scholarly journals Crime against Businesses: Temporal Stability of Hot Spots in Mexicali, Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Fabiola Denegri ◽  
Judith Ley-García

In developing countries, crime is a serious problem that affects the operation and viability of firms. Offenses such as vandalism, robbery, and theft raise the operating costs of firms and imposes on them indirect costs. The literature on spatial analysis of crime is vast; however, relatively little research has addressed business crime, especially in developing countries’ cities. Spatial and temporal analysis of crime concentration represents a basic input for the design and implementation of appropriate prevention and control strategies. This article explores the spatial concentration and stability of thefts committed against commercial establishments in the city of Mexicali, Mexico, from 2009 to 2011 using the Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve, and decile maps. Results revealed that thefts were highly concentrated in a small percentage of urban basic geostatistical areas. Moreover, a portion of these areas were classified as having the highest deciles of thefts (hot spots) and remained in this group throughout the period. In both cases, the relationship between crime and place was close to the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto principle.

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (01) ◽  
pp. 35-43
Author(s):  
Fudong Li ◽  
Fan He ◽  
Jimin Sun ◽  
Yujia Zhai ◽  
Jianmin Jiang ◽  
...  

Introduction: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease first discovered in northeast and central China in 2009, and SFTS cases increased year by year in China. This study aimed to identify the spatial and temporal clusters of SFTS in Zhejiang Province, China. Methodology: We analyzed the surveillance data of SFTS in Zhejiang Province during 2011 - 2015. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the general characteristics and overall trend of SFTS. Circular statistic method was utilized to identify the seasonality. Space–time scan analysis was performed to explore the high risk spatio-temporal clusters of SFTS cases at county level. Results: A total of 194 confirmed SFTS cases were reported in Zhejiang Province during 2011 - 2015. We found a significant increase in overall time trend since 2011. The seasonality was statistically significant (P < 0.001), with a mean date (95% CI) of 21st June (12th ~ 30th in June). Totally 21 (23%) counties reported the occurrence of SFTS, which gradually spread throughout Zhejiang. Three spatio-temporal clusters were detected, with one principle cluster (Daishan County, RR 234.48, June 2013 - November 2015) and two secondary clusters (6 counties, RR 30.73, April - October in 2015; Anji County, RR 373.26, May 2014). Conclusions: Our results suggested that SFTS has increased and spatially expanded over the past years, with a remarkable seasonality. Three spatio-temporal clusters were identified. These findings are important for the improvement of SFTS surveillance and control strategies.


Author(s):  
KANAAN AL-TAMEEMI ◽  
RAIAAN KABAKLI

Although Ascaris lumbricoides is a common intestinal parasite of humans with worldwide distribution causing ascariasis, Ascaris is a neglected disease and still is a burden in developing countries. Furthermore, the parasite’s permanence and prevalence present difficulties in control strategies. Therefore, more research on the mechanisms of resistance to infection is required for reducing prevalence parasite and control of infections.


Author(s):  
A. C. Chota ◽  
G. M. Shirima ◽  
L. J. M. Kusiluka

Aims: To review the diagnosis challenges and control strategies of the diseases presenting with respiratory signs. The emphasis being more on two transboundary animal diseases of small ruminants; contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) and peste des petits ruminants (PPR). Clinical signs and postmortem lesions associated with the two diseases were also explicated. Study Design: Review. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Global Health, School of Life Science and Bio-Engineering (LiSBE), Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) from December 2017 to June 2020. Methodology: A comprehensive review was carried out following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 506 articles, handbooks, Master’s and PhD thesis and conference proceedings were collected and after removal of the duplicates 80.6% (424/526) passed the first stage. Of the remaining search materials, (n=291) were removed including handbooks, master’s and PhD thesis which did not originate from the developing countries, 31.4% (133/424) passed the second. Of the articles that passed the second stage, (n=85) were removed from the study, these included all articles that did not involve field diagnosis such as review papers and those not originating from the developing countries, 36.1% (48/133) passed the third stage. In the fourth stage, (n=5) articles which reported on retrospective cases and archived samples were removed and 43 articles were reviewed. Results: Out of the 526 documents retrieved, 43 were eligible for review as they met all criteria for inclusion. Control strategies were recommended in 44.2% (19/43) of the articles of which most of them 63.2%, 12/19) recommended vaccination as a control strategy. Most of the articles reported definitive diagnosis reached following laboratory involvement as majority of them involved outbreak investigation or research works which is not the case in routine diagnosis. The major clinical signs mentioned in the review articles including fever 60.9% (14/23), oculonasal discharge 87.0% (20/23), respiratory distress 82.6% (19/23), erosive stomatitis 43.5% (10/23), diarrhea 56.5% (13/23) and coughing 30.4% (7/23) have been discussed relating to the definitive diagnosis reached in reporting articles. On the other hand, postmortem lesions including lung consolidation 38.1% (8/21), intestinal hemorrhage 38.1% (8/21), lung congestion 28.6% (6/21), serofibrinous pleurisy 28.6% (6/21), pneumonic lungs 23.8% (5/21) and unilateral lung inflammation 14.3% (3/21), have been discussed in relation to the definitive diagnosis reached.  Conclusion: Despite the similarities in clinical signs and postmortem lesions associated with diseases presenting with respiratory signs, definitive diagnosis of CCPP was reached in cases that involved clinical signs and postmortem lesions confined in the respiratory system whereas, PPR was more diagnosed in cases that presented with clinical signs and postmortem lesions associating the digestive system. However, presence of respiratory signs in the cases the diagnosed PPR may implicate presence of unidentified secondary bacterial infections. Vaccinations being the most advocated approach of control, require a broader look to make sure that polyvalent vaccines are available against the four common diseases. Also, use of treatment to reduce the effect of secondary infecting bacteria may be of help. Furthermore, for effective outcomes of the control strategies, collaborative efforts among countries at risk should be advocated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (02) ◽  
pp. 207-213
Author(s):  
Alejandro Escobar-Gutierrez ◽  
Armando Martinez-Guarneros ◽  
Gustavo Mora-Aguilera ◽  
Carlos Arturo Vazquez-Chacon ◽  
Gerardo Acevedo-Sanchez ◽  
...  

Introduction: The US-Mexico region is at high risk of elevated tuberculosis (TB) incidence due to mobility and migration. Knowledge of how socio-demographic factors varies geographically, provides clues to understanding the determinants of tuberculosis and may provide guidance for regional prevention and control strategies to improve public health in Mexico. The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiologic characteristics and spatial patterns of the incidence of tuberculosis in Tonala, Jalisco (Mexico) from 2013-2015. Methodology: The Surveillance System Database from the Health Department, complemented by information from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, was used to obtain data for a spatial-temporal analysis of TB cases. For the geographical analysis map creation and geoinformation storing, ArcGIS software was used. Results: This study sought to characterize problem areas and jurisdictional locations of TB via a spatial approach based on analyses of case distributions and individual patient variables. The study found that tuberculosis cases were dispersed throughout Tonala County and were mainly concentrated on the Guadalajara city border. The TB cases were mainly individuals between 31 and 45 years old. Most of the cases reported during the observation period were male patients, and most cases primarily had lung involvement; however, there were quite a few cases with lymph node and intestinal disease. Conclusion: Our findings show that TB cases are essentially located in areas close to the city of Guadalajara and that most TB cases were pulmonary cases spread throughout the whole jurisdiction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (03) ◽  
pp. 236-243
Author(s):  
Ashika Singh-Moodley ◽  
Husna Ismail ◽  
Olga Perovic

The laboratory plays a significant role in public health surveillance, outbreak investigation and infection prevention and control strategies. Microbiology laboratories are moving towards incorporating molecular biology techniques for the surveillance and identification of pathogens causing infectious diseases as well as the genotypic characterisation of these organisms. These methods are accurate, rapid, reliable, and provide a wealth of information that are not available using conventional phenotypic methods. However, establishing such a laboratory can be challenging in developing countries due to poor infrastructure, the lack of funding and the required expertise. This manuscript discusses the essential issues that need to be addressed when establishing a molecular microbiology laboratory and the usefulness of molecular techniques in public health surveillance and outbreaks in developing countries. Molecular data on South African findings obtained from surveillance and outbreak studies are also presented in this manuscript.


Weed Science ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 704-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregg A. Johnson ◽  
David A. Mortensen ◽  
Carol A. Gotway

An intensive field survey of an eastern Nebraska corn and soybean field was conducted to characterize the spatial structure and temporal stability of broadleaf weed seedling populations over two growing seasons. Anisotropy, the effect of direction on the relationship between observations, is present in the semivariogram for the velvetleaf and common sunflower populations in 1992 and 1993. The directional trends in aggregation are visible in kriged maps as elliptical shapes oriented east to west across the study area. In addition, there are two distinct zones of aggregation from north to south. These two distinct areas of aggregation are reflected as a ‘plateau’ in the north-south semivariogram. The distance over which this plateau extends indicates that the shape or size of the patch is contracting in the north-south direction (perpendicular to the crop row). The slope of the semivariogram in the east-west direction (aligned with the crop row) remains consistent from 1992 to 1993 suggesting that the shape of the patch is not changing. For sunflower populations, the slope of the north-south empirical semivariogram changes at 20 m, similar to the velvetleaf population semivariograms. This change, however, is reflected as a downward trend in the empirical semivariogram. The distance over which this trend occurs increases from 1992 to 1993 suggesting that seedling patch size was smaller in 1993 compared to 1992. Weed seedling establishment resulting from seed dispersal, differential seed and seedling mortality, or emergence may have resulted in the observed patch dynamics.


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