Sample records for obuasi goldmine town

  1. Malaria in gold-mining areas in Colombia

    PubMed Central

    Castellanos, Angélica; Chaparro-Narváez, Pablo; Morales-Plaza, Cristhian David; Alzate, Alberto; Padilla, Julio; Arévalo, Myriam; Herrera, Sócrates

    2016-01-01

    Gold-mining may play an important role in the maintenance of malaria worldwide. Gold-mining, mostly illegal, has significantly expanded in Colombia during the last decade in areas with limited health care and disease prevention. We report a descriptive study that was carried out to determine the malaria prevalence in gold-mining areas of Colombia, using data from the public health surveillance system (National Health Institute) during the period 2010-2013. Gold-mining was more prevalent in the departments of Antioquia, Córdoba, Bolívar, Chocó, Nariño, Cauca, and Valle, which contributed 89.3% (270,753 cases) of the national malaria incidence from 2010-2013 and 31.6% of malaria cases were from mining areas. Mining regions, such as El Bagre, Zaragoza, and Segovia, in Antioquia, Puerto Libertador and Montelíbano, in Córdoba, and Buenaventura, in Valle del Cauca, were the most endemic areas. The annual parasite index (API) correlated with gold production (R2 0.82, p < 0.0001); for every 100 kg of gold produced, the API increased by 0.54 cases per 1,000 inhabitants. Lack of malaria control activities, together with high migration and proliferation of mosquito breeding sites, contribute to malaria in gold-mining regions. Specific control activities must be introduced to control this significant source of malaria in Colombia. PMID:26814645

  2. Malaria in gold-mining areas in Colombia.

    PubMed

    Castellanos, Angélica; Chaparro-Narváez, Pablo; Morales-Plaza, Cristhian David; Alzate, Alberto; Padilla, Julio; Arévalo, Myriam; Herrera, Sócrates

    2016-01-01

    Gold-mining may play an important role in the maintenance of malaria worldwide. Gold-mining, mostly illegal, has significantly expanded in Colombia during the last decade in areas with limited health care and disease prevention. We report a descriptive study that was carried out to determine the malaria prevalence in gold-mining areas of Colombia, using data from the public health surveillance system (National Health Institute) during the period 2010-2013. Gold-mining was more prevalent in the departments of Antioquia, Córdoba, Bolívar, Chocó, Nariño, Cauca, and Valle, which contributed 89.3% (270,753 cases) of the national malaria incidence from 2010-2013 and 31.6% of malaria cases were from mining areas. Mining regions, such as El Bagre, Zaragoza, and Segovia, in Antioquia, Puerto Libertador and Montelíbano, in Córdoba, and Buenaventura, in Valle del Cauca, were the most endemic areas. The annual parasite index (API) correlated with gold production (R2 0.82, p < 0.0001); for every 100 kg of gold produced, the API increased by 0.54 cases per 1,000 inhabitants. Lack of malaria control activities, together with high migration and proliferation of mosquito breeding sites, contribute to malaria in gold-mining regions. Specific control activities must be introduced to control this significant source of malaria in Colombia.

  3. Levels of iron, silver, zinc, and lead in oranges and avocados from two gold-rich towns compared with levels in an adjacent gold-deficient town

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Golow, A.A.; Laryea, J.N.

    1994-09-01

    Fruits such as oranges and avocados are important sources of drinks and food in the Ghanaian Society. If such fruits contain various types of metals they may augument the types and amounts of them in the human body. The metals in fruits may depend on what is in the soils from which they are grown. If the soils contain toxic metals like lead, mercury and cadmium then the consumers may be poisoned as happened in the [open quotes]Ouchi - ouchi[close quotes], disease in Japan and similar episodes. In the area under study, the Geological Survey indicates the presence of 2.5more » ppm of lead, 10 - 20 ppm of copper and less than 15 ppm of nickel. Silver, not reported in commercial amounts, is a byproduct of gold productions at Obuasi. Since copper and nickel are presented in the area traces of silver will certainly occur. In the same manner zinc is usually associated with lead as sulphide of zinc blend trace amounts of it are likely to occur in the area. Of the four metals measured, iron and zinc essential for citrus. The extractable iron and zinc in the area of study were 90 and 1.8 mg/kg, levels on the low side for the healthy growth of crops. The investigation reported here is the comparison of the levels of some metals in oranges and avocados from farms in Obuasi and Konongo with those from farms in Kumasi City. This is a part of a project aimed at finding out differences in the metal contents of various food crops grown in various regions of the country. Konongo and Obuasi have soils which are rich in gold but Kumasi city, which is not too distant from these towns, does not have gold in its soil. 18 refs., 1 tab.« less

  4. Ventilatory Function in Relation to Mining Experience and Smoking in a Random Sample of Miners and Non-miners in a Witwatersrand Town1

    PubMed Central

    Sluis-Cremer, G. K.; Walters, L. G.; Sichel, H. S.

    1967-01-01

    The ventilatory capacity of a random sample of men over the age of 35 years in the town of Carletonville was estimated by the forced expiratory volume and the peak expiratory flow rate. Five hundred and sixty-two persons were working or had worked in gold-mines and 265 had never worked in gold-mines. No difference in ventilatory function was found between the miners and non-miners other than that due to the excess of chronic bronchitis in miners. PMID:6017134

  5. Meningococcal disease in South African goldmines--epidemiology and strategies for control.

    PubMed

    Sonnenberg, P; Silber, E; Ho, K C; Koornhof, H J

    2000-05-01

    To describe the epidemiology of meningococcal disease in South African goldmines and to suggest strategies for the prevention and control of further outbreaks. We prospectively investigated a meningococcal outbreak that occurred in 1996 and describe the control measures that were implemented. In addition, we conducted a retrospective analysis of routinely collected data on meningococcal disease in these mines from 1972 to 1996. Four goldmines in Gauteng, employing 30,000 workers who live in hostels. All cases of meningococcal disease at the mine hospital. Between 1972 and 1976, 588 cases were diagnosed, with peaks in 1972 (203 cases, 727/100,000) and 1975 (147 cases, 564/100,000). Since 1978 less than 5 cases have been reported in most years, but smaller outbreaks occurred in 1990 (30 cases, 89/100,000) and 1996 (14 cases, 50/100,000). The 1996 outbreak (group A, clone I-1) was part of a larger outbreak in Gauteng that originated in Mozambique and began in one mine in July 1996, after which a mass vaccination campaign was implemented. This was followed by a smaller outbreak among non-vaccinated workers at an adjacent mine. Five patients were new recruits. Despite a dramatic reduction in meningococcal disease over the last 25 years due mainly to changes in the work force, there are still outbreaks in this community. Those most at risk are young men who are new to the industry. Suggestions for prevention include effective surveillance, routine vaccination of new recruits and a rapid response to outbreaks, with mass vaccination and provision of chemoprophylaxis to close contacts.

  6. Silica, compensated silicosis, and lung cancer in Western Australian goldminers

    PubMed Central

    de Klerk, N. H.; Musk, A. W.

    1998-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: Silica has recently been reclassified as carcinogenic to humans based largely on the observed increase in rates of lung cancer in subjects with silicosis. Other recent reviews have arrived at different conclusions as to whether silicosis or silica itself is carcinogenic. This study aims to examine exposure-response relations between exposure to silica and subsequent silicosis and lung cancer in a cohort of goldminers. METHODS: 2,297 goldminers from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia were examined in 1961, 1974, and 1975. Data were collected on respiratory symptoms, smoking habits, and employment history. Subjects were followed up to the end of 1993. Survival analyses for lung cancer mortality and incidence of compensated silicosis were performed with age and year matched conditional logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: 89% of the cohort were traced to the end of 1993. 84% of the men had smoked at some time and 66% were current smokers. 1386 deaths occurred during the follow up period, 138 from lung cancer, and 631 subjects were compensated for silicosis. A strong effect of smoking on mortality from lung cancer, and a smaller effect on the incidence of compensated silicosis was found. There was a strong effect of duration and intensity of exposure on the incidence of silicosis. The risk of mortality from lung cancer increased after compensation for silicosis. Of all direct measures of exposure to silica, only log cumulative exposure was significantly related to incidence of lung cancer, but this effect disappeared once the onset of silicosis was taken into account. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of silicosis was clearly related to exposure to silica and the onset of silicosis conferred a significant increase in risk for subsequent lung cancer, but there was no evidence that exposure to silica caused lung cancer in the absence of silicosis.   PMID:9624278

  7. Heavy metals contamination and human health risk assessment around Obuasi gold mine in Ghana.

    PubMed

    Bempah, Crentsil Kofi; Ewusi, Anthony

    2016-05-01

    Gold mining has increased the prevalence and occurrence of heavy metals contamination at the Earth's surface and is causing major concern due to the potential risk involved. This study investigated the impact of gold mine on heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Zn) pollution and evaluated the potential health risks to local residents via consumption of polluted groundwater, agricultural soils, and vegetable crops grown at three community farms surrounding the mine at Obuasi municipality of Ghana. The results showed levels of As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Fe, and Mn higher than the allowable drinking water standards. The vegetable samples analyzed showed high accumulation of As and Ni above the normal value. Bioaccumulation factors of heavy metals were significantly higher for vegetables grown in the Sanso soils. Estimated average daily intake and hazard quotient for As in drinking water as well as As, Pb, and Hg in vegetable samples exceeded permissible limit. Unacceptable non-cancer health risk levels were found in vegetable samples analyzed for As, Pb, and Hg. An unacceptable cancer risk was found via drinking of groundwater, in consumption of vegetables, and in soil. The hazard index for vegetables was higher than 1, indicating very high health risk to heavy metals contamination through consumption of vegetables grown around the sampling sites. The results recommend the need for regular monitoring of groundwater and food crops to protect consumers' health.

  8. Comparing image search behaviour in the ARRS GoldMiner search engine and a clinical PACS/RIS.

    PubMed

    De-Arteaga, Maria; Eggel, Ivan; Do, Bao; Rubin, Daniel; Kahn, Charles E; Müller, Henning

    2015-08-01

    Information search has changed the way we manage knowledge and the ubiquity of information access has made search a frequent activity, whether via Internet search engines or increasingly via mobile devices. Medical information search is in this respect no different and much research has been devoted to analyzing the way in which physicians aim to access information. Medical image search is a much smaller domain but has gained much attention as it has different characteristics than search for text documents. While web search log files have been analysed many times to better understand user behaviour, the log files of hospital internal systems for search in a PACS/RIS (Picture Archival and Communication System, Radiology Information System) have rarely been analysed. Such a comparison between a hospital PACS/RIS search and a web system for searching images of the biomedical literature is the goal of this paper. Objectives are to identify similarities and differences in search behaviour of the two systems, which could then be used to optimize existing systems and build new search engines. Log files of the ARRS GoldMiner medical image search engine (freely accessible on the Internet) containing 222,005 queries, and log files of Stanford's internal PACS/RIS search called radTF containing 18,068 queries were analysed. Each query was preprocessed and all query terms were mapped to the RadLex (Radiology Lexicon) terminology, a comprehensive lexicon of radiology terms created and maintained by the Radiological Society of North America, so the semantic content in the queries and the links between terms could be analysed, and synonyms for the same concept could be detected. RadLex was mainly created for the use in radiology reports, to aid structured reporting and the preparation of educational material (Lanlotz, 2006) [1]. In standard medical vocabularies such as MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) and UMLS (Unified Medical Language System) specific terms of radiology are often

  9. Manganese and Mercury Levels in Water, Sediments, and Children Living Near Gold-Mining Areas of the Nangaritza River Basin, Ecuadorian Amazon.

    PubMed

    González-Merizalde, Max V; Menezes-Filho, José A; Cruz-Erazo, Claudia Teresa; Bermeo-Flores, Santos Amable; Sánchez-Castillo, María Obdulia; Hernández-Bonilla, David; Mora, Abrahan

    2016-08-01

    Artisanal and small-scale gold-mining activities performed in mountain areas of the Southern Ecuadorian Amazon have incorporated several heavy metals into the aquatic systems, thus increasing the risk of exposure in populations living in adjacent zones. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the contamination levels of mercury (Hg) and manganese (Mn) in several rivers of the Nangaritza River basin and assess the exposure in school-aged children residing near the gold-mining zones. River water and sediment samples were collected from a highly contaminated (HEx) and a moderately contaminated (MEx) zones. Hair Mn (MnH) and urinary Hg (HgU) levels were determined in school-aged children living in both zones. High concentrations of dissolved Mn were found in river waters of the HEx zone (between 2660 and 3990 µg l(-1)); however, Hg levels, in general, were lower than the detection limit (DL; <1.0 µg l(-1)). Similarly, Mn levels in sediments were also increased (3090 to 4086 µg g(-1)). Median values of MnH in children of the HEx and MEx zones were 5.5 and 3.4 µg g(-1), respectively, whereas the median values of HgU concentrations in children living in the HEx and MEx zones were 4.4 and 0.62 µg g-creat(-1), respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed between both biomarkers in children from the HEx and MEx zones. In addition, boys presented significantly greater MnH levels in both zones. The greater MnH values were found in children living in alluvial areas, whereas children living in the high mountain areas, where some ore-processing plants are located close to or inside houses and schools, had the greater HgU concentrations. In summary, the data reported in this paper highlights that artisanal and small-scale gold-mining activities can not only produce mercurial contamination, that can also release other heavy metals (such as Mn) that may pose a risk to human health.

  10. Molecular surveillance of artemisinin resistance falciparum malaria among migrant goldmine workers in Myanmar.

    PubMed

    Nyunt, Myat Htut; Wang, Bo; Aye, Khin Myo; Aye, Kyin Hla; Han, Jin-Hee; Lee, Seong-Kyun; Han, Kay Thwe; Htut, Ye; Han, Eun-Taek

    2017-03-01

    Artemisinin resistance has been reported in Greater Mekong Sub-region countries, including Myanmar. After discovery of artemisinin resistance marker (K13), molecular surveillance on artemisinin resistance in endemic regions have been conducted. As the migrant population represents a high percentage of malaria cases, molecular surveillance of artemisinin resistance among migrant workers is of great concern. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shwegyin Township, where migrants work in the goldmines. Blood samples were collected from uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum-infected migrant workers by active and passive cases screening with rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) and microscopy. Amplification and sequence analysis of artemisinin resistance molecular markers, such as k13, pfarps10, pffd, pfmdr2, pfmrp1, pfrad5, and pfcnbp, were carried out and pfmdr1 copy number analysis was conducted by real-time PCR. Among the 100 falciparum-infected patients, most were male (90%), of working age (20-40 years) with median parasite density of 11,166 parasites/µL (range 270-110,472 parasites/µL). Artemisinin resistance molecular marker, k13 mutations were detected in (21/100, 21.0%) in which composed of a validated marker, C580Y (9/21, 42.9%) and candidate markers such as P574L (5/21, 23.8%), P667T (5/21, 23.8%) and M476I (2/21, 9.5%). Underlying genetic markers predisposing to become k13 mutants were found as V127M of pfarps10 (41/100, 41.0%), D153Y of pffd (64/100, 64.0%), T484I of pfmdr2 (58/100, 58.0%) and F1390I of pfmrp1 (24/100, 24.0%). The pfmdr1 copy number analysis revealed six copy numbers (1/100, 1.0%), three (2/100, 2.0%), two (8/100, 8.0%) and only one copy number (89/100, 89.0%). Only one sample showed both k13 mutation (P667T) and multiple copy number of pfmdr1. High mutant rate of artemisinin resistance markers and relatively high pfmdr1 copy number among isolates collected from migrant goldmine workers alert the importance of containment measures among

  11. Anthropogenic sources and environmentally relevant concentrations of heavy metals in surface water of a mining district in Ghana: a multivariate statistical approach.

    PubMed

    Armah, Frederick A; Obiri, Samuel; Yawson, David O; Onumah, Edward E; Yengoh, Genesis T; Afrifa, Ernest K A; Odoi, Justice O

    2010-11-01

    The levels of heavy metals in surface water and their potential origin (natural and anthropogenic) were respectively determined and analysed for the Obuasi mining area in Ghana. Using Hawth's tool an extension in ArcGIS 9.2 software, a total of 48 water sample points in Obuasi and its environs were randomly selected for study. The magnitude of As, Cu, Mn, Fe, Pb, Hg, Zn and Cd in surface water from the sampling sites were measured by flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Water quality parameters including conductivity, pH, total dissolved solids and turbidity were also evaluated. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis, coupled with correlation coefficient analysis, were used to identify possible sources of these heavy metals. Pearson correlation coefficients among total metal concentrations and selected water properties showed a number of strong associations. The results indicate that apart from tap water, surface water in Obuasi has elevated heavy metal concentrations, especially Hg, Pb, As, Cu and Cd, which are above the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (GEPA) and World Health Organisation (WHO) permissible levels; clearly demonstrating anthropogenic impact. The mean heavy metal concentrations in surface water divided by the corresponding background values of surface water in Obuasi decrease in the order of Cd > Cu > As > Pb > Hg > Zn > Mn > Fe. The results also showed that Cu, Mn, Cd and Fe are largely responsible for the variations in the data, explaining 72% of total variance; while Pb, As and Hg explain only 18.7% of total variance. Three main sources of these heavy metals were identified. As originates from nature (oxidation of sulphide minerals particularly arsenopyrite-FeAsS). Pb derives from water carrying drainage from towns and mine machinery maintenance yards. Cd, Zn, Fe and Mn mainly emanate from industry sources. Hg mainly originates from artisanal small-scale mining. It cannot be said that the difference in concentration

  12. [Control of malaria transmission in a gold-mining area in Amapá State, Brazil, with participation by private enterprise].

    PubMed

    Couto AA; Calvosa, V S; Lacerda, R; Castro, F; Santa Rosa, E; Nascimento, J M

    2001-01-01

    This paper reports on the epidemiological characterization of malaria following implementation of a program to control the endemic in a gold-mining area in northern Amapá State. The study focuses on total malaria cases in Amapá and the impact of the disease on the population, as represented by the Mineração Novo Astro S/A company and its employees as well as the community of Vila de Lourenço in the municipality of Calçoene, and adjacent gold miners. The effect of control measures in the program area is indicated by a significant reduction in malaria incidence and malaria-related morbidity and mortality. The importance of participation by private enterprise is emphasized, particularly in large projects for the control of endemic diseases (notably malaria) in the Amazon Region.

  13. Socioeconomic Indicators for Small Towns. Small Town Strategy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oregon State Univ., Corvallis. Cooperative Extension Service.

    Prepared to help small towns assess community population and economic trends, this publication provides a step-by-step guide for establishing an on-going local data collection system, which is based on four local indicators and will provide accurate, up-to-date estimates of population, family income, and gross sales within a town's trade area. The…

  14. Revitalisation as a Method of Planning Sustainable Development of Old Town Complexes in Historic Towns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zagroba, Marek; Gawryluk, Dorota

    2017-12-01

    Old towns in spatial structures of historic towns are the areas which - same as centuries before - serve as the town centres. This is almost invariably true about small towns especially, as the inner town district is more frequently the site where a town was originally located and is often the manifestation of its historic identity. However, functional and spatial problems of many small historic towns arise from the above trend, mostly because of the frequently high density of buildings in the oldest part of a town. The intricate nature of elements creating the structure of a town’s historic centre often calls for certain steps to be taken, which will ensure better exposure of an old town complex against the backdrop of the town’s other areas. Numerous problems need to be solved, not only spatial but also economic and social ones. A town is a living organism, inhabited by people. The key to tackling these issues successfully lies in the creation of such revitalisation programmes that will improve the quality of space and help achieve the sustainable development of inner-town areas in historic towns. The historic centres in the medieval towns of Warmia, a region rich in history and situated in north-eastern Poland, can serve as an example and has been investigated in the following study. All the towns in Warmia located in the Middle Ages, except the capital of the region Olsztyn, can be classified as small urban developments. This group of eleven towns is dominated by the ones whose territorial coverage has not changed considerably since the location and the population ranges from a few thousand to less than twenty thousand. To this day, the historic quarters of these towns have remained the central ones in each town, and their urban structures to a various extent reveal the features characteristic for the period when they were created. The differences are due to the war damage the towns suffered at the end of World War Two and because of the different ways in

  15. [Source apportionment of soil heavy metals in Jiapigou goldmine based on the UNMIX model].

    PubMed

    Ai, Jian-chao; Wang, Ning; Yang, Jing

    2014-09-01

    The paper determines 16 kinds of metal elements' concentration in soil samples which collected in Jipigou goldmine upper the Songhua River. The UNMIX Model which was recommended by US EPA to get the source apportionment results was applied in this study, Cd, Hg, Pb and Ag concentration contour maps were generated by using Kriging interpolation method to verify the results. The main conclusions of this study are: (1)the concentrations of Cd, Hg, Pb and Ag exceeded Jilin Province soil background values and enriched obviously in soil samples; (2)using the UNMIX Model resolved four pollution sources: source 1 represents human activities of transportation, ore mining and garbage, and the source 1's contribution is 39. 1% ; Source 2 represents the contribution of the weathering of rocks and biological effects, and the source 2's contribution is 13. 87% ; Source 3 is a comprehensive source of soil parent material and chemical fertilizer, and the source 3's contribution is 23. 93% ; Source 4 represents iron ore mining and transportation sources, and the source 4's contribution is 22. 89%. (3)the UNMIX Model results are in accordance with the survey of local land-use types, human activities and Cd, Hg and Pb content distributions.

  16. RadTown USA: Basic Information

    MedlinePlus

    ... Burbs Countryside Waterfront Downtown Did you know? RadTown Games Educational Materials Bring RadTown into the classroom with ... Waterfront Downtown Educational Materials RadTown A to Z Games Link to Us Glossary Subscribe to Listserv News ...

  17. Company Town Shutdown.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turnage, Martha A.

    Saltville, Virginia, is a former company town whose main employer, a soda ash plant, shut down on July 1, 1971. The closure of the chemical plant displaced 700 workers, and created a crisis that threatened not only the existence of the town, but of the entire region. In response, Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC), in cooperation with the…

  18. Teaching Our Town in Our Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haberling, Jennifer A.; White, Brian

    2004-01-01

    Teachers from a high school and university collaborated to analyze the obstacles students encountered while understanding the theatre play "Our Town". A description on the activities undertaken to help students approach and appreciate the play is presented.

  19. Town mouse or country mouse: identifying a town dislocation effect in Chinese urbanization.

    PubMed

    Wang, Fei; Li, Shu; Bai, Xin-Wen; Ren, Xiao-Peng; Rao, Li-Lin; Li, Jin-Zhen; Liu, Huan; Liu, Hong-Zhi; Wu, Bin; Zheng, Rui

    2015-01-01

    Understanding urbanization and evaluating its impact are vital for formulating global sustainable development. The results obtained from evaluating the impact of urbanization, however, depend on the kind of measurement used. With the goal of increasing our understanding of the impact of urbanization, we developed direct and indirect subjective indicators to measure how people assess their living situation. The survey revealed that the projected endorsements and perceived social ambiance of people toward living in different types of settlements did not improve along with the urbanization level in China. The assessment scores from the city dwellers were not significantly different from those from the country areas and, more surprisingly, both were significantly higher than the assessment scores of the town dwellers, which we had expected to fall between the assessment scores of the country and city dwellers. Instead their scores were the lowest. We dubbed this V-shaped relationship the "town dislocation effect." When searching for a potential explanation for this effect, we found additional town dislocation effects in social support, loss aversion, and receptivity toward genetically modified food. Further analysis showed that only social support mediated the relationship between the three tiers of settlements (cities, country areas, and towns) and the subjective indicator. The projected endorsements yielded significant subjective assessments that could enhance our understanding of Chinese urbanization. Towns posed specific problems that require special attention.

  20. Town Mouse or Country Mouse: Identifying a Town Dislocation Effect in Chinese Urbanization

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Fei; Li, Shu; Bai, Xin-Wen; Ren, Xiao-Peng; Rao, Li-Lin; Li, Jin-Zhen; Liu, Huan; Liu, Hong-Zhi; Wu, Bin; Zheng, Rui

    2015-01-01

    Understanding urbanization and evaluating its impact are vital for formulating global sustainable development. The results obtained from evaluating the impact of urbanization, however, depend on the kind of measurement used. With the goal of increasing our understanding of the impact of urbanization, we developed direct and indirect subjective indicators to measure how people assess their living situation. The survey revealed that the projected endorsements and perceived social ambiance of people toward living in different types of settlements did not improve along with the urbanization level in China. The assessment scores from the city dwellers were not significantly different from those from the country areas and, more surprisingly, both were significantly higher than the assessment scores of the town dwellers, which we had expected to fall between the assessment scores of the country and city dwellers. Instead their scores were the lowest. We dubbed this V-shaped relationship the “town dislocation effect.” When searching for a potential explanation for this effect, we found additional town dislocation effects in social support, loss aversion, and receptivity toward genetically modified food. Further analysis showed that only social support mediated the relationship between the three tiers of settlements (cities, country areas, and towns) and the subjective indicator. The projected endorsements yielded significant subjective assessments that could enhance our understanding of Chinese urbanization. Towns posed specific problems that require special attention. PMID:25973960

  1. Marketing the Uniqueness of Small Towns. Revised.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dunn, Douglas; Hogg, David H.

    The key to marketing a town is determining and promoting the town's "differential advantage" or uniqueness that would make people want to visit or live there. Exercises to help communities gain important insights into the town's competitive edge include a brainstorming session with knowledgeable community members, a visitor…

  2. Going to Town: Where Is the Nearest Steakhouse?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robinson, Michael

    2013-01-01

    Growing up in Loretto, Tennessee, population 1,700, people called it "going to town" when they went to any city big enough to have a McDonald's, Walmart, or a movie theater. If someone is not from a small town, they may not know what type of economic activities a small town can support. Will the town have a police department? Will there…

  3. A town conserves

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Thomas, S.

    1993-07-15

    With encouragement from a TV personality, a Wisconsin town saves energy. This article describes how a TV program host mediated between Northern States Power, local businesses, and the people of a Wisconsin town for a demand side management program demonstration of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. The key to acceptance and use of the program was public education of consumers, combined with making available experts who could answer questions on product availability and installation. The demonstration project is designed to show that the least expensive means to achieve energy efficiency for the customer is to foster a sense of communitymore » ownership of the program.« less

  4. Town & Gown.

    PubMed

    King, Beth M; Gordon, Shirley C; Barry, Charlotte D; Goodman, Rhonda; Jannone, Laura T; Foley, Marie; Resha, Cheryl; Hendershot, Candace

    2017-01-01

    Innovative approaches for building "town and gown" relationships between practicing school nurses, community partners, and universities/colleges are presented through exemplars relating to research, education, policy, and practice. The exemplars demonstrate the critical factors of successful partnerships as validated by their outcomes.

  5. Tox Town

    MedlinePlus

    ... to view this content. Skip to main content ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS AND TOXIC CHEMICALS WHERE YOU LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY Search:  Home Text Version Neighborhoods Locations Chemicals For Educators Español City View Farm View Port View US Southwest View Town View What's New ...

  6. Terrace Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sabin, Heather

    2010-01-01

    The "Terrace Town" program brings architecture and city planning curriculum to elementary schools in Madison, Wisconsin, and surrounding areas. Over eight weeks, classrooms discuss what makes a community livable, sustainable, and kid-friendly. Throughout the process, students gain a better understanding of their own city environments and…

  7. Our Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robinson, Amanda

    2015-01-01

    This article outlines an issue-based lesson for a physical science course in which students investigate potential alternative energy sources for Alternatown, a fictitious city. Students are randomly selected to serve as town council members or as representatives of different alternative energy source options put before the council. The…

  8. Marketing the Uniqueness of Small Towns. Small Town Strategy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hogg, David H.; Dunn, Douglas

    A small town can strengthen its local economy as a result of business people and concerned citizens collectively identifying that community's uniqueness and then capitalizing on it via advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, or publicity. This publication relates the science of marketing to communities. Seven simple techniques are provided…

  9. Democratic Participation in Small-Town Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schmuck, Patricia A.; Schmuck, Richard A.

    Using first-hand material collected by interview and observation during a 160-day trip around 21 states, this report describes the current situation of democratic participation in small-town schools. The small-town school is like a vortex drawing everyone into its activities and serving as a foundation for the community's social and cultural…

  10. HEDSA Town Hall Meeting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Afeyan, Bedros

    2017-10-01

    HEDSA will hold its Town Hall meeting on Wednesday October 25 at 12:30pm in the Wisconsin Center. The new steering committee members and HEDSA leadership will be announced. A report will be given on 2017 HEDSA activities. Program Managers from Federal Funding Agencies such as OFES, NNSA, AFOSR and NSF will provide updates on the state of sponsored research in HED plasmas, and to engage the community in an open dialogue. The HEDSA Town Hall is a ``bring your own lunch'' meeting. Current members of HEDSA and all graduate students are strongly encouraged to attend. To join HEDSA please visit HEDSA.org

  11. Study on the natural and humanistic environment of runcheng town

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huijun, Nie; Jinping, Wang

    2018-03-01

    Runcheng town is one of the first Chinese characteristic towns to be selected in Shanxi province. It is 38 kilometers from the Jin city and 7 kilometers from Yangcheng County. It’s also an important undertaking place for the project “Industrial Westward Move of Jincheng City” and an important tourist town of Qin Castle Valley. The Runcheng town has a history of thousands of years, with a deep cultural background and unique natural landscape. This paper studies the history and cultural resources and makes a preliminary study on the natural and humanistic environment of the Runcheng town.

  12. Small Towns in a Rural Area: A Study of the Problems of Small Towns in Idaho. Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station Research Bulletin No. 91, April 1976.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamilton, J. R.; And Others

    Using aggregate data from several Idaho counties and towns, the study examined the economic forces which pressure small town people and merchants--pressures which ultimately shape and will shape small towns in areas like Idaho. Six towns chosen for intensive study were Priest River, Cottonwood, Riggins, Shoshone, Oakley, and Malad. Focusing on…

  13. Changes in Small Town Social Capital and Civic Engagement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Besser, Terry L.

    2009-01-01

    Small towns are often depicted as places with many interpersonal relationships and generalized trust, or high social capital. Social capital is a resource which towns can use to solve problems and improve the local quality of life. In this paper, I determined if social capital and civic engagements have declined in small towns in the U.S. Midwest…

  14. Being Superintendent of a Small-Town District.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schmuck, Richard A.; Schmuck, Patricia A.

    Because of their visibility at the center stage of community life, small-town superintendents have a greater opportunity to act as participatory managers and instructional leaders. This paper reports the results of surveys with 25 small-town school superintendents to discover rural/urban differences, work patterns, and exemplary practices in…

  15. Studies on the Nature and Aetiology of Respiratory Disability in Witwatersrand Gold-Miners Free of Radiological Silicosis

    PubMed Central

    Becklake, Margaret R.; Zwi, Saul; Lutz, W.

    1959-01-01

    In an investigation into the cause of symptoms in gold-miners who have no radiological silicosis, the relationship of dyspnoea and physiological disturbances to dust exposure was examined. Forty-five subjects, aged 41 to 45 years, with normal chest radiographs and long service underground were chosen for study from the population of miners past and present. Thirty-four men only were tested, but the validity of the sample was checked by comparison with a similar group of miners reported previously. Each individual's dust exposure was estimated in “particle-hours”. A detailed history, including smoking habits, was followed by a clinical examination and a battery of lung function tests in each case. No significant relationship was found between dyspnoea and dust exposure or smoking. However, a negative correlation was observed between dust exposure and effort tests, implying that exercise capacity appeared best in those men whose dust exposure was greatest. Possible reasons for this finding are discussed. On the other hand, dyspnoea did correlate with airway obstruction and hyperventilation on effort, indicating a physiological rather than a psychological basis for the symptoms. Further, the higher incidence of cough, sputum, and rhonchi in the more disabled subjects suggested that chronic bronchitis might be the basis of their symptoms, but the cause of the bronchitis remains to be identified. It seems that dust exposure alone was not the cause, but the findings do not exclude the possibility of its being related to the occupation of mining with stresses such as inhalation of fumes and rapid changes in temperature, humidity, and altitude. PMID:13798146

  16. Modelling spatio-temporal heterogeneities in groundwater quality in Ghana: a multivariate chemometric approach.

    PubMed

    Armah, Frederick Ato; Paintsil, Arnold; Yawson, David Oscar; Adu, Michael Osei; Odoi, Justice O

    2017-08-01

    Chemometric techniques were applied to evaluate the spatial and temporal heterogeneities in groundwater quality data for approximately 740 goldmining and agriculture-intensive locations in Ghana. The strongest linear and monotonic relationships occurred between Mn and Fe. Sixty-nine per cent of total variance in the dataset was explained by four variance factors: physicochemical properties, bacteriological quality, natural geologic attributes and anthropogenic factors (artisanal goldmining). There was evidence of significant differences in means of all trace metals and physicochemical parameters (p < 0.001) between goldmining and non-goldmining locations. Arsenic and turbidity produced very high value F's demonstrating that 'physical properties and chalcophilic elements' was the function that most discriminated between non-goldmining and goldmining locations. Variations in Escherichia coli and total coliforms were observed between the dry and wet seasons. The overall predictive accuracy of the discriminant function showed that non-goldmining locations were classified with slightly better accuracy (89%) than goldmining areas (69.6%). There were significant differences between the underlying distributions of Cd, Mn and Pb in the wet and dry seasons. This study emphasizes the practicality of chemometrics in the assessment and elucidation of complex water quality datasets to promote effective management of groundwater resources for sustaining human health.

  17. Town Flush with Benefits from New Water System

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    An EPA-funded project to replace the aging and undersized water lines in a Virginia town has transformed the community–providing cost savings, improved water quality and greater public safety, while eliminating leaks that drained half of the town' water.

  18. Promoting small towns for rural development: a view from Nepal.

    PubMed

    Bajracharya, B N

    1995-06-01

    Two small villages in Nepal are the subjects of case studies that illustrate the role of small towns in provision of services, employment, and market operations. Some general findings are that small towns act as service centers for distribution of basic essential goods such as food grains, salt, kerosene, and fabric for hill and mountain areas. The role of small towns as market centers and in the provision of employment is limited. In resource-poor areas small towns are less diversified. Towns with agricultural surpluses are more developed. Small hill towns satisfy consumption rather than production needs. The growth of rural areas and towns in rural areas in Nepal is dependent on arable land and levels of production in hill areas. Limited land and low levels of production have an adverse impact. Movement of people, goods, and services is limited by difficult terrain and lack of access to good roads. Variability in access to off-farm jobs and services available in small towns varies with ethnicity and place of residence. The best development strategy for small towns in Nepal is market-oriented territorial development, which retains surpluses in the local area and integrates markets in the larger economy. The strategy would decentralize planning into small territorial units that include both small towns and groups of villages, provide institutional support for the rural poor, expand off-farm employment, and include investment in region-serving functions. Subsistence agriculture needs to include diversification of high value cash crops based on local comparative advantage suitable for hill climate and terrain. Small farmers must produce both cash and subsistence crops. Government should provide market space and paved areas, weighing facilities, and overnight storage facilities. Products would be processed at the village level. Subdistricts must be established according to spatial and social linkages between villages and the service center and coordinated at the

  19. Renewal of a Small Town in Poland Based on Example of Ustka

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poczobut, Joanna

    2017-10-01

    Ustka is a historical seaside town, port and health resort, a town of many possibilities. In this tourist town the old urban arrangement and many historic objects are preserved. Despite such potential, the town struggles with various problems, as do many small towns in the north of Poland. In 2003 works on a revitalization programme began (it has been implemented since 2005). The next stage was a programme which started in 2011. At present Ustka prepares for the next revitalization plan-a “District Revitalization Programme for 2016 - 2022”. The article describes: the situation at different stages of town development related to previously carried out revitalization programmes and the prospects for its further prosperity.

  20. Water quality of Lake Austin and Town Lake, Austin, Texas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Andrews, F.L.; Wells, F.C.; Shelby, W.J.

    1988-01-01

    Lake Austin and Town Lake are impoundments on the Colorado River in Travis County, central Texas, and are a source of water for municipal industrial water supplies, electrical-power generation, and recreation for more than 500,000 people in the Austin metropolitan area. Small vertical temperature variations in both lakes were attributed to shallow depths in the lakes and short retention times of water in the lakes during the summer months. The largest areal variations in dissolved oxygen generally occur in Lake Austin during the summer as a result of releases of water from below the thermocline in Lake Travis. Except formore » iron, manganese, and mercury, dissolved concentrations of trace elements in water collected from Lake Austin and Town Lake did not exceed the primary or secondary drinking water standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Little or no effect of stormwater runoff on temperature, dissolved oxygen, or minor elements could be detected in either Lake Austin or Town Lake. Little seasonal or areal variation was noted in nitrogen concentrations in Lake Austin or Town lake. Total phosphorus concentrations generally were small in both lakes. Increased concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus were detected after storm runoff inflow in Town Lake, but not in Lake Austin; densities of fecal-coliform bacteria increased in Lake Austin and Town Lake, but were substantially greater in Town Lake than in Lake Austin. 18 refs., 38 figs., 59 tabs.« less

  1. Reviving the Town Meeting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grove, Tim

    1996-01-01

    Discusses the use of the National Issues Forum's (NIF's) town meetings in efforts to increase citizen participation in democratic processes. Describes the Catholic adaptation of the NIF approach, providing examples of its use at the high school, college, and community level. (MAB)

  2. Some problems of Maryland towns as seen by their mayors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peake, H. J.

    1978-01-01

    Conversations were held with the mayors of six Maryland towns to discuss possible models and needs for technology transfer. An unexpected outcome of the discussions was a considerable insight into local problems as perceived by the mayors. Problems, whether administrative, socio-economic, or technological, are different, from town to town, in degree, not in kind. Recognition of this feature of local priorities is vital to any considerations of external assistance.

  3. Guidelines for Speed Reduction in Towns Along Rural Highways

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-10-01

    This report presents the results of the study undertaken to develop a guideline for setting up speed limit in towns along rural highways of Nevada. Generally, speed zones are provided in towns along rural highways to reduce speed-related crashes. How...

  4. Hong Kong New Town Sustainability Analysis from the Perspective of Low-Carbon Eco-City—Taking Tseung Kwan O New Town as an Example

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Siqi; Huang, Guanqi

    2018-01-01

    Recent years, people have paid more attentions to environmental issues involving air pollution, urban heat island effect and accessibility of green space. Hong Kong is a representative high-density city. The mission of Hong Kong New Town Development is to scatter the densely urban centre population and to improve living quality. Based on the ArcGIS and CFD scientific simulation, this paper focus on the sustainability analysis of Hong Kong new town from the view of Low-Carbon Eco-City, taking Tseung Kwan O new town as the research object.

  5. Archaeological Documentation of a Defunct Iraqi Town

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Šedina, J.; Pavelka, K.; Housarová, E.

    2016-06-01

    The subject of this article is the possibilities of the documentation of a defunct town from the Pre-Islamic period to Early Islamic period. This town is located near the town Makhmur in Iraq. The Czech archaeological mission has worked at this dig site. This Cultural Heritage site is threatened by war because in the vicinity are positions of ISIS. For security reasons, the applicability of Pleiades satellite data has been tested. Moreover, this area is a no-fly zone. However, the DTM created from stereo-images was insufficient for the desired application in archeology. The subject of this paper is the testing of the usability of RPAS technology and terrestrial photogrammetry for documentation of the remains of buildings. RPAS is a very fast growing technology that combines the advantages of aerial photogrammetry and terrestrial photogrammetry. A probably defunct church is a sample object.

  6. Tourism in New England towns: a threat to the rural fabric

    Treesearch

    Robert S. Bristow

    2007-01-01

    A traditional tourist attraction in New England is the classic rural New England town. These small communities have a small-town feel bounded by family farms and wooded lands. These towns are heavily visited during the fall foliage season and during spring maple sugaring operations. The rural character of many New England communities is threatened by a growing...

  7. Gold-rush in a forested El Dorado: deforestation leakages and the need for regional cooperation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dezécache, Camille; Faure, Emmanuel; Gond, Valéry; Salles, Jean-Michel; Vieilledent, Ghislain; Hérault, Bruno

    2017-03-01

    Tropical forests of the Guiana Shield are the most affected by gold-mining in South America, experiencing an exponential increase in deforestation since the early 2000’s. Using yearly deforestation data encompassing Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and the Brazilian State of Amapá, we demonstrated a strong relationship between deforestation due to gold-mining and gold-prices at the regional scale. In order to assess additional drivers of deforestation due to gold-mining, we focused on the national scale and highlighted the heterogeneity of the response to gold-prices under different political contexts. Deforestation due to gold-mining over the Guiana Shield occurs mainly in Guyana and Suriname. On the contrary, past and current repressive policies in Amapá and French Guiana likely contribute to the decorrelation of deforestation and gold prices. In this work, we finally present a case study focusing on French Guiana and Suriname, two neighbouring countries with very different levels of law enforcement against illegal gold-mining. We developed a modelling framework to estimate potential deforestation leakages from French Guiana to Suriname in the border areas. Based on our assumptions, we estimated a decrease in deforestation due to gold-mining of approx. 4300 hectares in French Guiana and an increase of approx. 12 100 hectares in Suriname in response to the active military repression of illegal gold-mining launched in French Guiana. Gold-mining in the Guiana Shield provides challenging questions regarding REDD+ implementation. These questions are discussed at the end of this study and are important to policy makers who need to provide sustainable alternative employment to local populations in order to ensure the effectiveness of environmental policies.

  8. The Spatial Pattern of Intelligence in a Small Town.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bailey, William H.

    The document measures the spatial patterns of mental abilities of 94 seventh-grade students within a small town by correlating and mapping four variables--IQ test scores, achievement test scores, neighborhood quality as seen by town officials, and creativity test scores from the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. Objectives were to ascertain the…

  9. JWST Town Meeting

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mather, John

    2004-01-01

    The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Science Working Group has published the key scientific study areas for the mission: the end of the dark ages, the assembly of galaxies, the birth of stars and protoplanetary systems, and planetary systems and the origins of life. With these objectives establishing the major scientific capabilities of the observatory, the JWST Project has successfully completed major reviews of the telescope architecture and budget plan and has reached agreement on the contributions for all three international partners (NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency). Northrop Grumman Space Technologies (NGST) is the prime contractor responsible for the spacecraft, telescope, and integration. GSFC/NASA oversees the development and integration of the science instruments. The Space Telescope Science Institute is developing the JWST Science & Operations Center. The JWST will be launched to L2 2011 using an Ariane V. At this town hall, the mission's Project Scientists will present the technical and scientific status of the mission, concentrating on those areas that have changed over the last year. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn about JWST and catch up on the most recent developments. Questions from the audience will be welcomed. The town hall speakers will be John Mather, Peter Jakobsen, John Hutchings, and Peter Stockman.

  10. No gynecologist in town: the gynecological care of women in rural Taiwan

    PubMed Central

    Lai, Li-Jung; Chou, Chia-Lin; Su, H Irene; Chen, Tzeng-Ji; Chou, Li-Fang; Chou, Yueh-Ching; Hwang, Shinn-Jang; Yu, Hann-Chin

    2015-01-01

    Background A shortage of gynecologists exists in many countries. Even within an affluent country, gynecological clinics might not be evenly distributed. The purpose of the study was to investigate the disparity in gynecological care between adult women living in towns with and without gynecologists in Taiwan. Methods Data sources were the cohort datasets of the National Health Insurance Research Database, with claims data of 1 million beneficiaries in 2010. A woman’s residency was operationally inferred from the locations where she had most frequently visited physicians’ clinics or local community hospitals within the year. Results In Taiwan, 145 (39.4%) of 368 towns had no practicing gynecologist. Of 382,167 women with health care use in the datasets, 21,794 (5.7%) lived in towns without a gynecologist. The overwhelming majority of these towns lay in sparsely populated, rural areas. During the year, 132,702 women (34.7%) had sought medical help for gynecological diseases and 113,698 (29.8%) had visited gynecologists for gynecological diseases. Women in towns without a gynecologist were less likely to consult for gynecological diseases (23.8% versus 35.4%; P<0.001) and visit gynecologists (18.7% versus 30.4%; P<0.001) than women in towns with a gynecologist. The disparity existed in each age group. Among 5,189 adult women living in towns without a gynecologist and having gynecological diseases, 78.5% (number [n]=4,074) visited gynecologists out of town, especially for infertility, benign disorders of the uterus and ovaries, gynecological examinations, and contraceptive problems, and by contrast 23.3% (n=1,209) visited nongynecologists in town, most commonly for menopausal disorders, endometriosis and pelvic pain, menstrual disorders and hormonal dysfunction, and genital dysplasia. Conclusion Gynecological care of rural women was adversely affected by the shortage of gynecologists. The consequences of accessibility in underserved areas deserve further

  11. Data on microscale atmospheric pollution of Bolshoy Kamen town (Primorsky region, Russia)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kholodov, Aleksei; Ugay, Sergey; Drozd, Vladimir; Maiss, Natalia; Golokhvast, Kirill

    2017-10-01

    The paper discusses the study of atmospheric particulate matter of Bolshoy Kamen town by means of laser granulometry of snow water samples. Snow sampling points were selected close to major enterprises, along the main streets and roads of the town and in the residential area. The near-ground layer of atmospheric air of the town contains particulate matter of three main size classes: under 10 microns, 10-50 microns and over 700 microns. It is shown that the atmosphere of this town is lightly polluted with particles under 10 μm (PM10). Only in 5 sampling points out of 11 we found microparticles potentially hazardous to human health in significant quantities - from 16.2% to 34.6%. On the most territory of the town large particles (over 400 μm) dominate reaching 79.2%. We can conclude that judging by the particle size analysis of snow water samples Bolshoy Kamen town can be considered safe in terms of presence of particles under 10 μm (PM10) in the atmosphere.

  12. Horizontal and Vertical Distribution of Heavy Metals in Farm Produce and Livestock around Lead-Contaminated Goldmine in Dareta and Abare, Zamfara State, Northern Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Orisakwe, O E; Oladipo, O O; Ajaezi, G C; Udowelle, N A

    2017-01-01

    Background . Hitherto studies in response to the June 2010 lead poisoning, Zamfara State, Nigeria, have focused on clinical interventions without information on livestock and other metals. Objective . This study has investigated the distribution of heavy metals in farm produce and livestock around lead-contaminated goldmine in Dareta and Abare, Zamfara State, Nigeria. Methods . Vegetables, soil, water, blood, and different meat samples were harvested from goat, sheep, cattle, and chicken from Dareta, Abare, and Gusau communities. The samples were digested with 10 mL of a mix of nitric and perchloric acids; the mixture was then heated to dryness. Lead, cadmium, zinc, chromium, copper, magnesium, and nickel were analysed using flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The daily intake, bioaccumulation factor, and target hazard quotient (THQ) were calculated. Results . Chicken bone-muscles from Dareta had the highest concentrations of lead, zinc, and nickel (28.2750, 16.1650, and 4.2700 mg/kg, resp.), while chicken brain had the highest levels of cadmium, magnesium (0.3800 and 67.5400 mg/kg), and chromium (6.1650 mg/kg, kidney tissue inclusive). Conclusion . In addition to lead, cadmium may also be of concern in the contaminated mining communities of Zamfara State, Nigeria, given the high levels of cadmium in meat and vegetables samples from these areas.

  13. A Paradox of Town Spatial Development: The Growing Real Estate and Shrinking Town - a Case Study of Hsinchu County, Taiwan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hung, Chi-Tung; Chuang, Mo-Hsiung; Lin, Wen-Yen

    2017-04-01

    The key factors of many discussions on shrinking towns are focusing at decreasing population and declining industries. Our study, using Hsinchu County as an example, has found that part of the county (Guanxi township) is following a typical and traditional town development pattern, while somewhere else of this county (Zhubei township) shows rapid growth in real estate but with a high vacancy rate. Even though the distance between Guanxi and Zhubei is less than 20 kilometers, the spatial development phenomenon of the two townships are both "shrinking" in the same county but very different in their developing paths. This study used GIS to overlay the maps from field survey and archive data, such as real estate prices of different years, environmental hazards and disaster records, local area power consumptions, and vulnerable population data, to clarify the causes and systems behind the shrinking phenomena of the two townships and to construct a theory of "shrinking town" in Taiwan. The contribution of this study is the findings of the tangling relations of the vulnerability from land-enclosure policy, the system design of local industrial development and urban planning, and structural factors of environmental hazards. Note: This study is part of the results from the Ministry of Science and Technology funding project (MOST 105-2621-M-120-002) KEYWORDS: shrinking town, environmental hazards, urban planning, spatial disasters, real estate development

  14. Geophysical Investigations at the Hanna's Town Cemetery, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taylor, Ashley D.

    Hanna's Town (36WM203), an 18th century site located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, was a major frontier settlement that was attacked and destroyed by a force of British and Native Americans in 1782. The town never fully recovered, and by the early 1800s, no buildings remained from the settlement. The land was repurposed for agricultural use until it was purchased by the Westmoreland County Historical Society, who reconstructed the town for tourism and educational purposes. In addition to the town, the site also contains a cemetery that currently has five headstones. There are several stone fragments in storage that are no longer associated with burials, providing evidence that the cemetery may contain unmarked graves. Geophysical investigations using ground penetrating radar, magnetometry, and electrical resistance were performed to examine the presence of additional grave shafts in and adjacent to the present-day cemetery.

  15. Anthropogenic sinkholes in the town of Naples

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vennari, Carmela; Parise, Mario

    2016-04-01

    The importance of sinkhole as a natural hazard is often underrated when compared with landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes in Italy. Sinkholes are rarely included in risk analysis despite their frequent occurrence in several parts of Italy, especially in karst lands or in those sectors of the country where artificial cavities have been realized underground by man for different purposes. Among the most affected Italian regions, Campania (southern Italy) stands out for several reasons, with particular regard to the town of Naples, highly affected by anthropogenic sinkholes. These latter have caused serious damage to society, and above all to people in terms of deaths, missing persons, and injured people, due to the high urbanization of the city, developed above a complex and extensive network of cavities, excavated during the 2000 years of history of the town. Among the different typologies of artificial cavities, it is worth mentioning the high number of ancient quarry used to extract the building materials for the town construction. The Institute of Research for the Hydrological Protection (IRPI) of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) has been working in the last years at populating a specific chronological database on sinkholes in the whole Italian country. On the base of the collected data, Naples appears to have been affected by not less than 250 events from the beginning of the century to nowadays. The IRPI database includes only sinkholes for which a temporal reference on their time of occurrence is known. Particular attention was given on this information, since the catalogue idea is to make a starting point for a complete sinkhole hazard analysis. At this aim, knowledge of the time of occurrence is mandatory. Day, month and year of the event are known for about 70% of sinkholes that took place in Naples, but the hour of occurrence is known for just 6% of the data. Information about site of occurrence are, on the other hand, highly

  16. Designing a Health Clinic for Prairie City, Oregon: Revitalizing Main Street in Small, Remote Towns.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Jenny E.

    1995-01-01

    A small town designed a health clinic to entice a health care practitioner to locate in the town, increase the town's economic feasibility, generate local jobs, and stimulate business in the downtown. The design is important to achieving these goals by continuing and enhancing the town's character. (TD)

  17. Measuring the scale of sustainability of new town development based on the assessment of the residents of the native settlement around the new town area of Gading Serpong Tangerang

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ischak, M.; Setioko, B.; Nurgandarum, D.

    2018-01-01

    The growth trend of Jakarta city as a Metropolitan city nowadays is the construction of large-scale planned settlement that is often referred to as a new town and is carried out by major developers. The process of land tenure and the process of constructing the new town are directly tangent to the original pre-existing settlements and shape the pattern or types of original settlements in the context of their relationship with the new town. This research was intended to measure the scale of sustainability due to land expansion by new town developers and was measured from the side of the original settlers who still exist. The research method used was descriptive explorative that is by formulating sustainability criteria that match best with research context and using the criteria as a tool to measure the sustainability level of new city development at research site that is new town of Gading Serpong Tangerang. The research concludes that despite the apparent displacement and restriction of original settlement’ lands, it indicates, overall, that new town development meets sustainability criteria when viewed from the residents of three types of the original settlements.

  18. Assessment of arsenic concentrations in domestic well water, by town, in Maine 2005-09

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nielsen, M.G.; Lombard, P.J.; Schalk, L.F.

    2010-01-01

    Prior studies have established that approximately 10 percent of domestic wells in Maine have arsenic levels greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant limit (10 micrograms per liter (ug/L)). Of even greater concern are multiple discoveries of wells with very high arsenic levels (> 500 ug/L) in several areas of the State. A study was initiated to assist the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ME-CDC) in developing a better understanding of the statewide spatial occurrence of wells with elevated arsenic levels at the individual town level, identify areas of the State that should be targeted for increased efforts to promote well-water testing, and generate data for potential use in predicting areas of the State likely to have very high levels of arsenic. The State's Health and Environmental and Testing Laboratory (HETL) annually analyzes samples from thousands of domestic wells for arsenic. Results of arsenic analyses of domestic well water submitted to the HETL from 2005 to 2009 were screened and organized, by town, in order to summarize the results for all towns with samples submitted to the HETL. In order to preserve the privacy of well owners, the screening and organization of samples was conducted in the offices of the ME-CDC, following applicable Maine and United States laws, rules, and privacy policies. After screening, the database contained samples from 531 towns in Maine and from 11,111 individual wells. Of those towns, 385 had samples from 5 or more individual wells, 174 towns had samples from 20 or more individual wells, and 49 towns had samples from 60 or more wells. These samples, because they were submitted by homeowners and were not part of a random sample, may not be representative of all wells in a given area. The minimum, maximum, and median arsenic values for the towns with five or more samples were calculated, and the maximum and median values were mapped for the State. The percentages of samples

  19. Charles Hard Townes: Remarkable Scientist and Inspiring Teacher

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goldsmith, P. F.

    2015-05-01

    Charles Townes is renowned for his work elucidating the structure of molecules through microwave spectroscopy and for his invention of the maser and the laser. He also had a lifelong interest in astronomy, and in the later portion of his remarkable and long career devoted himself to astronomical research, pioneering the study of molecules in interstellar space and the development of infrared spectroscopy, first from the ground and then from airborne facilities. His interest in high angular resolution, as well as high spectral resolution observations, led to development of the first infrared spatial interferometer employing coherent signal processing techniques. In this short review I will only touch on some of Townes' many scientific contributions, concentrating on astronomy, and will also give some personal thoughts about how he inspired students in their research, helping to make the "Townes Group" at the University of California, Berkeley, an ideal environment in which to start a career in research.

  20. NASA Chief Technologist Hosts Town Hall

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-05-24

    NASA's Chief Technologists, Bobby Braun, hosts a Town Hall meeting to discuss agency-wide technology policy and programs at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, May 25, 2010, in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

  1. Sundown Town to "Little Mexico": Old-Timers and Newcomers in an American Small Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McConnell, Eileen Diaz; Miraftab, Faranak

    2009-01-01

    For more than a century, communities across the United States legally employed strategies to create and maintain racial divides. One particularly widespread and effective practice was that of "sundown towns," which signaled to African Americans and others that they were not welcome within the city limits after dark. Though nearly 1,000…

  2. Tools for regulation of travel behaviour in small and medium towns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carsky, J.; Gallia, J.

    2018-04-01

    The subject of this paper is to analyse traffic-sociological surveys focused on the attitudes of citizens living in small and medium-sized towns to solve selected traffic problems. The basis for the following research is the data obtained through questionnaire surveys carried out in selected Czech and Moravian towns. Applications are for example a tool for optimal setting of the price for parking in historic centres of towns as well as the suitability of closure of these centres for vehicles or the regulation of entry through its charging.

  3. AGU Position Statements Addressed at Fall Meeting Town Hall

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hankin, Erik

    2013-01-01

    The AGU Outreach Committee and Public Affairs staff held a town hall at the 2012 Fall Meeting to discuss AGU position statements. The town hall, "AGU Position Statements: Announcing New Submission and Review Methods," held on Monday, 3 December, provided background on AGU position statements, recent changes to the review and writing processes, updates on statements under revision, and ways for members to utilize and impact position statements.

  4. NASA Chief Technologist Hosts Town Hall

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-05-24

    Bobby Braun, NASA's Chief Technologist, answers questions during a Town Hall meeting to discuss agency-wide technology policy and programs at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, May 25, 2010, in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

  5. Genetics Home Reference: Townes-Brocks Syndrome

    MedlinePlus

    ... MedlinePlus (5 links) Diagnostic Tests Drug Therapy Genetic Counseling Palliative Care Surgery and Rehabilitation Related Information How ... JB, Wu BL, Korf BR. Townes-Brocks syndrome versus expanded spectrum hemifacial microsomia: review of eight patients ...

  6. NASA Chief Technologist Hosts Town Hall

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-05-24

    Bobby Braun, right, NASA's Chief Technologist, answers questions during a Town Hall meeting to discuss agency-wide technology policy and programs at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, May 25, 2010, in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

  7. Horizontal and Vertical Distribution of Heavy Metals in Farm Produce and Livestock around Lead-Contaminated Goldmine in Dareta and Abare, Zamfara State, Northern Nigeria

    PubMed Central

    Oladipo, O. O.; Ajaezi, G. C.; Udowelle, N. A.

    2017-01-01

    Background. Hitherto studies in response to the June 2010 lead poisoning, Zamfara State, Nigeria, have focused on clinical interventions without information on livestock and other metals. Objective. This study has investigated the distribution of heavy metals in farm produce and livestock around lead-contaminated goldmine in Dareta and Abare, Zamfara State, Nigeria. Methods. Vegetables, soil, water, blood, and different meat samples were harvested from goat, sheep, cattle, and chicken from Dareta, Abare, and Gusau communities. The samples were digested with 10 mL of a mix of nitric and perchloric acids; the mixture was then heated to dryness. Lead, cadmium, zinc, chromium, copper, magnesium, and nickel were analysed using flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The daily intake, bioaccumulation factor, and target hazard quotient (THQ) were calculated. Results. Chicken bone-muscles from Dareta had the highest concentrations of lead, zinc, and nickel (28.2750, 16.1650, and 4.2700 mg/kg, resp.), while chicken brain had the highest levels of cadmium, magnesium (0.3800 and 67.5400 mg/kg), and chromium (6.1650 mg/kg, kidney tissue inclusive). Conclusion. In addition to lead, cadmium may also be of concern in the contaminated mining communities of Zamfara State, Nigeria, given the high levels of cadmium in meat and vegetables samples from these areas. PMID:28539940

  8. Registrar working hours in Cape Town.

    PubMed

    Vadia, S; Kahn, D

    2005-08-01

    The number of hours worked by general surgical registrars in Europe and the USA has been reduced so as to reduce fatigue and the possibility of errors. The impact of these restrictions on surgical training remains unresolved. To date there are no officially reported data on the number of hours worked by registrars in South Africa. The aim of this study was to document the hours worked by registrars in general surgery in Cape Town. Thirty-three general surgical registrars at the University of Cape Town were asked to complete a time sheet over a 2-week period, indicating hours spent in hospital as part of a normal working day, hours spent in hospital outside of a normal day, hours at home on 'cold call' and hours off duty. Of the 33 registrars, 25 completed the time sheet. Registrars at Groote Schuur Hospital worked an average of 105 hours per week (68 hours in hospital and 37 hours on call at home). Registrars at New Somerset Hospital worked 79 hours per week (70 hours on site), while registrars at Red Cross Children's Hospital, G. F. Jooste Hospital and the Trauma Unit worked 60 - 69 hours per week. In the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) registrars worked 75 hours per week. In conclusion, general surgical registrars at the University of Cape Town work hours in excess of European and American work-hour restrictions.

  9. Perceived descriptive safety-related driving norms within and outside Arab towns and villages in Israel.

    PubMed

    Baron-Epel, Orna; Obid, Samira; Fertig, Shahar; Gitelman, Victoria

    2016-01-01

    Involvement in car crashes is higher among Israeli Arabs compared to Jews. This study characterized perceived descriptive driving norms (PDDNs) within and outside Arab towns/villages and estimated their association with involvement in car crashes. Arab drivers (594) living in 19 towns and villages were interviewed in face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire included questions about involvement in car crashes, PDDNs within and outside the towns/villages, attitudes toward traffic safety laws, traffic law violations, and socioeconomic and demographic variables. PDDNs represent individuals' perceptions on how safe other people typically drive. The low scores indicate a low percentage of drivers performing unsafe behaviors (safer driving-related norms). A structural equation modeling analysis was applied to identify factors associated with PDDNs and involvement in car crashes. A large difference was found in PDDNs within and outside the towns/villages. Mostly, the respondents reported higher rates of unsafe PDDNs within the towns/villages (mean = 3.76, SD = 0.63) and lower rates of PDDNs outside the towns/villages (mean = 2.12, SD = 0.60). PDDNs outside the towns/villages were associated with involvement in a car crash (r = -0.12, P <.01), but those within the towns/villages were not. Within the towns/villages, attitudes toward traffic laws and PDDNs were positively associated with traffic law violations (r = 0.56, P <.001; r = 0.11, P <.001 respectively), where traffic law violations were directly associated with involvement in a car crash (r = -0.14, P <.001). Unsafe PDDNs may add directly and indirectly to unsafe driving and involvement in car crashes in Arab Israelis. Because PDDNs outside towns/villages were better, increased law enforcement within towns/villages may improve these norms and decrease involvement in car crashes.

  10. NASA Chief Technologist Hosts Town Hall

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-05-24

    Bobby Braun, NASA's Chief Technologist, is seen on a video monitor during a Town Hall meeting to discuss agency-wide technology policy and programs at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, May 25, 2010, in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

  11. Small-town migration to metropolitan centres: a case in Peninsular Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Lee Boon Thong

    1979-12-01

    In Malaysia small towns are an important source of population gowth in metropolitan areas. To provide empirical evidence of the magnitude and roles of small urban centers as complementary sources of population growth in metropolitan areas, a small survey was conducted in 10 small towns in the State of Selangor. Criteria for the selection of these towns include a fair geographical spread over the State, and each area must characteristically possess a dominant urban center. The questionnaires were directed to the heads of 300 households with the intention of investigating the socioeconomic background of the households and the magnitude and characteristics of those members of the households who have migrated elsewhere. The total number of outmigrants from each area varied from 27-57, giving an overall average figure of 1.53 outmigrants/household. About 77% of the outmigrants had moved to the metropolitan centers. As the majority of the metropolitan migrants were more attracted to Kuala Lumpur, Klang, and Petaling Jaya, it may be assumed that the total outmigrants from small towns as derived would have consitituted about 39% of the population in the Klang Valley region. Based on this estimate, the role of small towns in metropolitan population growth is important. In the survey conducted, 2 broad categories of movements were involved: "economic movers," i.e., those who migrated to work or to establish businesses in the metropolitan areas; and "noneconomic movers," i.e., those who moved to continue their studies or to follow their spouses, and so forth. The economic mover stream made up 71% of the total metropolitan migrants. 2 variables--marital status and sex--were significantly related to the economic or noneconomic nature of the metropolitan migrants. The movement of males tended to be associated with economic motives whereas noneconomic reasons for movement tended to be the case among females migrants. The most important occupational group of the economically

  12. Reimagining Education in Small Towns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carr, Patrick J.; Kefalas, Maria J.

    2010-01-01

    Things are not going so well in small-town America. While the so-called "Great Recession" of the moment has focused considerable attention on the travails of Main Street and Middle America, the truth is that the troubles that plague such places have been a long time in the making. For the past 30 years, nonmetropolitan counties and the…

  13. Earth observations Cape Town, South Africa taken during the STS-97 mission

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2000-12-10

    STS097-711-069 (30 Nov. - 11 Dec. 2000) This view featuring Cape Town and the Western Cape Province in the Republic of South Africa was provided by one of the STS-97 astronauts using a 70mm handheld camera aboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour. The capital and largest city of Western Cape Province, Cape Town (1995 population in the urban and suburban area shows in excess of 1.9 million), is visible between False Bay (large, U-shaped bay) and a smaller bay along the Atlantic coast of the peninsula. Within the urban built-up area some of the infrastructure of Cape Town, including the city center and the harbor and waterfront facilities, can be identified near the small bay (middle left edge of the image). Table Mountain elevation of 3563 feet (1086 meters above sea level) separates the city center (north of the mountain) from the southern suburbs of Cape Town. The Cape of Good Hope, long famous as the gateway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, is located at the southern tip of the claw-shaped peninsula. False Bay is a popular recreational region for the local residents of the greater Cape Town region, as well as a tourist attraction for people who live beyond the borders of South Africa. The lighter-colored terrain, mainly north of Cape Town, shows a landscape of large, cultivated field patterns. These coastal plains are separated from the interior by a chain of folded mountain ranges that include the Cedarberg (dark, linear, north/south aligned feature in the upper right corner) and the more complex, folded Herrivierberge Mountains (dark structure, right middle) that are located northeast of Cape Town.

  14. Vacuum-induced Autler-Townes splitting in a superconducting artificial atom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Z. H.; Ding, J. H.; Zhou, Y.; Ying, L. L.; Wang, Z.; Zhou, L.; Kuang, L. M.; Liu, Yu-xi; Astafiev, O. V.; Tsai, J. S.

    2018-06-01

    We experimentally study a vacuum-induced Autler-Townes doublet in a superconducting three-level artificial atom strongly coupled to a coplanar waveguide resonator and simultaneously to a transmission line. The Autler-Townes splitting is observed in the reflection spectrum from the three-level atom in a transition between the ground state and the second excited state when the transition between the two excited states is resonant with a resonator. By applying a driving field to the resonator, we observe a change in the regime of the Autler-Townes splitting from quantum (vacuum-induced) to classical (with many resonator photons). Furthermore, we show that the reflection of propagating microwaves in a transmission line could be controlled by different frequency microwave fields at the single-photon level in a resonator.

  15. Foster Town History and Documents Located at the Tyler Free Library.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDonough, Leslie B.

    This annotated bibliography attempts to make the collection of the Tyler Free Library in Foster, Rhode Island, more accessible to anyone interested in the history of the town. The library has long been an unofficial repository of historical information and town documents for the community of Foster, Rhode Island. The library also houses the files…

  16. The 1992 town meetings: Toward a shared vision

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1993-01-01

    With the goal of developing a shared vision for the future of NASA, the U.S. civil aeronautics and space agency conducted a series of town meetings across the country in Nov. and Dec. 1992. Specifically, NASA sought comment on the Agency's new vision statement and mission values, which were developed by the Agency's employees in an effort to redefine NASA's priorities and purpose for the 1990's and beyond. In practice, the meetings constituted a sort of nationwide brainstorming session on how to make aeronautics and space research more relevant to people's daily lives. Primary findings, NASA's action plan, town meeting proceedings, and conclusions are described.

  17. Do transition towns have the potential to promote health and well-being? A health impact assessment of a transition town initiative.

    PubMed

    Richardson, J; Nichols, A; Henry, T

    2012-11-01

    Climate change and energy vulnerability present significant challenges for the development and sustainability of our communities. The adverse effects will most likely impact on those already experiencing poverty, as energy and food costs will rise, thus increasing inequalities in health. Transition town initiatives seek to build cohesive sustainable communities to prepare for a future with limited oil and a changing climate. Increasingly, public health practitioners are interested in the role of transition towns as a community development initiative, and their potential to support the wider public health agenda. Health impact assessment (HIA) is an evidence-based process that aims to predict the positive and negative impacts of a strategy, proposal or development. The HIA process provides an opportunity to promote sustainable communities by ensuring that new strategies and developments are considered in the context of their contribution to the health and well-being of local populations. The aim of this study was to use an HIA to examine the potential health and well-being benefits of two related transition town initiatives. A rapid HIA to consider the potential lifestyle changes and health and well-being impacts of Transition Together/Transition Streets (TT/TS) projects. An HIA template was used to assess key documents related to the TT/TS initiatives and those related to the characteristics of the community. Additionally, meetings with 12 key informants (four involved in TT/TS and eight purposively selected for their local knowledge) were held using the HIA template to focus the discussion. The findings highlight the associated lifestyle changes such as increased physical activity and healthy eating, and possible social and well-being benefits of engagement in such an initiative. Engagement may be limited to those already concerned about environmental issues. This paper illustrates the important links between transition towns and the wider public health agenda

  18. Ethnic Competition for Control of Schools in Two South Texas Towns.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Post, Donald Eugene

    The study examined the competition for control of schools between Anglos and Mexican Americans in 2 South Texas towns. The study's major objective was to describe the history of, and conceptually account for, the development of this new ethnic power struggle in which the control of schools played a primary role. Both towns, situated in a region…

  19. Heritage Landmark of the Royal Town of Klang: Balai Bomba Klang Selatan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sulaiman, Normah; Powell, Robert

    2017-10-01

    The arrival of the British colony in Kuala Lumpur sparked a radical change in the town in terms of infrastructure and town planning. Due to the British Empire’s reign over Malaya in the advent of 20th century, the colonial architectural style has influenced a lot of important building in the royal town of Selangor. Some of the building is abandoned disrespect, disregard and it’s frightening. Many deemed historic buildings and structures disappears in exchange for modernity, which is a threat to the townscape and history. The local council of Klang aims to preserve clusters of colonial sights, place of worships, schools, and remnants of a fort that has shaped the town enabling people to be more appreciative towards it. Located in the heart of Klang town, the fire station sits next to another heritage trail icon, Raja Abdullah Warehouse. Without proper documentation and curation, the building significant will remain unknown and eventually disappear. The core of this paper will showcase the building design quality and its importance, as the first attempt to document the Balai Bomba Klang Selatan to assist in conserving its tangible and intangible qualities. The study aims to collate and document the tangible qualities of the fire station to complement the measured drawing exercise.

  20. Tobacco Town: Computational Modeling of Policy Options to Reduce Tobacco Retailer Density.

    PubMed

    Luke, Douglas A; Hammond, Ross A; Combs, Todd; Sorg, Amy; Kasman, Matt; Mack-Crane, Austen; Ribisl, Kurt M; Henriksen, Lisa

    2017-05-01

    To identify the behavioral mechanisms and effects of tobacco control policies designed to reduce tobacco retailer density. We developed the Tobacco Town agent-based simulation model to examine 4 types of retailer reduction policies: (1) random retailer reduction, (2) restriction by type of retailer, (3) limiting proximity of retailers to schools, and (4) limiting proximity of retailers to each other. The model examined the effects of these policies alone and in combination across 4 different types of towns, defined by 2 levels of population density (urban vs suburban) and 2 levels of income (higher vs lower). Model results indicated that reduction of retailer density has the potential to decrease accessibility of tobacco products by driving up search and purchase costs. Policy effects varied by town type: proximity policies worked better in dense, urban towns whereas retailer type and random retailer reduction worked better in less-dense, suburban settings. Comprehensive retailer density reduction policies have excellent potential to reduce the public health burden of tobacco use in communities.

  1. Sharpless Outlines His Plans for NCI During Spring Town Hall | Poster

    Cancer.gov

    At the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Spring Town Hall, new director Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, M.D., summarized his goals for NCI’s role in cancer research. The event, which was held at NCI Shady Grove and livestreamed to eight other major NCI locations, was Sharpless’ first town hall since his six-month “listening and learning tour” concluded.

  2. The impact of deprivation on youth violence: a comparison of cities and their feeder towns.

    PubMed

    Jones, S J; Sivarajasingam, V; Shepherd, J

    2011-06-01

    66,000 children and adolescents are treated at emergency departments (EDs) in England and Wales each year for assault injury. The aim of this study was to compare adolescent assault injury rates in cities and towns and determine how assault injury varies with deprivation and gender. The study was set in three cities in Wales, UK, and their surrounding towns. Subjects were 11-17 year olds treated for assault injury at one of seven EDs from 1 October 2005 to 30 September 2006. Area of residence (electoral divisions, EDivs) was identified from patient postcode. EDivs were aggregated into deprivation fifths for males and females and cities and towns. Assault injury rates, rate ratios and 95% CIs were calculated. 1472 children and adolescents of 11-17 years old were treated for assault injury. Male city assault injury rates were 14.2/1000 11-17 year olds; and 13.1 in towns. Female city assault injury rates were 6.0; and 5.6 in towns. In the most deprived city areas males had assault injury rates 2.6 times (95% CI 1.85 to 3.59) that of the most affluent, compared with 2.0 times in towns (95% CI 1.39 to 2.86). For females, the most deprived city areas had assault injury rates 5.3 times that of the most affluent (95% CI 2.93 to 9.41), compared with 2.8 times in towns (95% CI 1.47 to 5.28). Injury in youth violence increased with increasing deprivation in cities and their feeder towns. This was true for boys and girls, though rates for boys were consistently higher. This link between assault injury and deprivation was stronger for girls in cities than in feeder towns. Strategies to prevent youth violence need to include improved safeguarding arrangements for girls living in the most deprived city areas.

  3. Factors determining waste generation in Spanish towns and cities.

    PubMed

    Prades, Miriam; Gallardo, Antonio; Ibàñez, Maria Victoria

    2015-01-01

    This paper analyzes the generation and composition of municipal solid waste in Spanish towns and cities with more than 5000 inhabitants, which altogether account for 87% of the Spanish population. To do so, the total composition and generation of municipal solid waste fractions were obtained from 135 towns and cities. Homogeneity tests revealed heterogeneity in the proportions of municipal solid waste fractions from one city to another. Statistical analyses identified significant differences in the generation of glass in cities of different sizes and in the generation of all fractions depending on the hydrographic area. Finally, linear regression models and residuals analysis were applied to analyze the effect of different demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic variables on the generation of waste fractions. The conclusions show that more densely populated towns, a hydrographic area, and cities with over 50,000 inhabitants have higher waste generation rates, while certain socioeconomic variables (people/car) decrease that generation. Other socioeconomic variables (foreigners and unemployment) show a positive and null influence on that waste generation, respectively.

  4. Results of Education Program of “Training of Designers for Town Renovation”

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nitta, Yasutsugu; Inoi, Hiroto

    The paper introduces the outline and results of the education program of “Training of designers for town renovation”, which has been done for two years in Osaka University, sponsored by the Ministry of education, culture, sports, science and technology. The program has three main aims as follows ; to understand three factors of town planning, “Shape”, “System” and “Mind” and master the design skills for realizing three factors, to master the design skills integrating three factors which are “Environment”, “Social” and “Economic”, and to perceive various people living, improve the ability of communicating and enhance the desire of participating town planning process.

  5. Towns with extremely low mortality due to ischemic heart disease in Spain

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The cause of coronary disease inframortality in Spain is unknown. The aim of this study is to identify Spanish towns with very low ischemic heart disease mortality, describe their health and social characteristics, and analyze the relationship with a series of contextual factors. Methods We obtained the number of deaths registered for each of 8,122 Spanish towns in the periods 1989-1998 and 1999-2003. Expected deaths, standardized mortality ratio (SMR), smoothed Relative Risk (RR), and Posterior Probability (PP) of RR > 1 were calculated using Bayesian hierarchical models. Inframortality was defined as any town that displayed an RR below the 10th percentile, an SMR of under 1 for both sexes, and a PP of RR > 1 less than or equal to 0.002 for male and 0.005 for female mortality, during the two periods covered. All the remaining towns, except for those with high mortality classified as "tourist towns", were selected as controls. The association among socioeconomic, health, dietary, lifestyle and vascular risk factors was analyzed using sequential mixed logistic regression models, with province as the random-effects variable. Results We identified 32 towns in which ischemic heart disease mortality was half the national rate and four times lower than the European Union rate, situated in lightly populated provinces spread across the northern half of Spain, and revealed a surprising pattern of geographic aggegation for 23 of the 32 towns. Variables related with inframortality were: a less aged population (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89-0.99); a contextual dietary pattern marked by a high fish content (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.38-3.28) and wine consumption (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.08-2.07); and a low prevalence of obesity (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.22-1.01); and, in the case of towns of over 1000 inhabitants, a higher physician-population ratio (OR 3.80, 95% CI 1.17-12.3). Conclusions Results indicate that dietary and health care factors have an influence on inframortality. The geographical

  6. Larval control of Anopheles (Nyssorhinchus) darlingi using granular formulation of Bacillus sphaericus in abandoned gold-miners excavation pools in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest.

    PubMed

    Galardo, Allan Kardec Ribeiro; Zimmerman, Robert; Galardo, Clícia Denis

    2013-01-01

    Use of a Bacillus sphaericus based mosquito larvicide was evaluated as an intervention for malaria vector control at a mining site in Amapá, Brazil. Impacts on larval and adult densities of the primary vector Anopheles darlingi were measured over the course of a 52 week study period. In Calçoene, State of Amapá, gold mining activity occurs in 19 mining sites in gold-miners of Lourenço. Large pools are formed in mining sites and naturally colonized by Anopheles darlingi. During one year, the impact of applications of VectoLex® CG to these larval sources was evaluated. Applications of 20kg/ha were made as needed, based on 10 immature (3rd, 4th instars and pupae) surveillance of health and established thresholds. One hundred percent initial control was observed 48h after each treatment. The pools received from 2-10 (5.3±1.6) treatments during the year. The average re-treatment interval in productive pools was 9.4±4.3 weeks. During weeks 3-52 of the study, mean density of late stage larvae was 78% and pupae were 93% lower in the treated pools than in untreated pools (p< 0.0001, n=51) while reduction of adult mosquitoes was 53% in comparison to the untreated area during the last five months of the study, which were the rainy season (p<0.001). VectoLex® CG reduced immature Anopheles darlingi infestation levels during the entire study period, and reduced adult mosquito populations during the rainy season.

  7. RadTown USA Neighborhoods | US EPA

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    2016-09-08

    Learn about radiation sources and uses in the interactive, virtual community of RadTown USA! Explore radiation sources and uses in homes and schools, medical buildings and laboratories and outdoors. You will also find information about coal-fired power plants and nuclear power plants, power lines and learn about responding to radiation emergencies.

  8. Land sliding in the area of the town of Ocna Mures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pop, Elena

    2013-04-01

    Land sliding in the area of the town of Ocna Mures Situated near the center of Romania, the town of Ocna Mures, Alba county, once was considered a health resort. Positioned on the left bank of the river Mures, it has a most important natural asset - that is salt. This town began its growth around the year 1896 when the Sodium Product Plant came into being. From the salt extracted as brine they obtained different chlorine-sodium products. On the morning of December 22, 2010, a landslide occurred in the area close to the center of the town, causing a release of a great deal of salty water that soon formed a lake. During that day the big supermarket that was situated on the back of the sliding area collapsed into the crater of the newly formed salty lake. Due to this sliding the main road began to present huge cracks and it sank into the ground around 3 meters, along a length of 100 meters. Thus the asphalt wrinkled as a result of the landslide and one can no longer use the road. Together with my students I went to that area in order to study the alterations that were produced in the ground and to observe the efforts of the specialized workers trying to avoid a catastrophe. Thus we learned that a variety of corrections were needed: - The design and the installation of a barrier around that area in order to prevent more plain water to enter; - Stopping excavations of pebbles from the river Mures over an area of 5 kilometers up- and down-river of the town area; - The removal of the other salty lakes from the town area; - The new design of the sewer system of the town using resistant materials; - Increased capacity of the sewer system for industrial water and drainage from the abundant rains; - The planting of trees in the area in order to fix the ground and prevent new landslides; In order to establish the safety coefficient to protect the salt reserve due to its ubiquity they have to consult seismology specialists. Therefore they have to do all the necessary efforts in

  9. Impact of Birth Order on Procrastination among College Students in Eldoret Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gabriel, Chege Kimani

    2015-01-01

    The study sought to investigate the impact of birth order on procrastination among college students in Eldoret town. The study sought to achieve the following objectives: (1) to find out the prevalence of procrastination among college students in Eldoret town, (2) to find out the relationship between birth order on procrastination among college…

  10. The species of the Neotropical genus Fractipons Townes, 1970 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae).

    PubMed

    Bordera, Santiago; González-Moreno, Alejandra

    2011-01-19

    In this paper, two new species of the Neotropical genus Fractipons Townes, 1970 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) are described. A new diagnosis for the genus, a re-description of Fractipons cincticornis Townes, 1970 and a key to known species are provided. New distribution records for the genus now include Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama and Peru.

  11. [First midwives in the town of Bjelovar, Croatia 1756-1856].

    PubMed

    Habek, Dubravko

    2008-09-01

    The first trained (certified) midwives came to the newly founded town of Bjelovar, a strong military centre of Vojna Krajina (Croatian province bordering Ottoman Empire), at the beginning of the 1750s, along with army physicians, surgeons, and pharmacists. Most were of German origin. The archival material investigated for the period 1756-1856 speaks of 23 certified midwives, of whom 14 were regimental and nine municipal. This period was characterised by high neonatal and maternal mortality rates and criminal abortions. Within the scope of the domiciliary midwifery model that included care for pregnant women, parturient women, neonates, and infants, midwives used to act as godmothers to newborns at risk, in periculo, or to healthy newborns. Although Bjelovar had professional midwifery service, the practice of unassisted childbirths continued in the town surroundings. Unlike other inland and coastal (Dalmatian) towns of the time, Bjelovar has had a continuous tradition of training midwives and maternal health care since the 1750s.

  12. International Mathematics Tournament of the Towns.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Andy

    The International Mathematics Tournament of the Towns is a mathematics competition for junior and senior high school students all over the world. The tournament began in 1980 in the former Soviet Union. Participants write contest papers locally, with emphasis on solving within a very generous time allowance a small number of interesting problems.…

  13. Effective Skills for Child-Care Workers: A Training Manual from Boys Town.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dowd, Tom; And Others

    Boys Town, founded in 1917 by Father Edward Flanagan, attempts to respond to the challenges faced by today's children and youth with its own child care model, called the Boys Town Family Home Program. This model is based on family-style nurturing, behavioral-based instruction, and a "systems" approach to staff training and development.…

  14. Tobacco Town: Computational Modeling of Policy Options to Reduce Tobacco Retailer Density

    PubMed Central

    Luke, Douglas A.; Hammond, Ross A.; Combs, Todd; Sorg, Amy; Kasman, Matt; Mack-Crane, Austen; Ribisl, Kurt M.; Henriksen, Lisa

    2017-01-01

    Objectives To identify the behavioral mechanisms and effects of tobacco control policies designed to reduce tobacco retailer density. Methods We developed the Tobacco Town agent-based simulation model to examine 4 types of retailer reduction policies: (1) random retailer reduction, (2) restriction by type of retailer, (3) limiting proximity of retailers to schools, and (4) limiting proximity of retailers to each other. The model examined the effects of these policies alone and in combination across 4 different types of towns, defined by 2 levels of population density (urban vs suburban) and 2 levels of income (higher vs lower). Results Model results indicated that reduction of retailer density has the potential to decrease accessibility of tobacco products by driving up search and purchase costs. Policy effects varied by town type: proximity policies worked better in dense, urban towns whereas retailer type and random retailer reduction worked better in less-dense, suburban settings. Conclusions Comprehensive retailer density reduction policies have excellent potential to reduce the public health burden of tobacco use in communities. PMID:28398792

  15. Rural roadway safety perceptions among rural teen drivers living in and outside of towns.

    PubMed

    Ramirez, Marizen; Roth, Lisa; Young, Tracy; Peek-Asa, Corinne

    2013-01-01

    To compare perceptions about rural road and general driving behaviors between teens who live in- and out-of-town from rural communities in Iowa. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 160 teens anticipating their Intermediate License within 3 months upon enrollment into this study. Self-administered surveys were used to collect demographics and driving exposures (eg, frequency of driving, age when first drove unsupervised). Two Likert scales were included to measure agreement with safe driving behaviors on rural roads and general safe driving behaviors (eg, speeding, seat belt use). T-tests were calculated comparing mean composite scores between in- and out-of-town teens, and between mean rural road and general driving safety attitude scores. A linear regression multivariable model was constructed to identify predictors of the rural road score. While the majority of teens endorsed rural road and general safe driving behaviors, up to 40% did not. Thirty-two percent did not believe the dangers of animals on rural roads, and 40% disagreed that exceeding the speed limit is dangerous. In-town teens were less safety conscious about rural road hazards with a significantly lower mean composite score (4.4) than out-of-town teens (4.6); mean scores for general driving behaviors were similar. Living out-of-town and owning one's own car were significant predictors of increased rural road safety scores. Rural, in-town teens have poorer safety attitudes about rural roadway hazards compared with out-of-town teens. Interventions that involve education, parental supervision, and practice on rural roads are critical for preventing teen crashes on rural roads. No claim to original US government works.

  16. Says Who?: Students Apply Their Critical-Analysis Skills to Fight Town Hall

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trimarchi, Ruth

    2002-01-01

    For some time the author looked for a tool to let students apply what they are learning about critical analysis in the science classroom to a relevant life experience. The opportunity occurred when a proposal to use environmentally friendly cleaning products in town buildings appeared on the local town meeting agenda. Using a copy of the proposal…

  17. Shopping for Mathematics in Consumer Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wolff, Ann L.; Wimer, Nancy

    2009-01-01

    Justin and Jenny, grade 12 math students, walk with their preschool friends Sean and Meg to the local grocery store. There, two classmates are tending the cash registers. The six of them, along with others, are participating in an in-school "field trip" to Consumer Town, located in the South Windsor High School front lobby. The field…

  18. Municipal solid waste generation and disposal in Robe town, Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Erasu, Duguma; Faye, Tesfaye; Kiros, Amaha; Balew, Abel

    2018-04-20

    The amount of solid waste generated in developing countries is rising from time to time due to economic growth, change in consumer behavior and lifestyles of people. But it is hard to manage and handle the increase of solid waste with existing waste management infrastructure. Thus, the management system of solid waste is very poor and become a serious problem. The main purpose of this study is to quantify the volume of solid waste generated and investigate factors affecting generation and disposal of wastes in the study area. The result of this study indicated that total waste generated from households was about 97.092kg/day.Furthermore, the study reveals that the solid waste generation rate of the town is 0.261kg/person/day.About 57.5% of solid waste is properly disposed of to landfill site whereas the remaining 42.5% is illegally dumped at the roadsides and open fields. Implication Statement Nowadays, in developing countries there is high concentration of people in urban areas and cause for the generation of enormous concentration of municipal waste in urban areas. Therefore this finding will be important for various policy makers and town planners. It may also serve as a benchmark for the municipal authorities of the town for whom the problem is still invisible and negligible and can push environmental protection authorities to reexamine the implementation of their policies and strategies with regard to the broader issues of human and environmental health condition of town dwellers.

  19. Beyond the Stone Town: Maritime Architecture at Fourteenth-Fifteenth Century Songo Mnara, Tanzania

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pollard, Edward; Fleisher, Jeffrey; Wynne-Jones, Stephanie

    2012-10-01

    The towns of the Swahili coast of East Africa are widely acknowledged as the remains of a maritime society whose relationship with the ocean was fundamental to their economy and identity. Yet research that links the terrestrial environments of the towns to their adjacent maritime landscapes is rare, and urgently required in the light of marine erosional processes unmitigated by human actions. In the Kilwa archipelago of southern Tanzania, survey of the coastal foreshore has documented maritime architecture—particularly a series of coral-built causeways—that serve to link the medieval towns of this area to coastal resources and to expand the limits of the settlements themselves. This paper reports on survey recovering these causeways on Songo Mnara Island, putting the structures into context as part of the broader spatial manifestation of the island's fourteenth-fifteenth century town. Several possible uses of the causeways are discussed, including functional explanations linked to the exploitation of oceanic resources, and more social reasons of territoriality and spatial demarcation.

  20. The Best-Kept Secret in Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perna, Mark C.

    2006-01-01

    In this article, the author describes how he has toured many impressive schools over the years and has heard one familiar statement that amazes him: "We are the best-kept secret in town." How can a school exist for any significant period of time and be virtually unknown to the community it serves? The truth is that if one considers his school to…

  1. Off The Scale - Expansion or Development? A Small Town within a Metropolitan Zone as an Alternative Place of Residence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wójtowicz-Wróbel, Agnieszka

    2017-10-01

    The goal of this paper is to point out the types of spatial changes that the small towns located in Krakow’s range of influence are currently undergoing, as well as what are the consequences of the various types of changes in these towns. The author asks the question whether the current changes seen in small towns that are under the influence of Krakow can be described as sustainable development - at the basis of which is the increasing of the quality of the functional and spatial structure of a town while preserving its qualities and character - or, on the contrary, that it is more appropriate to describe the changes in the spatial structure of towns as an expansion, which is related only to an increase in their surface area or an increase in the density of their built environment? An attempt has also been made to determine the cause of these changes. An analysis of a set of towns in terms of their accessibility in relation to Krakow, as well as the demographic changes in towns in recent years, has been carried out. This research was useful in determining the dynamic of urban changes or their stagnation. Afterwards, groups of towns with varying degrees of transformation (towns that have been intensively transformed, towns with a balanced degree of spatial changes and towns which remain on the side-lines) were established. In addition, various forms of changes were defined - ranging from cities which register an increase in attractiveness and the changes that it brings while preserving their qualities in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, to settlements which are losing their small-town character as a result of intensive change, at the same time undergoing unification both in terms of space and form of use. From among the groups of towns, example which most fully illustrate the varying degrees and character of the changes of small towns in the area of Krakow has been selected. Based on the research that has been conducted, we can state

  2. The Attractiveness of Regional Towns: Inferring Quality of Life from Higher Education Facilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Drummond, Aaron; Palmer, Matthew A.; Halsey, R. John

    2013-01-01

    We examined whether the presence of higher education facilities made regional towns more attractive as potential residences. Metropolitan undergraduate students reported that they were more willing to live in a regional town with (vs. without) a university. Importantly, this applied regardless of whether they intended to work or study at the…

  3. Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Clones of Viruses Comprising the Towne Cytomegalovirus Vaccine

    PubMed Central

    Cui, Xiaohong; Adler, Stuart P.; Davison, Andrew J.; Smith, Larry; Habib, EL-Sayed E.; McVoy, Michael A.

    2012-01-01

    Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones have proven invaluable for genetic manipulation of herpesvirus genomes. BAC cloning can also be useful for capturing representative genomes that comprise a viral stock or mixture. The Towne live attenuated cytomegalovirus vaccine was developed in the 1970s by serial passage in cultured fibroblasts. Although its safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy have been evaluated in nearly a thousand human subjects, the vaccine itself has been little studied. Instead, genetic composition and in vitro growth properties have been inferred from studies of laboratory stocks that may not always accurately represent the viruses that comprise the vaccine. Here we describe the use of BAC cloning to define the genotypic and phenotypic properties of viruses from the Towne vaccine. Given the extensive safety history of the Towne vaccine, these BACs provide a logical starting point for the development of next-generation rationally engineered cytomegalovirus vaccines. PMID:22187535

  4. Bacterial artificial chromosome clones of viruses comprising the towne cytomegalovirus vaccine.

    PubMed

    Cui, Xiaohong; Adler, Stuart P; Davison, Andrew J; Smith, Larry; Habib, El-Sayed E; McVoy, Michael A

    2012-01-01

    Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones have proven invaluable for genetic manipulation of herpesvirus genomes. BAC cloning can also be useful for capturing representative genomes that comprise a viral stock or mixture. The Towne live attenuated cytomegalovirus vaccine was developed in the 1970s by serial passage in cultured fibroblasts. Although its safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy have been evaluated in nearly a thousand human subjects, the vaccine itself has been little studied. Instead, genetic composition and in vitro growth properties have been inferred from studies of laboratory stocks that may not always accurately represent the viruses that comprise the vaccine. Here we describe the use of BAC cloning to define the genotypic and phenotypic properties of viruses from the Towne vaccine. Given the extensive safety history of the Towne vaccine, these BACs provide a logical starting point for the development of next-generation rationally engineered cytomegalovirus vaccines.

  5. Education: University is Nucleus of New Belgian Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Sullivan, Dermot A.

    1972-01-01

    The description of Louvain-la-Neuve, near Brussels, where the layout of university facilities, the town, and the science park has been conceived and planned as an integrated whole rather than as piecemeal additions. (Author/CP)

  6. George A. Towns Elementary School. Atlanta, Georgia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burt, Ralph H.

    1976-01-01

    A project testing solar heating and cooling in an existing building, the George A. Towns Elementary School, is intended to provide information on system design and performance, allow the identification and correction of problems encountered in installing large units, and gauge community/user reaction to solar equipment. (Author/MLF)

  7. Trends and Characteristics of Rural and Small Town Canada. Working Paper No. 15.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Biggs, Brian; And Others

    This report summarizes demographic, economic, and social statistics on Canada's rural and small towns through 1989. Rural and small towns include areas with populations of less than 10,000 persons or a population density of less than 400 per square kilometer. The first section examines rural-urban differences in population trends and age…

  8. Optimizing the selection of small-town wastewater treatment processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Jianping; Zhang, Siqi

    2018-04-01

    Municipal wastewater treatment is energy-intensive. This high energy consumption causes high sewage treatment plant operating costs and increases the energy burden. To mitigate the adverse impacts of China’s development, sewage treatment plants should adopt effective energy-saving technologies. Artificial fortified natural water treatment and use of activated sludge and biofilm are all suitable technologies for small-town sewage treatment. This study features an analysis of the characteristics of small and medium-sized township sewage, an overview of current technologies, and a discussion of recent progress in sewage treatment. Based on this, an analysis of existing problems in municipal wastewater treatment is presented, and countermeasures to improve sewage treatment in small and medium-sized towns are proposed.

  9. Local Government Capacity to Respond to Environmental Change: Insights from Towns in New York State.

    PubMed

    Larson, Lincoln R; Lauber, T Bruce; Kay, David L; Cutts, Bethany B

    2017-07-01

    Local governments attempting to respond to environmental change face an array of challenges. To better understand policy responses and factors influencing local government capacity to respond to environmental change, we studied three environmental issues affecting rural or peri-urban towns in different regions of New York State: climate change in the Adirondacks (n = 63 towns), loss of open space due to residential/commercial development in the Hudson Valley (n = 50), and natural gas development in the Southern Tier (n = 62). Our analysis focused on towns' progression through three key stages of the environmental policy process (issue awareness and salience, common goals and agenda setting, policy development and implementation) and the factors that affect this progression and overall capacity for environmental governance. We found that-when compared to towns addressing open space development and natural gas development-towns confronted with climate change were at a much earlier stage in the policy process and were generally less likely to display the essential resources, social support, and political legitimacy needed for an effective policy response. Social capital cultivated through collaboration and networking was strongly associated with towns' policy response across all regions and could help municipalities overcome omnipresent resource constraints. By comparing and contrasting municipal responses to each issue, this study highlights the processes and factors influencing local government capacity to address a range of environmental changes across diverse management contexts.

  10. 75 FR 58411 - Medicare Program; Town Hall Meeting on the Physician Compare Web Site, October 27, 2010

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-24

    ...] Medicare Program; Town Hall Meeting on the Physician Compare Web Site, October 27, 2010 AGENCY: Centers for... establish a Physician Compare Web site by January 1, 2011. This notice announces a Town Hall meeting to discuss the Physician Compare Web site. The purpose of this Town Hall meeting is to solicit input from...

  11. Cable Television: Applied Anthropology in a New Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Topper, Martin D.; Wilson, W. Leigh

    1976-01-01

    The anthropologist's role in using cable television as a tool of applied anthropology in a new town was examined. The project's purpose was to give a group of people a new usage for a communications medium. (Author/NQ)

  12. Investigating Town Design and Social Organization at Port Tobacco, Maryland Through the Use of Archaeology and Geophysics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Quantock, Peter C.

    This thesis examines the connection between town planning and social organization at the small town site of Port Tobacco in south-central Charles County, Maryland from the beginning of the 18th century through to the end of the 19th century. By employing a methodology of both geophysical techniques and archaeological excavations, I was able to locate and map numerous structures and features associated with town planning and examine how these spaces were used. This data was used to show how social order, power, and wealth transformed the town layout from a linear settlement along the river into a grid-like pattern. Specifically, I was able to show that these changes in town layout were dominated by the power of the local elite landowners and tobacco merchants.

  13. Small City Transit : Chapel Hill, North Carolina : Public Transit Serving a University and Town

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1976-03-01

    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is an illustration of a public transit service providing a high level of service for a town its size and a good example of a cooperative arrangement between a town and a resident university. This case study is one of thir...

  14. TOWN HALL MEETING-SCCM 2009

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Eggert, J.; Ryan, S. J.; Ramesh, K. T.

    2009-12-28

    The following article contains the summary of the discussion held at the Shock Compression of Condensed Matter Town Hall Meeting. This was held on Tuesday afternoon of the meeting and attracted 100+ attendees. This meeting, chaired by John Eggert, was planned to introduce challenges in selected topics relevant to shock wave science. The three subjects and speakers were: space research introduced by Shannon Ryan, nanotechnology presented by Kaliat T. Ramesh, and compression tools delivered by Dave Funk. After each presentation there were a number of questions.

  15. Spatial Analysis of Urban Master Plans of Towns in North-Eastern Poland in the Context of Urban Revalorisation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zagroba, Marek; Klopotowski, Maciej

    2017-12-01

    The research subject raised in this study is the urban structure of small towns in Warmia, a region rich in history, situated in the north-eastern Poland. This area, together with the neighbouring region of Mazury, is referred to as the Land of a Thousand Lakes. The historical events, such as the conquest of this territory by the Teutonic Order in 13th century, gave rise to the foundation of twelve towns in Warmia, which have survived until our time. Of these settlements, only one, which is Olsztyn, grew to a larger size over the centuries and eventually became the capital of Warmia. The others are still small towns, with a population from a few to less than twenty thousand inhabitants. The policy and economic goals of the Teutonic Order underlay the spread of a uniform type of urban master plan in the entire region. The establishment of urban centres was dictated by military considerations - all towns had fortified castles and were 15-30 km distant from one another, which stemmed from the organisation of the Teutonic State. The location of new towns in Warmia coincided in time with the general urban planning principles governing urban development in the Middle Ages. The medieval towns, which grew on the foundations of ancient cultures, were developed on a regular grid of streets, delineating land lots for compact town houses and a central square serving as a market place. Within this structure, the town’s most significant spatial dominants, such as a town hall, a church and a fortified castle, were situated. The castle often stood on the outskirts of a town, as it had to be connected to the town’s fortifications. The location of medieval towns in Warmia proceeded according to a similar concept. All these towns are distinguished by characteristically medieval, regular urban layouts, which - while being similar - have certain intrinsic features. Differences can be seen in the design of main streets, the size and proportions of market squares, the ways in which

  16. Regional distribution of mercury in sediments of the main rivers of French Guiana (Amazonian basin).

    PubMed

    Laperche, Valérie; Hellal, Jennifer; Maury-Brachet, Régine; Joseph, Bernard; Laporte, Pierre; Breeze, Dominique; Blanchard, François

    2014-01-01

    Use of mercury (Hg) for gold-mining in French Guiana (up until 2006) as well as the presence of naturally high background levels in soils, has led to locally high concentrations in soils and sediments. The present study maps the levels of Hg concentrations in river sediments from five main rivers of French Guiana (Approuague River, Comté River, Mana River, Maroni River and Oyapock River) and their tributaries, covering more than 5 450 km of river with 1 211 sampling points. The maximum geological background Hg concentration, estimated from 241 non-gold-mined streams across French Guiana was 150 ng g(-1). Significant differences were measured between the five main rivers as well as between all gold-mining and pristine areas, giving representative data of the Hg increase due to past gold-mining activities. These results give a unique large scale vision of Hg contamination in river sediments of French Guiana and provide fundamental data on Hg distribution in pristine and gold-mined areas.

  17. Leukemia incidence and radioactivity in drinking water in 59 Iowa towns.

    PubMed Central

    Fuortes, L; McNutt, L A; Lynch, C

    1990-01-01

    Fifty-nine towns in Iowa with single source drinking water supplies were stratified on the basis of radium content in finished non-softened water to test the hypothesis of an association with total or acute myeloid leukemia. Fourteen towns had radium concentrations in drinking water exceeding the EPA safety limit of 5 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). A small increasing trend existed for total leukemia with increased radium content in drinking water that is in accordance with either the hypothesis of no effect or of a small effect. PMID:2400041

  18. Simulating the conversion of rural settlements to town land based on multi-agent systems and cellular automata.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yaolin; Kong, Xuesong; Liu, Yanfang; Chen, Yiyun

    2013-01-01

    Rapid urbanization in China has triggered the conversion of land from rural to urban use, particularly the conversion of rural settlements to town land. This conversion is the result of the joint effects of the geographic environment and agents involving the government, investors, and farmers. To understand the dynamic interaction dominated by agents and to predict the future landscape of town expansion, a small town land-planning model is proposed based on the integration of multi-agent systems (MAS) and cellular automata (CA). The MAS-CA model links the decision-making behaviors of agents with the neighbor effect of CA. The interaction rules are projected by analyzing the preference conflicts among agents. To better illustrate the effects of the geographic environment, neighborhood, and agent behavior, a comparative analysis between the CA and MAS-CA models in three different towns is presented, revealing interesting patterns in terms of quantity, spatial characteristics, and the coordinating process. The simulation of rural settlements conversion to town land through modeling agent decision and human-environment interaction is very useful for understanding the mechanisms of rural-urban land-use change in developing countries. This process can assist town planners in formulating appropriate development plans.

  19. Town Hall with Secretary Moniz

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Moniz, Ernest; Poneman, Daniel

    In a town hall meeting with Department staff, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz spoke about his plans for a reorganization of the Energy Department’s management structure. The plans will help better achieve the Department’s key priorities and those of the President, including implementing the President’s Climate Action Plan, “all of the above” energy strategy and nuclear security agenda. After his remarks, Moniz, joined by Deputy Secretary Dan Poneman, took questions from the audience in the Forrestal Auditorium as well as email questions from other Department locations.

  20. Perceived Indices of Truancy among Selected Adolescents in Oyo Town: Implications for Behavioural Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adika, Lawrence Olagoke

    2016-01-01

    The study investigated perceived indices of truancy behaviour among selected adolescents in Oyo town. The descriptive survey study had 200 randomly selected adolescents from five secondary schools in Oyo town. A self-designed instrument tagged Adolescent Truancy Scale (ATS) was employed in collecting data for the study and the data was subjected…

  1. Magnetic Prospecting On Ancient Towns In Turkey and Greece

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smekalova, T.; Smekalov, S.

    Magnetic prospecting on ancient towns in Turkey and Greece. Tatyana Smekalova, Sergey Smekalov. Saint-Petersburg In 2001 archaeophysical group of Saint-Petersburg State University participated in archaeological investigation of ancient town Pisidian Antioch in Turkey (near mod- ern town Yalvach) and ancient town Kalydon in Greece (not far from modern town Mesolongy). Both sites have a big size (more than kilometer in perimeter) and com- plicated hilly relief (especially Kalydon). The mine idea of the magnetic survey on the sites was to try the method of magnetic prospecting in conditions of the sites, to estimate the possibilities and limitations of the method and to reveal ancient structures on several different parts of the site. Magnetic survey on the Pisidian Antioch carried out in four areas of the site showed that much could be recovered by this non-invasive technique. Most significantly, sur- vey of the area previously thought to contain a palestra shows instead the plan of a Christian basilica. Other areas included houses, streets, important elements in the water system and industrial establishments. The work was supported by Columbia University, USA On the Ancient Kalydon, the whole area of the site was investigated by method of Sfree searchT that is walking with magnetometers and measuring without a grid. Five ´ different areas have been chosen for detail investigation with regular grid. The most interesting result is in one of the the areas, where it seems to be an SindustrialT quar- & cedil;ter of the site. There are several workshops, revealed on this place. The work was supported by Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Denmark. During the work on both sites we used GPS equipment to put the survey areas on the maps. Simultaneously with magnetic survey archaeological teams made a usual topographical survey of the sites (team of Calgary University in Turkey, Canada and team of Greece topographers, working together with Danish archaeologist in Greece). Thanks to that

  2. Blue-Collar Affluence in a Remote Mining Town: Challenging the Modernist Myth of Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forsey, Martin

    2015-01-01

    Based on research in Karratha, a remote resource town in Western Australia, this paper explores the ways in which blue-collar affluence disturbs the meritocratic mythology of formal education. In the opening decade of the twenty-first century Karratha was one of Australia's most affluent towns, yet its adult population was characterised by a level…

  3. [Spatiotemporal differentiation of construction land expansion in a typical town of south Jiangsu Province].

    PubMed

    Zhou, Rui; Li, Yue-hui; Hu, Yuan-man; Su, Hai-long; Wang, Jin-nian

    2011-03-01

    Choosing Xinzhuang Town in south Jiangsu Province as study area, and by using 1980, 1991, 2001, and 2009 high-resolution remote sensing images and GIS spatial analysis technology, an integrated expansion degree index model was established based on the existing indicators of construction land expansion, and the general and spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics of construction land expansion in the Town in three time periods of 1980-2009 were quantitatively analyzed. In 1980-2009, with the acceleration of rural urbanization and industrialization, the area of construction land in the Town increased significantly by 19.24 km2, and especially in 2001-2009, the expanded area, expanded contribution rate, and expansion intensity reached the maximum. The construction land expansion had an obvious spatial differentiation characteristic. In 1980-1991, the newly increased construction land mainly concentrated in town area. After 1991, the focus of construction land gradually spread to the villages with developed industries. Most of the increased construction lands were converted from paddy field and dry land, accounting for 88.1% of the total increased area, while the contribution from other land types was relatively small.

  4. Status of intestinal parasitic infections among residents of Jimma Town, Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Jejaw, Ayalew; Zeynudin, Ahmed; Zemene, Endalew; Belay, Tariku

    2014-08-07

    Intestinal parasites cause considerable morbidity and mortality in the world, especially in developing countries like Ethiopia. Both urban and rural inhabitants are vulnerable to infection with intestinal parasites in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the status of intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) among residents of Jimma Town, seven years after high prevalence was reported. Four hundred and thirty four residents of Jimma Town were included in this study. By the cross-sectional survey, the overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 209 (48.2%). Nine species of intestinal parasites were isolated, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura being the most predominant. Residence in Hermata Mentina kebele, Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR), 3.0, 95% CI, 1.71-5.39), age less than 10 years (AOR, 3.7, 95% CI, 1.33-10.36), illiteracy (AOR, 3.2, 95% CI, 1.64-6.19), estimated monthly family income of less than 500 Ethiopian Birr (AOR, 2.9, 95% CI, 1.32-4.90) and irregular washing hands before meal (AOR, 5.3, 95% CI, 1.36-21.07) were predictors of IPI in this study. The retrospective study revealed a significant decrease (P = 0.037) in the proportion of patients infected with intestinal parasites out of those who requested stool examination over the six-year period. This study confirms that IPIs are still common among residents of Jimma Town. Nearly half of the study participants were infected with at least one intestinal parasite. Public health interventions targeting prevention of IPIs should be strengthened in Jimma Town.

  5. Transportation elements assessment : Town of Milton, September 15, 2009.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-09-15

    During the summer of 2009, the Delaware T2 Center collected extensive data and completed analyses related to transportation infrastructure in the Town of Milton, Delaware. This report presents those data, the analyses, and resulting recommendations.

  6. Transportation elements assessment : Town of Milton, November 2, 2009.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-11-02

    During the summer of 2009, the Delaware T2 Center collected extensive data and completed analyses related to transportation infrastructure in the Town of Milton, Delaware. This report presents those data, the analyses, and resulting recommendations.

  7. Simulating the Conversion of Rural Settlements to Town Land Based on Multi-Agent Systems and Cellular Automata

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Yaolin; Kong, Xuesong; Liu, Yanfang; Chen, Yiyun

    2013-01-01

    Rapid urbanization in China has triggered the conversion of land from rural to urban use, particularly the conversion of rural settlements to town land. This conversion is the result of the joint effects of the geographic environment and agents involving the government, investors, and farmers. To understand the dynamic interaction dominated by agents and to predict the future landscape of town expansion, a small town land-planning model is proposed based on the integration of multi-agent systems (MAS) and cellular automata (CA). The MAS-CA model links the decision-making behaviors of agents with the neighbor effect of CA. The interaction rules are projected by analyzing the preference conflicts among agents. To better illustrate the effects of the geographic environment, neighborhood, and agent behavior, a comparative analysis between the CA and MAS-CA models in three different towns is presented, revealing interesting patterns in terms of quantity, spatial characteristics, and the coordinating process. The simulation of rural settlements conversion to town land through modeling agent decision and human-environment interaction is very useful for understanding the mechanisms of rural-urban land-use change in developing countries. This process can assist town planners in formulating appropriate development plans. PMID:24244472

  8. The Town-Gown Relationship: Collaboration in University Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cotsones, Rena K.

    2013-01-01

    As communities and universities confront increasingly complex social and fiscal pressures, there is a growing need to align and maximize local resources, knowledge and efforts. Historic and current tensions between town and gown can challenge the ability of universities and communities to collaborate for mutual benefit. This dissertation explores…

  9. James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Town Hall - Panel question and

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-11-02

    James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Town Hall - Panel question and answer - Bill Ochs; Dr. John Mather; Dr. Eric Smith; Thomas Zurbuchen; Center Director Chris Scolese; NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden.

  10. Town Hall with Secretary Moniz

    ScienceCinema

    Moniz, Ernest; Poneman, Daniel

    2018-04-16

    In a town hall meeting with Department staff, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz spoke about his plans for a reorganization of the Energy Department’s management structure. The plans will help better achieve the Department’s key priorities and those of the President, including implementing the President’s Climate Action Plan, “all of the above” energy strategy and nuclear security agenda. After his remarks, Moniz, joined by Deputy Secretary Dan Poneman, took questions from the audience in the Forrestal Auditorium as well as email questions from other Department locations.

  11. ComputerTown: A Do-It-Yourself Community Computer Project. [Computer Town, USA and Other Microcomputer Based Alternatives to Traditional Learning Environments].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zamora, Ramon M.

    Alternative learning environments offering computer-related instruction are developing around the world. Storefront learning centers, museum-based computer facilities, and special theme parks are some of the new concepts. ComputerTown, USA! is a public access computer literacy project begun in 1979 to serve both adults and children in Menlo Park…

  12. Chattanooga, Tennessee: Train Town. Teaching with Historic Places.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hankins, Caneta Skelley

    Railroads influenced and reflected U.S. settlement and development patterns from the 1830s to the 1950s. In cities, they shaped and stimulated economic growth, planning, and architecture. Chattanooga, Tennessee's sprawling Terminal Station, is a tribute to the town's importance as a southeastern transportation hub. This lesson is based on the…

  13. 77 FR 30518 - Town of Springfield, Vermont and Siemens Westinghouse Technical Services, Inc., One Hundred River...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 9648-018] Town of Springfield, Vermont and Siemens Westinghouse Technical Services, Inc., One Hundred River Street, LLC; Notice... 15, 2011 and supplemented on April 27, 2012, the Town of Springfield, Vermont and Siemens...

  14. Geospatial Water Quality Analysis of Dilla Town, Gadeo Zone, Ethiopia - A Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pakhale, G. K.; Wakeyo, T. B.

    2015-12-01

    Dilla is a socio-economically important town in Ethiopia, established on the international highway joining capital cities of Ethiopia and Kenya. It serves as an administrative center of the Gedeo Zone in SNNPR region of Ethiopia accommodating around 65000 inhabitants and also as an important trade centre for coffee. Due to the recent developments and urbanization in town and surrounding area, waste and sewage discharge has been raised significantly into the water resources. Also frequent rainfall in the region worsens the problem of water quality. In this view, present study aims to analyze water quality profile of Dilla town using 12 physico-chemical parameters. 15 Sampling stations are identified amongst the open wells, bore wells and from surface water, which are being extensively used for drinking and other domestic purposes. Spectrophotometer is used to analyze data and Gaussian process regression is used to interpolate the same in GIS environment to represent spatial distribution of parameters. Based on observed and desirable values of parameters, water quality index (WQI); an indicator of weighted estimate of the quantities of various parameters ranging from 1 to 100, is developed in GIS. Higher value of WQI indicates better while low value indicates poor water quality. This geospatial analysis is carried out before and after rainfall to understand temporal variation with reference to rainfall which facilitates in identifying the potential zones of drinking water. WQI indicated that 8 out of 15 locations come under acceptable category indicating the suitability of water for human use, however remaining locations are unfit. For example: the water sample at main_campus_ustream_1 (site name) site has very low WQI after rainfall, making it unfit for human usage. This suggests undertaking of certain measures in town to enhance the water quality. These results are useful for town authorities to take corrective measures and ameliorate the water quality for human

  15. The use of garden boreholes in Cape Town, South Africa: lessons learnt from Perth, Western Australia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saayman, I. C.; Adams, S.

    The similarities in climate and geology offer water resource managers in Cape Town and Perth an opportunity to learn from each other's experiences. While Cape Town relies mostly on surface water for supply, Perth uses 50% groundwater for its domestic and industrial use. It is proposed that certain aspects of Perth's water supply infrastructure could successfully be transposed for the exploitation of Cape Towns' groundwater resources. In Perth private boreholes is used to tap a shallow phreatic aquifer for garden irrigation. The Government of Western Australia encourages this practice. Cape Town has an opportunity to use water from the Cape Flats Aquifer in a similar manner. In this paper the use of the Cape Flats Aquifer for private garden irrigation is evaluated. By encouraging private landowners to develop private wells, large savings could be made in the amount of treated bulk water supply required by Cape Town. The Cape Flats Aquifer has the potential to meet a large part of the city's garden irrigation requirements. Though the impact of pollution on water quality remains uncertain and a concern, the general quality of water in the aquifer is adequate for irrigation requirements. If the use of private garden boreholes is to be successful, education of the public will be vital. It is envisaged that the City of Cape Town and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in partnership with private, education and research institutions take the lead in such education and the development of appropriate legislation and guidelines.

  16. VIEW OF EIGHT COKE OVENS ON EAST SIDE OF TOWN ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    VIEW OF EIGHT COKE OVENS ON EAST SIDE OF TOWN OF ALVERTON, CONSTRUCTED OF YELLOW REFRACTORY BRICK. "WOODLAND M2" AND "BENEZETT - Alverton Coke Works, State Route 981, Alverton, Westmoreland County, PA

  17. Road to Recovery: Bringing Recovery to Small Town America

    ScienceCinema

    Nettamo, Paivi

    2018-01-08

    The Recovery Act hits the road to reach out to surrounding towns of the Savannah River Site that are struggling with soaring unemployment rates. This project helps recruit thousands of people to new jobs in environmental cleanup at the Savannah River Site.

  18. 76 FR 9340 - Mill Town Power Project; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 13995-000] Mill Town Power Project; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications On January 4, 2011, Mill Town Power Project filed an application for a...

  19. 78 FR 54463 - Town Square Energy, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. ER13-2223-000] Town Square Energy, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market- Based Rate Filing Includes Request for Blanket Section 204 Authorization This is a supplemental notice in the above-referenced proceeding, of Town Square...

  20. Teaching Comparative Local History: Upper Mississippi River Towns.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crozier, William L.

    Intended to engage students in a comparative look at local history in two upper Mississippi river towns (Winona, Minnesota and Dubuque, Iowa), this paper describes the computer-assisted component of an upper-level American Studies course. With emphasis on the 19th century, students examine the transition made by the United States from a…

  1. VIEW LOOKING SOUTHEAST. AveryBartholomew Patent Railroad Iron Bridge, Town ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    VIEW LOOKING SOUTHEAST. - Avery-Bartholomew Patent Railroad Iron Bridge, Town park south of Route 222, west of Owasco Inlet (moved from Elm Street Extension spanning Fall Creek, Nubia, NY), Groton, Tompkins County, NY

  2. NORTH ABUTMENT DETAIL. AveryBartholomew Patent Railroad Iron Bridge, Town ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    NORTH ABUTMENT DETAIL. - Avery-Bartholomew Patent Railroad Iron Bridge, Town park south of Route 222, west of Owasco Inlet (moved from Elm Street Extension spanning Fall Creek, Nubia, NY), Groton, Tompkins County, NY

  3. Green Infrastructure Implementation Strategy for the Town of Franklin, Massachusetts

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The report outlines best techniques for the Town, based on land uses and physical constraints, experience with the implementation of existing practices, and the findings of recently completed reviews of current programs and practices.

  4. [The dynamics of heath indicators of population of industrial town].

    PubMed

    Kalinkin, D E; Karpov, A B; Takhauov, R M; Samoĭlova, Iu A

    2013-01-01

    The article presents the results of analysis of dynamics of health indicators of population of industrial town (medical demographic indicators, disability, morbidity of social hygienically important diseases) during 1970-2010. The classified administrative territorial municipality of Seversk constructed near the Siberian chemical industrial center, the internationally first-rate complex of nuclear industry enterprises was used as a research base. It is demonstrated that dynamics of health indicators of studied population had such negative tendencies as rapid population ageing, population loss due to decrease of natality and increase of mortality (population of able-bodied age included), prevalence of cardio-vascular diseases, malignant neoplasms and external causes, chronization of diseases. The established tendencies are to be considered in management decision making targeted to support and promote population health in industrial towns.

  5. Cape Town, South Africa, Anaglyph, Landsat Image over SRTM Elevation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, appear on the left (west) of this anaglyph view generated from a Landsat satellite image and elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The city center is located between Table Bay (upper left) and Table Mountain (just to the south), a 1,086-meter (3,563-foot) tall sandstone and granite natural landmark.

    Cape Town enjoys a Mediterranean climate but must deal with the limited water supply characteristic of that climate. Until the 1890s the city relied upon streams and springs along the base of Table Mountain, then built a small reservoir atop Table Mountain to capture and store rainfall there (visible in this anaglyph when viewed at full resolution). Now the needs of a much larger population are met in part by much larger reservoirs such as seen well inland (upper right) at the Theewaterskloof Dam.

    False Bay is the large bay to the southeast (lower right) of Cape Town, just around the Cape of Good Hope. It is one of the largest bays along the entire South African coast, but nearby Cape Town has its harbor at Table Bay. False Bay got its name because mariners approaching Cape Town from the east would see the prominent bay and falsely assume it to be the entrance to Cape Town harbor. Similarly, people often mistake the Cape of Good Hope as the southernmost point of Africa. But the southernmost point is actually Cape Agulhas, located just to the southeast (lower right) of this scene.

    This anaglyph was created by draping a Landsat visible light image over an SRTM elevation model, and then generating two differing perspectives, one for each eye. When viewed through special glasses, the anaglyph is a vertically exaggerated view of the Earth's surface in its full three dimensions. Anaglyph glasses cover the left eye with a red filter and cover the right eye with a blue filter.

    Elevation data used in this image was acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard

  6. Why Devil's town has Devil's water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jovic, Sladjana; Mitriceski, Bojana

    2015-04-01

    Why Devil's town has Devil's water In the south of Serbia, lies a first-class natural landmark "Devil's Town" at an altitude of 660-700 m. Earthen figures or "towers" as the locals call them, are located in the watershed between two gullies, whose sources joined together create a unique erosive formation, tremendously demolished by the erosive processes. The gullies also have strange names: "Devil's Gully" and "Hell's Gully". There are two rare natural phenomena at the same spot: 202 earthen figures of different shape and dimension, from 2 m to 15 m in height, and from 0.5 m to 3 m in width, with stone caps on the top. They are an outcome of a specific erosive process that lasts for centuries. When figures are formed, they grow, change, shorten, gradually (very slowly) disappear and reappear. The loose soil is dissolved and washed away by the rain. However, the material under the stone caps is protected from the "bombardment" of the rain drops and washout, and remains in place in the form of the rising earthen pillars - figures. Another natural rarity in "Devil's Town" are two springs of extraordinary properties "Devil's Water", which is located in vicinity of these earthen figures, is a cold and extremely acid spring (pH 1.5) of high mineral concentration (15 g/l of water), springing out in "Devil's Gully". In comparison to drinking water, it is 10 to 1000 times richer in minerals (aluminium, iron, potassium, copper, nickel, sulphur, and alaun). "Red Well" is another spring located downstream, in the alluvial plain, 400 m away from the first spring. Its water (pH 3.5) is less acid and has a lower general mineral concentration (4.372 mg/l of water). Due to the oxidation of iron, which is contained in water in large amounts, an attractive red terrace in the form of a fan is created. The main assessment for students is to take some examples of water from Devils Gully and the others from Red Well . Second part is to find out content of minerals in water examples and

  7. [The health status of children from industrial towns due ambient air pollution].

    PubMed

    Meĭbaliev, M T

    2008-01-01

    The author's observations suggest that hygienic monitoring in an industrial city should be made in two areas: 1) ambient air quality and 2) human health. Ambient air quality should be monitored in each town in accordance with an individual program, by taking into account the volume and nature of hazardous substances from the stationary stations, as well as weather conditions, the planning system of residential areas, and the layout of an industrial zone. Monitoring of the population's health in the industrial town should be adapted to the forms and conditions of ambient air quality monitoring in order to reveal environmental pollution-induced changes.

  8. Transportation elements assessment : Town of Milton, Delaware, September 29, 2009.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-09-29

    During the summer of 2009, the Delaware T2 Center collected extensive data : and completed analyses related to transportation infrastructure in the Town : of Milton, Delaware. This report presents those data, the analyses, and : resulting recommendat...

  9. Town Meeting on Plasma Physics at the National Science Foundation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2015-11-01

    We invite you to the Town Meeting on the role of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in supporting basic and applied research in Plasma Physics in the U.S. The overarching goal of NSF is to promote the progress of science and to enable training of the next generation of scientists and engineers at US colleges and universities. In this context, the role of the NSF Physics Division in leading the nearly 20 year old NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering serves as an example of the long history of NSF support for basic plasma physics research. Yet, the NSF interest in maintaining a healthy university research base in plasma sciences extends across the Foundation. A total of five NSF Divisions are participating in the most recent Partnership solicitation, and a host of other multi-disciplinary and core programs provide opportunities for scientists to perform research on applications of plasma physics to Space & Solar Physics, Astrophysics, Accelerator Science, Material Science, Plasma Medicine, and many sub-disciplines within Engineering. This Town Meeting will provide a chance to discuss the full range of relevant NSF funding opportunities, and to begin a conversation on the present and future role of NSF in stewarding basic plasma science and engineering research at US colleges and universities. We would like to particularly encourage early career scientists and graduate students to participate in this Town Meeting, though everyone is invited to join what we hope to be a lively discussion.

  10. "Cape Town, South Africa taken from Atlantis during STS-106"

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2000-09-19

    STS106-713-057 (19 September 2000) --- One of the STS-106 crew members on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis used a handheld 70mm camera to photograph this image of Cape Town and the Karroo Ranges in South Africa. Cape Town occupies the north end of the Cape of Good Hope peninsula and extends to the shore of False Bay. The city is home to about 2.7 million people. Tourism and viticulture contribute importantly to the local economy, and the city is a service center for government and industry -- particularly mining. The great folded mountain ranges of South Africa were formed during the assembly of the ancient super continent of Gondwana. Broad N-trending folds of the Cedarburg range, South Africa formed first, according to geologists, about 230 million years ago, and the W-trending Karroo ranges formed a little later.

  11. ComputerTown. A Do-It-Yourself Community Computer Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loop, Liza; And Others

    This manual based on Menlo Park's experiences in participating in a nationwide experimental computer literacy project provides guidelines for the development and management of a ComputerTown. This project, which was begun in September 1981 in the Menlo Park Public Library, concentrates on providing public access to microcomputers through hands-on…

  12. Generating sustainable towns from Chinese villages: a system modeling approach.

    PubMed

    Levine, Richard S; Hughes, Michael T; Ryan Mather, Casey; Yanarella, Ernest J

    2008-04-01

    The great majority of China's developing towns will be extensions of already existing villages. With the prospect of hundreds of millions of Chinese farmers projected to leave their villages to become industrial workers in new and expanded towns within the next few years, new challenges will be faced. As expansion and modernization progress, this development moves from the traditional village model that operates not far from resource sustainability to increasingly unsustainable patterns of commerce, urban development, and modern life. With such an unprecedented mass migration and transformation, how can Chinese culture survive? What is to become of the existing million plus agricultural villages? How can these massively unsustainable new industrial towns survive? In the European Commission sponsored research program SUCCESS, researchers worked from the scale of the Chinese village to find viable answers to these questions. To address these issues, the Center for Sustainable Cities, one of the SUCCESS teams, studied the metabolism of several small villages. In these studies, system dynamics models of a village's metabolism were created and then modified so that inherently unsustainable means were eliminated from the model (fossil fuels, harmful agricultural chemicals, etc.) and replaced by sustainability-oriented means. Small Chinese farming villages are unlikely to survive in anything like their present form or scale, not least because they are too small to provide the range of life opportunities to which the young generation of educated Chinese aspires. As a response to this realization as well as to the many other threats to the Chinese village and its rural way of life, it was proposed that one viable path into the future would be to enlarge the villages to become full service towns with sufficient diversity of opportunity to be able to attract and keep many of the best and brightest young people who are now migrating to the larger cities. Starting with the

  13. 77 FR 29929 - Safety Zone; Town of Cape Charles Fireworks, Cape Charles Harbor, Cape Charles, VA

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-21

    ... section of this notice. Basis and Purpose On July 4, 2012 the Town of Cape Charles will sponsor a...-AA00 Safety Zone; Town of Cape Charles Fireworks, Cape Charles Harbor, Cape Charles, VA AGENCY: Coast... temporary safety zone on the waters of Cape Charles City Harbor in Cape Charles, VA in support of the Fourth...

  14. Imagining the Postwar Small Town: Gender and the Politics of Landscape in "It's a Wonderful Life."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beuka, Robert

    2000-01-01

    Examines how Frank Capra's 1946 film, "It's a Wonderful Life," expresses a profound trepidation over the future of the small-town landscape (both physical and social) in the postwar era. Looks at the image of Bedford Falls and inventing the small town; at gender and landscape, and women's roles in the film; and at masculinity and the "new" small…

  15. The respiratory health and lung function of Anglo-American children in a smelter town

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dodge, R.

    1983-02-01

    Cooper smelters are large, usually isolated, sources of air pollution. Arizona has several such plants on the periphery of small communities. The smelters emit predominantly sulfur oxides and particulates, and the residents of these communities intermittently are exposed to high concentrations (24-h sulfur dioxide (SO2) . 250 to 500 micrograms/m3) of smelter smoke but little other pollution. This study compared the respiratory health of Anglo-American school children who lived in one smelter community with children living in another small community in Arizona that was free of smelter air pollution. The prevalence of cough, as determined by questionnaire, was 25.6% inmore » the smelter town children and 14.3% in the nonsmelter town children (p less than 0.05). Pulmonary function at the study onset was equal in the two groups. Over the course of the 4 yr of study, lung function growth (measured as actual forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) after 4 yr of study minus predicted FEV1) was also equal in the smelter town and nonsmelter town children. These results suggest that children in smelter communities have slightly more cough when compared with children living in other communities, but no differences in initial lung function or lung function at yearly testing over the period of the study.« less

  16. Autonomy and interdependence: beliefs of Brazilian mothers from state capitals and small towns.

    PubMed

    Vieira, Mauro Luis; Seidl-de-Moura, Maria Lucia; Macarini, Samira Mafioletti; Martins, Gabriela Dal Forno; Lordelo, Eulina da Rocha; Tokumaru, Rosana Suemi; Oliva, Angela Donate

    2010-11-01

    This study aimed to investigate characteristics of Brazilian mothers' beliefs system, in the dimensions of autonomy and interdependence. A group of 600 women, half from state capitals and half from small towns, participated in the study. They were individually interviewed with Scales of Allocentrism, Beliefs about Parental Practices and Socialization Goals. Paired and Independent samples t tests and Multivariate GLM were performed. The results indicate that although mothers from both contexts value autonomy, mothers inhabiting small towns considered the relational dimension as the most important; whereas mothers inhabiting capitals valued equally both dimensions, either in their beliefs about practices or in the socialization goals for their children. Mothers from small towns have a higher mean score for allocentrism than mothers living in capitals. Thus, place of residence proved to be a relevant variable in the modulation of maternal beliefs. Educational level was not a significant factor in the variables considered and with this group of mothers. The study results are discussed in terms of their contribution to the understanding of the complex relationship between dimensions of autonomy and interdependence in mothers' beliefs system.

  17. Not just a rural occurrence: differences in agricultural equipment crash characteristics by rural-urban crash site and proximity to town.

    PubMed

    Harland, Karisa K; Greenan, Mitchell; Ramirez, Marizen

    2014-09-01

    Although approximately one-third of agricultural equipment-related crashes occur near town, these crashes are thought to be a rural problem. This analysis examines differences between agricultural equipment-related crashes by their urban-rural distribution and distance from a town. Agricultural equipment crashes were collected from nine Midwest Departments of Transportation (2005-2008). Crash zip code was assigned as urban or rural (large, small and isolated) using Rural-Urban Commuting Areas. Crash proximity to a town was estimated with ArcGIS. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of crashing in an urban versus rural zip codes and across rural gradients. ANOVA analysis estimated mean distance (miles) from a crash site to a town. Over four years, 4444 crashes involved agricultural equipment. About 30% of crashes occurred in urban zip codes. Urban crashes were more likely to be non-collisions (aOR=1.69[1.24-2.30]), involve ≥2 vehicles (2 vehicles: aOR=1.58[1.14-2.20], 3+ vehicles: aOR=1.68[0.98-2.88]), occur in a town (aOR=2.06[1.73-2.45]) and within one mile of a town (aOR=1.65[1.40-1.95]) than rural crashes. The proportion of crashes within a town differed significantly across rural gradients (P<0.0001). Small rural crashes, compared to isolated rural crashes, were 1.98 (95%CI[1.28-3.06]) times more likely to be non-collisions. The distance from the crash to town differed significantly by the urban-rural distribution (P<0.0001). Crashes with agricultural equipment are unexpectedly common in urban areas and near towns and cities. Education among all roadway users, increased visibility of agricultural equipment and the development of complete rural roads are needed to increase road safety and prevent agricultural equipment-related crashes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. A survey on the knowledge and attitudes of men in Machakos town towards vasectomy.

    PubMed

    Qureshi, Z P; Solomon, M M

    1995-01-01

    In November and December, 1993, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to men in the town of Machakos and to nonmedical hospital workers of Machakos General Hospital. The purpose of the study was to assess their knowledge about and attitude towards vasectomy. The majority of men were in the age group of 30-44 years and were married; the hospital group was more educated. The town men perceived the pill to be the best contraceptive method for women in contrast to the hospital group who gave more importance to bilateral tubal ligation. The hospital group also perceived vasectomy as the best method for men. Overall, 53.2% men were aware of the correct procedure of vasectomy, but only 24% had correct knowledge of how the procedure affects masculinity. The knowledge of the procedure among hospital workers was not very different from that of the town group. Recommendations were made to increase information and education to all groups of people through various media.

  19. The Cape Town Statement on Geoethics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Di Capua, Giuseppe; Peppoloni, Silvia; Bobrowsky, Peter

    2017-04-01

    The interest of geoscientists in (geo)ethical aspects of geoscience knowledge, education, research and practice is rising and today geoethics has a significant visibility. This prominence is the result of hard work done in the last 4 years by the IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics (http://www.geoethics.org), a not-for-profit, multidisciplinary, scientific network (with more than 1350 members in 107 countries) established for widening the discussion and creating awareness about problems of ethics applied to the geosciences. IAPG has produced a strong conceptual substratum on which to base the future development of geoethics, by clarifying the meaning of the word Geoethics, formalizing its definition, and identifying a framework of reference values on which the geoscience community can base more effective codes of conduct. IAPG members have published numerous books and articles in peer reviewed international journals, and organized scientific sessions to bring geoethics at the most important geoscience conferences. Geoethical issues have been included in the European project ENVRI-Plus, dedicated to the environmental and solid Earth research infrastructures. Moreover, the most prestigious geoscience organizations around the world now recognize geoethics as an important issue that warrants attention. This success was confirmed by the high quality of contents and the large participation of scientists in the 6 technical sessions and single panel session on geoethics organized by IAPG at the 35th IGC - International Geological Congress, held in 2016 in Cape Town (South Africa), with the cooperative work of different geoscience organizations (IUGS-TGGP - Task Group on Global Geoscience Professionalism; GSL - Geological Society of London; EFG - European Federation of Geologists; EGS - EuroGeoSurveys; AGI - American Geosciences Institute; AGU - American Geophysical Union, and AAWG - African Association of Women in Geosciences). IAPG considers the 35th

  20. Prevalence of urban malaria and assocated factors in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Tilaye, Tesfaye; Deressa, Wakgari

    2007-04-01

    Malaria has become one of the major health problems currently facing the urban communities. The rapid increase in urbanization, rural-urban migration and climatic changes are among the main factors contributing for the rise of malaria in urban areas. To our knowledge, there has been no malaria prevalence study so far conducted in Gondar Town. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria infection and its associated risk factors in Gondar Town. A community-based survey was conducted in three randomly selected malarious Kebeles of Gondar Town during November-December 2004. Blood films were collected from a finger-prick of 734 members of the selected households for microscopic examination of malaria parasites. Among 734 examined blood films, 39 (5.3%) were positive for malaria infection, of which 29 (74.4%) were due to Plasmodium falciparum and 10 (25.6%) due to P. vivax. Seven (18%) malaria infections were reported from children under the age of five years, indicating the endemicity of malaria to the study area. Age-specific rates show that higher malaria prevalence rate was found among under-five children (7.2%) and 15-19 year-old age group (7.3%). Proximity to mosquito breeding sites was found to be the main risk factor for malaria infection (OR = 2.4, 95% CI. 1.2-5.1). The prevalence of malaria in Gondar Town was found to be high. The prevalence was strongly associated with proximity of residence to potential mosquito breeding sites. The occurrence of the disease among under-five children would indicate that malaria is indigenous to the area. Use of personal protection methods such as insecticide treated mosquito nets should be scaled up, and malaria control interventions should target residents who are at a closer proximity to mosquito breeding sites.

  1. Talk of the Town: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thurston, Allen

    2016-01-01

    "Talk of the Town" is a community led approach to supporting the speech, language and communication (SLC) skills of children and young people, aged 0-19, living in areas of social disadvantage. It is delivered by the Communication Trust. This evaluation reports on a randomised controlled trial undertaken with 2696 pupils in 64 primary…

  2. The UNESCO biosphere reserve concept as a tool for urban sustainability: the CUBES Cape Town case study.

    PubMed

    Stanvliet, R; Jackson, J; Davis, G; De Swardt, C; Mokhoele, J; Thom, Q; Lane, B D

    2004-06-01

    The Cape Town Case Study (CTCS) was a multi-institutional collaborative project initiated by CUBES, a knowledge networking initiative of UNESCO's Ecological Sciences Division and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Cape Town was selected as a CUBES site on the basis of its high biological and cultural significance, together with its demonstrated leadership in promoting urban sustainability. The CTCS was conducted by the Cape Town Urban Biosphere Group, a cross-disciplinary group of specialists drawn from national, provincial, municipal, and civil society institutions, mandated to examine the potential value of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve concept as a tool for environmental management, social inclusion, and poverty alleviation in Cape Town. This article provides a contextualization of the CTCS and its collaborative process. It also reviews the biosphere reserve concept relative to urban sustainability objectives and proposes a more functional application of that concept in an urban context. A detailed analysis of key initiatives at the interface of conservation and poverty alleviation is provided in table format. Drawing on an examination of successful sustainability initiatives in Cape Town, specific recommendations are made for future application of the biosphere reserve concept in an urban context, as well as a model by which urban areas might affiliate with the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and criteria for such affiliation.

  3. Variation in access to sugar-sweetened beverages in vending machines across rural, town and urban high schools

    PubMed Central

    Adachi-Mejia, A.M.; Longacre, M.R.; Skatrud-Mickelson, M.; Li, Z.; Purvis, L.A.; Titus, L.J.; Beach, M.L.; Dalton, M.A.

    2013-01-01

    SUMMARY Objectives The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans include reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Among the many possible routes of access for youth, school vending machines provide ready availability of sugar-sweetened beverages. The purpose of this study was to determine variation in high school student access to sugar-sweetened beverages through vending machines by geographic location – urban, town or rural – and to offer an approach for analysing school vending machine content. Study design Cross-sectional observational study. Methods Between October 2007 and May 2008, trained coders recorded beverage vending machine content and machine-front advertising in 113 machines across 26 schools in New Hampshire and Vermont, USA. Results Compared with town schools, urban schools were significantly less likely to offer sugar-sweetened beverages (P=0.002). Rural schools also offered more sugar-sweetened beverages than urban schools, but this difference was not significant. Advertisements for sugar-sweetened beverages were highly prevalent in town schools. Conclusions High school students have ready access to sugar-sweetened beverages through their school vending machines. Town schools offer the highest risk of exposure; school vending machines located in towns offer up to twice as much access to sugar-sweetened beverages in both content and advertising compared with urban locations. Variation by geographic region suggests that healthier environments are possible and some schools can lead as inspirational role models. PMID:23498924

  4. Evaluation of pollution susceptibility of Karst aquifers of Rewa Town (Madhya Pradesh) using "DRASTIC" approach.

    PubMed

    Dubey, D P; Tiwari, R N; Dwivedi, Umesh

    2006-04-01

    Pollution susceptibility of groundwater of Rewa town situated on karstified Bhander limestones of the Bhander group is discussed in this paper. Pollution potential of selected localities in the town has been determined using the DRASTIC INDEX methodology. Pollution potential for these localities varied between 162 to 217. Shallow aquifers in karstified limestones having direct access to surface water were found more susceptible to pollution. Accordingly, remedial measures were suggested for minimising pollution.

  5. Cape Town, South Africa, Perspective View, Landsat Image over SRTM Elevation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, appear in the foreground of this perspective view generated from a Landsat satellite image and elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The city center is located at Table Bay (at the lower left), adjacent to Table Mountain, a 1,086-meter (3,563-foot) tall sandstone and granite natural landmark.

    Cape Town enjoys a Mediterranean climate but must deal with the limited water supply characteristic of that climate. Until the 1890s the city relied upon streams and springs along the base of Table Mountain, then built a small reservoir atop Table Mountain to capture and store rainfall there. Now the needs of a much larger population are met in part by much larger reservoirs such as seen here far inland (mid-distance left) at the Theewaterskloof Dam.

    False Bay is the large bay to the south (right) of Cape Town, just around the Cape of Good Hope. It is one of the largest bays along the entire South African coast, but nearby Cape Town has its harbor at Table Bay. False Bay got its name because mariners approaching Cape Town from the east would see the prominent bay and falsely assume it to be the entrance to Cape Town harbor. Similarly, people often mistake the Cape of Good Hope as the southernmost point of Africa. But the southernmost point is actually Cape Agulhas, located just to the southeast (upper right) of this scene.

    This Landsat and SRTM perspective view uses a 2-times vertical exaggeration to enhance topographic expression. The back edges of the data sets form a false horizon and a false sky was added. Colors of the scene were enhanced by image processing but are the natural color band combination from the Landsat satellite.

    Elevation data used in this image was acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar

  6. Democratic Education in an Era of Town Hall Protests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stitzlein, Sarah M.

    2011-01-01

    One central aspect of a healthy democracy is the practice of democratic dissent. For the first time in many years, dissent is being widely practiced in town hall meetings and on street corners across the United States. Despite this presence, dissent is often suppressed or omitted in the prescribed, tested, hidden, and external curriculum of US…

  7. Job-housing imbalance and commuting of coastal industrial town in Liaoning province, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Fei; Lu, Wei; Cai, Jun; Yang, Qiyao

    2017-11-01

    During the Twelve Five period, China promulgated industrial policies promote the energy-intensive industries relocate to coastal areas in order to utilize marine shipping resources. Consequently, some major state-owned steel and petrochemical enterprises have relocated and resulted in a large scale coastal area development. Restricted by the port construction, most of the coastal industrial areas are located in the outer suburbs. To balance between employment and housing, new industrial coastal towns were constructed. In this paper, we adopt a case-study approach to analysis some typical industrial coastal towns of Liaoning Province situated in the Bohai Bay, which is currently under rapid economic growth. Our investigations reflect the common phenomenon of long distance commuting and massive amount of vacant residences. More specifically, large plant relocation caused hundreds of kilometers of daily commute and enterprises had to provide housing subsidies and education incentives to motivate employees to relocate to coastal areas. Nonetheless, many employees still refuse to relocate due to job stability, diverse needs of family members and access to convenient services. These employees averaged 4 hours of commute daily and some who lived further had to reside in temporary industrial housing units and subject to long-term family separation. As a result, only a small portion of employees purchase new coastal residences but mostly for investment and retirement purposes, leading to massive vacancy and ghost-town phenomenon. In contrast to the low demand, coastal areas tend to develop large amount of residences prior to industrial relocation, which may be directly related to local government finances. Some local governments have sold residential land to developers to general revenue to support the subsequent industrial development. Subject to the strong preference of ocean- view, residential housing developers tend to select coast-line land to construct new residential

  8. Heavy Metal Content in Airborne Dust of Childhood Leukemia Cluster Areas: Even Small Towns Have Air Pollutants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheppard, P. R.; Witten, M. L.

    2004-12-01

    Currently in the US, there are at least two ongoing clusters of childhood leukemia, where the incidence rate over the last several years has exceeded the national norm. In Fallon, Nevada, a town of 8,000 people, 16 children have been diagnosed with leukemia since 1995, three of whom have died. In Sierra Vista, Arizona, a town of 38,000 people, 12 children have been diagnosed since 1998, two of whom have died. A possible third cluster of childhood leukemia and other cancers is being monitored in Elk Grove, California, a suburb of Sacramento. For the purpose of characterizing the heavy metal content of airborne dust of these three communities, total suspended particulate samples were collected from each town as well as from nearby towns that could be considered as control comparisons. Sampling was done using portable high-volume blowers and glass- or quartz-fiber filter media. Filters were measured for elemental concentrations using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. To date, our most notable results are from the Nevada region. Compared to other control towns in the region, Fallon had significantly more tungsten in its airborne dust. Uranium was also higher in dust of Fallon than in other control towns. Uranium is a known health hazard, though it is not necessarily specifically related to childhood leukemia. The role of tungsten in childhood leukemia has not been widely studied. However, other research has identified tungsten exposure as an environmental concern in Fallon. A CDC study of human tissue samples from Fallon has shown high tungsten levels in people of Fallon, and a USGS study of drinking water in Fallon also has shown high tungsten there. Tree-ring research on selected trees has shown high tungsten values in recent rings compared to earlier rings. While these multiple indications of tungsten in the Fallon environment do not directly lead to the conclusion that tungsten causes leukemia, they do combine to suggest that biomedical research on the

  9. Variation in access to sugar-sweetened beverages in vending machines across rural, town and urban high schools.

    PubMed

    Adachi-Mejia, A M; Longacre, M R; Skatrud-Mickelson, M; Li, Z; Purvis, L A; Titus, L J; Beach, M L; Dalton, M A

    2013-05-01

    The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans include reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Among the many possible routes of access for youth, school vending machines provide ready availability of sugar-sweetened beverages. The purpose of this study was to determine variation in high school student access to sugar-sweetened beverages through vending machines by geographic location - urban, town or rural - and to offer an approach for analysing school vending machine content. Cross-sectional observational study. Between October 2007 and May 2008, trained coders recorded beverage vending machine content and machine-front advertising in 113 machines across 26 schools in New Hampshire and Vermont, USA. Compared with town schools, urban schools were significantly less likely to offer sugar-sweetened beverages (P = 0.002). Rural schools also offered more sugar-sweetened beverages than urban schools, but this difference was not significant. Advertisements for sugar-sweetened beverages were highly prevalent in town schools. High school students have ready access to sugar-sweetened beverages through their school vending machines. Town schools offer the highest risk of exposure; school vending machines located in towns offer up to twice as much access to sugar-sweetened beverages in both content and advertising compared with urban locations. Variation by geographic region suggests that healthier environments are possible and some schools can lead as inspirational role models. Copyright © 2013 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Solar farms grow out of town renewable energy goals | State, Local, and

    Science.gov Websites

    a nearby town and school district. Dartmouth leveraged its community-scale solar leadership to support clean energy on multiple fronts, promoting residential solar installations through the Dartmouth

  11. A Decrease in Suicide Rates in Japanese Rural Towns after Community-Based Intervention by the Health Promotion Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Motohashi, Yutaka; Kaneko, Yoshihiro; Sasaki, Hisanaga

    2007-01-01

    A community-based intervention study for suicide prevention was conducted in six towns (total population 43,964) in Akita Prefecture of Japan according to a quasi-experimental design to reduce suicide rates in rural towns. Public awareness raising activities using a health promotion approach emphasizing the empowerment of residents and civic…

  12. Spatiotemporal variability of drinking water quality and the associated health risks in southwestern towns of Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Sisay, Tadesse; Beyene, Abebe; Alemayehu, Esayas

    2017-10-18

    The failure to provide safe drinking water services to all people is the greatest development setback of the twenty-first century including Ethiopia. Potential pollutants from various sources are deteriorating drinking water quality in different seasons, and associated health risks were not clearly known. We determined seasonal and spatial variations of urban drinking water characteristics and associated health risks in Agaro, Jimma, and Metu towns, Southwest Ethiopia. Seventy-two samples were collected during dry and rainy seasons of 2014 and 2015. The majority (87.4%) of physicochemical parameters was found within the recommended limits. However, free residual chlorine in Jimma and Agaro town water sources was lower than the recommended limit and negatively correlated with total and fecal coliform counts (r = - 0.585 and - 0.638). Statistically significant differences were observed at pH, turbidity, and total coliform between dry and rainy seasons (p < 0.05). A Kruskal-Wallis H test revealed a statistically significant difference in electrical conductivity, total hardness, fluoride, iron, and fecal coliform across the study towns (p < 0.05). The Agaro town water source was the highest in fluoride concentration (3.15 mg/l). The daily exposure level for high fluoride concentration in Agaro town was estimated between 0.19 and 0.41 mg/kg day, and the average cumulative hazard index of fluoride was > 3.13 for all age groups. Water quality variations were observed in all conventional water treatment systems in the rainy season, and further research should focus on its optimization to safeguard the public.

  13. Building America Case Study: New Town Builders' Power of Zero Energy Center, Denver, Colorado (Brochure)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    New Town Builders, a builder of energy efficient homes in Denver, Colorado, offers a zero energy option for all the homes it builds. To attract a wide range of potential homebuyers to its energy efficient homes, New Town Builders created a 'Power of Zero Energy Center' linked to its model home in the Stapleton community of Denver. This case study presents New Town Builders' marketing approach, which is targeted to appeal to homebuyers' emotions rather than overwhelming homebuyers with scientific details about the technology. The exhibits in the Power of Zero Energy Center focus on reduced energy expenses for themore » homeowner, improved occupant comfort, the reputation of the builder, and the lack of sacrificing the homebuyers' desired design features to achieve zero net energy in the home. The case study also contains customer and realtor testimonials related to the effectiveness of the Center in influencing homebuyers to purchase a zero energy home.« less

  14. Utilitarian and Recreational Walking Among Spanish- and English-Speaking Latino Adults in Micropolitan US Towns.

    PubMed

    Doescher, Mark P; Lee, Chanam; Saelens, Brian E; Lee, Chunkuen; Berke, Ethan M; Adachi-Mejia, Anna M; Patterson, Davis G; Moudon, Anne Vernez

    2017-04-01

    Walking among Latinos in US Micropolitan towns may vary by language spoken. In 2011-2012, we collected telephone survey and built environment (BE) data from adults in six towns located within micropolitan counties from two states with sizable Latino populations. We performed mixed-effects logistic regression modeling to examine relationships between ethnicity-language group [Spanish-speaking Latinos (SSLs); English-speaking Latinos (ESLs); and English-speaking non-Latinos (ENLs)] and utilitarian walking and recreational walking, accounting for socio-demographic, lifestyle and BE characteristics. Low-income SSLs reported higher amounts of utilitarian walking than ENLs (p = 0.007), but utilitarian walking in this group decreased as income increased. SSLs reported lower amounts of recreational walking than ENLs (p = 0.004). ESL-ENL differences were not significant. We identified no statistically significant interactions between ethnicity-language group and BE characteristics. Approaches to increase walking in micropolitan towns with sizable SSL populations may need to account for this group's differences in walking behaviors.

  15. Dental needs of intellectualy disabled children attending six special educational facilities in Cape Town.

    PubMed

    Roberts, T; Chetty, M; Kimmie-Dhansay, F; Fieggen, K; Stephen, L X G

    2016-05-25

    To assess the dental needs of a group of children with intellectual disability (ID) attending six special educational facilities in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study based on a convenience sampling method. One hundred and fifty-seven children with ID attending six special educational facilities in Cape Town were included in the survey. Five schools were exclusively funded by the State and one school received additional private financial support. The oral examinations complied with guidelines drafted by Special Olympics Special Smiles programme and the Centers for Disease Control, USA. The most common dental disorders requiring management were gingival disease (69%) and untreated dental caries (68%). Almost 50% of the children had missing teeth. Twenty-nine percent needed orthodontic correction of malocclusion and 7% had structural abnormalities of their teeth that required either aesthetic or functional intervention. Fillings were evident in only 8% of the children. Females required more dental treatment than males. The dental needs of children with ID increased with age. There were no significant differences in the dental needs of children attending State-funded schools and those attending the single school that received additional financial assistance. The frequency of unmet dental needs of children with ID attending special educational facilities in Cape Town was high and the dental care available to them was minimal. The study highlights the need for improved dental services to ensure that optimal oral health is accessible to children with ID attending special educational facilities in Cape Town.

  16. Application of Geographic Information System and Remotesensing in effective solid waste disposal sites selection in Wukro town, Tigray, Ethiopia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohammedshum, A. A.; Gebresilassie, M. A.; Rulinda, C. M.; Kahsay, G. H.; Tesfay, M. S.

    2014-11-01

    Identifying solid waste disposal sites and appropriately managing them is a challenging task to many developing countries. This is a critical problem too in Ethiopia in general and in Wukro town in particular. The existing site for Wukro town is not sufficient in its capacity and it is damaging the environment due to its location, and the type of waste dumped, while the surrounding area is being irrigated. Due to the swift expansion and urbanization developments in Wukro town, it badly needs to develop controlled solid waste dumping site to prevent several contamination problems. This study was conducted first, to assess the existing waste management strategies in Wukro town; and second, to find out the potential waste disposal sites for the town, using GIS and Remote Sensing techniques. The study exploited the Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) methods to combine necessary factors considered for dumping site selection. The selected method also uses various geographical data including remote sensing data, with GIS spatial analysis tools. Accordingly, site suitability maps for each of the factors were developed in a GIS environment. Results indicate that 12 dumping sites were appropriate and they were further ranked against their suitability in terms of wind direction, proximity to settlement area and distance from the center of the town. Finally, two sites are the best suitable for dumping site. This study indicated that the application of Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing techniques are efficient and low cost tools to study and select appropriate dumping site so as to facilitate decision making processes.

  17. NPDES Permit for Town of Hot Springs Wastewater Treatment Facility in Montana

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Under NPDES permit MT0020591, the Town of Hot Springs, Montana, is authorized to discharge from its wastewater treatment facility located in Sanders County, Montana, to a ditch discharging to Hot Springs Creek.

  18. Identification and impacts of earthquakes on the Roman Town of Patras- Archaeological evidence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stamati, Alexandra-Venetia; Stiros, Stathis

    2015-04-01

    In this paper we examine the interactions between earthquakes and inhabitation history of the town of Patras (NW Peloponnese, Greece), flourishing during the Roman period. Instrumental seismicity data and the seismic history of the last two centuries indicate that the wider area is among the most seismically active parts of Europe. But surprisingly, for older periods no historical evidence of ancient earthquakes exists. If this absence of evidence of ancient earthquakes is indicative of a real absence of earthquakes, this may be important for different disciplines. For Seismology, it may perhaps indicate clusters of seismicity separated by intervals of quiescence, each at least several thousand years long. It may also indicate that the inhabitation history of Patras town was not interrupted by major natural catastrophic events, and some destruction observed in ancient remains can be assigned to anthropogenic effects. In order to contribute in the solution of this problem, we made a systematic Archaeoseismological investigation of Patras and examined for the first time several hundreds of reports of archaeological excavations that have been made during period of reconstruction of the city (1972-2004). Among these, about 100 reports provide evidence of destruction layers, some of which satisfy the criteria for identification of earthquakes from archaeological data. A further correlation of this evidence in space and time was made, and permitted to identify with certainty a few major seismic events which marked the history of Roman Patras (1st-6th century AD). In spite of their catastrophic effects, these earthquakes have not led to the abandonment of the ancient town (inhabitation hiatus), but have certainly left their marks in the urban and perhaps social and economic history of this Roman town. Some certain uniformity in the frequency of earthquakes in Patras was also inferred.

  19. Radon and radioactivity at a town overlying Uranium ores in northern Greece.

    PubMed

    Kourtidis, K; Georgoulias, A K; Vlahopoulou, M; Tsirliganis, N; Kastelis, N; Ouzounis, K; Kazakis, N

    2015-12-01

    Extensive measurements of (222)Rn in the town of Xanthi in N Greece show that the part of the town overlying granite deposits and the outcrop of a uranium ore has exceptionally high indoor radon levels, with monthly means up to 1500 Bq m(-3). A large number of houses (40%) in this part of the town exhibit radon levels above 200 Bq m(-3) while 11% of the houses had radon levels above 400 Bq m(-3). Substantial interannual variability as well as the highest in Europe winter/summer ratios (up to 12) were observed in this part of the town, which consist of traditional stone masonry buildings of the late 19th-early 20th century. Measurements of (238)U and (232)Th content of building materials from these houses as well as radionuclide measurements in different floors show that the high levels of indoor radon measured in these buildings are not due to high radon emanation rates from the building materials themselves but rather due to high radon flux from the soil because of the underlying geology, high radon penetration rates into the buildings from underground due to the lack of solid concrete foundations in these buildings, or a combination thereof. From the meteorological variables studied, highest correlation with indoor (222)Rn was found with temperature (r(2) = 0.65). An indoor radon prognostic regression model using temperature, pressure and precipitation as input was developed, that reproduced indoor radon with r(2) = 0.69. Hence, meteorology is the main driving factor of indoor radon, with temperature being the most important determinant. Preliminary flux measurements indicate that the soil-atmosphere (222)Rn flux should be in the range 150-250 Bq m(-2) h(-1), which is in the upper 10% of flux values for Europe. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Sexual networks in Uganda: mixing patterns between a trading town, its rural hinterland and a nearby fishing village.

    PubMed

    Pickering, H; Okongo, M; Ojwiya, A; Yirrell, D; Whitworth, J

    1997-08-01

    The study was based in south-west Uganda where significant differences in HIV prevalence have been found between urban and rural areas. Longitudinal data collected in a diary format was used to determine the extent to which high-risk men and women living in a truck stop/trading town had sexual contact with people from surrounding rural areas and a nearby fishing village. Study participants were 143 men, 75 of whom were resident in the town, 40 in a fishing village and 28 in rural areas, and 81 women, of whom 47 were resident in the town, 25 in the fishing village and 9 in a rural area. During 1687 man weeks the 143 men made 3149 trips and had 5189 sexual contacts. Ninety-two per cent of these sexual contacts occurred in the man's current place of residence and 21% were with a new partner. The 81 women participated for 1280 women weeks during which they recorded 6378 sexual contacts. Women who lived in the fishing village and the rural area had around 90% of their contacts with local men while those who lived in the town fell into 3 categories: women who charged a relatively high price for commercial sex had only 11% of contacts with men living in the town, while those who charged a tenth of the price had 71% of contacts with town men. The small number of women who fell into an intermediate category, in terms of price, had sexual contact with a wide variety of men. These findings show that there is little scope for HIV infection to spread between different residential or occupational groups. This may help to explain how large differences in HIV seropositivity between neighbouring localities can be maintained for long periods, despite considerable social and economic mixing between groups and high levels of sexual partner change within groups.

  1. Health activism in Cape Town: a case study of the Health Workers Society.

    PubMed

    Pick, W; Claassen, J W B; Le Grange, C A; Hussey, G D

    2012-03-02

    The Health Workers Society (HWS), founded in 1980, was one of several progressive health organisations that fought for a democratic health system in South Africa. We document the sociopolitical context within which it operated and some of its achievements. HWS, many of whose members were staff and students of the University of Cape Town (UCT), provided a forum for debate on health-related issues, politics and society, and worked closely with other organisations to oppose the apartheid state's health policies and practices. They assisted with the formation of the first dedicated trade union for all healthcare workers and were one of the first to pioneer the primary healthcare approach in an informal settlement in Cape Town.

  2. Disaster Governance for Community Resilience in Coastal Towns: Chilean Case Studies.

    PubMed

    Villagra, Paula; Quintana, Carolina

    2017-09-14

    This study aimed to further our understanding of a characteristic of Community Resilience known as Disaster Governance. Three attributes of Disaster Governance-redundancy, diversity, and overlap-were studied in four coastal towns in southern Chile that are at risk of tsunamis. Overall, we explored how different spatial structures of human settlements influence Disaster Governance. Using the Projective Mapping Technique, the distribution of emergency institutions (N = 32) and uses given to specific sites (e.g., for refuge, sanitary purposes and medical attention) were mapped. Content and GIS analyses (Directional Distribution and Kernel Density Index) were used to explore the dispersion and concentration of institutions and uses in each town. Disaster Governance was found to be highly influenced by decisions taken during regional, urban, and emergency planning. Governance is better in towns of higher order in the communal hierarchical structure. Most of the emergency institutions were found to be located in central and urban areas, which, in turn, assures more redundancy, overlap, and diversity in governance in the event of a tsunami. Lack of flexibility of emergency plans also limits governance in rural and indigenous areas. While the spatial relationships found in this study indicate that urban sectors have better Disaster Governance than rural and indigenous sectors, the influence of resource availability after tsunamis, the role and responsibility of different levels of governments, and the politics of disaster also play an important role in Disaster Governance for determining Community Resilience. These findings shed light on emergency planning and aspects of the Disaster Management cycle.

  3. Disaster Governance for Community Resilience in Coastal Towns: Chilean Case Studies

    PubMed Central

    Quintana, Carolina

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to further our understanding of a characteristic of Community Resilience known as Disaster Governance. Three attributes of Disaster Governance—redundancy, diversity, and overlap—were studied in four coastal towns in southern Chile that are at risk of tsunamis. Overall, we explored how different spatial structures of human settlements influence Disaster Governance. Using the Projective Mapping Technique, the distribution of emergency institutions (N = 32) and uses given to specific sites (e.g., for refuge, sanitary purposes and medical attention) were mapped. Content and GIS analyses (Directional Distribution and Kernel Density Index) were used to explore the dispersion and concentration of institutions and uses in each town. Disaster Governance was found to be highly influenced by decisions taken during regional, urban, and emergency planning. Governance is better in towns of higher order in the communal hierarchical structure. Most of the emergency institutions were found to be located in central and urban areas, which, in turn, assures more redundancy, overlap, and diversity in governance in the event of a tsunami. Lack of flexibility of emergency plans also limits governance in rural and indigenous areas. While the spatial relationships found in this study indicate that urban sectors have better Disaster Governance than rural and indigenous sectors, the influence of resource availability after tsunamis, the role and responsibility of different levels of governments, and the politics of disaster also play an important role in Disaster Governance for determining Community Resilience. These findings shed light on emergency planning and aspects of the Disaster Management cycle. PMID:28906480

  4. Caries trends 1992-1998 in two low-fluoride Finnish towns formerly with and without fluoridation.

    PubMed

    Seppä, L; Kärkkäinen, S; Hausen, H

    2000-01-01

    Water fluoridation in Kuopio, Finland, was stopped at the end of 1992. In our previous study, no increase in caries was found in Kuopio 3 years after the discontinuation of water fluoridation. The aim of the present study was to further observe the occurrence and distribution of caries in Kuopio and Jyväskylä, which was used as the reference town for Kuopio. In 1992, 1995 and 1998 independent random samples of all children aged 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 years were drawn in Kuopio and Jyväskylä. The total numbers of subjects examined were 688, 1,484 and 1,530 in 1992, 1995 and 1998, respectively. Calibrated dentists registered caries clinically and radiographically. No indication of increasing caries could be found in the previously fluoridated town during 1992-1998. In both towns the mean dmfs and DMFS values either decreased or remained about the same during the observation period. When all study years and both towns were pooled, 25% of the 12- and 15-year-olds with the highest DMFS counts accounted for 79 and 67%, respectively, of all affected surfaces. The mean numbers of fluoride varnish and sealant applications had markedly decreased in 1993-1998 compared to 1990-1992. The fact that no increase in caries was found in Kuopio despite discontinuation of water fluoridation and decrease in preventive procedures suggests that not all of these measures were necessary for each child.

  5. A Clear Channel: Circulating Resistance in a Rural University Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Shannon

    2012-01-01

    This article offers an extended treatment of two social justice efforts in a rural university town as historical examples of civic engagement with contemporary implications for Writing Democracy and similar projects. The article begins with an analysis of local activism initiated by John Carlos in 1967 while he was still a student at our…

  6. Water quality of Lake Austin and Town Lake, Austin, Texas

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Andrews, Freeman L.; Wells, Frank C.; Shelby, Wanda J.; McPherson, Emma

    1988-01-01

    Water-quality data collected from Lake Austin and Town Lake, following runoff, generally were not adequate to fully determine the effects of runoff on the lakes. Data collection should not to be limited to fixed-station sampling following runoff, and both lakes need to be sampled simultaneously as soon as possible following significant precipitation.

  7. 77 FR 55691 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Circle Town, MT

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-11

    ... (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) standard instrument approach procedures at Circle Town County Airport. This improves the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport. DATES: Effective date, 0901 UTC, November 15, 2012. The Director of the Federal Register approves...

  8. Urban Shanty Town Recognition Based on High-Resolution Remote Sensing Images and National Geographical Monitoring Features - a Case Study of Nanning City

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Y.; He, Y.

    2018-04-01

    Urban shanty towns are communities that has contiguous old and dilapidated houses with more than 2000 square meters built-up area or more than 50 households. This study makes attempts to extract shanty towns in Nanning City using the product of Census and TripleSat satellite images. With 0.8-meter high-resolution remote sensing images, five texture characteristics (energy, contrast, maximum probability, and inverse difference moment) of shanty towns are trained and analyzed through GLCM. In this study, samples of shanty town are well classified with 98.2 % producer accuracy of unsupervised classification and 73.2 % supervised classification correctness. Low-rise and mid-rise residential blocks in Nanning City are classified into 4 different types by using k-means clustering and nearest neighbour classification respectively. This study initially establish texture feature descriptions of different types of residential areas, especially low-rise and mid-rise buildings, which would help city administrator evaluate residential blocks and reconstruction shanty towns.

  9. Child mortality in new industrial localities and opportunities for change: a survey in an Indian steel town.

    PubMed

    Crook, N; Malaker, C R

    1992-10-01

    As Asia becomes increasingly urbanized the effect of new industrial development on child mortality becomes of increasing interest. In India, considerable investment has been made in the social infrastructure of industrial new towns. This survey of Durgapur steel town in West Bengal shows that although the average level of child mortality in the working class population is favourable in comparison with other Indian cities, considerable differentials, that can be related to social, economic and environmental differences within the population, have arisen since the creation of the city in the late 1950s. The paper argues that the undertaking of selective sanitary interventions to improve access to drinking water (in particular) would be administratively feasible in these industrial new towns, of immediate impact, and indeed necessary if the differentials in mortality are to be eliminated.

  10. Research on the Operation Mode of Intelligent-town Energy Internet Based on Source-Load Interaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Hao; Li, Wen; Miao, Bo; Li, Bin; Liu, Chang; Lv, Zhipeng

    2018-01-01

    On the background of the rise of intelligence and the increasing deepening of “Internet +”application, the energy internet has become the focus of the energy research field. This paper, based on the fundamental understanding on the energy internet of the intelligent town, discusses the mode of energy supply in the source-load interactive region, and gives an in-depth study on the output characteristics of the energy supply side and the load characteristics of the demand side, so as to derive the law of energy-load interaction of the intelligent-town energy internet.

  11. 9. Town of Hamden, 1868 Map detail photocopied from F. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    9. Town of Hamden, 1868 Map detail photocopied from F. W. Beers, et al., Atlas of New Haven County, Connecticut (New York, 1868), p. 25. Shows the newly created Lake Whitney and, one quarter mile south of the armory, a 'Rifle Factory.' - Eli Whitney Armory, West of Whitney Avenue, Armory Street Vicinity, Hamden, New Haven County, CT

  12. Mobility and accessibility of hispanics in small towns and rural areas.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-07-01

    The Hispanic population has increased 43% (from 35.3 million to 50.5 million) in the 2000s in the U.S. Small towns and : rural areas in the U.S. are among the areas that have experienced rapid growth in : the : Hispanic immigrant population in the : ...

  13. NPDES Permit for Town of Lodge Grass Wastewater Treatment Facility in Montana

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit number MT0021890, the Town of Lodge Grass is authorized to discharge from from its wastewater treatment facility in Big Horn County to an unnamed slough to the Little Bighorn River.

  14. Town of Chino Valley Municipal Water System Improvement Project FONSI and EA

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA Region 9 has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) describing the potential environmental impacts associated with, and the alternatives to, the proposed Water System Improvement Project in the town of China Valley, Arizona. This Finding of No Signi

  15. New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: New Town Builders' Power of Zero Energy Center - Denver, Colorado

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    New Town Builders, a builder of energy efficient homes in Denver, Colorado, offers a zero energy option for all the homes it builds. To attract a wide range of potential homebuyers to its energy efficient homes, New Town Builders created a "Power of Zero Energy Center" linked to its model home in the Stapleton community. This case study presents New Town Builders' marketing approach, which is targeted to appeal to homebuyers' emotions rather than overwhelming homebuyers with scientific details about the technology. The exhibits in the Power of Zero Energy Center focus on reduced energy expenses for the homeowner, improvedmore » occupant comfort, the reputation of the builder, and the lack of sacrificing the homebuyers' desired design features to achieve zero net energy in the home. This case study also contains customer and realtor testimonials related to the effectiveness of the Center in influencing homebuyers to purchase a zero energy home.« less

  16. Town Stems Major Water Losses With New Lines and Storage Tank

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    With the help of EPA funding, the Town of Chapmanville in Logan County, WV, has a new drinking water storage tank and distribution lines to replace a system built in the late 1940s that was “leaking like a sieve” and posed a risk to public health.

  17. Death in the New Town: Edinburgh's hidden story of stonemasons' silicosis.

    PubMed

    Donaldson, K; Wallace, W A; Henry, C; Seaton, A

    2017-12-01

    The building of the Edinburgh New Town, from the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries, was a major advance in harmonious and elegant town planning. However, there is anecdotal evidence that it led to the occurrence of an epidemic of silicosis/tuberculosis among the stonemasons. We have reviewed contemporary accounts of the episode and early records of the understanding of silicosis. We have also studied the lung of a contemporary stonemason, preserved in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and confirmed the presence of silico-tuberculosis in it. The evidence shows that a major epidemic did occur, caused by a combination of factors. The size of the undertaking attracted many stonemasons to Edinburgh over a period of almost 100 years, intensively cutting and dressing stone. The principal stone worked was a very high-quartz sandstone, derived from the local Craigleith quarry, having properties that made it desirable for prestige buildings. However, even before the construction of the New Town, Craigleith sandstone was notorious for its dustiness and the Edinburgh stonemasons worked the stone in unventilated sheds. Stonemasons appeared to be aware of the risk of their trade, but little was known about preventive measures. It appears it was assumed that the risks to stonemasons disappeared after the Craigleith quarry closed, the employers emphasising (without evidence) the lack of health risks in other quarries, and the tragic episode appears to have been forgotten. However, we point to the continuing occurrence of silicosis among stonemasons to the present day; the importance of remembering such episodes is stressed lest the lessons of the past be forgotten.

  18. Residential fencing in a metropolitan area and three small towns.

    Treesearch

    Edwin Kallio; Jerry A. Sesco

    1967-01-01

    Many types of fences were found on residential lots in the metropolitan-suburban area of St. Louis County, Missouri, and three small towns in southern Illinois. Wire fences predominated. More wooden fences were found on village lots than on city lots. In general, the more expensive homes had the most wooden fencing. Homes over 5 years old had more fencing of all...

  19. Measuring the food environment in three rural towns in New South Wales, Australia.

    PubMed

    Innes-Hughes, Christine; Boylan, Sinead; King, Lesley A; Lobb, Elizabeth

    2012-08-01

    Food availability affects eating habits, and in the Australian context, refers to the numbers and locations of food retail and food service outlets and the types and range of foods in those outlets. The aim of this study was to assess the community and consumer food environment in three small rural towns in New South Wales, Australia. Geographical analyses were used to measure the diversity, variety and locations of food outlets (community food environment); and checklists were used to assess the availability of selected indicator foods within food outlets (consumer food environment). Supermarkets provided access to the full range of healthy indicator foods, with convenience stores selling a more limited set of healthy food items. There were high numbers of take-away food outlets in each town that had no, or a limited number of, healthy food items. Energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods such as soft drinks and potato crisps were readily available across all food retail outlets in all towns. This study illustrates a valid, reliable and practical way of systematically describing food availability at a local level. The findings emphasise the ubiquity of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods, and suggest that interventions to promote the availability of healthier food items in take-away food outlets are required. Further research is required to assess other factors which may affect residents' food access, such as cost and transport.

  20. The early benefits of a problem-based approach to teaching social inclusion using an online virtual town.

    PubMed

    Beadle, Mary; Santy, Julie

    2008-05-01

    This article describes the delivery of a core pre-registration nursing and midwifery module centred on social inclusion. The module was previously delivered using a classroom-based problem-based learning approach. Difficulties with this approach led to changes to the module and its delivery. Logistic issues encouraged the module team to implement a blended learning approach using a virtual town to facilitate online learning and discussion activities. The paper describes and discusses the use of online learning technology to support student nurses and midwives. It highlights the benefits of this approach and outlines some of the experiences of the students including their evaluation of the virtual town. There is also an examination of some of the practical and theoretical issues related to both problem-based learning, online working and using a virtual town to support learning. This article outlines the approach taken and its implications.

  1. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Aerosol and Snow Cover of Siberian Towns (east Siberia)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gorshkov, A.; Marinayte, I.

    Contamination of the atmosphere above Siberian towns has a few peculiarities: (i) level of pollution is presumably determined by discharges of large enterprises sur- rounded by company towns; (ii) long (up to 150 days) winter is characterized by the highest concentrations of pollutants within the near-ground atmospheric layer due to pronounced anti-cyclonic circulation of the atmosphere; (iii) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are specific minor components of the aerosols. Relatively high PAH concentrations in aerosol of Siberian towns are caused by the presence of ad- ditional intensive sources of PAH (besides those traditional: gas discharges of met- allurgy, heat-and-power engineering enterprises, and motor transport). These are the discharges of low power (< 5 GW) heat-and-power engineering enterprises as well as stoves of individual heating that use incomplete technology of solid fuel combus-tion. Their input to the total discharge of permanent sources (evaluated by the con-tent of benz[a]pyren) may reach to 90 Results of PAH monitoring in the towns located in the Baikal region - regional cen-ter Irkutsk (700000 residents) and town of Shelekhov accompanied the aluminum produc- ing plant (50000 residents) - are presented in the report. Daily and seasonal dynamics of aerosol pollution and level of PAH accumulation in snow covers during 1996 U 2001 are estimated. The highest PAH concentrations (total concentrations of identi- fied compounds) are up to 300 ng/m3 in aerosol and up to 16 mg/m2 in snow cover. At day and night temperatures lowering up to -30 oe -40 01057;, the maximum of PAH concentration is observed in the daytime due to displacement of the tempera-ture in- version. When temperature increases, two SclassicalT maximums are observed during & cedil;the morning and the evening hours. It was shown that the effect of Scity air circula- & cedil;tionT caused by air masses transportation above a city from its center to out-skirts (within the near

  2. Charting the Development of Portsmouth Harbour, Dockyard and Town in the Tudor Period

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fontana, Dominic

    2013-12-01

    Portsmouth was crucial to the defence of Tudor England and consequently it was mapped for military planning purposes throughout the Tudor period from 1545. The resulting sequence of maps records much of the town and harbour. The maps offer opportunities for furthering our understanding of Tudor Portsmouth and its population Additionally, images of the urban landscape provided by the "Cowdray Engraving", which depicts the loss of Henry VIII's warship Mary Rose on the 19th July 1545, may also be considered and compared with those presented in the early maps of the town. This paper considers the Portsmouth maps of 1545, 1552, 1584 and the chart of Portsmouth Harbour dating from between 1586 and 1620. These are examined in relation to one another and compared with evidence from the Cowdray Engraving.

  3. Exploring urban health in Cape Town, South Africa: an interdisciplinary analysis of secondary data

    PubMed Central

    Mumm, Rebekka; Hänselmann, Eva; Freund, Johanna; Wirsching, Michael; Gärtner, Jan; Gminski, Richard; Vögtlin, Katrin; Körner, Mirjam; Zirn, Lena; Wittwer-Backofen, Ursula; Oni, Tolu

    2017-01-01

    Background: With modern information technology, an overwhelming amount of data is available on different aspects of societies. Our research investigated the feasibility of using secondary data sources to get an overview of determinants of health and health outcomes in different population strata of Cape Town, a large city of South Africa. Methods: The methodological approach of secondary-data analysis was similar in the different disciplines: Biological Anthropology, Public Health, Environmental Health, Mental Health, Palliative Care, Medical Psychology and Sociology at the University of Freiburg and Public Health at the University of Cape Town. The teams collected information on Cape Town through Internet searches and published articles. The information was extracted, analyzed, condensed, and jointly interpreted. Results: Data show the typical picture of a population in epidemiological and demographic transition exposed to often difficult social, mental, and physical environmental conditions. Comparison between low and higher socioeconomic districts demonstrated that the former had higher air pollution, poorer water quality, and deficient sanitary conditions in addition to sub-optimal mental health services and palliative care. Conclusion: Although important information gaps were identified, the data draw attention to critical public health interventions required in poor health districts, and to motivate for pro-equity policies. PMID:28093045

  4. District heating comes to town: The social shaping of an energy system

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Summerton, J.

    1992-01-01

    This thesis concerns the process by which a sociotechnical system is shaped in its social and cultural context. The empirical focus is the introduction of a district heating system in an ordinary Swedish town in the 1980s. Drawing from recent theories from the history and sociology of science and technology (actor-network theory, systems approach), the study examines interactions among actors in introducing the technology, viewed as a multiorganizational grid-based system. Grid-based systems have a number of specific properties (long lead times, high investment costs, tight coupling, etc) that often prove problematic for system builders. As a multiorganization, the system ismore » also characterized by inherent interoganizational tensions and a lack of sovereign control by any one actor. The story centers around critical issues or interorganizational conflicts of building the system in the town. These are: deciding to build (decision-making process), shaping the organization and acquiring competence, obtaining subscribers (marketing strategies)-and keeping them, dealing with regulation (conflicts over siting), and meeting competition. It is argued that these issues reflect the core challenges of system-building in multiorganizational grid-based systems, namely: (1) enrolling others in the shared purpose, (2) staking out, expanding and defending the market, (3) handling conflict, (4) dealing with limits to control, (5) coordinating and timing system expansion. The thesis concludes with an analysis of why the Swedish town succeeded in the task, what its experience suggests about how grid-based systems are shaped, and what criteria can be used to define a [open quotes]good[close quotes] system.« less

  5. The Original "Brown" Town after 50 Years: Desegregated, Not Integrated

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cook, Glenn

    2004-01-01

    The story of Summerton and its schools is a footnote to history. On the surface, daily life in this small South Carolina town today is a far cry from a half century ago. At the same time, little seems to have changed--and many residents seem to prefer it that way. And with good reason, for the townspeople, especially whites, still cast a wary eye…

  6. Small town health care safety nets: report on a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Pat; Blewett, Lynn; Brasure, Michelle; Call, Kathleen Thiede; Larson, Eric; Gale, John; Hagopian, Amy; Hart, L Gary; Hartley, David; House, Peter; James, Mary Katherine; Ricketts, Thomas

    2003-01-01

    Very little is known about the health care safety net in small towns, especially in towns where there is no publicly subsidized safety-net health care. This pilot study of the primary care safety net in 7 such communities was conducted to start building knowledge about the rural safety net. Interviews were conducted and secondary data collected to assess the community need for safety-net care, the health care safety-net role of public officials, and the availability of safety-net care at private primary care practices and its financial impact on these practices. An estimated 20% to 40% of the people in these communities were inadequately insured and needed access to affordable health care, and private primary care practices in most towns played an important role in making primary care available to them. Most of the physician practices were owned or subsidized by a hospital or regional network, though not explicitly to provide charity care. It is likely this ownership or support enabled the practices to sustain a higher level of charity care than would have been possible otherwise. In the majority of communities studied, the leading public officials played no role in ensuring access to safety-net care. State and national government policy makers should consider subsidy programs for private primary care practices that attempt to meet the needs of the inadequately insured in the many rural communities where no publicly subsidized primary safety-net care is available. Subsidies should be directed to physicians in primary care shortage areas who provide safety-net care; this will improve safety-net access and, at the same time, improve physician retention by bolstering physician incomes. Options include enhanced Medicare physician bonuses and grants or tax credits to support income-related sliding fee scales.

  7. [Pollution Characteristics of Surface Runoff of Typical Town in Chongqing City].

    PubMed

    Wang, Long-tao; Duan, Bing-zheng; Zhao, Jian-wei; Hua, Yu-mei; Zhu, Duan-wei

    2015-08-01

    Six kinds of impermeable underlying surface, cement tile roof, asbestos roof, cement flat roof, residential concrete pavement, asphalt pavement of restaurants, asphalt pavement of oil depot, and a combined sewer overflow canal in the Jiansheng town of Dadukou district in Chongqing city were chosen as sample plots to study the characteristics of nutritional pollutants and heavy metals in town runoff. The research showed that the average mass concentrations of TSS, COD, TN, TP in road runoff were (1681.2 +/- 677.2), (1154.7 +/- 415.5), (12.07 +/- 2.72), (3.32 +/- 1.15) mgL(-1), respectively. These pollutants were higher than those in roof runoff which were (13.3 +/- 6.5), (100.4 +/- 24.8), (3.58 +/- 0.70), (0.10 +/- 0.02) mg x L(-1), respectively. TDN accounted for 62.60% +/- 34.38% of TN, and TDP accounted for 42.22% +/- 33.94% of TP in the runoff of impermeable underlying surface. Compared with the central urban runoff, town runoff in our study had higher mass concentrations of these pollutants. The mass concentrations of TSS, COD, TDN, TN, TDP and TP in the combined sewer overflow were (281.57 +/- 308.38), (231.21 +/- 42.95), (8.16 +/- 2.78), (10.60 +/- 3.94), (0.38 +/- 0.23) and (1.51 +/- 0.75) mg x L(-1), respectively. The average levels of heavy metals in this kind of runoff did not exceed the class VI level of the surface water environmental quality standard. Most pollutants in the combined sewer overflow had first flush. However, this phenomenon was very rare for TSS. There was a significant positive correlation between TSS and COD, TP in the combined sewer overflow. And this correlation was significant between NH4+ -N and TP, TDP, TN, TDP. However, a negative correlation existed between NO3- -N and all other indicators.

  8. The Town Hall Meeting: Imagining a Self through Public-Sphere Pedagogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swiencicki, Jill; Fosen, Chris; Burton, Sofie; Gonder, Justin; Wolf, Thia

    2011-01-01

    What lasting impact could a required general education writing course have on students' well-being? The authors examined this question in the context of the California State University- Chico Town Hall Meeting, a campus event sponsored jointly by the Academic Writing Program and the First-Year Experience Program from 2006 to 2009. In the Town…

  9. Accidental contamination of a German town's drinking water with sodium hydroxide.

    PubMed

    Lendowski, Luba; Färber, Harald; Holy, Andreas; Darius, Anke; Ehrich, Bernd; Wippermann, Christine; Küfner, Bernd; Exner, Martin

    2015-05-01

    Case report of a very serious drinking water incident putting up to 50,000 inhabitants of a town near Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany at risk. A concentrated solution of highly alkaline water by sodium hydroxide was accidentally washed into the town's drinking water at a pumping station and increased the pH-value of the water to 12. Residents who came into contact with the contaminated water immediately had a toxic reaction. The incident was detected by complaints from customers and after that was stopped within several hours. The pipes were flushed and the customers were warned not to use the water till the all clear. After this immediate management there was an investigation and the cause of the incident was detected as an accidental release of accumulated sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. The lack of a network alarm system and the automatic cut-off mechanisms as deficiencies in the design of the station were rectified by the water company immediately after the incident. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  10. 77 FR 39651 - Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace; Circle Town, MT

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-05

    ... origin. Issued in Seattle, Washington, on June 25, 2012. John Warner, Manager, Operations Support Group... action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at Circle Town County Airport. DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 20, 2012. ADDRESSES: Send comments...

  11. The Town/Gown Syndrome in Higher Education. CELCEE Digest No. 98-6.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brawer, Florence B.

    This digest examines some of the literature on entrepreneurial arrangements within academic institutions--arrangements that often mirror the conflicted town/gown attitude between small cities and the institutions of higher education located within their limits. The main reason cited for the involvement of higher education institutions in…

  12. Parental Investment, Club Membership, and Youth Sexual Risk Behavior in Cape Town

    PubMed Central

    Camlin, Carol S.; Snow, Rachel C.

    2010-01-01

    This study examines whether parental investment and membership in social clubs are associated with safer sexual behaviors among South African youth. Participants comprised 4,800 randomly selected adolescents age 14 to 22 living in the Cape Town area in 2002. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between measures of parental investment and associational membership with reported condom use at first and most recent sexual intercourse, net of effects of HIV knowledge, age, education, population group, parental coresidence, and household income. Interaction terms were used to examine gender differences in associations between risk behavior and parental investment and between risk behavior and group membership. Participation in clubs and community groups is associated with safer behaviors. A mother’s financial support (for clothing, school fees and uniforms, and pocket money) is negatively associated with condom use, particularly among young women, suggesting that material need impels vulnerability to higher risk behaviors. Social resources in households and communities mediate HIV risk behaviors among youth in Cape Town. PMID:18375613

  13. Developing Small Cities by Promoting Village to Town and Its Effects on Quality of Life for the Local Residents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rezvani, Mohamad Reza; Mansourian, Hossain

    2013-01-01

    In the past few years, developing small cities, by promoting villages to towns for instance, has been considered as one of the main policies for improving the Quality of Life(QoL) in the rural regions of Iran and with this aim in the last few decades, a large number of rural centers have been promoted to towns. The purpose of this research is to…

  14. Extraction of gold (Au) particles from sea water by Delftia Acidovorans microbes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yusoff, A. H. M.; Nading, M. E.; Salimi, M. N.

    2017-10-01

    Gold-mining activities have been an issue, especially when it involves in contamination of chemicals, for example arsenic and mercury. However, despite of these hazards, gold-mining activities are still being conducted. This is because the gold is worth, regardless of the problems. Gold-mining, as known needs a very large area of land, or site plant. Vast amount of labor force, mechanical force and fund are a must in order for the mining process to be continued. High demand of gold, made gold-mining industries as ones of the most profitable industries in the world. Thus, this has encouraged another alternative way to extract gold. At the mining site, researchers found that biomineralization of gold by Delftia acidovorans can be conducted. How it is done still cannot be understood. It is said that the bacteria secretes secondary metabolites, Delftibactin as a defensive mechanism against the toxicity of the soluble gold. Researchers try to find another source of elemental gold besides of the earth’s core. The options are either lava of a volcano or ocean. Here, the focus is seawater. The problem of seawater is that its composition still not yet to be proved. Dissolve gold existed as gold chloride in seawater, but in a very small amount. So, the gold separation should be focused, in order to make this process to be a successful one. Factors such as depth, climate, region, temperature need to be considered. If this difference affecting the separating process, standardized seawater composition have to be proposed.

  15. NPDES Draft Permit for City of New Town Water Treatment Plant in North Dakota

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System draft permit number ND0031151, The City of New Town Water Treatment Plant is authorized to discharge from its wastewater treatment facility in Mountrail County, North Dakota.

  16. Community participation in tsunami early warning system in Pangandaran town

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hadian, Sapari D.; Khadijah, Ute Lies Siti; Saepudin, Encang; Budiono, Agung; Yuliawati, Ayu Krishna

    2017-07-01

    Disaster-resilient communities are communities capable of anticipating and minimizing destructive forces through adaptation. Disaster is an event very close to the people of Indonesia, especially in the small tourism town of Pangadaran located at West Java, Indonesia. On July 17, 2006, the town was hit by a Mw 7.8 earthquake and tsunami that effected over 300 km of the coastline, where the community suffered losses in which more than 600 people were killed, with run up heights exceeding 20 m. The devastation of the tsunami have made the community more alert and together with the local government and other stakeholder develop an Early Warning System for Tsunami. The study is intended to discover issues on tsunami Early Warning System (EWS), disaster risk reduction measures taken and community participation. The research method used is descriptive and explanatory research. The study describe the Tsunami EWS and community based Disaster Risk Reduction in Pangandaran, the implementation of Tsunami alert/EWS in disaster preparedness and observation of community participation in EWS. Data were gathered by secondary data collection, also primary data through interviews, focus group discussions and field observations. Research resulted in a description of EWS implementation, community participation and recommendation to reduce disaster risk in Pangandaran.

  17. Introductory Astronomy Course at the University of Cape Town: Probing Student Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rajpaul, Vinesh; Allie, Saalih; Blyth, Sarah-Louise

    2014-01-01

    We report on research carried out to improve teaching and student engagement in the introductory astronomy course at the University of Cape Town. This course is taken by a diverse range of students, including many from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. We describe the development of an instrument, the Introductory Astronomy Questionnaire…

  18. The Effects of Community Violence on Children in Cape Town, South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shields, Nancy; Nadasen, Kathy; Pierce, Lois

    2008-01-01

    Objective: The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between exposure to community violence (neighborhood, school, police, and gang violence) and psychological distress in a sample of children living in the Cape Town, South Africa area. Another objective was to identify variables that moderate and mediate the…

  19. Parental Investment, Club Membership, and Youth Sexual Risk Behavior in Cape Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Camlin, Carol S.; Snow, Rachel C.

    2008-01-01

    This study examines whether parental investment and membership in social clubs are associated with safer sexual behaviors among South African youth. Participants comprised 4,800 randomly selected adolescents age 14 to 22 living in the Cape Town area in 2002. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between measures of parental…

  20. 75 FR 78247 - Medicare Program; Town Hall Meeting on Physician Quality Reporting System

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-15

    ...] Medicare Program; Town Hall Meeting on Physician Quality Reporting System AGENCY: Centers for Medicare... to discuss the Physician Quality Reporting System (previously known as the Physician Quality... stakeholders on the individual quality measures and measures groups being considered for possible inclusion in...

  1. Plow, town, and gown: the politics of family practice in 1960s America.

    PubMed

    Tobbell, Dominique

    2013-01-01

    In the 1960s, general practitioners organized themselves into a state-based nationwide political movement that lobbied state legislators and state-funded medical schools to create departments of family practice. They framed their calls in the context of the national shortages of primary care physicians by arguing that those medical schools that received state funding had an obligation to the state to train sufficient numbers of primary care physicians to ensure the health care needs of the state's residents would be met. As this article reveals, two defining features of this activism were rural politics and the politics of town and gown. The history of family practice thus introduces a new dimension to the familiar dyad of town and gown relations: the plow-rural physicians who brought to the medical politics of the post-World War II United States a distinctive and powerful set of political, social, and economic interests.

  2. The use of town refuse ash in urban agriculture around Jos, Nigeria: health and environmental risks.

    PubMed

    Pasquini, M W

    2006-01-15

    This paper reports on a study that examines the health and environmental risks of using town refuse ash in urban vegetable production in Jos, Nigeria, in terms of heavy metal accumulation in the food chain. Soil and crop samples, collected from five study farms, and samples of the river water used for irrigation, were analysed for seven heavy metals Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb. On the basis of the field data the paper discusses: (1) the potential soil deficiencies and toxicities; (2) the probable links between soil heavy metal levels and fertilisation practices; (3) the heavy metal concentrations in crop tissue in relation to crop growth and human health. The findings suggest that soil concentrations of the seven metals fall within 'typical' soil levels, and that there should not be any problems of either toxicities or deficiencies for crop growth. There was evidence of slight accumulation of Zn, Cu and Cd on some of the farms with a history of town refuse ash use. However, in all farms lettuce crops contained very large concentrations of Fe, and Pb concentrations that were 20 to 40 times higher than the WHO/FAO maximum recommended level in leafy vegetables for human consumption. The Cd content of carrot tissue was 10 times higher than the WHO/FAO recommended limit. The relatively small number of soil and crop samples precluded any formal attempt at correlating the concentrations of heavy metals found in the vegetable crops with the farm levels. Nevertheless, the data suggested that these were not linked. The paper goes on to consider various potential sources of the metals found in the crops, including irrigation water, town refuse ash and air-borne dust, and discusses additional health and environmental risks pertaining to the use of town refuse ash. Undoubtedly, the heavy Pb and Cd contamination of certain crops indicates the urgent need for future studies to ascertain the precise source of these metals, and although the practice of using town refuse ash does

  3. Field experiment evidence of substantive, attributional, and behavioral persuasion by members of Congress in online town halls.

    PubMed

    Minozzi, William; Neblo, Michael A; Esterling, Kevin M; Lazer, David M J

    2015-03-31

    Do leaders persuade? Social scientists have long studied the relationship between elite behavior and mass opinion. However, there is surprisingly little evidence regarding direct persuasion by leaders. Here we show that political leaders can persuade their constituents directly on three dimensions: substantive attitudes regarding policy issues, attributions regarding the leaders' qualities, and subsequent voting behavior. We ran two randomized controlled field experiments testing the causal effects of directly interacting with a sitting politician. Our experiments consist of 20 online town hall meetings with members of Congress conducted in 2006 and 2008. Study 1 examined 19 small meetings with members of the House of Representatives (average 20 participants per town hall). Study 2 examined a large (175 participants) town hall with a senator. In both experiments we find that participating has significant and substantively important causal effects on all three dimensions of persuasion but no such effects on issues that were not discussed extensively in the sessions. Further, persuasion was not driven solely by changes in copartisans' attitudes; the effects were consistent across groups.

  4. Field experiment evidence of substantive, attributional, and behavioral persuasion by members of Congress in online town halls

    PubMed Central

    Minozzi, William; Neblo, Michael A.; Esterling, Kevin M.; Lazer, David M. J.

    2015-01-01

    Do leaders persuade? Social scientists have long studied the relationship between elite behavior and mass opinion. However, there is surprisingly little evidence regarding direct persuasion by leaders. Here we show that political leaders can persuade their constituents directly on three dimensions: substantive attitudes regarding policy issues, attributions regarding the leaders’ qualities, and subsequent voting behavior. We ran two randomized controlled field experiments testing the causal effects of directly interacting with a sitting politician. Our experiments consist of 20 online town hall meetings with members of Congress conducted in 2006 and 2008. Study 1 examined 19 small meetings with members of the House of Representatives (average 20 participants per town hall). Study 2 examined a large (175 participants) town hall with a senator. In both experiments we find that participating has significant and substantively important causal effects on all three dimensions of persuasion but no such effects on issues that were not discussed extensively in the sessions. Further, persuasion was not driven solely by changes in copartisans’ attitudes; the effects were consistent across groups. PMID:25775516

  5. ApoE polymorphisms and diarrheal outcomes in Brazilian shanty town children

    PubMed Central

    Oriá, R.B.; Patrick, P.D.; Oriá, M.O.B.; Lorntz, B.; Thompson, M.R.; Azevedo, O.G.R.; Lobo, R.N.B.; Pinkerton, R.F.; Guerrant, R.L.; Lima, A.A.M.

    2011-01-01

    A series of studies have shown that the heavy burdens of diarrheal diseases in the first 2 formative years of life in children living in urban shanty towns have negative effects on physical and cognitive development lasting into later childhood. We have shown that APOE4 is relatively common in shanty town children living in Brazil (13.4%) and suggest that APOE4 has a protective role in cognitive development as well as weight-for-height in children with heavy burdens of diarrhea in early childhood (64/123; 52%), despite being a marker for cognitive decline with Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular diseases later in life. APOE2 frequency was higher among children with heaviest diarrhea burdens during the first 2 years of life, as detected by PCR using the restriction fragment length polymorphism method, raising the possibility that ApoE-cholesterol balance might be critical for growth and cognitive development under the stress of heavy diarrhea burdens and when an enriched fat diet is insufficient. These findings provide a potential explanation for the survival advantage in evolution of genes, which might raise cholesterol levels during heavy stress of diarrhea burdens and malnutrition early in life. PMID:20401432

  6. Recovery of compacted soils in Mojave Desert ghost towns.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Webb, R.H.; Steiger, J.W.; Wilshire, H.G.

    1986-01-01

    Residual compaction of soils was measured at seven sites in five Mojave Desert ghost towns. Soils in these Death Valley National Monument townsites were compacted by vehicles, animals, and human trampling, and the townsites had been completely abandoned and the buildings removed for 64 to 75 yr. Recovery times extrapolated using a linear recovery model ranged from 80 to 140 yr and averaged 100 yr. The recovery times were related to elevation, suggesting freeze-thaw loosening as an important factor in ameliorating soil compaction in the Mojave Desert. -from Authors

  7. Piedramuelle Limestone in the building heritage of Oviedo, Spain, and adjacent towns.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cardenes Van den Eynde, Victor; Mateos, Felix Javier; Valdeon, Luis; Rojo, Araceli

    2017-04-01

    The Piedramuelle limestone has a very important representation in the building heritage of Oviedo, historical capital of Asturias (Spain) and surrounding towns. This argillaceous limestone has been quarried since the High Middle Ages until the beginning of the XX century. The main mineralogical components are carbonates (mainly calcite and sometimes ankerite, 70-90%), quartz (5-15%), terrigenous minerals (6-15%) and iron oxides (<5%). Two different facies, with different constructive uses, can be clearly distinguished depending on the grain size: fine-grained facies and coarse-grained facies. The fine-grained facies has color ranging from red to yellow, slightly higher content in carbonates, higher terrigenous components and a micro crystalline texture. The coarse-grained facies is mainly yellow, with detrital clastic texture. The open porosity is higher for the coarse-grained facies (16-20%), while for the fine-grained facies it ranges between 5 and 15%. The fine-grained facies is more vulnerable to weathering than the coarse-grained one, and it is used in the building heritage mainly for ornamental details, while the coarse-grained one is found in the bigger blocks and ashlars of the buildings. Some of the buildings constructed with Piedramuelle limestone are the Cathedral, the Old University and the Palaces from the XVII and XVIII centuries. The ambiance and historical architecture of Oviedo and adjacent towns is closely linked with the textures and colors of this stone. Nowadays, the Piedramuelle limestone is not exploited anymore, being the quarries exhausted. This represents an issue from a conservation point of view, since there is not a suitable stone for replacement. In order to preserve and maintain the building heritage of these towns, it is very important to prospect and protect the remaining outcrops still able to supply this characteristic stone.

  8. Landslides and slope stability evaluation in the historical town of Kruja, Albania

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muceku, Y.; Korini, O.

    2013-07-01

    This paper describes the landslides and slope stability evaluation in the urban area of Kruja town, Albania. Kruja is a~historical and heritage center, due to the existence of many important cultural monuments including Skanderbeg castle and Bazaar square etc. The urban area of Kruja town has been affected from the Landslides effects, in the past and also present. From this phenomenon many engineering objects such as buildings, roads etc. are damaged and demolished. From the engineering geological mapping at scale 1 : 5000 it is observed that many active landslides have dramatically increased in activity after 1980s. The landslide types found in the studied area are earth slides, debris flow, as well as rock fall and rock rolling. Also, from field works and laboratory analysis, the slope stability of whole urban areas has been determined; for this purpose the studied zone is divided into the stable and unstable areas, which helps to better understand the mass movement's activity as one of the most harmful hazards of the geodynamics' phenomena.

  9. Committing driving violations: an observational study comparing city, town and village.

    PubMed

    Rosenbloom, Tova; Ben-Eliyahu, Adar; Nemrodov, Dan; Biegel, Ariela; Perlman, Amotz

    2009-01-01

    This article compares observed driving behavior in a city, a town, and a village. Unobtrusive observations were made at intersections in each residential type. Five violation types were observed: (a) not wearing a seat belt (seat belt violation); (b) not using a safety seat for a child (safety seat violation for children); (c) not using a speaker while speaking on the phone (on-phone violation); (d) failing to comply with a 'give way' sign ('give way' sign violation); and (e) stopping in an undesignated area (undesignated stop violation). It was expected that in accordance with the anonymity hypothesis that the bigger residential areas' rate of traffic violations would be higher. The effects of the residential type, drivers' gender, and age were assessed using the multiple regression model. The stepwise method of evaluation was employed. The model converged on step 3 (Adjusted R square=0.039). Residential type and gender contributed significantly to the model. Consistent with prior research, male drivers committed more violations than female drivers. Chi-square analyses were used to test the distribution of violations by the settlement types. Overall, more drivers committed violations in the two small residential areas than in the city, with 30% of city drivers, 43% of town drivers, and 51% of village drivers committing at least one violation (chi2 (2)=37.65, p<0.001). Moreover, in the town and the village, a combination of one or more violations was committed more often than in the city(chi2 (1)=34.645, p<0.001). Accordingly, more drivers committed violations in the two small settlements (48.4%) than in the city (30.6%). Possible explanations for the observed results were provided in the Discussion section. The conclusions of this paper are that drivers in small villages tend to disobey traffic laws. Therefore, efforts have to be made in companies to take this issue in consideration while running fleets in companies located in small places far from the center.

  10. Managing landscape connectivity for a fragmented area using spatial analysis model at town scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Shiliang; Dong, Yuhong; Fu, Wei; Zhang, Zhaoling

    2009-10-01

    Urban growth has great effect on land uses of its suburbs. The habitat loss and fragmentation in those areas are a main threat to conservation of biodiversity. Enhancing landscape functional connectivity is usually an effective way to maintain high biodiversity level in disturbed area. Taking a small town in Beijing as an example, we designed potential landscape corridors based on identification of landscape element quality and "least-cost" path analysis. We described a general approach to establish the corridor network in such fragmented area at town scale. The results showed that landscape elements position has various effects on landscape suitability. Small forest patches and other green lands such as meadow, shrub, even farmland could be a potential stepping-stone or corridor for animal movements. Also, the analysis reveals that critical areas should be managed to facilitate the movement of dispersers among habitat patches.

  11. An Islamic University in Cape Town Grows from Roots in East Asia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindow, Megan

    2007-01-01

    This article features the International Peace University South Africa in Cape Town. The university, which was established in 2004, resulted from the merger of two local "madrassas", or religious colleges, yet seeks to prepare its students for success in the secular world. Its Islamic roots are not in the Middle East, but in East Asia.…

  12. Language Policy as a Sociocultural Tool: Insights from the University of Cape Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karjalainen, Magda

    2016-01-01

    This theoretically oriented article draws on the author's previous research, which examined language policy and planning (LPP) of the University of Cape Town within the context of post-apartheid transformation driven by need to redress inequalities of the past, and demands of globalization. Drawing on critical linguistics, but indicating…

  13. Micro Climate Simulation in new Town 'Hashtgerd'

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sodoudi, S.; Langer, I.; Cubasch, U.

    2012-04-01

    One of the objectives of climatological part of project Young Cities 'Developing Energy-Efficient Urban Fabric in the Tehran-Karaj Region' is to simulate the micro climate (with 1m resolution) in 35ha of new town Hashtgerd, which is located 65 km far from mega city Tehran. The Project aims are developing, implementing and evaluating building and planning schemes and technologies which allow to plan and build sustainable, energy-efficient and climate sensible form mass housing settlements in arid and semi-arid regions ("energy-efficient fabric"). Climate sensitive form also means designing and planning for climate change and its related effects for Hashtgerd New Town. By configuration of buildings and open spaces according to solar radiation, wind and vegetation, climate sensitive urban form can create outdoor thermal comfort. To simulate the climate on small spatial scales, the micro climate model Envi-met has been used to simulate the micro climate in 35 ha. The Eulerian model ENVI-met is a micro-scale climate model which gives information about the influence of architecture and buildings as well as vegetation and green area on the micro climate up to 1 m resolution. Envi-met has been run with information from topography, downscaled climate data with neuro-fuzzy method, meteorological measurements, building height and different vegetation variants (low and high number of trees) Through the optimal Urban Design and Planning for the 35ha area the microclimate results shows, that with vegetation the microclimate in streets will be change: • 2 m temperature is decreased by about 2 K • relative humidity increase by about 10 % • soil temperature is decreased by about 3 K • wind speed is decreased by about 60% The style of buildings allows free movement of air, which is of high importance for fresh air supply. The increase of inbuilt areas in 35 ha reduces the heat island effect through cooling caused by vegetation and increase of air humidity which caused by

  14. Phases of QCD: Summary of the Rutgers Long Range Plan Town Meeting, January 12-14, 2007

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jacobs, Peter; Kharzeev, Dmitri; Muller, Berndt

    2007-05-14

    This White Paper summarizes the outcome of the Town Meeting on Phases of QCD that took place January 12-14, 2007 at Rutgers University, as part of the NSAC 2007 Long Range Planning process. The meeting was held in conjunction with the Town Meeting on Hadron Structure, including a full day of joint plenary sessions of the two meetings. Appendix A.1 contains the meeting agenda. This Executive Summary presents the prioritized recommendations that were determined at the meeting. Subsequent chapters present the essential background to the recommendations. While this White Paper is not a scholarly article and contains few references, itmore » is intended to provide the non-expert reader« less

  15. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Clinical Practices for Patients With Dementia Among Mental Health Providers in China: City and Town Differences.

    PubMed

    Hsiao, Hsin-Yi; Liu, Zhaorui; Xu, Ling; Huang, Yueqin; Chi, Iris

    2016-01-01

    Mental health providers are the major resource families rely on when experiencing the effects of dementia. However, mental health resources and manpower are inadequate and unevenly distributed between cities and towns in China. This study was conducted to examine similarities and differences in knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices concerning dementia and working with family caregivers from mental health providers' perspectives in city versus town settings. Data were collected during focus group discussions with 40 mental health providers in the Xicheng (city) and Daxing (town) districts in Beijing, China in 2011. Regional disparities between providers' knowledge of early diagnosis of dementia and related counseling skills were identified. Regional similarities included training needs, dementia-related stigma, and low awareness of dementia among family caregivers. Culturally sensitive education specific to dementia for mental health providers and a specialized dementia care model for people with dementia and their family caregivers are urgently needed. Implications for geriatric practitioners and educators are discussed.

  16. Space Colony from a Commercial Asteroid Mining Company Town

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taylor, Thomas C.; Grandl, Werner; Pinni, Martina; Benaroya, Haym

    2008-01-01

    Commercial mining towns on Earth become cities. Company towns need commerce to drive the growth and economy of early space colonies. Water is an early resource for camp consumables plus propellant export sales from asteroid mining operations at proposed burned out comets with water methane ice cores for sustainable growth over 50 years, financed from profits and capable with affordable logistics to support resource recovery. One co-author's perspective includes remote resource recovery sites on Earth. Other co-authors' experiences include architecture, lunar habitation, and architectural space colony concepts. This paper combines these experiences to propose commercial opportunities possible as mankind moves beyond one planet. Alaska's North Slope commercial history indicates that different multiple logistics transportation systems are required to reduce the risk to humans and families moved in before the oil flowed. Commercial enterprises have risked $20 billion and spent hundreds of billions in private money after profits were created. The lessons learned are applied to a burned out comet designated Wilson-Harrington (1979) and explores the architecture for early living within the burned out comet disk created from ice recovery and later sealed with an expected methane ice interior. Considered is the recovery of the resources, the transport of water back to Earth orbit or L-1, plus later the development of more comfortable space colony living. Commercial markets produce cities on Earth and the same can happen on Space Colonies. The key is an ``in place'' affordable commercial logistics system that can service, stimulate and sustain a 50-year commercial propellant market.

  17. Planning Communities: Citizens in Two Border Towns Learn To Plan Their Own Initiatives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henkel, David

    1998-01-01

    The University of New Mexico's Community and Regional Planning Program worked with two border towns that share water resources--Columbus (New Mexico) and Puerto Palomas (Chihuahua, Mexico)--to help them prepare a community comprehensive plan needed for water-project funding. The program conducted action research involving local schools and people…

  18. [Spatial tendency of urban land use in new Yinzhou Town of Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province of East China].

    PubMed

    Jiang, Wen-Wei; Guo, Hui-Hui; Mei, Yan-Xia

    2012-03-01

    By adopting gradient analysis combining with the analysis of urban land use degree, this paper studied the spatial layout characteristics of residential and industrial lands in new Yinzhou Town, and explored the location characters of various urban land use by selecting public green land, public facilities, and road as the location advantage factors. Gradient analysis could effectively connect with the spatial layout of urban land use, and quantitatively depict the spatial character of urban land use. In the new town, there was a new urban spatial center mostly within the radius of 2 km, namely, the urban core area had obvious location advantage in the cross-shaft direction urban development. On the south of Yinzhou Avenue, the urban hinterland would be constructed soon. In the future land use of the new town, the focus would be the reasonable vicissitude of industrial land after the adjustment of industrial structure, the high-efficient intensive use of the commercial land restricted by the compulsive condition of urban core area, and the agricultural land protection in the southeastern urban-rural fringe.

  19. Public, experts join at town meeting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bush, Susan

    About 80 citizens concerned with the threat of ozone depletion attended a public meeting on June 9 in Charlottesville, Va., to discuss the issue with a panel of six leading ozone experts. Held in conjunction with the Quadrennial Ozone Symposium, the town meeting was videotaped for airing on public broadcast stations this fall. The meeting was aimed at nonexperts, to “get the word out” to the public, said the moderator, journalist Peter Hackes.The lively, sometimes heated discussion showed the public's high awareness and concern over problems associated with ozone depletion. During the nearly 2-hour meeting topics ranged from the reparability of the ozone layer, to steps the public can take to help mitigate ozone loss, to reports of increased cases of skin cancer due to more ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth's surface. There were also some claims that ozone depletion is overexaggerated and is a hoax for scientists to get more research funding.

  20. A Taxonomy of Well-Being for Small-Town Elderly: A Case for Rural Diversity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scheidt, Rick J.

    1984-01-01

    Describes the development of a taxonomy of social and psychological well-being for 900 elderly small town residents. Compares the four largest groups (partially engaged, fully engaged, disengaged, and frail) in terms of mental and physical health, contact with others, and activity. (JAC)

  1. "Coming to town": the impact of urbanicity, cigarette advertising, and network norms on the smoking attitudes of black women in Cape Town, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Williams, Chyvette T; Grier, Sonya A; Marks, Amy Seidel

    2008-07-01

    This study was conducted to examine the effect of urban living on smoking attitudes among black African women in South Africa. We examine how urbanicity affects attitudes toward smoking and how it moderates the relationship between both advertising exposure and network norms on black women's smoking attitudes. Respondents were 975 black women currently living in Cape Town townships, some of which were raised in rural villages or small towns. Respondents completed a cross-sectional survey, which included data on smoking attitudes, norms, and exposure to cigarette advertising. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed with smoking attitudes as the response variable, and urbanicity, cigarette advertising exposure, and network smoking norms as primary explanatory variables. Interactions were tested to determine whether urbanicity modified the effect of advertising exposure and network norms on smoking attitudes. Independent effects of urbanicity, exposure to cigarette advertising, and greater smoking prevalence within women's networks were associated with more favorable smoking attitudes. In addition, urbanicity moderated the relationship between network smoking norms and smoking attitudes, but not cigarette advertising exposure and smoking attitudes. Urbanicity, cigarette advertising, and networks play important roles in women's attitudes toward smoking, and potentially, smoking behavior. Overall, our results suggest that strong and creative anti-smoking efforts are needed to combat the potential for a smoking epidemic among an increasingly urbanized population of black women in South Africa and similar emerging markets. Additional research is warranted.

  2. Town ants: the beginning of John Moser’s remarkable search for knowledge

    Treesearch

    J.P. Barnett; D.A. Streett; S.R. Blomquist

    2016-01-01

    John C. Moser’s career spans over 50 years, and his research has focused on understanding the biology of town ants (Atta texana) and phoretic mites and other associates of ants and pine bark beetles. His approach to developing methods for the control of these pests has been to understand more completely the biology of these organisms. This research...

  3. A Phase 1 Study of 4 Live, Recombinant Human Cytomegalovirus Towne/Toledo Chimera Vaccines in Cytomegalovirus-Seronegative Men.

    PubMed

    Adler, Stuart P; Manganello, Anne-Marie; Lee, Ronzo; McVoy, Michael A; Nixon, Daniel E; Plotkin, Stanley; Mocarski, Edward; Cox, Josephine H; Fast, Patricia E; Nesterenko, Pavlo A; Murray, Susan E; Hill, Ann B; Kemble, George

    2016-11-01

     Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection causes disease in newborns and transplant recipients. A HCMV vaccine (Towne) protects transplant recipients.  The genomes of Towne and the nonattenuated Toledo strain were recombined, yielding 4 Towne/Toledo chimera vaccines. Each of 36 HCMV-seronegative men received 1 subcutaneous dose of 10, 100, or 1000 plaque-forming units (PFU) in cohorts of 3. Safety and immunogenicity were evaluated over 12 weeks after immunization and for 52 weeks for those who seroconverted.  There were no serious local or systemic reactions. No subject had HCMV in urine or saliva. For chimera 3, none of 9 subjects seroconverted. For chimera 1, 1 of 9 seroconverted (the seroconverter received 100 PFU). For chimera 2, 3 subjects seroconverted (1 received 100 PFU, and 2 received 1000 PFU). For chimera 4, 7 subjects seroconverted (1 received 10 PFU, 3 received 100 PFU, and 3 received 1000 PFU). All 11 seroconverters developed low but detectable levels of neutralizing activity. CD4 + T-cell responses were detectable in 1 subject (who received 100 PFU of chimera 4). Seven subjects receiving chimera 2 or 4 had detectable CD8 + T-cell responses to IE1; 3 responded to 1-2 additional antigens.  The Towne/Toledo chimera vaccine candidates were well tolerated and were not excreted. Additional human trials of chimeras 2 and 4 are appropriate.  NCT01195571. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

  4. Education, Ethnic Homogenization and Cultural Hybridization (Brussels, Belgium, and Cape Town, South Africa).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leman, Johan, Ed.

    1999-01-01

    The eight chapters of this theme issue examine the ways in which autochthonous communities regard the supply side of education. The supply side is segregational in nature, and immigrants themselves move toward ethnic homogenization. The focus is on urban minorities in Brussels (Belgium). Compares the situation in Cape Town (South Africa). (SLD)

  5. Is There a Microcomputer in Your Future? ComputerTown Thinks The Answer Is "Yes."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harvie, Barbara; Anton, Julie

    1983-01-01

    The services of ComputerTown, a nonprofit computer literacy project of the People's Computer Company in Menlo Park, California with 150 worldwide affiliates, are enumerated including getting started, funding sources, selecting hardware, software selection, support materials, administrative details, special offerings (classes, events), and common…

  6. NAS Decadal Review Town Hall

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is seeking community input for a study on the future of materials research (MR). Frontiers of Materials Research: A Decadal Survey will look at defining the frontiers of materials research ranging from traditional materials science and engineering to condensed matter physics. Please join members of the study committee for a town hall to discuss future directions for materials research in the United States in the context of worldwide efforts. In particular, input on the following topics will be of great value: progress, achievements, and principal changes in the R&D landscape over the past decade; identification of key MR areas that have major scientific gaps or offer promising investment opportunities from 2020-2030; and the challenges that MR may face over the next decade and how those challenges might be addressed. This study was requested by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. The National Academies will issue a report in 2018 that will offer guidance to federal agencies that support materials research, science policymakers, and researchers in materials research and other adjoining fields. Learn more about the study at http://nas.edu/materials.

  7. Risk factors for house-entry by culicine mosquitoes in a rural town and satellite villages in The Gambia

    PubMed Central

    Kirby, Matthew J; West, Philippa; Green, Clare; Jasseh, Momodou; Lindsay, Steve W

    2008-01-01

    Background Screening doors, windows and eaves of houses should reduce house entry by eusynanthropic insects, including the common African house mosquito Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus and other culicines. In the pre-intervention year of a randomized controlled trial investigating the protective effects of house screening against mosquito house entry, a multi-factorial risk factor analysis study was used to identify factors influencing house entry by culicines of nuisance biting and medical importance. These factors were house location, architecture, human occupancy and their mosquito control activities, and the number and type of domestic animals within the compound. Results 40,407 culicines were caught; the dominant species were Culex thalassius, Cx. pipiens s.l., Mansonia africanus, M. uniformis and Aedes aegypti. There were four times more Cx. pipiens s.l. in Farafenni town (geometric mean/trap/night = 8.1, 95% confidence intervals, CIs = 7.2–9.1) than in surrounding villages (2.1, 1.9–2.3), but over five times more other culicines in the villages (25.1, 22.1–28.7) than in town (4.6, 4.2–5.2). The presence of Cx. pipiens s.l. was reduced in both settings if the house had closed eaves (odds ratios, OR town = 0.62, 95% CIs = 0.49–0.77; OR village = 0.49, 0.33–0.73), but increased per additional person in the trapping room (OR town = 1.16, 1.09–1.24; OR village = 1.10, 1.02–1.18). In the town only, Cx. pipiens s.l. numbers were reduced if houses had a thatched roof (OR = 0.70, 0.51–0.96), for each additional cow tethered near the house (OR = 0.73, 0.65–0.82) and with increasing distance from a pit latrine (OR = 0.97, 0.95–0.99). In the villages a reduction in Cx. pipiens s.l. numbers correlated with increased horses in the compound (OR = 0.90, 0.82–0.99). The presence of all other culicines was reduced in houses with closed eaves (both locations), with horses tethered outside (village only) and with increasing room height (town only), but

  8. Solid waste characterization in Ketao, a rural town in Togo, West Africa.

    PubMed

    Edjabou, Maklawe Essonanawe; Møller, Jacob; Christensen, Thomas H

    2012-07-01

    In Africa the majority of solid waste data is for big cities. Small and rural towns are generally neglected and waste data from these areas are often unavailable, which makes planning a proper solid waste management difficult. This paper presents the results from two waste characterization projects conducted in Kétao, a rural town in Togo during the rainy season and the dry season in 2010. The seasonal variation has a significant impact on the waste stream. The household waste generation rate was estimated at 0.22 kg person(-1) day(-1) in the dry season and 0.42 in the rainy season. Likewise, the waste moisture content was 4% in the dry season while it was 33-63% in the rainy season. The waste consisted mainly of soil and dirt characterized as 'other' (41%), vegetables and putrescibles (38%) and plastic (11%). In addition to these fractions, considerable amounts of material are either recycled or reused locally and do not enter the waste stream. The study suggests that additional recycling is not feasible, but further examination of the degradability of the organic fraction is needed in order to assess whether the residual waste should be composed or landfilled.

  9. Common Sense Parenting of Toddlers and Preschoolers. A Girls and Boys Town Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnes, Bridget A.; York, Steven M.

    Based on the view that parents need to balance nurturing behaviors that demonstrate love and affection with the discipline that children need in order to learn and thrive, this book presents the Common Sense Parenting program from Girls and Boys Town as adapted for parents of toddlers and preschoolers. Offering logical techniques and foundations…

  10. Building a Community in Our Classroom: The Story of Bat Town, U.S.A.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keech, Andrea McGann

    2001-01-01

    Describes a simulation called, "Classroom City," used by elementary students to learn about communities. Focuses on the students' own simulated city named Bat Town, U.S.A. Discusses the project in detail. Describes the activities children participated in and the roles they assumed during the simulation. (CMK)

  11. [History Of forensic medicine and the coroner system in the town of Bjelovar].

    PubMed

    Habek, Dubravko

    2013-09-01

    This review analyses historical sources on the development of forensic medicine and the coroner system in the town of Bjelovar over the past two centuries. The development of these two professional fields in the context of public health was regulated through a number of bylaws, such as Normativum Sanitatum from the time of the Habsburg Monarchy. Coroner examinations were performed by physicians, surgeons, and laymen using special instructions such as the famous booklet by nobleman and county medical officer Vilim Peičić from 1914. Forensic autopsy was performed by surgeons, primary or secondary hospital physicians in case of sudden or suspicious in-hospital deaths, whereas outpatient forensic autopsies were performed by county or town medical officers and district physicians at the request of investigating authorities (police, court, or general attorney's office). This historical review should serve as the basis for further historical research into this field in Croatia so as to obtain deeper insight into the development of forensic medicine and the coroner system, two professions that have always been a vital factor in public health.

  12. 75 FR 30052 - Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge, Town of Chilmark, MA

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R5-R-2009-N185; BAC-4311-K9-S3] Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge, Town of Chilmark, MA AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior... Weir Hill Road, Sudbury, MA 01776. In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or Pickup: Call 978-443-4661 to make an...

  13. Development Opportunities: The Effect of UMES on the Town of Princess Anne, Maryland.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sann, David; Tervala, Victor K.

    A study was done of the potential economic effect of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) campus on the nearby town of Princess Anne, a small rural community. The study used estimates made by a UMES faculty member which projected that UMES students in 1990 spent over $7 million on goods and services unrelated to educational expenses.…

  14. The Spiral Gallery: Non-Market Creativity and Belonging in an Australian Country Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waitt, Gordon; Gibson, Chris

    2013-01-01

    This paper seeks to explore creative practice in an Australian country town, and in so doing, to unsettle market-orientated interpretations of creativity that privilege the urban. Instead of focusing on creative practice as a means to develop industries, we focus on how creativity is a means to establish a cooperative gallery space that helps to…

  15. Revenues and Spending of Michigan's Urban, Suburban, Town and Rural School Districts, 2004-2010

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Beek, Michael

    2011-01-01

    In the passionate debates over providing equal educational opportunity for all children, it's frequently argued that large financial inequities create challenges for many public schools, particularly those in lower-income urban areas. This study compares the revenues and operating expenditures of Michigan's urban, suburban, town and rural school…

  16. From Peones to Politicos: Ethnic Relations in a South Texas Town, 1900 to 1975.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foley, Douglas E.; And Others

    Focusing on how "North Town" Anglos and Mexicanos have related to each other and have dealt with the proplems of economic inequality and racial discrimination, the study characterized the ethnic relations into three major historical periods: the "Rancho" Era (1900-30), the "Colonia" Era (1930-60), and the Contemporary…

  17. Estimating Access to Drinking Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Facilities in Wolaita Sodo Town, Southern Ethiopia, in Reference to National Coverage

    PubMed Central

    Debebe, Ashenafi

    2016-01-01

    Introduction. The coverage of sanitation and access to safe drinking water in Ethiopia especially in Wolaita Sodo town are not well studied. Therefore, the main objective of this study was estimating access to drinking water supply, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in Wolaita Sodo town, southern Ethiopia, in reference to national coverage. Methods. A community based cross-sectional study design method was employed in the study in 588 households of Wolaita Sodo town inhabitants. Face-to-face interview to household owners, in-depth interview to key informants, reviewing secondary data, and observational check lists were used to collect data. Districts were selected using simple random sampling techniques, while systematic random sampling technique was applied to select households. Data was analyzed using Epi Info version 3.5.4 and SPSS version 16 statistical software. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were carried out. Results. The community has access to improved water supply which was estimated to be 67.9%. The main water sources of the town were tap water within the yard, which was estimated to be 44.7%, and tap water in the community was 40.0% followed by private protected well which was 14.5%. Ninety-one percent of the households had at least one type of latrine in their homes. The most common type of latrine available to households was pit latrine with superstructure which was estimated to be 75.9% followed by a pit without superstructure, 21.3%, and more than half of the respondents had hand washing facilities in their compound. Occupational status, educational status, and training on water, sanitation, and hygiene related topics were significantly associated with use of improved water source, improved sanitation, and hygiene facilities. Conclusion. In order to address the demand of the town, additional water, sanitation, and hygiene programs are required. PMID:28025598

  18. Estimating Access to Drinking Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Facilities in Wolaita Sodo Town, Southern Ethiopia, in Reference to National Coverage.

    PubMed

    Admasie, Amha; Debebe, Ashenafi

    2016-01-01

    Introduction . The coverage of sanitation and access to safe drinking water in Ethiopia especially in Wolaita Sodo town are not well studied. Therefore, the main objective of this study was estimating access to drinking water supply, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in Wolaita Sodo town, southern Ethiopia, in reference to national coverage. Methods . A community based cross-sectional study design method was employed in the study in 588 households of Wolaita Sodo town inhabitants. Face-to-face interview to household owners, in-depth interview to key informants, reviewing secondary data, and observational check lists were used to collect data. Districts were selected using simple random sampling techniques, while systematic random sampling technique was applied to select households. Data was analyzed using Epi Info version 3.5.4 and SPSS version 16 statistical software. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were carried out. Results . The community has access to improved water supply which was estimated to be 67.9%. The main water sources of the town were tap water within the yard, which was estimated to be 44.7%, and tap water in the community was 40.0% followed by private protected well which was 14.5%. Ninety-one percent of the households had at least one type of latrine in their homes. The most common type of latrine available to households was pit latrine with superstructure which was estimated to be 75.9% followed by a pit without superstructure, 21.3%, and more than half of the respondents had hand washing facilities in their compound. Occupational status, educational status, and training on water, sanitation, and hygiene related topics were significantly associated with use of improved water source, improved sanitation, and hygiene facilities. Conclusion . In order to address the demand of the town, additional water, sanitation, and hygiene programs are required.

  19. 77 FR 73648 - Town of Stuyvesant, NY; Albany Engineering Corporation; Notice of Availability of Final...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 2696-033-NY] Town of Stuyvesant, NY; Albany Engineering Corporation; Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Assessment In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's...

  20. Understanding Campus and Community Relationships through Marriage and Family Metaphors: A Town-Gown Typology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gavazzi, Stephen M.; Fox, Michael; Martin, Jeff

    2014-01-01

    In this article we argue that the scholarship on marriages and families provides invaluable insights into town-gown relationships. Marital typologies are used to generate insights into what happens between campus and community relationships over time, and a line of family scholarship provides some additional illumination about the ways in which…

  1. Interdistrict Transfers, Latino/White School Segregation, and Institutional Racism in a Small California Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prins, Esther

    2007-01-01

    This article examines how the interdistrict transfer of White students from a majority-Latino school to a majority-White school increased school segregation in a small California town. The article argues that White parents' decisions to transfer their children, coupled with the sending school district's decision to allow the transfers, constituted…

  2. The Tangled Web: Investigating Academics' Views of Plagiarism at the University of Cape Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Jager, Karin; Brown, Cheryl

    2010-01-01

    This article considers the problematic question of student plagiarism, its causes and manifestations, and how it is addressed in academic environments. A literature survey was conducted to establish how higher education institutions approach these issues, and a twofold investigation was conducted at the University of Cape Town. Data was gathered…

  3. Waterford, Virginia: From Mill Town to National Historic Landmark. Teaching with Historic Places.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Souders, Bronwen

    Waterford, Virginia, preserves the ambiance and many of the structures that characterized it during its heyday as a flour milling town in the 19th century. The village has changed so little in shape and size that founder Amos Janney would find it recognizable. He could stroll from his 1733 home to the area of his original mill and then on to the…

  4. Hexographic Method of Complex Town-Planning Terrain Estimate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khudyakov, A. Ju

    2017-11-01

    The article deals with the vital problem of a complex town-planning analysis based on the “hexographic” graphic analytic method, makes a comparison with conventional terrain estimate methods and contains the method application examples. It discloses a procedure of the author’s estimate of restrictions and building of a mathematical model which reflects not only conventional town-planning restrictions, but also social and aesthetic aspects of the analyzed territory. The method allows one to quickly get an idea of the territory potential. It is possible to use an unlimited number of estimated factors. The method can be used for the integrated assessment of urban areas. In addition, it is possible to use the methods of preliminary evaluation of the territory commercial attractiveness in the preparation of investment projects. The technique application results in simple informative graphics. Graphical interpretation is straightforward from the experts. A definite advantage is the free perception of the subject results as they are not prepared professionally. Thus, it is possible to build a dialogue between professionals and the public on a new level allowing to take into account the interests of various parties. At the moment, the method is used as a tool for the preparation of integrated urban development projects at the Department of Architecture in Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education “South Ural State University (National Research University)”, FSAEIHE SUSU (NRU). The methodology is included in a course of lectures as the material on architectural and urban design for architecture students. The same methodology was successfully tested in the preparation of business strategies for the development of some territories in the Chelyabinsk region. This publication is the first in a series of planned activities developing and describing the methodology of hexographical analysis in urban and architectural practice. It is also

  5. Rise and fall of caries prevalence in German towns with different F concentrations in drinking water.

    PubMed

    Künzel, W; Fischer, T

    1997-01-01

    The rise and fall of caries prevalence (DMFT) and its relation to changing F concentration of drinking water and other health-related factors is analysed based on dental findings of more than 286,000 subjects of either sex (6-15 years old) from the two industrial towns Chemnitz and Plauen. Water fluoridation (1.0 +/- 0.1 ppm F) was implemented in Chemnitz (formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt) in 1959. It was in operation until autumn 1990 with an interruption lasting 22 months around the year 1971. In the F-poor town of comparison, Plauen, 55% of the citizens were supplied with F-enriched drinking water (0.9 ppm F) during the years 1972-1984. Another 20% received F-containing mixed water (0.4-0.7 ppm F). During the first three decades of the study the level of caries prevalence was strictly correlated with the availability of an optimal caries preventive F concentration in the drinking water. Water fluoridation was followed by a decrease of caries, and interruptions in fluoridation were followed by increasing caries levels. A different caries trend was observed in the years from 1987 to 1995. There was a significant caries decrease down to the lowest DMFT (2.0) since 1959 in spite of the fact that only F-poor water was available over years in both towns. This improvement of oral health is explained by changes in caries-preventive and environmental conditions.

  6. Negotiated Communities: A Stakeholder Approach to Understanding Town-Gown Relations during Periods of Campus Expansion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawrence-Hughes, Dorine Lynelle

    2014-01-01

    More colleges and universities are expanding to attract more students, to increase their academic standing and to generate revenue. Recent court decisions and negative publicity concerning large university real estate development projects, coupled with the entrenched ambivalence and even distrust that may characterize town-gown relationships,…

  7. Year One: An Evaluation of School-Based Development Corporations in Five Rural Arkansas Towns.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arkansas Community Education Development Association, Little Rock.

    Rural school districts in five Arkansas towns set up school-based development corporations (SBDCs) to provide vocational and career training relevant to the needs of rural high school students and the community and to improve the economic and social welfare of the community as a whole. Each SBDC owned and operated businesses using student labor…

  8. College Town Ventures; Investors Look To Unleash the Intellectual Power of New England Communities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Matt; Peabody, Bo

    2001-01-01

    Describes the efforts of Village Ventures, a company that manages early stage venture capital funds and invests in promising companies, to develop markets that are as rich in intellectual capital as the top 10 venture markets but substantially cheaper to live in. These are primarily college towns with a high potential for launching technology…

  9. Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Homeless Children and Families in Small-Town America.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vissing, Yvonne M.

    Homelessness in small towns and rural areas is on the rise, and a substantial portion of the rural homeless consists of families with children. This book draws on interviews and case studies of over 300 homeless children and their families, primarily in New Hampshire, and on supporting statistics to provide individual and sociological perspectives…

  10. The town of Cabar, Croatia, a high risk area for multiple sclerosis--analytic epidemiology of dietary factors.

    PubMed

    Perković, Olivio; Jurjević, Ante; Rudez, Josip; Antoncić, Igor; Bralić, Marina; Kapović, Miljenko

    2010-04-01

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is demyelization disease of central nervous system of unidentified causes. Analytic epidemiological research of 19 patients, clinically approved cases of MS and 25 controls, autochthonic inhabitants of town of Cabar, Croatia, the high-risk zone for the disease, was made. The research plan included case-control investigation--the "door to door" questionnaire--about nutrition habits. An odds ratio (OR) was calculated for all the factors which were more frequently found in the patients than in the controls, and vice versa. The variables that were connected with significant risk for MS in the town of Cabar included: alcohol consumption (p = 0.05), animal fats/dried meat products consumption (p = 0.007), nitrate salting (p = 0.03), strong spices (p = 0.007), mixed bread (p = 0.002), oat and oat products consumption (p = 0.0075). No connection was found with regular consumption of vegetables and fruit (p = 0.009), blue fresh fish (p = 0.028), other fresh fish (p = 0.03), freshwater fish (p = 0.002), canned fish (p = 0.004), dormouse meat (p = 0.007), air-dried meat products (p = 0.004) and using the water from water supply (p = 0.011). In the town of Cabar nutritional customs, primarily food rich in animal fats, alcohol-abuse, and oat consumption could have an influence on MS pathogenesis in genetically inclined individuals.

  11. Respiratory cancer and air pollution from iron foundries in a Scottish town: an epidemiological and environmental study.

    PubMed Central

    Smith, G H; Williams, F L; Lloyd, O L

    1987-01-01

    A geographical association between respiratory cancer and air pollution from steel foundries has been shown previously in Scotland and elsewhere. In the present study the iron-founding town of Kirkintilloch was found to have standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) for respiratory cancer in 1959-63, 1964-8, and 1969-73 that were unexceptional in comparison with Scotland. Nevertheless, when SMRs were calculated for respiratory cancer for the period 1966-76 in five zones of the town arranged, a priori, according to probable exposure to fumes from two iron foundries, and in the individual enumeration districts of the 1971 census, higher SMRs were found in the residential areas most exposed to pollution from the foundries. The gradient of the zones' SMRs--high close to the foundries to low at some distance from them--persisted despite standardisation of the SMRs for social class. A survey of the concentrations of several metals in soil cores sampled at 51 sites throughout the town showed a pattern of pollution that probably illustrated the effects of prevailing winds and topography on the pollution plumes from the foundries. The value of sampling soil cores in investigations where historical sources of metallic air pollution are of epidemiological interest was emphasised by the detection of high concentrations of Ni in an area where a nickel refinery had been located many decades previously. PMID:3689714

  12. Relation between local restaurant smoking regulations and attitudes towards the prevalence and social acceptability of smoking: a study of youths and adults who eat out predominantly at restaurants in their town.

    PubMed

    Albers, A B; Siegel, M; Cheng, D M; Biener, L; Rigotti, N A

    2004-12-01

    To examine the relation between strength of local restaurant smoking regulations and smoking related social norms among youths and adults. We used generalised estimating equations logistic regression analysis to examine the relation between regulation strength and youths' and adults' perceptions of adult smoking prevalence and the social acceptability of smoking in their town, while controlling for baseline anti-smoking sentiment in the town. Each of the 351 Massachusetts towns were classified as having strong (complete smoking ban), medium (restriction of smoking to enclosed, separately ventilated areas), or weak (all others) restaurant smoking regulations. 1147 Massachusetts youths ages 12-17 years and 2116 adults who reported that they often or always eat out in their own town, drawn from a random digit dial survey. Perceived adult smoking prevalence and perceived social acceptability of smoking in restaurants, in bars, or in general. Compared to youths from towns with weak regulations, youths from towns with strong regulations were more likely to perceive lower adult smoking prevalence (odds ratio (OR) 1.71; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02 to 2.84) and social unacceptability of adult smoking (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.29 to 3.08) in their town. Adults from towns with strong regulations were not more likely to perceive lower adult smoking prevalence, but had more than twice the odds of perceiving that smoking was unacceptable in restaurants (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.58 to 3.02) or bars (OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.90 to 3.31). Strong local restaurant smoking regulations are associated with favourable smoking related social norms among youths and adults.

  13. Relation between local restaurant smoking regulations and attitudes towards the prevalence and social acceptability of smoking: a study of youths and adults who eat out predominantly at restaurants in their town

    PubMed Central

    Albers, A; Siegel, M; Cheng, D; Biener, L; Rigotti, N

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To examine the relation between strength of local restaurant smoking regulations and smoking related social norms among youths and adults. Design: We used generalised estimating equations logistic regression analysis to examine the relation between regulation strength and youths' and adults' perceptions of adult smoking prevalence and the social acceptability of smoking in their town, while controlling for baseline anti-smoking sentiment in the town. Setting: Each of the 351 Massachusetts towns were classified as having strong (complete smoking ban), medium (restriction of smoking to enclosed, separately ventilated areas), or weak (all others) restaurant smoking regulations. Subjects: 1147 Massachusetts youths ages 12–17 years and 2116 adults who reported that they often or always eat out in their own town, drawn from a random digit dial survey. Main outcome measures: Perceived adult smoking prevalence and perceived social acceptability of smoking in restaurants, in bars, or in general. Results: Compared to youths from towns with weak regulations, youths from towns with strong regulations were more likely to perceive lower adult smoking prevalence (odds ratio (OR) 1.71; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02 to 2.84) and social unacceptability of adult smoking (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.29 to 3.08) in their town. Adults from towns with strong regulations were not more likely to perceive lower adult smoking prevalence, but had more than twice the odds of perceiving that smoking was unacceptable in restaurants (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.58 to 3.02) or bars (OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.90 to 3.31). Conclusions: Strong local restaurant smoking regulations are associated with favourable smoking related social norms among youths and adults. PMID:15564617

  14. Community knowledge, attitude, and practices towards tuberculosis in Shinile town, Somali regional state, eastern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Tolossa, Daniel; Medhin, Girmay; Legesse, Mengistu

    2014-08-07

    Though tuberculosis (TB) is preventable and curable, its global burden remains enormous. Similarly, TB is one of the major public health problems in Ethiopia, particularly in geographically isolated areas like Shinile town. The people in Shinile town, Somali Regional State of Ethiopia, are underserved in all forms of health care and suffer from high burden of TB. Low level of knowledge about TB could affect the health-seeking behavior of patients and sustain the transmission of the disease within the community. Therefore, the current study was undertaken in Shinile town with the objective of assessing communities' knowledge, attitude and practices towards TB. Community-based cross-sectional survey, involving 410 randomly selected individuals, was conducted in Shinile town from January to May, 2013. Data were analyzed using STATA V.11. Logistic regression technique was used to determine the association between socio-demographic characteristics and communities' knowledge of TB. While 94.9% of the respondents said that they ever heard about TB, only 22.9% knew that TB is caused by bacteria. Eighty percent have awareness that TB can be transmitted from a patient to another person and 79.3% know that transmission of TB can be preventable. Persistence cough (72.4%) was the most commonly stated symptom of TB and modern drugs used in health institutions (68.1%) was the preferred choice of treatment. Two hundred and ninety one respondents (71.0%) said that they would seek treatment at health facility if they realized that they had symptoms related to TB. Two hundred and twenty seven respondents (55.4%) considered TB as a very serious disease and 284 (69.3%) would experience fear if they themselves had TB. Individuals with educational level of grade 8 up to grade 12 had increased odds of having good level of overall TB knowledge compared to illiterate individuals (OR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.2 to 4.6). The communities in Shinile town have basic awareness about TB which is not

  15. Sustaining active-living communities over the decades: lessons from a 1930s Greenbelt town.

    PubMed

    Ahrentzen, Sherry

    2008-06-01

    Greendale, Wisconsin, was intentionally created with many of the design and planning principles that active-living advocates promote today. This case study examines the processes behind sustaining these particular planning and design principles over time in light of economic and regional challenges that have faced not just Greendale but most town centers over the last fifty years. Despite these challenges, the walkable nature of Greendale's center remains strong today, in terms of both activity and community identity. While many circumstances are specific to this particular town, useful lessons can be drawn for those new urbanist (NU) communities being developed in greenfields and suburbs today, many of which are strikingly similar to Greendale - relatively small, low density, and located within metropolitan areas. Greendale's success resulted from (1) attending to the retail/commercial product mix; (2) attracting nonresidents to use the community's retail and public space; and (3) capitalizing on community investment not simply from residents' organizing efforts but, more important in this case, from corporate community involvement by a Greendale business firm whose interests and values coincided with those of the community.

  16. Determinants of maternal health care utilization in Holeta town, central Ethiopia

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background In developing countries a large number of women are dying due to factors related to pregnancy and child birth. Implementing and assuring utilization of maternal health care services is potentially one of the most effective health interventions for preventing maternal morbidity and mortality. However, in Ethiopia the utilization of maternal health care is low. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 20 to February 20, 2012 in Holeta town, central Ethiopia, to assess the determinants of maternal health care utilization among women who had given birth in the past three years prior to the survey. Structured questionnaire and focus group discussion guides were used for data collection. Data were collected from a sample of 422 women in the town. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Statistical tests were done at a level of significance of p < 0.05. Results The study revealed that 87% of the women had at least one antenatal visit during their last pregnancy. Among the antenatal service users, 33.7% had less than four antenatal visits. More than half of the antenatal care (ANC) attendants made their first visit during their second and third trimester of pregnancy although WHO recommended ANC should be started at the first trimester of the pregnancy. There was a significant association (P<0.05) between ANC attendance and some demographic, socio-economic and health related factors (age at last birth, literacy status of women, average monthly family income, media exposure, attitude towards pregnancy, knowledge on danger signs of pregnancy and presence of husband approval on ANC). The study also revealed that about 61.6% of the women had given birth in the health institutions. Parity, literacy status of women, average monthly family income, media exposure, decision where to give birth, perception of distance to health institutions (HI) and ANC attendance were found to be significantly associated (P<0

  17. Diabetes in rural towns: effectiveness of continuing education and feedback for healthcare providers in altering diabetes outcomes at a population level: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Paul, Christine L; Piterman, Leon; Shaw, Jonathan; Kirby, Catherine; Sanson-Fisher, Robert W; Carey, Mariko L; Robinson, Jennifer; McElduff, Patrick; Thepwongsa, Isaraporn

    2013-03-13

    Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing chronic diseases internationally. The health complications associated with type 2 diabetes can be prevented, delayed, or improved via early diagnosis and effective management. This research aims to examine the impact of a primarily web-based educational intervention on the diabetes care provided by general practitioners (GPs) in rural areas, and subsequent patient outcomes. A population-level approach to outcome assessment is used, via whole-town de-identified pathology records. The study uses a cluster randomised controlled trial with rural communities as the unit of analysis. Towns from four Australian states were selected and matched on factors including rurality, population size, proportion of the population who were Indigenous Australians, and socio-economic status. Eleven pairs of towns from two states were suitable for the trial, and one town from each pair was randomised to the experimental group. GPs in the towns allocated to the experimental group are offered an intervention package comprising education on best practice diabetes care via an on-line active learning module, a moderated discussion forum, access to targeted and specialist advice through an on-line request form, and town-based performance feedback on diabetes monitoring and outcomes. The package is offered via repeated direct mail. The benefits of the outcomes of the trial are described along with the challenges and limitations associated with the methodology. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12611000553976.

  18. Raising the Bar: Standards and Tests in California's High Schools. A Town Hall Meeting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arnstine, Barbara; Futernick, Ken; Hodson, Timothy A.; Ostgaard, Kolleen

    In 1999, the LegiSchool Project planned to conduct the 12th in its series of televised Town Hall Meetings to provide a forum in which California high school students, educators, and legislators can engage in face-to-face dialogue about problems of mutual interest. For 1999, the topic is standards and tests in California high schools. This guide…

  19. "Us" and "Them": The Discursive Construction of "the Other" in Greenmarket Square, Cape Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dyers, Charlyn; Wankah, Foncha John

    2012-01-01

    This paper is based on research done on intercultural communication at Greenmarket Square in the heart of Cape Town, South Africa. The Square is well known as a market for informal traders (mainly from other parts of Africa), local people and tourists from all over the world. Using originally collected discursive evidence from market traders, the…

  20. Developing a Strategic Approach to Social Responsiveness at the University of Cape Town, South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Favish, Judith; McMillan, Janice; Ngcelwane, Sonwabo V.

    2012-01-01

    Collaborative community-engaged scholarship has roots in many parts of the world, and engaged practitioners and researchers are increasingly finding each other and sharing resources globally. This article focuses on a "social responsiveness" initiative at the University of Cape Town. Its story, told here by three University of Cape Town…

  1. Community Perception towards Mental Illness among Residents of Gimbi Town, Western Ethiopia

    PubMed Central

    Benti, Misael; Yohannis, Zegeye; Bedaso, Asres

    2016-01-01

    Background. Despite the increased burden of mental health problem, little is known about knowledge and perception of the public towards mental health problems in Ethiopia. Methods. Community based cross-sectional study was conducted among selected 845 Gimbi town residents from May 28 to June 28, 2014. Results. Out of the total study participants, 304 (37.3%) were found to have poor perception (a score below mean five semantic differential scales for positive questions and above mean for negative questions) of mental illness. Being above 28 years of age (AOR = 0.48 CI (0.23, 0.78)), private workers (AOR = 0.41 CI (0.19, 0.87)), and lack of mental health information were found to be associated with poor perception of mental illness (AOR = 0.133 CI (0.09, 0.20)). Absence of family history of mental illness was also found to be associated with poor perception of mental illness (AOR = 0.37 CI (0.21, 0.66)). Conclusions. Significant proportions of the community in Gimbi town were found to have poor perception of mental illness. Poor perception is common among old aged, less educated, private workers, those unable to access mental health information, and those with no family history of mental illness. Mental health education on possible causes, treatment options, and possible outcome of treatment to the community is required. PMID:27840817

  2. Rhetoric and Composition as Community Engagement: Toward Mending Community and Town and Gown Divides

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Accardi, Steven

    2017-01-01

    Penn State Hazleton sits at the very edge of town, on the top of a large hill, literally, as far removed from Hazleton as it possibly can be. Only a handful of professors actually live in Hazleton, and nearly all students return home for the weekend. Compared with the main campus, the student population at Penn State Hazleton is quite diverse.…

  3. Substance Use and Psychosocial Predictors of High School Dropout in Cape Town, South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flisher, Alan J.; Townsend, Loraine; Chikobvu, Perpetual; Lombard, Carl F.; King, Gary

    2010-01-01

    The aims of this study were to examine whether use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs predicts dropout among secondary school students in Cape Town, South Africa. A self-report instrument was administered to 1,470 Grade 8 students. The proportion of students that dropped out of school between the onset of the study and 4 years later was 54.9%.…

  4. Mineral resources of the Adobe Town Wilderness Study Area, Sweetwater County, Wyoming

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Van Loenen, R.E.; Hill, R.H.; Bankey, V.

    1989-01-01

    The Adobe Town Wilderness Study Area is in Southwest Wyoming about 60 miles southeast of Rock Springs. This study area consists of flat-lying sedimentary rock of Eocene age located near the center of the Washakie Basin. There are no identified resources. This study area has a high resource potential for undiscovered oil and gas, in over pressured Cretaceous and Tertiary sandstone reservoirs. This study area has a low resource potential for undiscovered oil shale, zeolites, uranium, coal, and metallic minerals.

  5. Elevated Blood Lead Levels of Children in Guiyu, an Electronic Waste Recycling Town in China

    PubMed Central

    Huo, Xia; Peng, Lin; Xu, Xijin; Zheng, Liangkai; Qiu, Bo; Qi, Zongli; Zhang, Bao; Han, Dai; Piao, Zhongxian

    2007-01-01

    Background Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling has remained primitive in Guiyu, China, and thus may contribute to the elevation of blood lead levels (BLLs) in children living in the local environment. Objectives We compared the BLLs in children living in the e-waste recycling town of Guiyu with those living in the neighboring town of Chendian. Methods We observed the processing of e-waste recycling in Guiyu and studied BLLs in a cluster sample of 226 children < 6 years of age who lived in Guiyu and Chendian. BLLs were determined with atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Hemoglobin (Hgb) and physical indexes (height and weight, head and chest circumferences) were also measured. Results BLLs in 165 children of Guiyu ranged from 4.40 to 32.67 μg/dL with a mean of 15.3 μg/dL, whereas BLLs in 61 children of Chendian were from 4.09 to 23.10 μg/dL with a mean of 9.94 μg/dL. Statistical analyses showed that children living in Guiyu had significantly higher BLLs compared with those living in Chendian (p < 0.01). Of children in Guiyu, 81.8% (135 of 165) had BLLs > 10 μg/dL, compared with 37.7% of children (23 of 61) in Chendian (p < 0.01). In addition, we observed a significant increasing trend in BLLs with increasing age in Guiyu (p < 0.01). It appeared that there was correlation between the BLLs in children and numbers of e-waste workshops. However, no significant difference in Hgb level or physical indexes was found between the two towns. Conclusions The primitive e-waste recycling activities may contribute to the elevated BLLs in children living in Guiyu. PMID:17637931

  6. Examining Off-Campus Students' Sense of Belonging and Behaviors in a Town-Gown Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Erin Hundley

    2017-01-01

    The current study emerged from the need to address student behavior issues in town-gown communities and the practical need to know more about off-campus students as central actors in these behaviors. Off-campus students have long been labeled as commuter students because of limited recognition of the known diversity within the commuter population…

  7. Methamphetamine Use and Sexual Risk Behavior among High School Students in Cape Town, South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pluddemann, Andreas; Flisher, Alan J.; McKetin, Rebecca; Parry, Charles D.; Lombard, Carl J.

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To investigate whether methamphetamine use is associated with sexual risk behavior among adolescents. Method: A cross-sectional survey of 1,561 male and female high school students in Cape Town (mean age 14.9 years) was conducted using items from the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) HIV Risk Scale. Results:…

  8. Wastewater management in small towns - understanding the failure of small treatment plants in Bolivia.

    PubMed

    Cossio, Claudia; McConville, Jennifer; Rauch, Sebastien; Wilén, Britt-Marie; Dalahmeh, Sahar; Mercado, Alvaro; Romero, Ana M

    2018-06-01

    Wastewater management in developing countries is a challenge, especially in small towns with rapid population growth. This study aims at assessing the performance and management of five treatment plants (TPs) in rural areas of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Pollutants' concentrations, wastewater flows, hydraulic and organic loads and hydraulic retention times were determined in three small treatment plants (2000-10,000 population equivalent [p.e.]; flow > 432 m 3 /d) and two very small treatment plants (<2000 p.e.; flow < 432 m 3 /d). The performance assessment was based on operational parameters, treatment efficiency and effluent quality. Management data were collected through semi-structured interviews with managers of local water associations. The results support that the poor performance of the TPs is due to lack of operational expertise and financial resources for adequate operation and maintenance (O&M). Additionally, effective treatment was affected by the type of technology used and whether the plant design included plans for O&M with available resources. This study contributes to a better understanding of actual operating conditions of wastewater TPs in small towns, thus providing needed information regarding technology selection, design, implementation and operation.

  9. Intestinal helminthic infections among elementary students of Babile town, eastern Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Tefera, Ephrem; Mohammed, Jemal; Mitiku, Habtamu

    2015-01-01

    Intestinal helminthic infections are important public health problems in developing countries. In Ethiopia, intestinal parasitic infections are highly prevalent because of low living standards and poor environmental sanitation. There are several areas in Ethiopia from which epidemiological information is lacking including Babile town. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal helminthic infection among students of Babile town. A cross sectional study was conducted from May 14 to June 08, 2012. Stool samples collected from 644 students were examined by the McMaster method. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Univariate analysis was carried out using the Chi-square test to check for presence or absence of association between exposure and the presence of infection and odds ratios with 95% CI were computed to measure the strength of association. Logistic regression was used to calculate predictors of helminthic infection. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. The prevalence of intestinal helminths was 13.8%, of which three students were infected with soil transmitted helminths with a prevalence rate of 0.47%. The prevalence of Hymenolepis nana, Enterobius vermicularis, hookworm, and Trichiura trichiura infections were 13, 0.6, 0.3, and 0.2% respectively. Intestinal helminthic infection was significantly associated with grade and sex of the school children. The prevalence of intestinal helminths was low. Health information dissemination is recommended. Since infection by Hymenolepis nana is a long term health problem in the area, provision of regular treatment by anthelminthic drug of choice for hymenolepiasis is also recommended.

  10. Severe aromatic hydrocarbon pollution in the Arctic town of Longyearbyen (Svalbard) caused by snowmobile emissions.

    PubMed

    Reimann, Stefan; Kallenborn, Roland; Schmidbauer, Norbert

    2009-07-01

    The aromatic hydrocarbons benzene, toluene and C2-benzenes (ethyl benzene and m,p,o-xylene) (BTEX) were measured during a 2-month monitoring campaign in 2007 in the Arctic town of Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen, Svalbard). Reflecting the remoteness of the location, very low mixing ratios were observed during night and in windy conditions. In late spring (April-May), however, the high frequency of guided snowmobile tours resulted in "rush-hour" maximum values of more than 10 ppb of BTEX. These concentration levels are comparable to those in European towns and are caused predominately by the outdated 2-stroke engines, which are still used by approximately 30% of the snowmobiles in Longyearbyen. During summer, peak events were about a factor of 100 lower compared to those during the snowmobile season. Emissions in summer were mainly caused by diesel-fueled heavy duty vehicles (HDVs), permanently used for coal transport from the adjacent coal mines. The documented high BTEX mixing ratios from snowmobiles in the Arctic provide an obvious incentive to change the regulation practice to a cleaner engine technology.

  11. Town Lake bottom sediments : a chronicle of water quality changes in Austin, Texas, 1960-98

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Van Metre, Peter C.; Mahler, B.J.

    1999-01-01

    Town Lake, the last in the chain of Highland Lakes on the Colorado River, runs through the center of Austin, Texas. On any given day, grebes and coots dot the water, rowers skim alongside, and the sparkle of the sun on the water can be admired from the adjacent hike and bike path and from the windows of nearby office buildings. During the summer months, crowds gather along the shores of Town Lake to watch as many as 1 million Mexican Free-Tail bats emerge from under the Congress Avenue bridge. But below the lazily moving azure water lies a bed of sediment about 1 meter (m) thick?sediment that has been deposited gradually since the reservoir was formed in 1959 and that has been recording changes in water quality since that time. What can this sediment tell us about the history of water quality in the Colorado River? And what does it say about the effects of the rapid urbanization of Austin and the future health of our environment?

  12. Workload and casemix in Cape Town emergency departments.

    PubMed

    Wallis, Lee A; Twomey, Michele

    2007-12-01

    Little is known about the nature of patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) in South Africa. This study aimed to provide evidence on ED usage in Cape Town by studying patients at four community health centre (CHC) EDs, with details of the severity of their presentation and their disposal. A total of 16,392 patients presented in this 8-week prospective observational study, and 15,681 were included in the descriptive data analysis. One-quarter were children. There were clear and predictable peaks in attendance after 1600 hr and at weekends, with a steady stream of patients presenting overnight. Case severity was evenly distributed between emergency, urgent and routine care. Nearly 10% of patients were referred on to a higher level of care. The data from this study present a model for staffing and resource allocation. It has implications for the provision of emergency care in CHC EDs.

  13. The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) Town Hall

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ruane, Alex; Rosenzweig, Cynthia; Kyle, Page; Basso, Bruno; Winter, Jonathan; Asseng, Senthold

    2015-01-01

    AgMIP (www.agmip.org) is an international community of climate, crop, livestock, economics, and IT experts working to further the development and application of multi-model, multi-scale, multi-disciplinary agricultural models that can inform policy and decision makers around the world. This meeting will engage the AGU community by providing a brief overview of AgMIP, in particular its new plans for a Coordinated Global and Regional Assessment of climate change impacts on agriculture and food security for AR6. This Town Hall will help identify opportunities for participants to become involved in AgMIP and its 30+ activities.

  14. Age of First Use of Cigarettes among Rural and Small Town Elementary School Children in Illinois.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sarvela, Paul D.; Monge, Eduardo A.; Shannon, Dan V.; Nawrot, Robynn

    1999-01-01

    Investigated the age at first cigarette use among rural and small town elementary students. Age-appropriate surveys of kindergarten through sixth-grade students indicated no significant difference in smoking between students in grades K-5, but smoking increased significantly in sixth grade. The strongest predictor variables were having tried…

  15. Risk Factors for Drug Abuse among Nepalese Samples Selected from a Town of Eastern Nepal

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niraula, Surya Raj; Chhetry, Devendra Bahadur; Singh, Girish Kumar; Nagesh, S.; Shyangwa, Pramod Mohan

    2009-01-01

    The study focuses on the serious issue related to the adolescents' and adults' behavior and health. It aims to identify the risk factors for drug abuse from samples taken from a town of Eastern Nepal. This is a matched case-control study. The conditional logistic regression method was adopted for data analysis. The diagnosis cut off was determined…

  16. Mobile HIV screening in Cape Town, South Africa: clinical impact, cost and cost-effectiveness.

    PubMed

    Bassett, Ingrid V; Govindasamy, Darshini; Erlwanger, Alison S; Hyle, Emily P; Kranzer, Katharina; van Schaik, Nienke; Noubary, Farzad; Paltiel, A David; Wood, Robin; Walensky, Rochelle P; Losina, Elena; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Freedberg, Kenneth A

    2014-01-01

    Mobile HIV screening may facilitate early HIV diagnosis. Our objective was to examine the cost-effectiveness of adding a mobile screening unit to current medical facility-based HIV testing in Cape Town, South Africa. We used the Cost Effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications International (CEPAC-I) computer simulation model to evaluate two HIV screening strategies in Cape Town: 1) medical facility-based testing (the current standard of care) and 2) addition of a mobile HIV-testing unit intervention in the same community. Baseline input parameters were derived from a Cape Town-based mobile unit that tested 18,870 individuals over 2 years: prevalence of previously undiagnosed HIV (6.6%), mean CD4 count at diagnosis (males 423/µL, females 516/µL), CD4 count-dependent linkage to care rates (males 31%-58%, females 49%-58%), mobile unit intervention cost (includes acquisition, operation and HIV test costs, $29.30 per negative result and $31.30 per positive result). We conducted extensive sensitivity analyses to evaluate input uncertainty. Model outcomes included site of HIV diagnosis, life expectancy, medical costs, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of the intervention compared to medical facility-based testing. We considered the intervention to be "very cost-effective" when the ICER was less than South Africa's annual per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ($8,200 in 2012). We projected that, with medical facility-based testing, the discounted (undiscounted) HIV-infected population life expectancy was 132.2 (197.7) months; this increased to 140.7 (211.7) months with the addition of the mobile unit. The ICER for the mobile unit was $2,400/year of life saved (YLS). Results were most sensitive to the previously undiagnosed HIV prevalence, linkage to care rates, and frequency of HIV testing at medical facilities. The addition of mobile HIV screening to current testing programs can improve survival and be very cost-effective in South Africa and

  17. Taeniasis and its socio-economic implication in Awassa town and its surroundings, Southern Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Abunna, F; Tilahun, G; Megersa, B; Regassa, A

    2007-10-01

    The study was conducted between October 2005 and April 2006 in Awassa town and its surroundings to investigate the status of T. saginata taeniasis, its socio-economic importance and potential risk factors. Questionnaire survey was conducted on 120 volunteer individuals selected at random. Additionally, retrospective study on taenicidal drugs inventories at 12 pharmaceutical shops was conducted. T. saginata taeniasis was a wide spread problem in the town and its surroundings with overall prevalence of 64.2% (77 out of 120) and maximum infection frequencies of five times per year. The prevalence of taeniasis was significantly varied between religion, occupation, raw meat consumption and use of spices with raw meat. Accordingly, Christian communities (OR = 5.2, 95% CI = 1.20-22.50), high-risk groups (OR = 4.05, 95% CI = 1.27-12.93), raw meat consumers (OR = 7.9, 95% CI = 2.46-5.66), and spices users (OR = 11.6, 95% CI = 2.85-47.28) had higher likelihood of acquiring taeniasis than Muslim communities, low risk groups, cooked meat eaters and non-spices users, respectively. Conversely, prevalence was not varied between sex, age, marital status and educational backgrounds of the respondents. Respondents' preferences to available taenicidal drugs had strong linear relationship with drug dose sold (R2 = 0.92), and showed that Niclosamide (46.8%) was the drug of first choice while Praziquantel (13%) was the least preferred drug. The taenicidal drug doses and treatment cost from 2002 to 2005 were estimated to be 4,913,346 adult doses and 820,343 USD (7,219,021 Eth. Birr as per rate of 2006). Taeniasis was a wide spread problem with higher prevalence and frequent infections in the town and its surroundings. Sociocultural conditions and occupation were the major risk factors for the occurrence of the disease. Hence, owing to its public health and economic importance, taeniasis deserves serious attention in order to safeguard the public health.

  18. 77 FR 60418 - Town of Stuyvesant, New York and Albany Engineering Corporation; Notice of Availability of Draft...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-03

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 2696-033-NY] Town of Stuyvesant, New York and Albany Engineering Corporation; Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Energy Regulatory...

  19. Town-Level Characteristics and Smoking Policy Adoption in Massachusetts: Are Local Restaurant Smoking Regulations Fostering Disparities in Health Protection?

    PubMed Central

    Skeer, Margie; George, Sarah; Hamilton, William L.; Cheng, Debbie M.; Siegel, Michael

    2004-01-01

    Objectives. We identified and quantified differences in sociodemographic characteristics of communities relative to the strength of local restaurant smoking regulations in Massachusetts. Methods. We examined the relationship between the strength of the 351 local restaurant smoking regulations in Massachusetts and a number of town-level characteristics, using a multinomial logistic regression model. Results. Characteristics important to the adoption of stronger restaurant smoking regulations included higher education and per capita income, geographic region, voter support for a state cigarette tax initiative, board of health funding to promote clean indoor air policymaking, and the presence of a bordering town with a strong regulation. Conclusions. The current pattern of smoke-free restaurant policy enactment fosters socioeconomic and geographic disparities in health protection, undermining an important national health goal. PMID:14759944

  20. Temporal trends in TB notification rates during ART scale-up in Cape Town: an ecological analysis.

    PubMed

    Hermans, Sabine; Boulle, Andrew; Caldwell, Judy; Pienaar, David; Wood, Robin

    2015-01-01

    Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces individual tuberculosis (TB) risk by two-thirds, the population-level impact remains uncertain. Cape Town reports high TB notification rates associated with endemic HIV. We examined population trends in TB notification rates during a 10-year period of expanding ART. Annual Cape Town TB notifications were used as numerators and mid-year Cape Town populations as denominators. HIV-stratified population was calculated using overall HIV prevalence estimates from the Actuarial Society of South Africa AIDS and Demographic model. ART provision numbers from Western Cape government reports were used to calculate overall ART coverage. We calculated rates per 100,000 population over time, overall and stratified by HIV status. Rates per 100,000 total population were also calculated by ART use at treatment initiation. Absolute numbers of notifications were compared by age and sub-district. Changes over time were described related to ART provision in the city as a whole (ART coverage) and by sub-district (numbers on ART). From 2003 to 2013, Cape Town's population grew from 3.1 to 3.7 million inhabitants, and estimated HIV prevalence increased from 3.6 to 5.2%. ART coverage increased from 0 to 63% in 2013. TB notification rates declined by 16% (95% confidence interval (CI), 14-17%) from a 2008 peak (851/100,000) to a 2013 nadir (713/100,000). Decreases were higher among the HIV-positive (21% (95% CI, 19-23%)) than the HIV-negative (9% (95% CI, 7-11%)) population. The number of HIV-positive TB notifications decreased mainly among 0- to 4- and 20- to 34-year-olds. Total population rates on ART at TB treatment initiation increased over time but levelled off in 2013. Overall median CD4 counts increased from 146 cells/µl (interquartile range (IQR), 66, 264) to 178 cells/µl (IQR 75, 330; p<0.001). Sub-district antenatal HIV seroprevalence differed (10-33%) as did numbers on ART (9-29 thousand). Across sub-districts, infant HIV-positive TB

  1. Prevalence of Refractive Errors Among School Children in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia

    PubMed Central

    Yared, Assefa Wolde; Belaynew, Wasie Taye; Destaye, Shiferaw; Ayanaw, Tsegaw; Zelalem, Eshete

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Many children with poor vision due to refractive error remain undiagnosed and perform poorly in school. The situation is worse in the Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, and current information is lacking. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of refractive error among children enrolled in elementary schools in Gondar town, Ethiopia. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 1852 students in 8 elementary schools. Subjects were selected by multistage random sampling. The study parameters were visual acuity (VA) evaluation and ocular examination. VA was measured by staff optometrists with the Snellen E-chart while students with subnormal vision were examined using pinhole, retinoscopy evaluation and subjective refraction by ophthalmologists. Results: The study cohort was comprised of 45.8% males and 54.2% females from 8 randomly selected elementary schools with a response rate of 93%. Refractive errors in either eye were present in 174 (9.4%) children. Of these, myopia was diagnosed in 55 (31.6%) children in the right and left eyes followed by hyperopia in 46 (26.4%) and 39 (22.4%) in the right and left eyes respectively. Low myopia was the most common refractive error in 61 (49.2%) and 68 (50%) children for the right and left eyes respectively. Conclusions: Refractive error among children is a common problem in Gondar town and needs to be assessed at every health evaluation of school children for timely treatment. PMID:23248538

  2. Prevalence of refractive errors among school children in gondar town, northwest ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Yared, Assefa Wolde; Belaynew, Wasie Taye; Destaye, Shiferaw; Ayanaw, Tsegaw; Zelalem, Eshete

    2012-10-01

    Many children with poor vision due to refractive error remain undiagnosed and perform poorly in school. The situation is worse in the Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, and current information is lacking. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of refractive error among children enrolled in elementary schools in Gondar town, Ethiopia. This was a cross-sectional study of 1852 students in 8 elementary schools. Subjects were selected by multistage random sampling. The study parameters were visual acuity (VA) evaluation and ocular examination. VA was measured by staff optometrists with the Snellen E-chart while students with subnormal vision were examined using pinhole, retinoscopy evaluation and subjective refraction by ophthalmologists. The study cohort was comprised of 45.8% males and 54.2% females from 8 randomly selected elementary schools with a response rate of 93%. Refractive errors in either eye were present in 174 (9.4%) children. Of these, myopia was diagnosed in 55 (31.6%) children in the right and left eyes followed by hyperopia in 46 (26.4%) and 39 (22.4%) in the right and left eyes respectively. Low myopia was the most common refractive error in 61 (49.2%) and 68 (50%) children for the right and left eyes respectively. Refractive error among children is a common problem in Gondar town and needs to be assessed at every health evaluation of school children for timely treatment.

  3. Engaging patients in health research: identifying research priorities through community town halls.

    PubMed

    Etchegary, Holly; Bishop, Lisa; Street, Catherine; Aubrey-Bassler, Kris; Humphries, Dale; Vat, Lidewij Eva; Barrett, Brendan

    2017-03-11

    The vision of Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research is that patients be actively engaged as partners in health research. Support units have been created across Canada to build capacity in patient-oriented research and facilitate its conduct. This study aimed to explore patients' health research priorities in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). Eight town halls were held with members of the general public in rural and urban settings across the province. Sessions were a hybrid information-consultation event, with key questions about health research priorities and outcomes guiding the discussion. Sixty eight members of the public attended town hall sessions. A broad range of health experiences in the healthcare system were recounted. Key priorities for the public included access and availability of providers and services, disease prevention and health promotion, and follow-up support and community care. In discussing their health research priorities, participants spontaneously raised a broad range of suggestions for improving the healthcare system in our jurisdiction. Public research priorities and suggestions for improving the provision of healthcare provide valuable information to guide Support Units' planning and priority-setting processes. A range of research areas were raised as priorities for patients that are likely comparable to other healthcare systems. These create a number of health research questions that would be in line with public priorities. Findings also provide lessons learned for others and add to the evidence base on patient engagement methods.

  4. Partnering for Economic Development: How Town-Gown Relations Impact Local Economic Development in Small and Medium Cities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Massey, Jennifer; Field, Sean; Chan, Yolande

    2014-01-01

    Universities play an increasingly prominent role in shaping regional, social, and economic development. In Canada, however, spatial, economic, and social differences between universities and their host communities continue to challenge positive town--gown relationships and undermine the benefits associated with high concentrations of prospective…

  5. Relationship between decile score of secondary school, the size of town of origin and career intentions of New Zealand medical students.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, Clinton J; Shulruf, Boaz; Poole, Phillippa J

    2010-09-01

    New Zealand is facing a general practice workforce crisis, especially in rural communities. Medical school entrants from low decile schools or rural locations may be more likely to choose rural general practice as their career path. To determine whether a relationship exists between secondary school decile rating, the size of the town of origin of medical students and their subsequent medical career intentions. University of Auckland medical students from 2006 to 2008 completed an entry questionnaire on a range of variables thought important in workforce determination. Analyses were performed on data from the 346 students who had attended a high school in New Zealand. There was a close relationship between size of town of origin and decile of secondary school. Most students expressed interests in a wide range of careers, with students from outside major cities making slightly fewer choices on average. There is no strong signal from these data that career specialty choices will be determined by decile of secondary school or size of town of origin. An increase in the proportion of rural students in medical programmes may increase the number of students from lower decile schools, without adding another affirmative action pathway.

  6. NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG CHILDREN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS OF AGE IN TEHSIL ZARGHOON TOWN, DISTRICT QUETTA, BALUCHISTAN.

    PubMed

    Achakzai, Pairzo; Khan, Rukhsana

    2016-01-01

    Globally, more than one-third of mortalities in children under five years of age are attributable to malnutrition. The prevalence of malnourished children in Pakistan is inclining. A knowledge gap exists due to availability of limited literature about the nutritional status of children in rural Baluchistan. Therefore, this study assessed the magnitude and factors associated with nutritional status of children of less than five years of age in Tehsil Zarghoon Town of District Quetta. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in two rural union councils of Tehsil Zarghoon Town of District Quetta, selected randomly. An existing questionnaire was modified and three research assistants were hired to collect data from 104 children, selected systematically. Data analysis was done using SPSS-20 and World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro software. Results showed that the proportion of stunting and wasting in children comprising the study population was 48.1% and 9.7% respectively. A significant association was demonstrated between stunting and wasting and socio-demographic characteristics, child health characteristics and maternal health characteristics. It was concluded that the nutritional status of children under five years of age in Tehsil Zarghoon Town of district Quetta was unsatisfactory. Thus, community mobilization and incorporation of nutrition related activities in primary health care are recommended.

  7. USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Is More Effective in Town and Rural Schools Than Those in More Populated Communities.

    PubMed

    Lin, Yi-Chun; Fly, Alyce D

    2016-11-01

    We attempted to determine effects of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) on variety and frequency of fruit and vegetable intake by students in schools from different locales. Data were derived from the 2011-2012 Indiana FFVP Student Survey completed by 4229 fourth-sixth graders. Effects were studied within 2 groups, 39 city and suburb schools, and 12 town and rural schools. Differences in students' responses over time to 2 items measuring variety and 10 items measuring fruit and vegetable intake frequency were determined with multilevel regression models. Town and rural students were 1.2 times more likely to eat different kinds of fruit (p = .04) and vegetables (p = .01) daily, and increased fruit (+1.0 time/day; p < .01) and vegetable intake frequency (+0.5 times/day; p = .03). City and suburb students increased fruit intake frequency (∼0.8 times/day; p < .01) but not vegetable intake frequency or daily variety (p > .05). FFVP improved fruit and vegetable eating behaviors in the "town and rural" group, but was only partially effective in the "city and suburb" group. Strategies to implement FFVP may need to differ depending on school locale. © 2016, American School Health Association.

  8. Report of Retail Sales Training Program for Clackamas Town Center, January 19, 1981-March 6, 1981.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clackamas Community Coll., Oregon City, OR.

    In late 1980, a retail sales training program was implemented at Clackamas Community College to meet the training needs of business tenants of the new Clackamas Town Center. The program consisted of 20 hours of intensified training in customer relations, sales, cashiering, job readiness, and interviewing. A total of 416 students completed the…

  9. Where Has Class Gone? The Pervasiveness of Class in Girls' Physical Activity in a Rural Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smyth, John; Mooney, Amanda; Casey, Meghan

    2014-01-01

    This paper seeks to animate discussion around how social class operates with adolescent girls from low socio-economic status backgrounds to shape and inform their decisions about participation in physical activity (PA) inside and outside of school. Examining the instance of girls in a single secondary school in an Australian regional town, the…

  10. International Female Students' Experiences of Navigating the Canadian Health Care System in a Small Town Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burgess, K.; McKenzie, W.; Fehr, F.

    2016-01-01

    This pilot study explored the international female (IF) students' (n = 17) lived experiences of health care accessibility while studying in a small town in Canada. Analysis guided by a phenomenological method resulted in three major themes--(1) after arriving to attend university, IF students experienced challenges in staying healthy, such as…

  11. Thickness of unconsolidated deposits in the towns of Solon and Taylor, Cortland County, New York

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Miller, Todd S.

    1999-01-01

    IntroductionSiting of waste-disposal facilities in Cortland County poses a potential threat to local ground-water resources. An especially sensitive waste-disposal siting issue arose in 1988, when the New York State Low-Level Radioactive Waste Siting Commission (NYSLLWSC) identified 15 sites in six towns (Towns of Solon, Taylor, Freetown, Cincinnatus, Marathon, and Willet) in the eastern part of the county for possible disposal of low-level radioactive waste (New York State Low-Level Radioactive Waste Siting Commission, 1988). Eventually, two sites in the Town of Taylor became finalist sites; one was selected from the list of 15 potential sites, and the other was offered by a private landowner. Little information was available on geohydrologic conditions in eastern Cortland County, such as the extent of aquifers and the thickness of unconsolidated deposits of low permeability (such as clay and till), even though these two criteria were among those used by NYSLLWSC for selection of potential disposal sites. The source of information on thickness of drift over bedrock was the surficial geologic map of New York (Muller and Cadwell, 1986). The siting effort was terminated before a final selection was made, but the issue had made county managers aware that detailed information on the extent and thickness of unconsolidated deposits (particularly till, which typically has low permeability and can limit the migration of contaminants) is needed before sound decisions on waste-disposal siting can be made.Glaciers deposited till nearly everywhere over bedrock in the uplands of central New York, but the thickness of the till varies greatly from place to place. An analysis by Coates (1966) of 400 drillers' logs of wells in a 2,000-mi2 area in the uplands of south-central New York (south of the Cortland County) indicated that (1) till is thin or absent on hilltops and is thickest on the lower parts of hills, (2) overall till thickness averages 60 ft, and (3) till thickness on

  12. Town and Culture: New Responses to Cultural Problems. Bremen Declaration. Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (Bremen, Federal Republic of Germany, 25-27 May 1983).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council for Cultural Cooperation, Strasbourg (France).

    This declaration details the 68 motions adopted by the representatives of European towns taking part in the Conference on Town and Culture. The meeting was jointly organized by the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe and the Council for Cultural Cooperation. Recommendations focus on the following: (1) that new means of…

  13. The prevalence of hearing impairment within the Cape Town Metropolitan area

    PubMed Central

    Ramma, Lebogang

    2016-01-01

    Background There is a lack of data on the prevalence of hearing impairment in South Africa. Current data is unreliable as it is based on national census information which tends to underestimate the prevalence of hearing impairment. Aim The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of hearing impairment in the Cape Town Metropolitan area and to determine factors associated with hearing impairment. Method A cross-sectional household survey involving 2494 partcipants from 718 households was conducted between the months of February and October 2013. Random cluster sampling was used to select four health sub-districts from eight health sub-districts in the Cape Town Metropolitan area using a method of probability proportional to size (PPS). The survey was conducted according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Ear and Hearing Disorders Survey Protocol and the classifcation of hearing impairment matched the WHO’s criteria for the grading of hearing impairment. Results The overall prevalence of hearing impairment in the population of this study was 12.35% (95% CI: 11.06% – 13.64%) and prevalence of disabling hearing impairment was 4.57% (95% CI: 3.75% – 5.39%) amongst individuals ≥ 4 years old. The following factors were found to be associated with hearing impairment; male gender, age, hypertension, a history of head and neck trauma and a family history of hearing impairment. Conclusion Based on the data from communities surveyed during this study, hearing impairment is more prevalent than previously estimated based on national population census information. Interventions for the prevention of hearing impairment in these communities should focus on individuals with associated risk factors. PMID:27247255

  14. Cancer mortality in towns in the vicinity of incinerators and installations for the recovery or disposal of hazardous waste.

    PubMed

    García-Pérez, Javier; Fernández-Navarro, Pablo; Castelló, Adela; López-Cima, María Felicitas; Ramis, Rebeca; Boldo, Elena; López-Abente, Gonzalo

    2013-01-01

    Waste treatment plants release toxic emissions into the environment which affect neighboring towns. To investigate whether there might be excess cancer mortality in towns situated in the vicinity of Spanish-based incinerators and installations for the recovery or disposal of hazardous waste, according to the different categories of industrial activity. An ecologic study was designed to examine municipal mortality due to 33 types of cancer, across the period 1997-2006. Population exposure to pollution was estimated on the basis of distance from town of residence to pollution source. Using Besag-York-Mollié (BYM) regression models with Integrated Nested Laplace approximations for Bayesian inference, and Mixed Poisson regression models, we assessed the risk of dying from cancer in a 5-kilometer zone around installations, analyzed the effect of category of industrial activity, and conducted individual analyses within a 50-kilometer radius of each installation. Excess cancer mortality (BYM model: relative risk, 95% credible interval) was detected in the total population residing in the vicinity of these installations as a whole (1.06, 1.04-1.09), and, principally, in the vicinity of incinerators (1.09, 1.01-1.18) and scrap metal/end-of-life vehicle handling facilities, in particular (1.04, 1.00-1.09). Special mention should be made of the results for tumors of the pleura (1.71, 1.34-2.14), stomach (1.18, 1.10-1.27), liver (1.18, 1.06-1.30), kidney (1.14, 1.04-1.23), ovary (1.14, 1.05-1.23), lung (1.10, 1.05-1.15), leukemia (1.10, 1.03-1.17), colon-rectum (1.08, 1.03-1.13) and bladder (1.08, 1.01-1.16) in the vicinity of all such installations. Our results support the hypothesis of a statistically significant increase in the risk of dying from cancer in towns near incinerators and installations for the recovery or disposal of hazardous waste. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. 76 FR 38383 - Albany Engineering Corporation, Town of Stuyvesant, NY; Notice of Site Visit and Technical Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-30

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [ Project No. 2696-033] Albany Engineering Corporation, Town of Stuyvesant, NY; Notice of Site Visit and Technical Meeting On July 12, 2011, Office of Energy Projects staff will participate in a site visit and technical meeting for the Stuyvesant...

  16. [An archaelogical contribution to hygienical principles in the Roman town-planning].

    PubMed

    Quilici Gigli, S

    1995-01-01

    Greek and Roman ancient medical writers suggest hygienical rules which are strictly dependent on the orientation of towns, the direction of winds and the quality of waters. According to Vitruvius, architects and builders should have some medical knowledge, together with a strong new interest towards the improvement of enviromental conditions. Norba, a little city never built up again after the Sillan distruction in 81 B.C., and Civitas Artena, quitted in the first century B.C., have been studied as significant exemples of this architectural behaviour. The construction of Villae - big country houses nearby the city - was conditioned by economics, easily available water, sunshine light and proximity to fruitful soils.

  17. Alcohol use among school-going adolescent boys and girls in an industrial town of Assam, India.

    PubMed

    Mahanta, Beauty; Mohapatra, P K; Phukan, N; Mahanta, J

    2016-01-01

    Some people in Northeast India prepare rice-based alcoholic drinks in the household. People use these drinks in religious and social functions, and these are taken even in the presence of parents and elders. Easy access to illicit substances in industrial towns and lack of social inhibition for intake of homemade alcohol might increase the vulnerability of youth to these habits. To estimate the prevalence of alcoholic drink user among school-going adolescent students in an industrial town of Assam. A cross-sectional survey was designed to collect the data using a predesigned questionnaire. Personal interview was conducted to collect the data about pattern of alcohol use, type of alcoholic drinks they use, duration, and information about parents and peer. Data were analyzed using Epi-info 17 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences-17.0 (Chicago, USA, SPSS Inc.). About 36% out of 1285 students have tasted/used homemade alcoholic drinks (HADs) and 12.3% used commercially available alcoholic drinks (CADs). Significantly higher numbers (P < 0.001) of adolescent students (≥15 years) used CAD in comparison to children (<15 years). However, the number of younger students was higher in using HAD. Minimum age at first experience of CAD was 7 years and that of HAD was 4 years; the duration varied from 1 to 8 years and 1-15 years, respectively. Parent's behavior of taking tobacco and/or alcohol influenced the habit of their children. Father's habit was found to be associated with male offspring's habit of taking CAD. About 16% of the students used one or more substances along with alcohol. High percentage of adolescents in the industrial town of Assam use alcoholic drinks with a male preponderance. They taste alcoholic drinks at a very young age. Parent's indulgence in taking tobacco, alcohol, or both was found to influence higher intake by their offspring.

  18. Rural Community and Rural Resilience: What Is Important to Farmers in Keeping Their Country Towns Alive?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McManus, Phil; Walmsley, Jim; Argent, Neil; Baum, Scott; Bourke, Lisa; Martin, John; Pritchard, Bill; Sorensen, Tony

    2012-01-01

    Many studies have highlighted the phenomenon of rural decline in parts of the developed world, summarised as a loss in agricultural employment leading to a decline in the number and size of rural settlements. This study of small towns in part of Australia's inland rural "heartland" employs the concepts of interactional rural community of…

  19. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Residents of Wayu Town, Western Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Belachew, Negash; Tadesse, Tarekegne; Gube, Addisu Alemayehu

    2017-10-01

    Complementary and alternative medicine covers a wide variety of therapies and practices, which vary from country to country and region to region. The study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of complementary and alternative medicine among the residents of Wayu town, Western Ethiopia. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 302 residents. A systematic sampling was used to select households. Data were entered in SPSS (version 20; IBM Corp) and descriptive statistics was carried out. Of 302 participants, 51.65% have a good knowledge, 78.6% were aware of complementary and alternative medicine, and 74.22% used it in the past 2 years. A total of 23.83% believe that complementary and alternative medicine is more effective than modern medicine and 28.8% preferred complementary and alternative medicine to modern medicine. This study revealed that in Wayu town, there is relatively high public interest in complementary and alternative medicine practices and a significant number has a good knowledge but generally the attitude toward complementary and alternative medicine is relatively low.

  20. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Residents of Wayu Town, Western Ethiopia

    PubMed Central

    Belachew, Negash; Tadesse, Tarekegne

    2017-01-01

    Complementary and alternative medicine covers a wide variety of therapies and practices, which vary from country to country and region to region. The study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of complementary and alternative medicine among the residents of Wayu town, Western Ethiopia. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 302 residents. A systematic sampling was used to select households. Data were entered in SPSS (version 20; IBM Corp) and descriptive statistics was carried out. Of 302 participants, 51.65% have a good knowledge, 78.6% were aware of complementary and alternative medicine, and 74.22% used it in the past 2 years. A total of 23.83% believe that complementary and alternative medicine is more effective than modern medicine and 28.8% preferred complementary and alternative medicine to modern medicine. This study revealed that in Wayu town, there is relatively high public interest in complementary and alternative medicine practices and a significant number has a good knowledge but generally the attitude toward complementary and alternative medicine is relatively low. PMID:29250965

  1. Report: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Site Inspection of Sewer Pump Station Rehabilitation and Improvements, Town of Ball, Louisiana

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Report #11-R-0014, November 9, 2010. Based upon our site inspection, nothing came to our attention that would require action from the town, the State of Louisiana, or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

  2. Demand for long acting and permanent methods of contraceptives and factors for non-use among married women of Goba Town, Bale Zone, South East Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Takele, Abulie; Degu, Getu; Yitayal, Mezgebu

    2012-10-29

    Contraceptive use including short acting, long acting and permanent methods positively influence the socio-economic development of a nation by allowing families to space and limit their family size to their economic capacity. Demand for LAPMs of contraception as detrmined by utilization and unmet need for LAPMs of contraception can provide realiable information for providers. To determine the utilization of long acting and permanent contraception and its associated factors among married women of Goba town, South East Ethiopia. A cross sectional community based study was conducted among 734 systematically selected married women of reproductive age in Goba town in September/ 2009. A structured and pretested, interview questionaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic, behavioral factors and data related to demand for LAPMs of contraception. Data were analyzed using EPI INFO and SPSS version 16. The demand for Long Acting and Permanent Methods (LAPMs) of contraception was 18.1%. Utilization of LAPMs of contraception in the town was 64 (8.7%) and the unmet need for LAPMs was 69 (9.4%). Information on LAPMs in the town was 636 (86.6%). Media (radio and television) was the major sources of information 641 (87.3%). The use of LAPMs was significatly associated with ever use AOR[17.43, 95% CI:9.19, 33.03], number of times discussions made on methods AOR[4.6, 95% CI: 1.72,12.17] and main decider of using methods AOR[ 2.2, 95% CI:1.03, 4.65]. It was not associated with socio-demographic variables. The utilization of LAPMs in the town was less although higher than the Ethiopian demographic and health survey 2005 result. Moreover, there was a considerable unmet need. Increase the method mix of LAPMs by incorporating varaies of implnats in order to increase utilization. Proper counseling of client and partners discussion were some of the recommendation forwarded.

  3. The "Affective Place-Making" Practices of Girls at a High School in Cape Town, South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rinquest, Elzahn; Fataar, Aslam

    2016-01-01

    This article focuses on the "affective place-making" practices of girls at a private high school on the outskirts of Cape Town. The article responds to the question: How do high school girls' affects and social bodies contribute to their place-making practices and to the type of place they make of their school? Our focus is on…

  4. Care interrupted: Poverty, in-migration, and primary care in rural resource towns.

    PubMed

    Rice, Kathleen; Webster, Fiona

    2017-10-01

    Internationally, rural people have poorer health outcomes relative to their urban counterparts, and primary care providers face particular challenges in rural and remote regions. Drawing on ethnographic fieldnotes and 14 open-ended qualitative interviews with care providers and chronic pain patients in two remote resource communities in Northern Ontario, Canada, this article examines the challenges involved in providing and receiving primary care for complex chronic conditions in these communities. Both towns struggle with high unemployment in the aftermath of industry closure, and are characterized by an abundance of affordable housing. Many of the challenges that care providers face and that patients experience are well-documented in Canadian and international literature on rural and remote health, and health care in resource towns (e.g. lack of specialized care, difficulty with recruitment and retention of care providers, heavy workload for existing care providers). However, our study also documents the recent in-migration of low-income, largely working-age people with complex chronic conditions who are drawn to the region by the low cost of housing. We discuss the ways in which the needs of these in-migrants compound existing challenges to rural primary care provision. To our knowledge, our study is the first to document both this migration trend, and the implications of this for primary care. In the interest of patient health and care provider well-being, existing health and social services will likely need to be expanded to meet the needs of these in-migrants. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Prostitution in the Medway towns, 1860-1885.

    PubMed

    Ager, Adrian; Lee, Catherine

    2009-01-01

    Nineteenth-century prostitution has been the subject of a number of regionally-focused historical studies, yet surprisingly little of this scholarly attention has been directed towards the ports, dockyards and garrison towns of Kent. Levels of prostitution were high in these districts due to the presence of large numbers of resident military personnel combined with a range of supply-side factors related to the local economy, which provided limited employment opportunities for women at this time. Surviving statistical evidence is scant, and tells only part of the story of the women who made a livelihood in this way. A fuller understanding can be reached by a process of nominal record linkage, allowing individuals to be tracked over time. The resulting partially-reconstructed life histories shed more light on questions such as prostitutes' ages, backgrounds and ultimate outcomes, and their experience of regulation and control at the hands of the local authorities than can be ascertained from single records. Thus they add qualitatively to the evidence furnished by statistical sources, and enable a challenge to be made to the existing literature particularly with regard to the heterogeneous nature of prostitution at his time.

  6. Learning Your Way around Town: How Virtual Taxicab Drivers Learn to Use Both Layout and Landmark Information

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newman, Ehren L.; Caplan, Jeremy B.; Kirschen, Matthew P.; Korolev, Igor O.; Sekuler, Robert; Kahana, Michael J.

    2007-01-01

    By having subjects drive a virtual taxicab through a computer-rendered town, we examined how landmark and layout information interact during spatial navigation. Subject-drivers searched for passengers, and then attempted to take the most efficient route to the requested destinations (one of several target stores). Experiment 1 demonstrated that…

  7. Elemental analysis of aerosol samples collected from an industrial and a non-industrial town of Punjab (India) using PIXE technique.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Ashok; Sidhu, Pardeep; Nautiyal, Jyoti; Rautray, T R; Sudarshan, M; Kumar, R; Singh, N; Garg, M L; Dhawan, D K

    2007-01-01

    Chemical composition of the aerosols is an important aspect of aerosol monitoring. The adverse effects on human heath due to different elements in aerosols depend on their concentrations. A comparative study of aerosol concentration and composition from an industrial town Mandi-Gobindgarh and a nearby (25 km away) non-industrial and comparatively less polluted town Morinda, in state Punjab (India) was carried out. Aerosol samples were analyzed by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneshwar. Elemental concentrations were found to be much higher in Mandi-Gobindgarh as compared to Morinda. However, the large deviations from the mean concentrations, particularly in Mandi-Gobindgarh is suggestive of highly varying day to day industrial activity and changing weather conditions. Elements such as S, Br and Pb were found higher in the PM2.5 (particulate matter with = 2.5 microm aerodynamic diameter), which are related to burning of coal and oil in furnaces in Mandi-Gobindgarh. The elements related to natural dust such as K, Ca, Ti, Mn, and Fe are mainly distributed in PMcf (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter between 2.5 and 10 microm) fraction in both the towns. High concentrations of Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe and Zn in the PMcf fraction from Mandi-Gobindgarh are likely due to the industrial activity of Steel rolling mills.

  8. Malnutrition and Mortality Patterns among Internally Displaced and Non-Displaced Population Living in a Camp, a Village or a Town in Eastern Chad

    PubMed Central

    Guerrier, Gilles; Zounoun, Malaïka; Delarosa, Olimpia; Defourny, Isabelle; Lacharite, Michelo; Brown, Vincent; Pedalino, Biagio

    2009-01-01

    Background Certain population groups have been rendered vulnerable in Chad because of displacement of more than 200,000 people over the last three years as a result of mass violence against civilians in the east of the country. The objective of the study was to assess mortality and nutritional patterns among displaced and non-displaced population living in camps, villages and a town in the Ouddaï and Salamat regions of Chad. Methodology Between May and October 2007, two stage, 30-cluster household surveys were conducted among 43,900 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in camps in Ouaddai region (n = 898 households), among 19,400 non-displaced persons (NDPs) living in 42 villages in Ouaddai region (n = 900 households) and among 17,000 NDPs living in a small town in Salamat region (n = 901 households). Data collection included anthropometric measurements, measles vaccination rates and retrospective mortality. Crude mortality rate (CMR), mortality rate among children younger than 5 years (U5MR), causes of death and the prevalence of wasting (weight-for-height z score <−2) among children aged 6 to 59 months were the main outcome measures. Conclusions The CMR among the 4902 IDPs in Gozbeida camps, 4477 NDPs living in a village and 4073 NDPs living in a town surveyed was 1.8 (95% CI, 1.2–2.8), 0.3 (95% CI, 0.2–0.4), 0.3 (95% CI, 0.2–0.5) per 10,000 per day, respectively. The U5MR in a camp (n = 904), a village (n = 956) and a town (n = 901) was 4.1 (95% CI, 2.1–7.7), 0.5 (95% CI, 0.3–0.9) and 0.7 (95% CI, 0.4–1.4) per 10,000 per day, respectively. Diarrhoea was reported to be the main cause of death. Acute malnutrition rates (according to the WHO definition) among 904 IDP children, 956 NDPs children living in a village, 901 NDP children living in a town aged 6 to 59 months were 20.6% (95% CI, 17.9%–23.3%), 16.4% (95% CI, 14.0%–18.8%) and 10.1% (95% CI, 8.1%–12.2%) respectively. The study found a high mortality rate

  9. Malnutrition and mortality patterns among internally displaced and non-displaced population living in a camp, a village or a town in Eastern Chad.

    PubMed

    Guerrier, Gilles; Zounoun, Malaïka; Delarosa, Olimpia; Defourny, Isabelle; Lacharite, Michelo; Brown, Vincent; Pedalino, Biagio

    2009-11-26

    Certain population groups have been rendered vulnerable in Chad because of displacement of more than 200,000 people over the last three years as a result of mass violence against civilians in the east of the country. The objective of the study was to assess mortality and nutritional patterns among displaced and non-displaced population living in camps, villages and a town in the Ouddaï and Salamat regions of Chad. Between May and October 2007, two stage, 30-cluster household surveys were conducted among 43,900 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in camps in Ouaddai region (n = 898 households), among 19,400 non-displaced persons (NDPs) living in 42 villages in Ouaddai region (n = 900 households) and among 17,000 NDPs living in a small town in Salamat region (n = 901 households). Data collection included anthropometric measurements, measles vaccination rates and retrospective mortality. Crude mortality rate (CMR), mortality rate among children younger than 5 years (U5MR), causes of death and the prevalence of wasting (weight-for-height z score <-2) among children aged 6 to 59 months were the main outcome measures. The CMR among the 4902 IDPs in Gozbeida camps, 4477 NDPs living in a village and 4073 NDPs living in a town surveyed was 1.8 (95% CI, 1.2-2.8), 0.3 (95% CI, 0.2-0.4), 0.3 (95% CI, 0.2-0.5) per 10,000 per day, respectively. The U5MR in a camp (n = 904), a village (n = 956) and a town (n = 901) was 4.1 (95% CI, 2.1-7.7), 0.5 (95% CI, 0.3-0.9) and 0.7 (95% CI, 0.4-1.4) per 10,000 per day, respectively. Diarrhoea was reported to be the main cause of death. Acute malnutrition rates (according to the WHO definition) among 904 IDP children, 956 NDPs children living in a village, 901 NDP children living in a town aged 6 to 59 months were 20.6% (95% CI, 17.9%-23.3%), 16.4% (95% CI, 14.0%-18.8%) and 10.1% (95% CI, 8.1%-12.2%) respectively. The study found a high mortality rate among IDPs and an elevated prevalence of wasting not only in IDP camps but also in

  10. Application of GIS Technology for Town Planning Tasks Solving

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiyashko, G. A.

    2017-11-01

    For developing territories, one of the most actual town-planning tasks is to find out the suitable sites for building projects. The geographic information system (GIS) allows one to model complex spatial processes and can provide necessary effective tools to solve these tasks. We propose several GIS analysis models which can define suitable settlement allocations and select appropriate parcels for construction objects. We implement our models in the ArcGIS Desktop package and verify by application to the existing objects in Primorsky Region (Primorye Territory). These suitability models use several variations of the analysis method combinations and include various ways to resolve the suitability task using vector data and a raster data set. The suitability models created in this study can be combined, and one model can be integrated into another as its part. Our models can be updated by other suitability models for further detailed planning.

  11. Turf, team, and town: a geriatric interprofessional education program.

    PubMed

    Macrae, Nancy

    2012-01-01

    This program provides an interprofessional course to students, allowing them to learn together with each other and their elder teachers. include refining their professional parameters (turf), learning how to successfully collaborate with other professionals (team), and determining how to effectively design intervention plans for elders within their own communities (town). Various methods of evaluation, such as journals, participation in rounds, and OSCEs, used to assess students' status are described. Both students and faculty gained clearer perceptions of other professions through their work with each other and the ability to more effectively communicate with other profession. Both also learned, through their relationships with their elder teachers, more about how their specific professions' contributions can affect elders and how elders perceive and contribute to their own communities. This program has been a successful venture. The challenge is now to devise a way to provide similar experiences to a larger group of students.

  12. A Tale of Three Cities: Piloting a Measure of Effort and Comfort Levels within Town-Gown Relationships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gavazzi, Stephen M.; Fox, Michael

    2015-01-01

    This article extends the argument that scholarship on marriages and families provides invaluable insights into town-gown relationships. First, a four-square matrix constructed from the twin dimensions of effort and comfort levels is used to describe a typology of campus and community associations. Next the construction of the Optimal College Town…

  13. Exploring the Old Town School of Folk Music's Beck "Song Reader" Ensemble: An Interview with Nathaniel Braddock

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thibeault, Matthew D.

    2014-01-01

    This column presents an interview with Nathaniel Braddock, who created and teaches an ensemble devoted to Beck's "Song Reader" at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Illinois. "Song Reader" is a collection of 20 compositions published as sheet music for musicians to record and release, with over 17,000 versions…

  14. The Elizabeth Towns Incident: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Learning Anatomy Developed through High School-University Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marx, Joseph G.; Honeycutt, Kimberly A.; Clayton, Sonia Rahmati; Moreno, Nancy P.

    2006-01-01

    The Elizabeth Towns Incident (ETI), a set of inquiry lessons on human anatomy, was developed as part of a partnership between the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and Baylor College of Medicine. This collaboration was funded by the National Science Foundation's program, Graduate Teaching Fellowship in K-12 Education. The Houston-based…

  15. Ready To Read: Laying the Foundation for School Success. Satellite Town Meeting #77 (March 20, 2001). [Videotape].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department of Education, Washington, DC.

    This videotape (in either VHS of 3/4 inch format) presents an interactive teleconference where renowned national experts, local educators, and community leaders share ideas on how to improve schools and reach the National Educational Goals. This 60-minute Satellite Town Meeting focuses on laying the foundation for school success through readiness…

  16. Constructing early warning information release system in towns enterprise clean production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuwen, Huixin; He, Xueqiu; Qian, Xinming; Yuan, Mengqi

    2017-08-01

    China’s industry boom has not only brought unprecedented prosperity, but also caused the gradual depletion of various resources and the worsening of the natural environment. Experts admit that China is facing serious environmental problem, but they believe that they can seek a new path to overcome it through joint efforts. Early warning information release and clean production are the important concepts in addressing the imminent crisis. Early warning information release system can monitor and forecast the risk that affects the clean production. The author drawn the experiences and lessons from developed countries, combined with China’s reality, put forward countermeasures and suggestions about constructing early warning information release system in process of Chinese town-scaled enterprises clean production.

  17. 76 FR 6807 - Notice of Meeting; NIAID Town Hall Meeting on the New National Institute of Allergy and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-08

    ... Town Hall Meeting on the New National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Leadership... plans to establish a new NIAID Leadership Group for a Clinical Research Network on Infectious Diseases... not previously available to non-AIDS investigators. At the March 7, 2011 meeting NIAID leadership will...

  18. Monitoring Environment with GIS for Part of Thiruvallur Town Using Cartosat 1 Stereo, Pan & Resourcesat Liss 4 MSS Merged Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohamed, G. S.; Venkatchalam, R. V.; Ramamurthhy, M.; Gummidipoondi, R. J.; Ramillah, M.

    2012-07-01

    Thiruvallur town is about 44 km from Chennai in Tamil nadu state of India with a population of 130000 , covering 10.75 sq km area. It is about 2km from Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and Technology. It was Taluk (Sub Division'.s) head quarters and from 1991 it was upgraded as District head quarters after the formation of Thiruvallur District. With rapid growth of town the Population density of Thiruvallur has increased in the past three decades from 300 persons/sq.km in 1951, to 6000 persons/sq.km in 1981 and now it is 12925 persons/sq.km in 2011. The creation of District administrative collector office, headquarters offices for police, judicial courts and Tamil Nadu and Federal Government development department's offices, establishment of multinationals major industries like Caterpillar, Kingfishers,Hindustan Motors, Mahendra Automobiles, Coco cola, Japanese Glass industry, Korean LOTO etc apart from mushrooming growth of about 41 Engineering, Nursing, Education, Medical, Naval, Arts and Science colleges, International Public schools,Governmentt, Private schools and Polytechnics added to the population of this Town. It is well connected by National Highways and Railways and upgraded as District Municipality. This resulted in urban drainage problem and conversion of Agriculture land and lakes for housing, establishment of major Govt and Private Hospitals including special units for Eye care, Cardiology, and Health Clinics, pharmacies etc. The effect of urbanization on environment of this once silent rural temple town which was supporting intensive agriculture activities , green with paddy fields is studied with high resolution satellite data is know the impact on health and environment changes from 2008 to 2011, using 2.5m resolution PAN stereo data of Cartosat 1 merged with 5.8 m resolution Multi Spectral data of LISS 4 of Resourcesat 1 of Indian Remote sensing satellites and Geo Eye satellite image of 2011 from Google Earth web site for the western part

  19. Organisational downsizing as a predictor of disability pension: the 10-town prospective cohort study.

    PubMed

    Vahtera, Jussi; Kivimäki, Mika; Forma, Pauli; Wikström, Juhani; Halmeenmäki, Tuomo; Linna, Anne; Pentti, Jaana

    2005-03-01

    To examine whether downsizing, the reduction of personnel in organisations, is a predictor of increased risk of disability retirement among employees who kept their jobs. Prospective cohort study. Based on reductions of personnel in participants' occupation and workplace, employees were grouped into exposure categories of no downsizing (less than 8% reduction), minor downsizing (reduction between 8% and 18%), and major downsizing (more than 18% reduction). They were followed up for a five year period after downsizing. Four towns in Finland. 19 273 municipal employees, aged 21-54 years. All permanent full disability pensions granted because of medical reasons below 55 years of age between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1998 from the national registers. In all, 223 employees were granted a permanent disability pension. The overall rate for disability pensions per 1000 employees was 7.7 after no downsizing, 13.1 after minor downsizing, and 14.9 after major downsizing. Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for age, sex, occupational status, type of employment contract, and town showed 1.81 (95% confidence intervals 1.22 to 2.70) times higher risk of disability retirement after major downsizing than after no downsizing. The immediate financial advantages of downsizing need to be considered in relation to increased occupational disability and the resulting extra costs to employers and society.

  20. Organisational downsizing as a predictor of disability pension: the 10-town prospective cohort study

    PubMed Central

    Vahtera, J.; Kivimaki, M.; Forma, P.; Wikstrom, J.; Halmeenmaki, T.; Linna, A.; Pentti, J.

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To examine whether downsizing, the reduction of personnel in organisations, is a predictor of increased risk of disability retirement among employees who kept their jobs. Design: Prospective cohort study. Based on reductions of personnel in participants' occupation and workplace, employees were grouped into exposure categories of no downsizing (less than 8% reduction), minor downsizing (reduction between 8% and 18%), and major downsizing (more than 18% reduction). They were followed up for a five year period after downsizing. Setting: Four towns in Finland. Participants: 19 273 municipal employees, aged 21–54 years. Main outcome measures: All permanent full disability pensions granted because of medical reasons below 55 years of age between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1998 from the national registers. Results: In all, 223 employees were granted a permanent disability pension. The overall rate for disability pensions per 1000 employees was 7.7 after no downsizing, 13.1 after minor downsizing, and 14.9 after major downsizing. Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for age, sex, occupational status, type of employment contract, and town showed 1.81 (95% confidence intervals 1.22 to 2.70) times higher risk of disability retirement after major downsizing than after no downsizing. Conclusions: The immediate financial advantages of downsizing need to be considered in relation to increased occupational disability and the resulting extra costs to employers and society. PMID:15709085

  1. The role of open-air inhalatoria in the air quality improvement in spa towns.

    PubMed

    Burkowska-But, Aleksandra; Kalwasińska, Agnieszka; Brzezinska, Maria Swiontek

    2014-08-01

    The present study was aimed at evaluating microbiological contamination of air in Ciechocinek and Inowrocław - Polish lowland spa towns. Additionally, the impact of open-air inhalatoria on the quality of air was evaluated. Air samples were collected seasonally in the urban areas, in the recreation areas and in the vicinity of inhalatoria in both towns using impaction. The numbers of mesophilic bacteria, staphylococci, hemolytic bacteria and actinomycetes were determined on media according to the Polish Standard PN-86/Z-04111/02. The number of moulds was determined on media according to the Polish Standard PN-86/Z-04111/03. While the highest numbers of microorganisms were noted at the sites located in the urban areas, the lowest numbers were noted in the vicinity of the open-air inhalatoria. In all the investigated air samples the values of bioaerosol concentrations were below the recommended TLVs (≤ 5000 CFU×m(-3) for both bacteria and fungi in outdoor environments). Location of the sampling site was invariably a decisive factor in determining the number of microorganisms in the air. The aerosol which is formed in the open-air inhalatoria has a positive influence on microbiological air quality. Owing to a unique microclimate and low air contamination, Ciechocinek and Inowrocław comply with all necessary requirements set for health resorts specializing in treating upper respiratory tract infections.

  2. Contraception usage and timing of pregnancy among pregnant teenagers in Cape Town, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Vollmer, Linda R; van der Spuy, Zephne M

    2016-06-01

    To evaluate knowledge and use of contraception among pregnant teenagers in the Cape Town metropolitan area. A cross-sectional study enrolled women aged 16 to 19 years who were pregnant and attending prenatal clinics, and prenatal and labor wards at regional hospitals and midwife-run obstetric clinics in the Cape Town area between March 1, 2011 and September 30, 2011. Data were collected using an administered questionnaire. The study enrolled 314 participants. Of the participants, 240 (76.4%) felt their pregnancies had occurred at the "wrong time" but only 38 (12.1%) were using contraception at the time of conception. The form of contraception that participants most commonly had knowledge of was injectable hormonal contraception (274 [87.3%]). Contraception use was low, with 126 (40.1%) participants having never used contraception. The forms of contraception used most commonly were the male condom (106 [33.8%]) and injectable contraception (98 [31.2%]). The majority of participants found it easy to get contraception (192 [61.1%]) and felt that information regarding contraception was readily available (233 [74.2%]). Contraception use is suboptimal but this may not simply be a reflection of ineffective family-planning services. Further research is needed to fully explain the lack of contraceptive use in this population. Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Inside and around the roman town of Grumentum: the contribution of LiDAR and historical air photography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cianciarulo, Dario; Guariglia, Annibale; Lasaponara, Rosa; Masini, Nicola

    2013-04-01

    The papers deals with the integration of aerial laser scanning, multitemporal satellite and aerial dataset to provide information on the 'forma urbis' of the Grumentum roman town, to detect new archaeological features in its close surrounding and to analyze changes of the landscape over the time. Grumentum is an ancient town, 50 km south of Potenza (Southern Italy), located near the 'Via Herculea' connecting Venusia, in the north est of Basilicata, with Heraclea in the Ionian coast. The first settlement date back to the 6th century BC. Then, it was resettled by the Romans in the 3rd century BC. The town, which evidences a long history from the Republican age to late Antiquity (III BC-V AD), is characterized by the typical urban pattern of 'cardi' and 'decumani'. Its excavated ruins include a large amphitheatre, a theatre, the thermae, the Forum and some temples. LiDAR data, adequately filtered, classified and post processed by using geostatistics methods(Lasaponara et al. 2012), enabled to detect features linked to tombs under a dense vegetation located close to the urban perimeter. The analysis of historical air photos, draped over the ground surface obtained from the LiDAR survey, put in evidence some unknown crop-marks linked to roman urban fabric. Finally, the same photos along with the satellite multitemporal dataset allowed us to reconstruct the recent history of the landscape from the Agrarian Reform, in the 50s, up today. Reference Lasaponara R., Masini N., Holmgren R., Backe Forsberg Y., Integration of aerial and satellite remote sensing for archaeological investigations: a case study of the Etruscan site San Giovenale, Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, vol. 9, S26-S39, doi:10.1088/1742-2132/9/4/S26

  4. Uncertainty in a College-Town Housing Market: The Case of the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadayuki, Taisuke

    2015-01-01

    This paper empirically investigates the costs that arise from uncertainty in the college-town housing market in the Urbana-Champaign metropolitan area, the home of the University of Illinois. This research resulted in two principal findings. First, the rental price of housing owned by property owners having more than 10 claims filed against them…

  5. Aspiration, Agency, and the Production of New Selves in a Scottish New Town, c.1947-c.2016.

    PubMed

    Abrams, Lynn; Hazley, Barry; Wright, Valerie; Kearns, Ade

    2018-05-30

    Narratives of deindustrialization, urban decline and failing public housing and the negative outcomes associated with these processes dominate accounts of post-war Scotland, bolstering the interpretation of Scottish exceptionalism in a British context. Within these accounts working people appear as victims of powerful and long-term external forces suffering sustained and ongoing deleterious vulnerabilities in terms of employment, health, and housing. This article challenges this picture by focusing on the first Scottish new town which made space for working people's aspiration and new models of the self manifested in new lifestyles and social relations. Drawing on archival data and oral history interviews, we identify how elective relocation fostered and enabled new forms of identity predicated upon new housing, new social relations, and lifestyle opportunities focused on the family and home and elective social networks no longer determined by traditional class and gender expectations. These findings permit an intervention in the historical debates on post-war housing and social change which go beyond the materialistic experience to deeper and affective dimensions of the new town self.

  6. Critical health infrastructure for refugee resettlement in rural Australia: case study of four rural towns.

    PubMed

    Sypek, Scott; Clugston, Gregory; Phillips, Christine

    2008-12-01

    To explore the reported impact of regional resettlement of refugees on rural health services, and identify critical health infrastructure for refugee resettlement. Comparative case study, using interviews and situational analysis. Four rural communities in New South Wales, which had been the focus of regional resettlement of refugees since 1999. Refugees, general practitioners, practice managers and volunteer support workers in each town (n = 24). The capacity of health care workers to provide comprehensive care is threatened by low numbers of practitioners, and high levels of turnover of health care staff, which results in attrition of specialised knowledge among health care workers treating refugees. Critical health infrastructure includes general practices with interest and surge capacity, subsidised dental services, mental health support services; clinical support services for rural practitioners; care coordination in the early settlement period; and a supported volunteer network. The need for intensive medical support is greatest in the early resettlement period for 'catch-up' primary health care. The difficulties experienced by rural Australia in securing equitable access to health services are amplified for refugees. While there are economic arguments about resettlement of refugees in regional Australia, the fragility of health services in regional Australia should also be factored into considerations about which towns are best suited to regional resettlement.

  7. Photogrammetric Recording and Reconstruction of Town Scale Models - the Case of the Plan-Relief of Strasbourg

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Macher, H.; Grussenmeyer, P.; Landes, T.; Halin, G.; Chevrier, C.; Huyghe, O.

    2017-08-01

    The French collection of Plan-Reliefs, scale models of fortified towns, constitutes a precious testimony of the history of France. The aim of the URBANIA project is the valorisation and the diffusion of this Heritage through the creation of virtual models. The town scale model of Strasbourg at 1/600 currently exhibited in the Historical Museum of Strasbourg was selected as a case study. In this paper, the photogrammetric recording of this scale model is first presented. The acquisition protocol as well as the data post-processing are detailed. Then, the modelling of the city and more specially building blocks is investigated. Based on point clouds of the scale model, the extraction of roof elements is considered. It deals first with the segmentation of the point cloud into building blocks. Then, for each block, points belonging to roofs are identified and the extraction of chimney point clouds as well as roof ridges and roof planes is performed. Finally, the 3D parametric modelling of the building blocks is studied by considering roof polygons and polylines describing chimneys as input. In a future works section, the semantically enrichment and the potential usage scenarios of the scale model are envisaged.

  8. Comprehensive evaluation of the main technology for new sewage treatment plants in small towns along the Duliujian river basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yiming; Zhou, Beihai; Yuan, Rongfang; Bao, Xiangming; Li, Dongwei

    2018-02-01

    In recent years, water contamination problem has been becoming more and more serious due to increasing wastewater discharge. So our country has accelerated the pace of constructing sewage treatment plant in small towns. But in China it has not been issued any corresponding technical specifications about the choice of treatment technology. So the article is based on the basin of Duliujian river, through field research, data collection and analysis of relevant documentations, preliminarily elects seven kinds of technology: Improved A2/O, Integrated oxidation ditch, Orbal oxidation ditch, CASS, A/O+refined diatomite, BIOLAK and UNITANK as alternatives for Tianjin sewage discharge local standard.Then the article use the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to evaluate the seven kinds of alternatives, finally it is concluded that CASS technology is most suitable for the main technology of new sewage treatment plants in small towns along the Duliujian River basin.

  9. Inherited anaemias in the Greek community of Cape Town.

    PubMed Central

    Bonafede, R P; Botha, M C; Beighton, P

    1979-01-01

    Cape Town has a Greek community of about 5000, of whom approximately 75% originate from the island of Lesbos. In a survey of inherited haematological conditions in this population, 250 unrelated volunteers were investigated. The prevalence of heterozygous beta-thalassaemia was found to be 6.4%, with a gene frequency of 0.033. G6PD deficiency was detected in 10 males and it can be estimated that the prevalence in the male members of this population is 6.7%, with a gene frequency of 0.067. Hereditary spherocytosis was found in three respondents and this represents a prevalence of 1.2%, with a gene frequency of 0.006. One subject was heterozygous for the sickle cell trait (HbS) and another volunteer had haemoglobin Lepore, which had already been diagnosed in Greece. Our findings with respect to beta-thalassaemia and G6PD deficiency are similar to those reported from regions in Greece where malaria is not highly endemic. PMID:469897

  10. The Forced Surrender of Infants Born to Unwed Mothers in Southern Italy. A Case Study of Late Nineteenth Century Practices in the Town of Forio d'Ischia.

    PubMed

    Imperato, Pascal James

    2015-10-01

    For many centuries, unwed mothers in southern Italy were forced to surrender their infants because of a number of social, religious, economic, and political pressures. This study focuses on the policies and practices that were in place in southern Italy regarding illegitimate infants in the late nineteenth century. A detailed analysis of the policies and practices present in the town of Forio d'Ischia during the 20-year period 1880-1899 is also presented. During these two decades, there were 37 illegitimate live births representing 0.70% of the 5249 live births recorded in this town. Although small in number, these illegitimate births, referred to as spuri in Italian, from the Latin spurius, meaning bastard, were managed by standard predetermined procedures. These included anonymity for the parents, the transfer of such infants to an official town receiver of foundlings, and their transport to Naples' orphanage, the Real Casa Santa dell'Annunziata. This orphanage maintained fairly detailed records about the children who were delivered to it. After a few days at the orphanage, infants were often entrusted to the care of external wet nurses, preferably outside of Naples. This was done in the belief that infant survival was better assured in more rural environments. The case of an illegitimate infant, Antonino Spinalbese, is presented in detail. Born on 14 February 1882 in the town of Forio d'Ischia, he was brought to the orphanage 4 days later. Following a two-day stay at the orphanage, he was entrusted to an external wet nurse, Michele Mondella, and her husband, Ciro Fiscale di Felice, a mariner in the town of Torre del Greco. The available evidence indicates that Antonino Spinalbese became a mariner like his stepfather. As a crew member of the passenger ship, Vulcano, he made three trips from Naples to New York City in 1922 and 1923.

  11. Racial Desegregation and the Institutionalisation of "Race" in University Governance: The Case of the University of Cape Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luescher, Thierry M.

    2009-01-01

    The racial desegregation of the student bodies of historically white universities in South Africa has had significant political implications for student politics and university governance. I discuss two key moments in the governance history of the University of Cape Town (UCT) critically. The first involves the experience of racial parallelism in…

  12. [Knowledge, attitudes and community practice during an outbreak of dengue in a town in Colombia, 2010].

    PubMed

    Castañeda, Oneida; Segura, Omar; Ramírez, Alba N

    2011-06-01

    17 cases of dengue were reported from the town of El Playón (7°28'15"-N/73°12'00"-W/altitude 510 masl) during epidemiological study weeks 5-6 and 12-13/2010. The Santander Department's Health Secretariat sought outbreak investigation and community knowledge-attitudes-practice (KAP) assessment on 16-4-2010 concerning a dengue fever outbreak in the town after an epidemiological surveillance committee had met; this was to strengthen local action regarding Aedes aegypti vector promotion-prevention-control. This was a descriptive outbreak investigation study using an active search for cases having clinical manifestations of dengue according to protocol definitions, an entomological survey and a KAP survey of 47 people selected by simple-random-sampling. Data was systematised and analysed using Epi-INFO (3.5.1) with measures of central tendency-male ratio, in-house Aegypti (IA), water-storage (WI) and Breatau (BI) indexes. 4,774 clinical records were examined. There were 67 records compatible with dengue, 24 cases were notified (75 % town-25 % department), 15 (63 %) being women and 9 (38 %) men. 20 (83 %) cases occurred in the urban area and 4 (17 %) in rural areas. Attack rate/cumulated incidence: initial=0.3 % (17/6 303), final=0.4 % (24/6 303), male ratio=1.5. 47 houses and 142 water-storage items proved positive: low water-stores=8.7 %(4/46), rubber tyres=8.3 %(1/12), others=4.4 %(2/45), plants=2.9 %(1/34). IA=5 %, WI=6%, BI=17%, taxonomy confirmed=15 %(7/47). 47 KAP, 36 (77 %) women, 11 (23 %) men; knowledge on disease, symptoms and signs 44 (94 %), eliminating larvae deposits 32(68 %), asked about dengue 3(6 %), informed about responsibilities related to control 25(53 %). The local community knows about risk factors and is aware of its responsibility regarding vector control. Community participation should be promoted using the ecosystem as a strategy for mosquito and dengue transmission control.

  13. Generalized Anxiety and Major Depressive syndrome measured by the SCL-90-R in Two Manganese (Mn) Exposed Ohio Towns

    EPA Science Inventory

    Objective: Environmental exposure to manganese (Mn) may cause generalized anxiety (GA) and major depression (MD) in residents living in Mn-exposed areas. Marietta and East Liverpool are two Ohio towns identified as having elevated levels of Mn. The objective was to determine if l...

  14. [Prediction method of rural landscape pattern evolution based on life cycle: a case study of Jinjing Town, Hunan Province, China].

    PubMed

    Ji, Xiang; Liu, Li-Ming; Li, Hong-Qing

    2014-11-01

    Taking Jinjing Town in Dongting Lake area as a case, this paper analyzed the evolution of rural landscape patterns by means of life cycle theory, simulated the evolution cycle curve, and calculated its evolution period, then combining CA-Markov model, a complete prediction model was built based on the rule of rural landscape change. The results showed that rural settlement and paddy landscapes of Jinjing Town would change most in 2020, with the rural settlement landscape increased to 1194.01 hm2 and paddy landscape greatly reduced to 3090.24 hm2. The quantitative and spatial prediction accuracies of the model were up to 99.3% and 96.4%, respectively, being more explicit than single CA-Markov model. The prediction model of rural landscape patterns change proposed in this paper would be helpful for rural landscape planning in future.

  15. Townes Group Activities from 1983-2000: Personal Recollections of William Danchi

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Danchi, William C.

    2015-01-01

    I arrived in Berkeley in October 1983 as a post-doc, and my appointment was at the Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL). During that time the group was very large, with multiple activities led by Charlie himself and also by Senior Fellows such as John Lacy, Dan Jaffe, and Al Betz at the top of the hill at Space Sciences. Another significant contingent of the Townes group was housed in Birge Hall on campus, led by Reinhard Genzel when he was an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department. Although the group encompassed two separate locations, it functioned as one large group. Either we rode with Charlie up and down the hill, or (if we were concerned about our safety!) we took the bus.

  16. International interest in space assets under the Cape Town Convention

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ametova, Lutfiie

    2013-12-01

    Private human access to outer space is impossible without space equipment. Nowadays space equipment is increasingly being financed by private sector. Private sector financiers, naturally, seek to secure their interest in space equipment. At the same time, increasing international cooperation in space industry leads to some problems of legal character. Thus, space equipment involved in international cooperation programs crosses national borders and is subject to a certain jurisdiction in a given period of time. The problem is that when an interest is created in one jurisdiction, it may not necessarily be recognised in another one. In order to provide a unified approach to interests vested in space equipment an international legal instrument is necessary. The Cape Town Convention represents an international instrument designed to provide a unified approach to interests vested in mobile equipment, including space assets.

  17. 76 FR 6476 - Town Hall Discussion With the Director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-04

    ... engage in a dialogue about issues of importance to FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH...: I. Background In 2010, CDRH held three Town Hall meetings in Minneapolis, MN; Boston, MA; and Los... member of the public was invited to provide comments to or ask questions of CDRH participants. Due to the...

  18. 76 FR 41804 - Town Hall Discussion With the Director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-15

    ... dialogue about issues of importance to FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and to... call 650- 589-3400 and request the group rate for the ``FDA/CDRH Town Hall Meeting'' block of rooms... between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background In 2010, CDRH...

  19. Flood Plain Information, Little Black Creek, Towns of Gates, Chili and Ogden, Monroe County, New York.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1975-08-01

    tPVRTTW’VRroD-cVER ED Flood Plain Information Little Black Creek " T Final Townof Gates, Chili ano Ogden) /_ __...._’ Monroe County, New r7k d. 6. PERFORMING...mad Identify by block number) ) /This report on the Little Black Creek Flood Plain within the Town of Chili , Gates, and Ogden in Monroe County has...16 Future flood heights at Gates, Chili , Ogden Sewage Treatment Plant

  20. Antibiotic prescribing practice and adherence to guidelines in primary care in the Cape Town Metro District, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Gasson, J; Blockman, M; Willems, B

    2018-03-28

    Knowledge of antibiotic prescribing practice in primary care in South Africa is limited. As 80% of human antibiotic use is in primary care, this knowledge is important in view of the global problem of antibiotic resistance. To assess antibiotic prescribing in primary care facilities in the Cape Town Metro District and compare it with current national guidelines, and to assess the reasons why prescriptions were not adherent to guidelines. A retrospective medical record review was performed in April/May 2016. Records of all patients seen over 2 days in each of eight representative primary care facilities in the Cape Town Metro District were reviewed. The treatment of any patient who raised a new complaint on either of those days was recorded. Prophylactic antibiotic courses, tuberculosis treatment and patients with a non-infection diagnosis were excluded. Treatment was compared with the Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines List for South Africa, Primary Healthcare Level, 2014 edition. Of 654 records included, 68.7% indicated that an antibiotic had been prescribed. Overall guideline adherence was 45.1%. Adherence differed significantly between facilities and according to the physiological system being treated, whether the prescription was for an adult or paediatric patient, and the antibiotic prescribed. Healthcare professional type and patient gender had no significant effect on adherence. The main reasons for non-adherence were an undocumented diagnosis (30.5%), antibiotic not required (21.6%), incorrect dose (12.9%), incorrect drug (11.5%), and incorrect duration of therapy (9.5%). This study demonstrates poor adherence to guidelines. Irrational use of antibiotics is associated with increased antibiotic resistance. There is an urgent need to improve antibiotic prescribing practice in primary care in the Cape Town Metro District.

  1. Living Together in Commercial Harmony: Research as a Catalyst for Cooperative "Town-Gown" Relations. Research Report 17-89.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Balenger, Victoria J.; And Others

    In some communities, commercial activity by the local university is perceived as a threat to the reciprocity of the "town-gown" exchange relationship. This study was designed to provide an information base from which negotiations in this area could proceed. Students (N=200) and faculty/staff (N=100) at the University of Maryland, College…

  2. From Digital Divide to Digital Equity: Learners' ICT Competence in Four Primary Schools in Cape Town, South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gudmundsdottir, G. B.

    2010-01-01

    This study explores factors influencing the digital divide in four schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Three of the schools are for disadvantaged learners whereas the fourth was previously for whites only. All the schools use ICT in their curriculum delivery and thereby support the emphasis of provincial educational authorities on ICT access for…

  3. Public Stigma against People with Mental Illness in Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Reta, Yared; Tesfaye, Markos; Girma, Eshetu; Dehning, Sandra; Adorjan, Kristina

    2016-01-01

    Stigma towards people with mental illness (PWMI) can result in low self-esteem and isolation and threaten employment. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of public stigma against PWMI and factors associated with it among Jimma town residents. A community-based, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in adult residents of Jimma town. Data were collected among 820 randomly selected residents with the interviewer-administered Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) scale. Linear regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of stigma against PWMI. A total of 444 (54%) of the 820 respondents were females, and the mean (SD) age was 35 (8.5) years. The minimum and maximum possible values on each CAMI subscale were 10 and 50, respectively. The respondents had high scores for a stigmatizing attitude towards PWMI across all the subscales, as indicated by the mean (SD) scores: authoritarianism, 27.17 (4.96); social restrictiveness, 32.41 (4.20); benevolence, 35.34 (4.42); and community-based mental health ideology, 33.95 (5.82). Compared to housewives, private organization employees showed more autocratic and socially restrictive views (std. β = 1.12, P<0.01). Single people had a lower social restrictiveness stigma score than married people (std. β = -0.20, P<0.001), and participants' academic levels correlated inversely with the stigma score (std. β = -0.12, P<0.001). A higher benevolence stigma score was observed among participants with no relationship with PWMI than among those with PWMI in their neighborhood (std. β = 0.08, P< 0.046). The study revealed that a negative attitude towards PWMI is widespread. Therefore, there is a need to develop strategies to fight the stigma attached to PWMI at the community level.

  4. Public Stigma against People with Mental Illness in Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Background Stigma towards people with mental illness (PWMI) can result in low self-esteem and isolation and threaten employment. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of public stigma against PWMI and factors associated with it among Jimma town residents. Methods A community-based, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in adult residents of Jimma town. Data were collected among 820 randomly selected residents with the interviewer-administered Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) scale. Linear regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of stigma against PWMI. Result A total of 444 (54%) of the 820 respondents were females, and the mean (SD) age was 35 (8.5) years. The minimum and maximum possible values on each CAMI subscale were 10 and 50, respectively. The respondents had high scores for a stigmatizing attitude towards PWMI across all the subscales, as indicated by the mean (SD) scores: authoritarianism, 27.17 (4.96); social restrictiveness, 32.41 (4.20); benevolence, 35.34 (4.42); and community-based mental health ideology, 33.95 (5.82). Compared to housewives, private organization employees showed more autocratic and socially restrictive views (std. β = 1.12, P<0.01). Single people had a lower social restrictiveness stigma score than married people (std. β = -0.20, P<0.001), and participants’ academic levels correlated inversely with the stigma score (std. β = -0.12, P<0.001). A higher benevolence stigma score was observed among participants with no relationship with PWMI than among those with PWMI in their neighborhood (std. β = 0.08, P< 0.046). Conclusion The study revealed that a negative attitude towards PWMI is widespread. Therefore, there is a need to develop strategies to fight the stigma attached to PWMI at the community level. PMID:27893745

  5. K-12 Students Flock To ToxTown In San Diego: Results of an SOT K-12 Education Outreach Workshop

    EPA Science Inventory

    Just prior to the start of the 2015 Annual Meeting in San Diego, hundreds of K-12 students, teachers, and science enthusiasts visited the ToxTown booth at the annual San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering grand finale event, EXPO Day. Over 20,000 attendees participated in ...

  6. [The Quebec Healthy Cities and Towns Network: a powerful movement faced with new challenges].

    PubMed

    Simard, Paule

    2007-01-01

    After twenty years serving its members, the Quebec Healthy Cities and Towns Network (QHCTN) faces several challenges. There are currently many changes being made in the local organization and the administration of services. The Network, through its capacity to mobilize the different municipalities, is the best placed to advocate and support a coordinated approach to government initiatives and also to encourage partnerships with other institutions (education, health, socio-economic) and communities. There is, nonetheless, a need to rethink its direct support to members, especially in terms of communication and networking among them.

  7. Research on solid waste management system: to improve existing situation in Corlu Town of Turkey.

    PubMed

    Tinmaz, Esra; Demir, Ibrahim

    2006-01-01

    Over the past decades, uncontrolled population growth and rapid urbanization and industrialization have resulted in environmental problems in Corlu Town, Turkey. One of the most important problems is solid waste due to inadequate management practices. Nowadays, increasing public awareness of the environment compels local authorities to define and to adopt new solutions for waste management. This paper presents a general overview of current solid waste management practices in Corlu Town and principles of the recommended municipal solid waste (MSW) management system. In Corlu, 170 tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated each day, or 1.150 kg per capita per day. Approximately one-half of the municipal solid waste generated is organic material and 30% of the MSW consists of recyclable materials. The recommended system deals with maximizing recycling and minimizing landfilling of municipal solid waste, and consists of separation at source, collection, sorting, recycling, composting and sanitary landfilling. This study also analyzed the recommended system with respect to feasibility and economics. To evaluate whether the suggested system is cost effective or not, the operating cost of the recommended system and market prices of recyclable materials were compared, and the results show that the recommended system will reduce required landfill volume up to 27% of compared to the present situation. The profit of the recommended system is estimated to be about 80 million US dollars.

  8. Leachate treatment system using constructed wetlands, Town of Fenton sanitary landfill, Broome County, New York. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1993-11-01

    Municipal sanitary landfills generate leachate that New York State regulations require to be collected and treated to avoid contaminating surface water and groundwater. One option for treating leachate is to haul it to municipal wastewater treatment facility. This option may be expensive, may require excessive energy for transportation, and may require pretreatment to protect the receiving facility`s processes. An alternative is on-site treatment and discharge. Personnel from the Town of Fenton, New York; Hawk Engineering, P.C.; Cornell University; and Ithaca College designed, built, and operated a pilot constructed wetland for treating leachate at the Town of Fenton`s municipal landfill. Themore » system, consisting of two overland flow beds and two subsurface flow beds has been effective for 18 months in reducing levels of ammonia (averaging 85% removal by volatilization and denitrification) and total iron (averaging 95% removal by precipitation and sedimentation), two key constituents of the Fenton landfill`s leachate. The system effects these reductions with zero chemical and energy inputs and minimal maintenance. A third key constituent of the leachate, manganese, apparently passes through the beds with minimal removal. Details and wetland considerations are described.« less

  9. Providing health services during a civil war: the experience of a garrison town in South Sudan.

    PubMed

    Kevlihan, Rob

    2013-10-01

    The impact of conflict, particularly conflict arising during civil wars, on the provision of healthcare is a subject that has not been widely considered in conflict-related research. Combatants often target health services to weaken or to defeat the enemy, while attempts to maintain or improve health systems also can comprise part of counter-insurgency 'hearts-and-minds' strategies. This paper describes the dynamics associated with the provision of health services in Malakal, an important garrison town in South Sudan, during the second Sudanese civil war (1983-2005). Drawing on the concepts of opportunity hoarding and exploitation, it explores the social and political dynamics of service provision in and around the town during the war. These concepts provide a useful lens with which to understand better how health services are affected by conflict, while the empirical case study presented in the paper illustrates dynamics that may be repeated in other contexts. The concepts and case study set out in this paper should prove useful to healthcare providers working in conflict zones, including humanitarian aid agencies and their employees, increasing their understanding of the social and political dynamics that they are likely to face during future conflict-related complex emergencies. © 2013 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2013.

  10. Experiences of violence and association with decreased drug abstinence among women in Cape Town, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Reed, Elizabeth; Myers, Bronwyn; Novak, Scott P; Browne, Felicia A; Wechsberg, Wendee M

    2015-01-01

    Drug abuse is a contributing factor in women's HIV risk in low-income communities in Cape Town, South Africa. This study assessed whether experiencing violence is associated with reduced drug abstinence among adult women (n = 603) participating in a randomized field trial for an HIV prevention study in Cape Town. In relation to drug abstinence at 12-month follow-up, multivariable regression models were used to assess (1) baseline partner and non-partner victimization, and (2) victimization at 12-month follow-up among participants reporting baseline victimization. Baseline partner (AOR = 0.6; 95 % CI 0.4-0.9) and non-partner victimization (AOR = 0.6; 95 % CI 0.4-0.9) were associated with a reduced likelihood of drug abstinence at follow-up. Among participants who reported victimization at baseline, those no longer reporting victimization at follow-up did not differ significantly in drug abstinence compared with those who reported victimization at follow-up. The study findings highlight the lasting impact of victimization on women's drug use outcomes, persisting regardless of whether violence was no longer reported at follow-up. Overall, the findings support the need for the primary prevention of violence to address the cycle of violence, drug use, and HIV among women in this setting.

  11. Community's Emergency Preparedness for Flood Hazards in Dire-dawa Town, Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study.

    PubMed

    Ejeta, Luche Tadesse

    2018-02-21

    Emergency preparedness at all levels (individuals and communities) is the corner stone of effective response to the increasing trends of global disasters due to man-made and natural hazards. It is determined by different factors, including (among others) past direct and indirect exposures to hazards. This study was carried out in Dire Dawa town, Ethiopia, which in the past experienced frequent flooding events, yet dearth of information exists about preparedness in the area.  The aim of the study was to assess the levels of emergency preparedness for flood hazards at households and communities levels. The study was conducted in a qualitative approach and was conducted in Dire Dawa town, which has been divided into nine administrative-units called Kebeles. Two focus group discussions were held in two of these units (Kebele-05 and 06), each focus group comprising twelve people (all above 18 years of age), and in total 24 people (13 females and 11 males) took part in the study. Open ended questions were used that could guide the discussions, and the discussions were audio-taped and transcribed. The results were translated from local language to English and qualitatively presented. The findings of focus group discussions showed that the local government in collaboration with the federal government built the flood protection dams in areas where flood hazards have been thought to be repeatedly wreaking havoc, specifically after the flood disaster of the year 2006. In addition, in Kebele-05, where one Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) was operating on flood hazards prevention and mitigation program, some non-structural emergency preparedness measures were undertaken by the communities. These non-structural measures (the major ones) entailed: establishment of committees recruited from residents and training them to raise awareness among communities on emergency preparedness; some residents made changes to their own houses (retrofitted) and put sandbags around their

  12. Stories of Change: e/merge @ the University of Cape Town

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carr, Tony

    The Center for Educational Technology (CET) is located at the University of Cape Town, which is a leading South African research and teaching university. This implies great opportunities and challenges since we are poised between the experience of and conditions faced by colleagues in other parts of Africa and those of the colleagues in first-world countries. We have access to the intellectual and professional networks of the first world and our university features on global rankings, yet our resourcing, while generous in terms of most other universities in our continent, is a fraction of that enjoyed by first-world universities of similar size and scope. Both globalization and developmental imperatives require us to rapidly extend the effective use of educational technology in our university for teaching and learning. The received models of e-Learning integration developed mostly in first-world countries need to be adapted for contexts with scarce resources.

  13. An Analysis of the Evolution of Public Responsibility for Secondary Education in the Town of Madison, Connecticut, 1821-1922.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harder, Peter J.; Roberts, Arthur D.

    The development of public secondary education in one New England town is analyzed in order to lend historical perspective to current educational reform movements. This historical review shows a lack of broad public support for public secondary schools in Madison, Connecticut. Early in the 19th century, private academies provided secondary…

  14. [A new urban typology applicable to Black Africa: the case of towns in the Ivory Coast].

    PubMed

    Saint-vil, J

    1981-12-01

    A new typology of African urban areas is presented using the example of the Ivory Coast. The impact of demographic factors on education in the towns is considered, with attention to the number of inhabitants per secondary school class, the median age of urban residents, the percentage aged 10 to 20 and 15 to 20, and the sex ratio of the school-age population. The importance of education-related migration to urban centers is noted.

  15. Determinants of postnatal care utilization in urban community among women in Debre Birhan Town, Northern Shewa, Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Angore, Banchalem Nega; Tufa, Efrata Girma; Bisetegen, Fithamlak Solomon

    2018-04-19

    Reducing maternal mortality and improving maternal health care through increased utilization of postnatal care utilization is a global and local priority. However studies that have been carried out in Ethiopia regarding determinants are limited. So This study aims to assess the magnitude of postnatal care utilization and its determinants in Debre Birhan Town, North Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1 to April 25, 2015, in Debre Birhan Town. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using structured pre-tested questionnaires. The data were entered and cleaned in Epi Info version 3.5 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Variable with p value less than or equal to 0.2 at bivariate analysis were entered into multiple logistic regression. Significance was declared at 0.05 in multiple logistic regressions and considered to be an independent factor. From the total respondents, we found that 327 (83.3%) mothers utilized the postnatal care services. Single mothers were less likely to utilize postnatal care services than those mothers who are married and live together [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.06, 95% CI (0.01, 0.45)]. This study revealed that respondent's knowledge about postnatal care services is an important predictor of postnatal care utilization [AOR = 0.03, 95% CI (0.00, 0.44)] and mothers who delivered in a health care facility were more likely to receive PNC than mothers who did not deliver in a health care facility [AOR = 0.65, 95% CI (0.58, 0.94)]. The postnatal care utilization rate in Debre Birhan town was 83.3%. Marital status, maternal knowledge, and place of delivery were predictors of postnatal care service utilization. So specific attention should be directed towards the improvement of women's education since the perception of the need for PNC services were positively correlated with the mother's education.

  16. Educational status as determinant of men's knowledge about vasectomy in Dangila town administration, Amhara region, Northwest Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Temach, Abrham Jemberie; Fekadu, Gedefaw Abeje; Achamyeleh, Anemaw Asrat

    2017-04-18

    Although vasectomy is effective and less expensive contraceptive method, only few men are using it in Africa. The main reason for low level use may be low knowledge about vasectomy among men. Only few studies tried to investigate level of knowledge of vasectomy among married men in Ethiopia. But these studies have limitations in measuring knowledge. This study was therefore designed to assess knowledge of vasectomy among married men in Dangila town. A community based cross sectional study was conducted in Dangila town. Sample size was calculated using OpenEPI online sample size calculator for population based surveys. Multistage sampling technique was employed to recruit the study participants. Data collectors interviewed selected men using structured Amharic questionnaire from June to July, 2014. Two days training was given to data collectors and supervisors. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16. Binary logistic regression analysis was done to identify determinants of knowledge about vasectomy. A total of 872 men were interviewed. About 75% of men reported that they had ever heard about vasectomy. Men mentioned friends as main source of information for vasectomy. Among those who had ever heard, only 60.8% defined vasectomy correctly. About 20% defined vasectomy as "it is making the man impotent." Similarly about 16% equated vasectomy with castration. In this study, only 44.8% of men were knowledgeable about vasectomy. Married men who completed secondary education were 4.10(95%CI; 2.48 - 6.75) times more likely to be knowledgeable about vasectomy compared to those who did not attend formal education. Those who attended above secondary education were 5.73(95%CI 3.76 - 8.73) times more likely to be knowledgeable about vasectomy compared to those who did not attend formal education. Level of knowledge about vasectomy among married men in Dangla town was low and educational status was an important predictor of knowledge about vasectomy. Efforts are

  17. Unravelling a 'miner's myth' that environmental contamination in mining towns is naturally occurring.

    PubMed

    Kristensen, Louise Jane; Taylor, Mark Patrick

    2016-08-01

    Australia has a long history of metal mining and smelting. Extraction and processing have resulted in elevated levels of toxic metals surrounding mining operations, which have adverse health effects, particularly to children. Resource companies, government agencies and employees often construct 'myths' to down play potential exposure risks and responsibility arising from operating emissions. Typical statements include: contaminants are naturally occurring, the wind blows emissions away from residential areas, contaminants are not bioavailable, or the problem is a legacy issue and not related to current operations. Evidence from mining and smelting towns shows that such 'myths' are exactly that. In mining towns, the default and primary defence against contamination is that elevated metals in adjacent urban environments are from the erosion and weathering of the ore bodies over millennia-hence 'naturally occurring'. Not only is this a difficult argument to unravel from an evidence-based perspective, but also it causes confusion and delays remediation work, hindering efforts to reduce harmful exposures to children. An example of this situation is from Broken Hill, New South Wales, home to one of the world's largest lead-zinc-silver ore body, which has been mined continuously for over 130 years. Environmental metal concentration and lead isotopic data from soil samples collected from across Broken Hill are used to establish the nature and timing of lead contamination. We use multiple lines of evidence to unravel a 'miner's myth' by evaluating current soil metal concentrations and lead isotopic compositions, geological data, historical environmental assessments and old photographic evidence to assess the impacts from early smelting along with mining to the surface soils in the city.

  18. [Genetic diseases in pediatric patients hospitalised in the town of Ubaté, Colombia].

    PubMed

    Páez, Paola; Suárez-Obando, Fernando; Zarante, Ignacio

    2008-01-01

    Describing genetic disease frequency in a second-level hospital's in-patient paediatric service The hospital's statistical department's records for 2005 were comprehensively reviewed; the study was carried out in the town of Ubaté during 2006. Complex diseases led to nearly 25% of all hospitalisations, including multifactor diseases and congenital malformations. However, an aetiological study and/or geneticist consultation or referral took place on a few occasions. Primary care hospitals should become more relevant reference centres for detecting genetic diseases amongst the paediatric population. New mechanisms are needed for implementing this to allow patients access to a geneticist and for an aetiological diagnosis to be made and providing suitable genetic counselling.

  19. Youth Employment, Psychosocial Health and the Importance of Person/Environment Fit: A Case Study of Two Scottish Rural Towns.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pavis, Stephen; Platt, Stephen; Hubbard, Gill

    2002-01-01

    Reports on the employment experiences of young people from two small rural Scottish towns. The majority of available employment was repetitive, and involved poor working conditions and limited opportunity for skill development or promotion. Most respondents recognized that in the longer term such work was detrimental to their quality of life and…

  20. Generalized sub-Schawlow-Townes laser linewidths via material dispersion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pillay, Jason Cornelius; Natsume, Yuki; Stone, A. Douglas; Chong, Y. D.

    2014-03-01

    A recent S-matrix-based theory of the quantum-limited linewidth, which is applicable to general lasers, including spatially nonuniform laser cavities operating above threshold, is analyzed in various limits. For broadband gain, a simple interpretation of the Petermann and bad-cavity factors is presented in terms of geometric relations between the zeros and poles of the S matrix. When there is substantial dispersion, on the frequency scale of the cavity lifetime, the theory yields a generalization of the bad-cavity factor, which was previously derived for spatially uniform one-dimensional lasers. This effect can lead to sub-Schawlow-Townes linewidths in lasers with very narrow gain widths. We derive a formula for the linewidth in terms of the lasing mode functions, which has accuracy comparable to the previous formula involving the residue of the lasing pole. These results for the quantum-limited linewidth are valid even in the regime of strong line pulling and spatial hole burning, where the linewidth cannot be factorized into independent Petermann and bad-cavity factors.

  1. Epidemiological investigation of an outbreak of typhoid fever in Jorhat town of Assam, India.

    PubMed

    Roy, Jashbeer Singh; Saikia, Lahari; Medhi, Mithu; Tassa, Dipak

    2016-10-01

    Typhoid fever is a global health problem and is also endemic in India. An outbreak of fever occurred in January 2014 in Jorhat Town in Assam, India. Here we report the results of an investigation done to find out the aetiology and source of the outbreak. The affected areas were visited on January 23, 2014 by a team of Jorhat district Integrated Disease Surveillance Project personnel. A total of 13 blood samples from patients with fever as first symptom and six water samples were collected from the affected areas. The blood samples were cultured and isolates were identified using standard biochemical tests. Isolates were also tested for antimicrobial sensitivity. Widal test was performed on 10 of the 13 blood samples collected. Sanitary survey was carried out to find any leakage in the water supply and also the sewage system of the Jorhat town. Blood culture yielded Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi in six (46.15%) patients whereas Widal test was positive in 10 (76.9%) of 13 patients. Water culture showed presumptive coliform count of >180/100 ml in two out of the six samples tested. Salmonella Typhi was also isolated from water culture of these two samples. Sanitary survey carried out in the affected places showed that the water supply pipes of urban water supply were in close proximity to the sewage drainage system and there were few leakages. The outbreak occurred due to S. Typhi contaminating the water supply. Sanitation and immunization are the two most important components to be stressed to prevent such outbreaks.

  2. Segeberg 1600 - Reconstructing a Historic Town for Virtual Reality Visualisation as AN Immersive Experience

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deggim, S.; Kersten, T. P.; Tschirschwitz, F.; Hinrichsen, N.

    2017-11-01

    The 3D reconstruction of historic buildings and cities offers an opportunity to experience the history of relevant objects and their development over the centuries. Digital visualisations of such historic objects allow for a more natural view of history as well as showing information that is not possible in a real world setting. New presentation forms, such as the virtual reality (VR) system HTC Vive, can be used to disseminate information in another dimension and simplify the access by changing the user's viewpoint from a listener and viewer into being an integrated part of an interactive situation. In general, this approach is a combination of education and entertainment, also known as "edutainment" or "gamification", a term used in the education sector as describing where motivation to learn is encouraged through adding a competitive element. It is thus a step away from simple consumption of information towards experiencing information and a more literal interpretation of "living history". In this contribution, we present the development of a 3D reconstruction of the two towns Segeberg and Gieschenhagen (today: Bad Segeberg) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany in the Early Modern Age around 1600. The historic landscape and its conversion from a reconstructed virtual town model into an interactive VR application is also described. The reconstruction is based on a recent digital terrain model as well as survey data of surviving buildings, historic visual information based on historic drawings and written accounts from that era. All datasets are combined to a single walkable virtual world that spans approximately 3 km2.

  3. [An epidemiological but invisibilized marker: indebtedness within an Afromexican town in Oaxaca].

    PubMed

    Hersch-Martínez, Paul; Rodríguez-Hernández, Berenice

    2017-01-01

    To explore indebtedness dynamics in an Afromexican town by an inclusive epidemiological approach. Qualitative study through 75 questionnaires, 20 interviews to depth and six focal groups in a support process to the Municipal Health Commission in Santiago Tapextla, Oaxaca. Catastrophic expenses due to insufficient medical care were the principal causal item. Indebtedness processes with patrimonial loss are dominant, generating dependence spirals of difficult resolution that impact the familiar dynamics and the pathology evolution. In spite of its inexistence within sanitary official programs, indebtedness dynamics constitute an epidemiological marker by the uncovering of structural inattention conditions that reflect the imposed, naturalized and pathogenic hierarchization proper of coloniality. To analyze this process at local and global levels is a complex but essential public health task.

  4. Active Faulting, Earthquakes and Geomorphological Changes from Archaeoseismic Data and High-Resolution Topography: Effects on the Urban Evolution of the Roman Town of Sybaris, Ionian Sea (Southern Italy).

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alfonsi, L.; Brunori, C. A.; Cinti, F. R.

    2014-12-01

    The Sybaris town was founded by the Greeks in 720 B.C and its life went on up to the late Roman time (VI-VII century A.D.). The town was located within the Sibari Plain near the Crati River mouth (Ionian northern Calabria, southern Italy). Sybaris occurs in area repeatedly affected by natural damaging phenomena, as frequent flooding, high local subsidence, marine storms, and earthquakes. The 2700 year long record of history of Sybaris stores the traces of these natural events and their influence on the human ancient environment through time. Among the natural disasters, we recognize two Roman age earthquakes striking the town. We isolate the damaging of these seismic events, set their time of occurrence, and map a shear zone crossing the site. These results were obtained through i) survey of coseismic features on the ruins, ii) geoarchaeological stratigraphy analysis, and TL and C14 dating, iii) analysis of high-resolution topographic data (1m pixel LiDAR DEM). The Sybaris town showed a persistent resilience to the earthquakes, and following their occurrences the site was not abandoned but underwent remodeling of the urban topography. The interaction of the different approaches reveals the presence of a previously unknown fault crossing the archeological site, the Sybaris fault. The high-resolution topography allows the characterization of subtle geomorphological features and hydrological anomalies, tracing the fault extension, whose Holocene activity is controlling the local morphology and the present Crati river course.

  5. The Life and Death of a Mycenaean Port Town: Kalamianos on the Saronic Gulf

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pullen, Daniel

    2013-12-01

    In the late fourteenth century bc of the Aegean Late Bronze Age (LBA), a large walled settlement was established at Korphos: Kalamianos, on the Saronic Gulf coast of the Corinthia, Greece. Archaeological and geological work by the Saronic harbors Archaeological Research Project has succeeded in reconstructing the LBA coastline and likely harbor basins, as well as documenting the well-preserved plan of an entire Late Helladic town. Kalamianos was a short-lived maritime outpost, purposely founded as a component of state expansion in a climate of intense peer-polity competition in LBA (fifteenth-thirteenth centuries bc) Greece.

  6. Obstacles of Implementing the Science Curricula of the Basic Stage as Perceived by the Teachers in a Jordanian Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ayasra, Ahmad

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate obstacles that prevent implementation of science curriculum which was developed within the Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy project (ErfKE). To achieve this, a purposeful sample consisted of four teachers of science for the basic stage in the town located in the north of Jordan in the first semester of the…

  7. BoomTown Music Education and the Need for Authenticity--Informal Learning Put into Practice in Swedish Post-Compulsory Music Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karlsen, Sidsel

    2010-01-01

    The article reports on a 2-year higher education music programme for young rock musicians in Sweden called BoomTown Music Education. The pedagogical philosophy behind this programme is developed from the findings of two Swedish music education researchers, and the programme exemplifies how knowledge about popular musicians' learning strategies in…

  8. Ready To Read: Laying the Foundation for School Success. Satellite Town Meeting #77: March 20, 2001. Spanish Language Version. [Videotape].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department of Education, Washington, DC.

    This interactive teleconference (in VHS format, Spanish language version) presents renowned national experts, local educators, and community leaders who share ideas on how to improve schools and reach the National Educational Goals. The 60-minute Satellite Town Meeting focuses on laying the foundation for school success through readiness to read.…

  9. Indians in Town and Country: The Nisenan Indians' Changing Economy and Society as Shown in John A. Sutter's 1856 Correspondence.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurtado, Albert L.

    1988-01-01

    Uses John Sutter's letters to illustrate the complex local forces affecting Nisenan Indians in post Gold Rush California: tribal disintegration, the lure of wage labor in town, racism, Sutter's designs to keep Indians as peons, and a compliant Indian superintendent who agreed to remove "troublesome" Indians. Contains 50 references. (SV)

  10. Twin Town in South Brazil: a Nazi's experiment or a genetic founder effect?

    PubMed

    Tagliani-Ribeiro, Alice; Oliveira, Mariana; Sassi, Adriana K; Rodrigues, Maira R; Zagonel-Oliveira, Marcelo; Steinman, Gary; Matte, Ursula; Fagundes, Nelson J R; Schuler-Faccini, Lavinia

    2011-01-01

    Cândido Godói (CG) is a small municipality in South Brazil with approximately 6,000 inhabitants. It is known as the "Twins' Town" due to its high rate of twin births. Recently it was claimed that such high frequency of twinning would be connected to experiments performed by the German Nazi doctor Joseph Mengele. It is known, however, that this town was founded by a small number of families and therefore a genetic founder effect may represent an alternatively explanation for the high twinning prevalence in CG. In this study, we tested specific predictions of the "Nazi's experiment" and of the "founder effect" hypotheses. We surveyed a total of 6,262 baptism records from 1959-2008 in CG catholic churches, and identified 91 twin pairs and one triplet. Contrary to the "Nazi's experiment hypothesis", there is no spurt in twinning between the years (1964-1968) when Mengele allegedly was in CG (P = 0.482). Moreover, there is no temporal trend for a declining rate of twinning since the 1960s (P = 0.351), and no difference in twinning among CG districts considering two different periods: 1927-1958 and 1959-2008 (P = 0.638). On the other hand, the "founder effect hypothesis" is supported by an isonymy analysis that shows that women who gave birth to twins have a higher inbreeding coefficient when compared to women who never had twins (0.0148, 0.0081, respectively, P = 0.019). In summary, our results show no evidence for the "Nazi's experiment hypothesis" and strongly suggest that the "founder effect hypothesis" is a much more likely alternative for explaining the high prevalence of twinning in CG. If this hypothesis is correct, then this community represents a valuable population where genetic factors linked to twinning may be identified.

  11. [The centralized mycobacteriological laboratory is a necessary component of a phthisiological service in large towns of Russia].

    PubMed

    Dorozhkova, I R; Freĭman, G E; Moroz, A M

    2007-01-01

    The paper presents the main points of the authors' own concept of the centralization of mycobacteriological service in large towns of the Russian Federation. The main points of step-by-step organizational and methodological measures required to solve this problem are described in detail. Consecutive measures to realize the proposed mycobacteriological service centralization model originated in January 2004 on a model of the Moscow Eastern Administrative District with 1380 thousand inhabitants are described.

  12. A survey of trainee specialists experiences at the University of Cape Town (UCT): impacts of race and gender.

    PubMed

    London, Leslie; Kalula, Sebastiana; Xaba, Bonga

    2009-05-27

    Efforts to redress racial and gender inequalities in the training of medical specialists has been a central part of a dedicated programme in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town (UCT). This study aimed to describe trends in race and gender profiles of postgraduate students in medical specialties (registrars) from 1999 to 2006 and to identify factors affecting recruitment and retention of black and female trainees. Review of faculty databases for race and gender data from 1999 to 2006. Distribution of an anonymous self-administered questionnaire to all registrars in 2005/2006. The percentage of African registrars doubled from 10% to 19% from 1999 to beyond 2002. The percentages of Africans, Coloureds and Indians rose steadily from 26% to 46% from 1999 to 2005, as did that of women from 27% to 44%. The institution's perceived good reputation, being an alumnus and originating from Cape Town were common reasons for choosing UCT for training. A quarter of respondents reported knowledge of a friend who decided against studying at UCT for reasons which included anticipated racial discrimination. Black respondents (23%), particularly African (50%), were more likely to describe registrarship at UCT as unwelcoming than white respondents (12%). Specific instances of personal experience of discrimination were uncommon and not associated with respondents' race or gender. Registrars who had had a child during registrarship and those reporting discrimination were more likely to rate the learning and research environment as poor (Odds Ratio, 4.01; 95% CI 0.98 - 16.47 and 1.99 95% CI 0.57 - 6.97, respectively). The proportion of black and female registrars at the University of Cape Town has increased steadily from 1999 to 2006, most likely a result of systematic equity policies and procedures adopted in the faculty during this period. The data point to a need for policies to make the institution more welcoming to diversity and for strategies to address

  13. The first human heart transplant and further advances in cardiac transplantation at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town - with reference to : the operation. A human cardiac transplant : an interim report of a successful operation performed at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town.

    PubMed

    Brink, J G; Hassoulas, J

    2009-01-01

    Christiaan (Chris) Barnard was born in 1922 and qualified in medicine at the University of Cape Town in 1946. Following surgical training in South Africa and the USA, Barnard established a successful open-heart surgery programme at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town in 1958. In 1967, he led the team that performed the world's first human-to-human heart transplant. The article describing this remarkable achievement was published in the South African Medical Journal just three weeks after the event and is one of the most cited articles in the cardiovascular field. In the lay media as well, this first transplant remains the most publicised event in world medical history. Although the first heart transplant patient survived only 18 days, four of Groote Schuur Hospital's first 10 patients survived for more than one year, two living for 13 and 23 years, respectively. This relative success amid many failures worldwide did much to generate guarded optimism that heart transplantation would eventually become a viable therapeutic option. This first heart transplant and subsequent ongoing research in cardiac transplantation at the University of Cape Town and in a few other dedicated centres over the subsequent 15 years laid the foundation for heart transplantation to become a well-established form of therapy for end-stage cardiac disease. During this period from 1968 to 1983, Chris Barnard and his team continued to make major contributions to organ transplantation, notably the development of the heterotopic ( 'piggy-back') heart transplants; advancing the concept of brain death, organ donation and other related ethical issues; better preservation and protection of the donor heart (including hypothermic perfusion storage of the heart; studies on the haemodynamic and metabolic effects of brain death; and even early attempts at xenotransplantation.

  14. Paradoxical helminthiasis and giardiasis in Cape Town, South Africa: epidemiology and control.

    PubMed

    Adams, Vera J; Markus, Miles B; Adams, Joanita F A; Jordaan, Esme; Curtis, Bronwyn; Dhansay, Muhammad A; Obihara, Charlie C; Fincham, John E

    2005-09-01

    South Africa has endorsed a World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution calling for control of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). In Cape Town, services and housing that exist in old-established suburbs should minimise the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections, even when residents are poor. Where families live in shacks in densely-populated areas without effective sanitation, more than 90% of children can be infected by STHs. The humoral immune response to worms theoretically favours infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and HIV. Obtain estimates of gender-, age-, school-related and overall prevalence of helminthiasis and giardiasis in a low-income but well-serviced community. Assess possible sources of infection. Alert health services to the need for control measures and the threat from protozoal pathogens. Warn that the immune response to intestinal parasites may favour tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS. A cross-sectional study of the prevalence of helminthiasis and giardiasis was carried out in a large, non-selective sample of children attending nine schools. Gender, school and age effects were related to non-medical preventive services, sewage disposal practices and possible sources of infection. The overall STH infestation rate was 55.8%. Prevalence was inluenced by school and age but not by gender. Eggs and cysts were seen at the following prevalence: Ascaris 24.8%; Trichuris 50.6%; Hymenolepis nana 2.2%; Enterobius 0.6%; Giardia 17.3%; hookworm 0.08%; and Trichostrongylus 0.1%. Approximately 60% of sewage sludge is used in a form that will contain viable eggs and cysts. Prevalence trends in this old community in Cape Town could indicate infection by swallowing eggs or cysts on food or in water, more than by exposure to polluted soil. Sewage sludge and effluent might be sources of infection. In adjacent, under serviced, newer communities, promiscuous defecation occurs. Probable vectors are discussed. The immune response to intestinal parasites might be a

  15. Object Lessons: Teaching Math through the Visual Arts, K-5

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holtzman, Caren; Susholtz, Lynn

    2011-01-01

    When Caren Holtzman and Lynn Susholtz look around a classroom, they see "a veritable goldmine of mathematical investigations" involving number, measurement, size, shape, symmetry, ratio, and proportion. They also think of the ways great artists have employed these concepts in their depictions of objects and space--for example, Picasso's use of…

  16. Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water by Coagulation/Filtration U.S. EPA Demonstration Project at Town of Felton, DE, Final Performance Evaluation Report

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report documents the activities performed during and the results obtained from the arsenic removal treatment technology demonstration project at the Town of Felton, DE. The objectives of the project were to evaluate: (1) the effectiveness of Kinetico’s FM-348-AS coagulation...

  17. When students become patients: TB disease among medical undergraduates in Cape Town, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Van der Westhuizen, Helene-Mari; Dramowski, Angela

    2017-05-24

    Medical students acquire latent tuberculosis (TB) infection at a rate of 23 cases/100 person-years. The frequency and impact of occupational TB disease in this population are unknown. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed via email and social media to current medical students and recently graduated doctors (2010 - 2015) at two medical schools in Cape Town. Individuals who had developed TB disease as undergraduate students were eligible to participate. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were analysed with descriptive statistics and a framework approach to identify emerging themes. Twelve individuals (10 female) reported a diagnosis of TB: pulmonary TB (n=6), pleural TB (n=3), TB lymphadenitis (n=2) and TB spine (n=1); 2/12 (17%) had drug-resistant disease (DR-TB). Mean diagnostic delay post consultation was 8.1 weeks, with only 42% of initial diagnoses being correct. Most consulted private healthcare providers (general practitioners (n=7); pulmonologists (n=4)), and nine underwent invasive procedures (bronchoscopy, pleural fluid aspiration and tissue biopsy). Substantial healthcare costs were incurred (mean ZAR25 000 for drug-sensitive TB, up to  ZAR104 000 for DR-TB). Students struggled to obtain treatment, incurred high transport costs and missed academic time. Students with DR-TB interrupted their studies and experienced severe side-effects (hepatotoxicity, depression and permanent ototoxicity). Most participants cited poor TB infection-control practices at their training hospitals as a major risk factor for occupational TB. Undergraduate medical students in Cape Town are at high risk of occupationally acquired TB, with an unmet need for comprehensive occupational health services and support.

  18. Epidemiological investigation of an outbreak of typhoid fever in Jorhat town of Assam, India

    PubMed Central

    Roy, Jashbeer Singh; Saikia, Lahari; Medhi, Mithu; Tassa, Dipak

    2016-01-01

    Background & objectives: Typhoid fever is a global health problem and is also endemic in India. An outbreak of fever occurred in January 2014 in Jorhat Town in Assam, India. Here we report the results of an investigation done to find out the aetiology and source of the outbreak. Methods: The affected areas were visited on January 23, 2014 by a team of Jorhat district Integrated Disease Surveillance Project personnel. A total of 13 blood samples from patients with fever as first symptom and six water samples were collected from the affected areas. The blood samples were cultured and isolates were identified using standard biochemical tests. Isolates were also tested for antimicrobial sensitivity. Widal test was performed on 10 of the 13 blood samples collected. Sanitary survey was carried out to find any leakage in the water supply and also the sewage system of the Jorhat town. Results: Blood culture yielded Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi in six (46.15%) patients whereas Widal test was positive in 10 (76.9%) of 13 patients. Water culture showed presumptive coliform count of >180/100 ml in two out of the six samples tested. Salmonella Typhi was also isolated from water culture of these two samples. Sanitary survey carried out in the affected places showed that the water supply pipes of urban water supply were in close proximity to the sewage drainage system and there were few leakages. Interpretation & conclusions: The outbreak occurred due to S. Typhi contaminating the water supply. Sanitation and immunization are the two most important components to be stressed to prevent such outbreaks. PMID:28256469

  19. Growth Management and Agriculture: An Examination of Local Efforts to Manage Growth and Preserve Farmland in Wisconsin Cities, Villages, and Towns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Diaz, Daniel; Green, Gary Paul

    2001-01-01

    In this paper we examine the effectiveness of growth management policies in Wisconsin cities, villages, and towns. Unlike most other studies, we consider the impact of growth management policies on agriculture, specifically the preservation of farmland, in addition to population growth. Our analysis examines these relationships separately in towns…

  20. Interest of Grade Ten Students toward Physics among Other Science Subjects, Case of Wolaita Soddo Town Governmental Secondary Schools, Ethiopia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamelo, Shewangzaw

    2016-01-01

    This paper has proposed to investigate the interest in students towards physics among other science subjects. The investigation was carried out with 490 samples of grade ten students in Wolaita Soddo town governmental schools. Thus, overall result indicates that the interest in students towards physics is low and students hate to learn physics in…

  1. Estimates of CO2 fluxes over the city of Cape Town, South Africa, through Bayesian inverse modelling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nickless, Alecia; Rayner, Peter J.; Engelbrecht, Francois; Brunke, Ernst-Günther; Erni, Birgit; Scholes, Robert J.

    2018-04-01

    We present a city-scale inversion over Cape Town, South Africa. Measurement sites for atmospheric CO2 concentrations were installed at Robben Island and Hangklip lighthouses, located downwind and upwind of the metropolis. Prior estimates of the fossil fuel fluxes were obtained from a bespoke inventory analysis where emissions were spatially and temporally disaggregated and uncertainty estimates determined by means of error propagation techniques. Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) fluxes from biogenic processes were obtained from the land atmosphere exchange model CABLE (Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange). Uncertainty estimates were based on the estimates of net primary productivity. CABLE was dynamically coupled to the regional climate model CCAM (Conformal Cubic Atmospheric Model), which provided the climate inputs required to drive the Lagrangian particle dispersion model. The Bayesian inversion framework included a control vector where fossil fuel and NEE fluxes were solved for separately.Due to the large prior uncertainty prescribed to the NEE fluxes, the current inversion framework was unable to adequately distinguish between the fossil fuel and NEE fluxes, but the inversion was able to obtain improved estimates of the total fluxes within pixels and across the domain. The median of the uncertainty reductions of the total weekly flux estimates for the inversion domain of Cape Town was 28 %, but reach as high as 50 %. At the pixel level, uncertainty reductions of the total weekly flux reached up to 98 %, but these large uncertainty reductions were for NEE-dominated pixels. Improved corrections to the fossil fuel fluxes would be possible if the uncertainty around the prior NEE fluxes could be reduced. In order for this inversion framework to be operationalised for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of emissions from Cape Town, the NEE component of the CO2 budget needs to be better understood. Additional measurements of Δ14C and δ13C isotope

  2. Comparisons of Lasker's coefficient of relationship in a Venezuelan town in two different periods.

    PubMed

    Pinto-Cisternas, J; Zimmer, E; Barrai, I

    1990-01-01

    A formula for the standard error of Lasker's coefficient of relationship Ri derived from isonymy is proposed, and used to test for differences in relationship in two groups of pairs of spouses from the town of Quibor in Venezuela sampled one century apart. From analysis of the relationship, it was possible to attribute population growth also to immigration. Further, the study of the values of Ri showed that the surnames belonging to the male line are more frequent and stable in this population, which is characterized by a predominantly agricultural activity. From the analysis of the coefficients of relationship, the population of Quibor is also classified as patrilocal.

  3. Caries occurrence in a fluoridated and a nonfluoridated town in Finland: a retrospective study using longitudinal data from public dental records.

    PubMed

    Seppä, L; Hausen, H; Kärkkäinen, S; Larmas, M

    2002-01-01

    The tap water of Kuopio, Finland, was fluoridated from 1959 to 1992. In the first decade of fluoridation, children in Kuopio had lower DMF values than children in Jyväskylä, a nearby low-fluoride town, but later differences between the towns have been small and inconsistent. The present study aimed to gain further insight into caries occurrence in Kuopio and Jyväskylä using longitudinal tooth-specific data from public health records on cohorts born in 1970/71 and 1980/81 (total n = 1,503). Survival analyses were used to summarize the tooth-specific times elapsed between eruption and the first filling (used as a proxy for dental caries). Generally, the first filling was placed sooner after eruption in the 1970/71 cohort than in the 1980/81 cohort. The curves for the two towns were virtually identical except for the first molars of the 1970/71 cohort, for which the percentage of filled first molars was consistently lower in Jyväskylä than in Kuopio. This study indicates that, among children and adolescents whose permanent teeth erupted in the mid-1970s or thereafter, even a longitudinal approach did not reveal a lower caries occurrence in the fluoridated than in the low-fluoride reference community. The main reason for the modest effect of water fluoridation in Finnish circumstances is probably the widespread use of other measures for caries prevention. The children have been exposed to such intense efforts to increase tooth resistance that the effect of water fluoridation does not show up any more. The results must not be extrapolated to countries with less intensive preventive dental care. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

  4. Impact of the 2010 FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup on Pediatric Injury and Mortality in Cape Town, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Zroback, Chris; Levin, David; Manlhiot, Cedric; Alexander, Angus; van As, Ab Sebastian; Azzie, Georges

    2014-02-01

    To examine how a mass-gathering event (the Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup, 2010, South Africa) impacts trauma and mortality in the pediatric (≤ 18 years) population. We investigated pediatric emergency visits at Cape Town's 3 largest public trauma centers and 3 private hospital groups, as well as deaths investigated by the 3 city mortuaries. We compared the 31 days of World Cup with equivalent periods from 2007-2009, and with the 2 weeks before and after the event. We also looked at the World Cup period in isolation and compared days with and without games in Cape Town. There was significantly decreased pediatric trauma volume during the World Cup, approximately 2/100,000 (37%) fewer injuries per day, compared with 2009 and to both pre- and post-World Cup control periods (P < .001). This decrease occurred within a majority of injury subtypes, but did not change mortality. There were temporal fluctuations in emergency visits corresponding with local match start time, with fewer all-cause emergency visits during the 5 hours surrounding this time (-16.4%, P = .01), followed by a subsequent spike (+26.2%, P = .02). There was an increase in trauma 12 hours following matches (+15.6%, P = .06). In Cape Town, during the 2010 Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup, there were fewer emergency department visits for traumatic injury. Furthermore, there were fewer all-cause pediatric emergency department visits during hometown matches. These results will assist in planning for future mass-gathering events. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Prevalence of Cannabis Use Disorder and Associated Factors among Cannabis Young Adult Users at Shashemene Town, Oromia Region, Ethiopia, 2016

    PubMed Central

    Tullu, Mikiyas; Azale, Telake; Solomon, Haddis; Habtamu, Yodit

    2018-01-01

    Introduction Cannabis users are at high risk of developing cannabis use disorder which is a problematic pattern of cannabis use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress. Objective To assess the magnitude of cannabis use disorder and associated factors among young adults using cannabis at Shashemene Town, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at Shashemene Town, from May to June 2016. Young adults aged 18–25 who use cannabis and are permanent residents of Shashemene were included in the study. Using single proportion formula, 423 participants were selected using exponential discriminative snow ball sampling. Result This study revealed that the magnitude of cannabis use disorder was 42.2%. The most contributing factors that remained to be statistically significant with cannabis use disorder were common mental disorder (AOR = 2.125, 95% CI: 1.218, 3.708), current cigarette smoking (AOR = 6.118, 95% CI: 2.13, 17.575), and current use of shisha (AOR = 4.313, 95% CI: 2.427, 7.664). Conclusion The magnitude of cannabis use disorder among young adults using cannabis was high. PMID:29670893

  6. The operation: A human cardiac transplant: An interim report of a successful operation performed at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town. Author: C N Barnard.

    PubMed

    Buchanan, Emma

    2017-11-28

    Article on the first heart transplant, performed at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, on 3 December 1967. Reprinted from the SAMJ of 30 December 1967 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the transplant.

  7. Tracing Variations within "Rural Habitus": An Explanation of Why Young Men Stay or Leave Isolated Rural Towns in Southwest Queensland

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Funnell, Robert

    2008-01-01

    An explanation is presented about what keeps young men in isolated rural areas. The purpose is to contribute a concrete analysis of habitus as used in educational research. Inadequacies in application of the term are demonstrated in research conducted on school and work by the author in a rural town. An analysis of changes from labour-intensive…

  8. Results of the radiological survey at the Town of Tonawanda Landfill, Tonawanda, New York (TNY001)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Murray, M.E.; Uziel, M.S.

    At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological survey at the Town of Tonawanda Landfill, Tonawanda, New York. The survey was performed in September 1991. The purpose of the survey was to determine if radioactive materials from work performed under government contract at the Linde Air Products Division of Union Carbide Corporation, Tonawanda, New York, had been deposited in the landfill. The survey included a surface gamma scan and the collection of soil samples for radionuclide analyses. Results of the survey suggest that material originating at the Lindemore » plant may have been deposited in the landfill. Soil samples S54 and B12 contained technologically enhanced levels of [sup 238]U not unlike the product formerly produced by the Linde plant. In contrast, samples B4A, B5A and B7B, containing elevated concentrations of [sup 226]Ra and [sup 230]Th with much lower concentrations of [sup 238]U, were similar to the residue or byproduct of the refinery operation conducted at the Linde plant. In 24 instances, soil samples from the Town of Tonawanda Landfill exceeded DOE guideline values for [sup 238]U, [sup 226]Ra, and/or [sup 230]Th in surface or subsurface soil. Nine of these samples contained radionuclide concentrations more than 30 times the guideline value.« less

  9. Lung cancer mortality in towns near paper, pulp and board industries in Spain: a point source pollution study

    PubMed Central

    Monge-Corella, Susana; García-Pérez, Javier; Aragonés, Nuria; Pollán, Marina; Pérez-Gómez, Beatriz; López-Abente, Gonzalo

    2008-01-01

    Background This study sought to ascertain whether there might be excess lung cancer mortality among the population residing in the vicinity of Spanish paper and board industries which report their emissions to the European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER). Methods This was an ecological study that modelled the Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR) for lung cancer in 8073 Spanish towns over the period 1994–2003. Population exposure to industrial pollution was estimated on the basis of distance from town of residence to pollution source. An exploratory, near-versus-far analysis was conducted, using mixed Poisson regression models and an analysis of the effect of municipal proximity within a 50-kilometre radius of each of the 18 installations. Results Results varied for the different facilities. In two instances there was an increasing mortality gradient with proximity to the installation, though this was exclusively observed among men. Conclusion The study of cancer mortality in areas surrounding pollutant foci is a useful tool for environmental surveillance, and serves to highlight areas of interest susceptible to being investigated by ad hoc studies. Despite present limitations, recognition is therefore due to the advance represented by publication of the EPER and the study of pollutant foci. PMID:18702814

  10. Age-related macular degeneration in Portugal: prevalence and risk factors in a coastal and an inland town. The Coimbra Eye Study - Report 2.

    PubMed

    Cachulo, Maria da Luz; Laíns, Inês; Lobo, Conceição; Figueira, João; Ribeiro, Luísa; Marques, João P; Costa, José; Vieira, António; Rodrigues, João; Alves, Dalila; Nunes, Sandrina; Costa, Miguel; Rodrigues, Victor; Cunha-Vaz, José; Delcourt, Cecile; Silva, Rufino

    2016-09-01

    To determine the age- and sex-specific prevalence of early and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in two Portuguese population-based samples and to identify its risk factors. A population of 6023 adults aged ≥55 years was recruited from two Portuguese primary healthcare units in the central region of Portugal - one from a coastal (n = 3000) and another from an inland town (n = 3023). Cross-sectional population-based study. Participants were enrolled in the two locations between August 2009 and October 2013. Responders underwent standardized interviews and ophthalmologic examination, including digital fundus imaging. All fundus photographs were graded according to an International Classification and Grading System. The main outcome measures consisted of age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of early and late AMD. Potential epidemiologic risk factors were also evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Of the 6023 subjects enrolled, 5996 had gradable fundus images and were included in the analysis. The crude prevalence of early and late AMD was 6.99 and 0.67%, respectively, for the coastal town and 15.39 and 1.29% for the inland town. Age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of any AMD for the Portuguese population was 12.48% (95% CI: 11.61-13.33) with late AMD accounting for 1.16% (95% CI: 0.85-1.46). Neovascular AMD (NV-AMD) and geographic atrophy (GA) accounted for 0.55% (95% CI: 0.36-0.75) and 0.61% (95% CI: 0.37-0.84) of individuals, respectively. After adjusting for possible confounding factors, prevalence of early and late AMD increased with increasing age (OR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.23-1.49 for early and OR = 3.01; 95% CI: 2.22-4.08 for late AMD, per each decade of age increase, p < 0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, family history, smoking history, hypertension, diabetes and BMI, subjects from the inland town presented a significantly higher OR of early and late AMD than subjects from the coastal town (OR = 2.57, 95% CI: 2.12-3.12, p < 0

  11. Estimating Air-Manganese Exposures in Two Ohio Towns ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Manganese (Mn), a nutrient required for normal metabolic function, is also a persistent air pollutant and a known neurotoxin at high concentrations. Elevated exposures can result in a number of motor and cognitive deficits. Quantifying chronic personal exposures in residential populations studied by environmental epidemiologists can be time-consuming and expensive. We developed an approach for quantifying chronic exposures for two towns (Marietta and East Liverpool, Ohio) with elevated air Mn concentrations (air-Mn) related to ambient emissions from industrial processes. This was accomplished through the use of measured and modeled data in the communities studied. A novel approach was developed because one of the facilities lacked emissions data for the purposes of modeling. A unit emission rate was assumed over the surface area of both source facilities, and offsite concentrations at receptor residences and air monitoring sites were estimated with the American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model (AERMOD). Ratios of all modeled receptor points were created, and a long-running air monitor was identified as a reference location. All ratios were normalized to the reference location. Long-term averages at all residential receptor points were calculated using modeled ratios and data from the reference monitoring location. Modeled five-year average air-Mn exposures ranged from 0.03-1.61 µg/m3 in Marietta and 0.01-6.32 µg/m3 in E

  12. Are Industrial Towns Safe for Human Dwelling?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singla, C.; Garg, S.; Aggarwal, R.; Jutla, A. S.

    2012-12-01

    Water resources in the developing countries are under severe stress with multiple stakeholders claiming rights to it. Regional industries, in absence to strict regulations, are responsible for dumping toxic wastes to rivers, ponds and other waterway which have devastating effects on water habitat as well as population that derives water for its daily needs. Key methodological challenges remain in connecting environment to levels of pollution and its relationship with diseases that affect humans. We present a case study from one of the highly industrialized town of South Asia. Ludhiana is the largest city and the largest urban settlement in Punjab, India. With the development of industry, agriculture and the growth of urban population, its water pollution has become a serious problem. Here, we will show how the distribution of heavy metals for groundwater affects its quality and role of regional hydrology on it. We will start with one of the major waterways in the Ludhiana district. Groundwater water samples including sewage water sample were collected within its vicinity of 2.0 km along the waterway (Buddha Nala). The concentration of nickel(Ni) and iron(Fe) in sewage water as well as in groundwater samples was much higher than the maximum permissible limits at a distance of 1.0 Km away from Buddha Nala. In general, all the groundwater samples collected beyond 1.0 Km away from Buddha Nala were found to be having normal concentrations of arsenic and Fe. We will also demonstrate regional health problems resulting from poor groundwater quality. Role of regional hydrology in modulating water quality will be discussed.

  13. Safe and Effective Secondary Schools: The Boys Town Model. Preventing Violence, Building Respect, and Promoting Learning in the Classroom and Beyond.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Jerry L., Ed.; Nelson, Cathy S., Ed.; Gauger, Elizabeth S., Ed.

    This book presents useful information on types and levels of aggression, how conflicts escalate, early warning signs of violence, and characteristics of a safe school. Violence prevention techniques, many based on principles that form the foundation of the Boys Town Education Model, show educators and administrators how to calm an angry or…

  14. Family Ties and Young Fathers’ Engagement in Cape Town, South Africa

    PubMed Central

    Clark, Shelley; Cotton, Cassandra; Marteleto, Leticia J.

    2015-01-01

    Young South African fathers are often engaged in their children’s lives even if they do not live together. Using longitudinal data on children (n = 1,209) from the Cape Town area, the authors show that although only 26% of young fathers live with their children, 66% of nonresidential fathers maintain regular contact, and 61% provide financial support. The father–child relationship, however, is embedded in broader family ties. The type of father–mother relationship is strongly associated with whether fathers coreside with their children, but not with fathers’ contact with nonresidential children. Close mother and maternal grandmother bonds reduce the likelihood that fathers live with their children, whereas close ties between fathers and paternal grandmothers increase the chance that fathers visit nonresidential children. Family ties do not affect fathers’ financial contributions, which are driven by men’s current economic situation. These findings illustrate that father–child relationships are best understood in the context of interacting family systems. PMID:25774066

  15. Social organization and control of tuberculosis: the experience of a Brazilian town.

    PubMed

    Bulgarelli, Alexandre Favero; Villa, Tereza Cristina Scatena; Pinto, Ione Carvalho

    2013-01-01

    This study was aimed at analyzing the participation of a committee formed by representatives of the community in tuberculosis control based on a participatory management model. This is a Case Study involving a tuberculosis committee with data collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with nine individuals. The data, organized through the Association of Ideas Map technique, were analyzed based on the Social Constructionism perspective. The participation of the Tuberculosis Committee studied was shown to be effective and associated with aspects articulated according to the measures taken by the social parties involved in the committee, culminating with assistances inserted into certain parts of the town's co-management. It was concluded that the reality of this case study shows that relationships among civil society can guide the management model in the search for effective processes of tuberculosis control.

  16. Temperature and relative humidity distributions in a medium-size administrative town in southwest Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Akinbode, O M; Eludoyin, A O; Fashae, O A

    2008-04-01

    This study was carried out in one of the medium-sized public administrative towns in the southwestern part of Nigeria. Its aim is to highlight the effect of spatial distribution of settlements, population, and socio-economic activities on urban air temperature and humidity in the town. Temperature and relative humidity data from 1992 to 2001 were obtained from three meteorological stations in Akure, the Administrative Capital of Ondo State, Nigeria. The stations are located within the Federal Ministry of Aviation, Akure Airport (FMA), Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) and Federal School of Agriculture (SOA). Air temperature and relative humidity measurements were also obtained from 27 points, which were cited to include road junctions, markets, built up areas, etc., using sling psychrometer. The data were subsequently analysed for spatial and temporal variations using statistical packages (SPSS and Microsoft Excel) and isolines. Actual vapour pressure and dew point temperature were computed using Magnus conversion formulae. The results obtained showed that spatial variation was insignificant, in terms of the temperature and humidity variables. The annual mean temperature (Tmean) ranged between 21.9 and 30.4 degrees C while minimum (Tmin) and maximum (Tmax) temperatures varied from 13 to 26 and 21.5-39.6 degrees C, respectively. Relative humidity (RH), actual vapour pressure (Es) and dew point temperature (Td) values also varied from 39.1% to 98.2%, 19.7-20.8 gm(-3), and 17.3-17.8 degrees C, respectively. A significant relationship (p>0.6; r<0.05) between Tmin, Es and Td was observed while the daytime 'urban heat island' intensity (UHI) ranged between 0.5 and 2.5 degrees C within the study period. The study concluded that there is influence of urban canopy on the microclimate of Akure, and hypothesizes that the urban dwellers may be subjected to some levels of weather related physiological disorderliness.

  17. Prevalence and Predictors of Intestinal Parasites among Food Handlers in Yebu Town, Southwest Ethiopia

    PubMed Central

    Tefera, Tamirat; Mebrie, Getye

    2014-01-01

    Background As a result of urbanization, eating and drinking from food service establishments is becoming a common practice in developing countries like Ethiopia, which increases the chances of food borne diseases. The health status and hygiene practices of food handlers are the major determinants of food contamination. In developing countries where there are poor regulatory systems for food hygiene, food handlers are often appointed without screening for possible infections associated with poor hygiene like intestinal parasites. Objective This study aimed at determining the prevalence and predictors of intestinal parasites and assessing the hygiene practices among food handlers in Yebu Town, southwest Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 118 food handlers in Yebu Town in January 2011. Fresh stool specimens were collected and processed using both direct wet mount and Formol ether concentration techniques. Results The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites among the study subjects was 44.1% (52/118). Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworm spp were the predominant parasites identified from the stool of study participants. Age above 35 years (AOR: 4.8, 95% CI: 1.1, 21.8), no regular practice of washing hands before a meal (AOR: 7.8, 95% CI: 2.8, 24.8), and untrimmed finger nail (AOR: 14.7, 95% CI: 2.8, 75.4) were independent predictors of intestinal parasitic infection among the food handlers. Conclusion The present study showed high prevalence of intestinal parasites among the study subjects. The study also revealed poor personal hygiene like poor practice of hand washing and poor finger nail hygiene. Therefore, much has to be done to improve the personal hygiene of the food handlers. Pre-placement and periodic screening of food handlers for parasites and prompt treatment, and health education on regular trimming or cleaning of fingernails would be the way forward for prevention of food borne diseases. PMID:25329050

  18. Prevalence and predictors of intestinal parasites among food handlers in Yebu Town, southwest Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Tefera, Tamirat; Mebrie, Getye

    2014-01-01

    As a result of urbanization, eating and drinking from food service establishments is becoming a common practice in developing countries like Ethiopia, which increases the chances of food borne diseases. The health status and hygiene practices of food handlers are the major determinants of food contamination. In developing countries where there are poor regulatory systems for food hygiene, food handlers are often appointed without screening for possible infections associated with poor hygiene like intestinal parasites. This study aimed at determining the prevalence and predictors of intestinal parasites and assessing the hygiene practices among food handlers in Yebu Town, southwest Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 118 food handlers in Yebu Town in January 2011. Fresh stool specimens were collected and processed using both direct wet mount and Formol ether concentration techniques. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites among the study subjects was 44.1% (52/118). Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworm spp were the predominant parasites identified from the stool of study participants. Age above 35 years (AOR: 4.8, 95% CI: 1.1, 21.8), no regular practice of washing hands before a meal (AOR: 7.8, 95% CI: 2.8, 24.8), and untrimmed finger nail (AOR: 14.7, 95% CI: 2.8, 75.4) were independent predictors of intestinal parasitic infection among the food handlers. The present study showed high prevalence of intestinal parasites among the study subjects. The study also revealed poor personal hygiene like poor practice of hand washing and poor finger nail hygiene. Therefore, much has to be done to improve the personal hygiene of the food handlers. Pre-placement and periodic screening of food handlers for parasites and prompt treatment, and health education on regular trimming or cleaning of fingernails would be the way forward for prevention of food borne diseases.

  19. Who Should Control the Behavior of Minors? A Focus on Attendance, Association, and Appearance. The LegiSchool Project. A Town Hall Meeting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Futernick, Ken; Arnstine, Barbara; Hodson, Timothy A.

    The LegiSchool Project, a collaboration between the California State University, Sacramento, and the California State Legislature, scheduled a town-hall meeting to discuss areas in which adults feel they must control the behavior of young people. Materials for educating meeting participants are contained in this report. Participants, which…

  20. Computer Applications in Information Systems. Proceedings of a Workshop (Cape Town, South Africa, November 26-27, 1985). Continuing Education Series Number 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bleimschein, Sue, Ed.

    Sixteen papers from a workshop on computer applications sponsored by the University of Cape Town (South Africa) School of Librarianship are presented in this volume: (1) "Introduction to the Use of Information Technology" (Sue Bleimschein); (2) "Searching Remote Databases" (Steve Rossouw); (3) "SABINET [South African Bibliographic and Information…

  1. Democratic Education and the "Strategy of Material Obstacles": A Pedagogical Approach to the Enforcement of Traffic Rules in a Greek Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benincasa, Luciana

    2016-01-01

    This paper is about people's relationship to laws, rules and regulations in a Greek town. The aim is to describe specific traffic policies, point out the underlying pedagogical assumptions and assess their potential effect in relation to the goals of a democratic education. The study springs from the author's experience as a non-native inhabitant…

  2. Evaluation of infection control advice for patients at risk of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in 2 pediatric oncology centers: Cape Town, South Africa, and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK.

    PubMed

    Woolner, Andrea Forman; Davidson, Alan; Skinner, Rod; King, Derek

    2012-02-01

    Childhood cancers are treated with myelotoxic chemotherapy. Resultant neutropenia can lead to life-threatening infections. There is no consistent guidance on infection control precautions for neutropenic patients who are not yet febrile or infected. Although it is not possible to eradicate infection risk, it is conceivable that the risk could be reduced by effective infection prevention. This study compared infection control measures advised to pediatric and adolescent oncology patients receiving chemotherapy in 2 centers (Cape Town, South Africa, and Newcastle, UK). Prospective, observational, cross-sectional surveys of staff and patients/parents were undertaken using standardized, study-specific questionnaires. Seventy-eight staff and 56 patients/parents participated. Precautions advised in Newcastle were significantly different to Cape Town (all P < .05), except both agreed inpatient isolation was unnecessary. Over 40% of patients/parents felt isolation was important (P < .01). In Cape Town, staff and patients had similar views. In Newcastle, patients/parents had stricter opinions on particular precautions than staff, for example, attending school, playing outside and avoiding busy places (P < .01). Patient/parent responses were similar between centers. Over 90% of staff felt advising patients/parents about hand washing was important. Currently infection prevention advice is inconsistent. Further research is needed to elucidate effective guidance for infection prevention in pediatric neutropenic patients.

  3. A survey of trainee specialists experiences at the University of Cape Town (UCT): Impacts of race and gender

    PubMed Central

    London, Leslie; Kalula, Sebastiana; Xaba, Bonga

    2009-01-01

    Background Efforts to redress racial and gender inequalities in the training of medical specialists has been a central part of a dedicated programme in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town (UCT). This study aimed to describe trends in race and gender profiles of postgraduate students in medical specialties (registrars) from 1999 to 2006 and to identify factors affecting recruitment and retention of black and female trainees. Method Review of faculty databases for race and gender data from 1999 to 2006. Distribution of an anonymous self-administered questionnaire to all registrars in 2005/2006. Results The percentage of African registrars doubled from 10% to 19% from 1999 to beyond 2002. The percentages of Africans, Coloureds and Indians rose steadily from 26% to 46% from 1999 to 2005, as did that of women from 27% to 44%. The institution's perceived good reputation, being an alumnus and originating from Cape Town were common reasons for choosing UCT for training. A quarter of respondents reported knowledge of a friend who decided against studying at UCT for reasons which included anticipated racial discrimination. Black respondents (23%), particularly African (50%), were more likely to describe registrarship at UCT as unwelcoming than white respondents (12%). Specific instances of personal experience of discrimination were uncommon and not associated with respondents' race or gender. Registrars who had had a child during registrarship and those reporting discrimination were more likely to rate the learning and research environment as poor (Odds Ratio, 4.01; 95% CI 0.98 – 16.47 and 1.99 95% CI 0.57 – 6.97, respectively). Conclusion The proportion of black and female registrars at the University of Cape Town has increased steadily from 1999 to 2006, most likely a result of systematic equity policies and procedures adopted in the faculty during this period. The data point to a need for policies to make the institution more welcoming to

  4. Leukemia-related mortality in towns lying in the vicinity of metal production and processing installations.

    PubMed

    García-Pérez, Javier; López-Cima, María Felicitas; Boldo, Elena; Fernández-Navarro, Pablo; Aragonés, Nuria; Pollán, Marina; Pérez-Gómez, Beatriz; López-Abente, Gonzalo

    2010-10-01

    Releases to the environment of toxic substances stemming from industrial metal production and processing installations can pose a health problem to populations in their vicinity. To investigate whether there might be excess leukemia-related mortality in populations residing in towns in the vicinity of Spanish metal industries included in the European Pollutant Emission Register. Ecologic study designed to examine mortality due to leukemia at a municipal level, during the period 1994-2003. Population exposure to pollution was estimated on the basis of distance from town of residence to pollution source. Using Poisson regression models, we analyzed: risk of dying from leukemia in a 5-kilometer zone around installations which had become operational prior to 1990; effect of pollution discharge route and type of industrial activity; and risk gradient within a 50-kilometer radius of such installations. Excess mortality (relative risk, 95% confidence interval) was detected in the vicinity of pre-1990 installations (1.07, 1.02-1.13 in men; 1.05, 1.00-1.11 in women), with this being more elevated in the case of installations that released pollution to air versus water. On stratifying by type of industrial activity, statistically significant associations were also observed among women residing in the vicinity of galvanizing installations (1.58, 1.09-2.29) and surface-treatment installations using an electrolytic or chemical process (1.34, 1.10-1.62), which released pollution to air. There was an effect whereby risk increased with proximity to certain installations. The results suggest an association between risk of dying due to leukemia and proximity to Spanish metal industries. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Impacts of Vegetation and Urban planning on micro climate in Hashtgerd new Town

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sodoudi, S.; Langer, I.; Cubasch, U.

    2012-12-01

    One of the objectives of climatological part of project Young Cities 'Developing Energy-Efficient Urban Fabric in the Tehran-Karaj Region' is to simulate the micro climate (with 1m resolution) in 35ha of new town Hashtgerd, which is located 65 km far from mega city Tehran. The Project aims are developing, implementing and evaluating building and planning schemes and technologies which allow to plan and build sustainable, energy-efficient and climate sensible form mass housing settlements in arid and semi-arid regions ("energy-efficient fabric"). Climate sensitive form also means designing and planning for climate change and its related effects for Hashtgerd New Town. By configuration of buildings and open spaces according to solar radiation, wind and vegetation, climate sensitive urban form can create outdoor thermal comfort. To simulate the climate on small spatial scales, the micro climate model Envi-met has been used to simulate the micro climate in 35 ha. The Eulerian model ENVI-met is a micro-scale climate model which gives information about the influence of architecture and buildings as well as vegetation and green area on the micro climate up to 1 m resolution. Envi-met has been run with information from topography, downscaled climate data with neuro-fuzzy method, meteorological measurements, building height and different vegetation variants (low and high number of trees) Through the optimal Urban Design and Planning for the 35ha area the micro climate results shows, that with vegetation the micro climate in street canopies will be change: - 2 m temperature is decreased by about 2 K - relative humidity increase by about 10 % - soil temperature is decreased by about 3 K - wind speed is decreased by about 60% The style of buildings allows free movement of air, which is of high importance for fresh air supply. The increase of inbuilt areas in 35 ha reduces the heat island effect through cooling caused by vegetation and increase of air humidity which caused by

  6. Physical Activity of Male and Female Adolescents Living in a Town and a City in the Context of Public Health Recommendations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mynarski, Wladyslaw; Nawrocka, Agnieszka; Rozpara, Michal; Garbaciak, Wieslaw

    2012-01-01

    Study aim: To assess the physical activity of male and female adolescents from Poland living in a town (Czechowice-Dziedzice) and in a city (Katowice). Material and methods: The research involved 431 high school students aged 16-18 years (249 from Czechowice-Dziedzice and 182 from Katowice). Physical activity was measured by the short form of the…

  7. A Literature-Based Basal Reader's Effects on Student Achievement: An Evaluation of Literature-Based Basal Textbook Adoption at Terre Town Elementary.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burk, Anne

    An ex post facto study examined third grade students' achievement test scores both before and after the adoption of a literature-based basal reading text. The experimental groups consisted of five third grade classes at Terre Town Elementary School (Indiana) for each of the years 1988 through 1993. Mean scores were plotted and data were visually…

  8. Tri Community Watershed Initiative: Towns of Black Diamond, Turner Valley and Okotoks, Alberta, Canada Promoting Sustainable Behaviour in Watersheds and Communities

    Treesearch

    Maureen Lynch

    2006-01-01

    For the past two years, three rural municipalities in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies have been working together to promote sustainability in their communities. The towns share the belief that water is an integral part of the community; they have formed a Tri Community Watershed Initiative to help manage their shared resource. Activities of the Initiative include...

  9. A qualitative study of methamphetamine initiation in Cape Town, South Africa

    PubMed Central

    Hobkirk, Andréa L.; Watt, Melissa H.; Myers, Bronwyn; Skinner, Donald; Meade, Christina S.

    2015-01-01

    Background Despite a significant rise in methamphetamine use in low- and middle-income countries, there has been little empirical examination of the factors that contribute to individuals’ initiation of methamphetamine use in these settings. The goal of this study was to qualitatively examine factors associated with methamphetamine initiation in South Africa. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 active methamphetamine users (13 women and 17 men) in Cape Town, South Africa. Interviews included narrative descriptions of the circumstances surrounding methamphetamine initiation. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and translated. Transcripts were analyzed with document memos, data display matrices, and a constant comparison technique to identify themes. Results On average, participants began regularly using methamphetamine around age 21 and had used for seven years. Four major themes emerged related to the initiation of methamphetamine use. The prevalence of methamphetamine users and distributors made the drug convenient and highly accessible to first time users. Methamphetamine has increased in popularity and is considered “trendy”, which contributes to social pressure from friends, and less often, family members to initiate use. Initiation is further fueled by a lack of opportunities for recreation and employment, which leads to boredom and curiosity about the rumored positive effects of the drug. Young people also turn to methamphetamine use and distribution through gang membership as an attempt to generate income in impoverished communities with limited economic opportunities. Finally, participants described initiating methamphetamine as a means of coping with the cumulative stress and psychological burden provoked by the high rates of violence and crime in areas of Cape Town. Conclusion The findings highlight the complex nature of methamphetamine initiation in low- and middle-income countries like South Africa. There is a need for

  10. A qualitative study of methamphetamine initiation in Cape Town, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Hobkirk, Andréa L; Watt, Melissa H; Myers, Bronwyn; Skinner, Donald; Meade, Christina S

    2016-04-01

    Despite a significant rise in methamphetamine use in low- and middle-income countries, there has been little empirical examination of the factors that contribute to individuals' initiation of methamphetamine use in these settings. The goal of this study was to qualitatively examine factors associated with methamphetamine initiation in South Africa. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 active methamphetamine users (13 women and 17 men) in Cape Town, South Africa. Interviews included narrative descriptions of the circumstances surrounding methamphetamine initiation. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and translated. Transcripts were analyzed with document memos, data display matrices, and a constant comparison technique to identify themes. On average, participants began regularly using methamphetamine around age 21 and had used for seven years. Four major themes emerged related to the initiation of methamphetamine use. The prevalence of methamphetamine users and distributors made the drug convenient and highly accessible to first time users. Methamphetamine has increased in popularity and is considered "trendy", which contributes to social pressure from friends, and less often, family members to initiate use. Initiation is further fueled by a lack of opportunities for recreation and employment, which leads to boredom and curiosity about the rumored positive effects of the drug. Young people also turn to methamphetamine use and distribution through gang membership as an attempt to generate income in impoverished communities with limited economic opportunities. Finally, participants described initiating methamphetamine as a means of coping with the cumulative stress and psychological burden provoked by the high rates of violence and crime in areas of Cape Town. The findings highlight the complex nature of methamphetamine initiation in low- and middle-income countries like South Africa. There is a need for community-level interventions to address the

  11. Upstream ecological risks for overweight and obesity among African American youth in a rural town in the Deep South, 2007.

    PubMed

    Scott, Alison J; Wilson, Rebecca F

    2011-01-01

    Few studies have focused on overweight and obesity among rural African American youth in the Deep South, despite disproportionately high rates in this group. In addition, few studies have been conducted to elucidate how these disparities are created and perpetuated within rural communities in this region. This descriptive study explores community-based risks for overweight and obesity among African American youth in a rural town in the Deep South. We used ecological theory in conjunction with embodiment theory to explore how upstream ecological factors may contribute to risk of overweight and obesity for African American youth in a rural town in the Deep South. We conducted and analyzed in-depth interviews with African American community members who interact with youth in varying contexts (home, school, church, community). Participants most commonly stated that race relations, poverty, and the built environment were barriers to maintaining a healthy weight. Findings suggested the need for rural, community-based interventions that target obesity at multiple ecological levels and incorporate issues related to race, poverty, and the built environment. More research is needed to determine how disparities in obesity are created and perpetuated in specific community contexts.

  12. A household survey of medicine storage practices in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Teni, Fitsum Sebsibe; Surur, Abdrrahman Shemsu; Belay, Assefa; Wondimsigegn, Dawit; Gelayee, Dessalegn Asmelashe; Shewamene, Zewdneh; Legesse, Befikadu; Birru, Eshetie Melese

    2017-03-09

    Household surveys are crucial to get accurate information on how medicines are acquired, and used by consumers, as they provide the best evidence in the area. The objective of this study was to document household medicine storage practices in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted from April 5 to May 6, 2015. In the study, 809 households were surveyed from four sub-cities in the town selected through multistage sampling with 771 included in the final analysis. Data on the extent of storage, storage conditions, sources of medicines and their current status among others were collected through structured interviews and observations. The data were entered in to Epidata version 3.1, exported to and analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Of the 771 households in the study, 44.2% stored medicines. Presence of family members with chronic illness(es) and higher levels of household incomes predicted higher likelihood of medicine storage. In the households which allowed observation of stored medicines (n = 299), a mean of 1.85 [SD = 1.09] medicines per household were found. By category, anti-infectives for systemic use (23.9%), medicines for alimentary tract and metabolism (19.2%) and those for cardiovascular system (17.7%) ranked top. Among individual medicines stored, diclofenac (10.7%), paracetamol (9.9%) and amoxicillin (8.0%) were on top of the list. Dispensaries (97.8%) and physicians (83.5%) were almost exclusive sources of medicines and advices/orders for medicines respectively. Nearly two-thirds of the medicines found were on use and a vast majority (76.5%) were stored in chests of drawers. Proportion of expired medicines was very low (3.14%). The use of physicians' and pharmacists' advice to get medicines; use of dispensaries as principal sources, large proportion of medicines being in use and very low proportion of expiry showed good practices. However, storage places of

  13. Poverty and psychological health among AIDS-orphaned children in Cape Town, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Cluver, Lucie; Gardner, Frances; Operario, Don

    2009-06-01

    This study examined associations between AIDS-orphanhood status, poverty indicators, and psychological problems (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, peer problems, delinquency, conduct problems) among children and adolescents in townships surrounding Cape Town, South Africa. One thousand and twenty-five children and adolescents completed standardized and culturally sensitive cross-sectional surveys. Children orphaned by AIDS had more psychological problems including depression, peer problems, post-traumatic stress, and conduct problems. Specific poverty indicators including food security, access to social welfare grants, employment in the household and access to school were associated with better psychological health. Poverty indicators mediated associations of AIDS-orphanhood with psychological problems. Food security showed the most consistent association with reduced psychological problems. Poverty alleviation measures have the potential to improve psychological health for AIDS-orphaned children in South African townships.

  14. Lead exposure from soil in Peruvian mining towns: a national assessment supported by two contrasting examples

    PubMed Central

    Bravo, Carolina; Gil, Vladimir; Sherpa, Shaky; Jack, Darby

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Objective To estimate the population of Peru living in the vicinity of active or former mining operations that could be exposed to lead from contaminated soil. Methods Geographic coordinates were compiled for 113 active mines, 138 ore processing plants and 3 smelters, as well as 7743 former mining sites. The population living within 5 km of these sites was calculated from census data for 2000. In addition, the lead content of soil in the historic mining town of Cerro de Pasco and around a recent mine and ore processing plant near the city of Huaral was mapped in 2009 using a hand-held X-ray fluorescence analyser. Findings Spatial analysis indicated that 1.6 million people in Peru could be living within 5 km of an active or former mining operation. Two thirds of the population potentially exposed was accounted for by 29 clusters of mining operations, each with a population of over 10 000 each. These clusters included 112 active and 3438 former mining operations. Soil lead levels exceeded 1200 mg/kg, a reference standard for residential soil, in 35 of 74 sites tested in Cerro de Pasco but in only 4 of 47 sites tested around the newer operations near Huaral. Conclusion Soil contamination with lead is likely to be extensive in Peruvian mining towns but the level of contamination is spatially far from uniform. Childhood exposure by soil ingestion could be substantially reduced by mapping soil lead levels, making this information public and encouraging local communities to isolate contaminated areas from children. PMID:23284193

  15. Lead exposure from soil in Peruvian mining towns: a national assessment supported by two contrasting examples.

    PubMed

    van Geen, Alexander; Bravo, Carolina; Gil, Vladimir; Sherpa, Shaky; Jack, Darby

    2012-12-01

    To estimate the population of Peru living in the vicinity of active or former mining operations that could be exposed to lead from contaminated soil. Geographic coordinates were compiled for 113 active mines, 138 ore processing plants and 3 smelters, as well as 7743 former mining sites. The population living within 5 km of these sites was calculated from census data for 2000. In addition, the lead content of soil in the historic mining town of Cerro de Pasco and around a recent mine and ore processing plant near the city of Huaral was mapped in 2009 using a hand-held X-ray fluorescence analyser. Spatial analysis indicated that 1.6 million people in Peru could be living within 5 km of an active or former mining operation. Two thirds of the population potentially exposed was accounted for by 29 clusters of mining operations, each with a population of over 10 000 each. These clusters included 112 active and 3438 former mining operations. Soil lead levels exceeded 1200 mg/kg, a reference standard for residential soil, in 35 of 74 sites tested in Cerro de Pasco but in only 4 of 47 sites tested around the newer operations near Huaral. Soil contamination with lead is likely to be extensive in Peruvian mining towns but the level of contamination is spatially far from uniform. Childhood exposure by soil ingestion could be substantially reduced by mapping soil lead levels, making this information public and encouraging local communities to isolate contaminated areas from children.

  16. [First evidence for breeding Aedes aegypti L in the area of Greater Sochi and in some towns of Abkhasia].

    PubMed

    Iunicheva, Iu V; Riabova, T E; Markovich, N Ia; Bezzhonova, O V; Ganushkina, L A; Semenov, V B; Tarkhov, G A; Vasilenko, L E; Guzeeva, T M; Shevereva, T V; Sergiev, V P

    2008-01-01

    A preliminary survey of some widely spaced settlements in Greater Sochi (and in the city of Sochi) in a period of late July to early October 2007 has revealed man-biting females and swarming males of Aedes aegypti females indoors and outdoors. Man-biting Ae. aegypti females, like males swarming nearby, were also present in the town of Gudauta under study in September (the males and females of this species were found on one-day youngsters in the animal houses) and in the suburbs of the town of Sukhumi (Republic of Abkhazia). Ae. aegypti breeding places and larvae were revealed at the back of houses in Gudauta. Detection of not only males, but also females and preimagoes of this species suggests that a local breeding Ae. aegypti population is available in this area. The findings show that a local breeding population of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes has reemerged in the inspected area of the Black Sea coast (Tuapse-Sukhumi) with a humid Mediterranean climate after 35-40-year absence. Prevention of outbreaks of menacing human arbovirus diseases in the importation of their pathogens to the health resort-tourist area of the Caucasian Black-Sea coast requires urgent organization of a continuous entomological service for environmental monitoring, organization, and implementation of measures to eradicate Ae. aegypti.

  17. Workforce Education and Two Important Viewpoints

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dennis, Dawn Holley; Hudson, Clemente Charles

    2007-01-01

    Workforce Education appears to be a goldmine in the state of Florida. As of December 2003, annual job growth statistics reveal that Florida ranked number one in the nation in new jobs and tied for number one in percent change relative to other populous states (Georgia, Texas, New Jersey, and New York). The purpose of Florida's Workforce Education…

  18. Enhancing Spiritualism in Virtual World

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dangwal, Kiran Lata; Singh, Shireesh Pal

    2012-01-01

    Spiritualism is one word which puts man on the highest plinth of life. Spirituality is the way we find meaning, hope, comfort and inner peace in life. Spirituality in the virtual World is generally known as Virtual Spirituality. A goldmine of wisdom from all kinds of religious and spiritual philosophies, traditions and practices can be found in…

  19. Immigration and earnings inequality in America's new small-town destinations.

    PubMed

    Hyde, Allen; Pais, Jeremy; Wallace, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Research on the relationship between immigrant population concentration and earnings inequality is divided between two perspectives. Supply-side arguments maintain that areas attracting large numbers of immigrants experience minimal wage growth at the bottom of the earnings distribution, which increases local levels of earnings inequality. Demand-side arguments contend that industrial restructuring reduces the pay of manual labor regardless of, and even prior to, the arrival of foreign-born workers. Adjudicating between these two perspectives is hindered by issues of potential endogeneity, which confound attempts to independently assess the effects of immigration on inequality or vice versa using OLS regression. We consider a third perspective called the reciprocal effects hypothesis which contends that immigrant concentration and earnings inequality emerge together through a mutually reinforcing feedback process. We explore this question in America's "new small-town destinations" using data from U.S. micropolitan statistical areas. We use three-stage least squares estimation to address the endogeneity problem and to test these three hypotheses. While we find support for both the supply- and demand-side perspectives, the results are best explained by the reciprocal effects hypothesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Urban infrastructure and natural resource flows: evidence from Cape Town.

    PubMed

    Hyman, Katherine

    2013-09-01

    The current economic development trajectory is fundamentally unsustainable. However, decoupling economic growth from excessive natural resource consumption can be adopted as a means to deviate from this current trajectory. Decoupling enables economic growth and human development through non-material growth, without the environmental and social casualties of the incumbent model. Cities are the current and future context for socio development as well as a significant part of the cause and solution to sustainability challenges. Cities account for the majority of production and consumption activities leading to environmental degradation, and they are also the primary location for economic, institutional, and human capital. Innovative responses to global challenges generally emerge during the interaction between these kinds of capital. This paper presents the case of three of Cape Town's resource flows namely; electricity, water and solid waste, as mediated by networked urban infrastructure, to demonstrate the possibility of urban scale decoupling. Conclusions indicate that while decoupling can occur at the city scale, it is unlikely to be sufficient for the realization of sustainable urban development. Purposive interventions are therefore critical for successful, sustainable urban transitions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. A comparative assessment of the price, brands and pack characteristics of illicitly traded cigarettes in five cities and towns in South Africa

    PubMed Central

    Wherry, Anna E; McCray, Cheyenne A; Adedeji-Fajobi, Temidayo I; Sibiya, Xolani; Ucko, Peter; Lebina, Limakatso; Golub, Jonathan E; Cohen, Joanna E; Martinson, Neil A

    2014-01-01

    Objective The prevalence of illicitly traded cigarettes in South Africa has been reported to be 40–50%. However, these estimates do not account for the more nuanced characteristics of the illicit cigarette trade. With the goal of better understanding contraband cigarettes in South Africa, this study piloted three methods for assessing the price, brands, pack features and smoker's views about illicit cigarettes in five cities/towns. Data were collected in June and July 2012. Setting A convenience sample of three South African cities (Johannesburg, Durban and Nelspruit) and two smaller towns (Musina and Ficksburg) were chosen for this study. Outcome measures Three cross-sectional approaches were used to assess the characteristics of contraband cigarettes: (1) a dummy purchase of cigarettes from informal retailers, (2) the collection of discarded cigarette packs and (3) a survey of tobacco smokers. Participants For the purposes of the survey, 40 self-reported smokers were recruited at taxi ranks in each downtown site. Adults who were over the age of 18 were asked to verbally consent to participate in the study and answer a questionnaire administered by a researcher. Results The leading reason for labelling a pack as illicit in each city/town was the absence of an excise stamp (28.6% overall), and the least common reason was an illegal tar or nicotine level (11.1% overall). The overall proportion of informal vendors who sold illicit cigarettes was 41%. Singles and packs of 20 were consistently cheaper at informal vendors. Survey participants’ responses reflected varied perspectives on illicit cigarettes and purchasing preferences. Conclusions Each approach generated an interesting insight into physical aspects of illicit cigarettes. While this pilot study cannot be used to generate generalisable statistics on illicit cigarettes, more systematic surveys of this nature could inform researchers’ and practitioners’ initiatives to combat illicit and legal cigarette

  2. "Oh I Do Like to Be beside the Seaside": Opportunity Structures for Four Un/Underemployed Young People Living in English Coastal Towns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reid, Hazel; Westergaard, Jane

    2017-01-01

    Long-term unemployed young people are a "social concern" in many countries. The focus for research is usually cities, but may also include rural areas. The qualitative study described in this paper focuses instead on four young people living in coastal towns in South East England. The study suggests that their experiences in education…

  3. Flexible Weaving: Investigating the Teaching and Learning Opportunities in the Practices of Theatre-Makers and Performers from Selected Townships in Cape Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morris, Gay

    2013-01-01

    In 2005-2009, the author researched the theatre-making practices of young people in selected black townships near Cape Town, South Africa. Township theatre groups comprised secondary school learners and out-of-school youth who join together to learn about and make theatre, perform and watch each other. These theatre practitioners do not describe…

  4. Self-reported drug use among secondary school students in two rapidly developing Nigerian towns.

    PubMed

    Nevadomsky, J

    1982-01-01

    A 32-item standardized multiple-choice and open-ended questionnaire was completed by nearly 500 male and female secondary school students in two rapidly developing Nigerian towns. About two thirds of the students reported some exposure to alcohol, and about one quarter reported some experience with tobacco. There was much less use of caffeine, methaqualone in combination with diphenhydramine, 2-ethylamino-3-phenylorcamphane in combination with vitamins, chlordiazepoxide, diazepam, cannabis and dexamphetamine. Many students fell into the "past use" category. Parents were extremely disapproving of the use of almost any drug. Many students supported stronger penalties for the use of cannabis. Non-users claimed that drugs were dangerous to health. In addition, religious beliefs were associated with abstinence from drugs.

  5. High radiofrequency radiation at Stockholm Old Town: An exposimeter study including the Royal Castle, Supreme Court, three major squares and the Swedish Parliament.

    PubMed

    Hardell, Lennart; Carlberg, Michael; Koppel, Tarmo; Hedendahl, Lena

    2017-04-01

    Exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation was classified as a possible human carcinogen, Group 2B, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer at WHO in 2011. The exposure pattern is changing due to the rapid development of technology. Outdoor RF radiation level was measured during five tours in Stockholm Old Town in April, 2016 using the EME Spy 200 exposimeter with 20 predefined frequencies. The results were based on 10,437 samples in total. The mean level of the total RF radiation was 4,293 µW/m 2 (0.4293 µW/cm 2 ). The highest mean levels were obtained for global system for mobile communications (GSM) + universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) 900 downlink and long-term evolution (LTE) 2600 downlink (1,558 and 1,265 µW/m 2 , respectively). The town squares displayed highest total mean levels, with the example of Järntorget square with 24,277 µW/m 2 (min 257, max 173,302 µW/m 2 ). These results were in large contrast to areas with lowest total exposure, such as the Supreme Court, with a mean level of 404 µW/m 2 (min 20.4, max 4,088 µW/m 2 ). In addition, measurements in the streets surrounding the Royal Castle were lower than the total for the Old Town, with a mean of 756 µW/m 2 (min 0.3, max 50,967 µW/m 2 ). The BioInitiative 2012 Report defined the scientific benchmark for possible health risks as 30-60 µW/m 2 . Our results of outdoor RF radiation exposure at Stockholm Old Town are significantly above that level. The mean exposure level at Järntorget square was 405-fold higher than 60 µW/m 2 . Our results were below the reference level on 10,000,000 µW/m 2 established by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which, however, are less credible, as they do not take non-thermal effects into consideration and are not based on sound scientific evaluation. Our highest measured mean level at Järntorget was 0.24% of the ICNIRP level. A number of studies have found adverse, non-thermal (no measurable

  6. High radiofrequency radiation at Stockholm Old Town: An exposimeter study including the Royal Castle, Supreme Court, three major squares and the Swedish Parliament

    PubMed Central

    Hardell, Lennart; Carlberg, Michael; Koppel, Tarmo; Hedendahl, Lena

    2017-01-01

    Exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation was classified as a possible human carcinogen, Group 2B, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer at WHO in 2011. The exposure pattern is changing due to the rapid development of technology. Outdoor RF radiation level was measured during five tours in Stockholm Old Town in April, 2016 using the EME Spy 200 exposimeter with 20 predefined frequencies. The results were based on 10,437 samples in total. The mean level of the total RF radiation was 4,293 µW/m2 (0.4293 µW/cm2). The highest mean levels were obtained for global system for mobile communications (GSM) + universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) 900 downlink and long-term evolution (LTE) 2600 downlink (1,558 and 1,265 µW/m2, respectively). The town squares displayed highest total mean levels, with the example of Järntorget square with 24,277 µW/m2 (min 257, max 173,302 µW/m2). These results were in large contrast to areas with lowest total exposure, such as the Supreme Court, with a mean level of 404 µW/m2 (min 20.4, max 4,088 µW/m2). In addition, measurements in the streets surrounding the Royal Castle were lower than the total for the Old Town, with a mean of 756 µW/m2 (min 0.3, max 50,967 µW/m2). The BioInitiative 2012 Report defined the scientific benchmark for possible health risks as 30–60 µW/m2. Our results of outdoor RF radiation exposure at Stockholm Old Town are significantly above that level. The mean exposure level at Järntorget square was 405-fold higher than 60 µW/m2. Our results were below the reference level on 10,000,000 µW/m2 established by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which, however, are less credible, as they do not take non-thermal effects into consideration and are not based on sound scientific evaluation. Our highest measured mean level at Järntorget was 0.24% of the ICNIRP level. A number of studies have found adverse, non-thermal (no measurable temperature

  7. Impact of soil and groundwater corrosion on the Hierakonpolis Temple Town archaeological site, Wadi Abu Sufian, Idfu, Egypt.

    PubMed

    El-Shishtawy, A M; Atwia, M G; El-Gohary, A; Parizek, R R

    2013-06-01

    Hierakonpolis, Greek for City of the Hawk, nearly 25 km NW of Idfu (Egypt), is an important and extensive archaeological discovery covering a large area. Its richness in archaeological artifacts makes it a valuable site. It has a valid claim to be the first nation state, as indicated by the Palette of Narmer discovered in its main mound. Geological and hydrogeological investigations at the Hierakonpolis Temple Town site documented nearly a 4.0-m water table rise from as early as 1892 to the present. In addition to the rising water levels, the increase of both subsoil water salinity and humidity threatens and damages fragile carvings and paintings within tombs in Kingdom Hill, the foundation stability of the site, and the known and still to be discovered artifact that recent pottery finds dates at least 4,000 BCE. Representative rock and soil samples obtained from drilled cores in the study area were chosen for conducting detailed grain size and X-ray analysis, light and heavy mineral occurrences, distribution of moisture and total organic matter, and scanning electron microscopy investigations. Mineralogical analysis of clays indicated that the soil samples are composed of smectite/illite mixed layers with varying proportions of smectite to illite. Kaolinite is the second dominant clay constituent, besides occasional chlorite. Swelling of the clay portion of the soil, due to the presence of capillary groundwater, in contact with buried mudbrick walls expands and causes severe damage to important exposed and buried mudbrick structures, including the massive ancient "fort" believed to date from the Second Dynasty (from 2,890 to 2,686 BC). The "fort" is 1.0 km south of the Temple Town mounds near to confluence of Wadi Abu Sufian. Groundwater samples from the shallow aquifer close by the intersection of Wadi Abu Sufian and the Nile flood plain were analyzed for chemical composition and stable isotope ratios. The groundwater in the upper zone (subsoil water) within fine

  8. An Instructional Plan Integrating a Community Agency Program: Towns Elementary School, 1972-73. Research and Development Report, Vol. 7, No. 49, April 1974.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Branch, Helen M.; Evans, Dale

    The community served by Towns Elementary School has changed from a black neighborhood of upper middle class homeowners to a neighborhood where the majority of the houses are now rented to lower socioeconomic status residents. Pupils now, possibly because of their environmental circumstances, exhibit behaviors which indicate needs for remediation…

  9. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH UPTAKE OF SKILLED ATTENDANTS' SERVICES DURING CHILD DELIVERY IN GARISSA TOWN, KENYA.

    PubMed

    Abikar, R A; Karama, M; Ng'ang'a, Z W

    2013-11-01

    To identify the factors that are associated with uptake of skilled delivery services during child delivery among women of reproductive age in Garissa town. Cross sectional study. Garissa town. Three hundred and thirty four women aged 15-49 years who had had at least one delivery in their lifetime were asked about the type of delivery services they had during their last child delivery. The study found that 47% of the last deliveries women were attended by skilled persons and the rest of the deliveries were provided by TBAs. The predictors of skilled delivery uptake in this study were found to be; having knowledge on skilled delivery service providers (AOR = 17.2; 95% CI: 1.05-281.12; p = 0.046), child deliveries numbering one to three (AOR = 116.95; 95% CI: 26.68-512.64; p = 0.001) and four to six (AOR = 16.75; 95% CI: 4.44-62.87; p = 0.001), presence of previous delivery complication (AOR = 11.71; 95% CI: 3.96-34.60; p = 0.001), disapproval of TBA services (AOR = 27.19; 95% CI: 6.67-110.76; p = 0.001), lack of preference for gender of skilled delivery service provider (AOR = 6.51; 95% CI: 1.08-39.37; p = 0.041), and positive view on service related factors such as time to nearest facility (AOR = 3.91; 95% CI: 1.24-12.34; p = 0.020), hygiene (AOR = 5.03; 95% CI: 1.49-17.05; p = 0.009) and operation time of health facility (AOR = 4.67; 95% CI: 1.59-13.76; p = 0.005). The findings show that cultural and maternal factors as well as quality of services at facility level play major role in determining uptake of skilled services among women in Garissa as compared to social demographic and economic factors.

  10. [Cardiovascular diseases in the population of industrial towns and environmental factors].

    PubMed

    Ibraeva, L K; Azhimetova, G N; Amanbekova, A U; Bakirova, R E

    2015-01-01

    To study the influence of environmental factors (EFs) on the development of cardiovascular diseases in the population of industrial towns of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The investigation covered an 18-59-year-old adult population who had been living in the urbanized areas of the Republic of Kazakhstan for at least 10 years, who worked in harmless conditions and were unregistered as having chronic diseases. At Stage 1, screening (a therapist's examination, blood general and immunological tests, and electrocardiography) was carried out for risk group persons who underwent in-depth clinical examination (blood biochemical test) at Stage 2. Multivariate statistical analysis has revealed that the development of hypertension is associated with the high concentration of sulfur dioxide in atmospheric air, copper in dust sediments, and zinc in soil and that of coronary heart disease (CHD) is related to the high levels of nitrogen dioxide in atmospheric air and zinc in dust sediments. Based on pathogenetic and statistical data and information available in the literature, hypertension and CHD are referred to as the diseases that may result from the influence of EFs.

  11. Environmental pleural plaques in residents of a Quebec chrysotile mining town

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Churg, A.; DePaoli, L.

    1988-07-01

    We report four cases of pleural plaques found at autopsy in individuals who resided in or near the chrysotile mining town of Thetford Mines, Quebec, and who had never been employed in the chrysotile mining and milling industry. Three of these patients were farmers, and one was a road construction worker. Lung asbestos content of these cases was compared with that of a group of nine persons living in the same vicinity who did not have pleural plaques. The plaque group was found to have an equal chrysotile content but about a fourfold elevation in median tremolite content, a statisticallymore » significant increase. Fiber sizes were the same in both groups. Also, one plaque case had an elevated level of relatively long titanium oxide fibers. These observations suggest that environmental pleural plaques in this region of Quebec are probably caused by exposure to tremolite derived from local soil and rock and that other types of mineral fibers such as titanium oxide may occasionally also be the cause of such lesions.« less

  12. Bacteriological contamination of well water in Makurdi town, Benue State, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Mile, I I; Jande, J A; Dagba, B I

    2012-11-01

    Bacteriological contamination of well water in Makurdi town, of Benue State, Nigeria was investigated. A total of 15 water samples were collected from hand dug wells and analyzed for total bacteria count as it affect the quality of drinking water for both wet and dry season. The analysis was done according to standard methods of water examination and as reported in WHO guide limit for drinking water. The investigation revealed that the wells examined were highly contaminated with bacteria. Wells 6 and 7 showed highest total bacteria counts of 7.0 x 10(5)/100 mL and 8.2 x 10(5)/100 mL in the wet season, while wells 7 and 2 showed highest total bacteria counts of 8.0 x 10(5)/100 mL and 5.5 x 10(5)/100 mL in the dry season. The contamination of all wells could be due to improper construction of wells, refuse dumping sites and various human activities around the wells. Water generally from these wells is not safe for drinking except some form of treatment is carried out.

  13. Hydrological Modelling using HEC-HMS for Flood Risk Assessment of Segamat Town, Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romali, N. S.; Yusop, Z.; Ismail, A. Z.

    2018-03-01

    This paper presents an assessment of the applicability of using Hydrologic Modelling System developed by the Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC-HMS) for hydrological modelling of Segamat River. The objective of the model application is to assist in the assessment of flood risk by providing the peak flows of 2011 Segamat flood for the generation of flood mapping of Segamat town. The capability of the model was evaluated by comparing the historical observed data with the simulation results of the selected flood events. The model calibration and validation efficiency was verified using Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient. The results demonstrate the interest to implement the hydrological model for assessing flood risk where the simulated peak flow result is in agreement with historical observed data. The model efficiency of the calibrated and validated exercises is 0.90 and 0.76 respectively, which is acceptable.

  14. Introductory astronomy course at the University of Cape Town: Probing student perspectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rajpaul, Vinesh; Allie, Saalih; Blyth, Sarah-Louise

    2014-12-01

    We report on research carried out to improve teaching and student engagement in the introductory astronomy course at the University of Cape Town. This course is taken by a diverse range of students, including many from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. We describe the development of an instrument, the Introductory Astronomy Questionnaire (IAQ), which we administered as pre- and posttests to students enrolled in the course. The instrument comprised a small number of questions which probed three areas of interest: student motivation and expectations, astronomy content, and worldview. Amongst our findings were that learning gains were made in several conceptual areas, and that students appeared to develop a more nuanced view of the nature of astronomy. There was some evidence that the course had a positive impact on students' worldviews, particularly their attitudes towards science. We also identified a promising predictor of course success that could in the future be used to identify students requiring special teaching intervention.

  15. A New Neighborhood Every Fall: Aging in Place in a College Town.

    PubMed

    Powell, Kathleen H

    Older adults who live in residential neighborhoods adjacent to college and university campuses have a unique experience that makes them vulnerable to marginalization and displacement. As these neighborhoods become increasingly dominated by college students living in rental properties, older adults find themselves in the minority in a neighborhood where they have lived for many years. In addition, these neighborhoods are attractive to universities, city governments, and private companies for their development potential, which can result in gentrification. A year-long ethnographic study of a campus-adjacent neighborhood in a small US college town that is home to a medium-sized public university sheds light on the relationships between members of 5 stakeholder groups that have a vested interest in the neighborhood. The study highlights the need for additional research on different types of neighborhoods and their effects on aging in place in addition to outlining social work interventions in campus-adjacent neighborhoods that are designed to enhance these intergenerational spaces.

  16. Comprehensive whole-body counter surveys of Miharu-town school children for three consecutive years after the Fukushima NPP accident.

    PubMed

    Hayano, Ryugo S; Tsubokura, Masaharu; Miyazaki, Makoto; Satou, Hideo; Sato, Katsumi; Masaki, Shin; Sakuma, Yu

    2014-01-01

    Comprehensive whole-body counter surveys covering over 93% of the school children between the ages of 6 and 15 in Miharu town, Fukushima Prefecture, have been conducted for three consecutive years, in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Although the results of a questionnaire indicate that approximately 60% of the children have been regularly eating local or home-grown rice, in 2012 and 2013 no child was found to exceed the (137)Cs detection limit of 300 Bq/body.

  17. "Finding What Doesn't Fit": Adjusting the Focus on Education in Country Towns as a Limiting Case for the "Learning or Earning" Years

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Funnell, Robert

    2008-01-01

    Limiting, or nonconforming cases are good tests in research for extending a concept's reach and broadening generalisations, but the method is under utilised in the formation and assessment of educational policy. In this paper a rural town is described as a case, among others, not fitting policy regulations for "learning or earning" in…

  18. The Relationship Between Town and Country as a Factor Pertaining to Environmental Engineering and the Development of Ways of Life in Rural Areas.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barthelmann, Robert

    The relationship between town and country as a factor pertaining to the development of the environment and the ways of rural life is illustrated by the experience gained during the development of the German Democratic Republic. Within the framework of socialised production and the whole social and political life under socialist conditions, town…

  19. [Particle Size Distribution and Pollutant Speciation Analyses of Stormwater Runoff in the Ancient Town of Suzhou].

    PubMed

    Li, Huai; Wu, Wei; Tian, Yong-jing; Huang, Tian-yin

    2016-02-15

    The particle size distribution (PSD) and its transformation processes in the stormwater runoffs in the ancient town of Suzhou were studied based on the particles size analyses, the water-quality monitoring data and the parameters of the rainfall-runoff models. The commercial districts, the modern residential area, the old residential area, the traffic area and the landscape tourist area were selected as the five functional example areas in the ancient town of Suzhou. The effects of antecedent dry period, the rainfall intensity and the amount of runoffs on the particle size distributions were studied, and the existing forms of the main pollutants in different functional areas and their possible relations were analyzed as well. The results showed that the particle size distribution, the migration processes and the output characteristics in the stormwater runoffs were greatly different in these five functional areas, which indicated different control measures for the pollution of the runoffs should be taken in the design process. The antecedent dry period, the rainfall intensity and the amount of runoffs showed significant correlations with the particle size distribution, showing these were the important factors. The output of the particles was greatly influenced by the flow scouring in the early period of the rainfall, and the correlations between the amount of runoffs and the particle migration ability presented significant difference in 30% (early period) and 70% (later period) of the runoff volume. The major existence form of the output pollutants was particle, and the correlation analyses of different diameter particles showed that the particles smaller than 150 microm were the dominant carrier of the pollutants via adsorption and accumulation processes.

  20. Men (and women) as "sellers" of sex in alcohol-serving venues in Cape Town, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Pitpitan, Eileen V; Kalichman, Seth C; Eaton, Lisa A; Watt, Melissa H; Sikkema, Kathleen J; Skinner, Donald; Pieterse, Desiree; Cain, Demetria

    2014-06-01

    The relationship between transactional sex, HIV risk, and partner violence has been well documented in South Africa, but research has focused primarily on women and has not been conducted in high-risk social contexts. The aim of this study was to examine associations between transactional sex and HIV risk among women and men in alcohol-serving venues in Cape Town, South Africa. We surveyed 1,989 women and 2,468 men attending alcohol-serving venues in Cape Town, South Africa to assess transactional sex behavior (i.e., receiving money or goods in exchange for sex), alcohol and drug use, history of childhood abuse, current relationship violence, and sexual risk behaviors. Among both women and men, trading sex was related to higher alcohol use, greater likelihood of drug use, substance use in sexual contexts, and a greater likelihood of experiencing physical and sexual violence. Compared to other women, women who traded sex reported a greater proportion of condom-unprotected sex; this relationship was not found for men. Analyses showed that men were almost twice as more likely to report trading sex for items, including money or alcohol, than women (9.7 vs. 5.8 %). Overall, men who traded sex were similar to their female counterparts. Similar associations between trading sex and different risk behaviors were found among women and men with limited economic means and substance use problems. Future research should more closely study transactional sex in high-risk venues as it relates to violence and should examine men who trade sex as a potential bridge population between heterosexual women and men who have sex with men.

  1. Faecal contamination of drinking water in a Brazilian shanty town: importance of household storage and new human faecal marker testing.

    PubMed

    Copeland, Curtis C; Beers, Benjamin B; Thompson, Meghan R; Fitzgerald, Relana P; Barrett, Leah J; Sevilleja, Jesus E; Alencar, Sayonara; Lima, Aldo A M; Guerrant, Richard L

    2009-06-01

    Worldwide, contaminated drinking water poses a major health threat, particularly to child development. Diarrhoea represents a large part of the water-related disease burden and enteric infections have been linked to nutritional and growth shortfalls as well as long-term physical and cognitive impairment in children. Previous studies detailed the frequency of infection and the consequences for child health in a shanty town in north-east Brazil. To determine the frequency of contaminated water, we measured faecal contamination in primary drinking water samples from 231 randomly selected households. Risk for contamination was compared across source and storage types. Nearly a third of the study households (70/231: 30.3%) had contaminated drinking water; the source with the highest frequency of contamination was well water (23/24: 95.8%). For tap water, the type of storage had a significant effect on the susceptibility to contamination (chi(2) = 12.090; p = 0.007). The observed pattern of contamination demonstrated the relative potential contributions of both source and storage. With evidence that supports the inclusion of source and storage in water quality surveys, this study, like others, suggests that contaminated drinking water in storage vessels may be an important factor for the documented diarrhoea disease burden in the Brazilian shanty town.

  2. Obesity and diet awareness among Polish children and adolescents in small towns and villages.

    PubMed

    Stankiewicz, Marta; Pieszko, Magdalena; Sliwińska, Aleksandra; Małgorzewicz, Sylwia; Wierucki, Łukasz; Zdrojewski, Tomasz; Wyrzykowski, Bogdan; Łysiak-Szydłowska, Wiesława

    2014-03-01

    In addition to genetic predispositions and environmental factors, healthy lifestyle education is very important for children and adolescents. The purpose of this research was to estimate the number of overweight and obese children and adolescents from small towns and villages and to find out an association between health awareness in children and the risk of becoming overweight or obese. The research was conducted in 1,515 healthy children aged 6-18 years from small towns and villages in Poland. Overweight was diagnosed when BMI for age and sex was over the 90th percentile; obesity--when it was over the 95th percentile. The study consisted of a lifestyle interview and anthropometrical measurements. The lifestyle interview was conducted with the use of an anonymous questionnaire form and included questions about food frequency, diet habits and physical activity. The research was analysed using the SAS System for Windows, release 8.02. Overweight status was diagnosed in 9.0% and obesity in 5.1% of respondents. Excess body mass was statistically more frequently diagnosed in girls than in boys aged 14-18 years. Girls of this age group significantly more frequently chose wholemeal bread, smoked sausages, meat and poultry as products that are believed to keep them fit. Older children substantially more often indicated that stress, smoking cigarettes, consuming fatty meat, sweets, being obese, and a lack of physical activity are factors that damage health. Boys spent more time in front of a computer or TV than girls; in the older group of children, the phenomenon even intensified. Awareness of healthy lifestyle behaviour is not sufficient to maintain optimal body mass. Knowledge about proper eating habits is better among girls than among boys, especially in the older age groups. However, in older groups, there was less physical activity due to spending more time in front of TV or the computer. High percentage of obese/overweight children and insufficient knowledge of

  3. The characteristics of geothermal field of Qiabuqia town in Gonghe basin, northeastern Tibetan Plateau

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, C.; Shi, Y.; Jiang, G.

    2017-12-01

    Located in the northeastern margin of Gonghe basin, Qiabuqia town displays the most potential of hot dry rock geothermal resources exploration and development in China so far. Although large quantities of geophysical exploration work have been down since 2013, the study of present geothermal field is almost empty, which is seriously restricting the evaluation and utilization of geothermal resources in Qiabuqia town. This study is to revel the geothermal characteristics of four hot dry rock boreholes (DR4, DR3, GR1 and GR2) though continuous steady temperature logging and thermal conductivity measurements of core samples. The main stratum of study area are Indosinian granitic rocks (below 1400 m) which is overlain by thick Paleogene, Neogene and Quaternary lacustrine strata (0 1400 m). Continuous temperature logs display that the bottom hole temperature of DR3 borehole is up to 180 oC at the depth of 3000 m and it is the first successfully verification of the existence of hot dry rock geothermal resources in China. The temperature gradients of these for boreholes are obtained by the linear least squares regression method and it turns out that the temperature gradient varies from 38 to 45.2 oC • km-1 with an average of 40.4 oC • km-1. Average thermal conductivity of bedrocks ranges from 2.07 to 3.10 W/(m • K) with an mean of 2.52 W/(m • K). Heat flow values are calculated as the product of least-square thermal gradients and corresponding thermal conductivity. By the result of the calculation, the heat flow are 98.9 mW • m-2, 114.7 mW • m-2, 96.2 mW • m-2, 97.8 mW • m-2 for DR4, DR3, GR1 and GR2 borehole, respectively. Compared to the adjacent Qaidam basin, Sichuan basin and Ordos basin, the study area appear to be a thermal abnormal area with high temperature gradient and high heat flow.

  4. Risk factors for house-entry by malaria vectors in a rural town and satellite villages in The Gambia.

    PubMed

    Kirby, Matthew J; Green, Clare; Milligan, Paul M; Sismanidis, Charalambos; Jasseh, Momadou; Conway, David J; Lindsay, Steven W

    2008-01-07

    In the pre-intervention year of a randomized controlled trial investigating the protective effects of house screening against malaria-transmitting vectors, a multi-factorial risk factor analysis study was used to identify factors that influence mosquito house entry. Mosquitoes were sampled using CDC light traps in 976 houses, each on one night, in Farafenni town and surrounding villages during the malaria-transmission season in The Gambia. Catches from individual houses were both (a) left unadjusted and (b) adjusted relative to the number of mosquitoes caught in four sentinel houses that were operated nightly throughout the period, to allow for night-to-night variation. Houses were characterized by location, architecture, human occupancy and their mosquito control activities, and the number and type of domestic animals within the compound. 106,536 mosquitoes were caught, of which 55% were Anopheles gambiae sensu lato, the major malaria vectors in the region. There were seven fold higher numbers of An. gambiae s.l. in the villages (geometric mean per trap night = 43.7, 95% confidence intervals, CIs = 39.5-48.4) than in Farafenni town (6.3, 5.7-7.2) and significant variation between residential blocks (p < 0.001). A negative binomial multivariate model performed equally well using unadjusted or adjusted trap data. Using the unadjusted data the presence of nuisance mosquitoes was reduced if the house was located in the town (odds ratio, OR = 0.11, 95% CIs = 0.09-0.13), the eaves were closed (OR = 0.71, 0.60-0.85), a horse was tethered near the house (OR = 0.77, 0.73-0.82), and churai, a local incense, was burned in the room at night (OR = 0.56, 0.47-0.66). Mosquito numbers increased per additional person in the house (OR = 1.04, 1.02-1.06) or trapping room (OR = 1.19, 1.13-1.25) and when the walls were made of mud blocks compared with concrete (OR = 1.44, 1.10-1.87). This study demonstrates that the risk of malaria transmission is greatest in rural areas, where large

  5. Parasitic contamination of raw vegetables and fruits collected from selected local markets in Arba Minch town, Southern Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Bekele, Fitsum; Tefera, Tamirat; Biresaw, Gelila; Yohannes, Tsegaye

    2017-03-07

    One way that people get infected with intestinal parasites is through the consumption of contaminated vegetables and fruits. This study aimed at determining the prevalence and predictors of parasitic contamination of fruits and vegetables collected from four local markets in Arba Minch town, Southern Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 to 21 September 2014 to determine the level of parasitic contamination of fruits and vegetables sold in Arba Minch town. A total of 360 samples of different types of fruits and vegetables were soaked in physiological saline, followed by vigorous shaking with the aid of a mechanical shaker for 15 minutes and then examined using the sedimentation concentration technique. Out of the 360 samples examined, 196 (54.4%) were contaminated with at least one type of parasite. Ascaris lumbricoides (20.83%) was the most frequently detected parasite and Isospora belli (3.06%) was the least frequently detected one. It was also observed that decreased parasitic contamination was significantly associated with washing the products before displaying it for selling (P < 0.001). The findings of this study provide evidence that there is a potentially high risk of acquiring parasitic infections from the consumption of raw vegetables and fruits in Arba Minch, Ethiopia. The authors believe that an effort should be made by the relevant bodies to reduce the rate of contamination of products with medically important parasites by educating the vendors and the community.

  6. Health outcomes for children born to teen mothers in Cape Town, South Africa1

    PubMed Central

    Ardington, Cally; Leibbrandt, Murray

    2014-01-01

    This paper analyzes whether children born to teen mothers in Cape Town, South Africa are disadvantaged in terms of their health outcomes because their mother is a teen. Exploiting the longitudinal nature of the Cape Area Panel Study, we assess whether observable differences between teen mothers and slightly older mothers can explain why first-born children of teen mothers appear disadvantaged. Our balanced regressions indicate that observed characteristics cannot explain the full extent of disadvantage of being born to a teen mother, with children born to teen mothers continuing to have significantly worse child health outcomes, especially among coloured children. In particular, children born to teens are more likely to be underweight at birth and to be stunted with the disadvantage for coloured children four times the size for African children. PMID:26052156

  7. Strategies for waste management in small and medium towns of developing countries: a case study of India.

    PubMed

    Sundaravadivel, M; Vigneswaran, S

    2003-01-01

    This paper evaluates the issues of waste management in small and medium towns (SMTs) (with population in the range of 10,000-100,000) of India, and identifies the need for a multi-disciplinary approach encompassing technological, economic and financial aspects of the issues to effect improvements. A comprehensive set of cross-disciplinary strategies is suggested to improve the prevailing conditions with environmentally appropriate, economically efficient and financially self-sustaining waste management services. Based on a case study of four SMTs in the State of Tamil Nadu in India, this paper evaluates the application of the suggested strategies and offers policy recommendations.

  8. Nine-locus Y-STR profiles of Afrikaner Caucasian and mixed ancestry populations from Cape Town, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Ehrenreich, Liezle; Benjeddou, Mongi; Davison, Sean; D'Amato, Maria; Leat, Neil

    2008-07-01

    Samples were collected from 108 Afrikaner males and 114 males of mixed ancestry. The term mixed ancestry is being used to denote a complex community which was established with contributions from Asians, Caucasians and Indigenous populations and constitutes a significant proportion of the Cape Town metropolitan population. Allele and haplotype frequencies were determined for nine Y-STR loci (DYS19, DYS389-I, DYS389-II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393 and the duplicated locus DYS385). Unique haplotypes were obtained for 64 Afrikaner males and 90 males of mixed ancestry. Both population groups shared the same most common haplotype.

  9. Contribution of Water Pollution From Inadequate Sanitation and Housing Quality to Diarrheal Disease in Low-Cost Housing Settlements of Cape Town, South Africa

    PubMed Central

    Barnes, Jo M.; Pieper, Clarissa H.

    2011-01-01

    Objectives. We investigated the effects of failing sanitation, poor housing conditions, and fecal pollution in runoff water on the health—particularly the incidence of diarrheal disease—of residents of low-cost housing settlements in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods. In November 2009, we conducted a cross-sectional survey with structured interviews in 4 communities (n = 336 dwellings; 1080 persons). We used Colilert defined-substrate technology to determine Escherichia coli levels in runoff water samples taken from the study communities. Results. Almost 15% of households disposed of soiled products in storm water drains and 6% disposed of soiled products in the street. In only 26% of the dwellings were toilets washed daily. Approximately 59% of dwellings lacked a tap near the toilet for hand washing, and 14% of respondents suffered 1 or more attacks of diarrhea in the 2 weeks preceding their interview. E.coli counts of runoff environmental water samples ranged from 750 to 1 580 000 000 per 100 milliliters. Conclusions. A holistic and integrated approach is needed to improve housing quality and sanitation among Cape Town's low-income citizens. PMID:21566018

  10. Impacts of Vegetation and Urban planning on micro climate in Hashtgerd new Town

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sodoudi, Sahar; langer, Ines; Cubasch, Ulrich

    2013-04-01

    One of the objectives of climatological part of project Young Cities 'Developing Energy-Efficient Urban Fabric in the Tehran-Karaj Region' is to simulate the micro climate (with 1m resolution) in 35ha of new town Hashtgerd, which is located 65 km far from mega city Tehran. The Project aims are developing, implementing and evaluating building and planning schemes and technologies which allow to plan and build sustainable, energy-efficient and climate sensible form mass housing settlements in arid and semi-arid regions ("energy-efficient fabric"). Climate sensitive form also means designing and planning for climate change and its related effects for Hashtgerd New Town. By configuration of buildings and open spaces according to solar radiation, wind and vegetation, climate sensitive urban form can create outdoor thermal comfort. To simulate the climate on small spatial scales, the micro climate model Envi-met has been used to simulate the micro climate in 35 ha. The Eulerian model ENVI-met is a micro-scale climate model which gives information about the influence of architecture and buildings as well as vegetation and green area on the micro climate up to 1 m resolution. Envi-met has been run with information from topography, downscaled climate data with neuro-fuzzy method, meteorological measurements, building height and different vegetation variants (low and high number of trees) Through the optimal Urban Design and Planning for the 35ha area the microclimate results shows, that with vegetation the microclimate in street canopies will be change: • 2 m temperature is decreased by about 2 K • relative humidity increase by about 10 % • soil temperature is decreased by about 3 K • wind speed is decreased by about 60% The style of buildings allows free movement of air, which is of high importance for fresh air supply. The increase of inbuilt areas in 35 ha reduces the heat island effect through cooling caused by vegetation and increase of air humidity which

  11. Occupational Noise Exposure of Employees at Locally-Owned Restaurants in a College Town

    PubMed Central

    Green, Deirdre R.; Anthony, T. Renée

    2016-01-01

    While many restaurant employees work in loud environments, in both dining and food preparation areas, little is known about worker exposures to noise. The risk of hearing loss to millions of food service workers around the country is unknown. This study evaluated full-shift noise exposure to workers at six locally-owned restaurants to examine risk factors associated with noise exposures during the day shift. Participants included cooks, counter attendants, bartenders, and waiters at full-service restaurants with bar service and at limited-service restaurants that provided counter service only. Assessments were made on weekdays and weekends, both during the summer and the fall (with a local university in session) to examine whether the time of week or year affects noise exposures to this population in a college town. In addition, the relationships between noise exposures and the type of restaurant and job classification were assessed. One-hundred eighty full-shift time-weighted average (TWA) exposures were assessed, using both Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) criteria. No TWA measurements exceeded the 90 dBA OSHA 8 hr permissible exposure limit, although six projected TWAs exceeded the 85 dBA OSHA hearing conservation action limit. Using NIOSH criteria, TWAs ranged from 69–90 dBA with a mean of 80 dBA (SD = 4 dBA). Nearly 8% (14) of the exposures exceeded the NIOSH 8-hr 85 dBA. Full-shift exposures were larger for all workers in full-service restaurants (p < 0.001) and for cooks (p = 0.003), regardless of restaurant type. The fall semester (p = 0.003) and weekend (p = 0.048) exposures were louder than summer and weekdays. Multiple linear regression analysis suggested that the combination of restaurant type, job classification, and season had a significant effect on restaurant worker noise exposures (p < 0.001) in this college town. While evening/night shift exposures, where noise

  12. Transition from an optical precursor in coupled-resonator-induced transparency to coherent energy exchange in Autler-Townes splitting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oishi, Tohru; Suzuki, Ryuta; Talukder, Aminul I.; Tomita, Makoto

    2013-08-01

    We investigated the transient responses of coupled optical resonators, after they were injected with square modulated temporal pulses. A sharp spike, attributed to the optical precursor in coupled-resonator-induced transparency, appeared when the coupling between the resonators was weak. As the coupling strength increased, the resonance spectrum developed clearly separated double dips of Autler-Townes splitting, and the precursor spike transformed into an oscillatory structure. These temporal oscillations were attributed to the coherent energy exchange between two resonators. Theoretical calculations were in good agreement with the experimental observations.

  13. The Role of Postgraduate Students in Co-Authoring Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Inclusion: A Case Study at the University of Cape Town

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hodgkinson-Williams, Cheryl; Paskevicius, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Like many universities worldwide, the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa has joined the open educational resources (OER) movement, making a selection of teaching and learning materials available through its OER directory, UCT OpenContent. However, persuading and then supporting busy academics to share their teaching materials as OER…

  14. The town of Cabar, Croatia, familiar pseudocluster for multiple sclerosis--descriptive epidemiological study.

    PubMed

    Perković, Olivio; Jurjević, Ante; Antoncić, Igor; Dunatov, Sinisa; Bralić, Marina; Ristić, Smiljana

    2010-04-01

    Previous descriptive surveys in the town of Cabar, Croatia carried out by our own epidemiological research group, have established that this area is at high risk for MS. To confirm the above assumption and to update MS frequency in this area we conducted a community-based intensive prevalence and incidence study. On December 31st 2001, the average prevalence was 205.7 per 100,000 with prevailing age-specific prevalence in the group of patients between 30 and 49 years of age. The average incidence (1948-2004) was 5.52/100.000 population per year (95% CI = 3.27-8.72), average mortality in the year was 2.76/100 000 inhabitants (95% CI = 1.26-5.24). Sexual index stood at 1:11, starting time was 10:04 +/- 28.53 in the year, and the average duration of the disease to the prevalence 11:11 +/- 27.26 years.

  15. Piped water consumption in Ghana: A case study of temporal and spatial patterns of clean water demand relative to alternative water sources in rural small towns.

    PubMed

    Kulinkina, Alexandra V; Kosinski, Karen C; Liss, Alexander; Adjei, Michael N; Ayamgah, Gilbert A; Webb, Patrick; Gute, David M; Plummer, Jeanine D; Naumova, Elena N

    2016-07-15

    Continuous access to adequate quantities of safe water is essential for human health and socioeconomic development. Piped water systems (PWSs) are an increasingly common type of water supply in rural African small towns. We assessed temporal and spatial patterns in water consumption from public standpipes of four PWSs in Ghana in order to assess clean water demand relative to other available water sources. Low water consumption was evident in all study towns, which manifested temporally and spatially. Temporal variability in water consumption that is negatively correlated with rainfall is an indicator of rainwater preference when it is available. Furthermore, our findings show that standpipes in close proximity to alternative water sources such as streams and hand-dug wells suffer further reductions in water consumption. Qualitative data suggest that consumer demand in the study towns appears to be driven more by water quantity, accessibility, and perceived aesthetic water quality, as compared to microbiological water quality or price. In settings with chronic under-utilization of improved water sources, increasing water demand through household connections, improving water quality with respect to taste and appropriateness for laundry, and educating residents about health benefits of using piped water should be prioritized. Continued consumer demand and sufficient revenue generation are important attributes of a water service that ensure its function over time. Our findings suggest that analyzing water consumption of existing metered PWSs in combination with qualitative approaches may enable more efficient planning of community-based water supplies and support sustainable development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. The MobiSan approach: informal settlements of Cape Town, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Naranjo, A; Castellano, D; Kraaijvanger, H; Meulman, B; Mels, A; Zeeman, G

    2010-01-01

    Pook se Bos informal settlement and the Cape Town Water & Sanitation Services Department are partnering on an urban sanitation project with a Dutch Consortium consisting of Lettinga Associates Foundation (LeAF), Landustrie Sneek and Vitens-Evides International. The aim of the project is to improve the basic sanitation services provided in informal settlements through the implementation of the MobiSan approach. The approach consists of a communal Urine-Diversion and Dehydration Toilet (UDDT) built in a former sea shipping container. The system is independent of water, electricity or sewerage connection and it is maintained by full-time community caretakers who also act as hygiene promoters. The project seeks to link sanitation services with hygiene promotion in informal settlements while enhancing user satisfaction and reducing costs in providing basic sanitation services. This paper describes the preliminary experiences and lessons learnt during the implementation and evaluation of the MobiSan prototype and discusses its potential for replication. The MobiSan has proved to be an appropriate option by means of dealing successfully with shallow groundwater table, land availability and high settlement densities. In addition it has been demonstrated to be cost-competitive in terms of operating cost compared to chemical toilets.

  17. Developing a funding model for an after-hours primary medical care service in a rural town.

    PubMed

    O'Meara, P; Hall, R H; Strasser, R; Speck, V

    1998-01-01

    The study described in this paper aimed to determine a funding model for an after-hours primary medical care service in the rural town of Moe, a socioeconomically disadvantaged area of Victoria suffering the rigours of industry restructuring and privatisation. It has 12.5 equivalent full-time general practitioners servicing 21,966 persons. A break-even analysis of the financial viability compared the expected costs of providing the service with the anticipated income. A mixed funding model is recommended. This would incorporate a general practitioner incentive scheme and State Government underwriting of infrastructure and basic non-medical staffing costs during the business development phase to supplement the income from the Health Insurance Commission.

  18. Costs of landslides and floods in XX Century in a Calabrian town starting from the data stored in the Historical Archive of IRPI (Cosenza)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giampa', Vincenzo; Pasqua, A. Aurora; Petrucci, Olga

    2015-04-01

    The paper firstly presents the historical archive of Cosenza IRPI Section and the historical database that has been built basing on the data contained in it. Then, an application of these data to Catanzaro, the town that is the administrative center of Calabria region (Southern Italy), is presented. The gathering of historical data on past floods and landslides in Cosenza IRPI Section has been started since 1996, and it is still in progress. In 2005, some donations coming from regional and municipal Public Works offices greatly increased the documental corpus, and required a more incisive classification and management that led us to organize the documents in a real historical archive. Documents were sorted according to municipalities they concerned. In this way, for each of the 409 municipalities of Calabria a set of documents, maps and images was available. Collected documents mainly concern damage caused by the occurrence, since XIX century, of phenomena as floods, flash floods and landslides triggered by extreme meteorological events, or even damage caused by strong earthquakes. At the beginning of 2014, the central office of IRPI (Perugia) funded a project aiming to the digitalization of the archive and the subsequent publication of it on a web-platform. In this paper, the procedure adopted to build the archive and implement the database is described. Then, the elaboration of the historical series of data on Catanzaro town, which has been frequently damaged by rainfall-induced landslides and floods, is also presented. Basing on the documents coming from the archive of Ministry Public Works and stored in our Historical Archive, an assessment of costs related to damage that during XX century affected the houses of this town has been performed. The research pointed out the types of most damaging phenomena, the municipal sectors most frequently damaged, and the evolution of damaged areas throughout the years according to the increasing urbanization.

  19. [Crespi d'Adda: psychosocial risk factors in a late 19th century company town].

    PubMed

    Punzi, S

    2012-01-01

    Crespi d'Adda is a late 19th century company town established around a textile factory by Cristoforo Benigno Crespi and his son Silvio. It was an ideal model of company residency being a self-sufficient microcosm equipped with all the services needed by a community where the life of workers and their families was revolving around the factory and the working requirements. It was the expression of philanthropic and patronizing enlightened entrepreneurs at that time, committed in protecting workers' life inside and outside the factory, resulting into a more affectionate and productive manpower. Silvio Benigno Crespi developed an extensive activity to improve working conditions, with special reference to accident prevention and work-related diseases, as well as night work in factories, weekly day off, reduction of working hours: we can say that in some ways he was concerned also with psychosocial risks.

  20. Men (and Women) as “Sellers” of Sex in Alcohol-Serving Venues in Cape Town, South Africa

    PubMed Central

    Pitpitan, Eileen V.; Kalichman, Seth C.; Eaton, Lisa A.; Watt, Melissa H.; Sikkema, Kathleen J.; Skinner, Donald; Pieterse, Desiree; Cain, Demetria

    2013-01-01

    Background The relationship between transactional sex, HIV risk, and partner violence has been well documented in South Africa, but research has focused primarily on women and has not been conducted in high-risk social contexts. The aim of this study was to examine associations between transactional sex and HIV risk among women and men in alcohol-serving venues in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods We surveyed 1,989 women and 2,468 men attending alcohol-serving venues in Cape Town, South Africa to assess transactional sex behavior (i.e., receiving money or goods in exchange for sex), alcohol and drug use, history of childhood abuse, current relationship violence, and sexual risk behaviors. Results Among both women and men, trading sex was related to higher alcohol use, greater likelihood of drug use, substance use in sexual contexts, and a greater likelihood of experiencing physical and sexual violence. Compared to other women, women who traded sex reported a greater proportion of condom-unprotected sex; this relationship was not found for men. Analyses showed that men were almost twice as more likely to report trading sex for items, including money or alcohol, than women (9.7% vs. 5.8%). Overall, men who traded sex were similar to their female counterparts. Conclusions Similar associations between trading sex and different risk behaviors were found among women and men with limited economic means and substance use problems. Future research should more closely study transactional sex in high-risk venues as it relates to violence and should examine men who trade sex as a potential bridge population between heterosexual women and men who have sex with men. PMID:23494405

  1. Modified ground-truthing: an accurate and cost-effective food environment validation method for town and rural areas.

    PubMed

    Caspi, Caitlin Eicher; Friebur, Robin

    2016-03-17

    A major concern in food environment research is the lack of accuracy in commercial business listings of food stores, which are convenient and commonly used. Accuracy concerns may be particularly pronounced in rural areas. Ground-truthing or on-site verification has been deemed the necessary standard to validate business listings, but researchers perceive this process to be costly and time-consuming. This study calculated the accuracy and cost of ground-truthing three town/rural areas in Minnesota, USA (an area of 564 miles, or 908 km), and simulated a modified validation process to increase efficiency without comprising accuracy. For traditional ground-truthing, all streets in the study area were driven, while the route and geographic coordinates of food stores were recorded. The process required 1510 miles (2430 km) of driving and 114 staff hours. The ground-truthed list of stores was compared with commercial business listings, which had an average positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.57 and sensitivity of 0.62 across the three sites. Using observations from the field, a modified process was proposed in which only the streets located within central commercial clusters (the 1/8 mile or 200 m buffer around any cluster of 2 stores) would be validated. Modified ground-truthing would have yielded an estimated PPV of 1.00 and sensitivity of 0.95, and would have resulted in a reduction in approximately 88 % of the mileage costs. We conclude that ground-truthing is necessary in town/rural settings. The modified ground-truthing process, with excellent accuracy at a fraction of the costs, suggests a new standard and warrants further evaluation.

  2. Human-environment interactions and sustainable urban development: Spatial modeling and landscape prediction the case of Nang Rong town, Thailand

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Varnakovida, Pariwate

    It is now well-recognized that, at local, regional, and global scales, land use changes are significantly altering land cover, perhaps at an accelerating pace. Further, the world's scientific community is increasingly recognizing what, in retrospect, should have been obvious, that human behavior and agency is a critical driver of Land Cover and Land Use Change. In this research, using recently developed computer modeling procedures and a rich case study, I develop spatially-explicit model-based simulations of LULCC scenarios within the rubric of sustainability science for Nang Rong town, Thailand. The research draws heavily on recent work in geography and complexity theory. A series of scenarios were built to explore different development trajectories based upon empirically observed relationships. The development models incorporate a) history and spatial pattern of village settlement; b) road development and changing geographic accessibility; c) population; d) biophysical characteristics and e) social drivers. This research uses multi-temporal and spatially-explicit data, analytic results, and dynamic modeling approaches combined with to describe, explain, and explore LULCC as the consequences of different production theories for rural, small town urbanization in the South East Asian context. Two Agent Based models were built: 1) Settlement model and 2) Land-use model. The Settlement model suggests that new development will emerge along the existing road network especially along the major highway and in close proximity to the urban center. If the population doubles in 2021, the settlement process may inhibit development along some corridors creating low density sprawl. The Land-use model under the urban expansion scenario suggests that new settlements will occur in close proximity to the town center and roads; even though, the area is suitable for rice farming or located on a flood plain. The Land-use model under the cash-crop expansion scenario captures that new

  3. "They must understand we are people": Pregnancy and maternity service use among signing Deaf women in Cape Town.

    PubMed

    Gichane, Margaret W; Heap, Marion; Fontes, Mayara; London, Leslie

    2017-07-01

    Women with disabilities are at disproportionate risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, however, there is limited information on their pregnancy histories. This mixed-methods study focuses on signing Deaf women whose access to health care may be compromised by language barriers related to their disability. To describe and compare the pregnancy outcomes and maternity service use of a sample of signing Deaf women of child-bearing age in Cape Town to the population of the Western Cape of South Africa. We interviewed 42 Deaf women selected by non-probability snowball sampling, using a structured questionnaire in South African Sign Language in Cape Town in July 2016. Average parity of the sample was similar to that of the Western Cape population. Most women had one or two children (74%). Thirty-one percent of women had experienced a miscarriage and 19% had terminated a pregnancy. Almost all women (96%) attended at least one antenatal appointment during their pregnancies, and all deliveries occurred at a health facility. Women primarily relied on writing to communicate during antenatal visits and labor/delivery. The majority of women reported communication issues due to limited interpretation services, and some reported experiencing mistreatment from hospital staff. This study provides novel information on the pregnancy histories of Deaf women. While maternal service usage was high, the quality of services were inadequate with reports of linguistic barriers and mistreatment. Findings suggest the need to improve maternity care for Deaf women through implementing interpretation services and providing sensitivity training to health care providers. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Intergration of LiDAR Data with Aerial Imagery for Estimating Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Potentials in City of Cape Town

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adeleke, A. K.; Smit, J. L.

    2016-06-01

    Apart from the drive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by carbon-intensive economies like South Africa, the recent spate of electricity load shedding across most part of the country, including Cape Town has left electricity consumers scampering for alternatives, so as to rely less on the national grid. Solar energy, which is adequately available in most part of Africa and regarded as a clean and renewable source of energy, makes it possible to generate electricity by using photovoltaics technology. However, before time and financial resources are invested into rooftop solar photovoltaic systems in urban areas, it is important to evaluate the potential of the building rooftop, intended to be used in harvesting the solar energy. This paper presents methodologies making use of LiDAR data and other ancillary data, such as high-resolution aerial imagery, to automatically extract building rooftops in City of Cape Town and evaluate their potentials for solar photovoltaics systems. Two main processes were involved: (1) automatic extraction of building roofs using the integration of LiDAR data and aerial imagery in order to derive its' outline and areal coverage; and (2) estimating the global solar radiation incidence on each roof surface using an elevation model derived from the LiDAR data, in order to evaluate its solar photovoltaic potential. This resulted in a geodatabase, which can be queried to retrieve salient information about the viability of a particular building roof for solar photovoltaic installation.

  5. Level II scour analysis for Bridge 28 (BRNATH00660028) on Town Highway 66, crossing Locust Creek, Barnard, Vermont

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Severence, Timothy

    1997-01-01

    The Town Highway 66 crossing of the Locust Creek is a 41-ft-long, one-lane bridge consisting of a 39 ft steel stringer type bridge with a concrete deck (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written communication, August 24, 1994). The clear span is 36.8 ft. The bridge is supported by vertical, concrete abutments with wingwalls. The upstream right wingwall is protected by stone fill. The channel is skewed approximately 10 degrees to the opening while the opening-skew-to-roadway is 0 degrees. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E.

  6. Risk factors for house-entry by malaria vectors in a rural town and satellite villages in The Gambia

    PubMed Central

    Kirby, Matthew J; Green, Clare; Milligan, Paul M; Sismanidis, Charalambos; Jasseh, Momadou; Conway, David J; Lindsay, Steven W

    2008-01-01

    Background In the pre-intervention year of a randomized controlled trial investigating the protective effects of house screening against malaria-transmitting vectors, a multi-factorial risk factor analysis study was used to identify factors that influence mosquito house entry. Methods Mosquitoes were sampled using CDC light traps in 976 houses, each on one night, in Farafenni town and surrounding villages during the malaria-transmission season in The Gambia. Catches from individual houses were both (a) left unadjusted and (b) adjusted relative to the number of mosquitoes caught in four sentinel houses that were operated nightly throughout the period, to allow for night-to-night variation. Houses were characterized by location, architecture, human occupancy and their mosquito control activities, and the number and type of domestic animals within the compound. Results 106,536 mosquitoes were caught, of which 55% were Anopheles gambiae sensu lato, the major malaria vectors in the region. There were seven fold higher numbers of An. gambiae s.l. in the villages (geometric mean per trap night = 43.7, 95% confidence intervals, CIs = 39.5–48.4) than in Farafenni town (6.3, 5.7–7.2) and significant variation between residential blocks (p < 0.001). A negative binomial multivariate model performed equally well using unadjusted or adjusted trap data. Using the unadjusted data the presence of nuisance mosquitoes was reduced if the house was located in the town (odds ratio, OR = 0.11, 95% CIs = 0.09–0.13), the eaves were closed (OR = 0.71, 0.60–0.85), a horse was tethered near the house (OR = 0.77, 0.73–0.82), and churai, a local incense, was burned in the room at night (OR = 0.56, 0.47–0.66). Mosquito numbers increased per additional person in the house (OR = 1.04, 1.02–1.06) or trapping room (OR = 1.19, 1.13–1.25) and when the walls were made of mud blocks compared with concrete (OR = 1.44, 1.10–1.87). Conclusion This study demonstrates that the risk of

  7. Digital Aeromagnetic Data and Derivative Products from a Helicopter Survey over the Town of Taos and Surrounding Areas, Taos County, New Mexico

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bankey, Viki; Grauch, V.J.S.; ,

    2004-01-01

    This report contains digital data, image files, and text files describing data formats and survey procedures for aeromagnetic data collected during a helicopter geophysical survey in northern New Mexico during October 2003. The survey covers the Town of Taos, Taos Pueblo, and surrounding communities in Taos County. Several derivative products from these data are also presented, including reduced-to-pole, horizontal gradient magnitude, and downward continued grids and images.

  8. Typhoid fever: A report on a point-source outbreak of 69 cases in Cape Town.

    PubMed

    Popkiss, M E

    1980-03-01

    In 1978, after a party in a Cape Town suburb attended by several hundred people, 69 persons were treated for typhoid fever. The precise source of the infection could not be traced, although it is reasonable to suppose that food eaten at the party had been contaminated by the main caterer. All 57 cultures of Salmonella typhi phage-typed were of phage type 46, including that obtained from the stool of the main caterer, who was asymptomatic. An epidemiological profile of the cases and an account of the management of the outbreak is given. There were no deaths and no patient became a carrier. Although the outbreak was contained, certain problems relating thereto are aired, including in particular the potential hazard of food-borne disease wherever housing and environmental standards are low.

  9. Urban gully erosion and the SDGs: a case study from the Koboko rural town of Uganda

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zolezzi, Guido; Bezzi, Marco

    2017-04-01

    Urban gully erosion in developing regions has been addressed by the scientific community only recently, while it has been given much less attention in past decades. Nonetheless, recent examples show how relevant urban gully erosion in African towns of different sizes can be in terms of several Sustainable Development Goals, like goals 3 (good health and well being), 6 (clean water and sanitation) and 11 (sustainable cities and communities). The present work illustrate an example of gully erosion in the rapidly growing rural town of Koboko in NW Uganda close to the borders with Congo Democratic Republic and South Sudan. The research aims are (i) to develop a simple, low-cost methodology to quantify gully properties in data-scarce and resource-limited contexts, (ii) to quantify the main properties of and processes related to the urban gullies in the Koboko case study and (iii) to quantify the potential risk associated with urban gully erosion at the country scale in relation to rapid growth of urban centers in a sub-saharan African country. The methodology integrates collection of existing hydrological and land use data, rapid topographic surveys and related data processing, basic hydrological and hydro-morphological modeling, interviews to local inhabitants and stakeholders. Results indicate that Koboko may not represent an isolated hotspot of extensive urban gully development among rapidly growing small towns in Uganda, and, consequently, in countries with similar sustainable and human development challenges. Koboko, established two decades ago as a temporary war refugee camp, has been progressively established as a permanent urban settlement. The urban center is located on the top of an elongated hill and many of its recent neighbourhoods are expanding along the hill sides, where the local slope may reach considerable values, up to 10%. In the last ten years several gully systems with local depth up to 8 to 10 meters have been rapidly evolving especially following

  10. Towards Rural Land Use: Challenges for Oversizing Urban Perimeters in Shrinking Towns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sá, João; Virtudes, Ana

    2017-12-01

    This article, based on the literature review, aims to study the challenges of the urban dispersion and oversizing of urban perimeters, in the cases where the towns are shrinking or spreading to the rural land-use. It is focused on the case of Portugal where during the last decades there was an escaping to the big cities alongside to the sea (Atlantic and Mediterranean) shore. In the Interior part of the country, which means near to the border with Spain, several towns are shrinking, despite their huge urban perimeters, proposed by the municipal master plans, since the middle of the nineties. Consequently, these urban perimeters are nowadays oversizing, with empty buildings and non-urbanized areas. At the same time, the social patterns of occupation of this territory have changed significantly, moving from a society with signs of rurality to an urban realm, understood not only in territorial terms but also regarding the current lifestyle. This deep changing has occurred not only in urbanistic terms but also in the economic, cultural and social organizations of the country, under a movement that corresponds to a decline of the small urban settlements in rural areas, far away from the cosmopolitan strip of land nearby the sea, in between the capital city, Lisbon and the second one Oporto. These transformations were not driven by any significant public policy for land-use actions. On the contrary, the production of urban areas, supporting the new model of economic and social development was largely left to the initiative of economic and social private agents and land owners. These agents were the leading responsible for the new urban developments and housing. In this sense, this research aims to present some strategies for the short time period regarding the devolution of urban areas to rural land use. In this sense, the next steps of spatial planning policies, under the role of local authorities (the 308 municipalities including Madeira and Azores islands, plus the

  11. Occupational Noise Exposure of Employees at Locally-Owned Restaurants in a College Town.

    PubMed

    Green, Deirdre R; Anthony, T Renée

    2015-01-01

    While many restaurant employees work in loud environments, in both dining and food preparation areas, little is known about worker exposures to noise. The risk of hearing loss to millions of food service workers around the country is unknown. This study evaluated full-shift noise exposure to workers at six locally-owned restaurants to examine risk factors associated with noise exposures during the day shift. Participants included cooks, counter attendants, bartenders, and waiters at full-service restaurants with bar service and at limited-service restaurants that provided counter service only. Assessments were made on weekdays and weekends, both during the summer and the fall (with a local university in session) to examine whether the time of week or year affects noise exposures to this population in a college town. In addition, the relationships between noise exposures and the type of restaurant and job classification were assessed. One-hundred eighty full-shift time-weighted average (TWA) exposures were assessed, using both Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) criteria. No TWA measurements exceeded the 90 dBA OSHA 8 hr permissible exposure limit, although six projected TWAs exceeded the 85 dBA OSHA hearing conservation action limit. Using NIOSH criteria, TWAs ranged from 69-90 dBA with a mean of 80 dBA (SD = 4 dBA). Nearly 8% (14) of the exposures exceeded the NIOSH 8-hr 85 dBA. Full-shift exposures were larger for all workers in full-service restaurants (p < 0.001) and for cooks (p = 0.003), regardless of restaurant type. The fall semester (p = 0.003) and weekend (p = 0.048) exposures were louder than summer and weekdays. Multiple linear regression analysis suggested that the combination of restaurant type, job classification, and season had a significant effect on restaurant worker noise exposures (p < 0.001) in this college town. While evening/night shift exposures

  12. Van Quan new town in Hanoi and its socio-economic impacts on the four surrounding villages - towards a more sustainable urban development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, Quang Minh; Doan, The Trung; Tran, Minh Tung; Nguyen, Manh Tri; Hoa Ta, Quynh

    2018-04-01

    Developed by Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUD) over a decade ago as one of the pioneering and modelling urban housing projects in Hanoi, Van Quan new town can be regarded as a fairly successful scheme, because it provides people with a better living quality than most of the other new residential quarters planned and built at the same time, and even afterwards. However, the success would be greater, if the project developer paid due attention to some socio-economic aspects of mass housing construction - such as income, education, healthcare and social interaction as well as communication - in one of the city’s fastest-growing and most typical areas characterised with the presence of traditional old villages where a rich rural culture can still be found and should be conserved in the rapid urbanisation and modernisation. Van Quan makes an even more remarkable case study, because there are four villages connected to the site with both similar and different features, rather than the other new towns with only one or two villages nearby. The research results drawn and the lessons learnt from Van Quan will be useful for other projects, as far as a harmony and a sustainable development between the old and the new factors are concerned.

  13. Proactive Aggression: Teaching Self-Control to Children Who Use Aggression to Get Their Needs Met. Boys Town National Family Home Program Informational Series, Volume No. 105.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dowd, Thomas P.

    This Boys' Town guide for parents focuses on proactive aggression, how to recognize it, and how to deal with it. The guide differentiates proactive and reactive aggression, describes potential causes, and presents suggestions for eliminating inappropriate behavior. One parent-child scenario is described in which unwitting parents with the best of…

  14. Cigarette smokers' intention to quit smoking in Dire Dawa town Ethiopia: an assessment using the Transtheoretical Model

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Cessation of smoking reduces morbidity and mortality related to tobacco smoking. It is essential to explore the intention of individuals to quit smoking to design effective interventions. The objective of this study was to assess cigarette smokers' intention to quit smoking in Dire Dawa town using the Transtheoretical model. Methods From February 15 to 19, 2009, we conducted a community based cross-sectional study among 384 current cigarette smokers in Dire Dawa town east Ethiopia. Data was collected by trained personnel using a pretested structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Results Two hundred and nineteen (57%) smokers in the study area had the intention to quit cigarette smoking within the next six months and all the process of change had an increasing trend across the stages. Based on the Fragestrom test of nicotine dependence of cigarette, 35 (9.1%), 69 (18%) and 48(12.5%) were very high, high and medium dependent on nicotine respectively. For the majority 247(64.3%) of the respondents, the mean score of cons of smoking outweighs the pros score (negative decisional balance). Only 66(17.2%) had high self efficacy not to smoke in places and situations that can aggravate smoking. Conclusions Majority of the smokers had the intention to quit smoking. All the process of change had an increasing trend across the stages. Those who had no intention to quit smoking had high level of dependence on nicotine and low self efficacy. The pros of smoking were decreasing while the cons were increasing across the stages. Stage based interventions should be done to move the smokers from their current stage to an advanced stages of quitting cigarette smoking. PMID:20529337

  15. "My Tribe is the Hessequa. I'm Khoisan. I'm African": Language, Desire and Performance among Cape Town's Khoisan Language Activists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Justin; Deumert, Ana

    2017-01-01

    In this article we provide a discussion of present-day Khoisan activism in Cape Town, South Africa. The main actors in this movement are people whose heritage is complex: their history can be traced back to the early days of the colonial settlement, reflecting the interactions and cohabitation of the indigenous Khoisan, slaves and the European…

  16. Geochemical investigation of potentially harmful elements in household dust from a mercury-contaminated site, the town of Idrija (Slovenia).

    PubMed

    Bavec, Špela; Gosar, Mateja; Miler, Miloš; Biester, Harald

    2017-06-01

    A comprehensive geochemical investigation of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in household dust from the town of Idrija (Slovenia), once a world-famous Hg mining town that is now seriously polluted, was performed for the first time. After aqua regia digestion, the content of mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) was measured. PHE-bearing particles were recognised and observed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry before and after exposure to simulated stomach acid (SSA). Mercury binding forms were identified by Hg thermal desorption technique and gastric bioaccessible Hg was estimated after SSA extraction by ICP-MS. With regard to rural and urban background values for Slovenia, high Hg content (6-120 mg/kg) and slightly elevated As content (1-13 mg/kg) were found. Mercury pollution is a result of past mining and ore processing activities. Arsenic content is potentially associated with As enrichment in local soils. Four Hg binding forms were identified: all samples contained Hg bound to the dust matrix, 14 samples contained cinnabar, two samples contained metallic Hg (Hg 0 ), and one sample assumingly contained mercury oxide. After exposure to SSA, Hg-bearing phases showed no signs of dissolution, while other PHE-bearing phases were significantly morphologically and/or chemically altered. Estimated gastric Hg bioaccessibility was low (<0.006-0.09 %), which is in accordance with identified Hg binding forms and high organic carbon content (15.9-31.5 %) in the dust samples.

  17. Meal services after the Great East Japan Earthquake at nursery schools in a tsunami-affected town: focus group observations.

    PubMed

    Amitani, Yukiko; Sudo, Noriko; Tsuboyama-Kasaoka, Nobuyo; Ishikawa, Fumiko; Sako, Kazuko

    2017-03-01

    This study aimed to collect information on experiences in the Great East Japan Earthquake (hereafter, 3.11), current preparedness, and barriers to building up stockpiles in nursery schools in affected areas. Based on the needs heard from the staff, we decided what contents should be included in our manual developed with the Japan Dietetic Association. A group interview was held in September 2012. We interviewed a principal, nurses, and registered dietitians working for a public and a private nursery school in Town A. We also invited an administrative dietitian who was an employee of Town A. One of the barriers to building up stockpiles was that they did not have any idea of what and how many items they should store. To deal with this situation, we developed a formula that could be used to calculate the quantity of stockpiles for their facilities in a newly developed feeding manual. In terms of current preparedness, the registered dietitians were not prepared for alternative menus in emergencies or how to manage garbage when the garbage collection was disrupted by disasters. The manual recommends to obtain the services of at least two food service personnel and spare space for storing filled garbage bags until garbage collection resumes. Some improvements in stocks were found in both of the public and private nursery schools. To improve the situation further, more financial support and detailed guidelines should be provided by the local government and authoritative organizations. Our manual should be a great asset for all nursery schools to improve their stockpiles.

  18. Manufacturing Technology Support (MATES) II Task Order 0006: Air Force Technology and Industrial Base Research and Analysis. Subtask Order 0004: Study on Supply Chains and Social Media

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-10-01

    information goldmine for early warning signals of consumer discontent and marketing opportunity. Toyota, Nike , Tyco and Shell are just a few of the many...are using ESN platforms internally to gain efficiencies. While there were very few examples where these solutions are being used in manufacturing...Schaefer of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. Mr. Peters has done extensive work in manufacturing supply chains, with an emphasis on their assembly and

  19. Case Studies of Two American Towns That Have Recently Developed Geotourism Venues: A Comparison of Steps Taken in Geoscience Education Program Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wandersee, J. H.; Clary, R. M.

    2005-12-01

    In June, 2003, CNN reported that there were three US public fossil parks (in OH, NY, and IA) that embraced educational missions and allowed the public to collect and actually keep the fossils they found. The new parks moved beyond exhibiting fossils to allowing the park visitor to have a direct, tangible, and authentic geobiological field experience, typically culminating in the visitor's identification and ownership of a small number of personally collected fossils. Our site-based, qualitative, comparative geoscience educational analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the first three parks was presented at the 2004 International Geological Congress. We subsequently developed a fossil park design model for others contemplating the establishment or instructional use of such parks. Today there are five specially developed, public fossil parks in the US. All are owned and operated by city or county governments, or by non-profit organizations. Each considers its primary mission to be advancing geoscience education. In the current investigation, we conducted on-site, multiple case study research on the two newest US fossil parks. Both are located in small towns: Trammel Fossil Park in Sharonville, Ohio (population 13,000), and Fossil Beds Park in Fossil, Oregon (population 430). The former site is Ordovician in age, with four fossiliferous marine formations. The latter is an Oligocene lake bed and contains approximately 35 species of identified plant fossils. Our focus in both case studies was on identifying the steps of successful fossil park development that lead to a sound informal geoscience education program, based on principles of active, meaningful, and mindful learning (Langer, 1998; Michael and Modell, 2003; Mintzes, Wandersee, and Novak, 2000). We found that each town had developed a collaborative, community-driven, pedagogically innovative, field-based geotourism venue. Each was noteworthy in specific ways for its geoscience education potential as an

  20. The Application of Typology Method in Historical Building Information Modelling (hbim) Taking the Information Surveying and Mapping of Jiayuguan Fortress Town as AN Example

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, D. Y.; Li, K.; Wu, C.

    2017-08-01

    With the promotion of fine degree of the heritage building surveying and mapping, building information modelling technology(BIM) begins to be used in surveying and mapping, renovation, recording and research of heritage building, called historical building information modelling(HBIM). The hierarchical frameworks of parametric component library of BIM, belonging to the same type with the same parameters, has the same internal logic with archaeological typology which is more and more popular in the age identification of ancient buildings. Compared with the common materials, 2D drawings and photos, typology with HBIM has two advantages — (1) comprehensive building information both in collection and representation and (2) uniform and reasonable classification criteria This paper will take the information surveying and mapping of Jiayuguan Fortress Town as an example to introduce the field work method of information surveying and mapping based on HBIM technology and the construction of Revit family library.And then in order to prove the feasibility and advantage of HBIM technology used in typology method, this paper will identify the age of Guanghua gate tower, Rouyuan gate tower, Wenchang pavilion and the theater building of Jiayuguan Fortress Town with HBIM technology and typology method.