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Research Highlights: The papers included in this special issue examine interspecific responses to habitat fragmentation by primate populationsWe identify intra and interspecific variables that can help predict primate population viability and potential persistence in fragmented landscapes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dispersal is crucial for both individual fitness and spatiotemporal population dynamics. In sexual organisms, females and males have different reproductive strategies and therefore have different reproductive demands (i.e., reproductive resources and mating partners, respectively), which leads to differences in dispersal decision making between sexes. Although many studies have described sexual differences in dispersal behavior, little is known about the consequences for spatiotemporal population dynamics because metapopulation theory has considered only either nonrandom dispersal in asexual systems or random dispersal in sexual systems. To fill the knowledge gap, we propose a modeling framework that incorporates nonrandom and sex‐specific dispersal into metapopulation theory. It allows us to ask how female‐biased (e.g., in mammals) or male‐biased (e.g., in birds) dispersal can influence persistence of sexual organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National censuses are expensive. They are conducted infrequently. They collect information that some feel infringes their human rights, and people are required by law to complete them. The outputs are not perfect, and in some situations may be misleading. Some suggest that censuses hark back to a period when regularly collected administrative data were not available. These are some of the views held about national censuses. Why, then, would others argue that they are an essential resource? In this paper, we consider some of the pros and cons of conducting national censuses, before introducing a series of papers that draw on early data available from the 2001 UK census. We argue that these papers, and the wealth of research that will be conducted in the future with 2001 census data, make a strong case for supporting the compulsory collection of personal information about the ‘entire’ population every ten years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report describes the results of automatic processing of a large number of scientific papers according to a rigorously defined criterion of coupling. The population of papers under study was ordered into groups that satisfy the stated criterion of interrelation. An examination of the papers that constitute the groups shows a high degree of logical correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speculation over a global rise in jellyfish populations has become widespread in the scientific literature, but until recently the purported 'global increase' had not been tested. Here we present a citation analysis of peer-reviewed literature to track the evolution of the current perception of increases in jellyfish and identify key papers involved in its establishment. Trend statements and citation threads were reviewed and arranged in a citation network. Trend statements were assessed according their degree of affirmation and spatial scale, and the appropriateness of the citations used to support statements was assessed. Analyses showed that 48.9% of publications misinterpreted the conclusions of cited sources, with a bias towards claiming jellyfish populations are increasing, with a single review having the most influence on the network. Collectively, these disparities resulted in a network based on unsubstantiated statements and citation threads. As a community, we must ensure our statements about scientific findings in general are accurately substantiated and carefully communicated such that incorrect perceptions, as in the case of jellyfish blooms, do not develop in the absence of rigorous testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse experiments have been pivotal to predicting the likely response of tree species to future climate. However, there are some common inadequacies in the inferences derived from many of the studies. Moisture and temperature effects are tightly coupled but in controlled experiments, only a few studies acknowledged the interacting nature of these factors. Furthermore, there is evidence that population-level plasticity is relevant to plant survival in novel environments. We posit that an inference derived from response to a single climatic factor is likely incomplete and hypothesised that adaptive properties inherent in population-level plasticity mediate plant growth in novel environments. We tested this hypothesis using a greenhouse experiment involving four populations of white birch ( Betula papyrifera Marsh) grown under two temperatures and two moisture regimes. We examined variations in their photosynthetic rates ( A), water-use efficiency (WUE), water potential ( ψ) and stomatal conductance ( g). We also investigated variations in their height growths, height relative growth rates ( RGR), and biomass accumulations. Interaction of temperature and moisture was consistently significant for most of the traits. Contrary to expectation, population from cold climate had the highest growth in the high temperature treatments while a coastal population had the highest WUE in low water treatments and also showed greatest decline in growth responses. Some of the results also suggest that there is an overriding effect of phenotypic plasticity over local adaption in white birch. Collectively, the results underscore the growing awareness that populations would likely respond differently in the event of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A periodontal study was conducted in a paper mill in Finland. To adapt the Periodontal Treatment Need System (PTNS) to a Finnish adult population the estimates of Finnish periodontologists were used. The mean estimate of periodontal treatment need was 97 ± 58 (s.d.) min per person and 32 ± 18 min per jaw segment. Periodontal treatment need increased with age. No significant differences in periodontal treatment need by sex, education, type of employment, regularity of working hours or frequency of dental visits were observed. Adjusted family income and toothbrushing frequency did not produce significant differences in periodontal treatment need, except in the group having four dentulous jaw segments. The groups using sugar, other sweetening agents or neither of these, mainly in coffee or tea, differed significantly: the non-users of sugar had lowest treatment time and those who used other sweetening agents than sugar had highest treatment time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent interest in the spatial structure and dynamics of populations motivated numerous theoretical and empirical studies of spatial synchrony, the tendency of populations to fluctuate in unison over regional areas. The first comprehensive framework applied to spatial synchrony was probably the one elaborated by P. A. P. Moran back in 1953. He suggested that if two populations have the same linear density-dependent structure, the correlation between them will be equal to that between the local density-independent conditions. Surprisingly, the consequences of violating the assumption that the dynamics of the populations are identical has received little attention. In this paper, making the assumption that population dynamics can be described by linear and stationary autoregressive processes, I show that the observed spatial synchrony between two populations can be decomposed into two multiplicative components: the demographic component depending on the values of the autoregressive coefficients, and the correlation of the environmental noise. The Moran theorem corresponds to the special case where the demographic component equals unity. Using published data, I show that the spatial variability in population dynamics may substantially contribute to the spatial variability of population synchrony, and thus should not be neglected in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Population Geography Research Group (PGRG) of the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers (RGS‐IBG) by drawing on journal papers within Area, The Geographical Journal and Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers presented in the virtual issue by the same name (https://rgs‐ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)9999‐0017.50yrs‐pop‐geography). It presents an introduction to the core research threads within Population Geography over the past half‐century. The celebratory issue and the editorial guide readers through diverse and prolific contributions to Population Geography scholarship within the RGS‐IBG journals across three core themes: the spatio‐demographic characteristics of populations, the mobility that connects these, and emergent characteristics of places. This introduction is only a flavour of a vast and growing body of Population Geography research. Notwithstanding, it indicates how the sub‐discipline has and will continue to shape debates on the study of population change to consider its complex nature, drivers, and consequences. Despite differences in methods and approaches, the sub‐discipline unites to explore populations in space in an applied manner. This issue also highlights fundamental challenges going forward. Calls to decolonise the academy have resulted in questions of the structures through which we work – for Population Geography this means thinking about the diversity of voices, theories, and approaches. The papers in this virtual issue thus provide a grounding backdrop of knowledge as we look forward to many more years of lively debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises yearly because human activities emit more of it than the earth's natural processes can absorb. The overall carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise due to development demands. In a panel setting, this paper investigates the link dynamics between gross national spending, energy consumption, information and communications technology, and CO2 emissions in advanced nations from 2000 to 2020. We employ quantitative sequential approaches, such as DOLS, unit root test, and cointegration techniques, to ensure the coherence and feasibility of the study. Both versions of the estimators show statistically significant effects of gross national expenditure, energy consumption, and Information & Communications Technology on CO2 emissions. The findings of this paper show that there is a long‐run relationship between independent and dependent variables. The study also shows that rising exports of ICT services, energy consumption, and population need environmental protection and highlight the necessity for environmental regulations that can minimize emissions throughout the country's expansion. Even in advanced nations, climate vulnerability is not automatically reduced by development status but is instead reduced by the right sort of growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is argued that the civil war which erupted in Nepal in the mid 1990s had its seeds sown five decades ago when the country embarked on the economic development plan which placed a heavy emphasis on an urban-based import-substitution strategy. This strategy failed to benefit 86 per cent of the population who live in rural areas and rely on agriculture. This, together with poor governance, significantly increased unemployment, poverty and rural–urban inequality by the mid 1990s, leading to the eruption of civil war. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the long‐term effects of population and GDP changes requires a multisectoral and regional understanding of the coupled human‐Earth system, as the long‐term evolution of this coupled system is influenced by human decisions and the Earth system. This study investigates the impact of compounding economic and population growth uncertainties on long‐term multisectoral outcomes. We use the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM) to explore the influence of compounding and feedback between future GDP and population growth on four key sectors: final energy consumption, water withdrawal, staple food prices, and CO2 emissions. The results show that uncertainties in GDP and population compound, resulting in a magnification of tail risks for outcomes across sectors and regions. Compounding uncertainties significantly impact metrics such as CO2 emissions and final energy consumption, particularly at the upper tail at both global and regional levels. However, the impact of staple food prices and water withdrawal depends on regional factors. Additionally, an alternative low‐carbon transition scenario could compound uncertainties and increase tail risk, particularly in staple food prices, highlighting the influence of emergent constraints on land availability and food‐energy competition for land use. The findings underscore the importance of considering and adequately accounting for compounding uncertainties in key drivers of multisectoral systems to enhance our comprehensive understanding of the complex nature of multisectoral systems. The paper provides valuable insights into the potential implications of compounding uncertainties. Plain Language Summary: Understanding how future population and economic growth changes could impact our energy, water, food, and environment requires looking across multiple sectors and regions. This is because these systems are all connected. For example, increasing population drives higher food demand but requires more energy and water to grow food. At the same time, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy through increased biofuel consumption can compete with food production for land resources. This study explored how uncertainties in future population and GDP growth could compound and interact to affect future energy use, water withdrawal, staple food prices, and carbon dioxide emissions. Using a model that connects all these systems, the study found that combined uncertainties in population and GDP lead to more significant risks of extreme outcomes than individually looking at those uncertainties. There are substantial regional differences in future outcomes, like higher uncertainty in food prices for India and West Africa compared to other regions. We highlight the need to consider multisector and multisystem interactions between uncertainties across different regions. Accounting for these compounding uncertainties provides valuable insights into potential risks, like higher extreme projections for food prices or water use. These insights are essential for long‐term planning in our connected human‐Earth system. Key Points: Long‐term implications of population and GDP changes on the coupled human‐Earth system focusing on multisectoral and regional understandingUncertainties in GDP and population growth can compound, resulting in more extreme outcomes for multisectoral systemsCompounding uncertainties differ by region and metrics; staple food prices and water withdrawal show significant regional variability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Population‐level alcohol use data are available from high‐income countries, but limited research has been conducted in sub‐Saharan Africa. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to summarize population‐level alcohol use in sub‐Saharan Africa. Method: Databases searched included PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and AJOL, without language restrictions. Searches were also conducted in the Global Health Data Exchange (GHDx) and Google Scholar. Search terms encompassed 'substance' or 'substance‐related disorders' and 'prevalence' and 'sub‐Saharan Africa'. We included general population studies on alcohol use (including any use, high‐risk alcohol use and alcohol use disorders) from 2018 onwards. Prevalence data for alcohol use among sub‐Saharan African adolescents (10–17) and adults (18+) were extracted. Analyses included life‐time and past 12‐ and 6‐month alcohol use. Results: We included 141 papers. Among adolescents, the life‐time prevalence of alcohol use was 23.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 11.3–37.1%], 36.2% (CI = 18.4–56.1%) in the past year and 11.3% (CI = 4.5–20.4%) in the past 6 months. Among adolescents, 12‐month prevalence of alcohol use disorder and alcohol dependence were 7.7% (CI = 0.0–27.8%) and 4.1% (CI = 1.4–7.9%), respectively. Among adults, the life‐time prevalence of alcohol use was 34.9% (CI = 17.7–54.1%), 27.1% (CI = 5.0–56.4%) in the past year and 32.2% (CI = 19.8–46.0%) in the past 6 months. Among adults, the 12‐month prevalence of alcohol use disorder and alcohol dependence were 9.5% (CI = 0.0–30.4%) and 4.3% (CI = 0.8–9.8%), respectively. The highest weighted life‐time prevalence of alcohol use, 86.4%, was reported in Tanzania among adults. The highest weighted past 6‐month prevalence of alcohol use, 80.6%, was found in Zambia among adolescents. Conclusion: Alcohol use patterns vary across countries and subregions within sub‐Saharan Africa, and comprehensive population‐level data on alcohol use remain scarce in numerous sub‐Saharan African countries. The prevalence of alcohol use disorder is common among adolescents in sub‐Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Randomization bias occurs when the random assignment used to estimate program effects influences the types of individuals that participate in a program. This paper focuses on a form of randomization bias called 'applicant inclusion bias,' which can occur in evaluations of discretionary programs that normally choose which of the eligible applicants to serve. If this nonrandom selection process is replaced by a process that randomly assigns eligible applicants to receive the intervention or not, the types of individuals served by the program-and thus its average impact on program participants-could be affected. To estimate the impact of discretionary programs for the individuals that they normally serve, we propose an experimental design called Preferred Applicant Random Assignment (PARA). Prior to random assignment, program staff would identify their 'preferred applicants,' those that they would have chosen to serve. All eligible applicants are randomly assigned, but the probability of assignment to the program is set higher for preferred applicants than for the remaining applicants. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of the method, the cost in terms of increased sample size requirements, and the benefit in terms of improved generalizability to the population normally served by the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: This paper develops a new approach, termed as the stock approach, to calculate the steady‐state output loss caused by public debt in neoclassical growth models. The novelty of our stock approach is that it provides a closed‐form solution to the steady‐state output‐debt relationship. The main conclusion of the paper is that the steady‐state burden of public debt is country‐specific in neoclassical growth models and it decreases with the private saving rate and increases with the population growth rate, with the exception of the special case where Ricardian equivalence holds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Bulk segregation analysis (BSA) utilizes a strategy of pooling individuals with extreme phenotypes to conduct economical and rapidly linked marker screening or quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. With the development of next‐generation sequencing (NGS) technology in the past 10 years, BSA methods and technical systems have been gradually developed and improved. At the same time, the ever‐decreasing costs of sequencing accelerate NGS‐based BSA application in different species, including eukaryotic yeast, grain crops, economic crops, horticultural crops, trees, aquatic animals, and insects. This paper provides a landscape of BSA methods and reviews the BSA development process in the past decade, including the sequencing method for BSA, different populations, different mapping algorithms, associated region threshold determination, and factors affecting BSA mapping. Finally, we summarize related strategies in QTL fine mapping combining BSA. Significance Statement: This paper provides a landscape of BSA methods in the next‐generation sequencing (NGS) era and a guideline to select a proper method for bulk segregation analysis mapping design. In addition, quantitative trait locus fine mapping strategies are summarized for researchers in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing assessment of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in postapproval studies is important for mapping disease progression and evaluating real‐world treatment effectiveness and safety. However, interpreting outcomes in the real world is challenging owing to variation in data collected across centers and specialties and greater heterogeneity of patients compared with trial participants. Here, we share considerations for observational postapproval studies designed to collect harmonized longitudinal data from individuals with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia stage of disease who receive therapies targeting the underlying pathological processes of AD in routine practice. This paper considers key study design parameters, including proposed aims and objectives, study populations, approaches to data collection, and measures of cognition, functional abilities, neuropsychiatric status, quality of life, health economics, safety, and drug utilization. Postapproval studies that capture these considerations will be important to provide standardized data on AD treatment effectiveness and safety in real‐world settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This special issue of The American Journal on Addictions is an extension of a workshop held at the Research Society on Alcoholism (2015) highlighting several important issues related to studies of the genetic bases of alcohol use disorder among racially/ethnically diverse populations. While not exhaustive in their coverage, the papers in this special issue focus on three important topics: (1) the importance of considering the social and environmental context in genetic analyses; (2) social and cultural considerations for engaging diverse communities in genetic research; and (3) methodologies related to phenotype development for use with racially/ethnically diverse populations. A brief overview of each paper included in these three sections is presented. The issue concludes with additional considerations for genetic research with racially/ethnically diverse population groups along with a commentary. (Am J Addict 2017;26:422-423). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the stage of the development of a new social welfare system in Ukraine, it is important to investigate all possible models and develop recommendations for the implementation of the most effective ones. The relevance of this paper lies in the study of the legal framework that operates in Ukraine and the possibilities of its improvement and consolidation into a more specific regulation. The purpose of the research was to study the principles of the social welfare system in Ukraine and to study foreign practices of the social welfare system. Within the framework of this study, the existing systems and models of social welfare systems in different countries were analyzed. The study identifies the most positive examples of social welfare policy for implementation in the current legal framework to improve and enhance the quality of social services in Ukraine. The analyzed foreign practices helped to identify the most effective models of social security. It was concluded that with the successful redistribution of funds, the introduction of a system of audit and control of social assistance financing, as well as being guided by foreign experience, Ukraine will be able to build a social welfare system that would satisfy all of the existing social needs of citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing problems, such as affordability, poor quality of condition, or damp, are key determinants of health and wellbeing. Importantly, though, a growing body of research has shown that unhealthy housing is the combined result of multiple housing problems acting together. Although the spatial distribution of discrete housing problems is well established, little is known of Australia's geography of unhealthy housing. We have previously defined and validated an Australian Index of Housing Insults, which captures the multiple ways in which housing adversely influences individual health—including, but not limited to, people's tenure security, affordability, quality, and neighbourhood characteristics. Using the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) dataset, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of Australian households, this paper describes Australia's geography of unhealthy housing. The analysis examines the prevalence, characteristics, and distribution of the population who are vulnerable to unhealthy housing. Our findings reveal both a worsening landscape of households at risk because of their accommodation and a changing pattern of unhealthy housing in Australia over time. The paper considers how these findings may impact future policy settings and the potential to improve the health of Australia's population through targeted housing interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: For any estimate of response, confidence intervals are important as they help quantify a plausible range of values for the population response. However, there may be instances in clinical research when the population size is finite, but we wish to take a sample from the population and make inference from this sample. Instances where you can have a fixed population size include when undertaking a clinical audit of patient records or in a clinical trial a researcher could be checking for transcription errors against patient notes. In this paper, we describe how confidence interval calculations can be calculated for a finite population. These confidence intervals are narrower than confidence intervals from population samples. For the extreme case of when a 100% sample from the population is taken, there is no error and the calculation is the population response. The methods in the paper are described using a case study from clinical data management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anti‐natalist philosopher David Benatar defends a position asserting that all life is harmful, and that it is, therefore, wrong to have children. In this paper, I critique Benatar's less‐discussed claim that his anti‐natalism provides solutions to population ethics problems, such as the Non‐Identity Problem, the Repugnant Conclusion, and the Mere Addition Problem, all of which are presented in Derek Parfit's Reasons and Persons. Since the publication of his Better Never to Have Been, Benatar has continued to claim that its provision of such solutions strengthens his defense of anti‐natalism. Although Benatar's view has received much criticism, this argument has not been discussed at length. I undertake a thorough examination of the argument and identify reasons to reject it. The central point of my critique is that the implications of Benatar's views in determining ranges of wrong and not‐wrong cases of procreation are extensionally inadequate when applied to the problems of population ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many countries, Scotland has its population challenges, including a low birth rate and an ageing population. Some countries have sought to offset these challenges by the promotion of 'replacement immigration' or by economic policies to attract migrants. But, as part of the United Kingdom, Scotland lacks many of the policy levers available to promote wide‐ranging socioeconomic development and has no powers over immigration, as this is reserved to the U.K. Government. In this paper, we explore the potential for attracting members of the Scottish diaspora as a means of boosting population growth, using data from a series of surveys we have undertaken during the last decade. Although Scotland's quality of life may be attractive to returners, employment opportunities are crucial. However, the coronavirus pandemic has shown the potential for widening home‐based working and this demonstrates additional possibilities for returners to live in Scotland while working elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although modern agriculture has increased food production faster than population growth in recent decades, there are concerns that existing models of ‘industrial agriculture’ are unsustainable due to long-run trends towards increased fossil energy costs. This has led to suggestions that food production in future will need to be based on smaller-scale and more labour-intensive farming systems. This paper examines political economy arguments that large-scale capital-intensive agriculture has proved more productive. It counterposes these to ecological economics approaches that emphasize the low energy efficiency of capital-intensive mechanized agriculture. The paper argues that discussion of a ‘post-industrial’ agriculture remain polarized between visions of a more energy-efficient mechanized agriculture on the one hand, and labour-intensive farming by ‘new peasantries’, on the other. The paper identifies questions that are neglected by this debate, in particular those concerning the productivity of labour in food production and its implications for food prices and the livelihood basis of farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Shrinking cities have undergone rapid demographic changes since World War II, especially as many of these urban centres deindustrialized during the 1970s and onwards. However, not all shrinking cities have experienced the same type of demographic changes. In fact, the shrinking designation may even be considered misleading in some places because not all population segments decrease during periods of overall total population decline. In order to gain a better grasp of these changes and trends over the past two decades, this paper use Franklin's ( ) demographic shift‐share analysis to explore and compare changes in a series of racial and ethnic population characteristics across a selection of five shrinking cities (Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis) and five growing cities (Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle) in the United States during the two intercensal periods of 1990 to 2000 and 2000 to 2010. The list of case studies is hardly exhaustive or necessarily representative but was rather chosen as a set of fairly high‐profile cities in the United States that would be useful in making comparisons with respect to their recent decline or growth. Results show that each of the shrinking cities and growing cities had exceptions among the population segments considered in this paper. For example, shrinking cities generally experienced growth in terms of their Mexican, Puerto Rican, Asian, and foreign‐born populations even as their White and Black populations rapidly declined between 1990 and 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The challenge of maintaining biodiversity by managing overabundant native fauna is often a contentious issue. This study demonstrates a means of improving animal welfare in the culling of overabundant kangaroos. We studied five populations of Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) in the Australian Capital Territory and established the percentage of juveniles throughout the year. We focused on juveniles aged 8–12 months old, as these are identified at greatest risk of poor welfare outcomes if orphaned. Our findings support the timing of culls when the fewest vulnerable juveniles are present in the population. This paper provides a scientific basis for land managers to adjust the timing of kangaroo management activities to best balance animal welfare, land management and conservation objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic has caught many nations by surprise and has already caused millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. It has also exposed a deep crisis in modeling and exposed a lack of systems thinking by focusing mainly on only the short term and thinking of this event as only a health crisis. In this paper, authors from several of the key countries involved in COVID‐19 propose a holistic systems model that views the problem from a perspective of human society including the natural environment, human population, health system, and economic system. We model the crisis theoretically as a feedback control problem with delay, and partial controllability and observability. Using a quantitative model of the human population allows us to test different assumptions such as detection threshold, delay to take action, fraction of the population infected, effectiveness and length of confinement strategies, and impact of earlier lifting of social distancing restrictions. Each conceptual scenario is subject to 1000+ Monte‐Carlo simulations and yields both expected and surprising results. For example, we demonstrate through computational experiments that maintaining strict confinement policies for longer than 60 days may indeed be able to suppress lethality below 1% and yield the best health outcomes, but cause economic damages due to lost work that could turn out to be counterproductive in the long term. We conclude by proposing a hierarchical Computerized, Command, Control, and Communications (C4) information system and enterprise architecture for COVID‐19 with real‐time measurements and control actions taken at each level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cesarean birth (CB) rates have increased over recent years with concerns over differences between these rates in migrant communities compared with the rates among women in their receiving country. This review aimed at summarizing the available literature regarding the incidence of CB among migrants in Europe. Methods: A systematic search of four electronic databases was carried out, including CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Maternity and Infant Care. Identified studies were screened and their quality assessed. Meta‐analysis was undertaken using Rev Man 5.4 where sufficient data were available. Otherwise, data were synthesized narratively. Results: From the 435 records identified in searches, 21 papers were included. Analysis shows that overall CB rates were significantly lower for Syrian refugee women compared with women in their receiving country (Turkey) and higher for Iranian migrants than women in their host country. Emergency CB rates were significantly higher for migrant women from "Sub Saharan Africa" and the "South East Asia, Asia and Pacific" region than rates in the receiving country. Statistical significance was not found between other populations. Conclusions: This review highlights differences between CB rates in certain migrant groups in comparison with women native to their host country, which merits further investigation for potential explanations. We also identified a need to standardize definitions and population groupings to enable more meaningful analysis. This review also highlights a substantial lack of data on CB rates between different population groups that could negatively impact the provision of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Lip prints are unique and have potential for use as a human identifier. The purpose of this study was to observe possible cheiloscopy differences of individuals with and without parafunctional oral habits such as smoking, vaping, playing a wind instrument or using an asthma inhaler. Methods: This IRB approved blinded cross‐sectional observation pilot study collected lip prints from 66 individuals, three of which were excluded. Participants cleansed their lips, then lipstick was applied to the vermillion zones of the upper and lower lips. Adhesive tape was applied to the lips and prints were transferred to white bond paper for viewing purposes. Each set of included lip prints was divided into quadrants and dichotomized into a group of those with an oral parafunctional habit or with no such habits. Each quadrant sample was then manually analysed and classed according to the gold standard Suzuki and Tsuchihashi system. Results: A total of 252 dichotomized lip print quadrants (with habits n = 76, 30.2%, and without habits n = 176, 69.8%) were analysed. Type II patterns were the most common for examined quadrant samples; however, no statistically significant differences (Pearson's chi‐squared test, p = 0.366) were observed between pattern classifications of samples with and without parafunctional oral habits. Conclusions: There is no statistically significant difference of lip print patterns between individuals with and without parafunctional oral habits. Further research on populational variations is needed for cheiloscopy to aid in human identifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessments of treatments for 'subjective symptoms' are problematic and potentially contentious. These are symptoms without ascertainable pathophysiology, also referred to as 'medically unexplained.' Treatments of them may be assessed from different perspectives, and an assessment as seen from one perspective may be discrepant with an assessment as seen from another perspective. The observational study described in the paper represents one perspective. Patients in the study were treated with acupuncture for the subjective symptom of low back pain in a Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic in China; acupuncture is a form of TCM, which is indigenous to China. Shortly after treatment began and six months afterward, patients reported 'clinically important improvements' on a variety of standard, cross‐culturally validated outcome measures, including pain intensity, physical functioning, and emotional functioning; this assessment is consistent with numerous assessments of acupuncture in China and other Southeastern Asian countries. On the other hand, clinical trials represent another perspective from which to assess acupuncture. Although assessments based on trials are not uniform, several assessments based on them, including those published in journals such as Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine, conclude that acupuncture is not effective. These trials, however, were mainly situated in the U.S., western European countries, and other WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) countries. This is notable, because the population of China, the indigenous context of acupuncture, is greater than populations of WEIRD countries combined. Patients' expectations of a treatment such as acupuncture and their prior familiarity with it vary among contexts, and patients' experiences of treatment outcomes may vary accordingly. In short, although clinical trials constitute a test of truth in biomedicine and inform authoritative assessments in WEIRD countries, they do not necessarily represent the truth from the perspective of those experiencing outcomes of especially indigenous treatments for subjective symptoms in non‐WEIRD contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contributes to the understanding of socio-spatial trends and urban systems in Europe, with a specific focus on smaller settlements. First, a morphological delimitation of urban settlements as geographical base is used to identify the different settlement structures that characterise regions across Europe. Secondly, an analysis of population and GDP performances of NUTS 3 regions for the 29 countries of the European space (growth rates in 2001-2011) provides evidence of the variety of territorial phenomena that characterise smaller-settlement regions across Europe. Finally, the paper highlights the diversity and complexity of urbanisation structures in Europe and how general trends observed at larger scale are articulated locally according to prevailing structures of urbanisation. It shows the character of 'embeddedness' of smaller settlements within urban systems and territorial structures and how the socio-economic performances of smaller-settlement regions are defined by a combination of macro trends, national contextualisation, local dynamics and regional path dependency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique contribution of this paper is to empirically compare and contrast demographic change in settlements with a population between 5,000 and under 50,000 (defined as towns) across different national urban systems in Europe with common definitions for the first time. The analysis uses a new data set based on harmonised small area data and harmonised morphological definitions of what a town is. The paper hypothesises first that a general model of demographic growth can be applied across national urban systems and secondly that regional demographic change is a significant predictor of demographic change in towns nested within those regions within this generalised model. A fixed effect multi-level regression analysis tests the importance of town-level and regional factors among towns from five national systems but also within two individual national urban systems. The findings suggest that national context still matters and within some national systems, regional context also strongly predicts demographic change in towns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obtaining 'informed consent' from every individual participant involved in health research is a mandatory ethical practice. Informed consent is a process whereby potential participants are genuinely informed about their role, risk and rights before they are enrolled in the study. Thus, ethics committees in most countries require 'informed consent form' as part of an ethics application which is reviewed before granting research ethics approval. Despite a significant increase in health research activity in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) in recent years, only limited work has been done to address ethical concerns. Most ethics committees in LMICs lack the authority and/or the capacity to monitor research in the field. This is important since not all research, particularly in LMICs region, complies with ethical principles, sometimes this is inadvertently or due to a lack of awareness of their importance in assuring proper research governance. With several examples from Nepal, this paper reflects on the steps required to obtain informed consents and highlights some of the major challenges and barriers to seeking informed consent from research participants. At the end of this paper, we also offer some recommendations around how can we can promote and implement optimal informed consent taking process. We believe that paper is useful for researchers and members of ethical review boards in highlighting key issues around informed consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is prompted by the widespread acceptance that the rates of inter-county and inter-state migration have been falling in the USA and sets itself the task of examining whether this decline in migration intensities is also the case in the UK. It uses annual inter-area migration matrices available for England and Wales since the 1970s by broad age group. The main methodological challenge, arising from changes in the geography of health areas for which the inter-area flows are given, is addressed by adopting the lowest common denominator of 80 areas. Care is also taken to allow for the effect of economic cycles in producing short-term fluctuations on migration rates and to isolate the effect of a sharp rise in rates for 16-24 years old in the 1990s, which is presumed to be related to the expansion of higher education. The findings suggest that unlike for the USA, there has not been a substantial decline in the intensity of internal migration between the first two decades of the study period and the second two. If there has been any major decline in the intensity of address changing in England and Wales, it can only be for the within-area moves that this time series does not cover. This latter possibility is examined in a companion paper using a very different data set. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial dimension in the definition of internal migration usually refers to the distance someone has to move to be regarded as a migrant. Lack of precise data on migration distances, however, has obliged migration researchers to use aggregate distance measures whose accuracy is largely unknown, raising potentially serious validity concerns for research. The aim of this paper is to examine the accuracy of standard aggregate measures of migration distance and to seek practical means for improving their validity. Employing uniquely detailed data where individual migration distances for an entire country's population have been measured with considerable accuracy, the paper compares variants of aggregate distance measures with the actual distance travelled by individual migrants. For the first time, the results shed empirical light on some of the weaknesses of aggregate migration distance measures and, more importantly, also point to their usefulness. The findings show that there is a significant potential to improve the accuracy of migration distance measures; practical suggestions for overcoming the difficulties of using aggregate distance measures are provided. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within migration studies, the division or 'gap' between internal and international migration research has grown over the past few decades despite growing calls to bring these literatures back into conversation. While distinctions between internal and international migration remain relevant in a world in which states retain the power to shape human movements across scales, this division within migration studies is problematic in light of the increasing complexity of human mobility. Scholars seeking to close the 'gap' highlight the common structural drivers of international and internal migration, and note an increasingly myopic focus on international migration overlooking the important economic and social contributions of internal migrants. While in basic alignment with these arguments, the contributions to this special issue focus instead on critically interrogating the relationship between internal and international migration research with the aim of provoking new insights across disciplinary and categorical boundaries. Each of the papers examines migration phenomena occupying the intellectual and empirical space between normative definitions of 'internal' and 'international' migration in order to relink them methodologically and empirically in contemporary migration research. The contributions included here draw on these migration phenomena that do not fit neatly into normative definitions of 'internal' and 'international' migration with the aim of not only narrowing or closing the 'gap', but of retheorising the relationship between them. The collective focus of this special issue, therefore, is to challenge ontological assumptions of 'migration' as a definable object of study and to theorise migration as a co-constituted and relational process. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper examines the shift to enclosed forms of residence and modular living in the context of emerging urbanism during the Early Horizon in the Nepeña Valley, north‐central coast of Peru. During the local Nepeña phase (800–450 cal BCE), complex agrarian groups living in the lower portion of the coastal drainage interrupt constructions at ceremonial centers of the Chavín and Cupinisque religious traditions and relocate on the valley margins, most notably at Caylán (800–1 cal BCE). Regional data suggest that religio‐political turmoil and increased conflicts played a significant role in the nucleation of human groups. Indeed, the following Samanco phase (450–150 cal BCE) is associated with the construction of extensive defensive structures and the relocation of human populations. Architectural data point to the existence of more than 40 gated complexes at Caylán. Based on preliminary excavation data, those are interpreted as multifunctional residences. This paper offers an empirical case study to evaluate the usefulness and flexibility of the concept of neighborhood in the context of co‐resident gated communities. By examining the layout and planning of the Caylán settlement, and the architecture and spatial variability of its multifamily compounds, we consider potential forms of household, community, and neighborhood organizations. Based on excavation data and demographic estimations we explore the heuristic value of the concept of neighborhood to understand face‐to‐face interactions between members of the different gated communities. We suggest that those communities might be comparable to the house societies of anthropological literature. Regional data, meanwhile, suggest that groups merging at Caylán maintained hinterland connections including with agrarian and maritime communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the empirical relationship between industrial diversity and economic stability across different geographical scales, including counties, states, Economic Areas, and Metropolitan Statistical Areas, in the contiguous U.S. between 2000 and 2014. It is found that this relationship varies greatly when it is analyzed across these four geographical scales. Meanwhile, several scale‐related problems, such as the modifiable areal unit problem and the small population problem, are introduced to economic diversity literature and further discussed with this variability of the diversity–stability relationship. This paper concludes that the spatial scale problem as well as the optimal unit can be study dependent. Thus, when choosing analytical units to quantify regional economic structure for a specific study, future research should pay attention to scale‐related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using unique administrative personal income tax data covering the population of a middle‐sized Chinese city from 2009 to 2013, we explore how minimum wage adjustments affect wages of low‐wage workers. The empirical evidence documented in this paper suggests a unique pattern of minimum wage regulation: while it permits wages to stay below the prevailing minimum wage threshold temporarily, it does encourage a higher growth rate for wages below the threshold. Overall, such a pattern might help lessen any downward pressures on employment, while ensuring that low‐wage earners gradually get better off over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper bridges two related, but up to now, unconnected literatures: economic growth stability and population-economic growth. The paper differs from previous population-economic growth analyses by focusing on instability of economic growth in developing countries. This study contributes to a previous paper on the developing country growth collapse by adding important demographic variables. The paper provides an explanation for 'new' negative correlations of population and economic growth: because 1960s were a relatively smooth time for economic growth, youth dependency did not seem important; however, during turbulent 1970s and 1980s, countries with falling dependency burdens weathered economic shocks better. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to analyse the relationship between government expenditure volatility and long-run growth. Using cross-country panel data from 1970 to 2000, the paper finds that countries with higher government expenditure business-cycle volatility have lower growth, even after controlling for other country-specific growth correlates such as investment, government expenditure, human capital, population growth and output volatility. This relation is robust to different measures of business cycles. Moreover, considering different subsamples, the paper finds that while government volatility significantly affects long-run growth for developing countries, it has a small effect for OECD countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper contributes to the understanding of the long‐run and short‐run drivers of income inequality in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) and its sub‐regions based on the evidence from bootstrap cointegration and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. The findings from the bootstrap cointegration test reveal a long‐run relationship exists for almost the entire SSA and its sub‐regions for the dependent variable, independent variables and the overall models. The exception being West Africa where the dependent variable was not statistically significant but the independent variables and overall model were cointegrated. The results from the ARDL show that for SSA, in the long run, economic growth decreases the uneven distribution of income whereas in the short run economic growth increases inequality. A reduction in corruption in the short run and long run makes inequality fall. Population growth in the long run and short run aggravates the distribution of income. A rise in the rate of unemployment in the short run and long run has a positive relationship with income inequality. Trade globalization in the long run heightens inequality but is not significant in the short run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses census data for England and Wales to explore the ties between processes of rural gentrification and recent internal migration. Internal migrants are defined as individuals who moved subnationally to their current address in the previous 12 months, as indicated by the replies to the 2001 and 2011 census question about usual address 1 year ago. Our analysis reveals declining rural in‐migration rates between 2001 and 2011, in parallel with other recent studies of internal migration. At the same time, uneven geographies of rural in‐migration are identified. In rural places with declining in‐migration rates, we emphasise the immobilities of settled gentrifiers that are caused by predilections to 'stay put' within prized, rural places for age‐related personal/emotional, social/support and economic reasons. This is limiting the supply pipeline of housing for latent in‐migrants and slowing flows of migration per se in saturated rural housing markets. By contrast, rural places with increasing in‐migration rates may signify new frontiers of gentrification, providing channels of entry for recent migrants that are not able to buy into exclusive high‐cost gentrified markets. Our novel argument is that despite gentrification being inherently a process of migration, when viewed in a broader temporal perspective, mature and exclusive forms of gentrification can also stifle migration and be the catalyst for immobilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, an increasing number of scholars have started to analyse the effects of migration in societies of emigration. This scholarship often depicts migration as a powerful process generating 'levelled' processes of diffusion of money, goods, ideas, and values, ultimately changing entire communities and regions of origin. The paper diverges from this view and argues for a differentialist approach in researching processes of migration and social change. I substantiate this claim by analysing patterns of migration and social change in a multi-ethnic community in Romania that consists of Hungarians, Romanians, and Roma. The research fieldwork consisted of qualitative interviews and participant observation. By using a perspective inspired by the literature on critical social capital and mechanisms of migration, I show that local social differentiation profoundly affects not only the development of migration but also the relationship between migration and social change. As I unfold in the paper, social closure based on ethnic and class/group membership had a strong effect on the ways in which Hungarians, Roma, and Romanians migrated towards Hungary, Italy, and Germany, as well as on the economic niches they occupied in countries of destination. The enrichment of some Roma and the new social position they gained reveals that migrant localities are contested social spaces where migrants' new social statuses and the ideas and values they bring back with them are weighted and negotiated against local values and systems of classification. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]