Determine the Food Access among Low-Income Households in Rural Area, Kedah, Malaysia

Objective - This study aims to determine the low-income group in rural areas to food access. This study also determines the main source of choice for this group to get food. Methodology - This study was conducted in Baling, Sik, and Padang Terap districts in Kedah. There is 200 respondent involved in this study. Findings - The results showed that 97.87% of low-income households in Baling, 82.36% in Sik, and 71.43% in Padang Terap had low food access status and were prone to food deserts areas. Low -income households in the area prefer grocery stores for food access over supermarkets. A large number of low-income households access food at the supermarket once a month causing geographical factors. Novelty - In conclusion, policymakers need to determine the measurement and assessment of food deserts in rural areas in Malaysia. Kedai Rakyat 1 Malaysia (KR1M) and the KedaiRuncit Transformation Program (TUKAR) can be re-implemented with the improvement of their implementation structure to improve food access in rural areas. Type of Paper - Empirical. Keywords: Food Access; Low-Income Households; Food Deserts; Rural Area; Kedah

Monitoring of Tourist Resources in Ruse and its Surroundings

Tourist resources, considered in a specific area unit, are a prerequisite for illustrating the result of geological and geographical factors. The theoretical foundations of the landscape are laid in the development, reduced to regional planning and development of the available natural and anthropogenic tourist resources. When the reader understands the significance of the study, the monitoring of tourist resources will take him to the land named "Little Vienna" - Ruse and its surroundings. The author's paradigm presents selected and suitable for advertising natural and anthropogenic tourist resources, on which to emphasize their wealth and importance for the country.

THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE WELFARE OF STREET VENDORS IN INDONESIA

This study aimed to examine how the welfare of street vendors is influenced byeducation, financial capital, geographical distance, and social networks. A mixedmethod approach that combines both quantitative and qualitative methods wasused. The results showed that the welfare of street vendors is at a low level andis simultaneously influenced by education, financial capital, geographicaldistance, and social networks with a determination value of r-square (r2) of 0.783or 78.3%. However, there is a need for further and in-depth studies on theinfluence of geographical factors and social networks on the welfare of streetvendors, especially on geographical factors with a significant influence onwelfare.

Large-Scale Characterization of the Soil Microbiome in Ancient Tea Plantations Using High-Throughput 16S rRNA and Internal Transcribed Spacer Amplicon Sequencing

There is a special interaction between the environment, soil microorganisms, and tea plants, which constitute the ecosystem of tea plantations. Influenced by environmental factors and human management, the changes in soil microbial community affected the growth, quality, and yield of tea plants. However, little is known about the composition and structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities in 100-year-old tea plantations and the mechanisms by which they are affected. In this regard, we characterized the microbiome of tea plantation soils by considering the bacterial and fungal communities in 448 soil samples from 101 ancient tea plantations in eight counties of Lincang city, which is one of the tea domestication centers in the world. 16S and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) rRNA high-throughput amplicon sequencing techniques were applied in this study. The results showed that the abundance, diversity, and composition of the bacterial and fungal communities have different sensitivity with varying pH, altitude, and latitude. pH and altitude affect soil microbial communities, and bacterial communities are more sensitive than fungi in terms of abundance and diversity to pH. The highest α-diversity of bacterial communities is shown in the pH 4.50–5.00 and 2,200-m group, and fungi peaked in the pH 5.00–5.50 and 900-m group. Because of environmental and geographical factors, all microbes are similarly changing, and further correlations showed that the composition and structure of bacterial communities are more sensitive than fungal communities, which were affected by latitude and altitude. In conclusion, the interference of anthropogenic activities plays a more important role in governing fungal community selection than environmental or geographical factors, whereas for the bacterial community, it is more selective to environment adaptation than to adaptation to human activities.

Pathophysiological substantiation of the specificity of ophthalmic morbidity in the Arctic region

Aim. To carry out a pathophysiological substantiation of the specificity of diseases of the organ of vision, developing under the influence of a complex of climatic and geographical factors of the Arctic region. Materials and methods. Using a retrospective epidemiological method of case-control study on the basis of branch No. 8 of FGKU 1469 VMKG of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, an analysis of the morbidity structure by ophthalmological profile for a three-year period (2018-2020) among military personnel aged 18 to 45 years military service in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Belushya Guba village. The method of analytical observation and data recording was used to assess the complex of unfavorable climatic and geographical factors of the Arctic region on the example of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Belushya Guba village. On the basis of an integral assessment of epidemiological and climatogeographic observations, a pathophysiological substantiation of the specificity of nosological groups of diseases of the organ of vision, developing under the influence of a complex of unfavorable factors of the Arctic region, is given. Results. The study involved 237 people. During the study period, 540 requests for ophthalmological help were registered. Of these, 64.26% are pathologies of inflammatory genesis, 32.6% are refractive disorders, 3.14% are diseases, the pathogenesis of which is associated with metabolic disorders in the body. The pathophysiological substantiation of the revealed morbidity structure according to the ophthalmological profile is due to the influence of a complex of unfavorable climatic and geographical factors of the Arctic region. Under the influence of wind and low temperatures, the structure of the tear film changes, the secretion of the meibomian glands becomes more viscous, as a result of which its concentration in the tear fluid decreases, and the eyes lose their protective barrier. The congealed secret clogs the ducts of the meibomian glands, which leads to their inflammation – meibomyitis. In turn, the insufficiency of the tear film provokes a decrease, and in more severe cases, a complete loss of natural tear production and the development of dry eye syndrome. The development of acute and chronic conjunctivitis is facilitated by a decrease in the reactivity of the body due to hypovitaminosis against the background of exposure to irritating climatic factors. With inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyelids, the frequency of inflammatory diseases of the lacrimal ducts and the lacrimal gland increases, which causes obstruction of the lacrimal tubules and hyperfunction of the lacrimal glands. On a polar night, the perception of bright lighting is aggravated, a long stay near which provokes the development of a spasm of accommodation and subsequently its habitual excessive stress. Lack of natural light during the polar night is a predisposing factor for the development of myopia. In addition, during the polar night, there is a high probability of developing A-vitamin deficiency, which results in impaired night vision, damage to the conjunctiva, and in more severe cases, the cornea. In the spring or early summer, when there is snow, and solar activity is high, the ultraviolet rays reflected from the snow enter the eyes, causing a retinal burn, ultraviolet ophthalmia develops. Conclusion. The impact of a complex of climatic and geographic factors of the Arctic region on the body provokes a restructuring of regulatory physiological processes and the launch of pathogenetic mechanisms leading to the emergence and development of inflammatory diseases of the eye and its accessory apparatus, refractive disorders, as well as pathology, which is based on metabolic disorders.

Phenological and Geographical Effects on Phenolic and Triterpenoid Content in Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. Leaves

Lingonberry leaves have been proposed as a potential raw material for nutraceutical products and functional food due to the richness of phenolic and triterpenic compounds. However, contents of these bioactive compounds tend to vary greatly with physiological, climatic, and edaphic conditions, resulting in lingonberry leaves’ nutritional-pharmaceutical quality changes. In this context, we examined the effects of seasonal and geographical factors on phenolic and triterpenoid contents in lingonberry leaves. Quantitative and qualitative differences between samples were determined using validated HPLC-PDA methods. A total of 43 bioactive compounds were found at a detectable level throughout the year in young and old lingonberry leaves, with the highest contents of most compounds observed in samples collected in autumn–first half of spring. This suggests the potential to exploit the continuous biosynthesis for a longer harvesting season. Considerable variations in phytochemical profiles of lingonberry leaves, obtained from 28 locations in Lithuania, were found. Correlation analyses revealed significant negative correlations between contents of particular constituents and sunshine duration, temperature, and precipitation, and positive correlation with air humidity, longitudes, and altitudes of collecting locations and macronutrients in soil. These results suggest that harsh weather is favorable for most identified compounds and it may be possible to achieve appropriate accumulation of secondary metabolites by adjusting edaphic conditions. Taken together, the accumulation of phenolics and triterpenoids in lingonberry leaves highly depends on phenological and geographical factors and the influence of both variables differ for the particular compounds due to different metabolic processes in response to stresses.

Genomic Variation Shaped by Environmental and Geographical Factors in Prairie Cordgrass Natural Populations Collected across Its Native Range in the USA

Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata Link) is a native perennial warm-season (C4) grass common in North American prairies. With its high biomass yield and abiotic stress tolerance, there is a high potential of developing prairie cordgrass for conservation practices and as a dedicated bioenergy crop for sustainable cellulosic biofuel production. However, as with many other undomesticated grass species, little information is known about the genetic diversity or population structure of prairie cordgrass natural populations as compared to their ecotypic and geographic adaptation in North America. In this study, we sampled and characterized a total of 96 prairie cordgrass natural populations with 9315 high quality SNPs from a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach. The natural populations were collected from putative remnant prairie sites throughout the Midwest and Eastern USA, which are the major habitats for prairie cordgrass. Partitioning of genetic variance using SNP marker data revealed significant variance among and within populations. Two potential gene pools were identified as being associated with ploidy levels, geographical separation, and climatic separation. Geographical factors such as longitude and altitude, and environmental factors such as annual temperature, annual precipitation, temperature of the warmest month, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of Spring, and precipitation of the wettest month are important in affecting the intraspecific distribution of prairie cordgrass. The divergence of prairie cordgrass natural populations also provides opportunities to increase breeding value of prairie cordgrass as a bioenergy and conservation crop.

PEMBERIAN NAMA DESA DI KABUPATEN LAHAT, PROVINSI SUMATERA SELATAN DALAM KAJIAN TOPONIMI DARATAN

Memberi nama desa merupakan upaya manusia memelihara dan menyelaraskan diri dengan lingkungannya. Pemberian nama desa merupakan salah satu bagian dari penamaan rupa bumi yang berasal dari unsur daratan. Permasalahan penamaan desa menggunakan rupa bumi daratan di Kabupaten Lahat, Provinsi Sumatera Selatan adalah: 1) Mengapa masyarakat Kabupaten Lahat dalam menamai suatu desa dihubungkan dengan pengalaman empiris yang dialami masyarakatnya? 2) Pola pikir apa saja yang melatarbelakangi masyarakat Kabupaten Lahat dalam proses pemberian nama desa di lingkungannya? Penelitian ini bertujuan menjabarkan faktor geografis dalam pemberian nama desa di Kabupaten Lahat berdasarkan suatu kajian toponimi daratan. Jenis penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif. Metode pengumpulan data dengan teknik wawancara dan dengan menyebar kuesioner pada informan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa pemberian nama desa di Kabupaten Lahat mengacu pada sumber daya alam di daratan serta sumber daya maritim. Sumber daya untuk penamaan desa tersebut antara lain menggunakan kata: bandar, gunung; karang; keban; kota; lahat; lawang; muara; padang; pagar; pajar pasar; pulau; talang; tanjung; dan lubuk. Di samping itu, kata-kata yang bermakna harapan juga digunakan. Naming a village is one of human’s way to persevere and harmonize with their environment. Giving a name to a village is a part of toponyms, specifically mainland toponyms. The problems discussed in relation to toponyms practices in Lahat Regency, South Sumatera Province are: 1) Why do people of Lahat Regency usually drawing a relation to empirical experiences of the inhabitant in naming a village? 2) What are the thought processes undertaken in naming their villages? This study aims to describe geographical factors in naming villages in Lahat Regency based on a mainland toponym. This is a descriptive qualitative research. The data were collected through interview and questionnaires. The results show that the naming of villages in Lahat Regency refers to mainland and maritime nature resources. Words pertaining to resources that are used for naming villages are as follow: bandar, gunung; karang; keban, kota, lahat, lawang, muara, padang, pagar, pajar, pasar, pulau, talang, tanjung, and lubuk. In addition, it also uses words that mean hope.