questions help in understanding whether it is true that competitive city regions in the global economy are the major locations for relatively exclusive knowledge and learning resources. The paper shows that if relational capital plays a role in innovation activities, it may very well be that its role strongly depends on the sectoral as well as the spatial characteristics in which the innovation process takes place. Non-urban areas characterized by strong local synergies and highly specialized activities may even be more facilitated in their inovation activity.