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With the ever-increasing urbanization process, systematically modeling people's activities in the urban space is being recognized as a crucial socioeconomic task. It is extremely challenging due to the lack of reliable data and suitable methods, yet the emergence of population-scale urban mobility data sheds new light on it. However, recent works on discovering activity patterns from urban mobility data are still limited in terms of concisely and specifically modeling the temporal dynamics of people's urban activities. To bridge the gap, we present a State-sharing Hidden Markov Model (SSHMM), a novel time-series modeling method that uncovers urban dynamics with massive urban mobility data. SSHMM models the urban dynamics from two aspects. First, it extracts the urban states from the whole city, which captures the volume of population flows as well as the frequency of each type of Point of Interests (PoIs) visited. Second, it characterizes the urban dynamics of each urban region as the state transition on the shared-states, which reveals distinct daily rhythms of urban activities. We evaluate our method via large-scale real-life mobility dataset. The results demonstrate that SSHMM learns semantics-rich urban dynamics, which are highly correlated with the functions of the region. Besides, it recovers the urban dynamics in different time slots with RMSE of 0.0793 when only learn limited states for the whole city, which outperforms the general HMM by 54.2 percent.

Majority of the Island inhabitants depends on groundwaters for drinking therefore the hydrogeochemistry and health risks assessment with respect to WHO standards is absolutely essential for protection policy formulation. The groundwater samples for analyses were collected from selected four wells within each (Chukwani-Mbweni, DarajaMbovu - Amani and Mwanakwerekwe) suburb during the moderate rainy season of January2020.The selection was based on their strategic positions taking into consideration relevant geographical and environmental factors commensurable with this study. Various contaminants and physiochemical parameters were determined using Atomic Absorption spectroscopy, GC/MS, Temp/pH/TDS/EC meter and DR/3900 spectrophotometer. Chemical Oxygen Demand values were also determined. Microbial contamination was determined using the MPN technique. The results shows that these groundwaters are slightly alkaline, microbially contaminated, have high C.O.D. values ranging from 188.5 to 305.7 mg/L indicating the existence of some organic based endocrine disruptive elements, and disparities in water quality parameters with respect to the recommended WHO standards thus ascertaining possible public health risks. The research recommends the need for continuous monitoring, assessment and treatment of these raw groundwaters for drinking at the point of collection rather relying on the old conventional boiling method or drinkingas it is.

Physical activity is one of the important components to support individual fitness and health. This study aims to determine differences in physical activity between male and female students of class V in urban areas during school breaks. This type of research is comparative descriptive. The research sample consisted of 54 elementary school students of grade V in urban areas in Depok Subdistrict, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region. The technique used to determine the research sample is purposive sampling. The instrument in this study was the Nesco FJ 101 pedometer. The data analysis technique used in this study is a percentage. The results showed that the mean value of the male students 'physical activity level was 1897.5, while the female students' mean score was 1507. Based on the results obtained, there were differences between male and female students. It can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the physical activity levels of male and female grade V students during school breaks in the DIY urban area.

Increasing levels of ozone and nitrogen oxides may have damaging effects on the ambient environment, vegetation, public health and climate. Therefore, ozone chemistry is crucial to understand in fa...

Background: Tobacco has been a prevalent cause of disease burden over India since decades. Gap in awareness among the population leads to use of tobacco, causing a number of deaths across India. Objectives: The study aimed at assessing prevalence, attitude, knowledge gap harbouring in the urban population of Maharashtra. Effect of mass media was gauged along with the ability of people to avoid their addiction. Materials and Methods: A quantitative, online Google form based Questionnaire survey was conducted in a convenient sample of urban population across Maharashtra. 344 people participated following, the data was analysed using Microsoft Excel. Results: 29.1% (n=100) of the urban population were Tobacco users, most of which having Undergraduate/Postgraduate Educational qualification. 25% (n=61) of Non users didn’t know about the tobacco content in various products. Majority of Tobacco users were aware of the risk of Tobacco use causing heart attacks and also hold an opinion that smoking should be banned in public places. 38% (n=91) Tobacco users felt that there was a lack of impact of Tobacco use on social behaviour. People with different education levels consumed cigarettes/bidis the most. Conclusion: Higher educated class was found to have a higher conscious decision in Tobacco Usage. The need for Mass media enhancement was felt due to low impact on quitting behaviour. Tobacco was found to have a low impact on socializing, and it's true effects can be studied in future. Keywords: Awareness, Education, Maharashtra, Middle-class, Smoking, Tobacco Non-users, Tobacco users.

W pracy przedstawiono ocenę aktualnych działań promocyjnych w Kielcach oraz w gminach miejsko-wiejskich powiatu kieleckiego wraz ze wskazaniem głównych problemów w zakresie funkcjonowania w nich promocji turystycznej. Do oceny przeprowadzonej w 45 obiektach turystycznych reprezentujących gminy zastosowano autorski system punktacji, uwzględniając 7 aspektów i 21 podkategorii promocyjnych. Pozwolił on na obiektywną ocenę działań w zakresie promocji turystyki w jednostkach administracyjnych. Wyniki oceny syntetycznej wskazują, że najwyższą liczbę punktów, poza gminą Kielce, uzyskała gmina Chęciny, która posiada utrwaloną tradycję promowania turystyki i ma w tym zakresie duże osiągnięcia. Stwierdzono również wysoką pozycję gmin Nowa Słupia i Bodzentyn, co wynika z położenia na ich obszarze atrakcji krajoznawczych o znaczeniu krajowym. Z kolei gminy miejsko-wiejskie ustanowione w ostatnich latach w prezentowanej ocenie uzyskały najniższą punktację, co może być efektem małych doświadczeń w podejmowaniu profesjonalnych działań promocyjnych oraz skromniejszych możliwości finansowych.

Introducción: El consumo de embutidos se ha asociado con serios problemas de salud que son comunes entre la población femenina. En el 2015 la Agencia Internacional para la Investigación en Cáncer clasificó los embutidos, como carcinógenos para los seres humanos ya que su ingesta está relacionada con el cáncer colorrectal. El aumento en el consumo de embutidos, los cuales son un alimento fuente de proteína de bajo costo, es diferencial según nivel socioeconómico y puede tener un impacto en la incidencia de enfermedades crónicas en la población. Objetivo: examinar la asociación entre el consumo de embutidos y (a) la ingesta total de proteína, (b) la ingesta inadecuada de proteína, según NSE. Métodos: Se seleccionó una muestra (N = 135) de mujeres de 25 a 45 años, con 1 a 4 hijos, pertenecientes a tres diferentes niveles socioeconómicos, residentes de dos cantones del Gran Área Metropolitana de San José, Costa Rica, entre junio 2014 y marzo 2015. Mediante el uso de fotografías se indagó la percepción de las mujeres en cuanto al costo y su preferencia de consumo de 12 distintos alimentos, entre los cuales se incluyó los embutidos. Por medio de recordatorios alimentarios de 24 horas recolectados en tres visitas diferentes, y el uso de la base de datos de composición de alimentos ValorNut, se midió el consumo de proteína total en gramos y se determinó la cantidad promedio de veces por día que las mujeres consumen embutidos. A partir del peso de cada participante se determinó su requerimiento de proteína. La ingesta inadecuada de proteína se estimó como la diferencia entre el requerimiento y la ingesta observada. Mediante un modelo de regresión lineal se determinó la asociación entre el consumo total de proteína medido en gramos y la cantidad de veces por día que se ingiere embutidos. Mediante un modelo de regresión logística se estimó la asociación entre la ingesta inadecuada de proteína y la cantidad de veces por día que se ingiere embutidos. Resultados: Los embutidos son percibidos como la fuente de proteína menos apetecible, sin embargo, fue la tercera fuente de proteína más consumida. El consumo de embutidos difiere según NSE (P < 0.01), en el alto NSE es donde se consumen con menor frecuencia. Los embutidos más comúnmente consumidos fueron mortadela (bajo NSE), salchichón (NSE medio), y jamón de pavo (alto NSE). El consumo de embutidos se asocia significativamente con un incremento en la ingesta de proteína. Se encontró una asociación inversa entre el NSE y la ingesta inadecuada de proteína. Conclusiones: El consumo de embutidos está asociado con el nivel socioeconómico. Es probable que las mujeres consuman embutidos porque los perciben como un alimento fuente de proteína de bajo costo. Se requiere establecer estrategias educativas que ayuden a las mujeres a identificar sus necesidades alimentarias de proteína y a conciliar estas necesidades con la adquisición de alimentos saludables a un costo aceptable. Introduction: Intake of processed meats has been associated with serious health problems that are common among women. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified processed meats as human carcinogens, associated specifically with colon cancer. The increase in intake of processed meats, which are a low-cost source of dietary protein, varies by socioeconomic status (SES) and can impact chronic disease incidence. Objective: Examine the association between processed meats intake and (a) total protein intake, (b) inadequate protein intake, by SES. Methods: This study included a representative sample (N = 135) of women age 25 to 45 years, with one to four children, from three different socioeconomic groups who were residents of two counties from the Greater Metropolitan Area of San José, Costa Rica between June 2014 and March 2015. Using photographs, we examined women’s perceptions of the cost and perceived desirability of 12 different foods, including processed meats. Using 24-hour dietary recalls collected on three different days, and the ValorNut food composition database, we estimated total protein intake, in grams, and determined the intake frequency (times/day) of processed meat. Each women’s dietary protein requirement was estimated based on her bodyweight. Inadequate protein intake was calculated as the difference between protein requirement and actual intake. A linear regression model was used to determine the association between total protein intake in grams and intake frequency (times/day) of processed meat. A logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between low protein intake and intake frequency (times/day) of processed meat. Results: Processed meats were perceived as the least preferred protein source but were the third most commonly consumed protein source. Consumption of processed meats differed by SES and was lower in the higher SES group (P < 0.01). The most commonly consumed processed meats by SES were “mortadella” (low-SES), sausages (middle-SES), and sliced turkey/ham (high-SES). Processed meat intake was significantly associated with an increase in protein intake. There was an inverse association between SES and inadequate protein intake. Conclusions: Processed meat intake is associated with SES. Women may consume processed meats because they are perceived to be a low-cost protein source. Educational strategies are needed to help women identify their protein needs and meet those needs with healthier and affordable dietary alternatives. UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Instituto de Investigaciones en Salud (INISA) UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Medicina::Escuela de Nutrición

While the social and economic costs and benefits of new gambling locations have been studied extensively, less is known about how new venues are experienced in view of city residents’ spatial and sociocultural identities. This study examines residents’ opinions and expectations on a new small-scale casino in the City of Tampere, Finland, as a case of new gambling opportunities in an urban setting. Nine focus group interviews were conducted with 43 Tampere residents three years prior to the scheduled casino opening. The study points out ways in which the residents struggled conceptually with the casino project. When speaking about it, participants drew on an imagery of popular culture, drawing a sharp line between casino gambling and the everyday convenience gambling so omnipresent in Finnish society. As residents of a historical industrial urban region, the participants positioned themselves as critical towards the municipality’s aims to brand the venue in a larger experience economy entity. By drawing on the concepts of city image and city identity, the study is able to demonstrate that the cultural geographical intrusion of new physical gambling spaces can appear as harmful to the city character. In the studied case, this is likely to hamper the City of Tampere’s chances to prevail on the very same experience market, of which the new casino is part.

The paper reports a study on the air quality over Kolkata, India during the transition period from post-monsoon to winter. A fuzzy binary relation based approach is implemented to O3, N O2 and P M2 5 and the overall air quality index (AQI). Individual pollutants have been converted to fuzzy sets based on their concentrations as elements of the universe of discourse with appropriate fuzzy membership functions defined on them. AQI has been divided into categories based on the recommendations of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Govt of India. After defining the fuzzy relations, the fuzzy composite relations have been derived to construct fuzzy membership matrices based on the composite binary fuzzy relations. Afterwards, the membership grades of the matrices for the composite fuzzy binary relations have been studied and N O2 along with O3 have been consideblack as having highly significant influence on the overall AQI over the polluted study zone during the transition from post-monsoon to winter.

Gentrification research is often based on aerial units that function as proxies for neighborhoods. Despite the applicability of this approach, the method is susceptible to the modifiable aerial uni...

Urban region functions are the types of potential activities in an urban region, such as residence, commerce, transportation, entertainment, etc. A service which mines urban region functions is of great value for various applications, including urban planning and transportation management, etc. Many studies have been carried out to dig out different regions’ functions, but few studies are based on social media text analysis. Considering that the semantic information embedded in social media texts is very useful to infer an urban region’s main functions, we design a service which extracts human activities using Sina Weibo ( www.weibo.com ; the largest microblog system in Chinese, similar to Twitter) with location information and further describes a region’s main functions with a function vector based on the human activities. First, we predefine a variety of human activities to get the related activities corresponding to each Weibo post using an urban function classification model. Second, urban regions’ function vectors are generated, with which we can easily do some high-level work such as similar place recommendation. At last, with the function vectors generated, we develop a Web application for urban region function querying. We also conduct a case study among the urban regions in Beijing, and the experiment results demonstrate the feasibility of our method.

This paper sets out to explore the contribution of JESSICA projects to enhancing the territorialcohesion of urban areas. We apply a slightly modified TARGET_TIA methodology to assess theterritorial impacts of those projects in the city of Poznań. It is found that the JESSICA projectsbrought about positive territorial effects in deprived urban areas, however, their impacts arequite varied. More exactly, the results demonstrate that projects which most closely addressedthe specific needs of the particular urban areas make the greatest contribution to improving theterritorial cohesion of a city. It is also suggested that the complexity of JESSICA projects shouldhave a higher priority in granting a JESSICA loan.

Frequently, a single-value metric is needed to rank urban regions with respect to the level of multiracial segregation or to compare a segregation level of a single urban region at two different times. Assessment of segregation depends not only on a metric used but also on a choice of region’s partitioning. The standard practice is to partition the region into single-scale subregions. In the United States, census tracts are the subregions of choice. Census aggregation units including tracts are delineated without a direct regard to racial homogeneity and are in fact heterogeneous. Consequently, using tracts as subdivisions leads to the underestimation of the segregation level of the entire region. Here we propose to partition a region into racial enclaves—units having boundaries that align with transitions between different racial compositions. By reflecting true demographic structure, such units minimize their internal racial inhomogeneity resulting in improved assessment of segregation. Enclaves are defined as aggregates of adjacent census blocks (smallest and the most racially homogeneous census units) of similar composition. In a typical US urban region, effective population size of enclaves is an order of magnitude larger than the size of a census tract and yet the segregation calculated based on enclaves is larger than segregation based on census tracts. The proposed methodology is described and applied to a set of 61 largest cities in the US in their metropolitan statistical areas as well as their urban areas boundaries using 1990 and 2010 block-level data. The method is compared to the standard methodology using correlations between cities’ segregation rankings.

Indonesia is home to more than 260 million people and is one of the world’s most rapidly urbanizing countries. Between 1980 and 2010, Indonesia’s urban population grew about fourfold, from 32.8 to 118.3 million. Using data from National Census publications, this article examines the urbanization patterns and trends in urban growth in Indonesia from 1980 to 2010. The urbanization process has increased the number of cities in Indonesia from 50 to 94 and expanded large urban regions. Most of these expanded urban regions are located on the island of Java, including the metropolitan areas of Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Semarang, Malang, Surakarta and Yogyakarta. The article also identifies the emergence of non-statutory towns and new extended urban regions outside the jurisdictions of urban municipalities. The policy implications of the emergence of such urban areas are additionally discussed.

Understanding shopping visitors’ behavior and preferences is important for tourism and retail business. This paper introduces geo-tagged photos on a social media platform as an additional data resource to study spatiotemporal behavior and preferences of visitors at shopping locations. We propose a novel framework that uses geo-tagged photos within an urban region for identifying shopping locations and then discovering spatiotemporal behavior and preferences of visitors at the identified shopping spots. We present a case study of Los Angeles City, California, USA. The analysis results give insights into spatiotemporal behavior and preferences of shopping visitors in different groups of shopping locations such as shopping mall, plaza, market and so on. The results also reveal the preferences of shopping visitors in groups of shopping locations classified by selling products. In addition, the preferences between domestic and international shopping visitors are also uncovered. The proposed approach and findings of the case study are beneficial to tourism managers and the managers of shopping places, especially those in Los Angeles, in understanding spatiotemporal behavior and preferences of shopping visitors. This can help to improve the activities of promoting and attracting tourists to visit local shopping locations.

Introduction Escherichia coli ST131 is the most common multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli clone causing bloodstream infections (BSIs) in Calgary. This study describes patient characteristics and spatial distribution of ST131 subclades C1 and C2 causing BSIs in Calgary. Methods E. coli from blood (n = 685) obtained in Calgary, Canada, (2016) were PCR screened for ST131 and positives (n = 141) underwent whole genome sequencing. Patient characteristics were analysed using Fisher’s Exact/t-tests and spatial analysis was used to identify clusters. Results Overall, 21% of E. coli was identified as ST131 and clade C dominated the population. ST131-C2 was associated with blaCTX-M-15 and significantly more MDR than ST131-C1. The spatial distribution in Calgary showed that ST131-C1 was mainly present in long-term care (LTC) residents whereas ST131-C2 clustered in a specific North East (NE) Calgary sector comprising of six neighbourhoods without LTC centres. This NE sector has high immigration and travel rates from the Indian subcontinent. Conclusions This study showed that ST131 C subclades have different geographical distribution patterns in Calgary. We believe that recent travel to and immigration from certain high-risk regions for antimicrobial resistance are responsible for the ST131-C2 NE Calgary clustering pattern.

Movement competence is a critical component for a young child. It may be an important prerequisite for engagement in physical activity (PA) later in life. Objective: This study was carried out to determine whether movement competence of children differed according to their geographical regions? Methods: 35 children (19 boys, 16 girls) from urban (Cairo) region schools, and 25 children (13 boys, 12 girls) from rural (Al Minia) region schools were included in the study. Movement competence was evaluated using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) instrument (Ulrich, 2000). Results: A significant relationship was revealed between urban and rural Egyptian children aged 6-7 years in movement competence and Boys found to be better on movement competence when compared with girls in rural region while girls were better than boys in urban region. Conclusion: The movement competence of the Egyptian child is affected by the different geographical region in which he lives.

The paper complements the visual observation and ethnographic emphasis of much of the literature on ethnoburbs by offering a spatial analysis of suburban immigrant settlements. The research focuses on the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), Canada’s most populous urban region. The region is especially well suited to an investigation of the suburban distribution of immigrants because of its exceptionally large and diversified influx of immigrants. The study concentrates on the two largest recent GTHA immigrant groups, Chinese and South Asians, and assesses their spatial evolution between 2006 and 2016. It demonstrates that immigrant suburban spatial patterning can take different spatial forms according to the ethnic groups under consideration—clustering in the case of the Chinese and a blending of clustering and dispersion for the South Asians. It also shows that ethnoburbs come in different guises reflecting the size and composition of different ethnic groups. Another finding concerns the evolution of ethnoburbs. The paper identifies different ethnoburb growth trajectories, but also acknowledges the possibility of a reduced presence of ethnoburbs in the future. Finally, by drawing findings from prior research on ethnoburbs, it elaborates on the gravity effect exerted by large clusters of ethnic retailing, services, and institutions on the different settlements of a given ethnic group.

Atmospheric iodine chemistry can significantly affect the atmospheric oxidation capacity in certain regions. In such processes, particle-phase organic iodine compounds (OICs) are key reservoir species in their loss processes. However, their presence and formation mechanism remain unclear, especially in continental regions. Using gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry coupled with both electron capture negative ionization and electron impact sources, this study systematically identified unknown OICs in 2-year samples of ambient fine particulate matter (PM

Dengue prevention and control more reliant on reducing its vector, Aedes sp. mosquitoes by mosquito breeding nest eradication method. Therefore, identification of the primary container of the Aedes sp. breeding site particularly in the urban region of dengue-endemic area is a crucial effort to conduct an effective dengue prevention program. This research aimed to identify the primary container of the Aedes sp. breeding site in the urban region of the dengue-endemic area. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, located in an urban region of dengue-endemic area within Banyumas Regency of Central Java Indonesia. A total of 300 houses in three urban areas were observed in urban areas of Purwokerto namely Arcawinangun, Purwanegara, and Karangpucung (100 houses each area). A total of 1504 water-holding containers were observed. All container was observed and recorded the type, color, lid condition, position, and the presence of mosquito larvae. The analysis was conducted by calculating the percentage of types, color, lid condition, and position of the container also the presence of mosquito larvae. The result of this study highlighted that flower pots and bathtubs were the primary types of containers with Aedes sp. larvae in the urban area. The characteristics of larvae-positive containers mostly open, bright, and located indoor position. Dengue prevention efforts by targeting the primary types of containers for mosquito breeding are expected to reduce the adult mosquito population.

The Munich Metropolitan Area (MMA) is embarking on becoming a more polycentric urban region. For long, the monocentric city model has provided strong explanatory power in understanding the location...

The article is devoted to the subject of urban greenery. The paper attempts to present real green areas and not only those that have such a purpose featuring in lists and registers. The authors also refer to the topic of availability of urban greenery for the residents of the city, taking into account an uneven density of places of residence. The aim of the article is to present the method for assessing the availability of green areas around places of residence, using spatial data showing residential buildings and official data on greenery. The relevant analyses are based on a regular network of squares of 90 m × 90 m. It was found that Łódź is a city with rich greenery resources. However, this judgment needs revising because a significant part of the residents both in their places of residence (R = 50 m) and further surroundings (R = 500 m) do not have access to green areas intended for recreation.

Every year thousands of urban and industrial fires occur, which leads to the destruction of infrastructure, buildings, and loss of lives. One of the reasons behind this is the delayed transmission of information to the fire station and the nearer hospitals for ambulance service as the transmission of information is dependent on observer at the location where the fire is caught and cellular network. This paper proposed an automated routing protocol for the urban vehicular ad-hoc network to send the information from the location where the fire is caught to the nearest fire stations and hospitals with optimum service time. This transmission of information involves Road Side Unit (RSU) at the junction and the vehicles present in the transmission path. Selection of route to transmit faulty vehicle information from the RSU to the required faulty vehicle is based on a parameter called path value. The computation of path value is done by the attributes such as expected End To End (E2E) delay, the shortest distance to destination, the density of vehicle between the junctions, and attenuation. From the current junction, the selection of the next junction is based on minimum path value. The proposed routing protocol considers the performance parameters such as E2E delay, total service time (TST), number of network fragments or network gaps, number of hops, and attenuation for the propagation path for the evaluation of the proposed methodology. The proposed routing algorithm is implemented through OmNet++ and SUMO. Results obtained for the proposed routing protocol is compared with three existing VANET protocols (GSR, A-STAR, and ARP) in terms of End To End delay, number of hops, number of vehicular gaps, and Total Service Time (TST).

Anatomic stage of cancer is a key factor in cancer prognosis and provides vital information in almost all types of cancer. The anatomic stage used to represent stage of cancer which shows attributes of tumor - T, number of affected lymph node -N and distant metastasis - M. Experts retrieve the anatomic stage information from clinical and pathological reports and most of these are unstructured. The main aim of the research study is to propose generalized decision-making tool for most accurate anatomic stage extraction from medical reports of different health organizations. Most previous work considered single health organization for research; extracted only TNM value, did not identify anatomic stage from TNM value; used pathology reports only. This research addresses the extraction of anatomic stage from Breast Cancer medical reports using Natural Language Processing because most of these reports are unstructured and require text processing to extract stage information from them. To detect most accurate anatomic stage, TNM information will be extracted from medical reports using NLP, machine learning technique and rule-based methodology. Average T, N and M accuracy for the rural region is 98%, 94% and 99% respectively whereas for urban region, average accuracy is 95%, 88% and 98% respectively. The average stage accuracy for rural and urban region is 93% and 85% respectively. 87% average stage accuracy achieved in both regions. Anatomic stage extraction with high accuracy in different health organizations of different regions shows that the proposed study is promising and generalized for most accurate anatomic stage extraction.

Peter Hall’s analysis of the Dutch Randstad, in his The World Cities (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1966), generated the archetype of the polycentric urban region (PUR). Although influential, Hall primarily amplified 1950s’ Dutch planning discourse. This paper analyses the PUR’s genesis, discussing the economic modernization of the 1950s and the preceding decades of crisis and war. By temporalizing Gieryn’s truth-spot theory, the paper constructs a prehistory of the PUR through the biographical trajectories of Dutch geography and planning pioneers Louis van Vuuren, Willem Steigenga, Christiaan van Paassen and Gerrit Jan van den Berg. Planning the PUR is recast as a gentle modernization strategy, signalling new interpretations of polycentricity’s contemporary utility.

To study the influence of fireworks in atmospheric aerosols and their effect on health during the extreme firework days, fireworks tracer metals and carbonaceous species in size-distributed aerosols in the lower troposphere at Raipur in eastern central India were investigated during the 2018 Deepawali festival. Aerosol samples were collected, before Deepawali period (BDP, n = 5), during Deepawali period (DDP, n = 5) and after Deepawali period (ADP, n = 5). Bimodal size-distribution with intense fine mode peak was found for Na during DDP. Bimodal distribution with fine mode intense peak was found for K during DDP. The bimodal size distribution of K was found common for other events because of biomass burning emissions, whereas high intense peak during DDP indicated mixed sources from biomass burning and fireworks. During DDP, K and Ca were well correlated (r2 = 0.93) together. Strong metal-metal correlations were found between the following pairs, Zn–Fe, Cu–Fe and Cu–Ca, which indicated the similar firecrackers burning source. The atmospheric aging of aerosols was also found significantly high during fireworks days. Aging of aerosols were higher because of heterogeneous reactions of SO2 and NOx on aerosols directly emitted from fireworks. The observed high values of inhalation dose of elemental carbon during DDP period imposed higher risk of respiratory diseases. This study has provided carbonaceous fractions composition data as a tool to detect the aging processes of fireworks in ultra-fine, fine and coarse mode particles during the extreme firework days. Inhalation doses were calculated to establish potential influence on human health.

We analyze the impact of wage taxation on the workplace choices of and the commuting costs borne by individuals in an aggregate economy consisting of an urban and an adjacent rural region. This economy is inhabited by a continuum of individuals who are uniformly distributed with a total mass of one. These individuals choose whether to work in the urban or in the rural region. The wage is higher (lower) in the urban (rural) region. Our analysis leads to three findings. First, assuming that individuals work in the region in which their after-tax wage net of commuting costs is the highest, we compute the equilibrium number of workers in each region. Second, supposing that the rural region’s median voter works in the urban region, we determine the Nash equilibrium in taxes and ask whether either of the two regions ought to tax or to subsidize the wage. Finally, assuming that the rural region’s median voter works in the rural region, we solve for the Nash equilibrium in taxes and show that optimality calls for the urban and the rural governments to subsidize the two wages.

A comparative study of Indian Fast Food (IFF) and Western Fast Food (WFF) consumption among teenagers (girls and boys) was formulated to understand the quality aspects and trends of consumption of fast food among teenagers. For this 250 boys and 250 girls (12-18 years) were randomly selected and interviewed. It was found that girls (87.6%) and boys (86.8%) liked fast foods nearly equally i.e. and largely consumed both IFF and WFF (girls, 62.4% and boys, 60.4%). Among the IFF, girls (45.2%) and boys (54.4%) liked chat, pokora, samosa, patties, panipuri and while out of WFF, pizza was liked mostly (girls, 30% and boys, 45.2%). IFF was consumed for its taste (girls, 27.6% and boys, 53.6%) while WFF, it was largely as alternative food for girls (31.6%) and taste for boys (43.2%). IFF was taken occasionally by girls and boys, 29.6% and 33.2%, respectively, while WFF was taken occasionally, girls, 24.8% and boys, 52%. The satisfaction with IFF among girls and boys was 50.8% and 60%, respectively, and WFF (girls, 9.2% and boys, 5.2%). Reason for satisfaction with IFF was its deliciousness (girls, 64.4% and boys, 59.6%) followed by taste of food is indianized (girls, 20.4% and boys, 22%) in case of WFF, it was deliciousness (girls, 54% and boys, 59.6%), comparatively cheaper (girls, 7.6%; boys, 10.8%), and as a status symbol (girls, 2.4%; boys, 3.6%). This study would be helpful in formulating the strategies related to fast food consumption by teenagers.

This paper combines three major concepts: regional development platforms, business ecosystems and competitiveness policy. The framework of business and innovation ecosystems is gaining ground in the discussion of competitiveness and innovation policy. The framework challenges competitiveness and innovation policies because ecosystems are seen as highly self‐organising and self‐renewing systems. Is there still room for innovation and competitiveness policies? This paper focuses on ecosystem‐facilitating competitiveness policy at the regional level and argues that the emergence, growth and renewal of business ecosystems can be facilitated by a competitiveness policy focused on related variety platforms embedded in a regional innovation ecosystem. As a case illustrating this point, we present the strategic themes and development platforms in the Lahti urban region, which are constructed following the ecosystem theory. This paper contributes to the previous literature on regional development and innovation policy by presenting a policy framework for a modern competitiveness policy that is based on constructed competitiveness, development platforms and business and innovation ecosystem theory. For policy practice, this paper provides a real‐life example of a regional competitiveness strategy and the construction of a strategy that is based on the ecosystem frame.

For the first time in 2019, the Asia-Pacific became a majority urban region. The unprecedented pace and magnitude of urbanisation across Asia and the Pacific has exposed tens of millions of urban residents to heightened risks and vulnerabilities associated with the expanding ecological footprint of urban energy, food and water demands and the increasingly severe effects of global climate change. This special issue directs attention toward the challenges, innovations and examples of best practice in environmental governance for urban resilience in the Asia-Pacific region. Our understanding of urban resilience is tied to the concept of planetary flourishing that links the health and well-being of urban populations with sustainability behaviours that promote regeneration of the biosphere while redistributing environmental risks and benefits in more socially inclusive and equitable ways.

In this study, the noise levels were monitored at Cornish EL Maadi (A), Gezirat El Dahab (B) and Al-Marioteya (C). The data revealed that the noise levels at Corniche El Maadi Street (A) and Al-Marioteya (C) (all day) as well as at Gezirat El Dahab (B) (evening) exceeded the set noise regulations in Egypt. Overall, it was the buses, private cars + taxis, mini vans and mini truck that made the main bulk of traffic passing through the ring road on weekdays. However, the study revealed that the main category of vehicles contributing towards the recorded noise levels was the miscellaneous type. This means of transportation were slow and proceeded along the right lane of the road and thus had a more measurable impact upon the recorded noise levels at the 3 monitored locations. However, the contribution from vans and mini-trucks towards the noise levels recorded was significant at Gezirat El Dahab and Al-Marioteya during Monday and Friday, respectively. Nonetheless, such contribution was not witnessed for Corniche El Maadi Street, where the miscellaneous category was a predominant noise contributing factor during both Monday and Friday.

Die Raumnutzung in komplexen stadtregionalen Gefügen und ihre künftige Entwicklung ist unsicher, auch angesichts (globaler) Wandelbedingungen und der diskutierten planetaren Grenzen. Vor diesem Kontext wird eine umfassende Auseinandersetzung darüber vordringlicher, was Ökosysteme für die stadtregionalen Gesellschaften leisten und inwiefern dieses Leistungsangebot und Leistungspotenzial gesichert und genutzt werden kann, auch im Sinne einer resilienten Stadt- und Regionalentwicklung. In der wissenschaftlichen Diskussion um die Rolle von Ökosystemleistungen in der räumlichen Planung wird nur teilweise untersucht, inwiefern bereits jetzt Bezüge zu Ökosystemleistungen in den Planungsinstrumenten zu finden sind. Der vorliegende Beitrag präsentiert Ergebnisse aus zwei Fallstudien in Großstadtregionen zu Bezugnahmen auf Ökosystemleistungen in bestehenden verbindlichen und nichtverbindlichen Planungsinstrumenten. Obwohl in keinem der untersuchten Planungsinstrumente explizit mit dem Begriff "Ökosystemleistungen" gearbeitet wird, sind in allen Instrumenten mitunter unterschiedliche Bezüge zu Ökosystemleistungen auszumachen. Die Mehrheit der klassifizierten Ökosystemleistungen ist allerdings nicht mit konkreten Zielsetzungen verknüpft. Dies wirft Fragen dahingehend auf, ob die räumliche Planung sich im Sinne einer resilienten Raumentwicklung genügend künftige Handlungsoptionen offenhält und was die aufgedeckten blinden Flecken über die Interpretation des Leitbildes der nachhaltigen Raumentwicklung aussagen. Land-use in complex urban regions and their future development is uncertain, especially in view of (global) change conditions and the planetary boundaries discussed. An encompassing discussion and weighting within planning is necessary, on what ecosystems offer which kind of services to urban and regional societies and how this current supply and further potentials can be sustainably used. This is essential to contribute to a resilient urban and regional development. Scientific discussions on the role of ecosystem services in spatial planning do partly investigate the current status-quo of references to ecosystem services. This paper presents results from two German case study regions on the extent of references to ecosystem services in existing spatial planning instruments. Both binding as well as non-binding regional and urban development concepts were considered. Although none of the planning instruments explicitly uses the term "ecosystem services", references to ecosystem services can be identified in all instruments. However, the majority of classified ecosystem services is not linked to specific objectives. This evokes questions on if spatial planning is oriented on keeping options open to act in the future and what the detected blind spots tell about the interpretation of the vision of sustainable spatial development.

We investigate the upper‐crustal seismic velocity structure in the Seoul metropolitan area, where about 20 million people live. The Chugaryeong fault zone (CFZ) is placed in this area, but the seismic hazard potential remains unclear. We conducted ambient noise tomography to illuminate the high‐resolution upper‐crustal structure in the Seoul metropolitan area. We analyzed continuous vertical seismic records for ∼5 months from a dense seismic array with 77 broadband stations. Group velocity dispersion curves and tomographic maps were extracted between 0.5 and 10 s periods. We inverted 3‐D group velocity tomography models up to a depth of ∼10 km from the group velocity maps. The shear‐wave velocity model is consistent with the geological features. High‐velocity anomalies at shallow depths are correlated with the surface topography and geology. The CFZ is located at a low velocity below the 5 km depth and presented as the simplified model. The large VS contrast regions are located beneath NS‐trending faults. The cross‐sections coincide with the near‐vertical strike‐slip faults in this area. In the southern region of the Seoul metropolitan area, low‐velocity anomalies correlate with high heat flow regions. Our results effectively suggest high resolution upper‐crustal structures and subsurface hidden faults in the urban area.

Sunwoo, W.; Lee, G.; Nguyen, H.H.; Shin, H., and Jun, K.S., 2021. Parameter optimization of a conceptual rainfall-runoff model in the coastal urban region. In: Lee, J.L.; Suh, K.-S.; Lee, B.; Shin, S., and Lee, J. (eds.), Crisis and Integrated Management for Coastal and Marine Safety. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 114, pp. 261–265. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The rainfall-runoff simulation based on local conditions is crucial for flood monitoring and mitigation. Although numerous rainfall-runoff models were widely used, only few studies have been applied in coastal regions in South Korea. The major reasons are that model parameters are incorrectly determined, and the peak flooding is overestimated due to extreme rainfall events. In this study, a conceptual rainfall-runoff model, the Probability Distributed Model (PDM), was employed to simulate discharge with an incorporation of combined satellite-, model-, and ground-based soil moisture as an input data. The combined soil moisture data was generated using two renormalization strategies. In this study, we aimed to compare the performances of two optimization techniques associated in the PDM model, including a traditional non-linear and a newly metaheuristics algorithms, for the discharge prediction. The simulation was conducted in a coastal urban region, Hongseong, using the optimized parameter sets for flood events. The simulated results from the PDM model revealed that parameters obtained with the metaheuristics algorithm indicated a superior performance when comparing against the observed runoff data. Moreover, parameter sets obtained by the metaheuristics algorithm and non-linear technique showed significant differences. The method of this study can provide more improvements in rainfall-runoff simulation results for flood management.

Elaborating on how Women Empowerment has developed in Nepal, this research concentrates on women empowerment and its situation in urban setting in adolescent girls. Methods: This research employs the use of qualitative design for its research approach to explain women empowerment in adolescent girls in urban Nepal and also tries to find out the factors of influence in thier point of views. Findings: The findings have shown Adolescent girls in urban region of Nepal are more informed as a result of improved education and technological advancements. Conclusion: Essence of empowering women remains key drivers for upliftment of not only a woman within a certain region of the nation or a certain nation-state but women as a whole in a global context as in today’s era, creation of a globally resilient, socially active, emotionally stable and competent youth force comprising every gender is a major concern for both advanced and emerging economies throughout the world. Recommendation: this paper recommends to build critical consciousness about women empowerment in every adolescent girl so that they impart similar knowledge to the future generation as well as live by those codes assisting to end gender disparity.

The community and several agencies the city of Gorontalo especially those directly related to the presence of the Bolango river show that their not to their satisfaction of the work because the community considers the work performed by the subproject has not been completed. The benefits in terms of flood control projects that were considered less been of more benefit value. Indeed, if the making embankments can be solved, then the value of benefits from the existence of the project will be very high because the area is secured a growing urban region that is generally a business district/trading area.

Cyanogenic glycosides are natural plant toxins found in various plants, the majority of which are consumed by humans. Cyanide is formed after cyanogenic glycoside hydrolysis that occurs during the crushing of the edible plant material, either during consumption or during the processing of the plant. In this paper, we tested for cyanogenic glycosides using picrate impregnated filter paper in a number of ethnomedicinally important plants. We evaluate 19 species of euphorbiaceae, out of which 7 are cyanogenic. In Mizoram, people living in the urban region still relies heavily on ethnomedicinal plant, most of the times these plants are eaten boiled, cooked or raw, so it is important that we know the content of these plants. From the research we found several plants to contain cyanogenic glycosides which are eaten as a form of medication for various ailments.

In recent days, the concept of smart sustainable cities has come up, which guarantee the residents with quality lifestyle. This cities ensure the overall socio economic development by providing smart services contributed by smart technologies. One of the most significant pillars of the Smart City is to ensure healthy and sustainable environment by making the city pollution free as far as possible, to ensure the smart health of the citizens. In this work, a frame work is proposed using Context Aware Computing approach to monitor the air health of urban region. The proposed frame work is designed to help in sensing air pollutant parameters using smart sensors and generate alert using context if there is a threat of air pollution. Here, the Input layer optimization technique is also proposed. It has been shown that, the Input layer optimization technique has discarded the unwanted overheads of the proposed frame work without degrading the efficiency of the system.

The literature shows that people living in urban areas are responsible for three-quarters of global carbon emissions. Developing low carbon cities is therefore crucial to mitigate these emissions. The focus of this study is on efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the urban region of Khon Kaen (120,000 inhabitants), located in northeast Thailand. In 2018, we conducted a qualitative study in four communities in Khon Kaen to gain insight into existing ways of reducing carbon emissions. The results showed that behavior linked to reducing carbon emissions was associated with recycling practices, waste management, and the upgrading of the quality of life, e.g., by developing more sustainable consumption patterns. We found that low carbon city initiatives must first deal with separating household waste and the correct disposal of organic waste, and that community networks are crucial for developing, capturing, and sharing best practices to develop waste management activities that meet the requirements for a transition toward a sustainable low carbon city environment.

With the rapid expansion in the number of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs) available and the development of modern technologies, the commercial applications of UAVs in urban areas, such as urban remote sensing (RS), express services, urban road traffic monitoring, urban police security, urban air shows and so on, have increased greatly. However, most UAVs, especially light and small civil UAVs, have been operating in low-altitude airspace, and a conflict may exist between increasing the number of UAVs and the limited low airspace. To promote low-altitude airspace resource development and to standardize the operation and management of UAVs in urban regions, some global laws and regulations and key technologies for urban low-altitude applications of UAVs have been implemented. This paper reviews the development of current policies and key technologies concerning safe and efficient operations of the light-and-small civil UAVs in low altitude in urban areas. Discussions are made progressively on measures and methods of airspace restriction, airspace structuring and air route planning in China primarily and the rest of world. After surveying the practical industry tests and the initial studies of air routes, the survey results indicate that the construction of air route networks is a scientific and effective measure to standardize and improve the efficiency of low-altitude UAV operations. From the view point of safety and efficiency, the most valuable direction for UAV regulation in urban regions involves deepening the research which largely relies on urban RS and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, and application demonstrations of low-altitude public air route networks.

The subject of this paper is an evaluation of defined urban regions in Serbia, with an aim towards identifying their basic features, with special emphasis on the measurement of their functional polycentricity. These features include methods with following indicators: share of settled inhabitants to overall population number in the centre of urban region and surrounding area, according to the outcome; concentration level of employees in centres and structure of activities of active population performing an occupation, functional dependence of settlements in the area of the region and determining the functional polycentricity index of the urban region. Therefore, the goal of the paper is to clarify the difference between the urban regions that have developed in the area of Serbia, which are significant factors for further planning of polycentric and balanced regional development. The results of the survey show differences between urban regions. Almost half of the urban regions in Serbia have characteristics of monocentricity, while few polycentric urban regions differ in number of secondary centers. Certain differences between urban regions refer to the results related to share of the employees in primary centres in connection with the secondary centre region, if refers to a polycentric region, or in comparison to the region as a whole, if it implys to monocentric urban regions. All in all, primary differences between urban regions pertain to the degree of functional polycentrism.

The present paper is based on a study that was performed to assess the kitchen waste management through barrel composting system in order to produce organic fertilizer, and to investigate the physicochemical properties (pH and moisture content) including nutrient contents (OC, N, P, K and S) and heavy metal concentration (Pb, Cd and Cr) of the produced organic fertilizer during the period from July 2016 to June 2017 in the urban area of Tangail region. Kitchen wastes were collected twice in a week for 6 months from 2 halls of Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU) and 2 wards of Tangail municipality and divided into 2 phases. About 5.8 kg organic fertilizer was produced from 178.52 kg kitchen waste, which was highly enriched with nutrients. The pH of the composts was increased and moisture contents (67 to 71% in 1st phase and 36 to 44% in 2nd phase) were decreased with duration and waste dried up period. Finally, moisture content ranged from 23 to 31%. The produced organic fertilizer contained organic carbon (24.42 to 27.68%), total nitrogen (2.035 to 2.533%), C/N ratio (10.07 to 12), phosphorus (0.735 to 0.872%), potassium (2.83 to 3.89%) and sulphur (0.578 to 0.68%). The Pb concentration exceeded in green barrel, whereas it was negligible in black barrel. The Cd and Cr concentrations in both types of barrels were within permissible level.

Background:Identifying risk factors and mortality of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) could have important implications for the clinical management of AD.Objective:This pilot study aimed to examine the overall mortality of AD patients over a 10-year surveillance period in Shanghai, China. This study is an extension of our previous investigation on mortality of neurodegenerative diseases.Methods:One hundred and thirty-two AD patients recruited from the memory clinics of two hospitals in Shanghai in 2007 were followed up until December 31, 2017 or death, representing a follow-up period of up to 10 years. Overall standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated, and predictors for survival at recruitment were estimated.Results:Sixty-seven patients had died by December 31, 2017, and the SMR at 10 years of follow-up was 1.225 (95% confidence interval 0.944–1.563). Employing Cox’s proportional hazard modeling, lower Mini-Mental State Examination score, and comorbid diabetes predicted poor survival in this cohort.Conclusion:This pilot study suggests a similar survival trend of patients with AD compared to the general population in Shanghai urban region. Poor cognitive status and comorbid diabetes had a negative impact on the survival of AD patients.

The purpose of the current study is to predict accident hot spots in different locations using Geographic Information System (GIS) and fuzzy logic. The data used contained accident types and occurrence time. Fatality and injury were also studied with spatial-temporal analysis. Moreover, accident hot spots were predicted performing Weighted Overlay Method (WOM) and Fuzzy Overlay Method (FOM), which are widely used in decision making and alternatives analysis based on the results obtained from Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Point Density (PD) method was used to verify hot spots in urban region that resulted from the mentioned two methods. Traffic accidents’ hot spots were predicted for Irbid City in Jordan using the data of the accidents that occurred between 2013 and 2015. Both WOM and FOM proved to be successful in identifying hot spots in parts of study area when verified to PD surface. Final results showed that eight hot spots were pointed out; three are road sections and five are major intersections, which were analyzed to get accident-contributing factors and suggest the proper remedies.

With scant information available on domestic DEM quality and suitable evaluation methods, particularly in city regions, this study set out to evaluate and compare nine contemporary seamless DEM fro...