1,656 research outputs found
Household savings and residential mobility in informal settlements
Strategies to help the one billion people worldwide who live in informal settlements have mainly focused on slum upgrading, sites and services programs, and tenure security. In contrast, there has been less attention on what enables slum dwellers to transition into the formal housingsector, which has the dual benefits of improving service access and escaping social stigma. In this paper the authors investigate residential mobility among slum dwellers in Bhopal, India. Their analysis shows that one in five households succeeds in getting out of a slum settlement, and a major determinant is the household's ability to save on a regular basis. Due to limited outreach of institutional housing finance, most slum dwellers rely solely on household savings for purchasing a house. These findings underscore the urgent need to improve savings instruments for slum dwellers and to downmarket housing finance to reach the poorest residents of rapidly growing cities in developing countries.Housing&Human Habitats,Urban Housing,Banks&Banking Reform,Urban Services to the Poor,Urban Services to the Poor
Information-based instruments for improved urban management
The task of urban managers is to ensure the provision of basic urban services, such as water, waste removal, security, transport, and an environment conducive to economic activity, while maintaining fiscal sustainability of city operations. City managers in developing countries face increasing pressure in achieving these goals because of rapid urbanization, the larger responsibilities following decentralization, and the economic challenges of globalization. Based on experience in Bangalore, India, the authors argue that effective, forward-looking urban management requires a much better information infrastructure than is currently available in most cities.Environmental Economics&Policies,Public Health Promotion,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Decentralization,ICT Policy and Strategies,Environmental Economics&Policies,ICT Policy and Strategies,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Municipal Financial Management,Banks&Banking Reform
A duplicated spinous process of the C7 vertebra
Normally the 7th cervical vertebra (C7) has a long non-bifid spine. A bifid spine
is a feature of typical cervical vertebrae such as C3–C6. In contrast to past
studies, which have described a bifid spine in the C3–C6 cervical vertebrae,
this study is a report on the presence of a duplicated spinous process in the C7
vertebra with an intervening space. The presence of such anomalies may be
associated with other congenital anomalies and needs a careful and thorough
clinical approach. This is an extremely rare finding which may be of clinical interest
to radiologists, neurologists, orthopaedic surgeons, anthropologists and
forensic personnel. The present case report describes the anatomical details in
the bone specimen along with its radiological picture in a case of a duplicated
spinous process of the C7 vertebra
A triplicate obturator foramen
The obturator foramen is a large opening in the hip bone situated below and
anterior to the acetabulum. The obturator foramen is enclosed by the obturator
membrane, apart from the part above near the obturator groove, where the
obturator vessels and nerve pass through. The present study reports multiple
openings in the obturator foramen detected incidentally in a left hip bone specimen
and discusses its clinical implications. To the best of our knowledge, the
occurrence of multiple openings associated with the obturator foramen is rare
and has not been reported in any standard textbook of anatomy or in any research
study. Anatomical knowledge of the presence of such anomalies may be
clinically important for radiologists interpreting skiagrams and surgeons performing
operative procedures in the hip region
Anatomical observations on os inca and associated cranial deformities
The present study describes the presence of os inca, incomplete metopic suture
with asymmetrical frontal sinuses and multiple sutural deformities in a skull bone.
Os inca has been reported to be associated with other cranial deformities. However,
the present study, besides reporting os inca and associated sutural abnormalities,
also highlights the presence of an unusual pterion in such cases. The
aim is to provide anatomical insight into the morphology of sutures, frontal
sinuses and associated cranial abnormalities. These are important findings which
may be relevant for surgeons and radiologists in clinical practic
An asymmetrical inferior articular process of a lumbar vertebra
The present case report describes the topographical anatomy and radiological
study of an asymmetrical inferior articular process of a lumbar vertebra, which
was detected during routine osteology teaching of undergraduate medical students.
The inferior articular process of the lumbar vertebra on the left side was
rudimentary, while that on the right was normal in size. On the left side an
additional bony projection was noted anterior to the rudimentary inferior articular
process. The difference in height between the inferior articular processes of
the two sides may play an important role in the kinematics of the particular
joint. The orientation of the facets of the articular processes of the vertebrae are
important for axial weight transmission and anomalies involving these can possibly
alter the orientation of movements in that particular segment. An asymmetrical
inferior articular process may be related to disc prolapse and may be
a cause of back pain. In view of the paucity of research reports of anatomicoradiological
study of the inferior articular process of a lumbar vertebra in relation
to other parts of the vertebra, we, as anatomists, believe that knowledge of
anomalies of the inferior articular process may be relevant for academic, anthropological
and clinical purposes
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