Comment on nhess-2022-277

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> In the context of unprecedented extreme weather and climate events, the internal structural factors of society play a decisive role in the extent to which human beings are affected by disasters and their ability to respond to disasters. In the past few decades, the rapid urbanization process in developing countries represented by China has also greatly increased social vulnerability. The process has generated uneven living conditions and created many vulnerable groups, including urban poverty, migrants, and socially and geographically marginalized groups, who face difficulties in living conditions, education, livelihood stability, and so on. This study sets up indicators from a micro perspective: three indicators of exposure, four of sensitivity, and eight of adaptive capacity are involved. Based on this evaluation index system, this study conducts a social vulnerability assessment of the populations in Hongshan District, Wuhan City, China through individual questionnaire surveys. <em>K</em>-means cluster analysis was used to get the high, medium, and low levels of social vulnerability, which has achieved the comparison of different community types and the identification of vulnerable groups. The results show the close interrelationships between different types of communities in terms of physical and built environments, and different levels of social vulnerability to disasters, in particular pointing to the massive cluster of rural-to-urban migrants living in inferior urban villages, informal settlements in the city, and suffering especially from the instability of livelihoods. The quantitative understanding of the dissimilarity in the degree of social vulnerability between different communities and populations is of great significance for the reduction of social vulnerability and disaster risk specifically and pointedly.

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> In the context of unprecedented extreme weather and climate events, the internal structural factors of society play a decisive role in the extent to which human beings are affected by disasters and their ability to respond to disasters. In the past few decades, the rapid urbanization process in developing countries represented by China has also greatly increased social vulnerability. The process has generated uneven living conditions and created many vulnerable groups, including urban poverty, migrants, and socially and geographically marginalized groups, who face difficulties in living conditions, education, livelihood stability, and so on. This study sets up indicators from a micro perspective: three indicators of exposure, four of sensitivity, and eight of adaptive capacity are involved. Based on this evaluation index system, this study conducts a social vulnerability assessment of the populations in Hongshan District, Wuhan City, China through individual questionnaire surveys. <em>K</em>-means cluster analysis was used to get the high, medium, and low levels of social vulnerability, which has achieved the comparison of different community types and the identification of vulnerable groups. The results show the close interrelationships between different types of communities in terms of physical and built environments, and different levels of social vulnerability to disasters, in particular pointing to the massive cluster of rural-to-urban migrants living in inferior urban villages, informal settlements in the city, and suffering especially from the instability of livelihoods. The quantitative understanding of the dissimilarity in the degree of social vulnerability between different communities and populations is of great significance for the reduction of social vulnerability and disaster risk specifically and pointedly.

Landslides phenomena majority occur in area which is adjacent with mountain or hill where the soil and rock structure move down the slopes. It is caused by land instability such as loss of plants or trees in highland which have function of binding soil grains while maintaining pores of soil beneath. Based on data from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), one of districts/cities in East Java is categorized as prone against landslides is at Probolinggo District where 108 disaster occurred over 2021. Landslide disasters certainly have an impact on the environment and social aspects in vicinity. Therefore, this research aim to assess areas which has prone level against landslides in terms of social and environmental vulnerabilities through analysis of potential for landslide disasters in Probolinggo District. The research using weighting parameter methods in order to obtain the level of social and environmental vulnerability. It is divided into four categories namely low, medium, high, and very high. Maron sub-district become the largest area with very high level of social vulnerability about 33.7% of the area of one sub-district. Meanwhile, in area of environmental vulnerability which is dominated by very high levels of vulnerability is at Krucil sub-district about 88.5% of the area of one sub-district.

Purpose of this research to know 1) the level of social vulnerability, 2) socio economic description, and 3) mapping of comparison of social vulnerability in Watershed of Bengawan Solo covering Bojonegoro, Tuban, Lamongan and Gresik. The method used in this research by using Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) method as social vulnerability analysis tool and Geography Information System (GIS) analysis tool to map the area and its vulnerability level. The results showed the highest level of social vulnerability with the highest score of SoVI score obtained by Tuban Regency with SoVI score of 7, then Bojonegoro with SoVI score of 6, Lamongan with SoVI score of 4, and Gresik with SoVI score of 1. Bojonegoro And Kabupaten Tuban have the same highest score on the components of social vulnerability level, then Lamongan regency, and the lowest level of social vulnerability is in Gresik regency. For the grade of social vulnerability, Kabupaten Tuban and Bojonegoro are categorized into high social vulnerability classes, Lamongan District with moderate social vulnerability, and Gresik Regency with the lowest social vulnerability.

The Taihu Lake plain is a highly urbanized region in China with many water-related environmental problems. Although point-source pollution has been effectively controlled by government legislation, urban surface runoff pollution is still a major issue. Different types of urban communities were selected for rainfall runoff experiments. According to the monitoring data of rainfall events, multiple methods were used to analyze the characteristics of surface runoff pollution and estimate the pollution load for different types of communities. The results indicated that surface runoff from urban communities reduced the river water quality. Certain degrees of the 'first flush' effect occurred in different types of urban communities. The surface runoff pollution in the commercial residential community was weaker than that in commercial and private residential communities; however, the first flush occurred more frequently in the commercial residential community. Holding back 30% of the surface runoff could effectively improve the runoff water quality in commercial and private residential communities as well as the commercial residential community with restaurants. In the commercial residential community, 25% of surface runoff should be held to improve runoff water quality effectively. The loads of pollutants, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, in urban communities in the Taihu Lake basin were higher than those in other regions in China. This research can assist with the reduction of surface runoff pollution in highly urbanized communities.

Prefrontal cortical lobe function is related to social behavior in humans. We investigated whether performance on tests of prefrontal cortical function was associated with social vulnerability. Associations with non-frontal cognitive function were investigated for comparison. 1216 participants aged 70+ of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging-2 screening examination, who also underwent detailed neuropsychological testing, comprised the study sample. Performance on WAIS-R abstraction, WAIS-R comprehension, Trails B, FAS and category verbal fluency, Block construction, Token Test and Wechsler Memory Scale Information Subset was tested in relation to the participant's level of social vulnerability using regression models adjusted for age, education, sex, frailty, MMSE score, diagnosis of depression, and use of psychoactive medications. Social vulnerability was measured by an index comprising many social problems or "deficits". The most socially vulnerable group had worse performance on FAS verbal fluency, generating 4.1 fewer words (95% CI: 1.8-6.4, p<0.001) than those in the least socially vulnerable group; those with intermediate social vulnerability generated 2.6 fewer words (95% CI: 0.4-4.8, p = 0.02). Social vulnerability was also associated, though less strongly, with category verbal fluency. The most socially vulnerable people had impaired performance on the Trails B, taking 37 seconds longer (95% CI: 11-63, p = 0.005). These results were independent of age, education, sex, frailty, MMSE score, depression, and psychoactive medications. Social vulnerability was not associated with performance on WAIS-R abstraction, WAIS-R comprehension, Block Design, Token Test or Wechsler Memory Scale tests. High social vulnerability was associated with impaired performance on verbal fluency and set shifting but not with common sense judgment, abstraction, long-term memory, constructional ability, or language comprehension. The association between social functioning and the cognitive functions subserved by prefrontal cortex warrants further study.

This research aims to model urban heat islands in Natal, located on the coast of northeast Brazil, and to relate their spatial distribution to social vulnerability. Natal has a population of 750,000. The modeling of its urban heat islands was conducted using a database of thirty days of field data collected with fifteen thermometers. The Local Climate Zones (LCZ) of the study area were delineated using the R package LCZ4r. After delineating the LCZs, the temperature data were interpolated. Social vulnerability levels were calculated based on social data collected in the most recent national census, at the census tract level. Eight social variables were used to compose the index, covering income, education, age, and race. Each census tract in the city was classified by its level of social vulnerability on a scale from one (slightly socially vulnerable) to ten (highly socially vulnerable). The temperature data were then overlaid with the social vulnerability data. In the most socially vulnerable regions, there are few green spaces, the areas are more densely occupied, and urban structures such as parks and squares are rarely present, leading to higher temperatures. In areas with lower social vulnerability, the roads are wider, the blocks are less densely occupied, and green spaces are more prevalent, contributing to cooler temperatures. Furthermore, in the most socially vulnerable areas, the population's capacity to adapt to extreme temperature events is considered lower, making these areas more urgent for the implementation of public policies. This study aims to contribute to the discussion on Urban Climate Justice and to support the implementation of effective urban policies, particularly in the Global South, which faces significant climate and social challenges.

Ensuring the social resistance of the country is a fundamental prerequisite not only for improving the quality of life of the population and its well-being but also for minimizing the social vulnerability of certain categories of the population and territories, reducing social tension, and increasing the level of satisfaction of citizens’ interests. The presence of systemic destabilizing influences on the development of socio-economic relations complicates the implementation of mechanisms and policy tools to weaken the social vulnerability of the population. The article aims to create and test a methodical approach to assessing the level of social vulnerability of the population of Ukraine (spatial approach) and identify differentiated gaps in the values of social vulnerability of the Carpathian region and other regions of Ukraine. The methodology for assessing the level of social vulnerability of the regions of Ukraine provides for the use of an innovative composition of indicators, a multiplicative form of the integrated index, and a formalized verification of the weighting coefficients of indicators. The transformational changes taking place in the economic system and social sphere of the country and its regions have led to the choice of the appropriate structure of the system of social vulnerability indicators for a territory: (1) social tension; (2) employment and labour market; (3) income and expenses of the population; (4) social infrastructure; (5) education. The results of the empirical study show that the oblasts of the Carpathian region have a much higher level of social vulnerability, which correlates with socio-economic trends in the region. Among the regions of the Carpathian region of Ukraine, Lviv region has the highest values of indicators in terms of components ‘Social tension’, ‘Employment and labor market’, ‘Education’, and Transcarpathian region – the lowest. According to the ‘Social Infrastructure’ component, Ivano-Frankivsk region is a leading region. Overcoming the identified destructive influences objectively requires the substantiation of scientific and applied provisions for the formation of an effective mechanism for strengthening the social resilience of the territory in conditions of economic turbulence.

Coastal areas play a vital role by providing some people with their source of livelihood. Coastal areas are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rise (SLR), which could damage infrastructure and threaten the socio-economic conditions of communities, thus making the regions vulnerable. Semarang City located in a coastal zone, and one of the coastal settlements in Semarang City experiencing the impacts of climate change is Tambak Lorok in North Semarang District. Adaptive capacity is needed for solutions to climate change vulnerability. This study aims to determine the level of vulnerability due to tidal flood disasters resulting from climate change in coastal settlements. In this initial stage, this study assesses the level of vulnerability and uses a quantitative approach. Through lessons learned by comparing the conditions of vulnerability in Bilu Village, Banjarmasin City, differences in capacity vulnerability were obtained. Tambak Lorok has a low level of social vulnerability, while Bilu Village has a medium level of vulnerability. Assessments related to social vulnerability are identified through individual and community capacity indicators measured at the household and community levels. Differences in the conditions of coastal areas and the impacts of climate change that occur affect the level of vulnerability of these areas.

Differences in social vulnerability among individuals with autism spectrum disorder, Williams syndrome, and Down syndrome

The development and management of flood-prone information systems is needed by many parties, especially the public. In this research, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) presents an approach to detecting flood-prone areas by combining it with a Geographic Information System (GIS). AHP analysis is used to determine the weight and value of each assessment criterion, and then the results are integrated into the GIS system to produce a flood forecast map. The results obtained show that mapping of flood-prone zones can be carried out rationally and consistently based on AHP by considering four criteria, namely land use, soil type, slope, and rainfall. The results of the analysis of the zoning map show that the areas with a high level of flood vulnerability are on the north and west sides. The area around the Lembar port has a high level of vulnerability. Eyat Mayang Village also has a high level of vulnerability. Locations with a high level of flood vulnerability, caused by flooding through rivers located not far from the sea estuary.

Earthquakes, as one of the common natural phenomena in China, can directly lead to the collapse of buildings and trigger secondary effects such as landslides and tsunamis, often resulting in significant property losses and casualties. Therefore, conducting seismic risk assessments for regions holds great practical significance. Current disaster research typically requires a comprehensive consideration of the probabilities of disaster-causing factors, the instability of disaster-prone environments, and the vulnerability of disaster-bearing entities. In low seismic risk areas, studying the vulnerability of these entities is particularly important. However, most current research on social vulnerability (SV) in the context of earthquake disasters employs a single weighting method, which is largely constrained by data types and makes it challenging to fully reflect the characteristics of social vulnerability. To address this issue, this study focuses on Changchun City and constructs a comprehensive index system consisting of 12 indicators from the perspectives of exposure, sensitivity, and coping capacity. The TOPSIS model and game theory-based combined weighting method have been utilized to calculate the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI). In this framework, subjective weights were determined using the G2 method, while objective weights were computed by integrating the CRITIC method and the entropy weighting method, thus forming a more scientifically reasonable weight distribution approach. The results of various weighting combinations demonstrate that the model can effectively express social vulnerability and further elucidate the influence of each indicator on regional vulnerability. The findings indicate that Chaoyang District and Yushu City exhibit high levels of social vulnerability. This paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the reasons behind this phenomenon and proposes corresponding policy recommendations, providing specific guidance for mitigating social vulnerability in these areas. This research is fundamentally significant for promoting the implementation of earthquake disaster prevention and reduction planning in Changchun City and fostering sustainable regional development.

Objective. Evaluate the spatial distribution of health services in primary care according to the characteristics of social vulnerability in the city of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.Methods. Selection of the census tracts that compose each human development unit was performed, creating a geographic database. Indicators were selected for each territorial unit and two constructs of social vulnerability were predicted using principal component analysis: one crude and other weighted by the population size. Four maps were created showing quintiles distribution of the constructs, with an overlap of spatial distribution of the coverage area of the family health and oral health teams. The descriptive analyzes of each map were performed.Results. 62.1% of the territories of the existing family health teams and 74.2% of the oral health teams were located in areas of greater social vulnerability, represented by the two worst construct quintiles. However, when considering the resident population, an increase of the teams coverage in areas of lower weighted vulnerability was observed.Conclusion. Despite low coverage the health teams were concentrated on areas of greater social vulnerability. Considering the population distribution of the municipality would allow an even more equitable distribution of health teams regarding organizational accessibility once it is expected that an equitable geographical distribution minimize barriers to access and improve the health conditions and quality of life of the population. The differences in levels of social vulnerability must be considered when making health policies, especially in places where the healthcare territorial coverage is low.

Testicular torsion disparities in the pediatric population

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading contributor to morbidity and mortality in the United States, with documented disparities in screening rates across racial lines. This study examined the intersection of race and social vulnerability in CRC screening rates. We examined 117,424 patients eligible for CRC screening in New York State. We assessed CRC screening among individuals aged 45-80 based on Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set guidelines. We used Social Vulnerability Indices (SVIs) geocoded to each patient's census track. We employed log-binomial multivariate regression models with interaction terms to evaluate the effects of race and social vulnerability on CRC screening rates, while controlling for age, sex, marital status, and community type. Among 117,424 patients eligible for CRC screening, 75.2% of patients (n = 88,276) were effectively screened. Screening rates varied based on race (White 76.2%; Black 64.4%; P < 0.0001). CRC screening rates declined with increasing social vulnerability among both Black and White patients. Among patients in the most socially vulnerable groups, the adjusted rate of screening was 3.8%-8.4% lower for Black patients compared to White patients. In contrast, within the least socially vulnerable (most affluent) group, there was no statistical difference in the rate of CRC screening by race (adjusted risk ratio = 0.981; P = 0.201). The impact of social vulnerability was experienced disproportionately by Black patients. Among patients living in the most vulnerable census tracts, Black patients were significantly less likely to be screened for CRC compared to White patients facing similar social vulnerability. In contrast, we did not observe a difference in screening rates by race in the most affluent (least socially vulnerable) group.