Hypoxic exposure at rest or during light to moderate-intensity exercise improved blood pressure and heart rate variability in cardiovascular risk individuals

This study evaluated the effects of 6 weeks of intermittent hypoxic at rest or plus exercise and long-lasting effects on blood pressure and heart rate variability (HRV) in cardiovascular risk individuals. Thirty combinations of several CVD risks participants: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obesity were randomly allocated into 3 groups: (a) the Control Group (CON, n = 11) received no intervention; (b) the intermittent hypoxic exposure during rest (IHR, n = 9), and the intermittent hypoxic training (IHT, n = 10) combined with walking on a motorized treadmill at a light to moderate-intensity. Both IHR and IHT performed 8 sessions of 3 minutes of hypoxic breathing alternated with 3 minutes of normoxic breathing for 6 weeks. All participants blood pressure and HRV were measured at baseline, at week 6 (POST1), and at week 10 (POST2). The IHR and IHT Groups showed significantly lower SBP (P < 0.05) compared to the CON Group, but not DBP and MAP after the IH training program. Compared to CON, the low-frequency band (VLF) and the low-frequency band and the high-frequency band (LF/HF ratio) showed a significant decrease only in IHT (P < 0.05) at POST1 and VLF remained significantly decreased at POST2. VLF in the IHT Group remained significantly lower than in the IHR Group at POST2. After the IH training program, IHT revealed a significant increase in HF (P < 0.05) compared to the CON Group. HF (n.u.) was a significantly stronger negative correlation with changes in SBP (P < 0.05). The IHT Group showed more effectiveness than the IHR Group. The study suggested this IH training program improved SBP and HRV at POST1. An increase in parasympathetic activity may have played an important role in the SBP reduction seen in this study

Partisan Asymmetries in Online Political Activity

We examine partisan differences in the behavior, communication patterns and social interactions of more than 18,000 politically-active Twitter users to produce evidence that points to changing levels of partisan engagement with the American online political landscape. Analysis of a network defined by the communication activity of these users in proximity to the 2010 midterm congressional elections reveals a highly segregated, well clustered partisan community structure. Using cluster membership as a high-fidelity (87% accuracy) proxy for political affiliation, we characterize a wide range of differences in the behavior, communication and social connectivity of left- and right-leaning Twitter users. We find that in contrast to the online political dynamics of the 2008 campaign, right-leaning Twitter users exhibit greater levels of political activity, a more tightly interconnected social structure, and a communication network topology that facilitates the rapid and broad dissemination of political information.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, 6 table

Designing Chatbots for Crises: A Case Study Contrasting Potential and Reality

Chatbots are becoming ubiquitous technologies, and their popularity and adoption are rapidly spreading. The potential of chatbots in engaging people with digital services is fully recognised. However, the reputation of this technology with regards to usefulness and real impact remains rather questionable. Studies that evaluate how people perceive and utilise chatbots are generally lacking. During the last Kenyan elections, we deployed a chatbot on Facebook Messenger to help people submit reports of violence and misconduct experienced in the polling stations. Even though the chatbot was visited by more than 3,000 times, there was a clear mismatch between the users’ perception of the technology and its design. In this paper, we analyse the user interactions and content generated through this application and discuss the challenges and directions for designing more effective chatbots

Enumeration as a Grassroot Tool Towards Securing Tenure in Slums: Insights from Kisumu, Kenya

Community-based slum enumeration was carried out in Kisumu from 2005 to 2008 as part of a city-wide slum-upgrading initiative. This paper analyses this enumeration exercise particularly in relation to land management and tenure security. The paper draws on a peer evaluation that included interviews with slumupgrading stakeholders as well as community-based focus group discussions, mainly with enumerators. The paper finds that, for a grassroots enumeration exercise to be successful, grassroots trust must be sustained for ongoing verification and updating of the enumeration data and the enumeration must link up effectively with the planning authorities. Broader preconditions are the coordination of the slumupgrading initiative, and beyond this, of wider and often competing city initiatives. Key findings towards securing tenure include the importance of various forms of mobilisation that accompany enumeration and of the informal and formal knowledge generation that results from the enumeration process

On handling urban informality in southern Africa

In this article I reconsider the handling of urban informality by urban planning and management systems in southern Africa. I argue that authorities have a fetish about formality and that this is fuelled by an obsession with urban modernity. I stress that the desired city, largely inspired by Western notions of modernity, has not been and cannot be realized. Using illustrative cases of top–down interventions, I highlight and interrogate three strategies that authorities have deployed to handle informality in an effort to create or defend the modern city. I suggest that the fetish is built upon a desire for an urban modernity based on a concept of formal order that the authorities believe cannot coexist with the “disorder” and spatial “unruliness” of informality. I question the authorities' conviction that informality is an abomination that needs to be “converted”, dislocated or annihilated. I conclude that the very configuration of urban governance and socio-economic systems in the region, like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, renders informality inevitable and its eradication impossible

Cities’ role in mitigating United States food system greenhouse gas emissions

Current trends of urbanization, population growth, and economic development have made cities a focal point for mitigating global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The substantial contribution of food consumption to climate change necessitates urban action to reduce the carbon intensity of the food system. While food system GHG mitigation strategies often focus on production, we argue that urban influence dominates this sector’s emissions and that consumers in cities must be the primary drivers of mitigation. We quantify life cycle GHG emissions of the United States food system through data collected from literature and government sources producing an estimated total of 3800 kg CO2e/capita in 2010, with cities directly influencing approximately two-thirds of food sector GHG emissions. We then assess the potential for cities to reduce emissions through selected measures; examples include up-scaling urban agriculture and home delivery of grocery options, which each may achieve emissions reductions on the order of 0.4 and ∼1% of this total, respectively. Meanwhile, changes in waste management practices and reduction of postdistribution food waste by 50% reduce total food sector emissions by 5 and 11%, respectively. Consideration of the scale of benefits achievable through policy goals can enable cities to formulate strategies that will assist in achieving deep long-term GHG emissions targets

Informal rental housing in Colombia: an essential option for low-income households

Around the world, rental housing is frequently seen as secondary to home ownership; yet it plays a crucial role in many countries. In particular, rental housing in urban informal neighbourhoods has a critical but consistently overlooked role in housing the most vulnerable households in the Global South. If better policy and practice are to be pursued, there is a need for improved data on rental housing in urban informal settlements, and in particular, better understanding of ‘the lived experiences of the poor’. This paper responds to these empirical gaps in debates on informality and rental housing with qualitative research on residents’ experiences of informal rented housing in two Colombian cities, Bogotá and Cali. The paper frames informal rental housing as an essential option for diverse low-income households for whom ownership is not accessible or attractive. In this way, it also contributes to policy and theoretical debates calling for a better understanding of the dynamics, possibilities and potential of informal housing

Physical restraint in residential child care : the experiences of young people and residential workers

There have long been concerns about the use of physical restraint in residential care. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study which explores the experiences of children, young people and residential workers about physical restraint. The research identifies the dilemmas and ambiguities for both staff and young people, and participants discuss the situations where they feel physical restraint is appropriate as well as their concerns about unjustified or painful restraints. They describe the negative emotions involved in restraint but also those situations where, through positive relationships and trust, restraint can help young people through unsafe situations