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When studying the human settlement process, it is of great significance to understand the prehistoric environment, economy and society by exploring the human–land relationship and the evolution of civilization reflected by the settlement environment. This paper explores the natural and social environmental preferences of early human settlements in Xinjiang, China, from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age (45 ka BP–2250 a BP). Through the characteristics of settlement preferences, the distribution of settlements is accurately predicted, and the relationship between settlement preferences and the evolution of the environment and civilization is verified and discussed. We summarize the needs and conditions of early human settlement from the perspectives of the social environment and natural environment and explain the stages, consistency and differentiation of the spatial and temporal evolution of settlement preferences with the interaction of adaptation and transformation. On this basis, we discuss the logical focuses and content of early human settlement preference research. This research provides a reference for the process, representation, driving mode, and research ideas of early human settlement preferences.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) remains a serious health threat to young children. Urumqi is one of the most severely affected cities in northwestern China. This study aims to identify the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of HFMD, and explore the relationships between driving factors and HFMD in Urumqi, Xinjiang. Methods: HFMD surveillance data from 2014 to 2018 were obtained from the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The center of gravity and geographical detector model were used to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of HFMD and identify the association between these characteristics and socioeconomic and meteorological factors. Results: A total of 10,725 HFMD cases were reported in Urumqi during the study period. Spatially, the morbidity number of HFMD differed regionally and the density was higher in urban districts than in rural districts. Overall, the development of HFMD in Urumqi expanded toward the southeast. Temporally, we observed that the risk of HFMD peaked from June to July. Furthermore, socioeconomic and meteorological factors, including population density, road density, GDP, temperature and precipitation were significantly associated with the occurrence of HFMD. Conclusions: HFMD cases occurred in spatiotemporal clusters. Our findings showed strong associations between HFMD and socioeconomic and meteorological factors. We comprehensively considered the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and influencing factors of HFMD, and proposed some intervention strategies that may assist in predicting the morbidity number of HFMD.

Background: As the global climate changes, the number of cases of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) is increasing year by year. This study comprehensively considers the association of time and space by analyzing the temporal and spatial distribution changes of HFMD in the Ili River Valley in terms of what climate factors could affect HFMD and in what way. Methods: HFMD cases were obtained from the National Public Health Science Data Center from 2013 to 2018. Monthly climate data, including average temperature (MAT), average relative humidity (MARH), average wind speed (MAWS), cumulative precipitation (MCP), and average air pressure (MAAP), were obtained from the National Meteorological Information Center. The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of HFMD from 2013 to 2018 were obtained using kernel density estimation (KDE) and spatiotemporal scan statistics. A regression model of the incidence of HFMD and climate factors was established based on a geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model and a generalized additive model (GAM). Results: The KDE results show that the highest density was from north to south of the central region, gradually spreading to the whole region throughout the study period. Spatiotemporal cluster analysis revealed that clusters were distributed along the Ili and Gongnaisi river basins. The fitted curves of MAT and MARH were an inverted V-shape from February to August, and the fitted curves of MAAP and MAWS showed a U-shaped change and negative correlation from February to May. Among the individual climate factors, MCP coefficient values varied the most while MAWS values varied less from place to place. There was a partial similarity in the spatial distribution of coefficients for MARH and MAT, as evidenced by a significant degree of fit performance in the whole region. MCP showed a significant positive correlation in the range of 15–35 mm, and MAAP showed a positive correlation in the range of 925–945 hPa. HFMD incidence increased with MAT in the range of 15–23 °C, and the effective value of MAWS was in the range of 1.3–1.7 m/s, which was positively correlated with incidences of HFMD. Conclusions: HFMD incidence and climate factors were found to be spatiotemporally associated, and climate factors are mostly non-linearly associated with HFMD incidence.

The published map recording cultural sites in Xinjiang shows that there is a lack of data collection on the distribution of sites in the area, and no relevant data sets have been released. Existing written materials indicate that there are more cultural sites in this area. For this reason, we have collected and sorted out information. Our cultural site database provides the geographic location and corresponding geographic environment of each site in Xinjiang from the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. The data record the human development and settlement process, settlement environment landscape characteristics, scale, type, quantity, and spatial distribution in Xinjiang in prehistoric China. These data not only are the basis for further understanding the spatial distribution of prehistoric humans in Xinjiang, but also provide references for understanding prehistoric human behavior and prehistoric man-land relationship, and the exchange of eastern and western civilizations. It is of great significance to modern social planning, site protection, and resource utilization.