Between containment and crackdown in Geylang, Singapore: Urban crime control as the statecrafting of migrant exclusion

Urban Studies ◽

10.1177/00420980211034681 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 004209802110346

Author(s):

Joe Greener ◽

Laura Naegler

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Migrant Workers ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Capital Accumulation ◽

Crime Control ◽

Low Cost ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Urban Crime ◽

Political Discourses ◽

Urban Political Economy

Based on a case study conducted in Geylang, Singapore, this article explores the role of urban policing, surveillance and crime control as mechanisms of social ordering that contribute to the marginalisation of excluded groups, including low-income migrant workers and sex workers. Adopting a statecraft approach that emphasises the significance of ‘governing through crime’ for the upholding of urban political-economic projects, we examine the entanglement of political discourses and crime and social control practices as co-constructive of class- and race-based inequality in Singapore. Drawing from qualitative interviews with NGO workers and sex workers, augmented by extensive non-participant observations, we identify three processes through which state power is vectored in Geylang: the stigmatisation of the neighbourhood through association with marginalised groups, legitimising intense spatialised intervention; the enacting of performative zero-tolerance policing; and the containment and surveillance of illicit activities within the neighbourhood. Contributing to discussions that advance the statecraft approach to researching urban crime control, the article shows that seemingly contradictory practices of tolerance and intervention constitute strategies of governance. The article argues that spatially specific crime control practices in Geylang generated an exclusionary ‘spectacle’ which symbolically connects low-income migrant workers with deviance, in turn supporting citizenship exclusion, racialised marginality and a wider politics of capital accumulation resting on disempowered labour. As we argue, crime control policies are an important form of statecraft legitimising an urban political economy that is heavily reliant on low-cost labour provided by migrant workers.

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Women Employment Opportunity on SMEs Sector: Bangladesh Perspective

International Journal of Management and Accounting ◽

10.34104/ijma.020.01050118 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 105-118

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Low Income ◽

Capital Accumulation ◽

Low Cost ◽

Study Finding ◽

Income Group ◽

Small Scale ◽

Female Entrepreneurs ◽

Job Opportunities ◽

Savings Rate

This study explores women's work prospects in the SME sector of Bangladesh. The researcher has identified two different reasons to conduct this study separately. Number one is that in the last few decades, have played a very active and important role, and the second is that by empowering women, female entrepreneurs build new job opportunities and solve the different problems of society. Small and medium-sized enterprises, which play an important role as engines of economic growth in many countries, provide growth opportunities for low-cost jobs. The results of the study illustrate the correlation between job opportunities for SMEs and women. Women's entrepreneurship is seen as a crucial instrument of women's empowerment and emancipation. Small and medium-sized enterprises, which play an important role in many countries as engines of economic growth, provide opportunities for low-cost employment with growth. The study finding shows the relationship between employment opportunities for SMEs and Women. Women entrepreneurship is seen as a key tool for empowering and liberating women. Developing countries such as Bangladesh are better off starting a small and medium-sized company because Bangladesh belongs to the low-income group facing problems of unemployment, poverty, low savings rate, low capital accumulation. Business on the micro and small scale did not require huge investment, it begins with limited capital. Developing nations such as Bangladesh are better off starting a small and medium-sized business because Bangladesh is part of the low-income community facing unemployment, poverty, low savings rate, low accumulation of capital problems. Micro and small-scale companies did not need tremendous investment but began with minimal resources.

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662 PAP Therapy: A Review of Resources for the Uninsured during COVID-19

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab072.660 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. A259-A259

Author(s):

Melissa Malinky ◽

Abigail Oberla ◽

Meena Khan ◽

M Melanie Lyons

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Web Search ◽

Low Cost ◽

Wait Time ◽

The United States ◽

Fixed Cost ◽

United States Census ◽

Lower Socioeconomic ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Available Resources

Abstract Introduction In 2019, the United States Census estimated 8% (26.1 million) people were without health insurance. Further, an estimated 3.5 million people became/remained uninsured from COVID-19-related job losses. Patients with OSA that belong to a lower socioeconomic status (SES) are less likely to have access to healthcare and may be under or uninsured. Untreated OSA can lead to increased risk of symptoms and associated co-morbidities. Resources to help the uninsured to obtain PAP therapy were available pre-COVID, including two main sources, American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) and our local branch serving central Ohio, The Breathing Association. However, the COVID pandemic limited access or closed these programs. Our Sleep Medicine clinics saw 148 uninsured OSA patients between March-December, 2020. Given these difficulties, we re-evaluated available resources for the uninsured. Methods We conducted a search for current low cost ($100 or less) PAP therapy options for the uninsured, March 15, 2020-December 3, 2020, by: (1) contacting pre-COVID-19 resources, including Durable Medical Equipment (DME) providers, (2) consulting social work, and (3) completing a librarian assisted web-search not limited to PubMed, Embase, CINAHL for academic related articles and electronic searches using a combination of English complete word and common keywords: OSA, PAP, uninsured, no insurance, cheap, medically uninsured, resources, self-pay, low-income, financial assistance, US. Resources such as private sellers were not investigated. Results During COVID-19, assistance for PAP machines/supplies have closed or required a protracted wait-time. Options including refurbished items range from low, one-time fixed cost or income-based discounts from: one local charity (Joint Organization for Inner-City Needs) and DME (Dasco), and four national entities (ASAA, Second Wind CPAP, Reggie White Foundation, CPAP Liquidators). An Electronic Health Record-based tool was developed and distributed to increase provider awareness of pandemic available resources. Conclusion Untreated OSA is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular co-morbidities. Access and cost may limit treatment in OSA patients from a lower SES. The COVID-19 pandemic has shuttered programs providing discount PAP and supplies, leaving fewer resources for these patients, thus further widening this health care disparity. Alternatives are needed and current resources are not easily accessible for providers and patients. Support (if any):

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Housing Programs for the Poor in Addis Ababa: Urban Commons as a Bridge between Spatial and Social

Journal of Urban History ◽

10.1177/0096144221989975 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 009614422198997

Author(s):

Marianna Charitonidou

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Urban Planning ◽

Low Income ◽

Addis Ababa ◽

Low Cost ◽

Development Program ◽

Housing Program ◽

Cultural Aspects ◽

The Poor ◽

The Government

The article presents the reasons for which the issue of providing housing to low-income citizens has been a real challenge in Addis Ababa during the recent years and will continue to be, given that its population is growing extremely fast. It examines the tensions between the universal aspirations and the local realities in the case of some of Ethiopia’s most ambitious mass pro-poor housing schemes, such as the “Addis Ababa Grand Housing Program” (AAGHP), which was launched in 2004 and was integrated in the “Integrated Housing Development Program” (IHDP) in 2006. The article argues that the quotidian practices of communities and their socio-economic and cultural characteristics are related to the spatial attributes of co-housing practices. Drawing upon the idea that there is a mutual correspondence between social and spatial structures, it places particular emphasis on the analysis of the IHDP and aims to show that to shape strategies that take into account the social and cultural aspects of daily life of the poor citizens of Addis Ababa, it is pivotal to invite them to take part in the decision-making processes regarding their resettlement. Departing from the fact that a large percentage of the housing supply in Addis Ababa consists of informal unplanned housing, the article also compares the commoning practices in kebele houses and condominium units. The former refers to the legal informal housing units owned by the government and rented to their dwellers, whereas the latter concerns the housing blocks built in the framework of the IHDP for the resettlement of the kebele dwellers. The article analyzes these processes of resettlement, shedding light of the fact that kebele houses were located at the inner city, whereas the condominiums are located in the suburbs. Despite the fact that the living conditions in the condominium units are of a much higher quality than those in the kebele houses, their design underestimated or even neglected the role of the commoning practices. The article highlights the advantages of commoning practices in architecture and urban planning, and how the implementation of participation-oriented solutions can respond to the difficulties of providing housing. It argues that understanding the significance of the endeavors that take into account the opinions of dwellers during the phase of decision-making goes hand in hand with considering commoning practices as a source of architecture and urban planning frameworks for low-cost housing in this specific context. The key argument of the article is that urban planning and architecture solutions in Addis Ababa should be based on the principles of the so-called “negotiated planning” approach, which implies a close analysis of the interconnections between planning, infrastructure, and land.

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Qualitative perspectives of the North Carolina healthy food small retailer program among customers in participating stores located in food deserts

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-11509-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lindsey Haynes-Maslow ◽

Stephanie B. Jilcott Pitts ◽

Kathryn A. Boys ◽

Jared T. McGuirt ◽

Sheila Fleischhacker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

North Carolina ◽

Low Income ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Food Access ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Food Deserts ◽

State Legislature ◽

Healthy Food ◽

The State ◽

The North

Abstract Background The North Carolina Healthy Food Small Retailer Program (NC HFSRP) was established through a policy passed by the state legislature to provide funding for small food retailers located in food deserts with the goal of increasing access to and sales of healthy foods and beverages among local residents. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine perceptions of the NC HFSRP among store customers. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with 29 customers from five NC HFSRP stores in food deserts across eastern NC. Interview questions were related to shoppers’ food and beverage purchases at NC HFSRP stores, whether they had noticed any in-store efforts to promote healthier foods and beverages, their suggestions for promoting healthier foods and beverages, their familiarity with and support of the NC HFSRP, and how their shopping and consumption habits had changed since implementation of the NC HFSRP. A codebook was developed based on deductive (from the interview guide questions) and inductive (emerged from the data) codes and operational definitions. Verbatim transcripts were double-coded and a thematic analysis was conducted based on code frequency, and depth of participant responses for each code. Results Although very few participants were aware of the NC HFSRP legislation, they recognized changes within the store. Customers noted that the provision of healthier foods and beverages in the store had encouraged them to make healthier purchase and consumption choices. When a description of the NC HFSRP was provided to them, all participants were supportive of the state-funded program. Participants discussed program benefits including improving food access in low-income and/or rural areas and making healthy choices easier for youth and for those most at risk of diet-related chronic diseases. Conclusions Findings can inform future healthy corner store initiatives in terms of framing a rationale for funding or policies by focusing on increased food access among vulnerable populations.

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Evaluation of a Low-Cost Commercial Actigraph and Its Potential Use in Detecting Cultural Variations in Physical Activity and Sleep

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21113774 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (11) ◽

pp. 3774

Author(s):

Pavlos Topalidis ◽

Cristina Florea ◽

Esther-Sevil Eigl ◽

Anton Kurapov ◽

Carlos Alberto Beltran Leon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Low Income ◽

Large Scale ◽

Low Cost ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Time Data ◽

Cultural Variations ◽

Step Counts ◽

Scale Step ◽

Potential Use

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the performance of a low-cost commercial smartwatch, the Xiaomi Mi Band (MB), in extracting physical activity and sleep-related measures and show its potential use in addressing questions that require large-scale real-time data and/or intercultural data including low-income countries. We evaluated physical activity and sleep-related measures and discussed the potential application of such devices for large-scale step and sleep data acquisition. To that end, we conducted two separate studies. In Study 1, we evaluated the performance of MB by comparing it to the GT3X (ActiGraph, wGT3X-BT), a scientific actigraph used in research, as well as subjective sleep reports. In Study 2, we distributed the MB across four countries (Austria, Germany, Cuba, and Ukraine) and investigated physical activity and sleep among these countries. The results of Study 1 indicated that MB step counts correlated highly with the scientific GT3X device, but did display biases. In addition, the MB-derived wake-up and total-sleep-times showed high agreement with subjective reports, but partly deviated from GT3X predictions. Study 2 revealed similar MB step counts across countries, but significant later wake-up and bedtimes for Ukraine than the other countries. We hope that our studies will stimulate future large-scale sensor-based physical activity and sleep research studies, including various cultures.

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Time to Work—Opposing Political Rationality with Young Peoples’ Experiences of Working in a Mandatory Activation Context in Norway

Journal of Applied Youth Studies ◽

10.1007/s43151-021-00031-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Heidi Moen Gjersøe ◽

Anne Leseth

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Young People ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Work Time ◽

Temporal Dimension ◽

Work Relations ◽

Political Discourses ◽

Political Rationality ◽

Employment Education ◽

Linear Manner

AbstractThis paper argues that young people, targeted by activation policies, had several temporal experiences with work that can contribute to broadening our understanding of labour market policy for this group of young people. By drawing on qualitative interviews with young people not in employment, education, or training (NEET) in a Norwegian activation context, and by applying anthropological and sociological concepts on temporality and work time in our analysis, we question how time is constructed and reproduced in the establishment of work relations among this group of people. We argue that political discourses of work inclusion for young adults (NEETs) tend to portray work as a means to an end for inclusion. In doing so, they fail to address the complex temporal dimension of work. We find that young adults have a range of complex experiences where disparity between formal and informal aspects of work becomes visible. The temporal dimension of these experiences and the relativity of speed in getting a job are not experienced in a linear manner but as churning between getting a job, having a job, and losing a job.

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Adsorptive Removal of Phosphate from Aqueous Solutions Using Low-Cost Volcanic Rocks: Kinetics and Equilibrium Approaches

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14051312 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (5) ◽

pp. 1312

Author(s):

Dereje Tadesse Mekonnen ◽

Esayas Alemayehu ◽

Bernd Lennartz

Keyword(s):

Aqueous Solutions ◽

Low Income ◽

Low Cost ◽

Volcanic Rocks ◽

Phosphate Removal ◽

Phosphate Adsorption ◽

Adsorptive Capacity ◽

Batch Adsorption ◽

Order Kinetic ◽

Adsorptive Removal

The contamination of surface and groundwater with phosphate originating from industrial and household wastewater remains a serious environmental issue in low-income countries. Herein, phosphate removal from aqueous solutions was studied using low-cost volcanic rocks such as pumice (VPum) and scoria (VSco), obtained from the Ethiopian Great Rift Valley. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted using phosphate solutions with concentrations of 0.5 to 25 mg·L−1 to examine the adsorption kinetic as well as equilibrium conditions. The experimental adsorption data were tested by employing various equilibrium adsorption models, and the Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherms best depicted the observations. The maximum phosphate adsorption capacities of VPum and VSco were calculated and found to be 294 mg·kg−1 and 169 mg·kg−1, respectively. A pseudo-second-order kinetic model best described the experimental data with a coefficient of correlation of R2 > 0.99 for both VPum and VSco; however, VPum showed a slightly better selectivity for phosphate removal than VSco. The presence of competitive anions markedly reduced the removal efficiency of phosphate from the aqueous solution. The adsorptive removal of phosphate was affected by competitive anions in the order: HCO3− >F− > SO4−2 > NO3− > Cl− for VPum and HCO3− > F− > Cl− > SO4−2 > NO3− for VSco. The results indicate that the readily available volcanic rocks have a good adsorptive capacity for phosphate and shall be considered in future studies as test materials for phosphate removal from water in technical-scale experiments.

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Assessing Inequitable Urban Heat Islands and Air Pollution Disparities with Low-Cost Sensors in Richmond, Virginia

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su122310089 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (23) ◽

pp. 10089

Author(s):

Andre M. Eanes ◽

Todd R. Lookingbill ◽

Jeremy S. Hoffman ◽

Kelly C. Saverino ◽

Stephen S. Fong

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Low Income ◽

Green Space ◽

Low Cost ◽

Early Morning ◽

Urban Heat Islands ◽

Urban Heat ◽

Adverse Environmental Conditions ◽

East End ◽

The City

Air pollution and the urban heat island effect are consistently linked to numerous respiratory and heat-related illnesses. Additionally, these stressors disproportionately impact low-income and historically marginalized communities due to their proximity to emissions sources, lack of access to green space, and exposure to other adverse environmental conditions. Here, we use relatively low-cost stationary sensors to analyze PM2.5 and temperature data throughout the city of Richmond, Virginia, on the ten hottest days of 2019. For both hourly means within the ten hottest days of 2019 and daily means for the entire record for the year, the temperature was found to exhibit a positive correlation with PM2.5. Analysis of hourly means on the ten hottest days yielded a diurnal pattern in which PM2.5 levels peaked in the early morning and reached their minima in the mid-afternoon. Spatially, sites exhibiting higher temperatures consistently had higher PM2.5 readings, with vulnerable communities in the east end and more intensely developed parts of the city experiencing significantly higher temperatures and PM2.5 concentrations than the suburban neighborhoods in the west end. These findings suggest an uneven distribution of air pollution in Richmond during extreme heat events that are similar in pattern but less pronounced than the temperature differences during these events, although further investigation is required to verify the extent of this relationship. As other studies have found both of these environmental stressors to correlate with the distribution of green space and other land-use factors in cities, innovative and sustainable planning decisions are crucial to the mitigation of these issues of inequity going forward.

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Multidisciplinary Approach to Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia / RBGO Gynecology and Obstetrics ◽

10.1055/s-0036-1597579 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 (12) ◽

pp. 615-622 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Tomás Reinert ◽

Susana Ramalho ◽

Rodrigo Gonçalves ◽

Carlos Barrios ◽

Marcia Graudenz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Endocrine Therapy ◽

Low Income ◽

Hormone Receptor ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Low Cost ◽

Locally Advanced Breast Cancer ◽

Locally Advanced ◽

Breast Cancers ◽

Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy

AbstractBreast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. Hormone receptor-positive (HR+) tumors represent the most common form of this disease, with more than 70% of breast cancers expressing these receptors. Response and benefit to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) varies according to HR expression, with lower responses in luminal tumors as compared with hormone receptor-negative (HR-) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) tumors. Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is an option for selected patients with HR+ locally advanced breast cancer. Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy has a favorable toxicity profile, and is associated with benefits such as having low cost and being more easily available even for cancer care professionals outside major urban areas or tertiary centers. These factors are particularly relevant, as 70% of breast cancer deaths occur in women from low-income and middle-income countries. Additionally, NET is being increasingly explored, not simply to allow for less extensive surgery, but also as a scientific tool, with the use of biomarkers to predict outcomes in adjuvant trials and for the individual patient. This review details the current and most relevant evidence about NET for breast cancer as well as the future directions of this field.

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