Search Results (172)

To address the scattered protection efforts and uneven effectiveness of traditional villages in southwestern Hubei, this study focuses on 92 nationally recognized traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture. By integrating literature research, field investigation, and multi-source data fusion, we developed an innovative model that combines the Analytic Network Process (ANP), entropy weight, and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, thereby integrating subjective and objective weighting to improve evaluation accuracy. A quantitative evaluation was conducted across 13 criteria and 32 indicators, including traffic conditions, intangible cultural heritage resources, and industrial foundation. The results reveal that traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture exhibit a significant spatial pattern of “overall dispersion with local concentration,” accompanied by a high concentration index. Traffic conditions, intangible cultural heritage, and infrastructure emerge as the core factors affecting protection effectiveness, and a spatial differentiation pattern of “two cores and one corridor” is identified within the region. Based on the quantitative evaluation, we propose targeted cluster protection strategies, including a “dual-core multi-node” transportation network, “three-industry linkage” industrial collaboration, and a living heritage approach that integrates cultural relics with intangible cultural heritage. These strategies were validated in pilot villages such as Yejiaoyuan Village, resulting in significant increases in village satisfaction and tourist volume. The findings provide methodological support and practical paradigms for the systematic protection and sustainable development of traditional villages in southwestern ethnic minority areas. Full article

Against the backdrop of rural revitalization, traditional ethnic minority villages in Guizhou face the dual challenges of conservation and development. Existing research has largely focused on macro-scale morphological descriptions, lacking an operational spatial classification method that can directly guide planning and management. To address this gap, this paper takes Fengxi Village in Dejiang County as a case study, integrates Conzenian urban morphology with the concept of “management units”, and proposes a spatial unit classification method for traditional villages based on the overlay analysis of “morphological region + building unit”. First, using Conzenian plan analysis, the study systematically deconstructs land use, road systems, plot combinations, and building types of Fengxi Village to delineate morphological regions. Second, it introduces three evaluation factors—building value, building quality, and building style—and, through quantitative assessment, classifies all 702 buildings in the village into five categories, protection units, repair and improvement units, comprehensive renovation units, demolition and renewal units, and new construction units, with the number and proportion of each category calculated. On this basis, differentiated control guidelines and development strategies are proposed for each unit category. The research shows that this method represents a preliminary attempt to translate “morphological description” into “operational control”, breaking down the relatively macro goal of “integral conservation” into concrete “unit-based control” actions, thereby providing a technical workflow that can be referenced for similar studies on the fine-grained planning and management of traditional villages. The main contribution of this paper is the construction of a systematic technical framework of “morphological analysis–factor evaluation–unit-based control”, and the demonstration of its application at the micro-operational level through the Fengxi Village case study, offering a meaningful complement to the existing research in terms of operationalization. Full article

Intergenerational educational mobility constitutes a cornerstone of sustainable social development—particularly in China’s ethnic minority regions, where socioeconomic development lags behind the national average. Digital inclusive finance—with its broad geographic reach and low entry barriers—offers a promising lever for breaking the cycle of low intergenerational mobility in these regions. This study systematically examines how the development of digital inclusive finance in China affects intergenerational educational mobility in ethnic minority regions and identifies the underlying mechanisms, thereby addressing SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Using six waves of longitudinal data (2012–2022) from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we examine the impact of digital inclusive finance on intergenerational educational mobility. To mitigate endogeneity, we construct an instrumental variable based on historical telecom infrastructure and employ two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation. The findings indicate that digital inclusive finance significantly enhances intergenerational educational mobility in ethnic minority regions. Further mechanism analysis indicates that the effect operates primarily through increased household net income and, more tentatively, through improved access to education-related information—proxied here by traditional media usage. Accordingly, we recommend upgrading digital infrastructure in ethnic minority regions, improving residents’ digital literacy, and aligning digital inclusive finance with education subsidies and employment guidance. This helps households convert financial access into sustained investments in offspring’s education—boosting intergenerational educational mobility and advancing social sustainability. Full article

Amid escalating global crises, tourism sustainability is threatened by heightened industry vulnerability, yet the intrinsic coupling of tourism industry vulnerability (TIV) and resilience (TIR) remains underexplored via systemic theoretical frameworks. This study aimed to define TIV/TIR as industry-specific constructs and develop an integrated analytical model grounded in dissipative structure theory to characterize tourism systems’ crisis responses. We selected Southwest China’s ethnic minority regions (Guizhou, Guangxi, Yunnan) as cases, using 2015–2024 prefecture-level panel data to explores the spatio-temporal differentiation characteristics of TIV/TIR. Results revealed severe COVID-19-induced TIV surges in 2020–2021, followed by rapid TIR rebounds; TIV and TIR exhibited a significant negative correlation with regional heterogeneity. Most cities showed high TIV–low TIR, with Guizhou displaying negative TIV-TIR spatial autocorrelation and Guangxi–Yunnan showing TIR clustering; inter-city TIV disparities widened while TIR levels converged, leading to a low-vulnerability, balanced-resilience tourism system by 2024. This research introduces the novel sensitivity-adaptive capacity-recovery (SACR) framework, advancing understanding of TIV-TIR dynamics and providing targeted empirical insights for tourism resilience building and sustainable development in resource-dependent destinations. Full article

Developing regions rich in ethnic cultures face structural tensions between cultural heritage preservation, ecological conservation, and economic development. Yet existing research analyzes village types in isolation, overlooks non-additive factor interactions, and lacks frameworks connecting spatial heterogeneity to differentiated sustainability pathways. This study addresses these three gaps through integrated spatial analysis of 4083 characteristic villages across five nationally designated types in Southwest China, a region harboring over 40% of China’s Traditional Villages and high densities of Forest Villages, Key Tourism Villages, Ethnic Minority Characteristic Villages, and Historic and Cultural Villages. Kernel Density Estimation, Average Nearest Neighbor analysis, Standard Deviational Ellipse, and Geographical Detector methods are employed in a three-stage analytical progression. Spatial characterization reveals pronounced heterogeneity with “large-scale dispersion, small-scale agglomeration” patterns and systematic cross-type spatial co-location in high-heritage, high-vulnerability zones. Mechanism quantification shows that intangible cultural heritage (q-values 0.66–0.78) and GDP per capita (q-values 0.68–0.82) are dominant drivers whose pairwise interactions exceed individual effects by 40–60%. Sustainability classification translates q-value-weighted composite indices into four context zones across 506 counties, Culture-Ecology Tension Zones (22.7%), Economic Isolation Nodes (17.0%), Tourism-Driven Development Corridors (19.6%), and Balanced Development Potentials (40.7%), each exhibiting a distinct configuration of cultural, ecological, and economic conditions that necessitates differentiated pathways. The “culture-ecology-economy” tripartite framework advances sustainability science in three ways: it empirically identifies non-additive spatial interactions as generative mechanisms of heterogeneity, achieves a methodological progression from pattern description to sustainability diagnosis, and reconceptualizes cultural heritage from a development constraint into a measurable sustainability asset. The framework is transferable to analogous mountain regions globally where heritage-rich communities confront coupled ecological and economic vulnerabilities. Full article

Cultivating new quality productive forces is pivotal for the high-quality development of China’s ethnic minority regions. This study investigates how digital finance, by leveraging its capacity to overcome geographical constraints, can drive this process. Utilizing panel data from 45 ethnic minority cities from 2013 to 2023, we employ two-way fixed-effects, spatial econometric, mediation, and moderation models to examine the impact and underlying mechanisms of digital finance. The findings indicate that digital finance significantly enhances new quality productive forces in border ethnic minority regions and generates positive spatial spillover effects on neighboring areas. This impact is mediated by two pathways: technological innovation and the green, low-carbon transformation. Conversely, digital divides related to access, usage, and skills exert a significant negative moderating effect on this positive impact. Furthermore, a regional heterogeneity analysis reveals that the driving effect of digital finance is more pronounced in the Northwest region compared to the Southwest. Accordingly, we propose targeted policy recommendations centered on optimizing adaptive digital infrastructure, strengthening digital literacy, promoting green finance, and establishing collaborative regional mechanisms. The objective is to amplify the positive impacts while mitigating the existing digital divides. Full article

Background/Objective: Child health serves as a foundational part of human development. Inequities in access to key health services remain high in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), most notably among children from disadvantaged, racially, or ethnically marginalized groups. The objective of this structured narrative review is to evaluate and aggregate the available evidence on racial/ethnic disparities in childhood healthcare access in SSA. Methods: A comprehensive search on African Index Medicus (AIM), Web of Science and PubMed for studies published between 2010 and 2025 was executed using relevant MeSH terms and Boolean operators. Studies on healthcare access inequalities among racial or ethnic groups in SSA were included. This study was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Ten articles were included. Ethnicity was an independent contributor to inequities in childhood healthcare across four domains: vaccination coverage (lower for Hausa/Fulani in Nigeria and Somali/Luhya in Kenya compared to dominant groups), timeliness of vaccination, child mortality (higher in economically and ethnically marginalized groups), and nutritional status (elevated stunting and underweight odds in certain ethnic minorities). Conclusions: Racial and ethnic inequalities in child healthcare access across SSA are driven by multi-factor structural, geographical, and cultural barriers. Although socioeconomic improvement reduces some disparities, it does not eradicate them, highlighting that ethnic identity continues to shape health outcomes independently. Addressing these disparities requires strengthening culturally inclusive healthcare delivery, improving access in underserved regions, and integrating ethnicity-disaggregated monitoring into national health systems. Full article

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is vital for regional cultural sustainability and social cohesion. While ICH patterns in the Yangtze and Yellow River basins have been widely investigated, macro-scale research on the Pearl River Basin Area (PRBA) remains insufficient. Using GIS-based spatial analytical techniques, this study examines the agglomeration patterns and driving mechanisms of 377 national-level ICH resources within the PRBA. The findings reveal that: (1) the spatial distribution exhibits a pronounced “coastal agglomeration and inland dispersion” density gradient, with the Pearl River Delta serving as a high-density core and ethnic minority regions forming secondary clusters; (2) the gravity center of ICH resources has gradually shifted northwestward from 2006 to 2021, reflecting the influence of policy interventions; and (3) while socioeconomic factors are the primary drivers, hydrological factors exert strong nonlinear enhancement effects through interactions with social variables, highlighting the dependency of cultural genesis on the water environment. These findings provide a scientific basis for ICH living transmission, planning, and regional collaborative governance in the PRBA, thereby promoting regional cultural sustainability. Full article

Background: Dyspepsia is a common indication for gastroscopy, yet its diagnostic yield for malignancy and other clinically significant findings (CSF) remains low. Improved risk stratification is therefore essential to guide endoscopic referral. This study evaluates the diagnostic yield of gastroscopy in dyspepsia and investigates the predictive roles of age, ethnicity, and alarm symptoms. Methods: This retrospective single-center study was conducted at a university-affiliated hospital in Israel and included 3022 patients who underwent gastroscopy for dyspepsia over a five-year period. Multivariate logistic regression identified independent predictors of CSF, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis determined optimal age thresholds for malignancy and CSF. Results: Functional dyspepsia accounted for 55.9% of cases, while precancerous gastric lesions and upper gastrointestinal malignancies were identified in 12.8% and 0.79%, respectively. In multivariable models, age ≥ 50 years (OR = 2.59; CI: 2.02–3.32) and alarm symptoms (OR = 1.79; 95% CI: 1.33–2.41) independently predicted CSFs. Malignancy was similarly associated with age ≥ 50 years (OR = 4.89; CI: 1.11–21.60) and alarm symptoms (OR = 31.42; CI: 10.26–96.19). ROC analysis identified optimal age thresholds of 50 years for CSF (AUC = 0.65) and 54 years for malignancy (AUC = 0.72). Ethnicity did not independently predict malignancy, though minority patients showed differing precancerous lesion patterns. Conclusions: Age ≥ 50 years and alarm symptoms significantly increased the likelihood of CSFs and malignancy, supporting a selective approach to gastroscopy. ROC-derived thresholds may support reconsideration of age criteria in settings with similar epidemiologic patterns, highlighting the need for region-specific risk stratification. Full article

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects approximately 2.9 million people in the world, exerting a significant economic and societal burden. The disease is increasingly identified among populations considered as uncommonly affected. MS is reported in all regions of the World Health Organization (WHO) member states in Africa, the Americas, South-East Asia, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Pacific, affecting all ethnicities while exhibiting substantially variable prevalences. Countries with high MS prevalence and some with moderate frequencies generally have economically better structured healthcare systems. Nevertheless, health disparities in these countries are accentuated by suboptimal accessibility of care for their minorities, immigrants and other underserved populations. Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) might have an impact on morbidity and higher rates of disability. Large segments of the world population (i.e., African, Latin American, people from the Middle East and Southeast Asia) do not have access to adequate MS diagnostic procedures, compounded by reduced availability of neurologists. Healthcare disparities exist practically in every country of the world. Active wars and a large number of refugees resulting from conflict augments the challenges to healthcare systems. These global factors constitute obstacles to the adequate management of MS. A collective international path is required to facilitate access to highly effective, albeit onerous treatments, some already approved and being utilized, i.e., monoclonal antibodies and B-lymphocyte depletory agents, and others foreseen in the future as advanced therapeutic molecules continue to develop. Full article

This study examines the traditional villages of the Tujia and Miao ethnic groups in Xiangxi Prefecture, western Hunan, and clarifies their spatial distribution and residential cultures through ArcGIS-based spatial analysis combined with extensive field investigation. On the basis of a systematic comparative framework, it explores differences in village patterns, architectural forms, and folk belief systems between the two groups. The results indicate that (1) in terms of spatial distribution, Miao villages are mainly located to the south of the Wuling Mountains, while Tujia villages are concentrated to the north, with the mountainous ranges of Baojing and Guzhang counties forming a clear transitional belt; (2) regarding village layout, Miao villages are generally clustered with “mountain-backed and water-adjacent”, whereas Tujia villages tend to adopt a more dispersed and defensive pattern than “mountain-anchored and water-distanced”; (3) in dwelling form, both groups share similar basic spatial organization, yet Miao dwellings exhibit greater diversity in construction materials, including timber, stone, and rammed earth; (4) in terms of belief and ritual, distinct folk practices and symbolic systems are embedded in the spatial organization and decorative features of each group’s villages. These findings deepen the understanding of cultural diversity among ethnic minorities in western Hunan and provide a theoretical basis for authenticity-oriented conservation and the sustainable development of traditional villages in ethnic regions. Full article

In Kazakhstan’s Akmola Region, rural households face heightened vulnerability from climate change, driven by reliance on weather-dependent resources and amplified risks of extreme precipitation events, prolonged dry spells, and progressive soil degradation—further intensified by limited adaptive capacity and inequities affecting women-led or ethnic minority families. This study conducted stratified household surveys across four agricultural districts, developed a tailored Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) incorporating shelterbelt presence, condition, and perceived effects, alongside readiness for hydrological surface recovery (contour–strip organisation, swales/valokany, and tree–shrub planting). Results revealed an average LVI of 0.45–0.55, which was higher (+10–15%) in marginalized groups; testing pathways showed correlations (r = 0.65, p < 0.05) with water security, soil condition, income stability, and hazard reduction, with potential LVI reductions of 15–25% through integrated measures. District-specific recommendations include implementing the Potapenko–Lukin method on slopes <5% with valokany (width 80 cm, depth 1.5 m, spacing 100–500 m), endemic plantings, and biomaterial, supported by subsidies (488,028 tenge/ha/year) and GIS monitoring, to enhance resilience and equity in steppe and forest–steppe farming. Full article

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality have declined in the United States over the past two decades, yet disparities persist by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and geography. To characterize population-level survival signals, we examined trends in age-adjusted incidence rates (AAIR), mortality rates (AAMR), and the mortality-to-incidence ratio (AAMIR) from 1999 to 2021, stratified by key subgroups. Methods: This retrospective analysis utilized de-identified data from the CDC WONDER United States Cancer Statistics database, encompassing incident CRC cases (SEER codes 21041–21052) and deaths (ICD-10 codes C18–C20) in adults aged 20 years and older. Age-adjusted rates (per 100,000, 2000 U.S. standard population) and AAMIR were calculated using Stata 17.0. Joinpoint regression identified trends (annual or average annual percent change [APC/AAPC], p < 0.05). Results: Among 3,489,881 cases and 1,225,986 deaths, AAIR decreased from 78.24 (1999) to 50.79 (2021; AAPC: −2.20%, 95% CI: −2.52 to −1.89), AAMR decreased from 29.34 to 17.92 (AAPC: −2.33%, −2.46 to −2.20), and AAMIR from 0.375 to 0.353 (AAPC: −0.08%, −0.47 to 0.30; p = 0.669). Women showed a significant AAMIR decline (AAPC: −0.29%), unlike men (AAPC: 0.07%). Young adults (20–39 years) had rising AAIR (AAPC: 2.42%) and AAMR (0.87%) but improving AAMIR (AAPC: −1.71%). Non-Hispanic Black individuals had the highest AAMIR (0.400 in 2021; AAPC: −0.54%). The Northeast had the most favorable AAMIR trend (AAPC: −0.40%), while the Midwest, South, and West were stable. States like New Jersey and Massachusetts achieved low AAMIR (0.292 and 0.304 in 2021), contrasting with Nebraska and Arizona (0.402 in both). Conclusions: Although colorectal cancer incidence and mortality have declined substantially in the United States from 1999 to 2021, the mortality-to-incidence ratio improved only marginally and remained markedly uneven across subgroups. Targeted interventions—enhancing screening and treatment access for men, racial/ethnic minorities, younger adults, and high-burden regions and states—can promote equitable outcomes. Full article

As the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Xinjiang still faces problems such as unbalanced development in the process of urban–rural integration, accompanied by the increasingly prominent imbalance between population flow and land resource allocation in county-level towns. Specifically, clarifying the impact of urban–rural integration development on the human–land matching relationship in Xinjiang’s county-level towns is the key to promoting coordinated regional development. This study constructs a spatial matching model and a multinomial logistic regression model to analyze the human–land relationship and the influencing factors of urban–rural integration in 83 county-level towns in Xinjiang from 2010 to 2023. The research results show that (1) from 2010 to 2023, there were significant differences in the spatial matching degree between the total amount and increase in urban population and urban land in Xinjiang’s county-level towns; the number of counties with a relatively high matching level was generally larger in northern Xinjiang than in southern Xinjiang, and the overall spatial matching degree was at a relatively low level. (2) The proportion of counties with sustained population growth and sustained land growth was the highest, reaching 49.40% and 26.51%, respectively. Counties in southern Xinjiang were mainly of the sustained-population-growth type, while counties in northern Xinjiang had more types and were scattered, and were mainly of the land-growth type as a whole. (3) Factors such as the proportion of ethnic minority population, the comparison of industrial output value, and the number of medical beds per capita had a significant impact on the spatial matching level of urban population and land in most types of counties. The types of counties in southern Xinjiang were mainly affected by factors such as the ethnic population structure and medical conditions, while the counties in northern Xinjiang were mostly affected by factors such as the level of industrial coordination and urban spatial expansion. It is suggested to implement differentiated spatial governance and enhance coordination between southern and northern Xinjiang, thereby improving the level of human–land matching and promoting the integrated development of urban and rural areas. Full article

In Southwest China, traditional wooden buildings in historic villages commonly feature natural vegetation roofing materials, such as thatch or bamboo shingles, which are highly susceptible to fire. Existing research has primarily focused on traditional timber-frame buildings with tiled roofs, while limited attention has been given to those with natural vegetation roofs. This study, taking Wengding village in Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, as an exemplary case, conducts a fire risk assessment and explores fire prevention strategies for buildings with bamboo-wood frames and natural vegetation roofs on the basis of Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS): the application of fire-retardant coatings, the use of synthetic thatched roofing materials, and a combination of both. The results indicate that the strategy employing synthetic thatched roofing materials offers the best fire resistance performance. By integrating traditional fire prevention knowledge with modern technologies, this study provides a scientifically grounded reference for mitigating fire risks in historic buildings with natural vegetation roofs in China’s ethnic minority regions, aiming to enhance fire safety while preserving architectural authenticity. Full article