Search

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the current situation of the household waste management in the city of Cluj-Napoca and to propose a solution to the problems that aroused. As such, I proposed a scheme for the management of the main waste fractions generated by individuals and companies. Starting with the analysis of the waste flow, of the demographic tendencies and waste generation tendencies, I analyzed a project that involves investments in the purchase of containers for collection, transport facilities, sorting facilities and composting facilities. Based on the estimated costs and incomes assumed by the implementation of the scheme, I proved the project to be efficient by using two financial indicators groups, indicators that are used in literature: 1) Dynamic criteria or based on updating; and 2) Criteria with doubles rates, or integrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the territorial dynamics resulting from the dissymmetric relationship between two processes of dominialisation in which the Kaiowa are involved in Mato Grosso do Sul. The first is represented by the process of territorialisation established by the creation of indigenous reservations and their management by the State, as well as the simultaneous and correlated formation of rural properties and urban centres. The second process, expresses the indigenous response to the territorialisation, through the ecology of their households, engendering adaptations in the activities of its members and strategies to regain control of their expropriated lands. Under these real conditions, the Kaiowa reflect on the configuration of their territorial spaces by creating important cultural categories related to them, thus revealing that territoriality is not an immanent and/or previously defined structure, but something that is historically constructed.

Studies find that per capita carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions decrease with household size and urban density. The demographic trends of declining household size and dense urbanization therefore produce countervailing effects with respect to emissions. We posit that both household and urban economies are driven by proximity and realized through sharing carbon-intensive goods. With detailed data from the United States Consumer Expenditure Survey, we construct a dataset of CO 2 emissions at the household level and leverage a unique measure of residential density to estimate household and urban economies. Our estimates show that dense urban areas have per capita emissions roughly 20% lower than rural areas, and that adding an additional member to a household reduces per capita emissions by about 6%. We also find that household economies are about twice as large in rural areas as in dense urban areas and develop an explanation for this phenomenon. In theory, the carbon benefits of dense urbanization have the potential to offset the effects of declining household size. However, using historical US Census data and extrapolating from our estimates, we find that lost household economies have outpaced increased urban economies over the past fifty years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the changes in household ecology that resulted from the introduction of European domesticates to Yucatán after the Spanish invasion. New animals and plants were not adopted wholesale as a Euroagrarian suite in the sixteenth century. Instead, heterogeneous practices took root in highly altered demographic and environmental settings. Ecosystems were re-engineered as animals moved into new anthropogenic niches. We compare archaeological and ethnoarchaeological evidence of animal husbandry practices in farming settlements in central Yucatán to the residential patterns and zooarchaeological evidence recovered from labourers’ house lots at the Hacienda San Pedro Cholul, a henequen hacienda located on the outskirts of Mérida. Our evidence shows that adoption of European domesticates altered mutualistic relations among humans, plants, and animals in native communities. Animal traction transformed hydrologic technologies and transportation across the peninsula and spurred industrialisation in the nineteenth century. Agropastoralism heightened socioeconomic disparities among rural households and contributed to uneven socioeconomic development in Yucatán over the last 500 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to assess Radon concentration in the harvested rainwater (HRW) at the household level in Yatta area, Palestine. HRW is mainly used for drinking as it is the major source of water for domestic uses due to water scarcity. Ninety HRW samples from the household cisterns were collected from six localities (a town and five villages) and Radon concentrations were measured. The samples were randomly collected from different households to represent the Yatta area. Fifteen samples were collected from each locality at the same day. RAD7 device was used for analysis and each sample was measured in duplicate. Radon concentrations ranged from 0.037 to 0.26 Bq/L with a mean ± standard deviation of 0.14 ± 0.06 Bq/L. The estimated annual effective radiation doses for babies, children and adults were all far below the maximum limit of 5 mSvy −1 set by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetic parameters including net photosynthetic rate ( P), transpiration rate ( E), water-use efficiency (WUE), and stomatal conductance ( g) were studied in indoor C plants Philodendron domesticum ( Pd), Dracaena fragans ( Df), Peperomia obtussifolia ( Po), Chlorophytum comosum ( Cc), and in a CAM plant, Sansevieria trifasciata ( St), exposed to various low temperatures (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25°C). All studied plants survived up to 0°C, but only St and Cc endured, while other plants wilted, when the temperature increased back to room temperature (25°C). The P declined rapidly with the decrease of temperature in all studied plants. St showed the maximum P of 11.9 μmol m s at 25°C followed by Cc, Po, Pd, and Df. E also followed a trend almost similar to that of P. St showed minimum E (0.1 mmol m s) as compared to other studied C plants at 25°C. The E decreased up to ≈4-fold at 5 and 0°C. Furthermore, a considerable decline in WUE was observed under cold stress in all C plants, while St showed maximum WUE. Similarly, the g also declined gradually with the decrease in the temperature in all plants. Among C plants, Pd and Po showed the maximum g of 0.07 mol m s at 25°C followed by Df and Cc. However, St showed the minimum g that further decreased up to ∼4-fold at 0°C. In addition, the content of photosynthetic pigments [chlorophyll a, b, ( a+ b), and carotenoids] was varying in all studied plants at 0°C. Our findings clearly indicated the best photosynthetic potential of St compared to other studied plants. This species might be recommended for improving air quality in high-altitude closed environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study tested a model on the intention to use renewable energy sources at the household level. The model focuses on the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory and includes different kinds of social influence (normative and informational) and attitude towards the target behaviour. Participants (N = 432) were homeowners who filled in a self-report questionnaire, which measured the intention to use “green” energy devices and a set of social-psychological dimensions included in the model. Results of structural equation modelling showed the adequacy of the VBN theory in predicting the target efficiency behavioural intention. Moreover, moral norms and informational influence (i.e., trust in friends/relatives and neighbours) emerged as the most powerful predictors of the intention to use renewable energy devices. These variables also mediated the effects of social norms, both injunctive and descriptive, which showed only an indirect influence on the intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Care homes are a distinctive setting for the management of thermal comfort due to the expectations involving the provision of both a home environment and caring service. Based on six UK case studies, the care home setting is investigated for how owners, managers and staff understand thermal needs and how their management of thermal comfort is shaped. The core function of good quality care is understood as closely related to the provision of thermal comfort. The association between ‘old and cold' and the obligations that follow for the provision of care are deeply entrenched in activities: such as the provision of hot drinks, use of blankets and the non-stop operation of heating systems. The responsibility for the provision of ‘thermal care' for residents is challenging and complicated by the diversity of people living (and working) together, their occupation of communal spaces, and the interactions between the means of providing thermal comfort and physical safety. The wider implications are identified for the uptake of sustainable technology, patterns of thermal-related vulnerability and, most significantly, for how the ethics, agency and relationality of thermal care provision are to be understood. Future research needs and directions are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Mexico City Building Code (MCBC-2004) – Reglamento de Construcciones del Distrito Federal, Gaceta Oficial del Distrito Federal, 29 de enero de 2004 in Spanish – is a state-of-the-art code; the most comprehensive and advanced set of requirements in the country; and it serves as a model for codes in Mexico's regions. However, many recently built mid-rise dwellings seem too weak to withstand earthquakes, with evident structural deficiencies. Insufficient official mechanisms exist for supervising the design and construction of such new structures. This study evaluates current practice and compares it with the guidelines of the MCBC-2004 using a sample of structures of 150 buildings constructed after 2004. Structural analysis and design revisions were made for a subset of 20 buildings. This study confirms that a large number of new buildings in Mexico City do not have a reliable record of technical information. Therefore, it is difficult to reanalyse buildings to assess their earthquake performance. Many buildings have limited information making it impossible to verify their structural seismic behaviour. The analyses performed for those buildings with available information show that many would have inadequate performance during an intense earthquake, as they do not meet the minimum requirements in the MCBC-2004. To improve governance and actual outcomes, an institute is needed to improve construction practices and code enforcement particularly for residential buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Based on recent fieldwork, this paper examines the intersecting economic activities of Marakwet women in northwest Kenya with a particular focus on exchange friendships. We highlight the need to expand previous definitions oftilia, based on male exchange of livestock, to include a variety of exchange friendships including those between women. Through investigating women's economic activities in local marketplaces, we demonstrate that marketplaces facilitate the formation oftiliapartnerships between women from different areas, and shape women's kinship and friendship interactions within the context of their market activities. We argue that there is a synergy between women's market activities and exchange relationships, but we also emphasise that market activities andtiliaexchange relationships are part of the matrix of household economic decision-making navigated by Marakwet women. This has important implications for how we view and support the social and economic contributions of women's activities. Women'stiliarelations provide a number of benefits to their trading activities, households and communities, and as such we suggest that rural development interventions would do well to consider and build upon these networks of exchange relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the distribution of socio-economic status (SES) within and between communities of varying spatial scales is vital for equitable and effective resource delivery and policy development. In Australia, the Socio-economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) have been used extensively for these purposes, in both research and government service delivery. As area-based averages, however, their use in these areas is potentially confounded by the ecological fallacy and the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP), statistical issues which have widespread implications for the use of spatial data. The Socio-economic Index for Individuals (SEIFI) is an individual-based index developed by the ABS to quantify SES at an individual level for 15–64 year-old Australians. Previous work investigated the potential disparities between these area- and individual-level indices, showing that considerable disparities exist, particularly in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Using spatial autocorrelation and pair-wise proportion analyses, we show that there was considerable diversity in individual-level SES at a very fine level of geography in 2006, a unique pattern in Australia. We also show that the SES ranking of areas within the ACT is, in many instances, not indicative of the proportions of individuals living within that area experiencing high levels of relative socio-economic disadvantage. We show that between 65–95 per cent of the ACT's disadvantaged population are masked within areas ranked as advantaged, depending on the index and level of spatial aggregation. Our results suggest that the use of SEIFA as a proxy for individual level disadvantage is highly problematic at both a theoretical and practical level, and necessitates further development of an individual- or household-level index as part of the regular suite of socio-economic indices produced by the ABS. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since its initial proposal in the 1990s, 'green criminology' has focused on environmental crimes and harms affecting non-human and human life, ecosystems, and the planet as a whole. Describing global trends toward privatization of water supply systems and the criminalization of several water conservation activities and tactics, this paper employs theoretical perspectives offered by green, cultural, and critical criminologies, focusing on overt resistance to water privatization and oppressive regulations governing rainwater storage and residential water recycling. Taking a critical theoretical perspective, this paper examines water access and autonomy, individuals and groups openly resisting the criminalization of household water reuse and storage, and the cultural significance of water. This paper concludes with an exploration of the potential benefits of a green cultural criminology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We identified the factors that give rise to greater or lesser adaptive capacity among households. [•] We examine different adaptation actions among farmers and its determinants. [•] Many indicators, while increasing the likelihood that one adaptation would be taken, also decreased the likelihood that another would be taken. [•] The results suggest that further attention to crop insurance may be warranted. [•] Caution is warranted in terms of the assumptions that we make about differential adaptive capacity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An intervention was conducted in a three-some of mother-daughter-daughter, consisting in training the mother via through feedback and modeling, in the use of alpha instructions, to reduce disobedience issues in her two daughters. Recurring to an AB arrangement, the mother was video-taped interacting simultaneously with both of her daughters, in household situations throughout fifteen sessions, being the three first ones base line, and the last three sessions of follow-up one month after the intervention finished. Results showed that the disobedience behavior of the two daughters changed to obedience, in accordance to the percentage increase of the occurrence of IA components. It was also noticed that the component of IA to which the girls were most responsive was praise, to the extent that, if the mother omitted it, the girls who was not subject to IA, made this omission clear to her mother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

German regulations for the thermal renovation of existing homes demand high thermal standards, which the government claims are technically and economically feasible. This paper examines existing data on 3400 German homes; their calculated energy performance ratings (EPR) are then plotted against the actual measured consumption. The results indicate that occupants consume, on average, 30% less heating energy than the calculated rating. This phenomenon is identified as the ‘prebound’ effect and increases with the calculated rating. The opposite phenomenon, the rebound effect, tends to occur for low-energy dwellings, where occupants consume more than the rating. A similar phenomenon has been recognized in recent Dutch, Belgian, French and UK studies, suggesting policy implications in two directions. Firstly, using a dwelling's energy rating to predict fuel and CO2 savings through retrofits tends to overestimate savings, underestimate the payback time and possibly discourage cost-effective, incremental improvements. Secondly, the potential fuel and CO2 savings through non-technical measures such as occupant behaviour may well be far larger than is generally assumed in policies so policy-makers need a better understanding of what drives or inhibits occupants' decisions. La réglementation allemande relative à la rénovation thermique des logements existants exige des normes thermiques élevées, que le gouvernement prétend être techniquement et économiquement applicables. Cet article examine les données existantes sur 3400 logements allemands; leurs classes d'efficacité énergétique (CEE) calculées sont ensuite comparées à la consommation réelle mesurée. Les résultats indiquent que les occupants consomment, en moyenne, 30 % d'énergie de chauffage en moins que la classe calculée. Ce phénomène est identifié en raison de l'accroissement de l'effet de « pré-bond » avec la classe calculée. Le phénomène opposé, l'effet de rebond, tend à se produire dans les logements à basse consommation d'énergie, dans lesquels les occupants ont une consommation supérieure à la classe. Un phénomène similaire a été reconnu dans des études récentes néerlandaises, belges, françaises et britanniques, suggérant des implications en termes de politiques dans deux directions. En premier lieu, l'utilisation de la classe énergétique d'un logement pour prévoir les économies de combustible et de CO2 pouvant être obtenues grâce à des rénovations a tendance à surestimer les économies, à sous-estimer le délai d'amortissement et éventuellement à dissuader d'effectuer des améliorations incrémentielles rentables. En second lieu, les économies potentielles de combustible et de CO2 pouvant être obtenues par des mesures non techniques telles que le comportement des occupants peuvent se révéler être bien plus importantes que cela n'est supposé en règle générale dans les politiques, de sorte que les décideurs ont besoin de mieux comprendre ce qui motive ou empêche les décisions des occupants. Mots clés: performance des bâtiments, rénovations thermiques, politique climatique, classe énergétique, politique énergétique, comportement de consommation énergétique [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most appropriate responses to the energy management of buildings from now until 2050 are investigated through a process of scenario planning. A qualitative, explorative approach was undertaken to develop four 2050 scenario end-states resulting from an axis of two critical uncertainties not closely correlated: the attitudes of society towards sustainability; and the availability of energy. These scenarios were applied to the property industry through expert workshops, from which trends and themes were identified. The findings are that the property industry should prepare for a transitional period with an uncertain outlook. Therefore, it would be prudent for this industry to focus on resilient performance under a diverse set of futures, and plausible shock events, rather than optimizing for today's conditions. This could be challenging in a sector that works on relatively long time scales. Aspects that should be incorporated into property industry strategy are suggested: responding to the potential effects of climate change; understanding what drives communities and investing in buildings that are significant to the community's functions; considering transport links as key to successful property investments; adopting the latest technological innovations; and becoming more ‘full service’ and interdisciplinary. A need for a paradigm shift in the industries' practices was also identified. Les réponses les plus appropriées à la gestion énergétique des bâtiments d'ici 2050 sont étudiées en ayant recours à un processus de planification par scénarios. Une approche qualitative exploratrice a été adoptée afin de développer quatre conclusions de scénario pour 2050, résultant d'un axe formé par deux incertitudes cruciales qui ne sont pas étroitement corrélées: les attitudes de la société envers la durabilité et la disponibilité de l'énergie. Ces scénarios ont été appliqués à l'industrie de l'immobilier par l'intermédiaire d'ateliers d'experts, grâce auxquels des tendances et des thèmes ont été identifiés. Il en ressort que l'industrie de l'immobilier devrait se préparer à une période de transition offrant des perspectives incertaines. En conséquence, il serait prudent que cette industrie concentre ses efforts sur le maintien de solides performances face à différents avenirs possibles, et à des évènements chocs plausibles, plutôt que sur une optimisation par rapport aux conditions d'aujourd'hui. Ceci pourrait être difficile dans un secteur qui travaille sur des échelles de temps relativement longues. Il est suggéré des aspects qui devraient être intégrés à la stratégie de l'industrie de l'immobilier: répondre aux effets potentiels du changement climatique; comprendre ce qui constitue le moteur des collectivités et investir dans des bâtiments qui soient significatifs pour les fonctions de la collectivité; considérer les liaisons de transport comme essentielles pour des investissements immobiliers réussis; adopter les dernières innovations technologiques; et devenir davantage « un service complet » et interdisciplinaire. A également été identifiée la nécessité d'un changement de paradigme dans les pratiques des industries. bâtiments, gestion énergétique, planification future, secteur de l'immobilier, résilience, scénarios, incertitude [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Installing new energy systems in housing is claimed to be a way to meet national and international goals for reduced greenhouse gas emissions. A socio-technical approach, based on social learning theory, is used to examine the energy systems of a large Swedish housing project ten years after its renovation. A significant retrofitting measure was the introduction of metering. Important lessons are identified regarding the relationships between tenants, professionals and technical systems. The inappropriate assumptions underpinning the renovation about inhabitants' capabilities and demographics meant that the dwellings were not optimally refurbished to meet user requirements, particularly with regard to the choice of technologies and inhabitants' interface with them. Many of the installations are hidden from tenants and difficult for inhabitants to discover, explore and use. Occupants did not use the technologies (smart meters, thermostats, etc.) as intended, which lowered performance and also increased occupants' dissatisfaction. This was also evident in the high levels of support needed by the inhabitants. Social learning processes are vital for the success of demand reduction strategies. Any demand reduction approach must consider people by investing in the social processes and the required learning for interfacing with technology, not merely the ‘smart’ technology itself. L'on considère que l'installation de nouveaux systèmes énergétiques dans les logements est un moyen de satisfaire aux objectifs nationaux et internationaux de réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Il est utilisé une approche sociotechnique, basée sur la théorie de l'apprentissage social, pour étudier les systèmes énergétiques d'un grand ensemble suédois dix ans après sa rénovation. Une mesure de rénovation significative a été l'introduction de compteurs intelligents. Sont identifiés des enseignements importants concernant les relations entre les locataires, les professionnels et les systèmes techniques. Les hypothèses erronées sous-tendant les rénovations et relatives aux capacités et au profil démographique des habitants se sont traduites par le fait que les habitations n'ont pas été rénovées de la manière optimale qui aurait permis de répondre aux besoins des utilisateurs, s'agissant en particulier du choix des technologies et de l'interface des habitants avec celles-ci. Beaucoup de ces installations sont cachées à la vue des locataires et difficiles à découvrir, explorer et utiliser par les habitants. Les occupants n'ont pas utilisé ces technologies (compteurs intelligents, thermostats, etc.) de la manière prévue, ce qui en a diminué les performances et a également accru le mécontentement des occupants. Cela s'est également manifesté dans les niveaux élevés d'assistance dont les occupants ont eu besoin. Les processus d'apprentissage social sont indispensables à la réussite des stratégies de réduction de la demande. Toute approche visant à réduire la demande doit prendre en compte les personnes en investissant dans les processus sociaux et dans l'apprentissage nécessaire pour assurer l'interface avec la technologie, et non simplement la seule technologie « intelligente ». Mots clés: demande énergétique, logement, comportement des habitants, société bas carbone, évaluation après occupation, compteurs intelligents, apprentissage social, systèmes sociotechniques [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore two split incentive issues between owners and occupants of residential dwellings: heating or cooling incentives are suboptimal when the occupant does not pay for energy use, and insulation incentives are suboptimal when the occupant cannot perfectly observe the owner's insulation choice. We empirically quantify the effect of these two market failures and how they affect behavior in California. We find that those who pay are 16 percent more likely to change the heating setting at night and owner-occupied dwellings are 20 percent more likely to be insulated in the attic or ceiling. However, in contrast to common conception, we find that only small overall energy savings may be possible from policy interventions aimed at correcting the split incentive issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite covering only 2.7% of the world's total surface area, the world's cities are responsible for 75% of the world's energy consumption and 80% of greenhouse-gas emissions. For this reason, the redesign of cities is essential in the transition towards sustainability. However, planning and designing sustainable neighbourhoods is not a simple task, given that there is no agreement on what the sustainable settlement should be, nor on how this should be achieved. Furthermore, planners have to strive to achieve a balance between financial, environmental, and social goals, and must deal with multiple actors and stakeholders and with site-specific characteristics. The aim of this work is to describe the key determining factors—both opportunities and constraints—found in the process of designing and planning a neighbourhood, based on a case study in the city of Barcelona. In this practical experiment, led by the authors, the ecodesign methodology was applied on an urban scale in the neighbourhood of Vallbona, Barcelona, which occupies an area of 32.6 ha and will host 2120 dwellings. From this neighbourhood ecodesign exercise, it was found that territorial (urban form, urban fabrics, and density; availability of local resources), financial, legal, and political (local government's wishes and leadership) determinants are the most important. It is concluded that there is no single path to achieve urban sustainability, since the design of neighbourhoods in different locations will lead to different results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of municipal waste is one of the most emotive local environmental issues in the UK at present and represents a key sustainability 'battleground' as local authorities seek to reduce waste arisings and encourage the reuse and recycling of materials among households. Within the literature on household waste management, a broad range of disciplinary perspectives and practical recommendations exist and it is the aim of this paper to step back and take stock of the role of households and communities in resource consumption and waste generation patterns across the UK within recent decades. By exploring the household in this context, trends in consumption and waste generation are outlined in addition to key influencing factors such as lifestyles and well-being, demographics and environment. Finally, key lessons learnt, challenges faced going forward and approaches for developing more sustainable practices at the household, community and national levels are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the social and cultural geographical aspects of climatic change. A survey conducted by the coal and steel industries in Wollongong, New South Wales regarding the impact of household consumption and sustainability on climatic condition is discussed. Moreover, the authors mention several characteristics for future researches on climate including the articulation of diverse household practices, the total context of social practice, and the articulation of household changes.

Background: There is considerable international research regarding the link between human demographics and pet ownership. In several international studies, pet ownership was associated with household demographics including: the presence of children in the household, urban/rural location, level of education and age/family structure. What is lacking across all these studies, however, is an understanding of how these pets are spatially distributed throughout the regions under study. This paper describes the spatial distribution of pet dog and pet cat owning households on the island of Ireland. Results: In 2006, there were an estimated 640,620 pet dog owning households and 215,542 pet cat owning households in Ireland. These estimates are derived from logistic regression modelling, based on household composition to determine pet dog ownership and the type of house to determine pet cat ownership. Results are presented using chloropleth maps. There is a higher density of pet dog owning households in the east of Ireland and in the cities than the west of Ireland and rural areas. However, in urban districts there are a lower proportion of households owning pet dogs than in rural districts. There are more households with cats in the urban areas, but the proportion of households with cats is greater in rural areas. Conclusions: The difference in spatial distribution of dog ownership is a reflection of a generally higher density of households in the east of Ireland and in major cities. The higher proportion of ownership in the west is understandable given the higher proportion of farmers and rural dwellings in this area. Spatial representation allows us to visualise the impact of human household distribution on the density of both pet dogs and pet cats on the island of Ireland. This information can be used when analysing risk of disease spread, for market research and for instigating veterinary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elemental composition and bioaccessibility of trace metals have been determined in a variety of geosolids (soils, road dusts and house dusts) from an arid, coastal region (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia). Concentrations of many elements reflected those of the local geology, ascertained by analysis of desert sand. Several trace metals (e.g. Cu, Sb, Zn, Pb, Tl and Sn) were moderately enriched in both road and house dusts, reflecting external and internal (household) anthropogenic sources. For a given trace metal, bioaccessibilities, assessed using a physiologically based extraction test, were broadly similar across the range of geosolids. Median values for a simulated gastric phase ranged from less than 10% (Ba, Cu, Cr, Ni and V) to more than 50% (As, Cd, Sb, Sn and Tl), and for a subsequently simulated intestinal phase from less than 15% (Ba, Cr, Cu, Ni, V and Zn) to more than 50% (As, Cd, Sb, Tl and U). Results suggest that the levels and bioaccessibilities of trace metals in dusts from arid environments are controlled by the dilution of anthropogenic particulates by variable (but significant) proportions of fine, baseline sand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a new methodology to calculate the likely utility load profiles (energy such as power, natural gas, space heating and cooling, and other thermal requirements, as well as city water) in a dwelling. This calculation takes into account the behavioural variations of the dwelling inhabitants. The proposed method contains a procedure for cooling load calculations based on a series of Monte Carlo simulations where the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) on/off state and the indoor heat generation schedules are varied, time-step by time-step. A data set of time-varying inhabitant behaviour schedules, with a 15-min resolution, generated by the authors in previous studies and validated by a comparison analysis to several field measurement data sets, was integrated into the model. The established model, which is called the total utility demand prediction system, can be applied to, for example, likely estimation of an integrated space maximum requirement, such as the total load of a building or an urban area. In a series of numerical experiments, huge discrepancies were found between the conventional results and those considering the time-varying inhabitant behaviour schedules. In particular, deriving the dynamic state change, of having the HVAC on/off from the inhabitants' schedules, was found to be a significant factor in the maximum cooling and heating loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present a new methodology for evaluating the distributional impacts of climate policy. This methodology builds directly on the framework introduced by Jorgenson, Slesnick, and Wilcoxen (1992), but generalizes it by including leisure time, as well as goods and services, in the measure of household welfare. We provide detailed results for 244 different types of households distinguished by demographic characteristics. In addition, we evaluate the overall impact of a cap-and-trade system, as represented in Energy Modeling Forum 22. While there is a wide range of outcomes for different demographic groups, the impact on economic welfare is regressive and generally negative but relatively small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most analyses of ethnic residential segregation in cities rely on single-number indices that pay no attention to the degree of spatial clustering of the areas in which a group is either underrepresented or overrepresented. Recently, local statistical measures have been proposed as a set of approaches to overcome this deficiency. One such method--the Getis-Ord G*--is used to portray patterns of segregation in Auckland, New Zealand. That procedure requires analysts to make a number of judgments about the parameters of the statistics deployed, but also offers greater insights into scale effects in the measurement and delineation of segregation. We examine the information that can be derived from changing two of those parameters--the distance band used to define spatial proximity and the statistical significance of the local statistic--using data on two ethnic groups (Asians and Pacific Islanders) in Auckland. The procedure is also combined with a recently developed approach to measuring absolute segregation levels, thereby giving a fuller picture of both the extent of residential clustering and its intensity for those two groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hedonic price method was used to estimate the influence of parks on the rental prices of single-room dwellings in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, Japan. A simple least squares method is not optimal when the data set contains spatial autocorrelation. To improve the accuracy of estimates, we employed spatial autoregression and kriging models, resulting in a higher validity of the spatial models compared to the least squares model. Kriging models were superior to others particularly in terms of prediction accuracy, indicating that these models should be employed if the objective is superior prediction rather than estimation. The results showed that the effect of parks on property values varied with the buffer distance and park size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the likely effects on gas and electricity consumption and carbon emissions from heating and cooling systems in existing dwellings up to 2080, assuming a widespread uptake of cooling systems. This area of research is highly sensitive to the myriad of possible inputs and thus holds a wide range of predicted outcomes. However, general trends have been found, showing significant sensitivity to ventilation rate, U-values, occupant behaviour and location. Heating demand will still be dominant over cooling demand in UK dwellings by the 2080s, based on an UKCIP02 A1F1 weather scenario. A national worst case scenario for the 2050s, shows a 10 megatonne CO2 emissions saving on present levels largely due to a 20% reduction in gas consumption. Practical applications: The balance of heating and cooling demand causes more modest changes in CO2 than first anticipated. Despite first perceptions of future energy use in housing and climate change, heating appears to remain the major load rather than cooling, even into the 2080s. These predictions of future CO2 emissions will be useful to those in the building industry planning appropriate proportionate climate adaptation and climate mitigation measures. Also, the prediction of changes to future energy demands from the housing sector will be of interest to energy providers considering future demands for heating and cooling and may feed into larger bottom-up energy models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study attempts to describe the housing situation of Roma population in Romania, both in general terms and in details. The study has a descriptive, but also an analytical approach, using quantitative and qualitative housing and demographic indicators. Also has a comparative dimension, using indicators in their dynamics (1992-1998-2006) for Roma and at the same time for whole Romanian population. The study is structured in two parts: the first one - published in this issue - is tackling the housing exclusion phenomenon, but also the particulars of Roma housing/dwellings (structure, floor space, housing density etc.) and explanatory factors for the state of art; the second part - to be published in a future issue - has an approach on access of Roma (housing) to public utilities and household assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces us to the complexities of conducting social scientific research in a major urban disaster zone and reports on results from the most systematic survey at the time aimed at tracking the whereabouts of pre-Katrina residents during the first year of recovery, the Displaced New Orleans Residents Pilot Survey. This survey drew an area-probability sample of pre-Katrina dwellings and set out to interview the residents approximately 12 months after the storm, when educated guesses placed the New Orleans's city population at roughly half its pre-Katrina total. Results confirm that early returnees tended to be disproportionately White, elderly, better educated, and far less likely to have homes rendered uninhabitable by the disaster. These patterns begin to show how demographic processes triggered by the disaster exacerbated existing inequalities in the region, allowing more advantaged residents to return while leaving less advantaged residents dispersed across numerous destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans East-where the main Vietnamese enclave is located- especially hard. By chance, shortly before this disaster, sociodemographic and health data had been collected for a population-based sample of working-age Vietnamese Americans living in New Orleans. One year after the storm, the authors reinterviewed nearly all respondents from the original sample who had returned to the area, which netted about two thirds of the original sample. Results show that returnees were more likely than those yet to return to have been employed before the storm, to have worked in the skilled sector of the economy, to have been married, and to have owned a home. Many problems experienced during the immediate aftermath of the storm, such as crowded and unsanitary conditions, had been resolved by the first anniversary; however, other problems remained, such as a continuing lack of information, lack of access to medical care, and fears of violent crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines early resettlement of four neighborhoods in New Orleans' Uptown district, which was among the first areas to officially reopen for residential return. Drawing on survey data collected from more than 400 households, results show that even in relatively unflooded sections of town, racial and class disparities shaped early returns and accumulated to the disadvantage of African American residents of the city. A key mechanism behind this cumulative disadvantage was that neighborhoods that were predominantly White were disproportionately spared by flooding from the disaster and, consequently, better positioned to host displaced residents from more damaged parts of New Orleans. Because racial boundaries shape housing and social aid networks, White residents from damaged parts of the city became more likely to relocate to these early areas of resettlement, allowing White residents as a whole to play a disproportionate role in the city's early planning and recovery efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]