scholarly journals Cities and Violence: An Empirical Analysis of the Case of Costa Rica

Dados ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregorio Gimenez ◽  
Liubov Tkacheva ◽  
Katarína Svitková ◽  
Beatriz Barrado
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Violent Crime ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Homicide Rates ◽  
Area Use ◽  
Urban Concentration ◽  
High Level

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the effect of urbanization on violent crime – particularly homicide in Costa Rica. Although violence is a major problem throughout Latin America, few empirical studies carried out in the area use high-quality socioeconomic and crime databases with a high level of geographical disaggregation. In this article, we employ data from all 473 districts of Costa Rica between 2010 and 2013. We develop a model which takes into account endogeneity problems and uses contrasts of marginal linear predictions. We conclude that the degree of urban concentration plays a key role in explaining homicide rates, other things being equal. This effect is progressive: the greater the urban concentration, the greater the increase in homicide rates. This causal relationship is not observed in offenses other than homicide.

scholarly journals An Experimental Study on the Sources of Strontium in Mineral Water and General Rules of Its Dissolution—A Case Study of Chengde, Hebei

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 699
Author(s):  
Ruifeng Wang ◽  
Xiong Wu ◽  
Yanliang Zhai ◽  
Yuxuan Su ◽  
Chenhui Liu
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Mineral Water ◽  
Surrounding Rock ◽  
Mechanism Of Formation ◽  
High Quality ◽  
General Rules ◽  
Leaching Experiment ◽  
High Level ◽  
Impact Experiments

Chengde City boasts a wealth of high-quality mineral water resources characterized by a high level of strontium (Sr), a low level of sodium, and low alkalinity. In order to study the mechanism of formation of Sr-bearing mineral water in Chengde and to scientifically guide future mineral water exploration, taking three typical mineral water exploration areas in Chengde as examples, this paper studies the sources of Sr in mineral water and the general rules of its dissolution via a laboratory static leaching experiment and impact experiments, and it provides an analysis of the characteristics of typical rock samples. The research results indicate that the content of Sr in surrounding rock and the characteristics of minerals existing in surrounding rock jointly control the dissolution of Sr in water; that CO2 can promote the formation of mineral water containing Sr; and that temperature increases may boost the dissolution of Sr from carbonate minerals but also inhibit the dissolution of Sr from silicate minerals.

Does context matter? Examining robbery reporting in a high crime country

2021 ◽  
pp. 174889582110313
Author(s):  
Wilson Hernández ◽  
Katrina R Heimark
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Multilevel Modeling ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Crime Rates ◽  
Violent Victimization ◽  
The World ◽  
Victimization Rate ◽  
Global North ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
High Crime

Most empirical studies that examine why individuals report property crimes to the police have focused on Global North countries where crime rates are low. This study is situated in the most violent area of the world, Latin America, and examines Peru, which has the highest robbery victimization rate in the Americas. This article examines the applicability of theories of crime reporting in this Global South context using a large sample and multilevel modeling. We find that trust in the police has no impact on the reporting of the robbery of one’s cellphone, purse or wallet. The theories of rational choice and Black’s stratification of law provide strong explanations for the reporting of robbery of these personal items. Individuals of higher social status and those who reside in districts with low levels of social disadvantage are more likely to report, as well as those who have experienced violent victimization.

scholarly journals Testing a self-assessment tool for HP competencies with participants of training courses in Austria

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Lang
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Training Courses ◽  
Training Programmes

Abstract Background High quality health promotion (HP) depends on a competent workforce for which professional development programmes for practitioners are essential. The “CompHP Core Competencies Framework in HP” defines crucial competency domains but a recent review concluded that the implementation and use of the framework is lacking. The aim was to develop and validate a self-assessment tool for HP competencies, which should help evaluate training courses. Methods A brief self-assessment tool was employed in 2018 in Austria. 584 participants of 77 training courses submitted their post-course assessment (paper-pencil, RR = 78.1%). In addition, longitudinal data are available for 148 participants who filled in a pre-course online questionnaire. Measurement reliability and validity was tested by single factor, bifactor, multigroup, and multilevel CFA. A SEM proved for predictive and concurrent validity, controlling gender and age. Results A bifactor model (X2/df=3.69, RMSEA=.07, CFI=.95, sRMR=.07) showed superior results with a strong general CompHP factor (FL>.65, wH=.90, ECV=.85), configurally invariant for two training programmes. On course level, there was only minimal variance between trainings (ICC<.08). Structurally, there was a significant increase in HP competencies when comparing pre- and post-course measurements (b=.33, p<.01). Participants showed different levels of competencies due to prior knowledge (b=.38, p<.001) and course format (b=.16, p<.06). The total scale had good properties (m = 49.8, sd = 10.3, 95%-CI: 49.0-50.7) and discriminated between groups (eg by training length). Conclusions The results justify the creation of an overall scale to assess core HP competencies. It is recommended to use the scale for evaluating training courses. The work compensates for the lack of empirical studies on the CompHP concept and facilitates a broader empirical application of a uniform competency framework for HP in accordance with international standards in HP and public health. Key messages The self-assessment tool provides a good and compact foundation for assessing HP competencies. It provides a basis for holistic, high quality and sustainable capacity building or development in HP.

Costa Rica in 1948: Cold War or Local War?

1996 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia Olander
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Cold War ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Panama Canal Zone ◽  
First Case ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
The U.S

The years following World War Two produced a strong resurgence of U.S. intervention in Central America and the Caribbean couched in Cold War terms. Although the U.S. intervention in Guatemala to overthrow the government of Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 has generally been seen as the first case of Cold War covert anti-Communist intervention in Latin America, several scholars have raised questions about U.S. involvement in a 1948 Costa Rican civil war in which Communism played a critical role. In a 1993 article in The Americas, Kyle Longley argued that “the U.S. response to the Costa Rican Revolution of 1948, not the Guatemalan affair, marked the origins of the Cold War in Latin America.” The U.S. “actively interfered,” and achieved “comparable results in Costa Rica as in Guatemala: the removal of a perceived Communist threat.” Other authors have argued, even, that the U.S. had prepared an invasion force in the Panama Canal Zone to pacify the country. The fifty years of Cold War anti-Communism entitles one to be skeptical of U.S. non-intervention in a Central American conflict involving Communism. Costa Ricans, aware of a long tradition of U.S. intervention in the region, also assumed that the U.S. would intervene. Most, if not all, were expecting intervention and one key government figure described U.S. pressure as like “the air, which is felt, even if it cannot be seen.” Yet, historians must do more than just “feel” intervention. Subsequent Cold War intervention may make it difficult to appraise the 1948 events in Costa Rica objectively. Statements like Longley's that “it is hard to believe that in early 1948 … Washington would not favor policies that ensured the removal of the [Communist Party] Vanguard,” although logical, do not coincide with the facts of the U.S. role in the conflict.

scholarly journals New distribution records for Muscidae (Insecta: Diptera) in Latin America

Check List ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1810
Author(s):  
Kirstern Lica Follmann Haseyama ◽  
Alessandre Pereira-Colavite ◽  
Claudio José Barros De Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
New Records ◽  
New Distribution

The geographical distribution of Muscidae from Latin America has been extended. The following eight genera, including 28 species, were collected: Cyrtoneurina (2 spp.), Cyrtoneuropsis (8 spp.), Dolichophaonia (1 sp.), Neomuscina (7 spp.), Ophyra (1 sp.), Phaonia (2 spp.), Philornis (5 spp.), and Polietina (2 spp.). New records and additional collecting data have been provided for Brazil, Colombia, and Costa Rica, including reference maps for the species listed.

Guatemala’s economy on the way to recovery

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Violent Crime ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Way

Significance National GDP nevertheless contracted by just 1.5% in 2020 -- less than almost any other country in Latin America. Resilient remittances and exports, coupled with unprecedented policy support, have mitigated the effects of the pandemic and subsequent containment measures, leaving the country better placed for recovery than its neighbours. Impacts Enduring poverty, inequality and violent crime, and the impacts of accelerating climate change, will drive further migration from Guatemala. The government will pursue banking law reforms, to reduce risks to financial activities in the post-pandemic business environment. Infighting and corruption scandals will hinder the opposition's ability to benefit from the decline of the president's popularity.

The Relationship Between City “Greenness” and Homicide in the US: Evidence Over a 30-Year Period

2021 ◽  
pp. 001391652110450
Author(s):  
Jonnell C. Sanciangco ◽  
Gregory D. Breetzke ◽  
Zihan Lin ◽  
Yuhao Wang ◽  
Kimberly A. Clevenger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Violent Crime ◽  
P Value ◽  
Homicide Rates ◽  
Violence Reduction ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Us ◽  
Longitudinal Effects ◽  
Curve Modeling ◽  
First Time ◽  
Us Cities

Residents in US cities are exposed to high levels of stress and violent crime. At the same time, a number of cities have put forward “greening” efforts which may promote nature’s calming effects and reduce stressful stimuli. Previous research has shown that greening may lower aggressive behaviors and violent crime. In this study we examined, for the first time, the longitudinal effects over a 30-year period of average city greenness on homicide rates across 290 major cities in the US, using multilevel linear growth curve modeling. Overall, homicide rates in US cities decreased over this time-period (52.1–33.5 per 100,000 population) while the average greenness increased slightly (0.41–0.43 NDVI). Change in average city greenness was negatively associated with homicide, controlling for a range of variables (β = −.30, p-value = .02). The results of this study suggest that efforts to increase urban greenness may have small but significant violence-reduction benefits.

scholarly journals Generation of automatic stippling illustrations from photographs for documenting archaeological pieces

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Germán Arroyo ◽  
Domingo Martín ◽  
María Victoria Luzón
Keyword(s):  
High Quality ◽  
High Level

<p>Hand-made stippling has been used frequently in the process of drawing illustrations for documenting archaeological pieces. This is due to the fact that this technique represents in an efficient way shapes, tones, and textures, by means of distributing dots on the paper. The process of stippling has needed traditionally the ability of an artist, who usually produces the illustration from photographs. In this paper, a program that generates stippling illustrations of high quality is presented. The developed interface makes possible that any user can generate illustrations without the need of artistic abilities. The program is able to work in realtime, allowing the user interacts with the program. We have developed several artistic techniques in high level tasks that allow to improve the final results.</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document