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We quantitatively investigated how susceptible university students are to engaging in activity that could lead to County Lines involvement by asking them to rate their willingness to participate in five hypothetical scenarios typical of County Lines engagement and one control scenario (bit-coin scam). About 62% of the 116 students were willing to engage compared to only 3% in the control scenario. Participant demographics, drug abuse, mental health, financial distress, and materialism were also measured and significantly predicted willingness to engage with the scenarios with weak to moderate effect. Findings suggest that university students are vulnerable to engaging in County Lines but the risk factors in the literature may not be good predictors of determining vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Ninth Perioperative Mortality Review Committee (POMRC) report found the likelihood of death was over three times higher in Māori youth compared to non‐Māori (age: 15–18 years) in the 30‐days following major trauma. The aim of our study is to investigate variations in care provided to Māori youth presenting to Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau (TWO‐CM) with major trauma, to inform policies and improve care. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study of 15–18‐year‐olds admitted to Middlemore Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021 following major trauma (Injury Severity Score (ISS) >12 or with (ISS) <12 who died). Data were obtained from the New Zealand Trauma Registry (NZTR). Six key performance indicators were studied against hospital guidelines/international consensus: Deaths, Cause‐of‐death, trauma call, RedBlanket activations, time‐to‐computed tomography (CT), and time‐to‐operating theatre (OT). Results: Of 77 patients, five deaths occurred, four non‐Māori, and one Māori (P = 0.645). Five trauma calls were not activated (P = 0.642). There was no statistically significant difference for both median time to CT (P = 0.917) and time to CT for patients with GCS >13 (P = 0.778) between Māori and non‐Māori. Five patients did not meet guidelines for time‐to‐OT (three non‐Māori and two Māori) (P = 0.377). Conclusion: No statistically significant variations in care were present for Māori youth presenting with major trauma, these findings did not match the national trend. We conducted a retrospective observational study aimed to investigate variations in care provided to Māori youth presenting to Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau (TWO‐CM) with major trauma, to inform policies and improve care. Six Key Performance Indicators were studied against hospital guidelines/international consensus: Deaths, Cause‐of‐death, trauma call, RedBlanket activations, time‐to‐computed tomography (CT), and time‐to operating theatre (OT). We found that there were no statistically significant variations in care present for Māori youth presenting with major trauma and our findings did not match national trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation research on integrated transport has mainly focused on urban agglomeration or cities. Yet the integration of various modes of transportation is increasingly being seen at smaller scales, such as counties, due to population concentration and rising affluence levels. Consequently, it is becoming necessary to evaluate the efficiency and convenience of transportation services for people at each location in the county space. This study has evaluated the efficiency and equity of integrated transport from a county perspective. With respect to efficiency indexes, in addition to transportation infrastructure investment, transportation energy consumption, transportation turnover, and other general indicators, we also take into account the accessibility of people to various types of hubs in the county. We use the BCC (Banker, Charnes, Cooper) model in DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) for efficiency evaluation. Besides, we evaluate transport equity by using the Gini coefficient to reflect the population distribution of the county and GIS-based spatial accessibility of each hub site. Finally, we establish an evaluation matrix of efficiency and equity; we employ a spatial overlay method to classify research counties into different quadrants. By comprehensively considering the relationship between efficiency and equity in integrated transport, this study can identify areas for improvement in transportation development. The case study evaluation in Ningbo counties, using data from 2017 to 2020, provides practical questions and constructive suggestions for integrated transport development in these areas. Overall, this research has important implications for local transportation development and could inform policy decisions related to integrated transport. • The research is focused on evaluating the efficiency and equity of integrated transportation. • We expand the evaluation work to include a county-level perspective. • We consider the accessibility of transportation services for residents. • We utilize an efficiency-equity matrix and a DEA model to conduct the evaluation. • This study can assist decision-makers in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the transportation system's advantages and disadvantages at the county level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development of a remote, mountainous region poses a challenge anywhere. Based on field research and documentary evidence, this article examines how such a development challenge has been addressed in Daocheng county, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province. In doing so, it investigates the different forms of economic development, how such development comes about, and the role played by government in economic development. The article also probes the broader socioeconomic consequences of economic development. The fact that Daocheng is a predominantly Tibetan county adds a nationality dimension to the issue of economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of Petrocosmea (Gesneriaceae), P. wangii M.Q.Han, J.Cai & J.D.Ya from Shiping County and P. yei M.Q.Han, C.Liu & Y.X.Gong from Mojiang and Zhenyuan Counties, Yunnan Province, China, are described and illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, estimates of excess deaths attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic have consistently surpassed reported COVID-19 death counts. Excess deaths reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes may represent unrecognized COVID-19 deaths, deaths caused by pandemic health care interruptions, and/or deaths from the pandemic’s socioeconomic impacts. The geographic and temporal distribution of these deaths may help to evaluate which explanation is most plausible. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to produce monthly estimates of excess natural-cause mortality for US counties over the first 30 mo of the pandemic. From March 2020 through August 2022, 1,194,610 excess natural-cause deaths occurred nationally [90% PI (Posterior Interval): 1,046,000 to 1,340,204]. A total of 162,886 of these excess natural-cause deaths (90% PI: 14,276 to 308,480) were not reported to COVID-19. Overall, 15.8 excess deaths were reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes for every 100 reported COVID-19 deaths. This number was greater in nonmetropolitan counties (36.0 deaths), the West (Rocky Mountain states: 31.6 deaths; Pacific states: 25.5 deaths), and the South (East South Central states: 26.0 deaths; South Atlantic states: 25.0 deaths; West South Central states: 24.2 deaths). In contrast, reported COVID-19 death counts surpassed estimates of excess natural-cause deaths in metropolitan counties in the New England and Middle Atlantic states. Increases in reported COVID-19 deaths correlated temporally with increases in excess deaths reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes in the same and/or prior month. This suggests that many excess deaths reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes during the first 30 mo of the pandemic in the United States were unrecognized COVID-19 deaths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations has estimated that 2.8 billion individuals across the world will not have access to safely managed sanitation in 2030. In the accounting of global sanitation access, local inequities often are invisible to those counting, especially given that many of these counters are physically distant and often external to communities suffering from lack of access. Lowndes County, Alabama, a predominantly-Black county in rural Alabama (USA), provides a window into the social, racial, and environmental injustices that are present in the rural American South. Our survey of household sanitation access in Lowndes County, implemented by a collaboration of an academic institution, a local environmental justice organisation, and residents, shows that community members in the county are aware of the problems associated with failing septic systems. Producing data that can make publicly visible the lack of access to sanitation will, however, remain a challenge until institutional and structural barriers are overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to investigate the molecular genotyping of Giardia duodenalis in Humans in the Yazd County, Central, Iran. Methods: Total of 35 fecal samples were collected from patients referred to Yazd Central Laboratory, Yazd, Iran from February to July 2022. All the samples were included in this study after microscopic observation of G. duodenalis. DNA samples were extracted using related kit and were analyzed by Nano Drop. The molecular assessment was carried out using semi-nested PCR using the target gene of gdh. All amplified samples were sequenced using Sanger method. BLAST analyzed the sequences for assemblage identification. Results: Out of 35 samples, 24 (68.57%) and 11 (31.43%) were male and female, respectively. All included samples were amplified using the specific gdh primer pair. The molecular analysis showed 17 isolates (48.57%) as assemblage BIV, 8 isolates (22.86%) as assemblage BIII, 6 isolates (17.14%) as assemblage AII and 4 isolates (11.43%) as assemblage AIII (P<0.05). Conclusion: Assemblages A and B are the most prevalent in Central Iran. The molecular identification of G. duodenalis isolates from animals and implementing control programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To remediate recoverable cultivated land resources in a more scientific manner, a method to evaluate arability on recoverable cultivated land using the XGBoost algorithm is proposed. This study defined independent variables in four dimensions: natural, spatial, economical, and engineering, which were further indicated by 36 specific factors including elevation, slope grade, national nature, and aggregated area. A binary classification between recoverable cultivated land and cultivated land was then defined. According to the importance, Pearson′s collinearity, and index correlation, 21 variables and their weighted P value were obtained. The weighted P value of the influencing factors was relatively stable. For the four influencing factors, natural factors had the largest weight, followed by spatial and engineering factors, while the socio-economic factors were the smallest. In addition, the accuracy of our method reached 91.87%, showing generalization ability and robustness. Based on the above model, the suitable tillage potential of recoverable arable land in Xiangyin County was predicted, and the following understandings were obtained: The cultivation potential of the central and western plains in the county was significantly better than that in the eastern mountainous areas. The suitable cultivation potential of uncultivated and recoverable plots in recoverable arable land is higher than that of engineering restored plots, these plots were good renovation plots, which can be restored as cultivated land in priority. From the perspective of specific land types, the cultivation potential of ponds was the greatest, followed by sparse forest land. The assessment of the suitability of cultivated land for restoration should be performed as a decision basis. Moreover, it is necessary to conduct remediation of recoverable cultivated land in a reasonable and orderly manner. In addition, we should carry out refined monitoring of cultivated land“non-grain”and implement differentiated compensation policies to curb cultivated land“non-grain”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy (RE) facilities provide a global public good of climate mitigation but impose local costs such as landscape disruption and harming the rural character. Because of their land-intensive nature, utility-scale RE facilities tend to be located in rural areas with plentiful and cheap land. In the U.S., about every fourth county (729 of 3,143) has enacted ordinances restricting the siting of RE facilities. Drawing on a novel dataset of county-level restrictions on wind and solar RE facilities for the period 201o-2022, we explore whether, all else equal, levels of ruralness motivate the onset of such restrictions. As the policy literature on problem visibility suggests, we find support for this hypothesis for wind energy facilities only, probably because wind turbines due to their height tend to disrupt the rural landscape and are visible from long distances. We also find that counties are more likely to adopt restrictions for both wind and solar when adjacent counties have enacted them, thereby suggesting a contagion effect in the onset of restrictions. Contrary to the prevalent view on partisanship in climate policy, liberal counties are likely to restrict wind facilities. Our paper points to important sociological and quality-of-life factors that might be impeding the clean energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological research carried out at Dâmbul Morii settlement led to the discovery of 15 dwellings. In their inventory, 30 pieces identified were made of clay. All artifacts that were not plastic representations wereincluded in this category. In this study, we want to make a presentation of these artifacts, and thecontext of the discovery, to give us a picture of their functionality. Unfortunately, this task is hampered by thelow number and fragmented state ofthe pieces. The artefacts discovered at Dambul Moriican beclassified in the category of household items (clay weights, spindle whorls, clay balls, clay tokens), as well as ornament items (beads, clay disc, en violon idol, amulets, etc.). Some of them can also be used in some ritual activities, such as amulets, or clay balls, or for other purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late-stage blinding sequalae of trachoma such as trachomatous trichiasis (TT) typically take decades to develop and often do so in the absence of ongoing ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection. This suggests that most TT risk accumulates in early life; as a result, population-level TT incidence and prevalence can remain high years after C. trachomatis transmission among children has decreased. In Embu and Kitui counties, Kenya, the prevalence of trachomatous inflammation – follicular is low in children. In this survey, we set out to determine the prevalence of TT in ten evaluation units (EUs) in these counties. We undertook ten cross-sectional prevalence surveys for TT. In each EU, people aged ≥15 years were selected by a two-stage cluster sampling method and examined for TT. Those with TT were asked questions on whether they had been offered management for it. Prevalence was adjusted to the underlying age and gender structure of the population. A total of 18,987 people aged ≥15 years were examined. Per EU, the median number of examined participants was 1,656 (range: 1,451 − 3,016) and median response rate was 86% (range: 81 − 95%). The prevalence of TT unknown to the health system in people aged ≥15 years was above the threshold for elimination (≥0.2%) in all ten EUs studied (range: 0.2–0.7%). TT was significantly more common in older than younger individuals and in women than in men. Provision of surgical services should be strengthened in Embu and Kitui counties of Kenya to achieve the World Health Organization threshold for eliminating TT as a public health problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we analysed the occurrence, nesting, and ringing data spanning 39 years for the Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba) population in Zala County. Data on Barn Owl surveys originate from 166 out of the total of 258 settlements in the county. During the examined period, nesting was recorded in 74 settlements, while an additional 28 locations have confirmed Western Barn Owl presence (pellets, owl sightings). Furthermore, surveys were conducted at least once in an additional 64 locations without any sign of the species. Based on Barn Owl presence and nesting data, preferred locations for the species can be identified at the local and landscape level. Nesting may be occasional in some places, while a few traditional nesting sites, which show nearly continuous occupation over decades, can be considered stable. The results from Zala County are in line with other research, highlighting the continued importance of church buildings for the species' nesting. Maintaining these buildings is essential for the conservation of a stable population. Given the decreasing number of accessible churches, there is a need for providing alternative nesting sites. In addition to building closures, the future doubling of the length of motorways in the county will pose another significant threat to the regional population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many quantitative approaches were employed to predict the course of disease spread. However, forecasting faces the challenge of inherently unpredictable spread dynamics, setting a limit to the accuracy of all models. Here, we analyze COVID-19 data from the USA to explain variation among jurisdictions in disease spread predictability (that is, the extent to which predictions are possible), using a combination of statistical and simulation models. We show that for half the counties and states the spread rate of COVID-19, r(t), was predictable at most 9 weeks and 8 weeks ahead, respectively, corresponding to at most 40% and 35% of an average cycle length of 23 weeks and 26 weeks. High predictability was associated with high cyclicity of r(t) and negatively associated with R0 values from the pandemic's onset. Our statistical evidence suggests the following explanation: jurisdictions with a severe initial outbreak, and where individuals and authorities took strong and sustained protective measures against COVID-19, successfully curbed subsequent waves of disease spread, but at the same time unintentionally decreased its predictability. Decreased predictability of disease spread should be viewed as a by-product of positive and sustained steps that people take to protect themselves and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Documented presently as growing wild within, and immediately adjacent to, the Naples Botanical Garden (Collier Co., Florida) are individuals of 115 families, 351 genera, 576 species, and 587 infrageneric taxa of vascular plants. Of the 587 infrageneric taxa documented presently, 414 (70.6%) are clearly native and 13 (2.2%) are endemic to Florida. Herein, seven main kinds of habitats are recognized for the study area, and individual taxa inhabit one or more of those habitats. Seventeen presently reported infrageneric taxa are listed as Endangered (nine taxa) or Threatened (eight taxa) in Florida, and seven are listed as Critically Imperiled in South Florida. Based on the present study and on previous field work undertaken at the study site, 32 species plus two varieties are newly reported for Collier County. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivated land is one of the most important resources in modern agriculture. Quality regulation and time-sequence zoning have been also of great significance for the consolidation and construction of cultivated land resources, from the comprehensive perspective of the synergy of multiple subjects in the process of cultivated land use and protection. In this study, Quzhou County, an intensive agricultural region in the North China Plain, was taken as the study area. A diagnostic model of ecological niche obstacle factors was then applied to identify the obstacles to the quality of cultivated land. Combined with the main body, the regulation model was then constructed from the synergistic perspective of the main body and the object. The construction zones of cultivated land quality were divided, according to the spatial distribution. The specific application of the regulation model was explored in the different zones, in order to determine the time sequence of the consolidation. The results showed that: 1) The quality of cultivated land was dominated by the high and medium, which together accounted for 77.42% of the total. The average grade of cultivated land quality was 2.54 between high and medium quality. However the cultivated land quality locally showed a significant positive agglomeration. 2) There were different area characteristics at the different obstacle levels for each indicator of cultivated land quality. The main obstacle factors of cultivated land quality were the soil organic matter, groundwater depth, irrigation guarantee rate, soil cation exchange capacity, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and soil profile constitution. 3) The roles of the different subjects (such as government, farmers, enterprises, universities, and village collectives) were determined in the different dimensions (such as growth condition, fertility status, production condition, water, and salt condition) from the perspectives of dominant, core, participatory, guiding, and linkage. The main obstacle factors were consolidated to improve the quality of cultivated land as the basic orientation. Then, the overall framework of the regulation model was comprehensively constructed from the aspects of control dimensions, indicators, measures, and subjects. 4) The quality of cultivated land was divided into four remediation sub-zones: priority, key, potential, and general consolidation zoning. The specific application of the regulation model was proposed in different consolidation sub-zones. Meanwhile, a time sequence was established to consolidate cultivated land quality for near-term construction in the priority zone, medium-term construction in the key zone, long-term construction in the potential zone, and long-term construction in the general zone. A regulation model can be expected to identify the time sequences of quality consolidation for the cultivated land at the county scale using the synergistic perspective of multiple subjects. The finding can provide a basic basis for constructing the quality regulation model and time sequences of cultivated land at different scales, such as the municipal and provincial levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] Evaluation indicators have functions such as goal orientation, assessment, monitoring and correction. However, the rural revitalization strategies implemented in different regions have unique features and priorities. Therefore, constructing a flexible evaluation indicator system that reflects regional characteristics is crucial for scientifically evaluating and identifying the development level and obstacles of rural revitalization in different types of regions. [Method] Based on the practical implementation of Chongqing' s rural revitalization strategy, a flexible evaluation approach was proposed. Empirical evaluation analysis was conducted using methods such as coefficient of variation, comprehensive evaluation and obstacle degree model. [Result] (i) The flexible evaluation indicator system for rural revitalization at the county scale in Chongqing consisted of ' 17 basic indicators + 6 characteristic indicators'. (ii) In general, the rural revitalization level of the three types of counties in Chongqing, including the pilot demonstration type, actively promoted type and key supported type, was not high by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. The comprehensive evaluation values of the 20 sample counties ranged from 0. 22 to 0. 67, and there were significant differences among the three types of counties, with the key supported type having the lowest level of development. (iii) The development levels of the various dimensions of rural revitalization were uneven. The realization rates are 54% for affluent living, 47% for civilized rural customs, 47% for effective governance, 43% for ecological livability, 42% for thriving industries, and 40% for characteristic development. At the same time, there were significant differences in the development levels of each dimension among the three types of counties, especially in terms of thriving industries, ecological livability, affiuent living and characteristic development, with the maximum gap being 21 %, 23%, 46% and 20%, respectively. (iv) The rural revitalization level of the three types of counties was constrained by five obstacle factors, including the proportion of demonstration villages for garbage classification, the proportion of strong collective economy villages, the ratio of agricultural product processing output value to total agricultural output value, agricultural labor productivity, and the proportion of civilized villages at or above the county level. However, the degree of obstacle varied among different types of counties. Additionally, each type of county was also constrained by different indicators, such as the number of platforms for integrating industries, the proportion of agricultural products with ' Two products and one standard', and the ratio of disposable income of urban and rural residents. [Conclusion] The rural revitalization level of the three types of counties in Chongqing is not high, and the development levels of the various dimensions are uneven, and there is a significant gap between the three types of counties, and the rural revitalization level is mainly constrained by eight obstacle factors in six dimensions. In the next step, we need to intensify efforts to promote the development of various dimensions, continuously narrow the gap between the three types of counties, and promote the comprehensive revitalization of Chongqing's rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

【Objective】The present paper aimed to investigate the species of parasitic ticks on the surface of yaks in Luhuo county, Sichuan province, and the infection status of Rickettsia (SFGR) and invisible ticks.【Method】Ticks were collected from the surface of yaks in six villages in Luhuo county. After preliminary morphological identification, tick genomic DNA was extracted. PCR technology was used to amplify partial fragments of tick ITS-2, SFGR OmpB, and amorphous 16S rRNA genes. The positive products were sequenced, compared, and an evolutionary tree was constructed to determine the species of ticks and their infection status with SFGR and anaplasma.【Result】A total of 820 adult ticks were collected with only Haemaphysalis qinghaiensisus (29/820) and Rhipicephalus microplus (791/820) found. Rickettsia spp. were detected in all six villages and total infection rate was 49.8% (408/820) with only Candidatus R. longicornii detected. The infection rates of SFGR in six villages were statistically significant (χ² = 111.524, P = 0.000 ＜ 0.01). The infection rates of SFGR in H. qinghaiensisus and R. microplus were 44.8% (13/29) and 49.9% (395/791), respectively with no significant differences (χ² = 0.292, P = 0.589 ＞ 0.5). Anaplasma spp. (including A. bovis, A. marginale, A. platys, and A. phagocytophilum) were detected in five villages, with a total infection rate of 30.9% (253/820). The infection rates of Anaplasma in five villages were statistically significant (χ² = 139.825, P = 0.000 ＜ 0.01). Also, the infection rates of Anaplasma between H. qinghaiensisus and R. microplus were statistically significant (χ² = 8.087, P = 0.004 ＜ 0.01). Co-infection of SFGR and Anaplasma was observed with the infection rate of 18.8% (154/820).【Conclusion】There are Qinghai blood tick and micro fanhead tick in Luhuo county, which also carry SFGR and various intangible organisms. Therefore, it is necessary to do a good job in the prevention and control of local tick borne spotted fever group rickettsia and intangible organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the background of the improving economic position of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county between 2000 and 2020 in the light of the balance sheet data of the county's double-entry bookkeeping enterprises. Utilising the ideas of the trade-off theory, seeks the answer for questions like which districts determined the county's real convergence processes to the greatest extent, how internal inequalities changed during the catching up period, what kind of structural changesfacilitated the processes, i.e. how the long-term factors affecting the county's economic dependence changed in the meanwhile? The study evaluates dependence in terms of economic power growth, embeddedness in foreign markets and economic vulnerability. The research established that trade-off theory prevailed during the county's economic catching up, i.e. the inequality scale changed. At the same time, it can also be stated that the inequalities between the national economy's core areas and the overwhelming majority of the peripheral districts remained essentially unchanged in the last twenty years, just a definite clubbing process took place. The catching up has been achieved by an increasing ratio and volume between the export and the domestic registered capital, improving the resilience of the economy, the one-sidedness of the economic structure driving the catching up, however, is leading to instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Climate Initiative (NKI) in Germany provides a strong incentive for local governments to apply for funding to engage in climate protection activities. Yet, the latest evaluation of the NKI confirms that there is a great disparity in the distribution of funding across regions. Taking this regional fragmentation as a starting point, we ask the following: How can we explain disparity in the amount of funding across counties and cities? We draw on climate policy literature pointing to the role of socioeconomic and political determinants and the settlement structure to answer this question. We study all 400 cities and counties to test hypotheses concerning disparity in the likelihood and amount of climate funding, using data from the German Ministry for the Environment and further regional statistics. Running different multilevel regression models, we show that local climate funding is more likely in cities and more urbanized counties than in rural counties with less population and oftentimes also with less young and educated people. We argue that despite the increasing number of local governments getting active in climate protection in Germany, there is important unused potential for climate change mitigation in rural counties. Therefore, we conclude by proposing a new research agenda focusing on climate change mitigation in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the Taxus base of Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County, Chongqing, the comprehensive development and utilization of Taxus was carried out with seedling cultivation, understory economy, product processing, ecotourism and other aspects as the main line. The benefit linkage mechanism of the operation of the Taxus industrial chain was explored and analyzed, so as to extend and supplement the Taxus industrial chain. The two models of "company + farmer" and "company + village collective + farmer" are relatively close benefit linkage models, which indirectly promote the increase of farmers' income and smoothly guarantee the operation of the industrial chain, thereby playing a positive role during the development of the Taxus industry. This study provides reliable countermeasures and suggestions for the sustained and healthy development of the Taxus industry in Pengshui County. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper was to analyze cereal production in Dolj County and in Romania in the period 2017-2021 in order to identify the main trends, based on the statistical data provided by National Institute of Statistics and processing them by comparison method and time and structural indices. Dolj County has a total area of 741,401 ha (7th place at national level - 3.11% of the total), an agricultural area of 585,135 ha (2nd place at national level - 32.57%) and an arable area of 488,560 ha (2nd place at national level - 39.03%). The county is characterized by favorable agro-productive conditions for cereal cultivation, taking into account climatic factors and soils specific to the county (for example, sandy soils for rye cultivation). The county cultivated (on average) 331,450.80 ha with cereals, predominantly wheat and grain maize (60.5, and 26.53% of the total), obtained a total production of 1,567,667 t (predominantly wheat and maize with 54.89 and 33.96% of the total), and the average yield per hectare reached 4,728 kg. It can be said that Dolj County can decisively influence, in certain situations, the cereals market in Romania and the South-West Oltenia Region, but it must be aimed at improving the performance of this side of vegetal activity, in order to capitalize on the existing potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the armigerous gentry (knights and esquires) that operated in and around the county of Hampshire in the late-fourteenth to mid-fifteenth century. It finds that whilst there was a core of resident knightly families who identified primarily with Hampshire - some for several centuries - there were many other knightly families who held substantial land in Hampshire but rarely engaged politically or socially, identifying with the southern region rather than the county – and sometimes much further afield. Those who had strong links with Hampshire depended upon lands in neighbouring Berkshire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. Networks crossed not only county but also social boundaries and expressed themselves through 'affinities', most vividly the Winchester Bishopric under Wykeham and Beaufort. It was very difficult to gain entry to the highest ranks of the Hampshire elite but there were clearly close ties between upper and lower gentry families as evidenced through a series of deeds surviving in one greater gentry family (Brocas of Beaurepaire) which suggest circles of influence that were primarily local and engaged knightly families who were otherwise silent in the political affairs at county level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central government of China encourages enthusiasm for biodiversity conservation by implementing a transfer payment policy targeted at Biodiversity National Key Ecological Functional Areas at the county scale. Biodiversity National Key Ecological Functional Areas are types of PAs that were designated by the State Council of China for the implementation of biodiversity conservation. However, regional comparative assessment results of biodiversity conservation effectiveness in different county-level administrative units are still lacking. In this study, we developed a reference condition index to represent the ecological background, and we then constructed a conservation effectiveness index to compare the conservation efforts among 131 counties in seven Biodiversity National Key Ecological Functional Areas. The results showed the following: (1) The biological background could be well reflected by the reference condition index. The Tropical Rainforest Ecological Function Area in Mountain Areas in the Middle of Hainan Island had the best biological background, while the Desert Ecological Function Area on the Northwest Qiangtang Plateau had the worst. (2) The biodiversity conservation effectiveness of the Desert Ecological Function Area on the Northwest Qiangtang Plateau was the best, and that of the Wetland Ecological Function Area of the Three River Plain was worst. (3) Among the 131 counties, Taibai County in the Biodiversity Ecological Function Area of Qinba Mountain performed best, while Fujin City in the Wetland Ecological Function Area of the Three River Plain performed worst. Our study could provide valuable insights for the transfer payment. Meanwhile, it can also supply a scientific reference for the management of Biodiversity National Key Ecological Functional Areas to enhance biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China's urbanization accelerates, ecological environmental issues have become increasingly prominent, and how to achieve the synergistic development of urbanization and ecological environment is worth exploring. The paper uses the Super-SBM model and the improved entropy method to calculate the ecological efficiency and the new urbanization in 63 counties in Zhejiang Province from 2000 to 2019. Furthermore, the coupling coordination degree between new urbanization and ecological efficiency is discussed with the coupling degree model, Markov chain, and spatial correlation methods, and its influencing factors are explored by the geographic detector. The results show that: (1) The development trends of new urbanization and ecological efficiency in Zhejiang Province counties both present a "U" shape. Their inflection points appeared in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The gap between counties is gradually narrowing. (2) The coupling coordination degree between new urbanization and ecological efficiency in Zhejiang Province counties also develops in a "U" shape with the minimum value appearing in 2006. Its temporal evolution is dominated by advancement towards a higher level and maintenance of the original type, with most countries advancing from General Disorder to Preliminary Coordination. There is a good positive correlation in the spatial distribution, showing significant High-High and Low-Low agglomeration. (3) In detecting the driving factors, the explanatory power of economic development, natural conditions and social conditions diminishes sequentially. The interaction groups mostly are nonlinear enhancements, and the rest are all two-factor enhancements. Social factors are the main interaction objects. (4) The empirical analysis verified the efficacy of the "Two Mountains" theory and the importance of government investment in the regional coordinated development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The balanced development of ecological quality and residents' well-being is an important factor in achieving sustainable economic development in rural counties. In order to promote the improvement of the coupling coordination degree between ecology and well-being in rural counties, this study explores the impact mechanism of industrial structural transformation and upgrading on the coupling of ecology and well-being in the Sichuan-Chongqing. A dual-fixed-space Durbin model is constructed to analyze the influence mechanism and spatial interaction effects of industrial transformation and upgrading on the coordination of ecology and well-being. The research indicates: (1) From 2010 to 2020, the overall coordination degree of ecology and well-being in the Sichuan-Chongqing rural counties has steadily increased, with higher coordination in the eastern region and lower coordination in the western region. The growth rate of coordination degree is faster in the east and slower in the west, with significant and increasing differences between the east and west. 2) The coupling coordination degree of ecology and well-being in the Sichuan-Chongqing rural counties has a strong positive spatial spillover effect. (3) The more reasonable the industrial structure, the higher the level of coordinated development in the local and surrounding rural counties. The higher the index of industrial advancement, the better the level of coordinated development locally, but the lower the level of coordinated development in the surrounding areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The municipal external control exercised by the Courts of Accounts reveals the irregularities found in the accounts of municipal governments through the disclosure of audit reports. They have been empirically analyzed from the point of view of their classification in terms of severity, but few studies aim to identify the factors that influence such failures. Having verified this gap, the main objective of this study is to identify factors that may influence lapses in municipal public management pointed out by the audit of the Court of Accounts. This article contributes to further research on this topic and to improving management in municipalities. This is an exploratory analysis based on econometric models for panel data. The sample includes 179 municipalities in São Paulo, with data for 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019. The results suggest that the recommendations and determinations of the Court of Accounts and gaps in internal controls influence irregularities in small, medium, and large municipalities. The volume of legal and constitutional transfers received influences small and medium-sized municipalities, while the municipal gross domestic product (GDP) influences medium-sized municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop a mixture of autoregressive (MoAR) process model with time varying and freely indexed covariates under the flexible class of two–piece distributions using the scale mixtures of normal (TP-SMN) family. This novel family of time series (TP-SMN-MoAR) models was used to examine flexible and robust clustering of reported cases of Covid-19 across 313 counties in the U.S. The TP-SMN distributions allow for symmetrical/ asymmetrical distributions as well as heavy-tailed distributions providing for flexibility to handle outliers and complex data. Developing a suitable hierarchical representation of the TP-SMN family enabled the construction of a pseudo-likelihood function to derive the maximum pseudo-likelihood estimates via an EM-type algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses a late seventeenth-century county survey as a key to understand conceptions of county, national, and international identity. Previous historians of 'Britain' and its composite nations have insufficiently attended to the interaction between these elements. Thomas Denton's Perambulation of Cumberland, with additions on Westmorland, the Isle of Man, and Ireland, contains a wealth of evidence as to how a Cumbrian, English, and British subject integrated these elements in this period. In addition to showing the assimilation of subjects within and across these boundaries, it equally reveals their differentiation and exclusion. Denton impugns English political and religious opponents, deals uneasily with Scottish and Manx otherness, and firmly scorns the Irish. National distinctions are, ultimately, less assured than negotiable. It is argued that intensive focus of this kind alerts us to exchanges of ideas and identities within an individual, rather than seeing identity groups as necessarily in opposed camps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review, commissioned and funded by WHO, aimed to update a review of infection prevention and control (IPC) interventions at a national level to inform a review of their IPC Core Components guidelines (PROSPERO CRD42021297376). CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, and WHO IRIS were searched for studies meeting Cochrane's Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) design criteria, published from April 19, 2017, to Oct 14, 2021. Primary research studies examining national IPC interventions in acute hospitals in any country with outcomes related to rates of health-care-associated infections were included. Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed quality using the EPOC risk of bias criteria. 36 studies were categorised per intervention type and synthesised narratively: care bundles (n=2), care bundles with implementation strategies (n=9), IPC programmes (n=16), and regulations (n=9). Designs included 21 interrupted time-series, nine controlled before-and-after studies, four cluster-randomised trials, and two non-randomised trials. Evidence supports the effectiveness of care bundles with implementation strategies. However, evidence for IPC programmes and regulations was inconclusive as studies were heterogeneous regarding populations, interventions, and outcomes. The overall risk of bias was high. Recommendations include the involvement of implementation strategies in care bundles and for further research on national IPC interventions with robust study designs and in low-income and middle-income settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many quantitative approaches were employed to predict the course of disease spread. However, forecasting faces the challenge of inherently unpredictable spread dynamics, setting a limit to the accuracy of all models. Here, we analyze COVID-19 data from the USA to explain variation among jurisdictions in disease spread predictability (that is, the extent to which predictions are possible), using a combination of statistical and simulation models. We show that for half the counties and states the spread rate of COVID-19, r(t), was predictable at most 9 weeks and 8 weeks ahead, respectively, corresponding to at most 40% and 35% of an average cycle length of 23 weeks and 26 weeks. High predictability was associated with high cyclicity of r(t) and negatively associated with R0 values from the pandemic's onset. Our statistical evidence suggests the following explanation: jurisdictions with a severe initial outbreak, and where individuals and authorities took strong and sustained protective measures against COVID-19, successfully curbed subsequent waves of disease spread, but at the same time unintentionally decreased its predictability. Decreased predictability of disease spread should be viewed as a by-product of positive and sustained steps that people take to protect themselves and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent survey of the entomofauna of the Davis Mountains in the state of Texas has revealed four new species in the genus Phytocoris Fallén (Miridae, Mirinae, Mirini): Phytocoris mcivor sp. nov. and Phytocoris schmitzi sp. nov. found on Quercus grisea Liebmann, and Phytocoris marqua sp. nov. and Phytocoris rileyi sp. nov. found attracted to lights. Descriptions, habitus, and genitalic images for the new species are included herein. Further, habitus and genitalic photographs of known Phytocoris species from the county are included to aid in identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Government Office Archives of Nanbu County in Sichuan in the Qing Dynasty are mostly written by hand, in which five colloquial words of “老么 (laoyao)”, “前八月 (qian bayue)”, “小抱 (xiaobao)”, “旋 (xuan)” and “硬估 (yinggu)” are difficult to understand or easy to misunderstand. It is found that: “老么 (laoyao)” is “老幺” who ranked the smallest; “前八月 (qian bayue)” is the first lunar month in the leap month year of lunar calendar; “小抱 (xiaobao)” means the process that a boy and a girl are engaged in the marriage and the girl is raised by the boy’s family until they complete the marriage after they become adults; “旋 (xuan)” is “immediately”; “硬估 (yinggu)” is “to force”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Baima language (/pêkê/, Chinese 白马语 báimăyŭ , ISO-639 code bqh) is a little-studied Tibeto-Burman (Bodic or Himalayish) language spoken in the southwestern part of the People's Republic of China. Approximately 10,000 people, who traditionally reside in three counties in Sichuan Province (Pingwu 平武, Songpan 松潘 (in Written Tibetan, hereafter WT, zung chu), and Jiuzhaigou 九寨沟 (WT gzi rtsa sde dgu), and in one county in Gansu Province (Wenxian 文县), speak the Baima language (see Sichuan Sheng Minzu Yanjiusuo 1980, Zeng & Xiao 1987), see Figure 1.1 The largest concentrations of Baima speakers are in Baima Township (白马乡, Baima /tôpû/) of Pingwu County, and in Tielou Township (铁楼乡) of Wenxian County. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of intersection crashes are not only affected by the subject intersection where the crash occurs but also are correlated with environmental conditions of neighboring analysis zones. There are few studies on intersection crash analysis to solve certain spatial effects on microscopic safety issues by proactively incorporating highway safety improvement measures into the long-term transportation planning process. The objective of this paper is to develop a heuristic traffic safety analysis system where spatial spillovers analysis is integrated into roadway safety assessment to incorporate micro variables and macro variables. With K-means clustering technique in a GIS environment, 8 hotspot counties are identified from 88 counties in Ohio, which have high intersection crash propensity. The rest of counties are identified as general counties. Then, an innovative integrated Generalized Linear Model is adopted to identify 11 and 20 significant variables that contribute to the intersection crash propensity in hotspot counties and general counties, respectively. To verify compatibility of intersection crash frequency models with macro-level and micro-level measurement, Reading Road in Cincinnati, Hamilton County (hotspot county) and I-71 in Mason City and Lebanon City of Warren County (general county) are used as examples for the test, and the results show a good consistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vascular flora of Newton County, Texas is reported based on field work and internet searches. A total of 1,485 species are reported from Newton County representing 576 genera in 156 families. Three previously-reported new to Texas species were collected during the fieldwork for this flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of COVID-19 fatalities fluctuated widely across United States (US) counties. The number of deaths is stochastic. When the average number of deaths is equal to the dispersion, the distribution is the usual Poisson. When the average number of deaths is higher than the dispersion, the distribution is an intervened Poisson. When the average number of deaths is lower than the dispersion, the distribution is an incidence-rate-restricted Poisson (IRRP) type. Because dispersion of COVID-19 fatalities in some counties is higher than the average number of fatalities, the underlying model for the chance-oriented mechanism might be IRRP. Understanding where this overdispersion or volatility exists and the implications of it is the topic of this research. In essence, this paper focuses on the number of COVID-19 fatalities that fluctuated widely across United States (US) counties and develops an incidence-rate-restricted Poisson (IRRP) to understand where this overdispersion or volatility exists and the implications of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the economic situation of the districts located along the Southern border of Slovakia, which have sizeable Hungarian-speaking populations. Unemployment ratios, industrial pay levels and corporate profitability figures make up the backbone of the analysis. Our research reveals that, as a whole, the Southern districts fall short of the national average in terms of all economic and demographic indicators. In our research focusing on Slovakia, we have demonstrated the disadvantaged economic situation of the Southern part of the country, where its Hungarian population is concentrated, noting that this may further weaken its ability to retain their population. We used the same methodology for our analysis of the Northern Hungarian counties bordering on Slovakia. In both countries, there are discrepancies between Western and Eastern regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This articles highlights one New Jersey county's semiquincentennial planning and discusses Revolutionary War-era archival records available for public use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The land tax was a major source of local fiscal revenue in southern Jiangsu during the Japanese puppet regime era. It involved a complex tug-of-war between the puppet "central" and local governments and was closely tied to rent affairs. At the onset of the "Rural Pacification," the simultaneous imposition of rent and taxes by the Japanese puppet regime infringed upon various stakeholders' interests but did not aid in increasing land tax revenue or stabilizing the economy. Instead, the regime could only profit from local surcharges via the embezzlement case in Changshu County. In the process of grabbing land taxes and constructing tax collection standards, both the puppet regime and the rent-collecting groups pursued their own interests, colluding and competing with each other. In the meantime, the puppet regime, aiming at extracting land output, disrupted the existing rent-tax management method, thereby reconstructing the urban-rural relationship in southern Jiangsu and increasing the peasants' burden. The rent-tax issue in Changshu County during the occupation period reflects the entanglement of the three-fold relationships – "central" vs. local, "official" vs. civilian, and landlord vs. tenant – under the Japanese puppet regime. Yet, the acute landlord-tenant contradiction was ultimately replaced by social conflicts provoked by the Japanese puppet regime's intervention in land ownership and usage rights. 摘要 田赋乃日伪时期苏南地方财政收入之大宗，既牵涉伪"中央"与地方间的博弈，也与租务紧密联系。"清乡"初，日伪租赋并征侵害了各方利益，却无助于增收田赋与稳定经济，只能利用常熟县舞弊案从地方浮收中渔利。在攫夺田赋与构建征赋标准的过程中，伪政权与经征群体均趋利而行，二者有"共谋"也相"竞争"。其间，以榨取土地产出为目标的伪政权破坏了既有租赋管理模式，亦重构了苏南城乡关系、增加了农民负担。沦陷时期常熟县的租赋问题折射出日伪治下 "央"地、"官"民、租佃等三重关系的纠葛，但尖锐的租佃矛盾最终被日伪干预土地所有权和使用权引发的社会矛盾所取代。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural revitalization strategy is an important strategic layout of rural development in the new era of the CPC Central Committee, and scientific and reasonable determination of village types is an important measure to promote rural revitalization by classification. The villages of Wan'an County were selected as the research object. Firstly, the factors that have a key impact on the development of the villages were extracted and qualitatively analyzed to preliminarily screen and judge their types. Secondly, the evaluation index system of development potential of the villages was constructed to quantitatively evaluate and reasonably classify the villages. Finally, the spatial distribution characteristics and quantity of different villages were revealed, and differentiated development strategies were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why does Falstaff travel to York via Gloucestershire in Henry the Fourth, part two? And why does Shakespeare interrupt his second tetralogy of history plays to take his most famous comic character to Windsor in the Merry Wives? This article uses Falstaff's tour of England in these two plays to explore an idea of the country founded upon local identities rather than on the overarching appeal of nationhood. Drawing upon chorography and social history, it focusses on the association of people and place and offers a view of England from the ground up rather than through the more imposing structures of political narrative and symbolic form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Jianwu period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to the ethnic and natural factors, the Ancient Road of Daling River and the Seaside Road were inconvenient, which led to the difficult traffic between the Central Plains and the Northeast China. Hence, the development of the Bohai sea route provided conditions for Liaodong County to be belonged to Qingzhou Prefecture. Liu Xiu adopted a shrinking defense strategy in the north, with the participation of the Western Regions, Bingzhou and even some border counties in Youzhou. Liaodong County became the core of the empire that restricts the northern ethnic groups. Because the Liaodong County needed to maintain normal and efficient ties with the inland, it was imperative to administrate it under Qingzhou Prefecture. On the other hand, the division of the Xiongnu caused by the successive years of drought and locust disaster and the reopen of the Ancient Road of Daling River prompted Liaodong County to belong to Youzhou. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bryophyte flora of Hungary was relatively well studied during the twentieth century, but data on the present-day frequency and geographical distribution of Hungarian bryophytes are lacking. We present here our preliminary results based on recent fieldwork and herbarium studies. We recorded bryophyte occurrences in grid cells (quadrants) of approximately 5.5 × 6 km. Frequency was determined based on the number of quadrants, and geographical distribution evaluated in terms of the 19 administrative units (counties) of the country. To investigate correlations between species richness and relevant environmental drivers, statistical analyses were carried out. A total of 698 bryophyte taxa (2 hornworts, 151 liverworts and 545 mosses) have been found in the territory of Hungary. For each of the 637 taxa that have been observed since 1973, one of five frequency classes (very common, common, sporadic to frequent, rare, and very rare) has been assigned based on the relevant number of field records or herbarium specimens. Additionally, tabular distributional information (occurrence in each of the 19 counties) is presented for each taxon. In the statistical evaluation of the geographical distribution data, the elevational range and the size of the surveyed area were positively correlated with bryophyte richness, whereas arable land cover was negatively correlated. Although the survey was not uniform or complete across the different counties, the results support some robust bryogeographical theories. We hope to have the opportunity in the near future to compile a new Hungarian bryophyte Red List, partly based on these national frequency data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]