Rogers Nditanchou, Akinola Stephen Oluwole, Judith Saare
et al.
<h4>Background</h4>Despite more than 27 years of ivermectin mass drug administration (MDA), onchocerciasis transmission persists in the Kwanware-Ottou focus within the Wenchi Health District of Ghana. This study examined participation in ivermectin MDA over time in this transmission focus.<h4>Methods</h4>In March 2024, two months after MDA using the community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) approach, settlements within Kwanware-Ottou focus were identified through community consultations and satellite imagery. A census was then conducted integrating an ivermectin treatment coverage evaluation survey (CES) to evaluate community participation in CDTI. Data were cleaned using STATA and analysed in R. Descriptive statistics, multiple logistic regression, and ordinal logistic regression were conducted to examine factors associated with point and effective participation in CDTI. Point participation is the percentage of individuals aged 15 + who took ivermectin during the last CDTI, while effective participation refers to those who have taken it at least ten times in past rounds. Pearson correlation was used to assess the relationship between participation and infection prevalence.<h4>Results</h4>Nineteen settlements were identified, with an overall point participation of 80.3% (n = 1461 participants; 95% Confidence Interval, CI:78.6 - 82) for the preceding CDTI. However, 10 settlements had coverage below 80%. Effective participation was only 53.5% (n = 974; CI: 51.2 -55.9), well below the recommended 80%. Participation was influenced by factors such as age, occupation, ethnicity, remoteness, length of stay in the settlement, and mobility (migration). Effective participation was correlated with infection levels, with correlation coefficients of -0.74 for microfilariae prevalence and -0.79 for anti-Ov16 seroprevalence, indicating a strong inverse relationship.<h4>Conclusion</h4>High point participation masks low effective participation and insufficient subdistrict geographical coverage. Conducting exhaustive CES in delineated foci is essential for evaluating CDTI performance, tailoring and strengthening CDTI, and informing alternative strategies to interrupt onchocerciasis transmission. This approach has contributed to effective, context-specific strategies to interrupt transmission in Wenchi and beyond.
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine, Public aspects of medicine
Abstract This study analyzes the spatiotemporal dynamics of rural settlement evolution in Guangdong Province, China, examining their transformation amid rapid urbanization and industrialization over the past 20 years. Rural settlements serve as primary spatial carriers for production and living activities, embodying multiple functions including production, living, ecological, and cultural aspects. Using GIS-based analytical tools, including landscape pattern indices, average nearest neighbor index, kernel density estimation, and geographical detector methods, we examined settlement evolution patterns and their driving factors. Results show a continuous decline in settlement numbers, while patch areas exhibited a U-shaped trend of decreasing then increasing. Settlement patterns shifted from “reduction” to “integration”, with intensifying spatial agglomeration over time. The Pearl River Delta and Eastern Guangdong regions followed similar trajectories, reflecting the impact of urbanization and industrialization on rural development. Multiple factors, including natural conditions, socioeconomic variables, and locational accessibility, drove these changes. The spatial distribution of rural settlements demonstrates an overall trend of agglomeration, which has gradually intensified over time, leading to significant variations in settlement density across different regions. The findings reveal significant regional disparities and temporal changes in settlement patterns, highlighting the complex interplay between rural transformation and urban development. This research contributes to understanding rural transformation processes in developing countries and emphasizes the need for differentiated approaches in spatial planning and rural revitalization strategies to address the challenges of disordered land expansion and population hollowing while promoting sustainable rural development.
High-quality growth of the construction industry and an improved human settlements environment are essential to sustainable urbanization. Existing studies have paid limited systematic attention to the spatial and temporal dynamics of the coordinated development between the construction industry and human settlements, as well as the underlying factors driving regional disparities. This gap restricts the formulation of precise, differentiated sustainable policies tailored to regions at different development stages and with varying resource endowments. Southern China, characterized by pronounced spatial heterogeneity and unique development trends, offers a natural laboratory for examining the spatio-temporal interaction between these two dimensions. Using panel data for 15 southern provinces (2013–2022), we applied the entropy method, coupling coordination model, Dagum Gini coefficient, spatial trend surface analysis, gravity model, and grey forecasting to evaluate current conditions and predict future trends. The main findings are as follows. (1) The coupling coordination degree rose steadily, forming a stepped spatial pattern from the southwest through the center to the southeast. (2) The coupling coordination degree appears obvious polarization effect, presenting a spatial linkage pattern with Jiangsu-Shanghai-Zhejiang, Hubei-Hunan-Jiangxi, and Sichuan-Chongqing as the core of the three major clusters. (3) The overall Dagum Gini coefficient declined, but intra-regional disparities persisted: values were highest in the southeast, moderate in the center, and lowest in the southwest; inter-regional differences dominated the total inequality. (4) Forecasts for 2023–2027 suggest further improvement in the coupling coordination degree, yet spatial divergence will widen, creating a configuration of “eastern leadership, central catch-up acceleration, and differentiated southwestern development.” This study provides an evidence base for policies that foster high-quality construction sector growth and enhance the living environment. The findings of this study indicate that policymaking should prioritize promoting synergistic regional development, enhancing the radiating and driving role of core regions, and establishing a multi-level coordinated governance mechanism to bridge regional disparities and foster more balanced and sustainable development.
The research is devoted to the study of the issue of the most significant elements of the quality of life in the territory of peripheral municipalities of large urban agglomerations. Municipalities of the Moscow region, forming the periphery of the capital agglomeration, are singled out as research cases. The relevance of the study is due to the need to clarify the issue of the structure of the problems of socio‐economic development of settlements located on the periphery of large agglomerations, relative to the period of the 2000s – 2010s. The methodology of the work is built by combining an expert survey with elements of comparative and structural analysis. It is concluded that the core of the current problems of the quality of life of peripheral municipalities of large agglomerations is formed by the shortage of social infrastructure facilities, a high degree of depreciation of fixed assets of housing and communal services, a shortage of narrow medical specialists and low availability of certain medical services, as well as a relatively low number of fairly well‐paid jobs, giving rise to mass pendulum migration. These problems were noted back in the 2000s. This indirectly indicates the limited effectiveness of previously adopted measures aimed at eliminating the listed problems and, possibly, changing the model of distribution between different levels of the public authority system of both powers and budgetary resources.
V. O. Kashparov, D. M. Holiaka, S. E. Levchuk
et al.
The radiological zoning of Chornobyl contaminated areas was one of the essential elements of social and radiation protection. The zoning was based on estimates of annual committed effective doses to members of the public and on the levels of radionuclide deposition density. In 1991, 86 settlements were classified as associated with the zone of unconditional (mandatory) resettlement, and 841 settlements were assigned to the zone of guaranteed voluntary resettlement. The status of these settlements has been preserved until now. The assessments showed that as of 2022, for all settlements located outside the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone the radiological conditions do not exceed the current legislative criteria for inclusion in the zone of unconditional (mandatory) resettlement. It is also shown that in 2022, the zone of guaranteed voluntary resettlement can be assigned for: only 38 settlements, according to the legislative criterion "90Sr density of contamination" and only 17 settlements, according to the legislative criterion "137Cs density of contamination". The work also indicates and analyses the provisions of current legislation that require clarification.
Atomic physics. Constitution and properties of matter
Agricultural lands occupy a special place in the structure of urban lands. There are horticultural and gardening associations on these lands. The “belts” of horticultural associations surround large cities and small settlements; dachas and vegetable gardens play the role of individual subsidiary farms and recreation areas. In Russia, the area of such lands is about 1.5 million hectares; in the Orenburg region - 18.7 thousand hectares. Studies show that horticultural ecosystems differ significantly from the adjacent urban and agricultural ecosystems in terms of the characteristics of soil and plant cover. The reason for this is private investment in the development of these territories, which needs to be managed. For the consistent development of these socio-ecological systems (SES), it is necessary to implement a soft management system. The purpose of creating and supporting of socio-ecological systems in the agricultural use zone and suburbs is the formation of a sustainable complex of natural and social conditions for gardening and recreation of residents; optimization of the belt of lands separating the city from agricultural land to reduce the impact of adverse environmental factors on urban ecosystems (wind restriction, fire safety, pests, etc.); use of these lands as carbon polygons for capturing and retaining of carbon dioxide.
This text is aimed at the consideration of differences related to fertility of urban and non-urban settlements in Serbia, from the point of view of differentiation concerning education and gender roles. The discussion framework consists of the results of relevant empirical researches that consider gender equality, as well as the presented data about level of education for both types of settlements. In terms of fertility, we used census data and presented two indicators. These are the cumulative live birth rates and the shares of women who have not given birth. The focus is on the generations born in the second half of the 20th century, observing the cohorts that are in the reproductive period, as well as those that came out. Differences between urban and non-urban settlements are not only observed for Serbia as a whole, but are also placed within the framework of statical regional areas. The decline in cumulative fertility, the postponement of parenthood and the shares of women without children both in the optimal reproductive period and in the cohorts at the end of reproductive period are more pronounced in the urban population. However, these tendencies also have existed in non-urban settlements, despite the fact that the observed fertility indicators do not reflect the difficulty of regulating low fertility in this type of settlement. Very low cumulative fertility rates in the urban settlements are the result of insufficient adjustment of the institutional framework to emancipatory processes in the sphere of gender roles. The negative effects of traditional patriarchy in non-urban settlements are more visible through some other demographic indicators that are closely related to the issue of low fertility. Hence, the importance of the gender aspect cannot be neglected when it comes to non-urban settlements.
O livro A Construção Funcional Moderna, escrito por Adolf Behne em 1923, contém discussões fundamentais para a compreensão (e condução) da Arquitetura Moderna na década de 20. Em seu texto, o autor identifica correntes e categorias de pensamento diversas, e as explora em três tempos, determinando os três capítulos fundamentais de seu livro. O primeiro deles, objeto desse texto e tradução, tem como ênfase a recusa na adoção de princípios formais estabelecidos, e operação de retorno à finalidade para gerar um edifício vivo. O efeito desta operação reposiciona o conceito de edifício, libertando-o de uma condição estática e fachadista. Behne apoia-se nas casas de Frank Lloyd Wright dos anos 1900 para desenvolver seu argumento, e termina por escrever um texto acurado e preciso sobre a obra de Wright, apontando características que só se acentuariam na obra do arquiteto norte-americano nas décadas de 1930 e 40.
“Cure weeds” have always been found by our people
all the time: beneath the shaded coasts, on the edges
or depths of the forests, in the multicolored carpet of
meadows and foothills, in the wet valleys of rivers and
effeminate streams. These were the only affordable
and free-of-charge drugs. With them, the inhabitants
of the Romanian settlements healed their sufferings
in times of calm or in periods of restraint, when the
temporary invasions of horrid hordes forced them to
leave their settlements and to hide in the secret ways
of their friends.
Reliable techniques to generate accurate data sets of human built-up areas at national, regional, and global scales are a key factor to monitor the implementation progress of the Sustainable Development Goals as defined by the United Nations. However, the scarce availability of accurate and up-to-date human settlement data remains a major challenge, e.g., for humanitarian organizations. In this paper, we investigated the complementary value of crowdsourcing and deep learning to fill the data gaps of existing earth observation-based (EO) products. To this end, we propose a novel workflow to combine deep learning (DeepVGI) and crowdsourcing (MapSwipe). Our strategy for allocating classification tasks to deep learning or crowdsourcing is based on confidence of the derived binary classification. We conducted case studies in three different sites located in Guatemala, Laos, and Malawi to evaluate the proposed workflow. Our study reveals that crowdsourcing and deep learning outperform existing EO-based approaches and products such as the Global Urban Footprint. Compared to a crowdsourcing-only approach, the combination increased the quality (measured by Matthew’s correlation coefficient) of the generated human settlement maps by 3 to 5 percentage points. At the same time, it reduced the volunteer efforts needed by at least 80 percentage points for all study sites. The study suggests that for the efficient creation of human settlement maps, we should rely on human skills when needed and rely on automated approaches when possible.