Community-led total sanitation(CLTS)implementation in West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly in Ghana.What do communities think eleven years on?Author links open overlay panel

Objective Access to improved sanitation is a fundamental human right and an important aspect of Public Health.However,an estimated thousands of people in Ghana especially,the West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly(WMMA)still have no access to adequate toilet facilities.This has brought untold health repercussions to the inhabitants,the community,and the environment at large.To address this menace,the community-led total sanitation(CLTS)was implemented.This study aimed to assess communities’perspectives on the implementation of CLTS and to understand the factors influencing its success and failures.Methods A mixed-method approach involving sequential qualitative and quantitative methods was employed in this study.Participants for the quantitative study were randomly selected and surveyed using questionnaires.The qualitative study employed focus group discussion involving purposively sampled participants including assembly members,opinion leaders,and assembly staff.Results The CLTS program in WMMA realized an apparent use of construction and proper use of household latrines leading to a reduction of open defecation free(ODF)and two communities achieving sanitized status in the history of the study area,enabling the training of latrine artisans and natural leaders to facilitate the CLTS expansion and sustainability,improved sanitation and hygiene,strengthened the enforcement of community rules and regulations and many others.Conclusion The CLTS program has received more widespread acceptance in the study area than the previous government policy of constructing public toilets,which was greeted with massive failures due to poor implementation.To ensure that gains achieved through CLTS implementation are sustained longer,it is recommended that chiefs and opinion leaders should be involved in the CLTS programs to ensure checks and enforcement.The entrenchment of bylaws and more education to address enduring myths and misconceptions will sustain the program.Subsidies in the form of sanitation loans for latrine construction materials by the government and supporting non-governmental organizations(NGOs)will be paramount in sustaining ODF.

Analysis of Distribution of Public Toilets within Walking Range around Communities of the Elderly under the Model of Community Home-based Care for the Elderly: A Case Study of Changxindian, Fengtai District, Beijing

In recent years,under the influence of multiple factors such as traditional ideas and living economic conditions,the aging population in China continues to increase.Most of the elderly are more inclined to aged at home,and the first places for elderly activities are communities and the surrounding environment,which greatly affects the convenience of life and happiness of the elderly.In this paper,Changxindian area in Fengtai District of Beijing was as the research object,and detailed calculation and analysis were carried out by using POI data and arcGIS software.The relative location of residential areas and surrounding public toilets was explored,and the best location of public toilets in the daily walking area under the model of community home-based care for the elderly was further studied.

Manure substitution improves maize yield by promoting soil fertility and mediating the microbial community in lime concretion black soil

Synthetic nitrogen(N)fertilizer has made a great contribution to the improvement of soil fertility and productivity,but excessive application of synthetic N fertilizer may cause agroecosystem risks,such as soil acidification,groundwater contamination and biodiversity reduction.Meanwhile,organic substitution has received increasing attention for its ecologically and environmentally friendly and productivity benefits.However,the linkages between manure substitution,crop yield and the underlying microbial mechanisms remain uncertain.To bridge this gap,a three-year field experiment was conducted with five fertilization regimes:i)Control,non-fertilization;CF,conventional synthetic fertilizer application;CF_(1/2)M_(1/2),1/2 N input via synthetic fertilizer and 1/2 N input via manure;CF_(1/4)M_(3/4),1/4 N input synthetic fertilizer and 3/4 N input via manure;M,manure application.All fertilization treatments were designed to have equal N input.Our results showed that all manure substituted treatments achieved high soil fertility indexes(SFI)and productivities by increasing the soil organic carbon(SOC),total N(TN)and available phosphorus(AP)concentrations,and by altering the bacterial community diversity and composition compared with CF.SOC,AP,and the soil C:N ratio were mainly responsible for microbial community variations.The co-occurrence network revealed that SOC and AP had strong positive associations with Rhodospirillales and Burkholderiales,while TN and C:N ratio had positive and negative associations with Micromonosporaceae,respectively.These specific taxa are implicated in soil macroelement turnover.Random Forest analysis predicted that both biotic(bacterial composition and Micromonosporaceae)and abiotic(AP,SOC,SFI,and TN)factors had significant effects on crop yield.The present work strengthens our understanding of the effects of manure substitution on crop yield and provides theoretical support for optimizing fertilization strategies.

Insights into microbiota community dynamics and flavor development mechanism during golden pomfret(Trachinotus ovatus)fermentation based on single-molecule real-time sequencing and molecular networking analysis

Popular fermented golden pomfret(Trachinotus ovatus)is prepared via spontaneous fermentation;however,the mechanisms underlying the regulation of its flavor development remain unclear.This study shows the roles of the complex microbiota and the dynamic changes in microbial community and flavor compounds during fish fermentation.Single-molecule real-time sequencing and molecular networking analysis revealed the correlations among different microbial genera and the relationships between microbial taxa and volatile compounds.Mechanisms underlying flavor development were also elucidated via KEGG based functional annotations.Clostridium,Shewanella,and Staphylococcus were the dominant microbial genera.Forty-nine volatile compounds were detected in the fermented fish samples,with thirteen identified as characteristic volatile compounds(ROAV>1).Volatile profiles resulted from the interactions among the microorganisms and derived enzymes,with the main metabolic pathways being amino acid biosynthesis/metabolism,carbon metabolism,and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis.This study demonstrated the approaches for distinguishing key microbiota associated with volatile compounds and monitoring the industrial production of high-quality fermented fish products.

Effects of Biostimulation-Bioaugmentation on Coastal Microbial Community in an in situ Mesocosm System

Globally,various types of pollution affect coastal waters as a result of human activities.Bioaugmentation and biostimulation are effective methods for treating water pollution.However,few studies have explored the response of coastal prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities to bioaugmentation and biostimulation.Here,a 28-day outdoor mesocosm experiment with two treatments(bioaugmentation-A and combined treatment of bioaugmentation and biostimulation-AS)and a control(untreated-C)were carried out.The experiment was conducted in Meishan Bay to explore the composition,dynamics,and co-occurrence patterns of prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities in response to the A and AS using 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.After treatment,Gammaproteobacteria and Epsilonproteobacteria were significantly increased in group AS compared to group C,while Flavobacteriia and Saprospirae were significantly reduced.Dinoflagellata was significantly reduced in AS compared to C,while Chrysophyta was significantly reduced in both AS and A.Compared to C,the principal response curve analyses of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities both showed an increasing trend followed by a decreasing trend for AS.Furthermore,the trends of prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities in group A were similar to those in group AS compared with group C,but AS changed them more than A did.According to the species weight table on principal response curves,a significant increase was observed in beneficial bacteria in prokaryotic communities,such as Rhodobacterales and Oceanospirillales,along with a decrease in autotrophs in eukaryotic communities,such as Chrysophyta and Diatom.Topological properties of network analysis reveal that A and AS complicate the interactions between the prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities.Overall,these findings expand our understanding of the response pattern of the bioaugmentation and biostimulation on coastal prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities.

Sport Participation and Community Capacity Building in Disadvantaged Urban Communities

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between sport and community by examining the role played by sports participation in community engagement and community capacity building in disadvantaged urban communities.From a conceptual standpoint,the study is based on the sociological theory of the community and Community Capacity Building(CCB)theory,which provide overviews of the concept of community and community capacity and its characteristics.Four disadvantaged urban communities were investigated.Two of these communities had sports programs,while the other two did not.The online questionnaire methodology was adopted to assess the socio-demographic characteristics and community engagement of the participants(knowledge of programs and participation in community activities),and subsequently,an analysis of the online social media narratives of the community members themselves was developed to measure the characteristics of their community capacity building.We found that community engagement and community capacity values were higher in the communities with sports programs.These findings are promising and suggest that approaches based on sports participation development could be fruitful,particularly in disadvantaged communities.

Implication of community-level ecophysiological parameterization to modelling ecosystem productivity:a case study across nine contrasting forest sites in eastern China

Parameterization is a critical step in modelling ecosystem dynamics.However,assigning parameter values can be a technical challenge for structurally complex natural plant communities;uncertainties in model simulations often arise from inappropriate model parameterization.Here we compared five methods for defining community-level specific leaf area(SLA)and leaf C:N across nine contrasting forest sites along the North-South Transect of Eastern China,including biomass-weighted average for the entire plant community(AP_BW)and four simplified selective sampling(biomass-weighted average over five dominant tree species[5DT_BW],basal area weighted average over five dominant tree species[5DT_AW],biomass-weighted average over all tree species[AT_BW]and basal area weighted average over all tree species[AT_AW]).We found that the default values for SLA and leaf C:N embedded in the Biome-BGC v4.2 were higher than the five computational methods produced across the nine sites,with deviations ranging from 28.0 to 73.3%.In addition,there were only slight deviations(<10%)between the whole plant community sampling(AP_BW)predicted NPP and the four simplified selective sampling methods,and no significant difference between the predictions of AT_BW and AP_BW except the Shennongjia site.The findings in this study highlights the critical importance of computational strategies for community-level parameterization in ecosystem process modelling,and will support the choice of parameterization methods.

Assessment of the Characteristics of Demersal Fish Communities Using Species-and Trait-Based Approaches in the Coastal Habitats Along Rongcheng Bay,Shandong Peninsula,China

Biodiversity declines have motivated many studies on the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning.In this study,we described the spatial-temporal characteristics of demersal fish communities along a coastal habitat in Rongcheng Bay,Shandong Peninsula,China with both species-based and biological trait-based approaches.The field survey was carried out monthly using traps from April to October of 2018,and divided into three seasons(spring:April and May;summer:June,July and August;autumn:September,October and November).The study area included five distinct habitats:seagrass bed,natural rocky reef,bare sand,artificial reef together with natural rocky reef,and artificial reef together with bare sand.We analyzed the fish communities with three taxonomic diversity indices,including Shannon-Wiener,Simpson,and Pielou Evenness,as well as four functional diversity indices,including FRic,FEve,FDiv,and FDis,based on 7 functional groups which are categorized into 27 traits.The results showed that there were no significant differences in taxonomic diversity indices among different habitats in the three seasons.However,significant differences were found in the functional richness of fish communities among different habitats in three seasons.Seagrass bed represented the highest functional richness in spring and autumn.This study demonstrates that seagrass bed is very important in enhancing the functional diversity of fish communities in a complex habitat.The study also indicates that the combination of taxonomic diversity and functional diversity will provide a more detailed description of the characteristics of fish communities.

Physiological and psychological responses to tended plant communities with varying color characteristics

Exposure to plants has been reported to promote health and reduce stress,and plant color has direct impacts on physical and mental health.We used images of common types of tended plant communities in Shenyang,China,with combinations of yellow,green,and red foliage,as experimental stimuli.A total of 27 images were used as visual stimuli.We used electroencephalography to measureαwave activity(8-13 Hz)in 40 subjects while they viewed visual stimuli.These data were combined with subjective questionnaire data to analyze the relaxing effect of images of tended plant communities with different color types and proportions on people.The results revealed that,although there were slight differences between the electroencephalography and psychological findings,women were significantly more relaxed than men after viewing the images.Physiological and psychological responses varied with the types and proportions of colors in the tended plant communities:those of foliage with combinations of two or three colors induced stronger responses than images with a single color.Specifically,(1)for one-color plant communities,green or yellow plant communities induced a stronger relaxation effect than red plant communities;(2)for two-color plant communities,the optimal color proportion was 55%+45%,and the green+yellow and green+red color combinations induced a stronger relaxation effect;(3)for three-color plant communities,the relaxation effect was strongest when the color proportion was 55%green+25%yellow+20%red.These data would provide a plant color matching in future plant landscape design,which may be helpful for creating healthy and relaxing environments.

Dynamic analysis of major public health emergency transmission considering the dual-layer coupling of community–resident complex networks

We construct a dual-layer coupled complex network of communities and residents to represent the interconnected risk transmission network between communities and the disease transmission network among residents. It characterizes the process of infectious disease transmission among residents between communities through the SE2IHR model considering two types of infectors. By depicting a more fine-grained social structure and combining further simulation experiments, the study validates the crucial role of various prevention and control measures implemented by communities as primary executors in controlling the epidemic. Research shows that the geographical boundaries of communities and the social interaction patterns of residents have a significant impact on the spread of the epidemic, where early detection, isolation and treatment strategies at community level are essential for controlling the spread of the epidemic. In addition, the study explores the collaborative governance model and institutional advantages of communities and residents in epidemic prevention and control.

Construction of Urban Mixed-age Community: Opportunities, Challenges and Countermeasures: A Case Study of“Fangjia Hutong”in Beijing

In the context of China’s economic development and population aging,the innovation and exploration of the old-age care model has emerged as a new community transformation and development direction.Given the differing needs and characteristics of individuals across the lifespan,it is evident that a design approach that incorporates mixed-age integration and mutual-help communities is a viable strategy for enhancing intergenerational exchanges.This entails the creation of a diverse and open community that is conducive to habitation for individuals of all ages,encompassing the full spectrum of needs,from those of young children to the elderly.Such a community must be designed and constructed with the population in mind,from the initial planning and design stages to the operational phase.This encompasses a comprehensive range of services,including food,clothing,housing,transportation,and medical care and recreation.

Effect of land use on soil nematode community composition and co-occurrence network relationship

Land use influences soil biota community composition and diversity,and then belowground ecosystem processes and functions.To characterize the effect of land use on soil biota,soil nematode communities in crop land,forest land and fallow land were investigated in six regions of northern China.Generic richness,diversity,abundance and biomass of soil nematodes was the lowest in crop land.The richness and diversity of soil nematodes were 28.8and 15.1%higher in fallow land than in crop land,respectively.No significant differences in soil nematode indices were found between forest land and fallow land,but their network keystone genera composition was different.Among the keystone genera,50%of forest land genera were omnivores-predators and 36%of fallow land genera were bacterivores.The proportion of fungivores in forest land was 20.8%lower than in fallow land.The network complexity and the stability were lower in crop land than forest land and fallow land.Soil pH,NH_(4)^(+)-N and NO_(3)^(–)-N were the major factors influencing the soil nematode community in crop land while soil organic carbon and moisture were the major factors in forest land.Soil nematode communities in crop land influenced by artificial management practices were more dependent on the soil environment than communities in forest land and fallow land.Land use induced soil environment variation and altered network relationships by influencing trophic group proportions among keystone nematode genera.

Nitrogen mineralization in the oldest climax communities in the eastern Mediterranean region

In this study,we investigated how tree species affect N mineralization in connection to some soil properties and seconder metabolite levels of litter,in the soil of the old-est native forest communities.In the oldest pure communi-ties of Pinus nigra(PN),Fagus orientalis(FO),and Abies bornmuelleriana(AB)in the mountain range of Mount Uludağ,Bursa,Turkey,annual net yield and N mineraliza-tion in the 0-5-and 5-20-cm soil layers were determined in a field incubation study over 1 year.Sampling locations were chosen from 1300 to 1600 m a.s.l.,and moisture content(%),pH,water-holding capacity(%),organic C,total N,and C/N ratio,and annual net mineral N yield of the soil and hydro-lyzed tannic acid and total phenolic compounds in litter were compared for these forest communities.F.orientalis had the highest annual net Nmin yield(43.9±4.8 kg ha^(-1) a^(-1)),P.nigra the lowest(30.5±4.2 kg ha^(-1) a^(-1)).Our findings show that in the oldest forest ecosystems,the seasonal soil moisture content and tree species play an essential role in N cycling and that hydrolyzed tannic acids and total phenolic compounds effectively control N turnover.Tannic acid and total phenolics in the litter were found to inhibit nitrification,but total phenolics were found to stimulate ammonification.

Spatial Optimization and Reconstruction of Old Communities under the Background of Aging

As aging becomes increasingly serious,how to make the life of the elderly more convenient and comfortable has become one of the social problems to be solved urgently.Old residential areas are one of spaces where the elderly gather.In this paper,the prominent problems in the community space of existing old residential areas that are not conducive to the life of the elderly were analyzed,and corresponding countermeasures to transform the community space were put forward.It is hoped that public space can play its due value and make old residential areas glow with new vitality.

Nontraditional energy-assisted mechanical machining of difficult-to-cut materials and components in aerospace community:a comparative analysis

The aerospace community widely uses difficult-to-cut materials,such as titanium alloys,high-temperature alloys,metal/ceramic/polymer matrix composites,hard and brittle materials,and geometrically complex components,such as thin-walled structures,microchannels,and complex surfaces.Mechanical machining is the main material removal process for the vast majority of aerospace components.However,many problems exist,including severe and rapid tool wear,low machining efficiency,and poor surface integrity.Nontraditional energy-assisted mechanical machining is a hybrid process that uses nontraditional energies(vibration,laser,electricity,etc)to improve the machinability of local materials and decrease the burden of mechanical machining.This provides a feasible and promising method to improve the material removal rate and surface quality,reduce process forces,and prolong tool life.However,systematic reviews of this technology are lacking with respect to the current research status and development direction.This paper reviews the recent progress in the nontraditional energy-assisted mechanical machining of difficult-to-cut materials and components in the aerospace community.In addition,this paper focuses on the processing principles,material responses under nontraditional energy,resultant forces and temperatures,material removal mechanisms,and applications of these processes,including vibration-,laser-,electric-,magnetic-,chemical-,advanced coolant-,and hybrid nontraditional energy-assisted mechanical machining.Finally,a comprehensive summary of the principles,advantages,and limitations of each hybrid process is provided,and future perspectives on forward design,device development,and sustainability of nontraditional energy-assisted mechanical machining processes are discussed.

Effects of potassium lactate on sensory attributes,bacterial community succession and biogenic amines formation in Rugao ham

To deepen the understanding in the effect of potassium lactate on the sensory quality and safety of Rugao ham,sensory attributes,physicochemical parameters,total volatile basic nitrogen(TVBN),microorganism community and biogenic amines of Rugao ham manufactured with different potassium lactate levels(0%,0.5%,1%,2%)were investigated;the relationship between microbial community and the formation of TVBN and biogenic amines was further evaluated.With the increase of potassium lactate from 0%to 2%,the increased sensory scores and the decreased total aerobic bacterial count and TVBN were observed;the abundance of Staphylococcus increased,while the content of Halomonas decreased.LDA effect size(LEf Se)and correlations analysis showed that Staphylococcus equorum and Lactobacillus fermentum could be the key species to improve sensory scores and decrease biogenic amines and TVBN.Metabolic pathway analysis further showed that amino acids metabolism and nitrogen metabolism were mainly involved in decreasing TVBN and biogenic amines in the treatment of 2%potassium lactate.

Community Caregivers’ Experiences and Programmatic Strategies to Improve Active Case Finding in Community Tuberculosis Care in Botswana 2016-2021

Background: The community tuberculosis care program was started to reduce the impact of TB and increase successful treatment outcomes, thus contributing to meeting WHO targets on TB. According to the Botswana Ministry of Health, community tuberculosis care was introduced with the main goal of reducing tuberculosis-related morbidity and mortality among communities through the expansion of direct observed therapy and community involvement to community settings. The community caregivers were to support tuberculosis patients throughout their treatment period until they were cured or had completed their treatment. Settings: Two major cities of Botswana, Francistown and Gaborone, with more than twenty-two health clinics offering tuberculosis care. Objective: To investigate community caregivers’ experiences and identify programmatic strategies to improve active TB case findings under the community TB care (CTBC) program in Botswana during 2016-2021. Methods: We adopted a descriptive qualitative research design, followed by convenience purposive sampling. We obtained consent and interviewed 40 participants who met the inclusion criteria, 16 out of 73 in Gaborone and 24 out of 38 from Francistown. Results: We interviewed 40 caregivers with a mean age of 43.4 years. Accepting the caregiving role was identified as the main experience by more than two thirds of the caregivers. While at least more than two-fifth felt obligated to care for the patient at home due to personal relations. More than half of the respondents found caregiving difficult or frustrating due to some challenges encountered during the caregiving role. Behavioral modifications were suggested under different subthemes as strategies to improve active case finding. [-rId13-]Conclusion: Acceptance was the major experience in CTBC. Intensification of known programmatic strategies was suggested by caregivers to improve tuberculosis active case finding in CTBC.

Community structure and species diversity dynamics of a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China:2005 to 2020

Here,we characterize the temporal and spatial dynamics of forest community structure and species diversity in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China.We found that community structure in this forest changed over a 15-year period.Specifically,renewal and death of common species was large,with the renewal of individuals mainly concentrated within a few populations,especially those of Aidia canthioides and Cryptocarya concinna.The numbers of individual deaths for common species were concentrated in the small and mid-diameter level.The spatial distribution of community species diversity fluctuated in each monitoring period,showing a more dispersed diversity after the 15-year study period,and the coefficient of variation on quadrats increased.In 2010,the death and renewal of the community and the spatial variation of species diversity were different compared to other survey years.Extreme weather may have affected species regeneration and community stability in our subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests.Our findings suggest that strengthening the monitoring and management of the forest community will help better understand the long-and short-term causes of dynamic fluctuations of community structure and species diversity,and reveal the factors that drive changes in community structure.

A method for cleaning wind power anomaly data by combining image processing with community detection algorithms

Current methodologies for cleaning wind power anomaly data exhibit limited capabilities in identifying abnormal data within extensive datasets and struggle to accommodate the considerable variability and intricacy of wind farm data.Consequently,a method for cleaning wind power anomaly data by combining image processing with community detection algorithms(CWPAD-IPCDA)is proposed.To precisely identify and initially clean anomalous data,wind power curve(WPC)images are converted into graph structures,which employ the Louvain community recognition algorithm and graph-theoretic methods for community detection and segmentation.Furthermore,the mathematical morphology operation(MMO)determines the main part of the initially cleaned wind power curve images and maps them back to the normal wind power points to complete the final cleaning.The CWPAD-IPCDA method was applied to clean datasets from 25 wind turbines(WTs)in two wind farms in northwest China to validate its feasibility.A comparison was conducted using density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise(DBSCAN)algorithm,an improved isolation forest algorithm,and an image-based(IB)algorithm.The experimental results demonstrate that the CWPAD-IPCDA method surpasses the other three algorithms,achieving an approximately 7.23%higher average data cleaning rate.The mean value of the sum of the squared errors(SSE)of the dataset after cleaning is approximately 6.887 lower than that of the other algorithms.Moreover,the mean of overall accuracy,as measured by the F1-score,exceeds that of the other methods by approximately 10.49%;this indicates that the CWPAD-IPCDA method is more conducive to improving the accuracy and reliability of wind power curve modeling and wind farm power forecasting.

The Burden of Undiagnosed Hypertension and Associated Risk Factors among Adults in a Rural Community in Imo Sate, South-East Nigeria

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally and hypertension is a major contributor to this burden. Many people with hypertension have poorly controlled blood pressure and up to half of the adults with hypertension are unaware of their hypertensive status due to factors that bother on poor management and poor screening approaches. The implication is that people who have poor access to healthcare especially those in the rural communities are at increased risk of cardiovascular complications and all-cause mortality. Unfortunately, not much has been done to ascertain the burden of undiagnosed hypertension and associated risk factors in rural communities in Nigeria. Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study in a rural community in Imo State, Nigeria, on burden of undiagnosed hypertension with participants recruited via a multi-stage sampling method. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used, and standardized instruments were applied to obtain, process and analyze the data. Tests of association between the independent variables and outcome were conducted using logistic regression. P-value of Results: A total of 380 adults participated in the study. The mean age was 44.2 years. The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension was 35.8%. Logistic regression revealed that age, with the respondents in the age groups 26 - 35 years (OR = 10.647, 1.910 - 59.345, p-value = 0.007), 36 - 45 (OR = 3.680, 1.263 - 10.723, p-value = 0.017), 46 - 55 years (OR = 2.737, 1.114 - 6.727, p-value = 0.039), 56 - 65 years old (OR = 3.384, 1.610 - 7.115, p-value = 0.001);and being married (OR = 3.846, 1.118 - 13.233, p-value = 0.033), were independent risk factors for undiagnosed hypertension. Conclusion: The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension in the rural population of South-East Nigeria is high. Younger age (26 - 35 years) had the highest odds of risk for occurrence of hypertension. Also being married was identified as a risk factor for undiagnosed hypertension.