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The ongoing pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus, caused over 3 million reported cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 200,000 reported deaths between December 2019 and April 2020(1). Cases and deaths will increase as the virus continues its global march outward. In the absence of effective pharmaceutical interventions or a vaccine, wide-spread virological screening is required to inform where restrictive isolation measures should be targeted and when they can be lifted(2–6). However, limitations on testing capacity have restricted the ability of governments and institutions to identify individual clinical cases, appropriately measure community prevalence, and mitigate transmission. Group testing offers a way to increase efficiency, by combining samples and testing a small number of pools(7–9). Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of group testing designs for individual identification or prevalence estimation of SARS-CoV-2 infection when testing capacity is limited. To do this, we developed mathematical models for epidemic spread, incorporating empirically measured individual-level viral kinetics to simulate changing viral loads in a large population over the course of an epidemic. We used these to construct representative populations and assess pooling strategies for community screening, accounting for variability in viral load samples, dilution effects, changing prevalence and resource constraints. We confirmed our group testing framework through pooled tests on de-identified human nasopharyngeal specimens with viral loads representative of the larger population. We show that group testing designs can both accurately estimate overall prevalence using a small number of measurements and substantially increase the identification rate of infected individuals in resource-limited settings.

Background: The rising prevalence of disability due to noncommunicable diseases and the aging process in tandem with under-prioritization and underdevelopment of rehabilitation services remains a significant concern for European public health. Over recent years, health system responses to population health needs, including rehabilitation needs, have been increasingly acknowledging the power of law and formal written policies as strategic governance tools to improve population health outcomes. However, the contents and scope of enacted legislation and adopted policies concerning rehabilitation services in Europe has not been synthesized. This paper presents a concise overview of laws and policies addressing rehabilitation in five European countries. Methods: Publicly available laws, policies, and national action plans addressing rehabilitation issues of Sweden, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom were reviewed and descriptive documents analyzed. Actions found in national health policies were also evaluated for compliance with the key recommendations specified in the World Health Organization's Rehabilitation 2030: Call for Action. Results: Across countries, legal and policy approaches to rehabilitation planning varied in scope and reach. While all countries entitle citizens to rehabilitation services, comprehensiveness of coverage varied. Health legislation of Germany and Netherlands recognizes access to rehabilitation as a human right for persons with disabilities, while Sweden and the United Kingdom acknowledge its importance in disability laws for achieving substantive equality for persons with disabilities. Regarding policies, in all countries but Italy, targeted universalism remains the predominant strategy governing rehabilitation services, as demonstrated by the lack of comprehensive, national action plans for rehabilitation addressing the general population. Nevertheless, references found in disease specific policies indicate a solid consensus that rehabilitation remains an integral ...

Universal health care (UHC) endorses availability and access to health care services for a wider population with equity and quality in a way that protects them from financial hardship while availing the services. This case study shares the experience of a health facility in a resource constraint setting catering to the health needs of a migrant residing in an urban slum of north India. Out-of-pocket expenditure is one of the major reasons for nonachievement of UHC. "Root cause analysis" revealed the challenges for patient satisfaction in the academic outpatient clinic (OPD). Inadequate availability of laboratory investigations at health facilities poses hindrances during health service delivery and achievement of UHC. It was found that one of the major reasons for patient's dissatisfaction were out of pocket expenditure at private facilities and loss their daily wage to get access to the investigations. Problem-solving techniques were utilized to improve patient satisfaction and make the health system sensitive to the migrant urban poor population. The use of "plan do study act cycle (PDSA)" technique for improvement of the health system with collaboration, advocacy, and feedback analysis with the government hospital helped improve health care access for the people with poor purchasing power. Feedback analysis of the established system helped in the sustainability and feasibility of the system for the smooth functioning of the referral system. Root cause analysis, health advocacy, and collaboration has helped making a model for improvement of access to health care services and patient satisfaction in an urban slum population. which maybe replication in a resource constraint setting.

The December 2019 COVID-19 outbreak in China has led to worldwide quarantine, as recommended by local governments and the World Health Organization. Particularly affected are older adults (i.e., those aged ≥ 65 years) who are at elevated risk for various adverse health outcomes, including declines in motor ability and physical activity (PA) participation, increased obesity, impaired cognition, and various psychological disorders. Thus, given the secular increases in the older adult population, novel and effective intervention strategies are necessary to improve physical activity behaviors and health in this population. Virtual reality (VR)-integrated exercise is a promising intervention strategy, which has been utilized in healthcare fields like stroke rehabilitation and psychotherapy. Therefore, the purpose of this editorial is to synthesize recent research examining the efficacy and effectiveness of VR exercise in the promotion of favorable health outcomes among the older adults. Results indicate the application of VR exercise to facilitate improved physical outcomes (e.g., enhanced motor ability, reduced obesity), cognition and psychological outcomes. VR exercise has also been observed to be an effective intervention strategy for fall prevention in this population. Future research should employ more rigorous research designs to allow for a more robust quantitative synthesis of the effect of VR exercise on the preceding outcomes to elucidate which type(s) of VR-based PA interventions are most effective in promoting improved health outcomes among older adults. Findings from this study will better inform the development of technology-savvy PA programs for wellness promotion in older adults who practice social distancing and exercise from home under the unprecedented global health crisis.

BACKGROUND: Community participation in health responses in humanitarian crises is increasingly promoted by humanitarian actors to support adoption of measures that are relevant and effective to local needs. Our aim was to understand the role of community participation in humanitarian health responses for conflict-affected populations (including forcibly displaced populations) in low- and middle-income countries and the barriers and facilitators to community participation in healthcare responses. METHODS: Using a systematic review methodology, following the PRISMA protocol, we searched four bibliographic databases for publications reporting peer-reviewed primary research. Studies were selected if they reported how conflict-affected populations were involved in healthcare responses in low- and middle-income settings, and associated changes in healthcare responses or health outcomes. We applied descriptive thematic synthesis and assessed study quality using study design-specific appraisal tools. RESULTS: Of 18,247 records identified through the database searching, 18 studies met our inclusion criteria. Various types of community participation were observed, with participation mostly involved in implementing interventions rather than framing problems or designing solutions. Most studies on community participation focused on changes in health services (access, utilisation, quality), community acceptability and awareness, and ownership and sustainability. Key barriers and facilitators to community participation included political will at national and local level, ongoing armed conflict, financial and economic factors, socio-cultural dynamics of communities, design of humanitarian responses, health system factors, and health knowledge and beliefs. Included studies were of mixed quality and the overall strength of evidence was weak. More generally there was limited critical engagement with concepts of participation. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the need for more research on more meaningful community participation ...

The Cretan Turks (and now their descendants) are a group of people who originally had lived in the Island of Crete till 1923 when the Obligatory Population Exchange Agreement signed between Turkey and Greece. Through almost the entire 19th century, as a result of Greek revolts one after another in different times in history and the public order on the island was disrupted, the Cretan Turkish population in fear of their lives left their living places, became refugees and the demographic structure of the island changed in favor of the Orthodox Christians. Among those migrations, the biggest and the most decisive on the political future of the island is the Heraklion Events that started in 1897 which resulted in the migration of at least 40,000 Turks. This population movement is particularly important as it caused the expansion of Cretan Turks to very different regions. The present existence of a Cretan community in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, the Rhodes and Kos Islands of Greece, along with (albeit few) Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, the Island of Cyprus and Palestine happened due to this immigration movement. This article approaches the immigration and settlement process that happened at the very end of the 19th century as a result of a revolt in Crete, in a sudden and involuntary manner, in a period where the Ottoman Empire suffered from political, economic and social difficulties. Tracking the official records and by fieldwork where and how immigrants settled, how many and where new settlements were founded for them were analyzed with the methodological approaches of history and historical anthropology.

The country reports are meant to set out the situation of the primary and secondary schooling system for NAMS of the different country and cities from a qualitative point of view. The reports will provide precise information about the actual situation of the schooling systems in French-Speaking Belgium withregard to the schooling of NAMS. This country report will be added to the three reports already available on the EDINA website, for the Netherlands, Flanders and Finland. The main objective of this report is to reach the political level providing facts and perspectives to implement the programme at policy level. Political representatives will use the results to improve and strengthen support of NAMS in their city and country. The report will provide: 1. An overview of the actual situation of NAMS in the region, a description of the population involved in these classrooms in the three past years; 2. A precise description on the mobility of the population involved in particular with regard to transfer children; 3. General information about the special classrooms developed to support NAMS in their cognitive and language development nowadays over the whole country and more specifically in the cities involved; 4. Information about the availability of financial support for schools and municipalities; 5. A description of the schooling systems with regard to reception, observation, evaluation criteria, and integration of NAMS; 6. A description of the practices to communicate and support parents and relatives; 7. An overview of the stakeholders involved in the different processes related to integration of NAMS into the school system; 8. A description of the teachers' recruiting system, training and skills especially with regard to the target population.

Objective: Olfactory disorders may be associated with different etiologies, including upper respiratory infections, sinonasal conditions, head injuries, exposure to toxins, and congenital anosmia. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of different etiologies for olfactory dysfunction as observed in a sub-Saharan African population. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a series of 116 consecutive patients with an olfactory disorder who lived in the city of Bukavu in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The study was conducted from June 1, 2016 to May 30, 2017. We used the Sniffin' Sticks test, adapting the identification (I) test to our population but retaining the standard threshold (T) and discrimination (D) tests. The patients were classed as anosmic if their composite T + D + I score was 30. Informed consent was obtained in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki II. We calculated proportions for each olfactory disorder. Results: Median age (minimum–maximum) in our 116 patients was 42.5 (18–83) years. Women made up 60% of our sample. It was observed that 70.7% of patients had anosmia and 29.3% hyposmia. In descending order, the main causes were upper respiratory infections (49.1%), congenital causes (34.5%), nasal polyps (6%), nose and/or sinus surgery (3.4%), head injuries (2.6%), metabolic causes (2.6%), and occupational exposure to toxins (1.7%). Hyposmia predominated when the cause was upper respiratory infection, whereas anosmia did when the cause was congenital and noninfectious. Conclusion: In our study population, upper respiratory infections were the main cause of dysosmia. The anosmic cases we observed tended to be congenital in nature, suggesting that there existed other etiological factors that require further investigation.

The recent ban of the antimicrobial compound triclosan from use in consumer soaps followed research that showcased the risk it poses to the environment and to human health. Triclosan has been found in human plasma, urine and milk, demonstrating that it is present in human tissues. Previous work has also demonstrated that consumption of triclosan disrupts the gut microbial community of mice and zebrafish. Due to the widespread use of triclosan and ubiquity in the environment, it is imperative to understand the impact this chemical has on the human body and its symbiotic resident microbes. To that end, this study is the first to explore how triclosan impacts the human gut microbial communityin vitroboth during and after treatment. Through ourin vitrosystem simulating three regions of the human gut; the ascending colon, transverse colon, and descending colon regions, we found that treatment with triclosan significantly impacted the community structure in terms of reduced population, diversity, and metabolite production, most notably in the ascending colon region. Given a 2 week recovery period, most of the population levels, community structure, and diversity levels were recovered for all colon regions. Our results demonstrate that the human gut microbial community diversity and population size is significantly impacted by triclosan at a high dosein vitro, and that the community is recoverable within this system. ; US Congress ; This work was supported by funds from the US Congress. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

We greatly acknowledge the financial support via the ERAF Project No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/073. ; We performed, for first time, ab initio calculations for the ReO2-terminated ReO3 (001) surface and analyzed systematic trends in the ReO3, SrZrO3, BaZrO3, PbZrO3 and CaZrO3 (001) surfaces using first-principles calculations. According to the ab initio calculation results, all ReO3, SrZrO3, BaZrO3, PbZrO3 and CaZrO3 (001) surface upper-layer atoms relax inwards towards the crystal bulk, all second-layer atoms relax upwards and all third-layer atoms, again, relax inwards. The ReO2-terminated ReO3 and ZrO2-terminated SrZrO3, BaZrO3, PbZrO3 and CaZrO3 (001) surface band gaps at the Γ–Γ point are always reduced in comparison to their bulk band gap values. The Zr–O chemical bond populations in the SrZrO3, BaZrO3, PbZrO3 and CaZrO3 perovskite bulk are always smaller than those near the ZrO2-terminated (001) surfaces. In contrast, the Re–O chemical bond population in the ReO3 bulk (0.212e) is larger than that near the ReO2-terminated ReO3 (001) surface (0.170e). Nevertheless, the Re–O chemical bond population between the Re atom located on the ReO2-terminated ReO3 (001) surface upper layer and the O atom located on the ReO2-terminated ReO3 (001) surface second layer (0.262e) is the largest. ; Latvian Government ERAF Grant number 1.1.1.1/18/A/073; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²

This study discusses the crimes that have occurred in Padang city and their relationship with the development of the city itself. This study used a descriptive spatial approach. The data on crime obtained from Pos Metro Padang newspaper, which specifically contains criminal news from 2015-2016. The data on the development of Padang city was taken from a literature study using a Central Bureau of Statistics or Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) report. The study used indicators such as the economic level of the region, population data, population density, regional infrastructure, and any linkages with other regions. The results of this study involved the dominant crimes in Padang city of theft, illegal drugs, and immorality. The results showed that there were six sub-districts with high crime rates in 2015 and 2016, including West Padang, South Padang, Lubuk Begalung, Kuranji, East Padang, and Koto Tangah. West Padang and South Padang are downtown areas with high levels of economic activity. East Padang, Lubuk Begalung, Kuranji, and Koto Tangah are the suburban areas of Padang, which also have high population density levels. These areas focused around an education center in Padang City. Based on the results, there is a link between the development of the region and criminal activity. With the presence of various activities in the downtown area, densely populated people and the large number of activities that take place in suburban areas will result in the emergence of various attractions that makes people interested in coming to the region. It is also one of the factors that can trigger criminal acts in Padang city.

Industrialization has brought about great differences in industrial development and land use demand among different regions and cities, especially in rapidly industrializing countries with a vast territory. In those areas, implementing local-specific policies on industrial land price is of great significance to improve industrial land use efficiency and facilitate the sustainable development of regional economy. Based on the land pricing monition files of 105 industrializing cities, geographically weighted regression (GWR) was applied to detect the spatial variation of the industrial land price and its main impact factors (for example, tax, leased land, population, and location quotient index) in China in 2009, 2011 and 2014. The results show that the relationships were generally spatio-temporally nonstationary. More specifically, while the effect of tax on industrial land price was significantly positive and spatially stable all over China in 2009, the effect varied spatially in the two later studied years, weakened in North and East China and strengthened in South China. The effect of leased land on industrial land price was generally negative ; it was very weak in 2009 and 2011 but became negatively strong in most studied cities in 2014, except for a few cities in Middle China. Population had a significant positive effect on industrial land price in the cities of East and Northeast China. For the three studied years, the location quotient index always had negative effect in Bohai Economic Rim and positive effect in Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone, and the negative effect strengthened with time. Meanwhile, the underlying reasons behind the relationships were further analyzed, showing that the spatio-temporal changes of industrial land price are closely correlated with the population mobility, industrial agglomeration, government intervention and economic situation.

Objective: Olfactory disorders may be associated with different etiologies, including upper respiratory infections, sinonasal conditions, head injuries, exposure to toxins, and congenital anosmia. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of different etiologies for olfactory dysfunction as observed in a sub-Saharan African population. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a series of 116 consecutive patients with an olfactory disorder who lived in the city of Bukavu in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The study was conducted from June 1, 2016 to May 30, 2017. We used the Sniffin' Sticks test, adapting the identification (I) test to our population but retaining the standard threshold (T) and discrimination (D) tests. The patients were classed as anosmic if their composite T + D + I score was 30. Informed consent was obtained in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki II. We calculated proportions for each olfactory disorder. Results: Median age (minimum–maximum) in our 116 patients was 42.5 (18–83) years. Women made up 60% of our sample. It was observed that 70.7% of patients had anosmia and 29.3% hyposmia. In descending order, the main causes were upper respiratory infections (49.1%), congenital causes (34.5%), nasal polyps (6%), nose and/or sinus surgery (3.4%), head injuries (2.6%), metabolic causes (2.6%), and occupational exposure to toxins (1.7%). Hyposmia predominated when the cause was upper respiratory infection, whereas anosmia did when the cause was congenital and noninfectious. Conclusion: In our study population, upper respiratory infections were the main cause of dysosmia. The anosmic cases we observed tended to be congenital in nature, suggesting that there existed other etiological factors that require further investigation.

This paper examines the morphological growth of Garut City in historical perspective. To achieve this goal, this study used a historical method that includes four stages, namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography. Garut city has been known as a tourist destination since the Dutch colonialism and became the main residential area of Europeans living on the island due to the existence of plantations in the South Garut region. These conditions make Garut City an urban area that has special features compared to other urban areas in Garut Regency. This study aims at addressing the following question: 1) How does the population influence the physical changes (morphology) of Garut City? 2) How was the railroad construction in Garut City during the Dutch colonial period? And 3) How is the influence of cosmology on the spatial layout of Garut City? The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of population growth on the physical changes (morphology) of Garut city. The study seeks to explain the road traffic of Garut City and the factors that influenced spatial planning. The results showed that Kota Intan was the early name for Garut City, the center of government, economy, education, social, and culture of Garut Regency. The results also revealed that despite its rapid and dynamic morphological growth, Garut City still shows some traditional and colonial characteristics. Although its ancient road network is made in a way that does not interfere with the activity or movement of goods and services, its high population growth and development inequality prevent it from running properly.

Cimahi is one of the cities which participated in the Accelerated Habitat Sanitation Development Program in 2011 due to its poor sanitation conditions. The city experienced high flooding in 2018 as observed in the 36.4 hectares or approximately 0.76% of the total area affected even though its drainage system was discovered to be covering 89.87% in 2015. There are also several reports of displacement of residents and significant financial loss in the city due to flooding in the past decade and this means urgent attention needs to be provided to improve the condition of the city. Therefore, this study was conducted to calculate the level of risk from the drainage sector in each urban village of Cimahi City. This involves using scores ranging from 1 – 4, with a score of 1 indicating very low risk while 4 represents very high risk based on exposure factors such as percentage of inundation area, sanitation risk index (IRS) score, and the opinions of local government as well as impact factors such as population, population density, poverty rate, and urban/rural function. The research made use of both primary and secondary data with the primary data obtained through interviews with the population in the study area and local government representatives while secondary data were obtained from different institutions. The results showed 7 out of the 16 urban villages in Cimahi City are in Risk Category 1, 5 in Category 2, 1 in Category 3, and the remaining 2 in Category 4. This information with the risk category map for each village is expected to be used by the local government of Cimahi to analyze the flood-related problems better and create more effective solutions.