Practicing a New Curriculum in Turkey: Loose Coupling, Organisational and Social Milieus, and Their Practical Capital Formations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nohl, Arnd-Michael; Somel, R. Nazli

2016-01-01

This paper analyses tuitional practices after a major curriculum change (2005) in primary schools of Turkey. Group discussions conducted with teachers and parents in five maximally contrasting schools (e.g. schools in a squatter and a middle-class neighbourhood of Istanbul) show that tuitional practices, being only "loosely coupled" with…

A Spectre Haunting: New Dimensions of Youth Protest in Western Europe. Occasional Paper 8208.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mushaben, Joyce Marie

European protest movements of the eighties are analyzed and compared to the dissident movements of the sixties and seventies. The focus is on the peace, anti-nuclear, and ecology movements, the drive for autonomous youth centers in Switzerland, racial disturbances in Britain, and unrest among the urban squatters in the German Federal Republic. Six…

Bitter bonanza in Wyoming

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

Randall, D.

Mineral and energy-related exploration, such as the drilling activity in the Overthrust Belt for petroleum, has made Wyoming a leading energy supplier in the U.S. The energy boom has had many unfortunate effects on the state's environment. Environmental degradation caused by exploration and production in Wyoming includes loss of habitat, poaching of wildlife, water pollution from oil dumping and erosion, and impacts from squatter's camps.

The Role of Rhetoric in the Judicial Opinion: The Rhetoric of Boaventura De Sousa Santos.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anapol, Malthon M.

Boaventura De Sousa Santos, a Portuguese law professor, appears to be the first legal scholar and theorist who works with rhetorical theories and who is accepted by the legal profession. Santos's major works have centered on the legal system of Pasargada, a Brazilian favela (squatter village) whose residents try to settle disputes outside the…

Reconstruction and Vital Infrastructure Industry. Industry Study, Spring 2008

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

country in a post-conflict environment treats the people within its borders is an important consideration that must be accounted for in order for...of violence in South Africa that is “reminiscent of the bloodiest days of apartheid [wherein] most of the victims [are] foreigners in squatter...global partners . To this end, the USG should: • Give reconstruction and stability operations priority commensurate with its importance to our national

Perceived gynecological morbidity among young ever-married women living in squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan.

PubMed

Sajan, F; Fikree, F F

1999-04-01

Community-based information on obstetric and gynecological morbidity in developing countries is meager and nearly non-existent in Pakistan. To estimate the prevalence of specific gynecological morbidities and investigate the predictors of pelvic inflammatory disease. Users [404] and non-users [313] of modern contraceptives were identified from eight squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan and detailed information on basic demographics, contraceptive use, female mobility, decision-making and gynecological morbidities were elicited. The perceived prevalence of menstrual disorders were 45.3%, uterine prolapse 19.1%, pelvic inflammatory disease 12.8% and urinary tract infection 5.4%. The magnitude of gynecological morbidity was high with about 55% of women reporting at least one gynecological morbidity though fewer [20%] reported at least two gynecological morbidities. Significant predictors of pelvic inflammatory disease were intrauterine contraceptive device users (OR = 3.1; 95% CI 1.7-5.6), age < or = 20 years (OR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.1-4.8) and urban life style (OR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.0-4.6). There is an immense burden of reproductive ill-health and a significant association between ever users of intrauterine contraceptive device and pelvic inflammatory disease. We therefore suggest improvement in the quality of reproductive health services generally, but specifically for family planning services.

Induced abortions in low socio-economic settlements of Karachi, Pakistan: rates and women's perspectives.

PubMed

Saleem, S; Fikree, F F

2001-08-01

The aim of the study was to determine rates on induced abortions and to identify the perceived and actual reasons for terminating an unplanned pregnancy, health care providers sought, methods used and post-abortion complications. Three squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan. Interviews were conducted on 1,214 ever-married women in the reproductive age group (15-49) with a reproductive history of at least one pregnancy, irrespective of outcome. A cross-sectional survey from June-August 1997 was conducted in three selected squatter settlements of Karachi. The abortion rate for the past year was 25.5 per 1,000 women of reproductive age group. The post-abortion complication rate reported was 68.5% (61/89), of which fever and heavy vaginal bleeding was the most commonly reported complication (54.1%). The results indicate that women are aware of the high mortality and morbidity risk resulting from seeking an unsafe abortion but nevertheless opt for this approach to attain their goal of small family size rather than for a modern method of contraception. Furthermore, healthcare providers, irrespective of legality issues, provide such services due to demand. We suggest that family physicians and other relevant health care providers be trained for post-abortion care including post-abortion family planning counseling with an emphasis on emergency contraceptives.

Do mothers-in-law matter? Family dynamics and fertility decision-making in urban squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan.

PubMed

Kadir, Muhammad Masood; Fikree, Fariyal F; Khan, Amanullah; Sajan, Fatima

2003-10-01

The perspectives of mothers-in-law about intra-household decision-making, family size and family planning are investigated, and their views compared with those of their sons and daughters-in-law. Women (717 daughters-in-law), their husbands (717 sons) and their 522 mothers-in-law were interviewed in eight squatter settlements in Karachi, Pakistan. Decisions about the schooling and health care of children, and the purchase of jewellery, are perceived to lie within the nuclear family domain (i.e. husband and wife). There was a difference in mothers-in-law's, daughters-in-law's and sons' desire to have more children. Twenty-eight per cent of mothers-in-law versus 58%, of daughters-in-law did not want more grandsons/sons and 36%, of mothers-in-law versus 66% of daughters-in-law did not want more granddaughters/daughters. The difference was markedly greater among the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law pairs than in the mother/son pairs. Overall, the mother-in-law's role seems to be somewhat overshadowed by that of her son (family male member), except for limiting family size. It is suggested that mothers-in-law should be included in Information-Education-Communication (IEC) campaigns about family planning.

Integrating complexity of social systems in natural hazards planning: An example from Caracas, Venezuela

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vranes, Kevin; Czuchlewski, Kristina R.

In December 1999, days of heavy rain on steep slopes north of Caracas, Venezuela triggered massive mud and debris flows, killing tens of thousands. Partly in response to this disaster, a multidisciplinary team of urban planners and Earth scientists from Columbia University recently developed a framework plan for building disaster resilience into the Venezuelan capital region. After assessing the complex intersection of urban geography with severe seismic and hydrologic hazards, substantial recommendations were made to local and regional authorities on future hazards mitigation.Areas found most at risk in the Caracas region include the transportation and utility infrastructure and the friable building stock of squatter settlements. Recognizing realistic economic and socio-political constraints on implementing change, a prioritized list of goals and activities was constructed, and recommendations made along various time scales. Immediate disaster-avoidance goals (to be completed within 1 to 5 years) include strengthening critical infrastructure nodes, housing stock, and emergency services. More intermediate goals (5 to 10 years) focus on upgrading fragile housing units, creating detailed hazard maps across the city, and incorporating disaster education into cultural activities. Recommended activities for the long term (beyond 10 years) include creating a fully redundant transportation and water delivery network, establishing legitimate land title for squatters, and re-locating critical facilities currently in high-risk areas.

Flooding in Pakistan: Overview and Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-21

sites are women. Many of the men have endured the flooding and gone back to their property to salvage belongings and deter squatters. There have...seated in the spring of 2008 after relatively free and fair elections. It is led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of President Asif Zardari and...Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. After flooding began in late July, President Zardari came under intense criticism for going ahead with a planned

Knowledge, attitude and beliefs amongst inhabitants of high density informal settlements with regard to sexuality and AIDS in Alexandra township.

PubMed

Ratsaka, M; Hirschowitz, R

1995-06-01

The main purpose of this study was to gain information on the knowledge that people living in squatter conditions have about AIDS, their attitude towards this disease and their sexual practices. The study had two parts, in-depth interviews and a survey. The in-depth interviews were held with 68 male informal settlement dwellers to obtain information on the type of questions to ask in the quantitative part of the study, taking into account the sensitivity of the information we were seeking, and how best to phrase these questions. For the survey, the 300 male informal settlement residents who were interviewed, were located by means of systematic sampling techniques. The results of the survey showed that most of the respondents were living in squalid conditions, without recreation facilities. They were also likely to have had more than one partner (54%). Most of the respondents (90%) had heard about AIDS as a disease. Even though they were aware of AIDS as an epidemic in the country as a whole, they were not convinced that the disease exists in their community, the main reason being that they have never heard about nor seen a person with AIDS in the township. There is an urgent need for AIDS education. But this education cannot take place as a separate activity from other upliftment activities in squatter areas.

The quest for small family size among Pakistani women--is voluntary termination of pregnancy a matter of choice or necessity?

PubMed

Saleem, Sarah; Fikree, Fariyal F

2005-07-01

To present the socio-biologic predictors of induced abortion among married women residing in low income squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in three squatter settlements of Karachi from June to August 1997. Interviews were conducted on 1,214 married women assessing past pregnancy history, literacy and employment status of self and spouse and specifically probing for past history of seeking an induced abortion. Fifty women reported an induced abortion during last three years prior to survey. Of these, forty percent (20/50) of abortion seekers were using some method of family planning before conceiving the index pregnancy. Post abortion family planning method use was adopted by 50% (25/50) of the abortion seekers. The most parsimonious multivariate logistic regression model included grand-multigravidity (OR 2.6 CI, 1.3 - 5.2), literate status of the woman (OR 1.9 CI, 1.0 - 3.4) and the 26-35 age group (OR 3.0 CI, 1.4 - 6.6). Unplanned/mistimed pregnancies generally result from high unmet need and ineffective use of contraceptives and culminate through induced abortions. We propose that improvement in the quality of family planning counseling should be targeted to effective use of a method, back-up support in case of method failure and the health consequences of unsafe abortions.

Infant mortality and undernutrition in the squatter settlements of Karachi.

PubMed

Thaver, I H; Ebrahim, G J; Richardson, R

1990-06-01

The socio-demographic and biological processes contributing to infant mortality and undernourishment were studied in five urban squatter settlements of Karachi. All those families who had experienced an infant death in the past 2 years (N = 106) were recruited into the study. Comparative children were selected by random numbers with geographical matching from families with at least one live infant and without a history of infant deaths in the past 2 years. The comparison children were weighed and those found underweight (27 per cent) were studied for the presence of risk factors. Forty-one per cent of all deaths were in the neonatal period, and in 47 per cent of cases deaths had occurred in infants with a birth order of 5 and above. Age, duration of breast feeding, birth interval, and the live/dead status of the previous sibling were significant biological variables accounting for 23 per cent of the variance for survival. Socio-economic status accounted for 22 per cent of the variance and health-seeking behaviour (antenatal care, immunization, etc.) for 28 per cent. Sixty-eight per cent of those underweight were more than 6 months old. Age, female sex, birth interval less than 24 months, duration of breast feeding, adolescent mother, alive/dead status of the previous child were significant influences accounting for 12 per cent of the variance. Socio-economic status and health seeking behaviour were also important determinants, but not to the same extent as in the case of infant death.

The peri-urban interface and house infestation with Triatoma infestans in the Argentine Chaco: an underreported process?

PubMed Central

Provecho, Yael M; Gaspe, M Sol; del Pilar Fernández, M; Enriquez, Gustavo F; Weinberg, Diego; Gürtler, Ricardo E

2014-01-01

Peri-urban infestations with triatomine bugs, their sources and their dynamics have rarely been investigated. Here, we corroborated the reported occurrence of Triatoma infestans in a peri-urban area and in neighbouring rural houses in Pampa del Indio, in the Argentine Chaco, and identified its putative sources using spatial analysis and demographic questionnaires. Peri-urban householders reported that 10% of their premises had triatomines, whereas T. infestans was collected by timed manual searches or community-based surveillance in only nine (3%) houses. Trypanosoma cruzi-infected T. infestans and Triatoma sordida were collected indoors only in peri-urban houses and were infected with TcV and TcI, respectively. The triatomines fed on chickens, cats and humans. Peri-urban infestations were most frequent in a squatter settlement and particularly within the recently built mud houses of rural immigrants, with large-sized households, more dogs and cats and more crowding. Several of the observed infestations were most likely associated with passive bug transport from other sources and with active bug dispersal from neighbouring foci. Thus, the households in the squatter settlement were at a greater risk of bug invasion and colonisation. In sum, the incipient process of domestic colonisation and transmission, along with persistent rural-to-urban migratory flows and unplanned urbanisation, indicate the need for active vector surveillance and control actions at the peri-urban interface of the Gran Chaco. PMID:25410997

Water insecurity and emotional distress: coping with supply, access, and seasonal variability of water in a Bolivian squatter settlement.

PubMed

Wutich, Amber; Ragsdale, Kathleen

2008-12-01

Recent research suggests that insecure access to key resources is associated with negative mental health outcomes. Many of these studies focus on drought and famine in agricultural, pastoral, and foraging communities, and indicate that food insecurity mediates the link between water insecurity and emotional distress. The present study is the first to systematically examine intra-community patterns of water insecurity in an urban setting. In 2004-2005, we collected interview data from a random sample of 72 household heads in Villa Israel, a squatter settlement of Cochabamba, Bolivia. We examined the extent to which water-related emotional distress is linked with three dimensions of water insecurity: inadequate water supply; insufficient access to water distribution systems; and dependence on seasonal water sources, and with gender. We found that access to water distribution systems and female gender were significantly associated with emotional distress, while water supply and dependence on seasonal water sources were not. Economic assets, social assets, entitlements to water markets, and entitlements to reciprocal exchanges of water were significantly associated with emotional distress, while entitlements to a common-pool water resource institution were not. These results suggest that water-related emotional distress develops as a byproduct of the social and economic negotiations people employ to gain access to water distribution systems in the absence of clear procedures or established water rights rather than as a result of water scarcity per se.

Urban squatting and migration in Peninsular Malaysia.

PubMed

Johnstone, M

1983-01-01

"This article examines some of the links between the phenomena of urban migration and squatter settlements in the Third World city. This will be done by demonstrating that both are outcomes of fundamental social and political forces that have operated on these societies. Migration and squatting are placed in a context of the historical processes that led to the uneven development of Malaysia. The article offers some explanation for the origin of the inequalities observed in spatial structures--in this case urban housing--by focusing on one of the contributory factors, namely migration." excerpt

A Cultural Resources Survey of Proposed Project Areas in the Buffalo Harbor, Erie County, New York

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-01

continued warming was indicated - by the transition into the B-I Stage, with the decline of the spruce forests and an increase in birch and pine . Deciduous...County area in 1620 as part of the Plymouth Colony settlement. The claim was made again when the area was granted to the Duke of York in 1664. The first...Buffalo cleared the area in 1902 and removed the Sea Wall Strip of squatters, leaving the area " barren " (Symons and Quintus 1902: 256-257) . Between

Myths and fallacies about male contraceptive methods: a qualitative study amongst married youth in slums of Karachi, Pakistan.

PubMed

Nishtar, Noureen Aleem; Sami, Neelofar; Faruqi, Anum; Khowaja, Shaneela; Ul-Hasnain, Farid

2012-12-04

Pakistan presently has one of the largest cohorts of young people in its history, with around 36 million people between the ages of 15 and 24 years. One of the main reasons for high population growth in Pakistan is almost stagnant contraceptive prevalence rate of 30% nationally and 17.4% amongst youth. The study was conducted to explore the perceptions regarding myths and fallacies related to male contraceptive methods among married youth aged 18-24 year in Karachi, Pakistan. Qualitative exploratory study design was adopted and a total of eight Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted. Study was conducted in two Union Councils of Korangi Town in the squatter settlement of Karachi, Pakistan from July to September 2010. Thematic analysis was done manually. General, physical, sexual, psychological, socio-cultural and religious were the common categories which lead to myths and fallacies related to condoms use and vasectomy among the married youth. The foremost myth amongst male and female youth was that use of both condoms and vasectomy cause impotence in males. Additionally, condoms were thought to cause infections, backache and headache in males. Some youth of the area think that vasectomy is meant for prisoners only. In conclusion our findings suggest that the potential reasons behind low use of male contraceptive methods among youth of squatter settlement of Karachi were myths and fallacies about male contraceptive methods. There are some important policy implications like counseling of the couple through peers and well trained family planning service providers to address these myths and misconceptions from the minds of youth.

Frequency and determinants of vaginal infection in postpartum period: a cross-sectional survey from low socioeconomic settlements, Karachi, Pakistan.

PubMed

Ali, Tazeen Saeed; Fikree, Fariyal F; Rahbar, Mohammad H; Mahmud, Sadia

2006-03-01

To determine the frequency and factors associated with perceived vaginal infections among married women in their postpartum period. A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2000 to October 2000 in five squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan. These squatter settlements were selected on the basis of an existing surveillance system run by female community health workers for maternal and child healthcare which identified women who had delivered 42-56 days prior to the date of interview. Vaginal infection was considered present when a mother perceived foul smelling vaginal discharge during the postpartum period. Mothers were interviewed to gain insight into socioeconomic and demographic variables, materials used to staunch lochia, duration of labour, personal and perineal hygiene and past obstetric history. A total of 525 women were interviewed. The estimated prevalence of perceived vaginal infection was 5.1%. Factors associated with perceived vaginal infections included, delivery conducted by a non-medical personnel (AOR 3.5, CI 1.3-9.5) and use of unhygienic cloth or cotton for staunch of lochia (AOR 2.7, CI 1.1-6.2). Among women who reported perceived vaginal infection, a higher proportion were delivered by non-medical personnel, and used unhygienic material (cloth or cotton) for staunch of lochia as compared to women who did not perceive vaginal infection. We recommend deliveries to be conducted by trained personnel and provision of health education for persons who conduct delivery and women to use hygienic material for staunch of lochia during post partum period.

Myths and Fallacies about Male Contraceptive Methods: A Qualitative Study amongst Married Youth in Slums of Karachi, Pakistan

PubMed Central

Nishtar, Noureen; Sami, Neelofar; Faruqi, Anum; Khowaja, Shaneela; Farid-Ul-Hasnain

2013-01-01

Pakistan presently has one of the largest cohorts of young people in its history, with around 36 million people between the ages of 15 and 24 years. One of the main reasons for high population growth in Pakistan is almost stagnant contraceptive prevalence rate of 30% nationally and 17.4% amongst youth. The study was conducted to explore the perceptions regarding myths and fallacies related to male contraceptive methods among married youth aged 18-24 year in Karachi, Pakistan. Qualitative exploratory study design was adopted and a total of eight Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted. Study was conducted in two Union Councils of Korangi Town in the squatter settlement of Karachi, Pakistan from July to September 2010. Thematic analysis was done manually. General, physical, sexual, psychological, socio-cultural and religious were the common categories which lead to myths and fallacies related to condoms use and vasectomy among the married youth. The foremost myth amongst male and female youth was that use of both condoms and vasectomy cause impotence in males. Additionally, condoms were thought to cause infections, backache and headache in males. Some youth of the area think that vasectomy is meant for prisoners only. In conclusion our findings suggest that the potential reasons behind low use of male contraceptive methods among youth of squatter settlement of Karachi were myths and fallacies about male contraceptive methods. There are some important policy implications like counseling of the couple through peers and well trained family planning service providers to address these myths and misconceptions from the minds of youth. PMID:23445697

Health status of children living in a squatter area of Manila, Philippines, with particular emphasis on intestinal parasitoses.

PubMed

Auer, C

1990-06-01

In 1988 a study was performed in a squatter area of Manila, Philippines. Three substudies were carried out: (1) an analysis of the reported health situation and the available health services for the population of Smokey Mountain, (2) a vaccination coverage survey and (3) a cross-sectional stool sample survey. Respiratory infections, diarrhea, measles and malnutrition were the most frequently reported causes of ill-health and death. Not only governmental but also various non-governmental health services have been developed over the last few years. Better coordination and cooperation between the various health care providers, furtherance of community participation, improvements in the performance of the community health volunteers and stronger emphasis on preventive health care (such as health education) are suggested. The vaccination coverage cluster survey performed among children aged 1-2 years revealed that 24% of the surveyed children were fully immunized and 19% not immunized at all. The drop-out rates of children vaccinated through non-governmental organizations were significantly lower than those of the children vaccinated through a governmental agency. The cross-sectional stool sample survey performed among 238 children aged 8 months to 15 years revealed that 96% of the surveyed children were harboring intestinal parasites. Most common was Trichuris and Ascaris. The prevalence of hookworm was 10%, and those of Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia 21% and 20%, respectively. Most children (84%) were affected by multiparasitism. The need to adapt the concept of Primary Health Care to the context of the urban poor and not only to provide health services but also to change social and economic conditions is emphasized.

Passive Signals from Aggressive Methods: The Origin and Implications of Organic Material in a Carbonate Stromatolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petryshyn, V.; Bailey, J.; Stamps, B. W.; Stevenson, B. S.; Corsetti, F. A.

2017-12-01

Microbial activity can play a role in the construction of carbonate features like stromatolites and thrombolites, but determining whether microbes were directly or indirectly involved in the formation can be difficult—an endeavor that becomes more difficult as geologic time passes and organic signals degrade. In order to assess our ability to decipher the role of microbes in stromatolite formation, DNA (geologically short-lived) and alkanes (potentially geologically long-lived) were extracted and analyzed from finely-laminated Holocene carbonate stromatolites of Walker Lake, Nevada. The stromatolitic laminations were typically between 50 and 100 microns thick. The surrounding sediment and lake water was also sampled, for comparison. SSU rRNA gene sequencing suggests that a large percentage (25-40 % relative abundance) of the microbial community found within the stromatolite is comprised of ambient lake algae, not known to form stromatolite-building mats given their size vs. stromatolite lamination thickness, rather than the usual taxa associated with the formation of stromatolites. Other minor taxa were identified, including the bacterial families Cyanobacteria, Flavobacteriaceae, and Rhodobacteraceae. Mirroring the DNA results, the carbon isotopic compositions of the alkanes were largely indistinguishable from the limnic biomass dominated by lake algae. The results suggest that organic matter was passively incorporated into the carbonate structure from the lake as it accreted. Although evidence of life was abundant in the stromatolite, a direct role (builders) or even an indirect role (tenants) is difficult to establish, as the 16S/18S and lipid biomarkers appear to simply originate from the water column (squatters) and not from a unique microbial mat. In the absence of in situ analyses during the formation of the stromatolite, it may be difficult to disentangle the builders from the tenants and/or squatters based solely on molecular or organic geochemical data collected after the fact, or to determine if the stromatolite was indeed biogenic at all based on such techniques.

Indonesian immigrant settlements in peninsular Malaysia.

PubMed

Azizah Kassim

2000-04-01

For over 2 decades, until the economic crisis in mid-1997, Malaysia's rapid economic growth attracted an influx of foreign labor, mostly from Indonesia, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. In 1997 the number of registered workers was estimated at 1.2 million and undocumented ones at approximately 800,000. The influx created various problems, of which housing is one of the most serious, especially in the Kelang Valley. This paper examines the ways and means by which Indonesian workers, the largest group among foreigners, overcame their accommodation problem. Two types of settlements are identified, that is, illegal ones in the squatter areas and legal ones, which are largely in Malay Reservation Areas. The settlements, which signify Indonesians' success in finding a foothold in Malaysia, today have become a base for more in-migration.

Health and illness concepts among lower income Nicaraguan women.

PubMed

Ailinger, Rita L; Gonzalez, Rose; Zamora, Lidya

2007-03-01

Concepts of health and illness are culturally defined; however, few researchers have reported on these concepts among Latina women. A purposive sample of 14 lower income Nicaraguan women living in a squatter settlement is the focus of this qualitative study. The authors used in-depth, tape-recorded interviews in Spanish to gather data on the women's concepts of health and illness for adults and babies and of health maintenance activities. The authors analyzed the verbatim transcripts and analyzed them for themes. The women's concepts of health and illness included four themes: activities, disposition, eating, and appearance. Health maintenance activities included hygiene and sanitation, medical intervention, nutrition, and the appearance of cleanliness. Nurses and other health care providers will find these themes instructive in developing and providing health services for similar Latina women.

The Variability of Childhood Diarrhea in Karachi, Pakistan, 2002–2006

PubMed Central

Luby, Stephen P.; Agboatwalla, Mubina; Hoekstra, Robert M.

2011-01-01

Diarrhea burden is often estimated using cross-sectional surveys. We measured variability in diarrhea prevalence among children < 5 years of age living in squatter settlements in central Karachi, Pakistan. We pooled data from non-intervention control households from studies conducted from 2002 through 2006. The prevalence of diarrhea varied on average by 29% from one week to the next, by 37% from one month to the next, and during peak diarrhea season by 32% from one year to the next. During 24 months when the same nine neighborhoods were under surveillance, each month the prevalence of diarrhea varied by at least an order of magnitude from the lowest to the highest prevalence neighborhood, and each neighborhood recorded the highest diarrhea prevalence during at least one month. Cross-sectional surveys are unreliable measures of diarrhea prevalence. PMID:21633021

Malaria control in Tanzania

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

Yhdego, M.; Majura, P.

A review of the malaria control programs and the problem encountered in the United Republic of Tanzania since 1945 to the year 1986 is discussed. Buguruni, one of the squatter areas in the city of Dar es Salaam, is chosen as a case study in order to evaluate the economic advantage of engineering methods for the control of malaria infection. Although the initial capital cost of engineering methods may be high, the cost effectiveness requires a much lower financial burden of only about Tshs. 3 million compared with the conventional methods of larviciding and insecticiding which requires more than Tshs.more » 10 million. Finally, recommendations for the adoption of engineering methods are made concerning the upgrading of existing roads and footpaths in general with particular emphasis on drainage of large pools of water which serve as breeding sites for mosquitoes.« less

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among communities living in different habitats and its comparison with one hundred and one studies conducted over the past 42 years (1970 to 2013) in Malaysia.

PubMed

Sinniah, B; Hassan A, K R; Sabaridah, I; Soe, M M; Ibrahim, Z; Ali, O

2014-06-01

Intestinal parasitic infections are among the most common diseases affecting mankind causing major public health problems to billions of people living in developing countries. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in various communities residing in different habitats in Malaysia and compare the findings with 101 studies conducted over the past 42 years (1970-2013). A cross-sectional study design was conducted with the aid of a questionnaire to collect relevant information about the study population. Faecal samples were examined using the direct smear and formal ether sedimentation techniques. A total of 342 children were examined amongst whom 24.6% were positive for intestinal parasitic infections. Results showed that 32.3% of rural children, 20.6% of urban squatters and 5.4% of children from flats were positive for one or more parasites. The most common parasite encountered was Trichuris trichiura (20.2%) followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (10.5%) and hookworm (6.7%). No case of hookworm was reported in urban children whereas 12.2% of rural children were positive. The most common protozoan parasite detected was Entamoeba coli (3.2%) followed by Giardia intestinalis (1.8%), Entamoeba histolytica (1.8%) and Blastocystis hominis (1.2%). Nearly one-fifth (18.4%) of the children had single infection followed by double (12.0%) and triple infections (1.2%). Orang Asli (indigenous) children (44.3%) had the highest infection rate followed by Indians (20.2%), Malays (14.0%) and Chinese (11.9%). Twenty-eight studies carried out on plantation communities with regards to intestinal parasitic infections in Malaysia from 1970 to 2013 showed a steady decline in the prevalence rate ranging from 95.0% in the seventies to 37.0 % in 2012. Intestinal parasitic infections were more common in Orang Asli communities with prevalence ranging from over 90% in the seventies and fluctuating below 70% in most studies between 2000 to 2013 except for two studies that showed a prevalence of 98.2% and 100%. The prevalence rate among urban squatters, urban residents and those living in flats showed dramatic decrease in prevalence rate.

Voices of impoverished Brazilian women: health implications of roles and resources.

PubMed

Messias, D K; Hall, J M; Meleis, A I

1996-01-01

This qualitative study was based on individual interviews with 75 Brazilian women in an impoverished peri-urban squatter community (favela) in southeastern Brazil. The purposes of the study were to describe women's role involvement in domestic and employment contexts; identify stresses and satisfactions of maternal, spousal, and employment roles; and assess personal and environmental role constraints and resources from the perspective of women's health. The analytic approach to the interview data was qualitative content analysis, through which thematic categories of maternal, spousal, and employment role satisfactions and stresses were identified by the researchers. Women's unrelenting work in the face of harsh social and economic environments was a broad theme woven throughout the women's descriptions of their lives. The confluence of role constraints affecting the participants' lives included poverty, marginalization, abuse, and lack of support and recognition by partners and society. In order to overcome great adversity and meet heavy role demands, these women relied on self, faith in God, family, and health resources. Implications for women's health promotion are discussed.

Vulnerability to typhoon hazards in the coastal informal settlements of Metro Manila, the Philippines.

PubMed

Morin, Véronique M; Ahmad, Mokbul Morshed; Warnitchai, Pennung

2016-10-01

In many low- and middle-income countries informal communities-also termed slum and squatter areas-have become a dominant and distinct form of urban settlement, with ever increasing populations. Such communities are often located in areas of high hazard exposure and frequently affected by disasters. While often recognised as one of the highest 'at risk' populations, this paper will argue that informal settlers have been directly and indirectly excluded from many formal mechanisms, thereby increasing their vulnerability to disaster events. Household surveys were conducted across several frequently flooded informal coastal communities in Metro Manila, the Philippines, following a major typhoon and storm surge disaster. The study revealed a large level of diversity in socio-economic vulnerability, although all households faced similar levels of physical exposure and physical vulnerability. Disaster risk reduction policies and responses need to better integrate informal settlement areas and recognise the diversity within these communities. © 2016 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2016.

Democracy on the edge: limits and possibilities in the implementation of an urban reform agenda in Brazil.

PubMed

Rolnik, Raquel

2011-01-01

The 1990s in Brazil were a time of institutional advances in the areas of housing and urban rights following the signing of the new constitution in 1988 that incorporated the principles of the social function of cities and property, recognition of the right to ownership of informal urban squatters and the direct participation of citizens in urban policy decision processes. These propositions are the pillars of the urban reform agenda which, since the creation of the Ministry of Cities by the Lula government, has come under the federal executive branch. This article evaluates the limitations and opportunities involved in implementing this agenda on the basis of two policies proposed by the ministry — the National Cities Council and the campaign for Participatory Master Plans — focusing the analysis on government organization in the area of urban development in its relationship with the political system and the characteristics of Brazilian democracy.

Pollution and sanitation problems as setbacks to sustainable water resources management in Freetown.

PubMed

Kallon, Senesie B

2008-12-01

The civil conflict in Sierra Leone (1991-2001) caused a dramatic increase in the population of Freetown. This population increase overstretched housing facilities, leading to the creation of camps and many squatter settlements with poor sanitation practices. Overcrowding has become a serious concern in light of the acute water shortage that struck Freetown in May and June 2006. Some of the numerous small water bodies that could have been used to augment the public water supply were contaminated by the disposal of solid and industrial waste and poor sewage management. Improper disposal practices have a direct impact on public health. This paper recommends addressing the policy gap, establishing clear threshold criteria for all water bodies and wastewater discharge, and integrating the above issues in the ongoing review process of draft water sanitation policy. Public education of the negative consequences of poor waste management practices on water quality and public health can also positively affect general sanitation practices

Nutritional status and physical abuse among the children involved in domestic labour in Karachi Pakistan: a cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Zainab, Saima; Kadir, Masood

2016-10-01

To determine the prevalence of physical abuse among domestic child labours and to assess the nutritional status by calculating the Body Mass Index of children involved in domestic labour in Karachi. A cross sectional study was conducted in the squatter settlements of Karachi. Questionnaire based interviews were conducted to capture physical abuse with 385 children who worked as domestic labour in the household of their employer. The ages of the children were between 10 to 14 years belonging to both genders. The children were enrolled in study by snow-ball sampling technique. The overall prevalence of physical abuse among domestic child labour in Karachi was found to be 8.3 %. Over 9 % had low weight and about 90% were stunted. This study also highlighted that 95% of the children involved in domestic labour perform overtime work in their employer's home, more than once per week. There is high burden of physical abuse among the domestic child labour and these children are malnourished. There is a need to recognize and regulate this form of labour in Pakistan.

Social Consequences of Alcohol Use among Urban Poor: A Cross-sectional Study in Kathmandu Valley.

PubMed

Thapa, P; Mishra, S R; Bista, B; Dhungana, R R; Adhikari, N; Soti, L; Puri, S; Aryal, K K

2015-01-01

Nepal is not an exception to alcohol use; urban poor are more prone than the general population. The question of social consequences of alcohol use among urban poor remains largely unanswered in Nepal. Study explored the alcohol linked social consequences among the urban poor of Kathmandu Valley. Taking 422 urban poor from four squatter settlements of Kathmandu Valley, a cross-sectional study was carried out. A series of univariate and bivariate analysis were performed in R version 3.1.2. Four out of 10 current drinkers (42.86%, 95% CI: 31.4-54.3) encountered various social consequences. The number one consequence hitting 23.19% drinkers was money loss. Male drinkers were 4.43 times (95% CI: 1.810.8) more likely to face social consequences than their female counterparts. Being male frequent drinker increased the odds of social consequence 3.80 times (95% CI:1.3-11.0) than that of female frequent drinker. A behaviour change communication campaign needs initiation; male populace and frequent drinkers being the target.

Implementing a public-private mix model for tuberculosis treatment in urban Pakistan: lessons and experiences.

PubMed

Naqvi, S A; Naseer, M; Kazi, A; Pethani, A; Naeem, I; Zainab, S; Fatmi, Z

2012-06-01

Six towns of Karachi, Pakistan. 1) To strengthen the capacity of general practitioners (GPs) in providing tuberculosis (TB) treatment through DOTS; and 2) to enhance collaboration between the public and private sectors in TB management and case reporting. A quasi-experimental study design was adopted to ensure enrolment of TB patients through trained GPs with the support of laboratory networks and to improve the case detection rate. The following challenges were faced during implementation of the model in urban settings: no systematic list of GPs was available; the majority of the GPs were untrained health practitioners working in squatter settlements, where formally trained GPs are most needed; the motivation of GPs with high patient loads is very low; and access to a laboratory is difficult. Of 35 patients enrolled in the first quarter (third quarter 2009), 87% completed their treatment successfully. Public-private mix (PPM) DOTS is feasible in the cities of Pakistan. However, the cost, time and effort required to establish the programme is higher than in many other developing countries.

Dangerous and endangered youth: social structures and determinants of violence.

PubMed

Scheper-Hughes, Nancy

2004-12-01

Structural violence is violence that is permissible, even encouraged. It refers to the invisible social machinery of inequality that reproduces social relations of exclusion and marginalization via ideologies, stigmas, and dangerous discourses (such as "youth violence" itself) attendant to race, class, sex, and other invidious distinctions. Structural violence "naturalizes" poverty, sickness, hunger, and premature death, erasing their social and political origins so that they are taken for granted and no one is held accountable except the poor themselves. Structural violence also refers to the ease with which humans are capable of reducing the socially vulnerable (even those from their own class and community) into expendable non-persons, thus allowing the licence--even the duty--to kill them. I exemplify this through two ethnographic critical case studies: the operation of a virulent death squad in Northeast Brazil that mobilized the support of ordinary people in an almost genocidal attack against Afro-Brazilian street kids and young "marginals"; and the uneasy truce with, and incomplete integration of "dangerous and endangered" youth still living in squatter camps and shack communities of urban South Africa.

Nutritional status of pavement dweller children of Calcutta City.

PubMed

Ray, S K; Mishra, R; Biswas, R; Kumar, S; Halder, A; Chatterjee, T

1999-01-01

Pavement dwelling is likely to aggravate malnutrition among its residents due to extreme poverty, lack of dwelling and access to food and their exposure to polluted environment. Paucity of information about nutritional status of street children compared to that among urban slum dwellers, squatters or rural/tribal population is quite evident. The present study revealed the magnitude of Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) and few associated factors among a sample of 435 underfives belonging to pavement dweller families and selected randomly from clusters of such families, from each of the five geographical sectors of Calcutta city. Overall prevalence of PEM was found almost similar (about 70%) to that among other 'urban poor' children viz. slum dwellers etc., but about 16% of them were found severely undernourished (Grade III & V of IAP classification of PEM). About 35% and 70% of street dweller children had wasting and stunting respectively. Severe PEM (Grade III & IV) was more prevalent among 12-23 months old, girl child, those belonged to illiterate parents and housewife mothers rather than wage earners. It also did increase with increase of birth rate of decrease of birth interval.

Rural-urban migration in Zambia and migrant ties to home villages.

PubMed

Ogura, M

1991-06-01

Rural to urban migration patterns in Zambia and migrant ties to home villages are discussed 1st in terms of a statistical overview of migration and urbanization, and followed by an examination of lengthening stays in towns and ties to the home village based on other studies and the author's field research and random sampling in 6 urban areas of Zambia. The primary population centers are the copperbelt which comprises 45% of the total urban population, and Lusaka which is 24% of the total urban population. 31% of the total population reside in Lusaka, 7 mining towns, Kabwe, and Livingstone. Migration and a high rate of natural population growth are responsible for the urban growth. Recent economic difficulties have reduced the flow of migration to urban areas and lead to the out migration in copper towns. independence also has had an effect on migration, such that female migration increased along with male migration. Female migration reflects female educational advances and the changing practice of housewives accompanying husbands. The informal sector absorbs a great number of the migrant labor force. Income gaps between urban and rural areas also contribute to migration flows. Other magnets in urban areas are better educational opportunities, a water supply, and the lure of city lights. Since independence, migrants have increased their length of stay in towns but continue to maintain links with their home villages. 87.5% of mine workers are estimated as intending to go back to their villages. Before the mid-1970s it is estimated in a Ngombe squatter camp that 65% of employed male household heads had sent money home the prior year, 58% had visited home within the past 5 years, but 25% had never visited in 10 years. 58% intended to return home and 36% intended to stay permanently. The author's research between 1987-89 found 3 types of squatter villages: those retired and not returning to home villages such as Kansusuwa, those workers living in compounds where farm laborers had lived such as Kamanga, and those inhabiting and building upon unutilized land. There are also planned areas with home sites and services, called site and service schemes areas, which includes Chawama, Kansusuwa, and Kantashi. Between 1987-89, the number born in villages dropped from 87% to 84% and the number visiting villages was reduced. Many were school leavers rather than those involved in agriculture. 9-10% planned to stay permanently in Lusaka and Mufulira in 1987 and 16% in 1989. Even 2nd-generation urbanites retain ties to their parents' villages. Many engage in informal economic activity. Rural development policy change could lead to political problems in urban areas.

Demographic survey of the level and determinants of perinatal mortality in Karachi, Pakistan.

PubMed

Fikree, F F; Gray, R H

1996-01-01

A demographic survey was used to estimate the level and determinants of perinatal mortality in eight lower socio-economic squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan. The perinatal mortality rate was 54.1 per 1000 births, with a stillbirth to early neonatal mortality ratio of 1:1. About 65% of neonatal deaths occurred in the early neonatal period, and early neonatal mortality contributed 32% of all infant deaths. Risk factor assessment was conducted on 375 perinatal deaths and 6070 current survivors. Poorer socio-economic status variables such as maternal and paternal illiteracy, maternal work outside the home and fewer household assets were significantly associated with perinatal mortality as were biological factors of higher parental age, short birth intervals and poor obstetric history. Multivariable logistic analysis indicated that some socio-economic factors retained their significance after adjusting for the more proximate biological factors. Population attributable risk estimates suggest that public health measures for screening of high-risk women and use of family planning to space births will not improve perinatal mortality substantially without improvement of socio-economic conditions, particularly maternal education. The results of this study indicate that an evaluation of perinatal mortality can be conducted using pregnancy histories derived from demographic surveys.

The role of the public sector in the provision of housing supply in Turkey, 1950–2009.

PubMed

Özdemir, Dilek

2011-01-01

This study examines the changing role of the public sector in Turkey with regard to housing provision since 1950, and particularly since 2000, and seeks to clarify how public intervention has affected housing provision and urban development dynamics in major cities. Three periods may be identified, with central government acting as a regulator in a first period characterized by a ‘housing boom’. During the second period, from 1980 to 2000, a new mass housing law spurred construction activity, although the main beneficiaries of the housing fund tended to be the middle classes. After 2000, contrary to emerging trends in both Northern and Southern European countries, the public sector in Turkey became actively involved in housing provision. During this process, new housing estates were created on greenfield sites on the outskirts of cities, instead of efforts being made to rehabilitate, restore or renew existing housing stock in the cities. Meanwhile, the concept of ‘urban regeneration’ has been opportunistically incorporated into the planning agenda of the public sector, and — under the pretext of regenerating squatter housing areas — existing residents have been moved out, while channels for community participation have been bypassed.

Homeless street children in Nepal: use of allostatic load to assess the burden of childhood adversity.

PubMed

Worthman, Carol M; Panter-Brick, Catherine

2008-01-01

As challenges to child well-being through economic disadvantage, family disruption, and migration or displacement escalate world wide, the need for cross-culturally robust understanding of childhood adversity proportionately increases. Toward this end, developmental risk was assessed in four contrasting groups of 107 Nepali children ages 10-14 years that represent distinctive, common conditions in which contemporary children grow up. Relative cumulative burden (allostatic load) indexed by multiple dimensions of physical and psychosocial stress was ascertained among homeless street boys and three family-based groups, from poor urban squatter settlements, urban middle class, and a remote rural village. Biomarkers of stress and vulnerability to stress included growth status, salivary cortisol, antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus, acute phase inflammatory responses (alpha1-antichymotrypsin), and cardiovascular fitness and reactivity (flex heart rate and pressor response). Individual biomarkers of risk and allostatic load differed markedly among groups, were highest in villagers, and varied by components of allostatic load. Such data suggest a need for critical appraisal of homelessness and migration as a risk factor to youth, given prevailing local conditions such as rural poverty, and represents the only multidimensional study of childhood allostatic load and developmental risk in non-Western settings.

An introspective qualitative report on dietary patterns and elevated levels of dental decay in a deprived urban population in northern Mexico.

PubMed

Maupomé, G

1998-01-01

Disorganized urbanization in Latin America has led to masses of impoverished people to become squatters in the larger urban areas. Using a community development network in the outskirts of Tijuana, in Northern Mexico, this investigation assessed the dental health situation, aiming to establish the underlying behavioral causes of poor oral health in these slums. Using quantitative and qualitative tools, fifty-six mothers (mean age 30.1 +/- 7.2) with their accompanying children (n = 56; mean age 6.1 +/- 3.3; 46.4 percent female) were interviewed and examined. Dental health was poor and characterized by vast unmet treatment needs in adults and children. 22.2 percent of children under three years of age suffered from Early Childhood Caries, strongly linked to inappropriate patterns of bottle use. Dietary patterns for the overall child population included many cariogenic snacks and beverages. A straightforward model to explain behavioral structures incorporates these findings against the background of living in a highly-deprived environment, whereby the allure of more affordable gratifications for self and family is often translated in the form of tokens such as junk food.

Focus on Malaysia.

PubMed

Forman, L T

1979-01-01

Prospects for a stable, prospering economy in Malaysia appear threatened by an uneven distribution of wealth among non-Malay, particularly Chinese, residents. Native Malays, Bumiputra, have benefitted from the government's 20 year New Economic Policy, a system of subsidies to correct economic imbalances among the races. Malay corporate ownership has increased from 2.4% in 1970 to 28% in 1979. However, equity must increase by 26% annually to meet NEP targets. Without the GNP expanding 7-8% yearly, the government will be tempted to acquire assets at low prices. 70% of the total Malay ownership was held by public enterprises holding equity in trust. An elite group of Bumiputra will own a fair number of shares reserved by 1970. 1/5 of the population of Kuala Lumpur are squatters. Among these groups, communal tension is high. The Chinese businessmen are most resistant to native management. Since they control private domestic investment, they have political power. The Industrial Coordination Act (ICA), which gives power to civil servants through a licensing system, protects the system. The Asian Foundation supports management training, business development, and university demonstration projects in legal aid, solar energy, and community psychiatry. Malaysian competence in English enables widespread distribution of the Books for Asia program.

The Collapse of Ancient Societies by Great Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nur, A. M.

2001-12-01

Although earthquakes have often been associated with inexplicable past societal disasters their impact has thought to be only secondary for two reasons: Inconclusive archaeological interpretation of excavated destruction, and misconceptions about patterns of seismicity. However, new and revised archaeological evidence and a better understanding of the irregularities of the time-space patterns of large earthquakes together suggest that earthquakes (and associated tsunamis) have probably been responsible for some of the great and enigmatic catastrophes in ancient times. The most relevant aspect of seismicity is the episodic time-space clustering of earthquakes such as during the eastern Mediterranean seismic crisis in the second half of the 4th century AD and the seismicity of the north Anatolian fault during our century. During these earthquake clusters, plate boundary rupture by a series of large earthquakes that occur over a period of only 50 to 100 years or so, followed by hundreds or even thousands of years of relative inactivity. The extent of the destruction by such rare but powerful earthquake clusters must have been far greater than similar modern events due to poorer construction and the lack of any earthquake preparedness in ancient times. The destruction by very big earthquakes also made ancient societies so vulnerable because so much of the wealth and power was concentrated and protected by so few. Thus the breaching by an earthquake of the elite's fortified cities must have often led to attacks by (1) external enemies during ongoing wars (e.g., Joshua and Jericho, Arab attack on Herod's Jerusalem in 31 BCE); (2) neighbors during ongoing conflicts (e.g., Mycenea's fall in @1200 BCE, Saul's battle at Michmash @1020 BCE); and (3) uprisings of poor and often enslaved indigenous populations (e.g., Sparta and the Helots @465 BCE, Hattusas @1200 BCE?, Teotihuacan @ 700 AD). When the devastation was by a local earthquake, during a modest conflict, damage was probably limited and may have required a few tens of years to rebuild. But when severe ground shaking is widespread, and when it happened during a major military conflict the devastation may have been so great that it took hundreds of years for a society to recover- going through a dark ages period during which many of the technical skills (e.g., writing) are abandoned (e.g., the cessation of linear B), construction and repairs of monumental buildings ceased, and looting of building materials by surviving squatters was common. In contrast we can imagine the pastoral countryside, especially away from the tsunami prone coastal areas, to have been much less affected (and perhaps even flourished a little as their tax burden to the ruling elite is reduced). During a regional seismic crisis an entire region must have been subjected to a series of devastations by earthquakes over a short period of time. The catastrophic collapse of the main eastern Mediterranean civilizations at the end of the Bronze Age may be a case in point, with the `Sea People' being mostly squatters and refugees.

Urban poor program launched.

PubMed

1991-01-01

The government of the Philippines has launched a program to deal with the rapidly growing urban poor population. 60 cities (including Metro Manila) are expected to increase their bloated population by 3.8% over 1990 which would be 27.7 million for 1991. Currently there is an exodus of people from the rural areas and by 2000 half the urban population will be squatters and slum dwellers. Basic services like health and nutrition are not expected to be able to handle this type of volume without a loss in the quality of service. The basic strategy of the new program is to recruit private medical practitioners to fortify the health care delivery and nutrition services. Currently the doctor/urban dweller ration is 1:9000. The program will develop a system to pool the efforts of government and private physicians in servicing the target population. Barangay Escopa has been chosen as the pilot city because it typifies the conditions of a highly populated urban area. The projects has 2 objectives: 1) demonstrate the systematic delivery of health and nutrition services by the private sector through the coordination of the government, 2) reduce mortality and morbidity in the community, especially in the 0-6 age group as well as pregnant women and lactating mothers.

[Chikungunya and urban sprawl on Reunion Island].

PubMed

Aoustin, T

2012-03-01

The proportion of unsanitary housing in French overseas departments is much higher than in mainland France. Reunion Island is no exception to this fact. Between 80 and 90% of housing in Reunion Island was built by squatters with no legal claim or deed to the property. This has resulted in uncontrolled urban sprawl with living conditions reminiscent of those in developing countries. The absence of adequate drainage systems for sewage and rain water and the lack of properly organized garbage disposal that characterizes these sprawl areas constitutes a particularly favorable breeding ground for vector-borne diseases, especially chikungunya. Thus, implementing measures to control this type of settlement and to relocate of people out of existing sprawl areas constitutes a significant tool to control this epidemiological risk. Up to now, public officials have shown a clear reluctance to intervene in sprawl areas despite good knowledge of their location. On June 26th of this year, a law containing provisions relative to the control of urban sprawl and unsanitary housing in overseas departments and territories will come into effect. This law should provide public officials with the legal basis that has up until now been lacking to take action. Persistence in the "wait-and-see" attitude could lead to condemnation by French or European courts.

Public Flat in Indonesia, Their Role in Highly Densed City: Legal Aspect Review and Prototype Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paramita, Beta; Perdana Khidmat, Rendy; Fukuda, Hiroatsu

2018-05-01

An affordable vertical house, which is known as rusun in Indonesian term becomes the utopia of a compact city. The rusun to be the main actor contributing to the creation of liveable comfort in dense areas by relocating squatters and slum inhabitants to better living places. Technical guidelines and building standards play a major role in a building’s environmental impact. These standards will be reviewed based on their impact on building performance. There are two prototypes of rusun referenced in 05/PRT/M/2007, and the assessment of these prototypes has been done by using ENVi-met. The meteorological data for the ENVI-met configuration input is adapted to the same weather and climate conditions taken from the data measured on June 13th, 2012. The analysis of this assessment will focus on building orientation, building length, building height, and also the microclimate which is impacted by these prototypes. Based on the assessment, it is recommended that the layout of outdoor space on the north side should provide as much green coverage as possible, either for shadowing or for the benefit of its albedo. The simulation shows that building ratio of 1:3 produces higher wind speed, which also controls air temperature and humidity.

Typhoid fever: hurdles to adequate hand washing for disease prevention among the population of a peri-urban informal settlement in Fiji.

PubMed

Greenwell, James; McCool, Judith; Kool, Jacob; Salusalu, Mosese

2013-01-01

The Pacific island nation of Fiji Islands has high rates of endemic typhoid fever which is difficult to diagnose and often underreported. However, the majority of cases are preventable through use of safe water; adequate sanitation; vaccination; and, most sustainable of all, simple hygienic behaviour, such as hand washing with soap (HWWS). Despite many attempts by public health authorities, little progress has been made in the area of environmental adaptation and behaviour change. To explore perceptions of typhoid fever risk among urban squatters and behavioural determinants surrounding HWWS, indigenous Fijians living in informal settlements with high typhoid fever incidence were invited to participate in focus group discussions. In-depth interviews were conducted with community leaders. Perceptions of typhoid fever suggest confusion about risk factors, symptoms and communicability. Environmental barriers for hand washing were related to water and soap access. Standard social marketing approaches have been trialled with little clear evidence of impact. Despite this, we continue to advocate for the social and cultural determinants of typhoid prevention to remain central to future public health strategies. Despite behaviour change being notoriously difficult, we argue that community-driven behaviour adaptation initiatives based on sound epidemiological evidence and health communication theory are likely to have significant impact and greater likelihood of sustainability.

Application of solar disinfection for treatment of contaminated public water supply in a developing country: field observations.

PubMed

Mustafa, Atif; Scholz, Miklas; Khan, Sadia; Ghaffar, Abdul

2013-03-01

A sustainable and low-cost point-of-use household drinking water solar disinfection (SODIS) technology was successfully applied to treat microbiologically contaminated water. Field experiments were conducted to determine the efficiency of SODIS and evaluate the potential benefits and limitations of SODIS under local climatic conditions in Karachi, Pakistan. In order to enhance the efficiency of SODIS, the application of physical interventions were also investigated. Twenty per cent of the total samples met drinking water guidelines under strong sunlight weather conditions, showing that SODIS is effective for complete disinfection under specific conditions. Physical interventions, including black-backed and reflecting rear surfaces in the batch reactors, enhanced SODIS performance. Microbial regrowth was also investigated and found to be more controlled in reactors with reflective and black-backed surfaces. The transfer of plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) released from the bottle material polyethylene terephthalate (PET) under SODIS conditions was also investigated. The maximum DEHP concentration in SODIS-treated water was 0.38 μg/L less than the value of 0.71 μg/L reported in a previous study and well below the WHO drinking-quality guideline value. Thus SODIS-treated water can successfully be used by the people living in squatter settlements of mega-cities, such as Karachi, with some limitations.

Seven children -- four alive.

PubMed

Mcconahay, M J

1993-01-01

The author reports her observations on the status of women, maternal and child health, and access to family planning services in parts of Guatemala. Her comments refer specifically to experiences in the Mezquital squatter settlement around the capital of Guatemala City, the town of Puerto Abajo 60 miles northwest of Mezquital, highland villages, and the Peten province to the North. Guatemala's population is doubling every 22 years. 10 million individuals currently inhabit the country, thus making it the most populous of Central American nations. Only 23% of Guatemalan women, however, use family planning facilities, far fewer than would like to, were services more widely available. This low rate of exposure to, and use of, contraception results in the largely expected high average of 6 children per woman in Guatemala. Guatemala is a Catholic and very conservative country; the government has not encouraged family planning and abortion is barely considered. Women in Guatemala need access to family planning services, but also education, employment, housing, and the opportunity to make productive contributions to the country. Further, single mothers and heads of households find it difficult to provide for the daily basic needs of the family, let alone worry about contraception. Basic health services protecting against preventable causes of morbidity such as cholera and intestinal worms must be provided before family sizes may be reduced and general development may take place.

Latin America's supercity--the metropolitan area of Mexico City.

PubMed

1987-02-01

Big and still growing, Mexico City and its environs is soon to be the world's largest metropolitan area. The lure of city amenties--jobs, health care, schooling, and cheap food--and the hope of a better life bring 1000 rural migrants to Mexico City every day. Between 1950 and 1980, Mexico City grew at an annual average rate of 5.4%. Mexico City is typical of Latin American supercities, holding an impressive portion of the nation's population and commanding the lion's share of the country's economic activities. It is primarily due to the rapid growth in the northern periphery of the municipalities that Mexico City is expected to grow into the world's largest metropolitan area by the year 2000. Given the high proportion of youth relative to the total population, it is not suprising that average household sizes in Mexico City are large. About 60% to 70% of all families have no access to the formal housing market; much of the urban expansion has occurred through the emergence of squatter communities. Water may indeed be the most serious of all of Mexico City's infrastructural problems. Other problems include: 1) the government cannot meet the demands for educational buildings and personnel; 2) in 1982, 10.3% of the metropolitan population lived in extreme poverty and an additional 22.6% were unable to satisfy their basic needs; and 3) transport is a central problem. Demographic sources for Mexico are discussed.

Simulating Deforestation and Carbon Loss in Amazonia: Impacts in Brazil's Roraima State from Reconstructing Highway BR-319 (Manaus-Porto Velho)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barni, Paulo Eduardo; Fearnside, Philip Martin; Graça, Paulo Maurício Lima de Alencastro

2015-02-01

Reconstruction of Highway BR-319 (Manaus-Porto Velho) would allow for access from the "arc of deforestation" in the southern part of Brazil's Amazon region to vast blocks of forests in central and northern Amazonia. Building roads is known to be a major driver of deforestation, allowing entry of squatters, and other actors. Rather than deforestation along the highway route, here we consider the road's potential for stimulating deforestation in a separate location, approximately 550 km north of BR-319's endpoint in Manaus. Reconstructing BR-319 has great potential impact to start a new wave of migration to this remote region. The southern portion of the state of Roraima, the focus of our study, is already connected to Manaus by Highway BR-174. We modeled deforestation in southern Roraima and simulated carbon emissions between 2007 and 2030 under four scenarios. Simulations used the AGROECO model in DINAMICA-EGO software. Two scenarios were considered with reconstruction of BR-319 and two without this road connection. For each of the two possibilities regarding BR-319, simulations were developed for (1) a "conservation" (CONSERV) scenario that assumes the creation of a series of protected areas, and (2) a "business-as-usual" (BAU) scenario that assumes no additional protected areas. Results show that by 2030, with BR-319 rebuilt, deforestation carbon emissions would increase between 19 % (CONSERV) and 42 % (BAU) over and above those corresponding to no-road scenarios.

Simulating deforestation and carbon loss in Amazonia: impacts in Brazil's Roraima state from reconstructing Highway BR-319 (Manaus-Porto Velho).

PubMed

Barni, Paulo Eduardo; Fearnside, Philip Martin; Graça, Paulo Maurício Lima de Alencastro

2015-02-01

Reconstruction of Highway BR-319 (Manaus-Porto Velho) would allow for access from the "arc of deforestation" in the southern part of Brazil's Amazon region to vast blocks of forests in central and northern Amazonia. Building roads is known to be a major driver of deforestation, allowing entry of squatters, and other actors. Rather than deforestation along the highway route, here we consider the road's potential for stimulating deforestation in a separate location, approximately 550 km north of BR-319's endpoint in Manaus. Reconstructing BR-319 has great potential impact to start a new wave of migration to this remote region. The southern portion of the state of Roraima, the focus of our study, is already connected to Manaus by Highway BR-174. We modeled deforestation in southern Roraima and simulated carbon emissions between 2007 and 2030 under four scenarios. Simulations used the AGROECO model in DINAMICA-EGO © software. Two scenarios were considered with reconstruction of BR-319 and two without this road connection. For each of the two possibilities regarding BR-319, simulations were developed for (1) a "conservation" (CONSERV) scenario that assumes the creation of a series of protected areas, and (2) a "business-as-usual" (BAU) scenario that assumes no additional protected areas. Results show that by 2030, with BR-319 rebuilt, deforestation carbon emissions would increase between 19% (CONSERV) and 42% (BAU) over and above those corresponding to no-road scenarios.

Position of the patella in adults in central India: evaluation of the Insall-Salvati ratio.

PubMed

Upadhyay, Sachin; Raza, H K T; Srivastava, Pranay

2013-04-01

To assess the Insall-Salvati ratio in normal Indian adults to determine its applicability and the incidence of patella alta and baja in Indian populations. 800 knees in 200 men and 200 women aged 18 to 50 (mean, 30) years were evaluated using lateral radiographs. The knee was set in semi-flexion (30º) to enable good visualisation of the patellar tendon and its insertion into the tibia on radiographs. The length of the patellar tendon (LT) over the length of the patella (LP)-the Insall-Salvati ratio-was measured, using a vernier caliper. The mean LT/LP ratio was 1.14 (standard deviation, 0.18). Based on the 95% confidence interval, the ratio was considered normal if within ±40%. The LT/LP ratio was significantly higher in females than males (1.17 vs. 1.12, p<0.01). The cut-off point of patella alta was significantly greater in our Indian subjects than in western subjects (>1.5 vs. >1.2, p<0.0001). In the present cohort, the frequencies of patella alta (ratio, >1.5) and patella baja (ratio, <0.7) were 2.8% and 1%, respectively. The use of the Insall-Salvati ratio to determine the patellar position is less applicable to Indian populations in which squatting, sitting cross-legged, and kneeling are customs. We propose that the normal range of the ratio for squatters among Indian populations be 0.7 to 1.5.

Availability and affordability of essential medicines: exploring the health seeking behaviours and health service utilisation for children under-5 years living in squatter settlement of Karachi, Pakistan.

PubMed

Shafiq, Yasir; Shaikh, Babar Tasneem; Kumar, Ramesh

2011-01-01

Child health outcomes in the poor communities are largely affected by the non-availability of essential medicines at government health facilities and non-affordability of prescribed medicines at private retail pharmacies. This phenomenon largely defines health seeking behaviours and health service utilisation patterns of the families of the children. Using observational visits, we examined the shelf-availability of medicines for children less than 5 years of age at a rural health centre and conducted focus group discussions with the mothers to explore the effects of non-availability and non-affordability of medicines. We also validated all information by interviewing the health care providers of the area. We found that erratic and insufficient supply of essential medicines at the government health facility and a limited purchasing power to buy medicines from a retail pharmacy, led to considerable 'financial burden' on the poor people, non-compliance with the treatment, health care seeking from informal health providers and healer shopping. This trend has a serious repercussion on the health seeking behaviours and of course the health outcomes, especially among children. On the users' side, health education and health promotion campaign must be instituted to explain the adverse effects on child health ensure appropriate health care seeking behaviours. For the supply side, the health care authorities must ensure the availability of essential medicines for the children at the government facilities. Local community representatives must be involved in the matters related to medicines stock management at the facility.

Hand hygiene to reduce community transmission of influenza and acute respiratory tract infection: a systematic review.

PubMed

Warren-Gash, Charlotte; Fragaszy, Ellen; Hayward, Andrew C

2013-09-01

Hand hygiene may be associated with modest protection against some acute respiratory tract infections, but its specific role in influenza transmission in different settings is unclear. We aimed to review evidence that improving hand hygiene reduces primary and secondary transmission of (i) influenza and (ii) acute respiratory tract infections in community settings. We searched Medline, Embase, Global Health and Cochrane databases up to 13 February 2012 for reports in any language of original research investigating the effect of hand hygiene on influenza or acute respiratory tract infection where aetiology was unspecified in community settings including institutions such as schools, and domestic residences. Data were presented and quality rated across outcomes according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. Sixteen articles met inclusion criteria. There was moderate to low-quality evidence of a reduction in both influenza and respiratory tract infection with hand hygiene interventions in schools, greatest in a lower-middle-income setting. There was high-quality evidence of a small reduction in respiratory infection in childcare settings. There was high-quality evidence for a large reduction in respiratory infection with a hand hygiene intervention in squatter settlements in a low-income setting. There was moderate- to high-quality evidence of no effect on secondary transmission of influenza in households that had already experienced an index case. While hand hygiene interventions have potential to reduce transmission of influenza and acute respiratory tract infections, their effectiveness varies depending on setting, context and compliance. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Application of in-plant control measures in some Egyptian micro-scale dairy enterprises and its impact on heavy metal contents of their products.

PubMed

Abd El-Salam, Magda Magdy; Farahat, Mohamed F; Abu-Zuid, Gaber I; Saad, Samia G

2017-09-05

Egypt is encouraging micro-scale enterprises as proved to be one of the most important reasons of economic growth. Most of the annual milk production is processed in micro-scale dairy enterprises located in squatter areas with high health risks and negative environmental impact. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of in-plant control measures in controlling lead and cadmium levels in dairy products from nine Egyptian micro-scale enterprises. The results revealed that white cheese enterprises had the highest mean lead and cadmium contents; both in their raw milk (0.712 and 0.134 mg/L, respectively) and final products (0.419 and 0.061 mg/kg). Higher compliance percentages were found with cadmium levels specified in the Egyptian standards than with lead levels and ranged from 59.4% in raw milk to 100% in dry milk for cadmium levels and from 8.3% in white cheese to 66.7% in ice cream for lead; moreover, none of the collected raw milk samples were complying with the lead levels. After implementation of in-plant control measures, lower lead levels were found in all samples with reduction percentages ranging from 35.2% in raw milk from the ice cream enterprises to 73.2% in yoghurt; moreover, higher percentages of samples complied with cadmium levels. This study highlights the urgent need for applying in-plant control measures to the Egyptian micro-scale dairy enterprises to improve both safety and quality of their products.

Epidemiology, clinical presentation, and patterns of drug resistance of Salmonella Typhi in Karachi, Pakistan.

PubMed

Khan, M Imran; Soofi, Sajid Bashir; Ochiai, R Leon; Khan, Mohammad Jawed; Sahito, Shah Muhammad; Habib, Mohammad Atif; Puri, Mahesh K; Von Seidlein, Lorenz; Park, Jin Kyung; You, Young Ae; Ali, Mohammad; Nizami, S Qamarudding; Acosta, Camilo J; Sack, R Bradley; Clemens, John D; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A

2012-10-19

Enteric fever remains a major public health problem in Asia. Planning appropriate preventive measures such as immunization requires a clear understanding of disease burden. We conducted a community-based surveillance for Salmonella Typhi infection in children in Karachi, Pakistan. A de jure household census was conducted at baseline in the study setting to enumerate all individuals. A health-care facility-based passive surveillance system was used to capture episodes of fever lasting three or more 3 days in children 2 to 16 years old. A total of 7,401 blood samples were collected for microbiological confirmation, out of which 189 S. Typhi and 32 S. Paratyphi A isolates were identified with estimated annual incidences of 451/100,000 (95% CI: 446 - 457) and 76/100,000 (95% CI: 74 - 78) respectively. At the time of presentation, after adjusting for age, there was an association between the duration of fever and temperature at presentation, and being infected with multidrug-resistant S. Typhi. Of 189 isolates 83 were found to be resistant to first-line antimicrobial therapy. There was no statistically significant difference in clinical presentation of blood culture sensitive and resistant S. Typhi isolates. Incidence of S. Typhi in children is high in urban squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan. Findings from this study identified duration of fever and temperature at the time of presentation as important symptoms associated with blood culture-confirmed typhoid fever. Preventive strategies such as immunization and improvements in water and sanitation conditions should be the focus of typhoid control in urban settlements of Pakistan.

Food and survival in Lusaka's self-help townships.

PubMed

Ledogar, R J

1978-01-01

Zambia, formerly 1 of the more prosperous of developing nations, has fallen on hard times due to political problems of its neighbors and the depressed market price of copper, its main export product and largely the basis for its prosperity. The country is currently (1978) trying to shift its economic base to agriculture -- meaning that surplus crops go to export rather than to the crowded urban areas of Zambia itself (35 to 40% of the population). Zambian squatter settlements, traditionally self-reliant, are the target of a pilot project planned by UNICEF and The American Friends Service Committee, which hopes to encourage this self reliant tradition by expanding the practice of urban agriculture. The project hopes to develop ways to raise the productivity of urban agricultural areas by finding the most suitable crops and creating irrigation so that agriculture can be practised year round. This is the start of a planned "Urban Agriculture and Nutrition Service" to be funded by the above groups, with the Zambian government and, hopefully, other agencies, aimed at providing: 1) Kitchen gardens on residential plots. 2) Cultivation of road reserves, green belts, and other reserved areas throughout the city and on its outskirts. 3) Rainy season cultivation of all idle land in the urban area. 4) Raising of poultry, rabbits and other small livestock on residential and communal plots. 5) Cultivation of small holdings in the urban periphery by low income residents on a cooperative basis. 6) Eventual resettlement of some urban residents on farms in the urban periphery. There will be, in addition, a small-loan fund, 1st for individuals and later for cooperative ventures, and a program to improve technical skills. It is hoped that by 1980, when the pilot project is completed, the service will be self-supporting.

After the forest. AIDs as ecological collapse in Thailand.

PubMed

Usher, A D

1992-01-01

Numerous parallels can be drawn between the systematic destruction of Thailand's forests and the emergence, in the same time period, of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) as an irreversible societal crisis. Both the disintegration of the body's defense system implicit in AIDS and the erosion of Thailand's ecosystem provoked by deforestation policies are examples of assaults by capitalist economic policies on previously self-regulating systems. Centralization and industrial development have driven a substantial proportion of young Thai villagers to the cities, where they sell their labor as sex workers (there may be as many as 2 million prostitutes in Thailand) or become heroin users. Conservative estimates project 1.6 million AIDS-infected Thais by the end of 1995. Just as generally benign conditions such as the common cold can annihilate a body ravaged by the AIDS virus, Thailand's ecosystem, degraded by unregulated logging and state-subsidized, for-profit rubber planting, is no longer able to absorb natural occurrences such as heavy rainfall. The loss of forestland--the traditional source of food, shelter, tools, and medicine and the repository of cultural icons--has forced villagers to obtain cash to meet their needs, and Thailand's sex industry offers one of the highest rates of remuneration. Legislation enacted in response to AIDS and deforestation shares an emphasis on the victims (e.g., the prostitutes and not their clients or the owners of sex establishments, and impoverished forest squatters rather than plantation companies and land speculators). A powerful, combative environmental movement is successfully resisting government attempts to destroy living communities. Needed as well is resistance on the part of women growing up in the age of AIDS to societal definitions that polarize females (virgins and prostitutes) and uphold one-sided monogamy.

Understandings of reproductive tract infections in a peri-urban pueblo joven in Lima, Peru

PubMed Central

Hernández, Lisa Scipioni; Winch, Peter J; Parker, Kea; Gilman, Robert H

2006-01-01

Background Control programs for Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs) typically focus on increasing awareness of risks associated with different forms of sexual contact, and pay little attention to how or why people may link RTIs to other features of their physical or social environments. This paper describes how women in a peri-urban pueblo joven located in the coastal desert surrounding Lima, Peru conceptualize the links between RTIs, sexual behaviour, personal hygiene, and the adverse environment in which they live. Methods We combined qualitative interviews and a participatory voting exercise to examine social and physical environmental influences on RTIs and gynaecologic symptom interpretation. Results Knowledge of RTIs in general was limited, although knowledge of AIDS was higher. Perceived causes of RTIs fell into three categories: sexual contact with infected persons, personal hygiene and exposure to the contaminated physical environment, with AIDS clearly related to sexual contact. The adverse environment is thought to be a major contributor to vaginal discharge, "inflamed ovaries" and urinary tract infection. The more remote parts of this periurban squatter settlement, characterized by blowing sand and dust and limited access to clean water, are thought to exhibit higher rates of RTIs as a direct result of the adverse environment found there. Stigma associated with RTIs often keeps women from seeking care or obtaining information about gynaecologic symptoms, and favours explanations that avoid mention of sexual practices. Conclusion The discrepancy between demonstrated disease risk factors and personal explanations influenced by local environmental conditions and RTI-related stigma poses a challenge for prevention programs. Effective interventions need to take local understandings of RTIs into account as they engage in dialogue with communities about prevention and treatment of RTIs. PMID:16670025

Managing rapid urbanization in the third world: some aspects of policy.

PubMed

Hope, K R

1989-01-01

A priority task for developing countries is the formulation of national urbanization policies that: 1) foster the full development of national resources; 2) promote cohesion among regions, especially where there are striking inequities in per capita output; 3) prevent or correct the overconcentration of economic activity in a few urban centers; and 4) create a more efficient, equitable management of growth within cities. Although urban households tend to be served better by the health and educational sectors than their rural counterparts, the urban poor are denied these benefits in the absence of special programs to ensure universal access. The urban poor are further denied access to the benefits of urban centers through a transportation policy that is oriented more toward roads and cars than public transit systems. Of major concern are the overcrowded squatter settlements that have developed in response to massive rural-urban migration. Since the landlessness, joblessness, and demoralization in rural areas and the consequent urban influx are at the root of the urban crisis in the Third World, integrated rural development is essential to retain substantial new additions to the urban labor force in rural areas. Land reform is the single strategy with the greatest potential to improve the quality of life of the landless poor and small holders. Other needs include programs of labor-intensive rural public works to provide supplementary income-earning opportunities and improve the rural infrastructure and more widespread participation of the rural poor in the development process. Increasingly sophisticated administrative and financing systems will be required to carry out a national urbanization policy, and current politicized bureaucracies must be replaced by a reliance on technically skilled professional administrators.

Hand hygiene to reduce community transmission of influenza and acute respiratory tract infection: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Warren‐Gash, Charlotte; Fragaszy, Ellen; Hayward, Andrew C.

2012-01-01

Please cite this paper as: Warren‐Gash et al. (2012) Hand hygiene to reduce community transmission of influenza and acute respiratory tract infection: a systematic review. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/irv.12015. Hand hygiene may be associated with modest protection against some acute respiratory tract infections, but its specific role in influenza transmission in different settings is unclear. We aimed to review evidence that improving hand hygiene reduces primary and secondary transmission of (i) influenza and (ii) acute respiratory tract infections in community settings. We searched Medline, Embase, Global Health and Cochrane databases up to 13 February 2012 for reports in any language of original research investigating the effect of hand hygiene on influenza or acute respiratory tract infection where aetiology was unspecified in community settings including institutions such as schools, and domestic residences. Data were presented and quality rated across outcomes according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. Sixteen articles met inclusion criteria. There was moderate to low‐quality evidence of a reduction in both influenza and respiratory tract infection with hand hygiene interventions in schools, greatest in a lower–middle‐income setting. There was high‐quality evidence of a small reduction in respiratory infection in childcare settings. There was high‐quality evidence for a large reduction in respiratory infection with a hand hygiene intervention in squatter settlements in a low‐income setting. There was moderate‐ to high‐quality evidence of no effect on secondary transmission of influenza in households that had already experienced an index case. While hand hygiene interventions have potential to reduce transmission of influenza and acute respiratory tract infections, their effectiveness varies depending on setting, context and compliance. PMID:23043518

Women's relationship with the environment.

PubMed

Davidson, J

1993-02-01

In developing countries, all development activities as well as reclamation of degraded areas, pollution reduction, and preservation of biodiversity affect women's environment, especially in rural areas. Women produce most subsistence foods and cash crops, but control only about 1% of the world's land. Lack of land tenure and of access to it keep women from obtaining credit, training, and other supports, thereby preventing them from using their traditional, longterm conservation practices. In many developing countries, commercial producers force women off the most productive lands and onto marginal lands where they grow subsistence crops. They tend to overuse the marginal land and to allow little time for soil recovery. Soil degradation is exacerbated when women need to travel greater distances to collect fuelwood, water, fodder, and food. Almost complete desertification awaits Rajasthan, India, where such events and intensive cash cropping occur. Heavy pesticide use on large commercial farms increases pest resistance, thereby boosting infestation and reducing species diversity. Women are testing sustainable agricultural techniques, for instance, interplanting and crop rotation. Even though women supply water needs, they tend to be excluded from planning, implementing, and maintaining water supplies. Women depend on forests to provide food, fodder, fuel, building materials, medicines, and many materials for income-earning efforts. Commercial logging, migration and resettlement, agricultural development, and cutting for firewood and charcoal destroy these forests. Reforestation schemes do not consider women's needs. Deforestation and desertification increase women's work burdens. Poor women who have migrated to urban areas also experience environmental degradation, deteriorating health, and resource depletion; most live in squatter settlements. Deteriorating economic circumstances in developing countries, reduced flows of official development assistance to developing countries, rapid population growth, lack of women's support mechanisms, and civil conflict are underlying factors for environmental degradation.

Influence of behavioural tactics on recruitment and reproductive trajectory in the kittiwake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cam, E.; Cadiou, B.; Hines, J.E.

2002-01-01

Many studies have provided evidence that, in birds, inexperienced breeders have a lower probability of breeding successfully. This is often explained by lack of skills and knowledge, and sometimes late laying dates in the first breeding attempt. There is growing evidence that in many species with deferred reproduction, some prebreeders attend breeding places, acquire territories and form pairs. Several behavioural tactics assumed to be associated with territory acquisition have been described in different species. These tactics may influence the probability of recruiting in the breeding segment of the population, age of first breeding, and reproductive success in the first breeding attempt. Here we addressed the influence of behaviour ('squatting') during the prebreeding period on demographic parameters (survival and recruitment probability) in a long-lived colonial seabird species: the kittiwake. We also investigated the influence of behaviour on reproductive trajectory. Squatters have a higher survival and recruitment probability, and a higher probability of breeding successfully in the first breeding attempt in all age-classes where this category is represented. The influence of behaviour is mainly expressed in the first reproduction. However, there is a relationship between breeding success in the first occasion and subsequent occasions. The influence of breeding success in the first breeding attempt on the rest of the trajectory may indirectly reflect the influence of behaviour on breeding success in the first occasion. The shape of the reproductive trajectory is influenced by behaviour and age of first breeding. There is substantial individual variation from the mean reproductive trajectory, which is accounted for by heterogeneity in performance among individuals in the first attempt, but there is no evidence of individual heterogeneity in the rate of change over time in performance in subsequent breeding occasions

Access to Power: Governance and Development in the Pakistani Electrical Power Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naqvi, Ijlal

This dissertation explores governance in Pakistan through a study of the state-run electrical power sector. At both the micro and macro level, the Pakistani power sector provides a lens into the heart of the Pakistani state and its governance institutions. This ethnographic and historical study offers an in-depth look at state operations in a developing country, situates the current Pakistani power crisis in a larger context of continuity through periods of dictatorship and democracy, and suggests how efforts to make state service delivery more responsive to citizens might be reconceived. A historical review of the Pakistani power sector establishes first and foremost that the current crisis is the product of longer-term processes for which the policy solutions currently being proposed (with the support of international donors and multilateral lenders) are inadequate. Depoliticized attempts at power sector reform have little to offer in light of the pervasively informal and negotiated nature of the fragmented Pakistani state. The institutions of power sector governance are mutually constituted by the formal rules and the informal---personal relationships, language, violence, money, and power. These rules of the game are as relevant to relations within and between public sector organizations as they are to the engagement of citizens with their state. The same rules apply at the margins of the state---informal squatter settlements---as at the core, though the resources brought to bear and the resultant outcomes are different. The internal incoherence of this state underscores the limitations of formal rules in determining outcomes, and the poor prospects for reform efforts that focus exclusively on the formal aspects of governance. To proactively engage with the question of political will leads away from top-down policy perspectives and counter to the depoliticizing tendencies that currently shape policy reforms. Instead, an energized and informed local participation can be a counterweight to the inertial tendencies of a Pakistani state whose reforms tend to be co-opted by existing power centers rather than result in changed outcomes.

What's driving migration?

PubMed

Kane, H

1995-01-01

During the 1990s investment in prevention of international or internal migration declined, and crisis intervention increased. The budgets of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Development Program remained about the same. The operating assumption is that war, persecution, famine, and environmental and social disintegration are inevitable. Future efforts should be directed to stabilizing populations through investment in sanitation, public health, preventive medicine, land tenure, environmental protection, and literacy. Forces pushing migration are likely to increase in the future. Forces include depletion of natural resources, income disparities, population pressure, and political disruption. The causes of migration are not constant. In the past, migration occurred during conquests, settlement, intermarriage, or religious conversion and was a collective movement. Current migration involves mass movement of individuals and the struggle to survive. There is new pressure to leave poor squatter settlements and the scarcities in land, water, and food. The slave trade between the 1500s and the 1800s linked continents, and only 2-3 million voluntarily crossed national borders. Involuntary migration began in the early 1800s when European feudal systems were in a decline, and people sought freedom. Official refugees, who satisfy the strict 1951 UN definition, increased from 15 million in 1980 to 23 million in 1990 but remained a small proportion of international migrants. Much of the mass movement occurs between developing countries. Migration to developed countries is accompanied by growing intolerance, which is misinformed. China practices a form of "population transfer" in Tibet in order to dilute Tibetan nationalism. Colonization of countries is a new less expensive form of control over territory. Eviction of minorities is another popular strategy in Iraq. Public works projects supported by foreign aid displace millions annually. War and civil conflicts have increased since the 1950s from 10 to 34. Of the 82 armed conflicts between 1988 and 1992, only 3 were between countries. Journalist Robert Kaplan suggests that future instability will occur due to heightened crime and fragmentation of government systems. The African continent has experienced very high migration.

Enhanced disease surveillance through private health care sector cooperation in Karachi, Pakistan: experience from a vaccine trial.

PubMed Central

Khan, Mohammad Imran; Sahito, Shah Muhammad; Khan, Mohammad Javed; Wassan, Shafi Mohammad; Shaikh, Abdul Wahab; Maheshwari, Ashok Kumar; Acosta, Camilo J.; Galindo, Claudia M.; Ochiai, Rion Leon; Rasool, Shahid; Peerwani, Sheeraz; Puri, Mahesh K.; Ali, Mohammad; Zafar, Afia; Hassan, Rumina; von Seidlein, Lorenz; Clemens, John D.; Nizami, Shaikh Qamaruddin; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A.

2006-01-01

INTRODUCTION: In research projects such as vaccine trials, accurate and complete surveillance of all outcomes of interest is critical. In less developed countries where the private sector is the major health-care provider, the private sector must be included in surveillance systems in order to capture all disease of interest. This, however, poses enormous challenges in practice. The process and outcome of recruiting private practice clinics for surveillance in a vaccine trial are described. METHODS: The project started in January 2002 in two urban squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan. At the suggestion of private practitioners, a phlebotomy team was formed to provide support for disease surveillance. Children who had a reported history of fever for more than three days were enrolled for a diagnosis. RESULTS: Between May 2003 and April 2004, 5540 children younger than 16 years with fever for three days or more were enrolled in the study. Of the children, 1312 (24%) were seen first by private practitioners; the remainder presented directly to study centres. In total, 5329 blood samples were obtained for microbiology. The annual incidence of Salmonella typhi diagnosed by blood culture was 407 (95% confidence interval (95% CI), 368-448) per 100 000/year and for Salmonella paratyphi A was 198 (95% CI, 171-227) per 100 000/year. Without the contribution of private practitioners, the rates would have been 240 per 100 000/year (95% CI, 211-271) for S. typhi and 114 (95% CI, 94-136) per 100 000/year for S. paratyphi A. CONCLUSION: The private sector plays a major health-care role in Pakistan. Our experience from a surveillance and burden estimation study in Pakistan indicates that this objective is possible to achieve but requires considerable effort and confidence building. Nonetheless, it is essential to include private health care providers when attempting to accurately estimate the burden of disease in such settings. PMID:16501718

Impact of food and nutrition interventions on poverty in an informal settlement in the Vaal Region of South Africa.

PubMed

Oldewage-Theron, Wilna H; Slabbert, Tielman J C

2008-02-01

UNICEF has stated that urban poverty is primarily found in squatter settlements. At present 13.5% of all South African households live in informal settlements. The major research question is to what extent does poverty influence the food, nutrition and health of informal-settlement dwellers. The purpose of the present study was to determine the depth of poverty in this community and to measure the possible effect that planned food and nutrition interventions may have on eliminating poverty in this area. Pre-tested questionnaires were administered to 340 randomly-selected caregivers. A validated quantified FFQ was administered by trained enumerators as the test measurement for dietary intake and food consumption patterns and 24 h recall was used as the reference measurement, and the data were analysed. A poverty model was used to measure the impact of extra income on the poverty levels of 190 households. Of the respondents 89% lived in Zn shacks and the average household size was 4.9 individuals. The unemployment rate was 94.2% for respondents and 64.9% for their partners. The majority of households (68.8%) had an income of

Birth and death in cities in the developing world.

PubMed

1995-06-01

City dwellers in Sub-Saharan Africa have increased roughly 600% in the last 35 years. Throughout the developing world, cities have expanded at a rate that has far outpaced rural population growth. Extensive data document lower fertility and mortality rates in cities than in rural regions. But slums, shantytowns, and squatters' settlements proliferate in many large cities. Martin Brockerhoff studies the reproductive and health consequences of urban growth, with an emphasis on maternal and child health. Brockerhoff reports that child mortality rates in large cities are highest among children born to mothers who recently migrated from rural areas or who live in low-quality housing. Children born in large cities have about a 30% higher risk of dying before they reach the age of 5 than those born in smaller cities. Despite this, children born to migrant mothers who have lived in a city for about a year have much better survival chances than children born in rural areas to nonmigrant mothers and children born to migrant mothers before or shortly after migration. Migration in developing countries as a whole has saved millions of children's lives. The apparent benefits experienced in the 1980s may not occur in the future, as cities continue to grow and municipal governments confront an overwhelming need for housing, jobs, and services. Another benefit is that fertility rates in African cities fell by about 1 birth per woman as a result of female migration from villages to towns in the 1980s and early 1990s. There will be an increasing need for donors and governments to concentrate family planning, reproductive health, child survival, and social services in cities, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, because there child mortality decline has been unexpectedly slow, overall fertility decline is not yet apparent in most countries, and levels of migration to cities are anticipated to remain high.

Demarcation of local neighborhoods to study relations between contextual factors and health

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Several studies have highlighted the importance of collective social factors for population health. One of the major challenges is an adequate definition of the spatial units of analysis which present properties potentially related to the target outcomes. Political and administrative divisions of urban areas are the most commonly used definition, although they suffer limitations in their ability to fully express the neighborhoods as social and spatial units. Objective This study presents a proposal for defining the boundaries of local neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro city. Local neighborhoods are constructed by means of aggregation of contiguous census tracts which are homogeneous regarding socioeconomic indicators. Methodology Local neighborhoods were created using the SKATER method (TerraView software). Criteria used for socioeconomic homogeneity were based on four census tract indicators (income, education, persons per household, and percentage of population in the 0-4-year age bracket) considering a minimum population of 5,000 people living in each local neighborhood. The process took into account the geographic boundaries between administrative neighborhoods (a political-administrative division larger than a local neighborhood, but smaller than a borough) and natural geographic barriers. Results The original 8,145 census tracts were collapsed into 794 local neighborhoods, distributed along 158 administrative neighborhoods. Local neighborhoods contained a mean of 10 census tracts, and there were an average of five local neighborhoods per administrative neighborhood. The local neighborhood units demarcated in this study are less socioeconomically heterogeneous than the administrative neighborhoods and provide a means for decreasing the well-known statistical variability of indicators based on census tracts. The local neighborhoods were able to distinguish between different areas within administrative neighborhoods, particularly in relation to squatter settlements. Conclusion Although the literature on neighborhood and health is increasing, little attention has been paid to criteria for demarcating neighborhoods. The proposed method is well-structured, available in open-access software, and easily reproducible, so we expect that new experiments will be conducted to evaluate its potential use in other settings. The method is thus a potentially important contribution to research on intra-urban differentials, particularly concerning contextual factors and their implications for different health outcomes. PMID:20587046

Traditional perceptions of marasmus in Pakistan.

PubMed

Mull, D S

1991-01-01

One hundred and fifty mothers of under-5 children clinically identified as malnourished were interviewed in their homes in katchi abadis (squatter settlements) of Karachi. A variety of ethnic and religious groups were represented. Mothers were shown a photograph of a child with third-degree malnutrition (marasmus) and were asked what might be wrong with the child. Virtually of the mothers said that they had seen the condition, typically identifying it as sukhay ki bimari (Urdu: 'the disease of dryness and thinness'). The majority said that diarrhea predisposed to sukhay ki bimari, and vice versa, but only 3 of the 150 mothers said that diarrhea and/or lack of food could, in themselves, cause the condition. Instead, most said that the usual cause was contact with a woman who had a marasmic child or was otherwise in a state of ritual impurity. The mediating factor was said to be a saya ('shadow, influence') emanating from such a person and ultimately linked with the spirit world. Although the condition was judged to have a very poor prognosis, mothers described various magico-religious therapies that could be tried. Treatment by physicians or by giving more food was considered ineffective or even detrimental, and hiding of such children was reportedly common because of social stigma. Subsequent inquiries carried out by the author in Chitral in northwestern Pakistan produced similar findings except that there, the condition was known as moordasip and was more overtly associated with fright and spirit possession. In Karachi, 45 of the 150 mothers interviewed had children with third-degree malnutrition according to weight-for-age criteria, 15 of whom died in the course of the study. In these 45 families especially, early bottlefeeding had occurred, sometimes reportedly because of fear that the mother was a carrier of a saya and could pass it on through her milk. Most mothers had only sketchy knowledge of suitable weaning foods and an appropriate timetable for introducing such foods, and many showed little awareness of what their children were eating once they reached the toddler stage. Implications for the identification and treatment of marasmic children are discussed. A brief summary of crosscultural beliefs surrounding marasmus and the 'hard to raise' child is included.

Demarcation of local neighborhoods to study relations between contextual factors and health.

PubMed

Santos, Simone M; Chor, Dora; Werneck, Guilherme Loureiro

2010-06-29

Several studies have highlighted the importance of collective social factors for population health. One of the major challenges is an adequate definition of the spatial units of analysis which present properties potentially related to the target outcomes. Political and administrative divisions of urban areas are the most commonly used definition, although they suffer limitations in their ability to fully express the neighborhoods as social and spatial units. This study presents a proposal for defining the boundaries of local neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro city. Local neighborhoods are constructed by means of aggregation of contiguous census tracts which are homogeneous regarding socioeconomic indicators. Local neighborhoods were created using the SKATER method (TerraView software). Criteria used for socioeconomic homogeneity were based on four census tract indicators (income, education, persons per household, and percentage of population in the 0-4-year age bracket) considering a minimum population of 5,000 people living in each local neighborhood. The process took into account the geographic boundaries between administrative neighborhoods (a political-administrative division larger than a local neighborhood, but smaller than a borough) and natural geographic barriers. The original 8,145 census tracts were collapsed into 794 local neighborhoods, distributed along 158 administrative neighborhoods. Local neighborhoods contained a mean of 10 census tracts, and there were an average of five local neighborhoods per administrative neighborhood.The local neighborhood units demarcated in this study are less socioeconomically heterogeneous than the administrative neighborhoods and provide a means for decreasing the well-known statistical variability of indicators based on census tracts. The local neighborhoods were able to distinguish between different areas within administrative neighborhoods, particularly in relation to squatter settlements. Although the literature on neighborhood and health is increasing, little attention has been paid to criteria for demarcating neighborhoods. The proposed method is well-structured, available in open-access software, and easily reproducible, so we expect that new experiments will be conducted to evaluate its potential use in other settings. The method is thus a potentially important contribution to research on intra-urban differentials, particularly concerning contextual factors and their implications for different health outcomes.

Confronting the HIV epidemic in Asia and the Pacific: developing successful strategies to minimize the spread of HIV infection.

PubMed

Moodie, R; Aboagye-Kwarteng, T

1993-12-01

In Asia, the cumulative total of HIV-infected adults will reach 1.22 million by 1995, and, by 2000, the number is estimated to reach 11-45 million. The modes of transmission vary from country to country and include injecting drug users, commercial sex workers and their clients, commercial blood donors, hemophiliacs, and homosexuals. Social, cultural, and health factors also affect transmission, such as rites of passage to adulthood, lack of female autonomy, multiple sex partners, wars and civil unrest, and availability of drugs. The HIV epidemic has economic ramifications and causes, e.g., migrant worker camps, the sex industry, and rapid urbanization luring Burmese girls to Thailand. Governments must create an environment for behavior-change through financial, political, and legislative measures. Community organizations also play a role in prevention, as in programs initiated by a squatter settlement in Bangkok, where 36% of IV drug users were found to be HIV-positive. In Maharashtra State, India, peer-based prevention programs were developed for sex workers. Successful behavior change of individuals is based on redefinition of peer norms, understanding the danger and vulnerability to infection, and building confidence to change behavior. Successful programs require placing priority on HIV issues on the political agenda, negotiation and consensus-building skills, and competent program management. For instance, in Zimbabwe a project enlisted 380,000 people in 4500 education sessions within 2 years, and distributed 2.5 million condoms. Among sex workers, condom use increased from 5% to 50%. Implementation strategies include the provision of information and interpersonal education. In Zaire, mass media and social marketing efforts boosted condom sales from less than half a million in 1987 to over 20 million in 1991. The means to change behavior requires the availability of good quality condoms, disinfectants, and syringes. Furthermore, clinical management of gonorrhea, syphilis, human papillomavirus, and chancroid is vital to lowering the risk of HIV transmission. Continuous epidemiological research and the evaluation of prevention programs improve program effectiveness.

[Problems resulting from the absorption of small towns into urban areas in major Third World cities].

PubMed

Mckee, D L

1985-01-01

The tendency toward hypertrophy of large metropolitan areas in the Third World has been a subject of concern to economists and other social scientists for some time. Inability to absorb vast waves of migrants into the organized labor force or to provide adequate infrastructure and services are serious problems in many growing cities of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. A different phenomenon created by perpetual urban expansion has been relatively neglected: the problems caused when preexisting urban areas are absorbed into the metropolis. The tendency of squatter settlements to constrict normal urban growth and expansion and to impede rational provision of services has been recognized, but the absorption of small cities does not necessarily produce identical problems. Small cities absorbed into a metropolis lose their identity in the successive waves of suburban proliferation. Los Angeles in the US may be considered the prototype of the phenomenon in which multiple preexisting urban zones are absorbed into the same metropolis without formation of any visible center of gravity. In some cases, small cities may be completely engulfed by the encroaching metropolis, if transit routes or availability of land makes them interesting to developers. The livelihood of residents may be threatened if they are no longer able to cultivate gardens or raise small animals. Local services may deteriorate. The youngest and most able residents are likely to abandon such places for the greater opportunities of the city, leaving the aged and less qualified to fend for themselves. Jobs may disappear and traditional commercial relations may be destroyed without being replaced. The future wellbeing of residents depends on their ability to maneuver in the new metropolitan environment, but many will be unable to adjust for lack of training, the weight of immovable property, or diverse personal considerations. Planning could help to reduce the problems that occasional survival of some small entities may pose for rational expansion of transportation and services at the metropolitan level, but many Third World cities lack such planning capacity altogether.

State policies and internal migration in Asia.

PubMed

Oberai, A S

1981-01-01

The objective of this discussion is to identify policies and programs in Asia that are explicitly or implicitly designed to influence migration, to investigate why they were adopted and how far they have actually been implemented, and to assess their direct and indirect consequences. For study purposes, policies and programs are classified according to whether they prohibit or reverse migration, redirect or channel migration to specific rural or urban locations, reduce the total volume of migration, or encourage or discourage urban in-migration. Discussion of each type of policy is accompanied by a description of its rationale and implementation mechanism, examples of countries in Asia that have recourse to it, and its intended or actual effect on migration. Several countries in Asia have taken direct measures to reverse the flow of migration and to stop or discourage migration to urban areas. These measures have included administrative and legal controls, police registration, and direct "rustication" programs to remove urban inhabitants to the countryside. The availability of public land has prompted many Asian countries to adopt schemes that have been labeled resettlement, transmigration, colonization, or land development. These schemes have been designed to realize 1 or more of the following objectives: to provide land and income to the landless; increase agricultural production; correct spatial imbalances in the distribution of population; or exploit frontier lands for reasons of national security. 1 of the basic goals of decentralized industrialization and regional development policies has been the reduction of interregional disparities and the redirection of migrations from large metropolitan areas to smaller and medium sized towns. To encourage industry to move to small urban locations initial infrastructure investments, tax benefits, and other incentives have been offered. Policies to reduce the overall volume of migration have frequently included rural development programs, the primary purpose of which is to retain potential migrants in the rural areas, and preferential policies for natives with a view toward discouraging interregional migration. The explicit goal of rural development strategies is often to slow rural-urban migration. Slowly the attitude towards migrant squatters and slum dwellers is changing from punitive to more tolerant. Several measures have been taken to accommodate migrants in urban areas and to promote their welfare.

Low-cost housing design and provision: A case study of Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabo, Felichism W.

Shelter is as basic a human need as food and water. Today, many people in Third World countries live in sub-standard housing, or lack shelter altogether. Prior research addresses either one of two housing dimensions: broader provision processes, or specific aspects of design. This dissertation is an effort at addressing both dimensions, the underlying premise being that their inter-connectedness demands an integrative approach. More specifically, this dissertation is a combined strategy case study of housing design and provision in Kenya, a sub-Saharan African country with serious shelter problems. A majority of Kenya's urban population lives in slums or squatter settlements. This dissertation covers four major areas of housing design and provision in Kenya: building materials, user preferences for building materials and housing designs, interior layouts, and the organizational context of the housing sector. These four areas are theoretically unified by Canter's (1977) model of place. Each of the first three areas (housing design) relates to one or more of the three domains in the model. The fourth area (housing provision) pertains to the model's context and framework. The technical building materials research reveals the feasibility of making low-cost materials (soil-cements) with satisfactory engineering performance. The research in preference for building materials reveals that the two independent variables, soil and mix, have a significant effect on potential users' ratings. The housing preference study reveals that of the four independent variables, design and type had a significant effect on potential users' ratings, while materials and construction method did not have a significant effect. The interior layout studies reveal important associations between spatial configurations and a key space (the kitchen), and between configuration and conceptualizations of living, cooking, and sleeping spaces. The findings from the studies of preferences and interior layouts are then synthesized in the development of a low-cost housing prototype. Lastly, analysis of the organizational context reveals notable links between nominal housing-related responsibilities, and the potential power and influence of key organizations. The potential effects of the spatial context on housing organizations are also explored. Later, the key organizations are restructured to address shortcomings identified at the organizational and sectoral levels.

Socio-economic and demographic factors related to HIV status in urban informal settlements in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

PubMed

Steenkamp, Liana; Venter, Danie; Walsh, Corinna; Dana, Pelisa

2014-09-01

The prevalence of HIV&AIDS is embedded in social and economic inequity and the relationship between social determinants and HIV incidence is well established. The aim of this study was to determine which socio-economic and demographic factors are related to HIV status in the age group 18 to 49 years in informal settlements in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 informal settlements (n = 752) during March 2013 within the Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City districts. A proportional cluster sample was selected and stratified by area and formal plot/squatter households in open areas. Respondents who volunteered to participate had to provide informed written consent before trained, bilingual peer educators interviewed them and completed the structured questionnaire. HIV status was determined and information on demographic and socio-economic variables was included in the bivariate analysis. The prevalence of HIV was higher, at 17.3%, than the 2011 estimated national prevalence among the general population in South Africa. The level of education (χ(2) = 5.50, df = 1, p < 0.05), geographical site (χ(2) = 7.41, df = 2, p < 0.05), gender (χ(2) = 33.10, df = 1, p < 0.0005), household food insecurity (χ(2) = 4.77, df = 1, p < 0.05), cooking with cast iron pots (χ(2) = 15.0, df = 3, p < 0.05) and availability of perceived 'wealth' indicators like mobile telephones and refrigerators (χ(2) = 9.67, df = 2, p < 0.05) were significantly associated with HIV-status. No significant associations could be demonstrated between household income, the number of people living in the household and the availability of electricity/water and HIV status. As the observed levels of HIV prevalence underlined gender bias and failure to graduate from high school, future interventions should focus on HIV prevention in female schoolchildren. However, HIV infection is also prevalent among wealthier individuals in informal settlements, which indicates that renewed efforts should be made to improve sexual risk behaviour within this group.

E-waste: impacts, issues and management strategies.

PubMed

Hussain, Mumtaz; Mumtaz, Saniea

2014-01-01

The present electronic era has seen massive proliferation of electrical and electronic equipment especially during the last two decades. These gadgets have become indispensable components of human life. The gravity of this sensitive 21st century problem is being felt by relevant stakeholders from the community to global level. Consequently, the annual global generation of e-waste is estimated to be 20-50 million tons. According to the Basel Action Network, 500 million computers contain 287 billion kilograms (kg) plastics; 716.7 million kg lead; and 286,700 kg mercury. These gadgets contain over 50 elements from the periodic table. The lethal components include heavy metals (like cadmium, mercury, copper, nickel, lead, barium, hexavalent chromium and beryllium); phosphor; plastics; and brominated flame retardants. These are persistent, mobile, and bioaccumulative toxins that remain in the environment but their forms are changed and are carcinogens, mutagens and teratogens. The ensuing hazardous waste has created deleterious impacts on physical, biological and socioeconomic environments. The lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere of Earth are being gravely polluted. Human beings and other biodiversity face fatal diseases, such as cancer, reproductive disorders, neural damages, endocrine disruptions, asthmatic bronchitis, and brain retardation. Marginal populations of developing countries living in squatter/slums are most vulnerable. Numerous issues are associated with uncontrolled generation, unscientific and environmentally inappropriate recycling processes for the extraction of heavy and precious metals (e.g., gold, platinum, and silver), illegal transboundary shipments from advanced to developing countries and weak conventions/legislations at global and national levels. Although the Basel Convention has been ratified by most countries, illicit trading/trafficking of hazardous substances remains unchecked, sometimes "disguised" as donations. The fact of matter is that vested business interests have surpassed ethical values. Existing scenarios of unbridled e-waste generation has attained alarming levels for humanity. This warrants immediate attention by public and private sectors, civil society, NGOs, industrialists and the business community for the protection of nature and natural resources from future destruction. Multipronged strategies need to be adopted for the management of e-waste encompassing administrative, technical, environmental, regulatory, legislative, educative, stakeholders' participation and global cooperation.

The housing, geography, and mobility of Latin American urban poor: the prevailing model and the case of Quito, Ecuador.

PubMed

Klak, T; Holtzclaw, M

1993-01-01

In this study of the constraints of low-income migrants in securing decent housing in Quito, Ecuador (a rapidly growing city), there is a literature review of Latin American intraurban mobility and housing, the development of a theoretical model, and a bivariate analysis. John Turner's model of the three stages in the life cycle of migrants and the three concentric zones of urbanization provides the initial framework for examining Quito migration. Quito differs from other Third World and Latin American cities in that its origins are pre-Colombian, and physical barriers surround the city. Data were obtained from housing data collected independently in 1990 and 1991 and survey data on households living in 1000 inadequate housing units in 1989. 35.5% of Quito's population live in inadequate housing (poor building materials, poor construction, deterioration, or lack of basic services). Three concentric and elongated zones are constructed based on distance from the center city and periphery and are representative of shelter types (rented rooms, shanty, house, and apartment). Shelter improves with type of ownership status. The attitudes of local officials influences the proportion of the poor living in rental or self-help housing. 36% of Quito's low-income residents live in rented rooms, and 38% live in shanties and houses. Bridgeheaders (new migrants who are usually young single males) tend to live in rented rooms for under five years and to move over time to shanties and then houses. Colonial preservation in central Quito and landlords' incentives for encouraging migrants to stay in rental housing interferes with the third phase of the model. Mixed housing throughout the city fits the third phase. Local laws prevent squatters and self-help housing. Rented rooms are primarily in the central city. Occupant income increases with shifts from rented rooms, to shanties, to houses. Shelter, geographic, and mobility patterns that do not fit the model are identified. Urban circumstance may not be linear and evolutionary as predicted, but the pattern is not diverse enough to warrant abandoning the model. The recommendation is for a flexible model for adapting a universal model to local and global conditions.

[Mechanisms of articulation between the informal and the formal urban sectors].

PubMed

Lomnitz, L

1978-01-01

This article utilizes field data from Mexico City squatter settlements and personal interviews with employers to analyze some aspects of social relations between the informal sector and the formal urban sector, and compares the results with findings of other anthropologists in Mexico and elsewhere to derive a series of theoretical generalizations concerning mechanisms of articulation between the marginal sector and the formal economic and political institutions of the society. The formal sector is postulated to consist of the 3 subsectors of power, capital, and labor, which are in permanent conflict among themselves but all of which enjoy labor security and an assured minimal level of income. The marginal or informal sector lacks employment security, a minimal income level, and bargaining power. It is characterized by a small scale economy utilizing intensive familial labor. The informal sector is marginal to the dominant industrial system of production and the state apparatus, although it fulfills functions in terms of the national economy. 2 types of relationships may be distinguished in the social organization of the marginal sector: reciprocal relations between equals which form a network for the exchange of goods and services, or patron/client relations which are used, for example, in the case of petty entrepreneurs utilizing their relatives and acquaintances to create units of production. The functions of reciprocal relations are affected by social, physical, economic, and psychosocial distance or proximity and may result in exchanges of information, labor assistance, loans, services, or moral support. Patron/client relations may be direct, or the "patron" may be an intermediary. Some reciprocal networks display a pattern of incipient asymmetry leading to formation of true patron/client ties and some petty entrepreneurs or intermediaries manage to develop true patron/client networks; case histories are used to illustrate both phenomena. Intermediaries functioning in the system of production and the political process are discussed. It is concluded that as long as members of the informal sector continue to be excluded from local and national institutions, intermediaries will be required to link the 2 sectors. The patron superimposes an element of inequality in his network of reciprocal relations, but his economic utility makes it necessary. At the same time, the prevailing lack of social mobility means that his true class position will not improve significantly.

Fighting poverty: the economic adjustment of female migrants in Dhaka.

PubMed

Huq-hussain, S

1995-10-01

Data from a field survey of slum and squatter settlements in Dhaka, Bangladesh, are used to examine the social adjustment of poor, female migrants to work, occupational choice, work satisfaction, income, control over income, and women's role in the family economy. A "poor household," defined in terms of nutritional intake, included those families receiving under 2122 cal/person/day. 44% of the urban population in Bangladesh do not obtain the daily nutritional requirement. Findings indicate that 61% of all female migrants expected to find work on arrival in the city. 44% of female migrants were willing to take any kind of work available at the time of arrival. Over 66% of all females found work in less than 6 months. Almost 25% took 6 months to a year to find a job, and 15% found work after a year's time. Recent migrants, who were older, found work quicker. 16% of female migrants found their job with help from relatives and friends (23% of recent migrants and 14% of long-term migrants). Among female migrants who sought a job on their own, 14% found work within 6 months. 3% found work between 6 months and a year. The rest were engaged in family and home-based work or found a job much later. In Dhaka, most women migrants worked in the service or informal sector. 40% of the sample worked as domestics, 38% worked in the informal sector, 16% worked in other informal work, and 5% worked in export-based garment industries. Most female migrants lived in the British Dhaka zone and the post-British Dhaka zone. Those living in the Mughal Dhaka zone tended to work in home-based informal activities. Garment industry workers tended to have more education. Women in the informal sector did not receive cash income. Just over 33% received income in kind, about 25% received a low income, and another 25% received a moderate income. In 71% of cases, husbands or fathers handled the money. 29% handled income on their own. Their own earnings went mostly for survival needs. Over 70% changed jobs more than once. 44% were satisfied with their work. Women were unhappy with low wages, tiring and hard work, and long working hours.

A community-based integrated nutrition research programme to alleviate poverty: baseline survey.

PubMed

Oldewage-Theron, W H; Dicks, E G; Napier, C E; Rutengwe, R

2005-04-01

The United Nation's Children Fund (UNICEF) has indicated that urban poverty is primarily found in squatter settlements. At present, 13.5% of all South African households live in informal settlements. The main hypothesis for this empirical study was that micromechanisms would not negatively influence food, nutrition and health of residents in an informal settlement in the Vaal Triangle, South Africa. This hypothesis was tested empirically against the UNICEF framework of the immediate, underlying and basic causes of malnutrition. The purpose of this study was to establish a situation analysis of children and women before designing any intervention. The objectives covered in this paper include Phases I and II of the project, namely planning of the project and determining the demographic and health profile of the sample as part of a situation analysis. This is a community participatory project. After a strategic participatory planning workshop with stakeholders, a plan of operation document, guiding all field undertakings, was drawn up (Phase 1), followed by a cross-sectional baseline survey (Phase II), situation analysis (Phase III), and implementation of community-based intervention studies (Phase IV). Impact measurement will follow in Phase V. After the planning meeting and obtaining consent, a pretested, structured demographic and health questionnaire was used to obtain data from 357 randomly selected households in an informal settlement. Data were statistically analysed for means and standard deviations. The findings of the workshop evaluation indicated that 100% of the participants (n = 34) agreed that a need existed for this project, 74% (n = 24) understood the relevance, and 64% (n = 22) realized the importance for sustainable community development. In the baseline survey, 89% of the respondents lived in zinc shacks with two rooms or less (32.2%), three or four rooms (41.5%) or four rooms or more (26.3%). The household size was six people or more (33%), five people (18.5%), four people (21.3%) and three people or less (27.2%). The unemployment rate was 94.2% for respondents and 80.1% for their partners. The majority of households (42.6%) had a monthly income of

[Imitative urbanisation and the outward growth of African cities].

PubMed

Badibanga, A

1985-01-01

The city with its modern infrastructure and surrounding squatter settlements is exogenous to Africa because of its organization, location, and original functions. Cities were founded in the colonial era and still are not often situated in the center of national territories but rather near a port, a border, or a source of raw materials. A primary purpose of cities was the exogenous 1 of providing a link between land and sea, raw materials and distant markets. The city of the natives was haphazardly constructed at the periphery of the European city. The barrier it once provided between African and colonist now serves to separate mass and elite. Shanty towns, 1 of the worst urban plagues and the most perfect reflection of the absolute poverty of some parts of African cities, seem to surge spontaneously in the immediate outskirts of cities. Neither their size nor their rapid growth was foreseen by urban planners. Urban overpopulation due to rapid natural increase and immigration resulting from the excessive openness to the exterior is the major problem of African urbanization in the late 20th century. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the population of cities with 5000 or more inhabitants increased from 23 million in 1960 to 75 million in 1980. Urbanization is increasing in Africa at the rate of 10%/year. Among the many causes of this dizzying urban growth, the rural exodus is 1 of the most important and itself is caused by a multitude of economic, social, and political factors. The principal economic cause is the difficulty of earning cash in the countryside and the presumed availability of employment in cities. Natural and geographic factors such as alternating rainy and dry seasons and serious droughts also favor abandonment of the countryside, at least temporarily. Famine resulting from food deficits caused by the disturbed equilibrium between population and resources and the diversion of arable lands to cash crops also favors massive displacement of population. Psychosocial factors such as the substitution of individualism for clan solidarity engendered by the schools, the attractions of the city for youth wishing to escape traditional constraints, and the availability in the city of diversions such as bars and movies are other factors. The search of politicians for supporters among their own tribesmen after independence may have played a role as well. Administrative constraints such as forced cultivation of certain crops and civil wars caused displacement of large numbers of peasants to the cities. Rapid urbanization accentuates the centralizing role of cities without lessening their isolation from national realities. Cities are degraded into simple models of consumption; they are dependent on imported food and are major factors in changing indigenous diets.

Characterization of urban waste management practices in developing Asian countries: A new analytical framework based on waste characteristics and urban dimension.

PubMed

Aleluia, João; Ferrão, Paulo

2016-12-01

This paper characterizes municipal solid waste (MSW) management practices in developing Asia, with a focus on low and middle-income countries. The analysis that is conducted supports a proposed framework that maps out the trends observed in the region in relation to two parameters, waste compositions and urban dimension, which was prepared based on a set of national and urban case studies. The management of MSW in developing Asian countries is driven, first and foremost, by a public health imperative: the collection and disposal of waste in order to avoid the spread of disease vectors from uncollected waste. This comes, however, at a high cost, with local government authorities in these countries spending up to 50% of their budgets in the provision of these services. Little or no value is derived from waste, which is typically seen as a liability and not as a resource that can be harnessed. On the other hand, in many cities in developing Asia there is an informal sector that ekes out a living from the recovery of recyclable materials found in waste. Members of this "informal waste sector" are especially active in areas that are not served by formal waste collection systems, such as slums or squatter areas. A distinctive element shared among many cities in developing Asian countries concerns the composition of the municipal solid waste. MSW in those countries tends to be richer in biodegradable organic matter, which usually accounts for more than 50% of the total waste composition, suggesting that biological methods are more appropriate for treating this organic fraction. Conversely, thermal combustion technologies, which are extensively applied in high-income countries, are technically and economically challenging to deploy in light of the lower calorific value of waste streams which are rich in organics and moisture. Specific approaches and methods are therefore required for designing adequate waste management systems in developing Asian countries. In addition, despite some common characteristics shared among cities in developing Asia, their specific circumstances can significantly vary, even within the same country, calling for the need for context-specific waste management approaches. Set against this background, this paper proposes a guiding framework in the form of a matrix that maps out approaches observed in the management of municipal solid waste in cities of developing Asian countries as a function of the city dimension, share of organics on waste streams, and wealth generated by the city. The cities of Surabaya (Indonesia), Bangalore (India), Quy Nhon (Viet Nam), and Matale (Sri Lanka) are showcased as good practices in the region in the management of solid waste, with their experiences used to illustrate the framework laid out in the matrix. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Successes and failures of the Polonoroeste Integrated Development Program in Brazil].

PubMed

Frelastre, G

1985-01-01

Despite the fact that by 1980 Brazil's external debt approached US$100 billion and the effects of economic crisis were strongly felt, the government attempted to continue with previously launched integrated regional development projects including the "Polonoroeste" program. 3 phases were foreseen for the project, in Rondonia, Mato Grosso, and in new colonization zones. The goals of the Rondonia and Mato Grosso phases were to establish agriculture in the Amazon basin zone covered by the Polonoroeste, where the soils were reported to be of good or average quality although extremely heterogeneous over small areas. To avoid danger of rapid and complete deforestation, each colonist was to receive 100 hectares, 5 of which would be cleared and planted each year, allowing the forest to regenerate over 20 years. Colonists were expected to preserve 50 hectares of forest in their 100 hectare lots, but with increasing numbers of colonists the tendency has been to cut back the forest. Colonists were to receive credits and low interest loans repayable beginning 5 years after settlement over a period of 15 years. Since loans were not indexed, the amounts due would be a very small proportion of their initial worth in Brazil's inflationary economy. Boundary disputes sometimes resulting in armed conflict or murder have occurred in both Rondonia and especially in Mato Grosso between legal settlers and squatters, and between different categories of settlers. More serious has been the settlers' resentment and contesting of the large reserves set aside for the indigenous population, which has declined precipitously in recent years, probably as the result of massacres. In Mato Grosso, inequality in land holdings is demonstrated by the control over 55% of the land exercised by 1% of landholders. The demographic response to the colonization schemes was overwhelming. The populations of Rondonia and Mato Grosso respectively were estimated at 36,935 and 522,044 in 1950, 69,792 and 889,539 in 1960, 111,064 and 1,597,090 in 1970, and 490,153 and 2,506,063 in 1980. Since 1980, the rate of population growth has been 8%/year in Mato Grosso and over 16% in Rondonia, due primarily to immigration. Estimates of the rate of abandonment range from 10%-30%, with ill heath the main reason for departing. Malaria is rampant, especially in Rondonia, and other diseases also take their toll, while health services are inadequate. The extreme poverty of many settlers, exacerbated by economic problems, difficulty of clearing the forest and transporting goods, hard work, psychological and social difficulties brought on by isolation and loneliness and the lack of conveniences, and feelings of insecurity due to frequent clashes with Indians may be other reasons for leaving. It is too early for a definitive assessment of the successes and failures of the Polonoroeste project, but it is at least clear that Amazon settlement cannot be a permanent solution for Brazil's rapid population growth and related problems.

Discouraging rural to urban migration of the youths in Malaysia.

PubMed

Nor Bin Abdul-ghani, M

1979-12-01

Due to the limitations of statistics pertaining to rural-urban migration among the youth of Malaysia, the trends and implications of this phenomenon are explored more in theoretical them empirical terms. Empirical evidence will have to be based on various micro studies of villages and their socioeconomic conditions as they prevail today. Heavy emphasis will be placed on the needs of the agricultural sector where millions of dollars are being spent on agricultural modernization. Also explored are the various theories of rural-urban migration. The data available at the national level is only the increase of the population data for major urban centers in 1957 and 1970. From this basic data, the total increase in population over a period of 13 years has been calculated from which the average annual increase due to migration is computed. The increase in urban population within the 1957-70 period varied from a deficit (more outmigration than inmigration) in the case of Georgetown, Butterworth, and Kuching to a high of 32.7% in the case of Petaling Jaya, 4.5% in the case of Ipoh, and little above 3% in the case of Johore Bahru, Kuantan, Kuala Trengganu, and Kota Kinabalu. A 3% or 4% annual immigration to the major cities, be it from within or outside the state concerned, means that there is an equivalent annual depletion of the able bodied labor force from the rural areas of Malaysia. Insofar as Kuala Lumpur is concerned, 4 issues directly related to an accelerated pace of migration to the cities are: the existence of some 300,000 squatters; the shortage of low cost housing for low income workers; the emergence of urban slum areas in the cities and the suburbs implying lack of public utilities, services, and so forth; and a high unemployment rate. Looking at migration from its source of origin, there are several other consequences. Many studies indicate that the youth population of villages remain at about 10-15%. Thus, the villages are geing deprived of able bodied persons to pursue the program of agricultural and rural modernization. At this time approximately 2.0 million acres of agricultural land are not being cultivated and, to a certain extent, this is because of a labor shortage. The youth are unhappy about the prospects of agriculture as a means of livelihood in the rural areas. Some suggestions regarding what can be done about the rural to urban exodus are made considering theories that have been expanded in regard to the causes but set against the local conditions and adapted to the stage of socioeconomic development in Malaysia. These include: improvement in rural work opportunities; improving the "meaningfulness" of jobs in the rural areas; improving the socioeconomic environment in the rural areas; and overcoming the rural-urban imbalance in socioeconomic life.

The nutrition and health transition in the North West Province of South Africa: a review of the THUSA (Transition and Health during Urbanisation of South Africans) study.

PubMed

Vorster, Hester H; Venter, Christina S; Wissing, Marié P; Margetts, Barrie M

2005-08-01

To describe how urbanisation influences the nutrition and health transition in South Africa by using data from the THUSA (Transition and Health during Urbanisation of South Africans) study. The THUSA study was a cross-sectional, comparative, population-based survey. The North West Province of South Africa. In total, 1854 apparently healthy volunteers, men and women aged 15 years and older, from 37 randomly selected sites. Pregnant and lactating women, those with diagnosed chronic diseases and taking medication, with acute infections or inebriated were excluded but screened for hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Subjects were stratified into five groups representing different levels of urbanisation in rural and urban areas: namely, deep rural, farms, squatter camps, townships and towns/cities. OUTCOME MEASURES AND METHODS: Socio-economic and education profiles, dietary patterns, nutrient intakes, anthropometric and biochemical nutrition status, physical and mental health indicators, and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were measured using questionnaires developed or adapted and validated for this population, as well as appropriate, standardised methods for the biochemical analyses of biological samples. Subjects from the rural groups had lower household incomes, less formal education, were shorter and had lower body mass indices than those in the urban groups. Urban subjects consumed less maize porridge but more fruits, vegetables, animal-derived foods and fats and oils than rural subjects. Comparing women from rural group 1 with the urban group 5, the following shifts in nutrient intakes were observed: % energy from carbohydrates, 67.4 to 57.3; from fats, 23.6 to 31.8; from protein, 11.4 to 13.4 (with an increase in animal protein from 22.2 to 42.6 g day(-1)); dietary fibre, 15.8 to 17.7 g day(-1); calcium, 348 to 512 mg day(-1); iron from 8.4 to 10.4 mg day(-1); vitamin A from 573 to 1246 mug retinol equivalents day(-1); and ascorbic acid from 30 to 83 mg day(-1). Serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and plasma fibrinogen increased significantly across groups; systolic blood pressure >140 mmHg was observed in 10.4-34.8% of subjects in different groups and diabetes mellitus in 0.8-6.0% of subjects. Women in groups 1 to 5 had overweight plus obesity rates of 48, 53, 47, 61 and 61%, showing an increase with urbanisation. Subjects from group 2 (farm dwellers) showed the highest scores of psychopathology and the lowest scores of psychological well-being. The same subjects consistently showed the lowest nutrition status. Urbanisation of Africans in the North West Province is accompanied by an improvement in micronutrient intakes and status, but also by increases in overweight, obesity and several risk factors for NCDs. It is recommended that intervention programmes to promote nutritional health should aim to improve micronutrient status further without leading to obesity. The role of psychological strengths in preventing the adverse effects of urbanisation on health needs to be examined in more detail.

Population Pressure, Global Living Standards, and the Promise of Space Solar Power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strickland, John K., Jr.

2002-01-01

What many sincere environmentalists advocate: (severe restrictions on energy use, to reduce global warming), may actually end up being very harmful to the environment. Since 85 percent of the global energy use is derived from carbon based fossil fuels, this may seem to be a reasonable position. However, the proponents of energy use restrictions are ignoring some very important relationships. The greatest damage to the environment, in terms of species loss, is loss and/or human modification of habitat. The two greatest threats to habitat seem to be (1) population pressure and (2) logging. Logging does not necessarily permanently occupy the land, while either default squatter occupation or "colonization by policy" is often permanent. Increased population degrades the land by causing over- farming, and also creates an ever greater demand for raw materials and food resources. Poor people have no time nor money to think about or help save the environment. Therefore the greatest threat to species survival is human population growth and its frequent companion: poverty. There is an existing way to reduce population growth, and thus to reduce pressure on habitats, called "raising the standard of living". Wherever it succeeds, population growth slows rapidly. In many European countries, there would be a negative population growth if not for immigration. Personal energy use is closely correlated with living standards, and it is impossible to have a higher living standard without a higher degree of personal energy use. It would seem, however, that extending high living standards to the developing world would create an even greater demand for the use of fossil fuels. The solution to this dilemma can only be found in the use of very high capacity sources of non- fossil energy that do not significantly damage the environment. Are there sources of clean, economical energy with a large enough combined capacity to provide high living standards for the whole world, including those uses of electricity and fuels currently covered by fossil fuels. This is a global replacement load of about 9000 gigawatts. Green theorists are divided on this issue. Some claim that ground based solar, wind, and other renewable sources will supply all the energy we need, ignoring economic costs that severely limit their use. Others would (unrealistically) require the developed countries to reduce their energy consumption per capita to a level closer to that of the developing world, thereby admitting the limitations of the "appropriate" systems they espouse. Both sides in the past have rejected as "non-appropriate" and/or "dangerous" all the chemically clean energy sources of high capacity that have been previously proposed, such as safer nuclear fission, fusion power, and space solar power. If ground based "appropriate" energy sources are not sufficient, the economic and social effects of sudden forced curtailments of fossil energy use could be drastic. This paper supports the thesis that Space Solar Power does have the potential to provide such a clean, abundant, and economical energy source. It will cover both the limitations and promise of ground based energy sources, including the difficulties of using intermittent energy sources. It will discuss whether specified levels of energy cost increases would be damaging to the world economy and whether economical ground based sources alone would have sufficient capacity. It will show how the one major problem of launch costs, (currently preventing economical implementation of Space Solar Power), has a number of quite reasonable solutions. Finally, it will consider whether Space Solar Power, along with the other major space goals of Science &Exploration, Mars Colonization, Non- terrestrial Materials Recovery and Space Tourism, could be another space "killer app" which, by creating a high demand for launch services, could force large reductions in launch costs.

Houston, We Have a Podcast. Episode 41 The Space Launch System Part.1

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-20

Production Transcript for Ep41 The Space Launch System Part.1.mp3 Gary Jordan (Host): Houston, we have a podcast. Welcome to the official podcast of the NASA Johnson Space Center Episode 41, the Space Launch System part one. I'm Gary Jordan, and I'll be your host today. On this podcast, we bring in the experts, NASA scientists, engineers, astronauts, all to let you know the coolest information right here at NASA. So, today, we're talking about the most powerful rocket since the Saturn V moon rocket. It's called NASA's Space Launch System. So, we've got two guests from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama here with us today to tell us a little bit about the rocket, the payloads it will carry. Don't worry. We'll define what a payload is. And then, where it's going to go. Spoiler alert, it will bring people big stuff and little stuff all farther than we've ever gone before. Wait. Why did I do that? That totally ruins the, oh wait. Never mind. It doesn't ruin anything. This is a really good topic, jam packed with information. So much information that we're going to do this in two parts. This is part one. So, with us today are David Smith and Paul Bookout. David is the Vice President for Advanced Programs at Victory Solutions in Huntsville, Alabama. He has a long career in aerospace engineering and is a Subject Matter Expert on rocket architecture and how payloads fit inside the rocket. He wrote the SLS mission planner's guide which gives payload developers a general idea of the capabilities of the rocket and some technical specifications, so they can determine how their payloads might fit inside of it. He looks after some of the big payloads. Our other guest is Dr. Paul Bookout, EM-1 Secondary Payloads Integration Manager who manages integration of five CubeSats in the giant rocket as well as the avionics that will control deployment of the 13 small satellite payloads on the first mission of SLS and Orion called Exploration Mission-1, EM-1. He spends his time managing the little payloads, not much bigger than a shoebox, that goes inside of a skyscraper-sized rocket. So, we're going to be talking about just how powerful this monster rocket is, its unique capabilities, and what it will be used for, where it is in its development, its first mission with the Orion crew vehicle, and then look ahead to the future to missions to the moon, to Mars, and throughout the solar system. So, we are go for launch with Mr. David Smith and Dr. Paul Bookout for the Space Launch System Program. T minus five, four, three, two, one, zero, and liftoff of Episode 41 of Houston, We Have a Podcast. Always wanted to do that. Feel like I just ruined it. You know what? Let's just start. [ Music ] Host: T minus five second and counting. Mark. [ Music ] Host: There she goes. Host: Houston, we have a podcast. [ Music ] Host: All right. Paul and David, thanks so much for coming on the podcast today. We talked about Orion on a few episodes so far but really haven't had the privilege to talk about he giant rocket that Orion is going to be on, the SLS. And, we have you guys here from Marshall to actually talk to us about this rocket. So, thank you very much for coming on. David Smith: Sure. David Smith: Thank you for having us. Host: Our pleasure. Host: All right. Just to sort of back up, we have Paul Bookout and David Smith, so you guys want to talk a little bit about each one, so we can identify your voices. Paul Bookout: David, go ahead. David Smith: Well, sure. I'm just an engineer. My associate Dr. Bookout is a doctor. Host: Okay. David Smith: But, we both work together on trying to find innovative ways to associate payloads with the capability of SLS which is going to be the world's largest rocket. So, I kind of look at the larger payloads, and Dr. Bookout looks at maybe some of the other kind, smaller payloads that can fit in the niches that are left over. Paul Bookout: Well, thank you Vice President David. David Smith: Yes. Paul Bookout: I appreciate you talking about introducing myself. So, what we have is secondary payloads. Again, we're just trying to understand the whole utilization of SLS since it's going to be the most powerful rocket built since the Saturn V. It's going to have a lot more capability, so we want to utilize it to its fullest. Host: Okay. So, you said there's going to be, basically, we're going to utilize the rocket to its maximum potential. We got this big rocket, and we're going to test it. But, while we test it, let's put some cool stuff on it. Paul Bookout: Exactly. Host: So, let's back up and talk about just SLS. What is SLS? What is this giant rocket that we're talking about? Paul Bookout: SLS is America's rocket. It's the next NASA's launch vehicle that's going to be able to put humans back to the moon and further out into deep space. Of course, a lot of it's built on shuttle hardware heritage. The SLS rocket's made up of the solar rocket boosters, a main core, an upper stage, and then the crew Orion spacecraft with a co-manifest payload or a primary payload. And, David will talk a little bit more about that later. So, of course, this is NASA's first exploration class launch vehicle since Saturn V, so we're going to be putting humans back to the moon, out to deep space, and eventually, you know, to Mars systems. It has a very large mass lift capability and also volume, so some of these larger probes that are satellites or probes that are going to outer planets that they'll be able to arrive at their destination in just a few years instead of maybe eight to ten years. [00:05:24] You're cutting that trip down to one or two years. So, it's a lot of savings there. Host: So, that's a really important part to kind of hone in on is just the versatility of this rocket. You're talking about a giant rocket that can take people, giant payloads, faster, farther. That's pretty much the whole summary of the SLS, right? Paul Bookout: Yes. Definitely. Host: So, what's, what does it take to be human rated? So, I guess the difference between something that's not a rocket and something that is. Paul Bookout: Of course, it goes through the whole development process, starts at the beginning. You have to have safety emission assurances involved from the very beginning. Just an overview, you have to have, like redundant systems. If something goes wrong with one system, there's another system to kick in to back up to still make the vehicle safe. There's safety reviews throughout the whole process. We do additional testing, a lot more testing than other commercial launch vehicles do just to make sure that the vehicle is safe for humans. Host: That's really the main thing, right? Paul Bookout: Yeah. [00:06:33] Host: The safety. But, then, also the redundancy because I guess redundancy is cost. Redundancy is weight. So, you have to factor that into a rocket where you can just say, "Oh, if it fails, you know, with the primary systems, it fails." But, at least the only thing we lose is this piece of hardware. And, not to say that that's not a bad thing, but. Paul Bookout: Right. Host: It's very different from human life. So, I guess, absolutely, you need to be considerate of that. Paul Bookout: Right. And, there is a tradeoff, as you was saying. Additional systems, more mass, and that's mass that is being taken away from your primary payloads. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: And lift capability, but we need that to be safe. Host: You know what? I actually always wanted to ask this question, but you said primary payloads. I get this question all the time from folks not in NASA, and it's just, we use this term all the time, but what, to you, is a payload? [00:07:22] Paul Bookout: A payload is anything that goes up on top of the rocket that's lifted into space. It can be a satellite. I can be probes. Of course, the Orion spacecraft, once it's on the rocket, it can have its own second co-manifested payload along with it. So, just anything, really, that's launched into space. Host: Does a person count as a payload. Paul Bookout: We don't like to refer to. [ Laughter ] Host: It doesn't humanize it as much, right? Paul Bookout: No, it doesn't. No. Host: So, I guess, for example, going back to that co-manifest thing, the Orion. The Orion would be the payload. That would be the primary thing that you want to bring into orbit. Paul Bookout: Correct. Host: But, then, there's something that is, something called co-manifested which means it's not the primary thing, but it's also part of the part that you want to lift the mission. Paul Bookout: Correct. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: For example, on the second generation of the SLS rocket, it will have capability of launching a co-manifest payload along with Orion, and it could be anywhere from additional probe going out into the moon, or it can be call separation bus, propulsion system that's launched. And, then, when a habitat is launched, then they can be combined and go to the moon. So, it's, allows us to build capabilities out in space, too, with co-manifested payloads. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: Along with Orion. Host: Is that one of the things you're working on? Or, you're working on, I guess, secondary payload? Paul Bookout: Yes. I'm mainly focused in on secondary payloads. Host: So, what's secondary payloads? Paul Bookout: Okay. Secondary payloads, or they call auxiliary payloads. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: They're payloads that do not drive the primary mission of the, of that launch. For example, on EM-1, we have secondary payloads on that. That's EM-1, Exploration Mission-1. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: First launch of SLS rocket. David Smith: Yeah. Paul Bookout: We have 13 payloads on that, and I'll talk a little bit more about that later. But, the primary requirements they have is for secondary payloads in general is do no harm to the vehicle and minimal impact. So, the do no harm aspect is that we have to fly safe. The whole system, deployment system and everything, is designed to be safe. Like, all the CubeSats are turned off during launch. They have to have, like, redundant systems, as in two separation switches that allow them to turn on. Because, if one fails while we're being launched, it could turn on the systems. So, we have two there. Host: Oh, okay. Paul Bookout: To back that up, to keep it safe. And then, minimal requirements, of course, if the rocket is ready to launch and the secondary payload's not ready yet, it's going to launch. Because it does not affect the primary mission of the payload, of the launch. Host: Right. Paul Bookout: Of that. Host: Well, that puts a lot of constraints on you, then, huh? Paul Bookout: Yes, yes it does. Host: Because, not only do you have to worry about these, and I guess we can kind of hone in on the CubeSats a little bit later. But, you have to worry about the CubeSats, but now you have to add something else to it. Now, you have to add these redundant systems. And then, there's no guarantee that if you're not ready, that's okay. We're going to go without you. Paul Bookout: Right. Exactly. SLS is, the first rocket's not going to be the only configuration of SLS. And, of course, SLS is Space Launch System. We, the first launch is going to be called Block 1. Then, we're going to be stepping up to Block 1B which means we're going to be adding a different upper stage. Right now, we're utilizing an existing Boeing ULA upper stage to use on this mission, mainly to save initial money so we can develop the core stage. And, once the core stage has been developed, then we can have additional funds to start developing the new upper stage or exploration upper stage. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: Okay? And, that's going to be the Block 1B configuration. And, Block 1B will have actually two configurations. It'll be a crew which was, as we talked about before, the Orion spacecraft with a co-manifested payload. The other configuration will be the Block 1B cargo where that would be your primary payloads. So, the only payload will be that major payload. Host: Okay. So, when you say "Block", you're looking at the entire rocket configuration. Paul Bookout: Correct. Host: And, Block 1 is this configuration with the ULE booster, right? Paul Bookout: Right. Host: Okay. And then, Block 1B has the NASA booster on top. Paul Bookout: Correct. Host: Instead of the ULA, but then you can do crew or cargo on that one. Paul Bookout: Exactly. Host: Whereas, EM-1 you don't, and EM-1, we can get into this later, is, you're not going to have crew on it, right? That's not part of the test. That's for one of the later missions. Paul Bookout: Correct. Host: I see. So, really, the blocks are kind of the stages of developing the rocket into its full capability of. Paul Bookout: Right. Host: Of this eventual Mars lander. That's awesome. So, now, you're using these commercial elements. You're using ULA in Block 1 and the leftover solid rocket boosters until, eventually, 1B, 1B crew, you get to Block 2. Now, you have the configuration. New boosters. You got the NASA upper stage. You got all of these configurations, and now you can go to, where can you go? David Smith: Well. Host: Is it just to Mars? David Smith: Well, you really need Block 2, ultimately, to fulfill a human settlement on the lunar surface as well. Host: Really? David Smith: You need a kind of lift capability. But, if you want to assemble an architecture, because it'll take multiple flights of a Block 2 to assemble a human architecture capable of transiting to Mars, you'll need four to five Block 2 flights at a time to assemble that stack that can go to Mars. Host: So, what's, I guess, how much more power does Block 2 provide you that, I guess, Block 1B would not? David Smith: Well, it nominally, you're talking another 25 tons or so. So, it could bring a second Orion vehicle in comparison because Orion weighs about 25 tons. So, it, really, from a lift standpoint, is maybe a fifth more powerful than the Block 1B, and it gives you that extra diameter, potentially for the payload ferrying that would allow, you know, the smaller the diameter of the ferrying, the taller a lander needs to be. And, think about a lander on the surface of the moon or Mars, if it's three or four stories, that's a lot of vertical height an astronaut has to overcome every time they're taking stuff back and forth. Host: That's right. David Smith: So, we're, the larger the diameter, the shorter can be the squatter, can be the easier it is to manipulate items on and off a lander. Whether it's on the moon or Mars. Host: Okay. Wow. So, then, you're talking about once this Block 2 configuration is done with the new solid rocket boosters, you can actually have a wider payload go on top of the rocket. David Smith: Right. Well, there's a nuclear thermal propulsion that's out there that has the potential of getting people to Mars a lot sooner. It needs a much larger diameter because it used hydrogen as a fuel. Hydrogen is very bulky because it isn't very dense. And so, if we were ever to use a new kind of propulsion that would lower the time to get to Mars, you need a Block 2 vehicle. A smaller rocket will never allow you to do nuclear thermal propulsion. Host: Okay. Let's go back to some of these other configurations. I kind of want to get a sense of the look and feel of this rocket. We sort of talked about it, but to just sort of go into detail. If I was looking at let's just say the Block 1 configuration, the one that's actually going to go for EM-1, what does that look like? How tall is it? What's the weight of it? How much power? David Smith: Right. So, roughly Block 1 and 1B are somewhat similar. Host: Okay. David Smith: They're going to be about the same height as the Saturn V. Host: Oh. David Smith: Which means it's a big rocket, but part of that's because we can't really exceed the vehicle assembly building limitations that are at the Cape. So, you want to make it as big as you can, so you can put as much fuel in it as you can. Basically, the thrust of the Block 1 vehicle which is similar to the Block 1B for the solid rocket motors is about 3.6 million pounds each. Those only fly for about two minutes. Then, you have the core engines. There's four space shuttle era type SSMEs that each have about 512,000 pounds of thrust. You multiply that by four. They operate for about eight minutes. Together, you get about a total thrust of about 8.8 million pounds which gives you an escape velocity of over 22,000 miles an hour. The core stage itself is about 2/3 the length of a football field which is pretty tremendous. One single stage of this vehicle's about 2/3 of a football stadium. And, which is around 212 feet, and the Block 1B ferrying that we talked about, the 8.4-meter diameter ferrying, could accommodate up to three school buses inside its volume. So, that's pretty incredible when you think about the size of what can be lofted in a single vehicle like that. In comparison, the Block 1 vehicle, you know, can throw 70 tons to lower earth orbit where the shuttle can only do 28 tons to low earth orbit. So, it's about three times more powerful than the shuttle. Host: Wow. So, you're talking, you're comparing it to the Saturn V in terms of its size but talking about these efficient engines. What makes, what is it about the engines that's more efficient that's giving you this extra power? David Smith: Well, they, you know, the shuttle engines were rated at 100% thrust originally, and I think they got them up to 109%. So, they actually got them to work 9% more efficiently at the end of the shuttle program. We're taking these up to 11% more thrust, and maybe even 13% more thrust. So, you're really pushing these engines to their limit, and the, it's really coupling their efficiency now at 113% thrust with the reliability of the shuttle system. Host: Unbelievable. The engine itself is called an RS25, right? Paul Bookout: Yes. Host: That's what it's called. And, these are the engines that were on the shuttle. Now, you're pretty much just putting it on the SLS, but it sounds like there's a good reason for that. It's because you've flown the shuttle so many times, improved the capability of it past its, like, total 100% thrust ratio. Now, you're going, you're going past the 100%. So, basically, is like why would we, why would we do something else? We worked so hard on this one. This one is, like, extremely efficient. Why would we, and we can make it even more efficient. That's the logic behind it? Paul Bookout: Well, right. Initially, of course, we have about, I believe, 16 space shuttle main engines or these RS25s left over from the shuttle program. So, we're utilizing the existing hardware to save cost while we're developing the core stage. You know, the first part of the SLS. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: And, as you mentioned, we are updating the engines, getting more capability out of them. So, to that point, we can do four per, so we can do about four launches, four rocket, or four engines on each launch. So, we can do about four launches with the current RS25s. Host: Okay. And, that, is that for one of the later configurations? Paul Bookout: That's correct. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: Yeah. Host: Is it the Block 2? Paul Bookout: The Block 2. Host: Block 2? Paul Bookout: Block 2 and beyond. Host: Oh, okay. I see. I see where the whole idea of staging this whole thing comes from, right? Paul Bookout: Correct. Host: You've got, you're using the leftover solid rocket boosters, and you're using this commercial upper stage. And, it's just basically getting to this point where you're going to maximize the efficiency of the rocket. Paul Bookout: Right. Host: Unbelievable. So, three school buses inside of the 1B configuration, right? That's, is it about the weight of three school buses? Is like taking three school buses to space? David Smith: No, it would be, it would be more than that. Host: More than that? David Smith: I mean, nominally, if you went to the moon, we're going to take, the Block 1B could take roughly 40 tons to lunar vicinity which is, which is pretty incredible. Host: Wow, and just in terms of not only, like, quantity, you're talking three school buses. But, also size. David Smith: Yeah, and mass. Host: Also weight. David Smith: Right. Host: You know, you got all of these, all these different components. So, I guess we can kind of focus in on now that we kind of understand the rocket and the evolution of the rocket, let's go to that first, that first test flight, EM-1. We've talked about EM-1 on the podcast before, especially from testing Orion and that. But, really haven't focused in on what is it about, what is it about EM-1 that we're testing SLS for? So, let's start with that. What are we going to test, and I guess we can kind of start with the overview of EM-1 for those who haven't listened to it before. Paul Bookout: Right. So, EM-1 is, of course, going to be the first launch of the SLS rocket. Its primary segments are, of course, solid rocket motors which are a heritage from shuttle hardware. Shuttle had four segments, where EM-1 is going to have five segment motors. Then, of course, the core stage which is heritage off the shuttle external tank but made longer for additional capability of fuel. And, we're also using the main engines from the shuttle program with updated technology and ratings to get more power out of those four rockets on there. So, that makes up the primary lift capability of the SLS rocket. On top of that, we have an interim cryogenic propulsion stage, which, or second stage, upper stage, that we're utilizing from Boeing, existing hardware for EM-1 mission. And then, of course, in addition to adaptors, then there will be the Orion spacecraft, which is the primary mission of EM-1 is to test out the SLS rocket. Then, also, to test out the Orion spacecraft with its trajectory and telemetries and communications. It's going to be on about a 25 1/2 day mission to distant retrograde orbit. That really means just go way past the moon and come back. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: You know, a 25 1/2 day trip. Of course, and, you know, we're doing all this because, again, for the safety aspects. We want to test the vehicle out and Orion spacecraft before we put humans in it. Host: Right. Paul Bookout: So, we want to make sure it's safe, make sure everything works. And, that's that safety aspect, that human rated part of a launch vehicle. Host: So, the human rated part is the Orion can go to 25.5 days, or is this going past what it's expected to possibly operate at? David Smith: I think that's a nominal timeframe for the Orion with crew. So, this is pretty much, I think, its extreme capability. Host: Yeah. David Smith: But, you know, part of it is testing just the systems period. You always, for human rating, you always want to test it far in, you know, far from what the humans will actually experience so that you have a safety factor that's sufficient for human use. Host: Oh, yeah. Because if you're going to be operating on, say, 16 day missions, you don't really want to, okay. Well, let's just test 16. Paul Bookout: Exactly. Host: You really want to go kind of further out and see, all right. Let's see how far this puppy can go. David Smith: And, I think part of this mission's objective is to bring it in at a lunar return velocity to test that heat shield. Host: Yeah. David Smith: You can't do it from low earth orbit. You got to kind of go out and bring it in fast, so. Host: So, what's the difference with EFT-1? That was one of the first test flights we did where we didn't go all the way out to the moon, but we did kind of a, this large apogee so that we can get up to, I think it was some, like 25,000 miles. Or, maybe it was a little slower than that. The difference is between EFT-1 and EM-1. David Smith: I think, I think it was very close to what they would experience in a lunar return, but it's not the actual lunar return. Host: I see. David Smith: Right, so you want to be able to stage it. You want to go out in orbit. You want to test the time that you're out in orbit. That was a very short mission, maybe five or six hours. Now, we're talking 25 days. Well, all the equipment still work when it's, you know, soaked in a cold temperature, hot temperature, all those days. And, now, you're coming in. Will it all work when it comes to the right moment. So, this really puts the pedal to the metal. Host: That's right. So, what is it? I guess the relationship between what are you guys looking at for SLS versus Orion on this particular mission, EM-1? Paul Bookout: So, for SLS, again, we want to test all the systems, make sure they're fully functional. We'll be checking out redundant systems indirectly, of course. And, communications with the vehicle, since it's the first time the vehicle's being launched. We're all, we're talking with the vehicle all the way up. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: So, we want to make sure all those ground systems are ready to support, actually, human flight mission. So, it's just not the vehicle. It's the overall architecture of everything that goes into supporting a launch that we want to verify and check out. Host: Oh, that's right. Now, we're preparing to go into fly deep space missions. So, not only is it, all right, let's test the hardware, but let's test to operational aspect. Paul Bookout: Exactly. Host: Let's test what it's going to take to actually do these missions from the broadest perspective possible. David Smith: And, that includes, even, just bringing the, you know, the pieces are being built all over the place. Host: Yeah. David Smith: And, tested all over the place. So, just bringing them together at the cape and making sure they can be integrated in a safe and timely fashion for launch. That, in itself, is a really important objective. We're talking about such a large rocket. Paul Bookout: Yeah, so this is the first time all those components going to be coming together, and there's going to be hiccups along the way. And, we just need to understand how this vehicle goes together and make sure we do it correctly. Host: So, you say the vehicle's going to be talking to you guys throughout its flight. What is it going to be telling you? What kinds of data are you really looking for that's really going to tell you that this thing is working how we're expecting it to work? David Smith: Well, remember, you're talking to payload guys, so, you know, we're more interested in seeing what the payload's going to experience. Host: Yeah. David Smith: But, think about this. When it launches on the pad, it has an incredible noise issue coming off that mobile launch platform. That's why, if you remember, they had these things called rainbirds, the big sprinklers that start spraying as soon as the engines go to try to mitigate that noise. Host: Right. David Smith: The payload is particularly sensitive to it. Obviously, the vehicle itself is sensitive to that noise as well. So, acoustic mitigation is one of the most important things at launch. Then, we have a thermal issue, right? We go up to max Q, max dynamic pressure. We have a certain heating that is, occurs on the outside of the vehicle. And, before, we got to get through all that heating before we can make sure that the crew is going to be safe, that we can take the shielding off the Orion and so forth. So, we're going to be testing all those environmental concerns as we go forward, and of course, the jettisoning of, you know, the SRBs off the core stage. Then, the ICPS in Orion off the core stage. And then, of course, then, the Orion off the ICPS. All these jettison events, and there's quite a few of them, are extremely important, and we need to test those. Each one has its associated thermal and acoustic issues. So, we're going to test each one of those as it goes forward. Paul Bookout: Since this is the first launch of SLS rocket, we don't really understand the full environments that it's going to be launched in. As David mentioned, the thermal, interior thermal, acoustic, vibration. It's the first time we're going to launch it. So, what we're also have is a lot of instrumentation on this vehicle to be able to measure the actual vibration levels and everything else. So, we can, once we go back to designing and looking at what we call safety factors, reducing those so we can have more margin on the vehicle and means that goes into more mass lift capabilities. So, we're trying to understand the overall characteristics of the vehicle itself. So, in addition, for secondary payload, or payloads in general, we can give them more of an accurate environment that they will see during launch. As in, how much vibration they'll feel, how much thermal environments that they'll see. So, when they start designing their payloads for, to run the ride on this vehicle, they can have more of an accurate environment. And, maybe not have, make it a lot more efficient design. Host: Okay. So, then, what data are you going off of now based on, you guess you haven't launched the SLS. So, what are you assuming, or where are you getting the data from? David Smith: We have, we started off with assuming, at least for the payloads, that we would provide an ELV, and expendable launch vehicle class environment. Host: Okay. David Smith: So, if you've flown on Atlas or Delta, you should expect nothing worse than that. Host: Okay. David Smith: That's our starting point. Host: Oh, okay. David Smith: Now, what Paul's going into is we're going to try to characterize is that really true? So, the first flight's important. Are we in? Are we out? What do we have to do? Is there more foam that you got to put in the payload section to mitigate the noise? That's what we're trying to figure out. But, we should be within an ELV class is what we're projecting right now. Host: Okay. So, then, I'm assuming you're going to have some actual science on board EM-1, right? Because you're testing, you're testing the structure of EM-1. You're testing the rocket. But then, you have this mission. Why not take advantage of it? Is there anything else going on the EM-1? Paul Bookout: Oh, definitely. Host: Okay, good. Paul Bookout: Yes. We have, we'll have 13 secondary payloads that we're going to be launching on EM-1. Host: Wow. Paul Bookout: That'll, that is located in the Orion stage adapter. That's the segment that connects the SLS rocket to the Orion spacecraft. So, it's a small ring about five feet high. About 18 or so feet in diameter. And, along the inner circumference of that is where we are mounting these 13 secondary payloads. Host: Oh, so I guess they have to be kind of small, right? That's not a lot of space compared to the, what's in the ferrying. Paul Bookout: Correct. So, on EM-1, we have 13 CubeSats. CubeSats are defined as a, we call a 1U, which is about ten by ten by ten-centimeter cube. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: So, what we're having on EM-1 is allowing them to go up to what we call a 6U. So, it's a CubeSat that's about the, a little bit larger than the size of a shoebox, a large shoebox. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: And, that's kind of the dimensions of these 6U CubeSats that we're having on EM-1. David Smith: Which is the most common CubeSat, really, today, right? Paul Bookout: Correct. Exactly. So, we have multiple missions that these payloads are going to be doing. So, we've got one destination is to the moon. We have Lunar Flashlight which is out of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and their primary mission is to search for ice deposits and resources on the moon using a laser. Host: Ooh. Paul Bookout: Okay. And, the second one is Lunar IceCube which is Morehead State University up in Kentucky. And, they're going to also be searching for water of all forms and volatiles on the moon using infrared spectrometer. These are some big words that I can't even define, so. [ Laughter ] LunaH-Map is from Arizona State University, and they're going to be creating high fidelity map of near surface hydrogen in craters on the moon. Lunar IR is from Lockheed Martin in Colorado, and they're going to be performing advanced infrared imagery of lunar surface. We've got one that's going to the sun facility, and it's called CuSP. It's from Southwest Research Institute here in Texas, and it's going to be measuring particles and magnetic fields of space weather between us and the sun. We have one that's going around the Earth. It's called EQUULEUS. It's a Japanese payload, and we actually have three international payloads on this mission. And, I'll touch on those others. Host: Awesome. Paul Bookout: So, again, EQUULEUS is from JAXA. It's the University of Tokyo supporting that. I mean, it's imaging the Earth's plasma sphere for a better understanding of Earth radiation environment. And also, it's going to be initially on the far side of the moon and detecting any meteor crater flashes that may impact the far side of the moon. Host: Wow. Paul Bookout: So, they'll be out there for about two months or so and just hopefully they'll be able to catch something. Some of the other missions are BioSentinel. It's from Ames Research Center, and they're going to be using baker's yeast to see the effects of radiation on actual live items, you know, live yeast. And, then, ArgoMoon, which is the European Space Agency, is built in Italy. It's going to be observing the interim cryogenic propulsion stage. That's upper stage is going to be deployed. Look at that upper stage, and then it's going to go on some additional missions. And, it's going to look at the upper stage to see what kind of effects the environment has during liftoff on the upper stage. Because, until now, we, once the upper stage is launched, we usually don't get a chance to look the conditions of that. This will give us some feedback and see what the upper stage has went through, if there's any damage or anything. Host: It sounds like these CubeSats are all over the place. Paul Bookout: Yes. Yeah. I've got a couple more here. Host: Oh, really. Paul Bookout: I haven't got to my two favorite yet. So. Host: Oh, we're standing by. Paul Bookout: Okay. Centennial Challenge. That was a challenge that NASA set up called Cube Quest, and it's to help develop communications for these smaller CubeSats. There's two challenges. One was a lunar challenge to around the lunar surface and for longevity. And, the other one was a deep space mission which was a CubeSat, as it says, going out into deep space to see how far and long and what burst rates and clarity that you can have in your signals. So, there's total prizes for everything through all the development and final missions. It's up to $5 million. Host: Wow. Paul Bookout: So, that's a lot of money. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: Spread out over those. So, you did, you asked what my two favorite payloads are. Host: Oh, yeah. Paul Bookout: Let me tell you. One of them is NEA Scout. That's developed at Marshall Spaceflight Center. What's unique about that is NEA Scout means Near Earth Asteroid. So, they're going to be going to a near earth asteroid. But, the exciting thing about it is that they're going to be using solar cell to get there for their propulsion system. So, this is the first time a solar cell will be used to, for propulsion out into deep space. There have been other missions in low earth orbit to check out the technology and feasibility of solar cells, but this is the first time going out to deep space. And, for a CubeSat that's a little bit larger than a shoebox, it will be deploying the cell that will be 40 by 40 feet. Host: Whoa. Paul Bookout: So, that's huge. Host: Wait, and a little CubeSat. Paul Bookout: In a little CubeSat. Host: And, it deploys a 40 foot. Paul Bookout: Yes. Host: Oh, wow. Paul Bookout: Yeah, so that solar cell is very thin material. Host: Yeah. It must be to fold up into, like, this ten-centimeter cube thing. Paul Bookout: Exactly. Host: So, so, the solar. Paul Bookout: You said ten centimeters. 6U CubeSat is 10 by 20 by 30. Host: Oh, because this is 6U. Paul Bookout: 6U, correct. Host: Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. So, solar sails, though, this is, it basically unfurls this 40-foot sail, and is it the one where the high-power laser that pushes it? Paul Bookout: No. Paul Bookout: That's different. Paul Bookout: This is going to ride the solar winds. Paul Bookout: Ride the solar winds. Paul Bookout: Solar particles will be pushing it along. It'll do actually a fly by the near-earth asteroid as it comes up. It'll be taking images all the way around as it passes. Host: Okay. Wow. Paul Bookout: So, and my ultimate favorite one is. Host: Yeah, we didn't get the last one. Paul Bookout: Is actually the one that I'm the Secondary Payload Integration Manager for. Host: Oh. Paul Bookout: So, it's one of my CubeSats. Host: So, it's an unbiased favorite, then. Paul Bookout: Yes. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: Yeah, still. It's called OMOTENASHI. It's another Japanese CubeSat. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: And, their mission is to land on the moon. Host: Oh. Paul Bookout: Can you imagine a small little CubeSat, you know, a little bit larger than a shoebox, land on the moon? Of course, and the big thing about it is that they're going to be using a solid rocket motor to slow down to be able to land on the moon. So, that's one of the things on EM-1 that we're offering that previous commercial launch vehicles and that don't offer propulsion systems for secondary payload to be able to utilize that. That's one thing EM-1 and SLS is allowing. So, that's a huge deal. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: For those. So, if OMOTENASHI is successful at landing on the moon, they'll be the fourth nation in the world to have actually land and do some science on the moon. Host: Wow. Paul Bookout: You know. Host: So, what kind of science? Paul Bookout: Well, because, again, they're still a small payload, so they can't get large science instruments to the moon, when they land, actually land on the moon, all that will be left is about the size of a sandwich box. Because they have to get rid of all the extra weight to be able to slow down enough to be able to land. And, they'll probably so some soil impact measurements, as in how soft vibration, shock, as it's landing on the moon. And, I, so, and they're only going to be able to do it for about 30 minutes or so. Again, because of the size, what we're limiting them to. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: They can't get the mechanics, orbital mechanics and velocities and everything. I'm sorry. Host: So, it's, it's kind of general on where you can land, then? It's just like, it's just going to land. It's not going to land in a targeted spot, I guess? Paul Bookout: Correct. They know the general vicinity where it's going to land. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: But, they can't have ultimate control, like any of the other landers that have larger systems, propulsion systems, to slow them down. So, they would be actually, once the solar motor fires, they'll still be traveling at about 60 miles an hour when they impact the moon. So, they're going to inflate these impact balloons to actually bounce, similar to what they've done on Mars, some of the Mars Rovers. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: So, it'll come and impact moon and bounce and then finally rest on the moon. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: And, do about 30 minutes of impact soil measurements. Host: Wow. How would that be, though? I'm imagining, I mean, landing at 60 miles an hour. That's, you know. Paul Bookout: Well. Host: That's not slow, but at the same time, it's the moon, right? It's. Paul Bookout: Right. Yes, but then again, you're not going directly into it. You know, you're coming in at an angle, too. Host: At an angle. Paul Bookout: So, it's not a fully impact. Host: Okay. Great. Paul Bookout: Direct impact, so. Host: So, you got all these CubeSats going around the Earth, around the upper stage, around the moon, on the moon, to deep space. Where do you deploy, how does that work? Where do you deploy everything? It's not just like you just let everything go at all. It has to be pretty controlled because each one has a very specific mission. Paul Bookout: Right. We've created what we call bus stops. Host: Oh. Paul Bookout: They're basically different aspects of the trajectory of the upper stage. So, the first bus stop is when you're in between the two radiation belts or Van Allen belts. Bus stop two is when you've passed all the radiation belts. Bus stop three is half way between the Earth and the moon. Bus stop four is the closest proximity to the moon, and bus stop five is when you're going into a heliosynchronous or sun orbit. And, that's where the upper stage will be disposed into the sun orbit. So, when a payload says, "Hey, I want to get off at 200,000 miles away from the Earth." Well, okay, where is that exactly? So, that's why we kind of created these bus stops. Host: I see. Paul Bookout: They can get off anywhere they want to, but it helps us relate to the areas where they want off. So, most of them are wanting off at stop one. About seven or eight of them. Because they need to get out and start changing their trajectory as soon as possible. Again, we're offering propulsion systems, but they're not large enough to have really change their directions further on. So, a little change at first makes a big change later. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: So, they want to get off to be able to do that, make those little changes. Most of the payloads that are going to lunar orbit, what they're wanting to do is slow down because the ICPS, you know, is launching Orion into this distant retrograde orbit. And, you know, way past the moon. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: So, it has a lot of velocity heading that way, and if the payloads don't slow down, they'll just go flying past the moon. The moon can't, doesn't have enough gravity to pull them back into an orbit. And, some of them, even though they are going to the moon, they'll actually fly past the moon, and it may take a month or so for them to come back, to slow down enough to come back and get hooked into the moon's gravity and start orbiting the moon. Host: Oh, wow. Paul Bookout: So, it's not a direct flight into the moon orbit, just because they don't have the propulsion systems large enough to be able to do that. Host: So, is it fair to say they're all going to be in a very similar orbit, or are they all going to kind of go their respective directions? Paul Bookout: They're going to do their respective ways. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: Some of them wants to do in the crater, so they're going to be going to the pole system, up to the poles to look see if there's ice up in there. And, some of them will just be doing a regular geosynchronous type of orbit. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: Type thing. Host: All right. Paul Bookout: We talked about where these, what the payloads are and where they're going to want to get off. To be able to allow them to get off, again, we have to have a deployment system where, again, some of the primary requirements for EM-1 was or SLS is to do no harm and to have minimal impact to the vehicle. Host: Yes. Paul Bookout: Well, to do that latter one, what we've come up with a system is that we will receive an energy, the avionics unit for deploying the secondary payloads will receive an energy pulse for, from Orion. Or, I'm sorry. Will receive an energy pulse from the upper stage once Orion has already left and the upper stage has gone through its disposal maneuvers. That means burning off extra fuel and everything making it safe. Right before it shuts down, it will turn on the avionics unit for deploying the secondary payloads. Then, the upper stage turns off. So, we wake up, and we've got our own internal battery system. And, each payload is inside of a dispenser, and so, the dispenser operates as the, has a spring-loaded lid. And, the payloads inside are installed by compressing the spring. So, when the, when it's time for that particular payload to be deployed, we get an energy pulse from the avionics unit sent to the dispenser to open the door. The door flings open, and then the secondary payload is pushed out by springs. So, that's how they're deployed. Host: Okay. So, like a, so, like an SLS jack in the box. [laughter] Paul Bookout: If you will. Host: That's what I'm imagining. Obviously, it's going to shoot out. Paul Bookout: We have pulled those analogies before, but I'll let you state it. Host: And then, I guess there's, you get this power pulse that's going to, I guess, be directed to whatever seven is going to be part of bus stop one, and whatever the next ones for bus stop two. Paul Bookout: Correct. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: And, they'll be deployed, if there's multiple at a particular bus stop, they'll be deployed a minute or two away from each other, after each other because we don't want to be able to deploy one and then deploy another one right behind it. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: And then, they have recontact. Host: So, I'm trying to imagine the way everything is situated in my head, and at this part of the flight when you're starting to deploy these secondary payloads, what does, what does the rocket, I guess, or what does the piece that's actually flying, what does it look like? I guess you have Orion and then there's this deployment system, and then there's, is it the upper stage behind it? Paul Bookout: Okay. So, once we've launched. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: After about two minutes, the solar rocket motors are. David Smith: Jettisoned. Paul Bookout: Jettisoned. And then, the core stage lifts the rest of the vehicle up into orbit. And, after that time, when the core stage is spent, then it'll be jettisoned. And then, you'll have your upper stage and your Orion spacecraft which of course the secondary payloads are still in part of that. And then, then, it'll go into what they call a translunar injection that's basically the upper stage will ignite and put Orion into its mission profile going past the moon. Host: So, at this point, right before it ignites, it's still in, I guess, Earth orbit, and the translunar injection gets it to the moon. Paul Bookout: Correct. Host: Okay. Paul Bookout: Okay. So, once the upper stage has spent its fuel, the Orion spacecraft will separate, okay? From the upper stage. So, it'll go through on to its mission. And then, about 30 minutes later, 20, 30 minutes later, the secondary payloads will start their deployment. Host: I see. Okay. Paul Bookout: So, Orion is well away and actually speeding faster away from the upper stage. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: The upper stage, once it goes through its disposal maneuver, is actually flying kind of, you would say, backwards, engine first, towards the moon. Host: Oh. Paul Bookout: So, the secondary payloads will be ejected out the other direction. So. Host: Okay. So, so. Paul Bookout: So, when they're deployed, the ICPS won't run back into them. Host: That's right. Paul Bookout: Okay. So, they'll be deployed in the other direction. Host: But, now, Orion is going in, it's doing its own thing. Paul Bookout: Correct. Host: Because it did its job. It delivered Orion. That's the primary payload. Now, it's off. But, the secondary payloads are still part of this upper stage. They haven't gone with Orion. They're totally separate. Paul Bookout: Correct. They have their own. Host: So, it's like, they're kind of doing, they're going. Paul Bookout: Yeah. Host: Different ways. Interesting. Paul Bookout: Yeah, they have their own mission profiles going in all different directions. Host: Okay. Okay. I don't know why that wasn't clear to me before but thank you. All right. So, I guess kind of backing up from there, you're talking about the solid rocket boosters are disposed. The core stage is disposed. Where are all these pieces going? Paul Bookout: Okay. Depending on their mission profile, all the secondary payloads are going to end of missions at different places. Some of them will be actually crashing into the moon, and that's common where the other countries and their lunar missions depositing on the moon. Some will, one or two will burn up in Earth's atmosphere as it comes back. Some of the other ones that are going out into deep space, of course, just keep going. The CuSP, which is going to solar. I'm sorry. CuSP, which is going to the sun's vicinity will just stay out there and eventually be pulled into the sun. Host: Okay. Host: So, that's all the secondary payloads. Paul Bookout: Correct. And, for each mission, each payload that's launched on U.S. rockets, they all have to have an end of mission plan. What are they going to do to end their mission, not just to be left out there as space junk. Because that's, we're having, sorry. We're starting to have a lot of problems with, as you know, there's a lot of space junk around Earth. Host: Oh, yeah. Paul Bookout: And, you don't want that same situation around other planets, too. Host: That's fair. That's fair. And, that's why, that's part of the, I mean, this is going back, but Cassini, right? That was the whole. It did its thing, and instead of just letting it be. It had a controlled entry into Saturn so that it didn't contaminate any other. Paul Bookout: Exactly. Yes. Host: Any other bodies. Yes, yes, of course. Paul Bookout: And, it doesn't matter what size you are. Host: Yeah. Paul Bookout: Even these small CubeSats have to have an end of mission. Host: Have to have an end of mission. Paul Bookout: Yes. Host: Awesome. But, I did want to go back to some of the earlier parts of the mission, right after launch. You know, you're talking about solid rocket boosters separating being. David Smith: Those go into the ocean. Host: Ocean? Okay. David Smith: Still, but they're not recovered this time. Host: Oh, okay. David Smith: You know, for shuttle, they were recovered. This time, it's too difficult. They're too large. So, they're just going to sink. Host: Okay. [00:48:19] David Smith: The external tank is, it can't go into orbit, so it's kind of lofted in such a way that it'll break up over the Indian Ocean safely. Host: Ah. David Smith: So, it's a very large tank. You know, this is much larger than the external tank of shuttle, so it's very important that it break up safely. So, that's, that's why you need the upper stage to actually bring the payload up into a circular orbit around the Earth. Otherwise, the payload would go down with the core module as well. Host: Okay. Okay. And, what about the, I guess, the upper stage. You said it's going to be doing this deployment, but then, after it deploys [inaudible]. David Smith: It's heliocentric. It goes into a sun, heliocentric disposal. Host: Sun heliocentric disposal. David Smith: So, it kind of goes away, and we should, hopefully, not see it again. Host: Okay. All right. That's a very nice summary of EM-1, and I feel like there's so much more to talk about. I kind of wanted to get into, you know, where are we now with SLS, all the history of it. So, I think we should take a break and just sort of let this one be Episode 41. We'll come back, and we'll do Episode 42 and just sort of get into the process behind building the SLS and then the journeys of where it's going to go and beyond. So, guys, thank you so much for coming on. We'll take a break. I'll see you in a few minutes. And, for everyone else, I guess we'll see you for the next episode. David Smith: All right. David Smith: Great, thank you. Look forward to it. Paul Bookout: Thank you. [ Music ] Houston, go ahead. [ Inaudible Comment ] [inaudible] for all mankind. Not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Welcome to space [echo]. Host: Hey, thanks for sticking around. So, the best places to follow development and delivery of the rocket as we test the major components and deliver it piece by piece to the Kennedy Space Center are on the social media channels on the web for the Space Launch System. So, first the website. You can go to www.nasa.gov/ guess what? SLS. That's where you can get the latest, the greatest on the Space Launch System. On Twitter, it's @nasa underscore SLS. On Facebook, it's NASASLS, that's one word. Or, this is one of the things that actually David Smith wrote. You can actually search SLS Mission Planner's Guide. And, it's a document that you can find on the web. You can download it, and it actually has a lot of great information on just the whole scope of the Space Launch System. We're really looking forward to the first launch of SLS and Orion from the Kennedy in a couple years. Sounds like we're well on our way to the pad, and we'll be launching astronauts back to the moon in just a few short years. If you have questions on SLS and its development, use the hashtag asknasa on your favorite platform. Just go to the Johnson accounts. Those are the ones we look at. The NASA Johnson Space Center accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can send an idea or a question, and we'll make sure to mention it's for, or just make sure to mention it's for Houston, We Have a Podcast, and we'll bring it up in a later episode. Or, maybe address it in an entire episode. The whole episode will be dedicated to the question. Who knows? So, this podcast was recorded on March 20, 2018. Thanks to Alex Perryman, Rachel Craft, Laura Reshawn [assumed spelling], Kelly Humphries, Pat Ryan, Tyler Martin, Bev Perry, and all the folks at the Marshall Spaceflight Center for coming on to help to put this together. Thanks again to Dr. Paul Bookout and Mr. David Smith for coming on the show. We'll be back next week with part two.