Reducing tobacco use and access through strengthened minimum price laws.

Science.gov (United States)

McLaughlin, Ian; Pearson, Anne; Laird-Metke, Elisa; Ribisl, Kurt

2014-10-01

Higher prices reduce consumption and initiation of tobacco products. A minimum price law that establishes a high statutory minimum price and prohibits the industry's discounting tactics for tobacco products is a promising pricing strategy as an alternative to excise tax increases. Although some states have adopted minimum price laws on the basis of statutorily defined price "markups" over the invoice price, existing state laws have been largely ineffective at increasing the retail price. We analyzed 3 new variations of minimum price laws that hold great potential for raising tobacco prices and reducing consumption: (1) a flat rate minimum price law similar to a recent enactment in New York City, (2) an enhanced markup law, and (3) a law that incorporates both elements.

Living under the influence: normalisation of alcohol consumption in our cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Sureda, Xisca; Villalbí, Joan R; Espelt, Albert; Franco, Manuel

Harmful use of alcohol is one of the world's leading health risks. A positive association between certain characteristics of the urban environment and individual alcohol consumption has been documented in previous research. When developing a tool characterising the urban environment of alcohol in the cities of Barcelona and Madrid we observed that alcohol is ever present in our cities. Urban residents are constantly exposed to a wide variety of alcohol products, marketing and promotion and signs of alcohol consumption. In this field note, we reflect the normalisation of alcohol in urban environments. We highlight the need for further research to better understand attitudes and practices in relation to alcohol consumption. This type of urban studies is necessary to support policy interventions to prevent and control harmful alcohol use. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Comparative measurement and quantitative risk assessment of alcohol consumption through wastewater-based epidemiology: An international study in 20 cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ryu, Yeonsuk; Barceló, Damià; Barron, Leon P.

2016-01-01

Quantitative measurement of drug consumption biomarkers in wastewater can provide objective information on community drug use patterns and trends. This study presents the measurement of alcohol consumption in 20 cities across 11 countries through the use of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE...... consumption biomarker, ethyl sulfate (EtS) was determined by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The EtS concentrations were used for estimation of per capita alcohol consumption in each city, which was further compared with international reports and applied for risk assessment by MOE....... The average per capita consumption in 20 cities ranged between 6.4 and 44.3. L/day/1000 inhabitants. An increase in alcohol consumption during the weekend occurred in all cities, however the level of this increase was found to differ. In contrast to conventional data (sales statistics and interviews), WBE...

Consumption Patterns of Energy Drinks in Portuguese Adolescents from A City in Northern Portugal

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Albino Martins

2018-04-01

Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of energy drinks consumption among adolescents from a city in Northern Portugal, with self-reported symptoms after consumption and common concomitant use of alcohol.

The history and impact of the New York City menu labeling law.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernell, Brent

2010-01-01

As a result of the recent federal health care legislation, all restaurants in the United States that are part of a chain with twenty or more locations serving substantially the same menu items will be required to post the calorie information of the food they serve directly on menus and menu boards. This development represents the culmination of a regulatory initiative to combat the growth of obesity that only began in 2006 with the decision by the New York City Board of Health to require calorie posting in New York City chain restaurants. That initiative, Regulation 81.50, was the first of its kind in the United States; and yet, less than four years later, the idea has become a national standard. This paper tracks the history of New York City's landmark regulation, detailing the drafting of the law, the initial legal victory for the restaurant association challenging it, and the ultimate triumph of the City in winning legal validation of its calorie posting mandate. In doing so, this paper will also use the New York City regulation as a launching point to discuss the rationale behind menu labeling, to examine the potential legal pitfalls of menu labeling laws, to track the development of the initiative from New York City to a national standard, and finally, to evaluate the preliminary data on whether or not menu labeling is actually effective in achieving its ultimate goal: changing consumer eating habits and reducing obesity.

Denton, Texas: Using Transportation Data to Reduce Fuel Consumption (City Energy: From Data to Decisions)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Office of Strategic Programs, Strategic Priorities and Impact Analysis Team

2017-09-29

This fact sheet "Denton, Texas: Using Transportation Data to Reduce Fuel Consumption" explains how the City of Denton used data from the U.S. Department of Energy's Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning (Cities-LEAP) and the State and Local Energy Data (SLED) programs to inform its city energy planning. It is one of ten fact sheets in the "City Energy: From Data to Decisions" series.

Analysis of Factors Contributing to Changes in Energy Consumption in Tangshan City between 2007 and 2012

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Jialing Zou

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to identify the correlations between energy consumption and the factors that control usage in the city of Tangshan. To do this, we first analyze the current status of Tangshan’s economic development and energy consumption, and then applied the logarithmic mean Divisia index to identify the factors affecting the changes in energy consumption of all sectors. The findings are summarized as follows: (1 secondary industry accounts for an extremely high percentage of industry in Tangshan city, much higher than the national average; from 2007 to 2012, the proportion of secondary industry increased in Tangshan city; (2 Tangshan’s energy consumption in 2013 was nearly twice that in 2005. Coal and coke coal consumption was responsible for 96.2% of total energy consumption in 2005 and 95.1% in 2013; (3 Tangshan’s energy intensity decreased from 3.00 tce/thousand Yuan in 2005 to 1.85 tce/thousand Yuan in 2013. However, the energy intensity of Tangshan was far more than the average for China, and the decline in Tangshan’s energy intensity was much slower than the average for China; (4 The technical effect plays a dominant role in decreasing energy consumption in most sectors, and the scale effect is the most important contributor to increasing energy consumption in all sectors. Input structural and final use structural effects play different roles in energy consumption in different sectors.

Water footprints of cities - indicators for sustainable consumption and production

Science.gov (United States)

Hoff, H.; Döll, P.; Fader, M.; Gerten, D.; Hauser, S.; Siebert, S.

2014-01-01

Water footprints have been proposed as sustainability indicators, relating the consumption of goods like food to the amount of water necessary for their production and the impacts of that water use in the source regions. We further developed the existing water footprint methodology, by globally resolving virtual water flows from production to consumption regions for major food crops at 5 arcmin spatial resolution. We distinguished domestic and international flows, and assessed local impacts of export production. Applying this method to three exemplary cities, Berlin, Delhi and Lagos, we find major differences in amounts, composition, and origin of green and blue virtual water imports, due to differences in diets, trade integration and crop water productivities in the source regions. While almost all of Delhi's and Lagos' virtual water imports are of domestic origin, Berlin on average imports from more than 4000 km distance, in particular soy (livestock feed), coffee and cocoa. While 42% of Delhi's virtual water imports are blue water based, the fractions for Berlin and Lagos are 2 and 0.5%, respectively, roughly equal to the water volumes abstracted in these two cities for domestic water use. Some of the external source regions of Berlin's virtual water imports appear to be critically water scarce and/or food insecure. However, for deriving recommendations on sustainable consumption and trade, further analysis of context-specific costs and benefits associated with export production will be required.

Evaluating the Relationship between the Population Trends, Prices, Heat Waves, and the Demands of Energy Consumption in Cities

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Katherine S. Fu

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The demands of energy consumption have been projected as a key factor that affects an economy at the city, national, and international level. Contributions to total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 by various urban sectors include electricity (31%, transportation (28%, industry (20%, agriculture (10%, and commercial and residential (10%. Yet the heavy demands of energy consumption in the cities by residents, commercial businesses, industries, and transportation are important for maintaining and sustaining sufficient economic growth. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between population trends, historical energy consumptions, the changes of average electricity price, average annual temperature, and extreme weather events for three selected cities: New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. These cities are exemplary of, metropolitan areas in the East, Middle, and the Western regions of the U.S. We find that the total energy consumptions of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are influenced to various degrees by changes in population, temperature and the average price of electricity and that only one city, Los Angeles, does price significantly affect electricity use. This finding has implications for policy making, suggesting that each city’s climate, size and general economic priorities must be considered in developing climate change mitigation strategies and incentives.

The Impact of Energy Consumption on the Surface Urban Heat Island in China’s 32 Major Cities

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Weilin Liao

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Supported by the rapid economic development in the last few decades, China has become the largest energy consumer in the world. Alongside this, the effect of the anthropogenic heat released from energy consumption is increasingly apparent. We quantified the daytime and nighttime surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII for the 32 major cities in mainland China, using MODIS land surface temperature data from 2008 to 2012, and estimated the energy consumption intensity (ECI based on the correlation between energy consumption and the sum of nighttime lights. On this basis, the impact of energy consumption on the surface urban heat island in China’s 32 major cities was analyzed, by directly examining the relationship between SUHII and the urban-suburban difference in ECI. The results show that energy consumption has a significantly positive correlation with the nighttime SUHII, but no correlation with the daytime SUHII. It indicates that the cities with a larger urban-suburban difference in ECI have a far greater impact on SUHII during the nighttime. Therefore, the statistical analysis of the historical observation data in this study provides evidence for a long-held hypothesis that the anthropogenic heat released from energy consumption is an important contributor to the urban thermal environment.

Data analytics for simplifying thermal efficiency planning in cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdolhosseini Qomi, Mohammad Javad; Noshadravan, Arash; Sobstyl, Jake M; Toole, Jameson; Ferreira, Joseph; Pellenq, Roland J-M; Ulm, Franz-Josef; Gonzalez, Marta C

2016-04-01

More than 44% of building energy consumption in the USA is used for space heating and cooling, and this accounts for 20% of national CO2emissions. This prompts the need to identify among the 130 million households in the USA those with the greatest energy-saving potential and the associated costs of the path to reach that goal. Whereas current solutions address this problem by analysing each building in detail, we herein reduce the dimensionality of the problem by simplifying the calculations of energy losses in buildings. We present a novel inference method that can be used via a ranking algorithm that allows us to estimate the potential energy saving for heating purposes. To that end, we only need consumption from records of gas bills integrated with a building's footprint. The method entails a statistical screening of the intricate interplay between weather, infrastructural and residents' choice variables to determine building gas consumption and potential savings at a city scale. We derive a general statistical pattern of consumption in an urban settlement, reducing it to a set of the most influential buildings' parameters that operate locally. By way of example, the implications are explored using records of a set of (N= 6200) buildings in Cambridge, MA, USA, which indicate that retrofitting only 16% of buildings entails a 40% reduction in gas consumption of the whole building stock. We find that the inferred heat loss rate of buildings exhibits a power-law data distribution akin to Zipf's law, which provides a means to map an optimum path for gas savings per retrofit at a city scale. These findings have implications for improving the thermal efficiency of cities' building stock, as outlined by current policy efforts seeking to reduce home heating and cooling energy consumption and lower associated greenhouse gas emissions. © 2016 The Author(s).

The Evolving Law of Disputed Relocation: constructing inner-city renewal practices in Shanghai, 1990-2005.

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, Mi

2010-01-01

The forceful pursuit of inner-city renewal in Shanghai since the early 1990s has to a great extent achieved spatial modernization, but at the same time it has given rise to increasing conflicts over residential relocation. Using law as a prism through which to examine the dialectic relationship between renewal practices and disputed relocation, this article argues that the series of unprecedented enactments in law that have taken place during this period have both paved the way for real estate market expansion and been a significant source of relocation disputes in Shanghai. Rather than viewing law as simply given and determinate, the article traces the regulatory regime's codification of property practices as a means of actively responding to the requirements of the real estate market. Under large-scale renewal practices, residents' legal rights of "return settlement" (huiban) in inner-city areas were largely denied in the early 1990s, before being effectively abolished by the adoption of monetary compensation for displacement in the 2000s. The evolving law on property practices has greatly shaped the process of disputed relocation while simultaneously posing a potential challenge to China's use of law for market-oriented development.

Big Data Analytics for Discovering Electricity Consumption Patterns in Smart Cities

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Rubén Pérez-Chacón

2018-03-01

Full Text Available New technologies such as sensor networks have been incorporated into the management of buildings for organizations and cities. Sensor networks have led to an exponential increase in the volume of data available in recent years, which can be used to extract consumption patterns for the purposes of energy and monetary savings. For this reason, new approaches and strategies are needed to analyze information in big data environments. This paper proposes a methodology to extract electric energy consumption patterns in big data time series, so that very valuable conclusions can be made for managers and governments. The methodology is based on the study of four clustering validity indices in their parallelized versions along with the application of a clustering technique. In particular, this work uses a voting system to choose an optimal number of clusters from the results of the indices, as well as the application of the distributed version of the k-means algorithm included in Apache Spark’s Machine Learning Library. The results, using electricity consumption for the years 2011–2017 for eight buildings of a public university, are presented and discussed. In addition, the performance of the proposed methodology is evaluated using synthetic big data, which cab represent thousands of buildings in a smart city. Finally, policies derived from the patterns discovered are proposed to optimize energy usage across the university campus.

Alcohol consumption as an incremental factor in health care costs for traffic accident victims: evidence in a medium sized Colombian city.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Restrepo, Carlos; Gómez-García, María Juliana; Naranjo, Salomé; Rondón, Martín Alonso; Acosta-Hernández, Andrés Leonardo

2014-12-01

Identify the possibility that alcohol consumption represents an incremental factor in healthcare costs of patients involved in traffic accidents. Data of people admitted into three major health institutions from an intermediate city in Colombia was collected. Socio-demographic characteristics, health care costs and alcohol consumption levels by breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) methodology were identified. Generalized linear models were applied to investigate whether alcohol consumption acts as an incremental factor for healthcare costs. The average cost of healthcare was 878 USD. In general, there are differences between health care costs for patients with positive blood alcohol level compared with those who had negative levels. Univariate analysis shows that the average cost of care can be 2.26 times higher (95% CI: 1.20-4.23), and after controlling for patient characteristics, alcohol consumption represents an incremental factor of almost 1.66 times (95% CI: 1.05-2.62). Alcohol is identified as a possible factor associated with the increased use of direct health care resources. The estimates show the need to implement and enhance prevention programs against alcohol consumption among citizens, in order to mitigate the impact that traffic accidents have on their health status. The law enforcement to help reduce driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages could help to diminish the economic and social impacts of this problem. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Use of social marketing to increase water consumption among school-age children in Mexico City].

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Carriedo, Ángela; Bonvecchio, Anabelle; López, Nancy; Morales, Maricruz; Mena, Carmen; Théodore, Florence L; Irizarry, Laura

2013-01-01

To increase water consumption in school children in Mexico City through a social marketing intervention. Cluster quasi-experimental design. Intervention of three months in schools, including water provision and designed based on social marketing. Reported changes in attitude, knowledge and behavior were compared pre and post intervention. Children of the intervention group (n=116) increased in 38% (171 ml) water consumption during school time, control group (n=167) decreased its consumption in 21% (140 ml) (pwater consumption among children, strategy that might contribute to mitigate childhood obesity.

Effects of Energy Beverage Consumption on Pistol Aiming Steadiness in Law Enforcement Officers.

Science.gov (United States)

Monaghan, Taylor P; Jacobson, Bert H; Sellers, John H; Estrada, Carlos A

2017-09-01

Monaghan, TP, Jacobson, BH, Sellers, JH, and Estrada, CA. Effects of energy beverage consumption on pistol aiming steadiness in law enforcement officers. J Strength Cond Res 31(9): 2557-2561, 2017-The popularity of energy drinks (EDs)/shots (ESs) has grown steadily over the years resulting in billions of dollars of sales annually. Energy drink marketing focuses on the improved performance and alertness and a reduction in fatigue. Although caffeine comprises one of the ingredients, it is not fully known how the combination of the many remaining active ingredients affects physical performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a commercially available ES on pistol aiming steadiness. Subjects (N = 10) consisted of accredited police officers in the Midwest. A randomized, blinded, crossover design was used to evaluate the pistol aiming steadiness after the consumption of an ES or placebo. Pistol aiming steadiness was measured using a hole/stylus steadiness tester and laser attached to a training pistol before and 30 minutes after ES or placebo consumption. Analysis revealed that the ES significantly (p ≤ 0.05) impaired pistol steadiness, whereas the placebo yielded no significant difference in aiming steadiness. Based on these results, it was concluded that the consumption of an ES could compromise aiming accuracy and shot placement, thereby jeopardizing the health and welfare of law enforcement personnel.

Estimating of Dietary Nitrate Consumption in Two Cities of Varzaghan and Parsabad with Different Occurrence of Gastric Cancer

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Hasan Taghipour

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Background & objectives: Nitrate is one of the major contaminants in food and water. Excess intake of this substance can increase the risk of stomach cancer and also cause other health problems. The objectives of this study were estimation of dietary nitrate consumption in the Varzaghan with high and Parsabad with low stomach cancer incidence in country, and also the comparison dietary nitrate consumption with World Health Organization standards.   Methods: In this comparative study performed during autumn and spring of 2011 about 216 food samples (including all food groups and drinking water collected and their nitrate concentration was determined by colorimetric method. Then daily dietary consumption of nitrate calculated based on daily diet of each person (according to national study on food consumption pattern in Iran and nitrate concentration in each group of food and drinking water.   Results: Daily consumption of nitrate in Varzaghan and Parsabad was 8.53 ± 0.35 and 8.17 ± 0.54 mg per kg of body weight (of adults, respectively, which is much greater than the amount recommended by FAO/WHO (0-3.7 mg per kg of body weight. Significant difference was not observed in the dietary consumption of nitrate in two cities at studied period (P> 0.05.   Conclusion: Despite of no significant difference in dietary consumption of nitrate in two cities, the daily consumption of nitrate in both of studied cities was significantly greater than the recommended level. Therefore monitoring sources of contamination and reduction of environmental pollution for decreasing food nitrate concentration are recommended.

Determinants of Electricity Consumption Intensity in China: Analysis of Cities at Subprovince and Prefecture Levels in 2009

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X. H. Xia

2012-01-01

Full Text Available China has experienced great social and economic vicissitudes that caused the vast complexity and uncertainty for electricity consumption. This paper attempts to identify the main determinants of the electricity consumption intensity by using the data from Chinese cities at subprovince and prefecture levels in 2009. The key category factors, including urban morphology, industrial structure, regulation context, urbanization degree, price, natural condition, and resource endowment, are abstracted and the influence of these determinants is evaluated by adopting the finite mixture models. The variation of each determinant across regions, the comparative weights of all the factors, and the detailed classifications of the cities are reported for facilitating the understanding of electricity consumption in China. The corresponding policies for electricity administration are addressed as well.

Cardiovascular drugs consumption--comparison between two Croatian regions, City of Zagreb and Lika-Senj County.

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Jurković, Drazen; Stimac, Danijela; Bajramović, Dubravko; Tiljak, Hrvoje; Stevanović, Ranko

2014-06-01

The aim of this paper is to determine the differences in the outpatient consumption of cardiovascular drugs between Croatian regions: the City of Zagreb and Lika-Senj County. The data on the number of packages and the purchase price for each drug have been obtained from all pharmacies in Lika-Senj County and all pharmacies in the City of Zagreb. Defined daily doses/1000 inhabitants/day (DDD/1000/day) was calculated for every drug in accordance with its code name and Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) index of the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2007. For drug combinations without defined daily doses, equivalent doses (ED) were used. The quality of drug prescribing within the group of cardiovascular drugs was assessed using the Drug Utilization (DU90%) method and the adherence of the DU90% segment to the guidelines for prescribing individual drug groups. The statistical significance of differences in results between the City of Zagreb and Lika-Senj County was tested using the chi-square test at the level of statistical significance p Zagreb (chi2 = 28.93, df = 4, p Zagreb and Lika-Senj County differs significantly. The consumption, quality of prescribing drugs and cost/DDD in the City of Zagreb is higher than in Lika-Senj County; in the City of Zagreb, newer and more expensive drugs are prescribed to a higher extent.

Consumption of minimally processed food is inversely associated with excess weight in adolescents living in an underdeveloped city.

Science.gov (United States)

Melo, Ingrid Sofia Vieira de; Costa, Clara Andrezza Crisóstomo Bezerra; Santos, João Victor Laurindo Dos; Santos, Aldenir Feitosa Dos; Florêncio, Telma Maria de Menezes Toledo; Bueno, Nassib Bezerra

2017-01-01

The consumption of ultra-processed foods may be associated with the development of chronic diseases, both in adults and in children/adolescents. This consumption is growing worldwide, especially in low and middle-income countries. Nevertheless, its magnitude in small, poor cities from the countryside is not well characterized, especially in adolescents. This study aimed to assess the consumption of minimally processed, processed and ultra-processed foods by adolescents from a poor Brazilian city and to determine if it was associated with excess weight, high waist circumference and high blood pressure. Cross-sectional study, conducted at a public federal school that offers technical education together with high school, located in the city of Murici. Adolescents of both sexes and aged between 14-19 years old were included. Anthropometric characteristics (weight, height, waist circumference), blood pressure, and dietary intake data were assessed. Associations were calculated using Poisson regression models, adjusted by sex and age. At total, 249 adolescents were included, being 55.8% girls, with a mean age of 16 years-old. The consumption of minimally processed foods was inversely associated with excess weight (Adjusted Prevalence Ratio: 0.61, 95% Confidence Interval: [0.39-0.96], P = 0.03). Although the consumption of ultra-processed foods was not associated with excess weight, high blood pressure and high waist circumference, 46.2% of the sample reported eating these products more than weekly. Consumption of minimally processed food is inversely associated with excess weight in adolescents. Investments in nutritional education aiming the prevention of chronic diseases associated with the consumption of these foods are necessary.

Evaluation of a social marketing campaign to support Mexico City's comprehensive smoke-free law.

Science.gov (United States)

Thrasher, James F; Huang, Liling; Pérez-Hernández, Rosaura; Niederdeppe, Jeff; Arillo-Santillán, Edna; Alday, Jorge

2011-02-01

We aimed to assess the level of awareness and impact of a social marketing campaign to promote Mexico City's 2008 comprehensive smoke-free law. Four months after the smoke-free law was implemented but before the campaign launch, we collected data from a population-based, random sample of 961 inhabitants of Mexico City. We analyzed data from 786 respondents who completed follow-up at the end of the campaign to determine campaign exposure and the association between campaign exposure and changes in campaign-targeted knowledge and attitudes. Recall of any of the 5 campaign materials was 69%, with a uniform distribution of exposure to 1, 2, and 3 or more campaign materials (25%, 25%, and 19%, respectively). Exposure to a greater number of campaign materials was associated in a monotonic relation with campaign-targeted knowledge of ammonia and arsenic in cigarette smoke. In models assessing support for, perceived benefits of, and perceived right to smoke-free places, campaign exposure accounted for a positive change in half of the indicators within each of these domains. Social marketing campaigns can reinforce knowledge and attitudes that favor smoke-free laws, thereby helping to establish smoke-free norms.

[Driving forces of carbon emission from energy consumption in China old industrial cities: a case study of Shenyang City, Northeast China].

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Wan-Xia; Geng, Yong; Xue, Bing

2012-10-01

To quantitatively analyze the effects of anthropogenic factors on regional environmental quality is a hot topic in the field of sustainable development research. Taking the typical old industrial city Shenyang in Northeast China as a case, and by using the IPCC method for calculating carbon emission from energy consumption, this paper estimated the carbon emission from energy consumption in the city in 1978-2009, and a time series analysis on the anthropogenic factors driving this carbon emission was made by the STIRPAT model based upon Kaya equation and ridge regression. In 1978-2009, the carbon emission in the city had a slow increase first, slow decrease then, and a rapid increase thereafter. The total carbon emission in 2009 was 4.6 times of that in 1978. Population growth was the main factor driving the growth of the emission, and there existed an equal-proportional variation between the population growth and the carbon emission growth. Urbanization was another main driving factor followed by population growth, and the per capita GDP was positively correlated with the carbon emission. Kuznets curve did not exist for the relationship between economic development and carbon emission in Shenyang. Energy source intensity reduction (representing technology improvement) was the main factor driving the reduction of the total carbon emission.

City/invisibility and city/estrangement: São Paulo, before and after the "Clean City" law Cidade/invisibilidade e cidade/estranhamento: São Paulo antes e depois da lei "Cidade Limpa"

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Maria Ogécia Drigo

2009-09-01

Full Text Available City/invisibility and city/estrangement: São Paulo, before and after the "Clean City" law — This paper reflects on the relation between street advertising and the urban context in the city of São Paulo (SP/Brazil before and after the implementation of the "Clean City" law, and offers some suggestions about how these sign systems could dialogize. The methodological approach whereby the urban context and street advertising are seen as sign systems, according to the semiotics of Charles S. Peirce, involved the collection and analysis of data — photographic records of São Paulo (before and after the "Clean City" law, and the presentation of suggestions founded upon Lynch's ideas about urban context; on Legorreta's ideas about educating the eyes to see architecture; and on Baudrillard's ideas about advertising, notably his concept of functionality. The relevance of this approach lies in the fact that the suggestions are relevant to multiple urban and cultural contexts, and because they consider that urban landscape studies are pertinent for communication professionals. O propósito deste artigo é refletir sobre a relação entre a publicidade de rua e o contexto urbano na cidade de São Paulo antes e depois da lei "Cidade Limpa" e apresentar sugestões para que esses sistemas de signos estabeleçam diálogos. O percurso metodológico que tomou o contexto urbano e a publicidade de rua como sistemas de signos, segundo a semiótica de Charles S. Peirce, se deu com coleta de dados — registros fotográficos ou recortes de lugares da cidade —, análise e elaboração de sugestões fundamentando-se em ideias de Lynch, sobre contexto urbano; Legorreta, sobre a educação do olhar para a arquitetura e de Baudrillard sobre publicidade, notadamente o conceito de funcionalidade. A relevância do estudo se deve ao fato de que as sugestões são pertinentes para múltiplos contextos urbanos e culturais, bem como por considerar que

New drugs on the street: changing inner city patterns of illicit consumption

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Singer, Merrill

2005-01-01

.... 16, No. 1/2 2000. The journal is renumbered to start as Vol. 1, No. 1 2002. New Drugs on the Street: Changing Inner City Patterns of Illicit Consumption, edited by Merrill Singer, PhD (Vol. 4, No. 2, 2005). "ESSENTIAL READING for anyone in the drug use area who wants to be brought up-to-date on the current state of the field. This edited ...

Sugar consumption pattern of 13-year-old school children in Belgaum city, Karnataka

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Hegde P

2005-01-01

Full Text Available To determine the sugar consumption pattern of the school children in Belgaum city and to organize for a diet-counseling program. Easy availability of sugar containing food and high consumption of these sweets if continued unabated, the dental caries among children would become a major public health problem. In this instance, Dietary counseling can be just appropriate to inhibit the carious process. 342 school children aged 13 years, from four schools in Belgaum city participated in the study. The pattern of sugar consumption was assessed using a 4-day diet diary. Analysis was done according to the method described by Nizel and Papas (Nutrition in clinical dentistry, 1989, 277 and the variables were: the sweet score, At meal sugar exposure (AMSE, Between meal sugar exposure (BMSE and Total sugar exposure (TSE. The mean, standard deviation and/or frequency were calculated for all variables. Student′s t-test was used to statistically analyze the gender difference. The mean + SD of the recorded variables were: sweet score 31 + 12.78/day, AMSE 0.88 + 0.33/day, BMSE 3.95 + 0.87/day, and TSE 4.83 + 0.96/day. No statistical significant gender difference with respect to the variables was observed. ′Tell Show And Do′ Diet counseling session will perhaps have a greater impact as compared to the most common strategy of simply exhorting the children to eat less sugar.

Policy support, norms, and secondhand smoke exposure before and after implementation of a comprehensive smoke-free law in Mexico city.

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Thrasher, James F; Pérez-Hernández, Rosaura; Swayampakala, Kamala; Arillo-Santillán, Edna; Bottai, Matteo

2010-09-01

We assessed attitudes and beliefs about smoke-free laws, compliance, and secondhand smoke exposure before and after implementation of a comprehensive smoke-free law in Mexico City. Trends and odds of change in attitudes and beliefs were analyzed across 3 representative surveys of Mexico City inhabitants: before implementation of the policy (n=800), 4 months after implementation (n=961), and 8 months after implementation (n=761). Results indicated high and increasing support for 100% smoke-free policies, although support did not increase for smoke-free bars. Agreement that such policies improved health and reinforced rights was high before policy implementation and increased thereafter. Social unacceptability of smoking increased substantially, although 25% of nonsmokers and 50% of smokers agreed with smokers' rights to smoke in public places at the final survey wave. Secondhand smoke exposure declined generally as well as in venues covered by the law, although compliance was incomplete, especially in bars. Comprehensive smoke-free legislation in Mexico City has been relatively successful, with changes in perceptions and behavior consistent with those revealed by studies conducted in high-income countries. Normative changes may prime populations for additional tobacco control interventions.

Development of urban water consumption models for the City of Los Angeles

Science.gov (United States)

Mini, C.; Hogue, T. S.; Pincetl, S.

2011-12-01

water use patterns across the City. The performance of the linear regression model is being tested and compared with other algorithm-based simulations for improved modeling of urban water consumption in the region. Ultimately, projects results will contribute to the implementation of sustainable strategies targeted to specific urban areas for a growing population under uncertain climate variability.

Estimating current and future global urban domestic material consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Baynes, Timothy Malcolm; Kaviti Musango, Josephine

2018-06-01

Urban material resource requirements are significant at the global level and these are expected to expand with future urban population growth. However, there are no global scale studies on the future material consumption of urban areas. This paper provides estimates of global urban domestic material consumption (DMC) in 2050 using three approaches based on: current gross statistics; a regression model; and a transition theoretic logistic model. All methods use UN urban population projections and assume a simple ‘business-as-usual’ scenario wherein historical aggregate trends in income and material flow continue into the future. A collation of data for 152 cities provided a year 2000 world average DMC/capita estimate, 12 tons/person/year (±22%), which we combined with UN population projections to produce a first-order estimation of urban DMC at 2050 of ~73 billion tons/year (±22%). Urban DMC/capita was found to be significantly correlated (R 2 > 0.9) to urban GDP/capita and area per person through a power law relation used to obtain a second estimate of 106 billion tons (±33%) in 2050. The inelastic exponent of the power law indicates a global tendency for relative decoupling of direct urban material consumption with increasing income. These estimates are global and influenced by the current proportion of developed-world cities in the global population of cities (and in our sample data). A third method employed a logistic model of transitions in urban DMC/capita with regional resolution. This method estimated global urban DMC to rise from approximately 40 billion tons/year in 2010 to ~90 billion tons/year in 2050 (modelled range: 66–111 billion tons/year). DMC/capita across different regions was estimated to converge from a range of 5–27 tons/person/year in the year 2000 to around 8–17 tons/person/year in 2050. The urban population does not increase proportionally during this period and thus the global average DMC/capita increases from ~12 to ~14 tons

Integrated model for characterization of spatiotemporal building energy consumption patterns in neighborhoods and city districts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fonseca, Jimeno A.; Schlueter, Arno

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A model to describe spatiotemporal building energy demand patterns was developed. • The model integrates existing methods in urban and energy planning domains. • The model is useful to analyze energy efficiency strategies in neighborhoods. • Applicability in educational, urban and energy planning practices was found. - Abstract: We introduce an integrated model for characterization of spatiotemporal building energy consumption patterns in neighborhoods and city districts. The model addresses the need for a comprehensive method to identify present and potential states of building energy consumption in the context of urban transformation. The focus lies on determining the spatiotemporal variability of energy services in both standing and future buildings in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. This detailed characterization facilitates the assessment of potential energy efficiency measures at the neighborhood and city district scales. In a novel approach we integrated existing methods in urban and energy planning domains such as spatial analysis, dynamic building energy modeling and energy mapping to provide a comprehensive, multi-scale and multi-dimensional model of analysis. The model is part of a geographic information system (GIS), which serves as a platform for the allocation and future dissemination of spatiotemporal data. The model is validated against measured data and a peer model for a city district in Switzerland. In this context, we present practical applications in the analysis of energy efficiency measures in buildings and urban zoning. We furthermore discuss potential applications in educational, urban and energy planning practices

Strong advocacy led to successful implementation of smokefree Mexico City.

Science.gov (United States)

Crosbie, Eric; Sebrié, Ernesto M; Glantz, Stanton A

2011-01-01

To describe the approval process and implementation of the 100% smokefree law in Mexico City and a competing federal law between 2007 and 2010. Reviewed smokefree legislation, published newspaper articles and interviewed key informants. Strong efforts by tobacco control advocacy groups and key policymakers in Mexico City in 2008 prompted the approval of a 100% smokefree law following the WHO FCTC. As elsewhere, the tobacco industry utilised the hospitality sector to block smokefree legislation, challenged the City law before the Supreme Court and promoted the passage of a federal law that required designated smoking areas. These tactics disrupted implementation of the City law by causing confusion over which law applied in Mexico City. Despite interference, the City law increased public support for 100% smokefree policies and decreased the social acceptability of smoking. In September 2009, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the City law, giving it the authority to go beyond the federal law to protect the fundamental right of health for all citizens. Early education and enforcement efforts by tobacco control advocates promoted the City law in 2008 but advocates should still anticipate continuing opposition from the tobacco industry, which will require continued pressure on the government. Advocates should utilise the Supreme Court's ruling to promote 100% smokefree policies outside Mexico City. Strong advocacy for the City law could be used as a model of success throughout Mexico and other Latin American countries.

The Carbon City Index (CCI)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boyd, Britta; Straatman, Bas; Mangalagiu, Diana

This paper presents a consumption-based Carbon City Index for CO2 emissions in a city. The index is derived from regional consumption and not from regional production. It includes imports and exports of emissions, factual emission developments, green investments as well as low carbon city...

Consumption Patterns of Energy Drinks in Portuguese Adolescents from A City in Northern Portugal.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Albino; Ferreira, Carmo; Sousa, Dinis; Costa, Sandra

2018-04-30

Energy drinks are youth-targeted beverages that contain high amounts of caffeine and other stimulants. A number of deleterious health effects associated with consumption of these drinks have already been reported. Despite the health concerns, energy drinks research has been sparse, especially at younger ages. The main purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of energy drinks consumption and patterns of use among adolescents. Cross-sectional study of students aged between 11 - 17 years-old attending four public schools in Braga, cluster sampled. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to access sociodemographic data, self-reported academic performance as well as energy drinks consumption patterns, attitudes, awareness and associated symptoms. In a total of 1414 adolescents studied (mean age 15.1 ± 1.5 years; 53.9% were females), 56.7% reported to have used energy drinks at least once (62.5% in males; 52.1% in females). Of those, 34% described a regular consumption (at least once a month) and 14.1% a weekly consumption. The most common reasons for energy drinks consumption were the pleasant taste (49%), desire to increase global energy (35%) or sports performance (33%). On average, energy drinks users were older compared with non-users. Energy drinks consumption was associated with male gender and with self-reported worse academic performance. Approximately onethird experienced at least one symptom after consumption. In addition, 39.9% of energy drinks consumers reported mixing those with alcohol. Consumption of energy drinks has been increasing. The prevalence found for its consumption in this study is similar to that reported in the literature. Knowledge about motivation, general awareness of the risks or other variables related to consumption of these drinks might allow a better characterization of this behavior. This study showed a high prevalence of energy drinks consumption among adolescents from a city in Northern Portugal

Study of secondhand smoke exposure in St. Louis City and County suggests need for comprehensive smoke-free Missouri law adoption.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreland-Russell, Sarah; Cyr, Julianne; Benson, Peter; Colditz, Graham; Pulley, Deren; Barnoya, Joaquin

2012-01-01

This cross-sectional study provides information about secondhand smoke exposure across the St. Louis metro area and perceptions and attitudes about tobacco and health within the local hospitality industry. Results from this study support the need for passage and implementation of comprehensive smoke-free laws throughout Missouri, particularly in St. Louis City and County where efforts to pass comprehensive smoke-free laws have been unsuccessful.

Evaluation of Seasonal, ANN, and Hybrid Models in Modeling Urban Water Consumption A Case Study of Rash City

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Seyed Nematollah Mousavi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Forecasting future water consumption in cities to plan for the required capacities in urban water supply systems (including water transmission networks and water treatment facilities depends on the application of behavioral models of uban water consumption. Being located in the North-South corridor, Rasht City is assuming a new role to play in the national economy as a foreign trade center. It will, thus, be necessary to review its present urban infrastructure in order to draft the required infrastructural development plans for meeting the city’s future water demands. The three Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA, Artificial Neural Network (ANN, and SARIMABP approaches were employed in present study to model and forecast Rasht urban water consumption using monthly time series for the period 2001‒2008 of urban water consumption in Rasht. The seasonal unit root test was applied to develop the relevant SARIMA model. Results showed that all the seasonal and non-seasonal unit roots are present in all the frequencies in the monthly time series for Rasht urban water consumption. Using a proper filter, the SAIMA patterns were estimated. In a second stage the SARIMA output was used to determine the ANN output and the hybrid SARIMABP structure was accordingly constructed. The values for Rasht urban water consumption predicted by the three models indicated the superiority of the SARIMABP hybrid model as evidenced by the forecast error index of 0.41% obtained for this model. The other two models of SARIMA and ANN were, however, found to yield acceptable results for urban water managers since the forecasting error recorded for them was below 1%.

[Consumption of licit and illicit substances by police officers in the city of Rio de Janeiro].

Science.gov (United States)

de Souza, Edinilsa Ramos; Schenker, Miriam; Constantino, Patrícia; Correia, Bruna Soares Chaves

2013-03-01

The consumption of psychoactive substances by civil and military police of the city of Rio de Janeiro was investigated. Data was gathered from two cross-sectional studies on a questionnaire on work and health conditions given to a sample from the two corporations. The results show higher frequencies of regular consumption of tobacco (23.3% by civil police and 19.1% by military police), daily use of alcohol (12% by civil police and 11% by military police) and tranquilizers in the past year (13.3% by civil police and 10.1% by military police). The consumption of marijuana among officers was 0.1% by civil police and 1.1% by military police, and cocaine use among the military police was 1.1%. Alcohol consumption proved to be intense and causes problems at work and in the social and family relationships of these officers. The need for preventive policies for addiction and the possible underestimation of information on illicit substances is emphasized.

Impact of a comprehensive law on the prevalence of tobacco consumption in Spain: evaluation of different scenarios.

Science.gov (United States)

Raña, P; Pérez-Ríos, M; Santiago-Pérez, M I; Crujeiras, R M

2016-09-01

Since 2011, smoking legislation was hardened in Spain, banning tobacco consumption in all hospitality venues. Law 42/2010 was the first comprehensive tobacco control policy enacted in Spain. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect that this intervention has had in reducing the prevalence of tobacco consumption, setting up three scenarios on the basis of different theoretical levels of effect of the law. A predictive model based on Markov Chains was developed to distinguish the effect of tobacco control policies in different scenarios. The model developed uses population, smoking rates and smoking characteristics from a non-transmissible disease surveillance system developed in Galicia (namely SICRI). Results show that tobacco control policies hardly affect the predicted trend in a temporal frame of 10 years, with relative reduction in the predicted male smoking prevalence of 20.4% with no intervention, reaching a reduction of 26.1% under the maximum effect of the policies. In the global population the effects of the law in the predicted prevalence have been barely perceived. For people under 25 years of age, interventions have had an important and positive effect, which proves that policies affecting this age group should be hardened. Copyright © 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Smart governance for smart city

Science.gov (United States)

Mutiara, Dewi; Yuniarti, Siti; Pratama, Bambang

2018-03-01

Some of the local government in Indonesia claimed they already created a smart city. Mostly the claim based of IT utilization for their governance. In general, a smart city definition is to describe a developed urban area that creates sustainable economic development and high quality of life by excelling in multiple key; economy, mobility, environment, people, living, and government. For public services, the law guarantees good governance by setting the standard for e-government implicitly including for local government or a city. Based on the arguments, this research tries to test the condition of e-government of the Indonesian city in 34 provinces. The purpose is to map e-government condition by measuring indicators of smart government, which are: transparent governance and open data for the public. This research is departing from public information disclosure law and to correspond with the existence law. By examining government transparency, the output of the research can be used to measure the effectiveness of public information disclosure law and to determine the condition of e-government in local government in which as part of a smart city.

Groundwater Quality Analysis for Human Consumption: A Case Study of Sukkur City, Pakistan

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A. N. Laghari

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Drinking water quantity and quality is of the utmost importance. If the drinking water gets contaminated, it can result in severe health problems. For example, the continuous consumption of drinking water containing more than permissible amounts of fluoride can lead to bone deterioration and increased risk of bone fracture [1]. The present study was carried out to check the quality of underground water of Sukkur city. The analyzed parameters were fluoride, sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, arsenic, TDS, pH, conductivity, odor, color and taste. World Health Organization (WHO standards were followed in present study. Underground water samples were collected from 20 different populated locations of Sukkur city. Only arsenic, pH, iron and potassium were found to be within health safe limits while the rest of the parameters exceeded the permissible standards set out by WHO. The TDS, sodium, fluoride and magnesium were over the limits at some locations.

Energy Consumption during Lactation and Duration of Breastfeeding At Puskesmas Margajaya Bekasi City in 2014

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Ahmad Syafiq

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Despite recommendation for higher energy intake during lactation than during pregnancy, researches at Jakarta and Depok showed that energy consumption during lactation was lower than during pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between individual characteristics and energy consumption during lactation, and to assess the relationship between energy consumption during lactation to duration of breastfeeding among 60 mothers in the working area of PuskesmasMargajayaBekasi City in 2014. This research used a cross-sectional design; data was collected through primary data collection by questionnaire and Semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. Analysis was conducted using chi-square technique. The study found that mothers of sufficient age (>27 years old, multiparous, and had low (<2,100 kcal/day energy intake during pregnancy had significant higher risk to low energy consumption during lactation. Mothers with low energy consumption during lactation had 4 times higher risk of short duration of breastfeeding. It is recommended to provide information on the importance of higher energy intake during lactation due to the higher need to support breastmilk production and also to shift forward the nutrition recommendation regarding additional energy intake during lactation period from month 6 to month 4 due to higher energy requirement that commences when lactating mothers enter the fourth month of lactation.

Decomposition of the Urban Water Footprint of Food Consumption: A Case Study of Xiamen City

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Jiefeng Kang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Decomposition of the urban water footprint can provide insight for water management. In this paper, a new decomposition method based on the log-mean Divisia index model (LMDI was developed to analyze the driving forces of water footprint changes, attributable to food consumption. Compared to previous studies, this new approach can distinguish between various factors relating to urban and rural residents. The water footprint of food consumption in Xiamen City, from 2001 to 2012, was calculated. Following this, the driving forces of water footprint change were broken down into considerations of the population, the structure of food consumption, the level of food consumption, water intensity, and the population rate. Research shows that between 2001 and 2012, the water footprint of food consumption in Xiamen increased by 675.53 Mm3, with a growth rate of 88.69%. Population effects were the leading contributors to this change, accounting for 87.97% of the total growth. The food consumption structure also had a considerable effect on this increase. Here, the urban area represented 94.96% of the water footprint increase, driven by the effect of the food consumption structure. Water intensity and the urban/rural population rate had a weak positive cumulative effect. The effects of the urban/rural population rate on the water footprint change in urban and rural areas, however, were individually significant. The level of food consumption was the only negative factor. In terms of food categories, meat and grain had the greatest effects during the study period. Controlling the urban population, promoting a healthy and less water-intensive diet, reducing food waste, and improving agriculture efficiency, are all elements of an effective approach for mitigating the growth of the water footprint.

Flavors of the city: access to regional fruit and fruit consumption in the State of Acre, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Carolina Barbosa de Lima

Full Text Available In 2010 more than 70% of the population in the Brazilian Amazon was living in urban centers. This article looks at the effect of urbanization on market availability and consumption of regional fruits in the state of Acre. The east and west region were used as proxies for urbanization, and quantitative and qualitative methods were combined in interviews with regional fruit vendors and consumers. Open markets in large cities provided a greater variety of regional fruits for purchase, yet fruit consumption was more diverse in the less urbanized west, than in the east. This pattern reveals the importance of fruit tree diversity in home gardens and urban forested fragments, as well as of non-monetary exchanges of goods as promoters of variety in fruit consumption. Findings suggest that children may be benefiting the most from this consumption. Also, certain regional fruits have gained a 'cultural marker' status and are widely consumed regardless of the urbanization rates. Nevertheless, this article demonstrates how urbanization affects the diversity of fruit consumption in different social groups, and how this process is mediated by access, income level, and health concerns.

Comparison of pharmaceutical, illicit drug, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine levels in wastewater with sale, seizure and consumption data for 8 European cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Baz-Lomba, Jose Antonio; Salvatore, Stefania; Gracia-Lor, Emma; Bade, Richard; Castiglioni, Sara; Castrignanò, Erika; Causanilles, Ana; Hernandez, Felix; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara; Kinyua, Juliet; McCall, Ann-Kathrin; van Nuijs, Alexander; Ort, Christoph; Plósz, Benedek G; Ramin, Pedram; Reid, Malcolm; Rousis, Nikolaos I; Ryu, Yeonsuk; de Voogt, Pim; Bramness, Jorgen; Thomas, Kevin

2016-10-01

Monitoring the scale of pharmaceuticals, illicit and licit drugs consumption is important to assess the needs of law enforcement and public health, and provides more information about the different trends within different countries. Community drug use patterns are usually described by national surveys, sales and seizure data. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been shown to be a reliable approach complementing such surveys. This study aims to compare and correlate the consumption estimates of pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine from wastewater analysis and other sources of information. Wastewater samples were collected in 2015 from 8 different European cities over a one week period, representing a population of approximately 5 million people. Published pharmaceutical sale, illicit drug seizure and alcohol, tobacco and caffeine use data were used for the comparison. High agreement was found between wastewater and other data sources for pharmaceuticals and cocaine, whereas amphetamines, alcohol and caffeine showed a moderate correlation. methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and nicotine did not correlate with other sources of data. Most of the poor correlations were explained as part of the uncertainties related with the use estimates and were improved with other complementary sources of data. This work confirms the promising future of WBE as a complementary approach to obtain a more accurate picture of substance use situation within different communities. Our findings suggest further improvements to reduce the uncertainties associated with both sources of information in order to make the data more comparable.

Universities scale like cities.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony F J van Raan

Full Text Available Recent studies of urban scaling show that important socioeconomic city characteristics such as wealth and innovation capacity exhibit a nonlinear, particularly a power law scaling with population size. These nonlinear effects are common to all cities, with similar power law exponents. These findings mean that the larger the city, the more disproportionally they are places of wealth and innovation. Local properties of cities cause a deviation from the expected behavior as predicted by the power law scaling. In this paper we demonstrate that universities show a similar behavior as cities in the distribution of the 'gross university income' in terms of total number of citations over 'size' in terms of total number of publications. Moreover, the power law exponents for university scaling are comparable to those for urban scaling. We find that deviations from the expected behavior can indeed be explained by specific local properties of universities, particularly the field-specific composition of a university, and its quality in terms of field-normalized citation impact. By studying both the set of the 500 largest universities worldwide and a specific subset of these 500 universities--the top-100 European universities--we are also able to distinguish between properties of universities with as well as without selection of one specific local property, the quality of a university in terms of its average field-normalized citation impact. It also reveals an interesting observation concerning the working of a crucial property in networked systems, preferential attachment.

Universities scale like cities.

Science.gov (United States)

van Raan, Anthony F J

2013-01-01

Recent studies of urban scaling show that important socioeconomic city characteristics such as wealth and innovation capacity exhibit a nonlinear, particularly a power law scaling with population size. These nonlinear effects are common to all cities, with similar power law exponents. These findings mean that the larger the city, the more disproportionally they are places of wealth and innovation. Local properties of cities cause a deviation from the expected behavior as predicted by the power law scaling. In this paper we demonstrate that universities show a similar behavior as cities in the distribution of the 'gross university income' in terms of total number of citations over 'size' in terms of total number of publications. Moreover, the power law exponents for university scaling are comparable to those for urban scaling. We find that deviations from the expected behavior can indeed be explained by specific local properties of universities, particularly the field-specific composition of a university, and its quality in terms of field-normalized citation impact. By studying both the set of the 500 largest universities worldwide and a specific subset of these 500 universities--the top-100 European universities--we are also able to distinguish between properties of universities with as well as without selection of one specific local property, the quality of a university in terms of its average field-normalized citation impact. It also reveals an interesting observation concerning the working of a crucial property in networked systems, preferential attachment.

LAW OCRACY ELOPMENT LAW DEMOCRACY & DEVELOPMENT

African Journals Online (AJOL)

HP27975994114

to health care services dovetails with the international law approach to assessing compliance with the ..... with extended opening hours) are well distributed across the city.40 Availability of .... often constitutes a de facto denial of access to care.

Does law enforcement awareness affect motorcycle helmet use? evidence from urban cities in Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiwattanakulpaisarn, Piyapong; Kanitpong, Kunnawee; Ponboon, Sattrawut; Boontob, Nuttapong; Aniwattakulchai, Pakorn; Samranjit, Supattra

2013-09-01

Although helmet use has been compulsory for motorcycle drivers and passengers in Thailand since the enactment of the Helmet Act in 1994, recent surveys show that the prevalence of helmet usage remains low, particularly among passengers. This paper has sought to explore motorcyclists' awareness of helmet law enforcement in Thailand and examine whether it affects their helmet use behaviour. A total of 2,429 drivers and 1,328 passengers in urban cities nationwide were interviewed in 2009, and the data were analysed using a multivariate ordered logit regression technique. About 60% of the drivers and only 28% of the passengers reported that they always wore a motorcycle helmet. Apart from basic demographics (i.e. age and gender) and riding frequency, our analysis reveals that the awareness of helmet law enforcement was among the contributing factors influencing the use of motorcycle helmets in Thailand. Regardless of riding position, the prevalence of helmet use tended to be greater among those frequently observing the police's checkpoints for helmet wearing and those perceiving the high risk of being caught for non-helmet use. However, the use of helmets appeared to be lower among drivers who perceived the checkpoints to take place at the same times and locations, which were likely predicted. For motorcycle passengers, it was found that the low prevalence of helmet use was potentially attributable to the absence of knowledge on the compulsory helmet law for passengers and the perception that the law was not enforced by the police. Thus, if motorcycle helmet use in Thailand is to be increased, considerable efforts need to be given to increasing the perceived risk of apprehension for non-helmet use (e.g. more police presence and random scheduling of enforcement activities), improving the awareness of the existing helmet law for passengers, and ensuring that helmet wearing by passengers is more strictly enforced.

Perdiéndonos en la ciudad: el consumo responsable como mensaje, la ciudad de Madrid como ecosistema comunicativo Lost in the city: the responsible consumption as message, and the city of Madrid as communication ecosystem

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Concepción Piñeiro

2012-03-01

Full Text Available El ritmo de consumo actual es muy superior a la capacidad ecológica de nuestros entornos, lo cual es substancialmente importante en las ciudades donde es mayor el desequilibrio de los flujos metabólicos. En este sentido, entendemos que el fomento del consumo responsable es fundamental para la sostenibilidad urbana, donde los mensajes mayoritarios se encuentran posicionados en la actual sociedad de consumo. Por ello nos preguntamos ¿qué presencia tienen los mensajes de consumo responsable en la ciudad?, ¿cuáles son los discursos y prácticas de la ciudad de Madrid relacionadas con el consumo responsable? Este trabajo es una aproximación exploratoria a dicho contexto y para su desarrollo hemos utilizado la técnica de la deriva (28 derivas realizadas en 2009 y distribuidas en cuatro barrios de la ciudad de Madrid. Identificamos múltiples y diversos discursos y prácticas vinculadas con el consumo responsable, especialmente en ámbitos como la movilidad, el consumo energético y de agua, o el uso del tiempo y el espacio.The current rate of consumption is much higher than the ecology capacity of our environment. This is substantially important in cities where the imbalance of metabolic fluxes is greater. In this sense, to promote responsible consumption is the key to look for the urban sustainability, where the major communication messages are based on the current consumer society. Therefore we ask: what messages of responsible consumption are in the city? what discourses and practices related to responsible consumption are in Madrid? This work is an exploratory approach to that context and we use the technique of drift (28 drifts out in 2009 and distributed in four districts of the city of Madrid. We identify multiple and diverse discourses and practices associated with responsible consumption, especially in areas such as mobility, energy and water consumption or the use of time and space.

Specifity of Cultural Layers Filling and Dynamics of Meat Consumption in the City of Bolgar (based on the archaeozoological materials of CLXXIX excavation trench

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Yavorskaya Lilia V.

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Reliable samplings of animal bones obtained through five chronological periods from CLXXIX excavation trench on the Bulgar fortified settlement site are examined in the article. The results have made it possible to reveal fluctuations in meat consumption characteristic of this part of the city between the pre-Mongol and the later Golden Horde periods. Throughout all the periods of the city history, beef had dominated meat consumption structure there. The role of other meat animal species underwent definite changes. In the pre-Mongol period, beef was supplemented with meat of small cattle and horses in the diet of the settled population of Bulgar; fish was apparently no less important. In the early Golden Horde period, mutton consumption increased, while the proportion of beef and horse-flesh decreased. By the later Golden Horde period, the share of mutton in meat consumption in this part of Bulgar had increased to reach 42 per cent as compared to 15 per cent in the pre-Mongol period. The surge in mutton consumption in Bulgar in the Golden Horde period apparently means a shift in economic strategies of Volga Bulgaria population and attests to the increasing role of the steppe nomadic population in the economic activity of the region.

Estimation of annual effective dose from 226Ra and 228Ra due to consumption of foodstuffs by inhabitants of Ramsar city, Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asefi, M.; Fathivand, A. A.; Amidi, J.

2005-01-01

226 Ra and 228 Ra contents in foodstuffs of Ramsar which is a coastal city in the northern part of lran were determined by gamma spectrometry. Measurement results together with food consumption rates were used to estimate annual effective dose from 226 Ra and 228 Ra, due to consumption of food stuffs by inhabitants of Ramsar city. Materials and methods: a total of 33 samples from 11 different foodstuffs including root vegetables (beetroot), leafy vegetables (lettuce, parsley and spinach) and tea, meat, chicken, pea, broad bean, rice, and cheese were purchased from markets of Ramsar city and were analyzed for their 226 Ra and 228 Ra concentration. 1-8 kg of fresh weight sample was placed in Marinnelli beaker and sealed. The measurement of natural radioactivity levels as performed by gamma-spectrometry system, using a high purity germanium detector with 40% relative efficiency. Results: The highest concentrations of 226 Ra and 228 Ra were determined in tea samples with 1570 and 1140 mBq/kg, respectively, and the lowest concentration of 226 Ra was in pea, cheese, chicken, broad bean, and beetroot. Conclusion:The maximum estimated annual effective dose from 226 Ra and 228 Ra due to consumption, foodstuffs were determined to be 19.22 and 0.71 mSv from rice and meat samples respectively, where as, minimum estimated annual effective dose for 226 Ra was 0.017, 0.018 and 0.019 mSv from beetroot, cheese and pea samples respectively

The impact of retail beverage service training and social host laws on adolescents' DUI rates in San Diego County, California.

Science.gov (United States)

Scherer, Michael; Romano, Eduardo; Caldwell, Susan; Taylor, Eileen

2018-02-17

Driving under the influence (DUI) citations are still a serious concern among drivers aged 16-20 years and have been shown to be related to increased risk of fatal and nonfatal crashes. A battery of laws and policies has been enacted to address this concern. Though numerous studies have evaluated these policies, there is still a need for comprehensive policy evaluations that take into account a variety of contextual factors. Previous effort by this research team examined the impact of 20 minimum legal drinking age-21 laws in the state of California, as they impacted alcohol-related crash rates among drivers under 21 years of age while at the same time accounting for alcohol and gas taxes, unemployment rates, sex distribution among drivers, and sobriety checkpoints. The current research seeks to expand this evaluation to the county level (San Diego County). More specifically, we evaluate the impact of measures subject to county control such as retail beverage service (RBS) laws and social host (SH) laws, as well as media coverage, city employment, alcohol outlet density, number of sworn officers, alcohol consumption, and taxation policies, to determine the most effective point of intervention for communities seeking to reduce underage DUI citations. Annual DUI citation data (2000 to 2013), RBS and SH policies, and city-wide demographic, economic, and environmental information were collected and applied to each of the 20 cities in San Diego County, California. A structural equation model was fit to estimate the relative contribution of the variables of interest to DUI citation rates. Alcohol consumption and alcohol outlet density both demonstrated a significant increase in DUI rates, whereas RBS laws, SH laws, alcohol tax rates, media clusters, gas tax rates, and unemployment rates demonstrated significant decreases in DUI rates. At the county level, although RBS laws, SH laws, and media efforts were found to contribute to a significant reduction in DUI rates, the

Comparison of pharmaceutical, illicit drug, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine levels in wastewater with sale, seizure and consumption data for 8 European cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Antonio Baz-Lomba

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Monitoring the scale of pharmaceuticals, illicit and licit drugs consumption is important to assess the needs of law enforcement and public health, and provides more information about the different trends within different countries. Community drug use patterns are usually described by national surveys, sales and seizure data. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE has been shown to be a reliable approach complementing such surveys. Method This study aims to compare and correlate the consumption estimates of pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine from wastewater analysis and other sources of information. Wastewater samples were collected in 2015 from 8 different European cities over a one week period, representing a population of approximately 5 million people. Published pharmaceutical sale, illicit drug seizure and alcohol, tobacco and caffeine use data were used for the comparison. Results High agreement was found between wastewater and other data sources for pharmaceuticals and cocaine, whereas amphetamines, alcohol and caffeine showed a moderate correlation. methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA and nicotine did not correlate with other sources of data. Most of the poor correlations were explained as part of the uncertainties related with the use estimates and were improved with other complementary sources of data. Conclusions This work confirms the promising future of WBE as a complementary approach to obtain a more accurate picture of substance use situation within different communities. Our findings suggest further improvements to reduce the uncertainties associated with both sources of information in order to make the data more comparable.

Intuition beyond the law of the state

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen Connelly

2011-04-01

Full Text Available This article examines one aspect of the possible influence of Aristotle on Spinoza's thinking of state laws and their limitations.  In the Nicomachean Ethics, the Stagirite sets out a theory of the just city based on appropriate geometrical proportioning of justice, but then proposes the hypothesis of the most excellent man: someone so virtuous that they cannot be bound by the city's laws and so must be banished or elevated to monarch.  The article investigates how Spinoza's own conceptions of geometry and metaphysics inform his view of justice and laws in the city.  It indicates how, in continuing to posit the virtuous as someone both with a higher form of cognition of law, but who must nevertheless live in the city, Spinoza is likely to have been confronted with Aristotle's 'problem of excellence'.  The article examines Spinoza's initial and strikingly modern solution to the problem, but also indicates how Spinoza's own thinking on metaphysics and genetic geometry pushes him beyond this 'answer' in his later political work.

Decrease in mortality rate and hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction after the enactment of the smoking ban law in São Paulo city, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Abe, Tania M O; Scholz, Jaqueline; de Masi, Eduardo; Nobre, Moacyr R C; Filho, Roberto Kalil

2017-11-01

Smoking restriction laws have spread worldwide during the last decade. Previous studies have shown a decline in the community rates of myocardial infarction after enactment of these laws. However, data are scarce about the Latin American population. In the first phase of this study, we reported the successful implementation of the law in São Paulo city, with a decrease in carbon monoxide rates in hospitality venues. To evaluate whether the 2009 implementation of a comprehensive smoking ban law in São Paulo city was associated with a reduction in rates of mortality and hospital admissions for myocardial infarction. We performed a time-series study of monthly rates of mortality and hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction from January 2005 to December 2010. The data were derived from DATASUS, the primary public health information system available in Brazil and from Mortality Information System (SIM). Adjustments and analyses were performed using the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with exogenous variables (ARIMAX) method modelled by environmental variables and atmospheric pollutants to evaluate the effect of smoking ban law in mortality and hospital admission rate. We also used Interrupted Time Series Analysis (ITSA) to make a comparison between the period pre and post smoking ban law. We observed a reduction in mortality rate (-11.9% in the first 17 months after the law) and in hospital admission rate (-5.4% in the first 3 months after the law) for myocardial infarction after the implementation of the smoking ban law. Hospital admissions and mortality rate for myocardial infarction were reduced in the first months after the comprehensive smoking ban law was implemented. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

[Consumption to feed of resident adult population in rural area of the city of Ibatiba (ES, Brazil)].

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalho, Edilaine Oliveira; da Rocha, Emersom Ferreira

2011-01-01

It is a transverse study where a questionnaire of alimentary frequency was applied (QAF) in 150 adults resident of the rural area of the city of Ibatiba (ES, Brazil). QAF classified the alimentary consumption as: habitual (>4 times in the week), not habitual (chayote, carrot, beet, pumpkin, juice of fruits, banana, orange, guava, mango and tangerine. It can be concluded that the feeding habit presented by the studied population it can come to increase in a medium or long period the prevalence and occurrences of chronic-degenerative diseases as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and coronary diseases. The alimentary consumption of this population needs concern, because when compared with the national patterns, it is observed some inadequacies, and it is known that this picture comes to every day causing damages the public health.

Assessing the Risk of Hg Exposure Associated with Rice Consumption in a Typical City (Suzhou) in Eastern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Gang; Gong, Yu; Zhu, Yi-Xin; Miao, Ai-Jun; Yang, Liu-Yan; Zhong, Huan

2017-05-12

Recent studies have revealed that not only fish but also rice consumption may significantly contribute to human exposure to mercury (Hg) in Asian countries. It is therefore essential to assess dietary exposure to Hg in rice and its associated health risk. However, risk assessments of Hg in rice in non-contaminated areas are generally lacking in Asian countries. In the present study, Hg concentrations were measured in rice samples collected from markets and supermarkets in Suzhou, a typical city in Eastern China. In addition, the rice ingestion rates (IR) were assessed via a questionnaire-based survey of Suzhou residents. The data were then used to assess the risk of Hg exposure associated with rice consumption, by calculating the hazard quotient (HQ). Hg contents in rice samples were well below the national standard (20 μg/kg), ranging from 1.46 to 8.48 ng/g. They were also significantly ( p > 0.05) independent of the area of production and place of purchase (markets vs. supermarkets in the different districts). Our results indicate a low risk of Hg exposure from rice in Suzhou (HQ: 0.005-0.05), despite the generally high personal IR (0.05-0.4 kg/day). The risk of Hg associated with rice consumption for Suzhou residents was not significantly affected by the age or sex of the consumer ( p > 0.05). Overall, our results provide a study of human exposure to Hg in rice in Chinese cities not known to be contaminated with Hg. Future studies should examine Hg exposure in different areas in China and in potentially vulnerable major food types.

Effects of dram shop liability and enhanced overservice law enforcement initiatives on excessive alcohol consumption and related harms: Two community guide systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Rammohan, Veda; Hahn, Robert A; Elder, Randy; Brewer, Robert; Fielding, Jonathan; Naimi, Timothy S; Toomey, Traci L; Chattopadhyay, Sajal K; Zometa, Carlos

2011-09-01

Dram shop liability holds the owner or server(s) at a bar, restaurant, or other location where a patron, adult or underage, consumed his or her last alcoholic beverage responsible for harms subsequently inflicted by the patron on others. Liability in a state can be established by case law or statute. Overservice laws prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages to intoxicated patrons drinking in on-premises retail alcohol outlets (i.e., premises where the alcohol is consumed where purchased); enhanced enforcement of these laws is intended to ensure compliance by premises personnel. Both of these interventions are ultimately designed to promote responsible beverage service by reducing sales to intoxicated patrons, underage youth, or both. This review assesses the effectiveness of dram shop liability and the enhanced enforcement of overservice laws for preventing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. Studies assessing alcohol-related harms in states adopting dram shop laws were evaluated, as were studies assessing alcohol-related harms in regions with enhanced overservice enforcement. Methods previously developed for systematic reviews for the Guide to Community Preventive Services were used. Eleven studies assessed the association of state dram shop liability with various outcomes, including all-cause motor vehicle crash deaths, alcohol-related motor vehicle crash deaths (the most common outcome assessed in the studies reviewed), alcohol consumption, and other alcohol-related harms. There was a median reduction of 6.4% (range of values 3.7% to 11.3% reduction) in alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities associated with the presence of dram shop liability in jurisdictions where premises are licensed. Other alcohol-related outcomes also showed a reduction. Only two studies assessed the effects of enhanced enforcement initiatives on alcohol-related outcomes; findings were inconsistent, some indicating benefit and others none. According to Community Guide rules

A universal model for languages and cities, and their lifetimes

OpenAIRE

Tuncay, Caglar

2007-01-01

Present human languages display slightly asymmetric log-normal (Gauss) distribution for size [1-3], whereas present cities follow power law (Pareto-Zipf law)[4]. Our model considers the competition between languages and that between cities in terms of growing (multiplicative noise process)[5] and fragmentation [6]; where, relevant parameters are (naturally) different for languages and cities. We consider lifetime distribution for old and living languages and that for old and living cities. We...

Can urban rail transit curb automobile energy consumption?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Boqiang; Du, Zhili

2017-01-01

With the rapid development of China's economy and the speed of urbanization, China's automobile sector has experienced rapid development. The rapid development of the automobile sector has increased energy consumption. According to the results of this paper, automobile energy consumption accounted for about 10.73% of total energy consumption in China in 2015, about 3.6 times the proportion a decade ago. With the deterioration of urban traffic conditions, relying on expanding the amount of vehicles and city road network cannot solve the problem. Urban rail transit is energy-saving and less-polluting, uses less space, has large capacity, and secure. Urban rail transit, according to the principle of sustainable development, is a green transportation system and should be especially adopted for large and medium-sized cities. The paper uses the binary choice model (Probit and Logit) to analyze the main factors influencing the development of rail transit in Chinese cities, and whether automobile energy consumption is the reason for the construction of urban rail transit. Secondly, we analyze the influence of urban rail transit on automobile energy consumption using DID model. The results indicate that the construction of urban rail traffic can restrain automobile energy consumption significantly, with continuous impact in the second year. - Highlights: • Investigate the main factors influencing the building of rail transit for Chinese cities. • Analyze the influence of urban rail transit on automobile energy consumption by DID model. • The results indicate that the construction of urban rail traffic can restrain automobile energy consumption significantly.

Investigation of Fish Consumption in Giresun City

OpenAIRE

Mustafa Türkmen; Aysun Türkmen; Köksal Duran

2016-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the fish consumption in Giresun by survey method. Fish meat was compared with other meat types according to education, level of income, consumption rate and quantity. In research carried out according to the random sampling method. Questions were asked face to face a total of 433 persons. A total 428 participants (98.9%) stated that they consumed fish. However, the most consumed meat type is chicken, second is fish. A total 91% participant preferred marine fish...

Factors used for the estimation of radioactive nuclide intake through foodstuffs by inhabitants in coastal area of Ibaraki prefecture. V. Consumption of marine foods in Nakaminato city

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sumiya, M; Ohmomo, Y [National Inst. of Radiological Sciences, Nakaminato, Ibaraki (Japan). Marine Radioecological Research Station

1976-06-01

The consumption of eight categories of marine foods was surveyed on fisherman's and non-fisherman's families in Nakaminato city. The average daily intake of whole marine foods through a year was 193 g/d/p for fisherman's and 143 /g/d/p for non-fisherman's families, respectively. Fisherman's families showed higher consumption of all categories of marine foods than non-fisherman's and about one-half of the total marine foods consumption was occupied by fishes. It was observed that the fish in season was eaten much by both groups. Less consumption of benthic fish, crustacea and shell-fish was recognized.

CEP action area studies : City of Yellowknife fleet review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The City of Yellowknife maintains a fleet of vehicles and equipment used for public service. Yellowknife's Community Energy Plan (CEP) has a goal to reduce Yellowknife's fleet fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20 per cent within 10 years. This report examined current fuel consumption for the City of Yellowknife's fleet based on available data and examined options to reduce fleet fuel consumption. It also quantified the reduction in fuel consumption, GHG emissions, as well as the financial impacts of various options. An overview of the City of Yellowknife's fleet of vehicles and equipment was first provided, as well as calculated annual values for fuel consumption, GHG emissions, and energy consumption for the City of Yellowknife's fleet. Two fleet management case studies were presented. Fuel-efficient vehicles on the market that could provide an opportunity to replace some of the City of Yellowknife's fleet of light vehicles, and bylaw vehicles with fuel-efficient vehicles were discussed. These vehicles include hybrid vehicles, smart cars, compressed natural gas vehicles, and compressed-air vehicles. Equipment maintenance for tires, preventive, synthetic oils, and driver training programs were discussed. Anti-idling campaigns and technologies were also examined. The report concluded with a discussion of renewable fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol blended gasoline. Fleet fuel consumption, GHG and financial impacts were provided for each chapter heading. It was concluded that if all of the measures identified in the report were implemented, an overall decrease in GHG emissions of approximately 15 per cent would be achieved. 15 refs., 8 tabs., 8 figs

Fast food consumption and its associations with obesity and hypertension among children: results from the baseline data of the Childhood Obesity Study in China Mega-cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yaling; Wang, Liang; Xue, Hong; Wang, Huijun; Wang, Youfa

2017-12-06

China has seen rapid increase in obesity and hypertension prevalence and fast food consumption over the past decade. We examined status and risk factors for Western- and Chinese fast food consumption and their associations with health outcomes in Chinese children, and examined how maternal factors were associated with child health outcomes. Data of 1626 students aged 7-16 (11.6 ± 2.0) years and their parents in four mega-cities across China (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Xi'an) were collected in the 2015 baseline survey of the Childhood Obesity Study in China Mega-cities. Weight, height, waist circumference, and blood pressure were measured. Food intake was assessed using questionnaire. Mixed models were used to examine the associations. Among the children, 11.1% were obese, 19.7% were centrally obese, and 9.0% had hypertension. Obesity prevalence was much higher in boys than in girls (15.2% vs. 6.9% and 27.4% vs. 11.7%, respectively, both P fast food, respectively, over the past 3 months. Compared to those with college or above maternal education level, those with elementary school or below maternal education level were 49% more likely to consume Western fast food (odds ratio [OR] and 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49 [1.10-2.03]). Chinese fast food consumption rate increased by 12% with each year of increase in child's age (OR and 95% CI: 1.12 [1.02-1.23]). No significant associations between fast food consumption and health outcomes were detected. Adjusting for Western fast food consumption, children with lower maternal education were 71% and 43% more likely to have obesity and central obesity (ORs and 95% CIs: 1.71 [1.12-2.61] and 1.43 [1.00-2.03], respectively), and maternal body mass index was positively associated with child obesity, central obesity, and hypertension (ORs and 95% CIs: 1.11 [1.06-1.17], 1.12 [1.07-1.17], and 1.09 [1.03-1.15], respectively). Results were similar when Chinese fast food consumption was adjusted for. The prevalence of

TRANSNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: PAPERS FROM THE SIXTH ADMINISTRATIVE LAW DISCUSSION FORUM, QUÉBEC CITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Russell Weaver

2010-10-01

Full Text Available On May 25 - 26, 2010, Université Laval, the University of Windsor Faculty of Law and the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, hosted the Sixth Administrative Law Discussion Forum. These discussion fora, which have become an international academic success, have been held in a variety of venues in North America and Europe since the early 1990s. They are an initiative of Russell Weaver, Professor of Law & Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville. The fora provide an opportunity for thoughtful exchange among administrative law academics on contemporary issues that cut across national borders.

The energy-water nexus: are there tradeoffs between residential energy and water consumption in arid cities?

Science.gov (United States)

Ruddell, Darren M; Dixon, P Grady

2014-09-01

Water scarcity, energy consumption, and air temperature regulation are three critical resource and environmental challenges linked to urban population growth. While appliance efficiency continues to increase, today's homes are larger and residents are using more energy-consuming devices. Recent research has often described the energy-water nexus as a "tradeoff" between energy and water due to reduced temperatures resulting from irrigated vegetation. Accordingly, some arid cities have implemented landscape-conversion programs that encourage homeowners to convert their yards from grass (mesic) to drought-tolerant (xeric) landscapes to help conserve water resources. We investigated these relationships in Phoenix, Arizona by examining energy and water data for the summer months of June-September 2005 while temperature variability was analyzed from a local heat wave. Results show parallel consumption patterns with energy and water use strongly correlated and newer homes using more of both. The counterintuitive findings show that "drought-resistant" models may not be beneficial for community health, environment, or economics and that this issue is further complicated by socio-economic variables.

Indoor monitoring in Public Buildings: workplace wellbeing and energy consumptions. An example of IoT for smart cities application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefania Nanni

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In the recent years LepidaSpa created Sensornet platform for the control of the Emilia-Romagna territory managing heterogeneous environmental sensor networks distributed all over the region. LepidaSpa decided to integrate into Sensornet a brand-new family of sensors measuring indoor environmental parameters inside public buildings, in order to monitor energy consumption on one hand and workers’ wellbeing on the other. The innovative aspects of the adopted solution (the extreme simplicity of the sensor network architecture, its ease of installation, the real time detection of parameters directly related to power consumption and the availability of environmental parameters measurements (temperature, humidity and light simultaneously providing context information on the power consumption and correlation to working conditions made it a perfect candidate for a seamless integration within the platform and for an intensive monitoring campaign. This paper is presenting the results of such monitoring activity, where an IoT infrastructure acts as an enabler of a Smart City solution, focused on a sustainable wellbeing of the working places.

Real driving emissions and fuel consumption characteristics of Istanbul public transportation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ozener Orkun

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Public transportation, which uses intra city lines frequently, has vital importance on the cities air pollution. The fossil fuel based drive units, which emits pollutants, are the primary source of this interest. Also, the fuel consumption is another major concern because of economic aspects. For an efficient and clear transportation, the pollutants and fuel consumption has to be analyzed, considering the operating conditions. In this context, the Metrobus line of Istanbul city which crosses from European side to Asian side of the city was analyzed with portable emission measurement system and portable fuel consumption meter devices. The relevant bus operating data were also collected during the operation. The data were analyzed while considering the operating modes like acceleration, deceleration, and constant speed cruises. The emission factors were developed. The pollutant emissions generally decreased as the vehicle speed increased while the fuel consumption increased for the same acceleration level. These results show the importance of operating conditions and their non-linear effect on emissions and fuel consumption Istanbul public transportation.

Sustainable Consumption and Life Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Jing Jian; Li, Haifeng

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between sustainable consumption and life satisfaction. One aspect of sustainable consumption focused on in this study is the environment friendly purchase or green purchase. Using data collected from consumers in 14 cities in China, we found that consumers who reported green purchase…

Human health risk assessment of organochlorines associated with fish consumption in a coastal city in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Q.T. [Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Lee, T.K.M. [Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Chen, K. [Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 353, Yan-an Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310031 (China); Wong, H.L. [Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Zheng, J.S. [Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Giesy, J.P. [Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Department of Zoology, National Food Safety and Toxicology Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Lo, K.K.W. [Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Yamashita, N. [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), EMTECH, 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba (Japan); Lam, P.K.S. [Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)]. E-mail: bhpksl@cityu.edu.hk

2005-07-15

Food consumption is an important route of human exposure to organochlorines (OCs). In order to assess the potential health risks associated with these contaminants due to fish consumption, five species of fish were collected from a local market in Zhoushan City, an island in the East China Sea. Dioxin-like compounds, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/ dibenzofurans, in the fish samples were screened by H4IIE-luc cell bioassay, and the concentrations of specific organochlorines were measured by gas chromatograph-electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The bioassay results indicated that concentrations of dioxin-like compounds in the fish samples were below detection limit (0.64 pg/mL). The concentrations of OC pesticides and PCBs ranged from 0.67 to 13 and 0.24 to 1.4 ng/g wet wt., respectively. Significantly, concentrations of p,p'-DDE in fish meat were comparatively high (average 3.9 ng/g wet wt.) compared with the other OC pesticides. The daily fish consumption, based on a dietary survey conducted among 160 local healthy residents, was determined to be 105 g/person. The relevant cancer benchmark concentrations of HCB, dieldrin, chlordane, DDTs and PCBs were 0.36, 0.04, 1.6, 1.7, and 0.29 ng/kg per day, respectively, based on the local diet. The hazard ratios (HRs), based on non-cancer endpoints were all less than 1.0, while the HRs based on cancer were greater than 1.0 for certain contaminants based on the 95th centile concentration in fish tissue. - Health risk assessment of organochlorines associated with fish consumption reveals potential cancer risks for some contaminants in a coastal population in China.

Human health risk assessment of organochlorines associated with fish consumption in a coastal city in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Q.T.; Lee, T.K.M.; Chen, K.; Wong, H.L.; Zheng, J.S.; Giesy, J.P.; Lo, K.K.W.; Yamashita, N.; Lam, P.K.S.

2005-01-01

Food consumption is an important route of human exposure to organochlorines (OCs). In order to assess the potential health risks associated with these contaminants due to fish consumption, five species of fish were collected from a local market in Zhoushan City, an island in the East China Sea. Dioxin-like compounds, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/ dibenzofurans, in the fish samples were screened by H4IIE-luc cell bioassay, and the concentrations of specific organochlorines were measured by gas chromatograph-electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The bioassay results indicated that concentrations of dioxin-like compounds in the fish samples were below detection limit (0.64 pg/mL). The concentrations of OC pesticides and PCBs ranged from 0.67 to 13 and 0.24 to 1.4 ng/g wet wt., respectively. Significantly, concentrations of p,p'-DDE in fish meat were comparatively high (average 3.9 ng/g wet wt.) compared with the other OC pesticides. The daily fish consumption, based on a dietary survey conducted among 160 local healthy residents, was determined to be 105 g/person. The relevant cancer benchmark concentrations of HCB, dieldrin, chlordane, DDTs and PCBs were 0.36, 0.04, 1.6, 1.7, and 0.29 ng/kg per day, respectively, based on the local diet. The hazard ratios (HRs), based on non-cancer endpoints were all less than 1.0, while the HRs based on cancer were greater than 1.0 for certain contaminants based on the 95th centile concentration in fish tissue. - Health risk assessment of organochlorines associated with fish consumption reveals potential cancer risks for some contaminants in a coastal population in China

Clean Cities Now, Vol. 18, No. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-01-19

This is version 18.2 of Clean Cities Now, the official biannual newsletter of the Clean Cities program. Clean Cities is an initiative designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative and renewable fuels, fuel economy improvements, idle-reduction measures, and new technologies, as they emerge.

China's renewables law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Li

2005-01-01

The paper discusses China's Renewable Energy Promotion Law which will come into force in January 2006. The law shows China's commitment to renewable energy sources. The target is to raise the country's energy consumption from renewables to 10% by 2020. Data for current capacity, and expected capacity by 2020, are given for wind power, solar power, biomass and hydroelectric power. The financial and technological hurdles which China must overcome are mentioned briefly

Scaling laws and indications of self-organized criticality in urban systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Yanguang; Zhou Yixing

2008-01-01

Evolution of urban systems has been considered to exhibit some form of self-organized criticality (SOC) in the literature. This paper provides further mathematical foundations and empirical evidences to support the supposition. The hierarchical structure of systems of cities can be formulated as three exponential functions: the number law, the population size law, and the area law. These laws are identical in form to the Horton-Strahler laws of rivers and Gutenberg-Richter laws of earthquakes. From the exponential functions, three indications of SOC are also derived: the frequency-spectrum relation indicting the 1/f noise, the power laws indicating the fractal structure, and the Zipf's law indicating the rank-size distribution. These mathematical models form a set of scaling laws for urban systems, as demonstrated in the empirical study of the system of cities in China. The fact that the scaling laws of urban systems bear an analogy to those on rivers and earthquakes lends further support to the notion of possible SOC in urban systems

Fast food consumption and its associations with obesity and hypertension among children: results from the baseline data of the Childhood Obesity Study in China Mega-cities

OpenAIRE

Zhao, Yaling; Wang, Liang; Xue, Hong; Wang, Huijun; Wang, Youfa

2017-01-01

Background China has seen rapid increase in obesity and hypertension prevalence and fast food consumption over the past decade. We examined status and risk factors for Western- and Chinese fast food consumption and their associations with health outcomes in Chinese children, and examined how maternal factors were associated with child health outcomes. Methods Data of 1626 students aged 7–16 (11.6 ± 2.0) years and their parents in four mega-cities across China (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and ...

Remotely sensed thermal pollution and its relationship with energy consumption and industry in a rapidly urbanizing Chinese city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xiaofeng; Jiang, Hui; Wang, Huina; Zhao, Juanjuan; Qiu, Quanyi; Tapper, Nigel; Hua, Lizhong

2013-01-01

Taking the city of Xiamen, China, as an example, we used thermal infrared remote sensing to detect thermal pollution, and examined its relationship to energy consumption and the industrial economy. Monthly changes in 2002 and dynamics throughout the period of rapid urbanization (1987–2007) are analysed. It is found that seasonal variation led to distinct shapes and sizes of thermal pollution areas, and winter thermal pollution was highly indicative of industrial and energy transformation sources. Industrial enterprises were the dominant sources of winter thermal pollution in Xiamen. The number and ratio of industrial thermal pollution sources increased stably in the earlier years, and dramatically in the later period (2002–2007), attributable to the effects of China entering the World Trade Organization. Linear regression shows that the number of thermal pollution sources was strongly correlated with several factors of the industrial economy and energy consumption, including industrial outputs, industrial enterprise numbers, LPG and electricity. Related mitigation measures are also discussed. This research builds a link between remote sensing-detected thermal pollution information and statistical energy consumption data, as well as industrial economy statistics. It thereby enhances understanding of the relationship between urbanization, industrialization, energy consumption and related environmental effects. - Highlights: ► A method was provided for detecting thermal pollution through remote sensing. ► Seasonal dynamics and dynamics with the process of urbanization were examined. ► Winter thermal pollution is quite indicative of industrial energy consumption. ► Thermal pollution has high correlations with industrial economy and energy factors. ► It builds a link between remotely sensed thermal pollution and energy-economic data

Price and consumption of tobacco

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Virendra Singh

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background: It is thought that price increase in tobacco products leads to reduced consumption. Though many studies have substantiated this concept, it has not been well studied in India. Recently, price of tobacco products was increased due to ban on plastic sachets of chewing tobacco and increased tax in Rajasthan. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of price rise on overall consumption of tobacco in Jaipur city, Rajasthan. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in Jaipur city. Two-staged stratified sampling was used. In the first phase of study, cost and consumption of various tobacco products in the months of February and April were enquired from 25 retail tobacco shops. In the second phase, tobacco consumption was enquired from 20 consecutive consumers purchasing any tobacco product from all the above retail tobacco shops. The data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired "t" test. Results: The comparison of prices of tobacco products between February and April revealed that the price of cigarette, bidi, and chewing tobacco has increased by 19%, 21%, and 68%, respectively. Average decrease in sales of cigarettes, bidi, and chewing tobacco at shops included in the study were 14%, 23%, and 38%, respectively. The consumers purchasing tobacco also reported decreased consumption. Chewing tobacco showed the maximum reduction (21%. Consumption of cigarette and bidi has also reduced by 15% and 13%, respectively. Conclusion: It may be concluded that reduction in consumption is associated with increased price of tobacco products. Reduced consumption is comparative to the magnitude of price increase.

Modeling fractal structure of city-size distributions using correlation functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yanguang

2011-01-01

Zipf's law is one the most conspicuous empirical facts for cities, however, there is no convincing explanation for the scaling relation between rank and size and its scaling exponent. Using the idea from general fractals and scaling, I propose a dual competition hypothesis of city development to explain the value intervals and the special value, 1, of the power exponent. Zipf's law and Pareto's law can be mathematically transformed into one another, but represent different processes of urban evolution, respectively. Based on the Pareto distribution, a frequency correlation function can be constructed. By scaling analysis and multifractals spectrum, the parameter interval of Pareto exponent is derived as (0.5, 1]; Based on the Zipf distribution, a size correlation function can be built, and it is opposite to the first one. By the second correlation function and multifractals notion, the Pareto exponent interval is derived as [1, 2). Thus the process of urban evolution falls into two effects: one is the Pareto effect indicating city number increase (external complexity), and the other the Zipf effect indicating city size growth (internal complexity). Because of struggle of the two effects, the scaling exponent varies from 0.5 to 2; but if the two effects reach equilibrium with each other, the scaling exponent approaches 1. A series of mathematical experiments on hierarchical correlation are employed to verify the models and a conclusion can be drawn that if cities in a given region follow Zipf's law, the frequency and size correlations will follow the scaling law. This theory can be generalized to interpret the inverse power-law distributions in various fields of physical and social sciences.

78 FR 70934 - Trespassing on DOE Property: Kansas City Plant Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-27

... than $5,000.' By operation of law, the Criminal Fine Improvements Act of 1987, Public Law 100-185, 101 Stat. 1279 (1987), increased the fine amounts from $1000/$5000 to $5000/$100,000. See, e.g., U.S. v..., Director, Security & Information Technology Systems, NNSA Kansas City Plant, 14520 Botts Road, Kansas City...

Does environmental policy affect scaling laws between population and pollution? Evidence from American metropolitan areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Nicholas Z; Jha, Akshaya

2017-01-01

Modern cities are engines of production, innovation, and growth. However, urbanization also increases both local and global pollution from household consumption and firms' production. Do emissions change proportionately to city size or does pollution tend to outpace or lag urbanization? Do emissions scale differently with population versus economic growth or are emissions, population, and economic growth inextricably linked? How are the scaling relationships between emissions, population, and economic growth affected by environmental regulation? This paper examines the link between urbanization, economic growth and pollution using data from Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the United States between 1999 and 2011. We find that the emissions of local air pollution in these MSAs scale according to a ¾ power law with both population size and gross domestic product (GDP). However, the monetary damages from these local emissions scale linearly with both population and GDP. Counties that have previously been out of attainment with the local air quality standards set by the Clean Air Act show an entirely different relationship: local emissions scale according to the square root of population, while the monetary damages from local air pollution follow a 2/3rds power law with population. Counties out of attainment are subject to more stringent emission controls; we argue based on this that enforcement of the Clean Air Act induces sublinear scaling between emissions, damages, and city size. In contrast, we find that metropolitan GDP scales super-linearly with population in all MSAs regardless of attainment status. Summarizing, our findings suggest that environmental policy limits the adverse effects of urbanization without interfering with the productivity benefits that manifest in cities.

Urban water consumption and its influencing factors in China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fan, Liangxin; Gai, Lingtong; Tong, Yan; Li, Ruihua

2017-01-01

Factors that affect water consumption should be identified to develop effective public policies. However, factors influencing domestic water consumption in cities in China, particularly on a national scale, are unclear. In this study, urban water consumption and its influencing factors in 286

Implications of urban structure on carbon consumption in metropolitan areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinonen, Jukka; Junnila, Seppo

2011-01-01

Urban structure influences directly or indirectly the majority of all green house gas (GHG) emissions in cities. The prevailing belief is that dense metropolitan areas produce less carbon emissions on a per capita basis than less dense surrounding rural areas. Consequently, density targets have a major role in low-carbon urban developments. However, based on the results of this study, the connection seems unclear or even nonexistent when comprehensive evaluation is made. In this letter, we propose a hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) method for calculating the consumption-based carbon footprints in metropolitan areas, i.e. carbon consumption, with the emphasis on urban structures. The method is input-output-based hybrid LCA, which operates with the existing data from the region. The study is conducted by performing an analysis of the carbon consumption in two metropolitan areas in Finland, including 11 cities. Both areas consist of a dense city core and a less dense surrounding suburban area. The paper will illustrate that the influence of urban density on carbon emissions is insignificant in the selected metropolitan areas. In addition, the utilized consumption-based method links the climate effects of city-level development to the global production of emissions.

The hydrometeorological implications of zoning laws: Can land use regulations of urban density and sprawl improve a city's resilience?

Science.gov (United States)

Bou-Zeid, E.; Ryu, Y. H.; Smith, J. A.; Newburn, D. A.

2015-12-01

peaks. While the particular findings hold for Baltimore and many cities with comparable climates, the conclusion that zoning laws and the resulting spatial patterns for urban density have important implications on a city's response to changing climate and extreme weather are more broadly applicable.

Challenges and Opportunities in Transforming a City into a “Zero Waste City”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steffen Lehmann

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The currently consumption-driven society produces an enormous volume of waste every day. Continuous depletion of natural finite resources by urban populations is leading the globe to an uncertain future. Therefore, to prevent further depletion of global resources, sustainable consumption and a strategic waste management system would be required. It is evident that a significant number of global non-renewable resources such as cadmium, mercury and tellurium will experience permanent shortfall in global supply within the next two to three decades. Astonishingly, the current recycling rate of these very scarce metals is significantly low in all cities around the globe. The concept of the zero waste city includes a 100% recycling of municipal solid waste and a 100% recovery of all resources from waste materials. However, transforming currently over-consuming cities into zero waste cities is challenging. Therefore, this study aims to understand the key factors waste management systems in cities such as consumption, resource depletion and possible decoupling opportunity through implementing the “zero waste city” concept. The study proposes five significant principles for transforming current cities into zero waste cities in the context of long-term sustainability. A simultaneous and harmonized application of sustainable behaviour and consumption, product stewardship, a 100% recycling and recovery of resources, legislated zero landfill and incineration are required to transform current city into a zero waste city.

SmartCityWare

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mohamed, Nader; Al-Jaroodi, Jameela; Jawhar, Imad

2017-01-01

Smart cities are becoming a reality. Various aspects of modern cities are being automated and integrated with information and communication technologies to achieve higher functionality, optimized resources utilization, and management, and improved quality of life for the residents. Smart cities...... rely heavily on utilizing various software, hardware, and communication technologies to improve the operations in areas, such as healthcare, transportation, energy, education, logistics, and many others, while reducing costs and resources consumption. One of the promising technologies to support...... technology is Fog Computing, which extends the traditional Cloud Computing paradigm to the edge of the network to enable localized and real-time support for operating-enhanced smart city services. However, proper integration and efficient utilization of CoT and Fog Computing is not an easy task. This paper...

Causes of Domestic Water Consumption Trends in the City of Alicante: Exploring the Links between the Housing Bubble, the Types of Housing and the Socio-Economic Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Álvaro-Francisco Morote

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The European Mediterranean coastline has experienced major tourism-related urbanization since 1960. This is a dynamic that has led to increased spending on water consumption for urban and tourism-related uses. The objective of this paper is to define and to analyze how domestic water consumption in the city of Alicante evolved between 2000 and 2013. Real billing figures for individual households were analyzed according to the type of housing and the income level of the occupants. The conclusions drawn show that consumption fell over the period studied, and that there are different patterns in water expenditure depending on the type of housing and the inhabitants.

Prediction of electric power consumption in the Petrolina city, PE-Brazil; Previsao de consumo de energia eletrica na cidade de Petrolina - PE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caldas, Alexandre Alex Silva e; Santos, Eucymara Franca Nunes [Universidade Federal do Vale do Sao Francisco (UNIVASF), Juazeiro, BA (Brazil)

2010-07-01

This article presents mathematical equations as a way to forecast electricity consumption using the statistical method of multiple linear regression. The equations are presented using the model of least squares method for determining the regression coefficients, and respecting the division of industrial and residential customer classes in the city of Petrolina (PE). This article has the objective of providing companies and individuals who work in the areas of generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the region a forecasting tool that ensures a reliable level projections of energy consumption, ensuring the necessary supply of energy, aiming to avoid situations such as occurred in Brazil in mid 2000 and 2001 from energy rationing. Then the paper has a significant relevance because there are not many works in this area of knowledge that address the interests of the region. At the end we present reliable methods derived from multiple linear regression equations, which guarantee a correct forecast of electricity consumption (author)

Nostalgia Spaces of Consumption and Heterotopia Ramadan Festivities in Istanbul

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Defne Karaosmanoglu

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Contemporary city cultures are often defined in relation to the processes of late-capitalism and commodification. Today, in various parts of the world, the previ-ously dominant industrial cities have been replaced by cities of consumption (Urry 1995: 123. Cities are treated as sites for representation, masquerade and sociability (Featherstone and Lash 1999: 3. National and religious celebrations and culinary festivals are parts of the dynamism of city life where nostalgia be-comes a marketing strategy. This article looks at the nostalgia industry in the con-temporary city of Istanbul in connection to the Ramadan festivities and iftar tables as everyday spaces of spectacle and consumption. It examines the ways in which the Ramadan space is articulated in everyday practices not only as a site of spec-tacle formed by both global and local discourses, but also as a form of sociability that brings people together.

The benchmarks of carbon emissions and policy implications for China's cities: Case of Nanjing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bi Jun; Zhang Rongrong; Wang Haikun; Liu Miaomiao; Wu Yi

2011-01-01

The development of urbanization is accelerating in China, and there are great pressures and opportunities in cities to reduce carbon emissions. An emissions inventory is a basic requirement for analyzing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), their potential reduction and to realize low-carbon development of cities. This study describes a method to establish a GHGs emissions inventory in Chinese cities for 6 emission sources including industrial energy consumption, transportation, household energy consumption, commercial energy consumption, industrial processes and waste. Nanjing city was selected as a representative case to analyze the characteristics of carbon emissions in Chinese cities. The results show that carbon emissions in Nanjing have increased nearly 50% during the last decade. The three largest GHGs contributors were industrial energy consumption, industrial processes and transportation, which contributed 37-44%, 35-40% and 6-10%, respectively, to the total GHGs emissions. Per GDP carbon emissions decreased by 55% from 2002 to 2009, and the per capita and per GDP carbon emissions were comparable or even lower than the world average levels. These results have important policy implications for Chinese cities to control their carbon emissions. - Highlights: → Carbon emissions inventory using bottom-up methodology was firstly reported for a Chinese city. → Emission characteristics of Nanjing city were compared with other international cities. → Low carbon policies for Chinese cities were recommended based on the results of this research.

Urban Forest and Rural Cities: Multi-sited Households, Consumption Patterns, and Forest Resources in Amazonia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine Padoch

2008-12-01

Full Text Available In much of the Amazon Basin, approximately 70% of the population lives in urban areas and urbanward migration continues. Based on data collected over more than a decade in two long-settled regions of Amazonia, we find that rural-urban migration in the region is an extended and complex process. Like recent rural-urban migrants worldwide, Amazonian migrants, although they may be counted as urban residents, are often not absent from rural areas but remain members of multi-sited households and continue to participate in rural-urban networks and in rural land-use decisions. Our research indicates that, despite their general poverty, these migrants have affected urban markets for both food and construction materials. We present two cases: that of açaí palm fruit in the estuary of the Amazon and of cheap construction timbers in the Peruvian Amazon. We find that many new Amazonian rural-urban migrants have maintained some important rural patterns of both consumption and knowledge. Through their consumer behavior, they are affecting the areal extent of forests; in the two floodplain regions discussed, tree cover is increasing. We also find changes in forest composition, reflecting the persistence of rural consumption patterns in cities resulting in increased demand for and production of açaí and cheap timber species.

Survey on marine food consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1974-01-01

Predicting the future effluence of low level radioactive waste water from the nuclear fuel retreating facilities to the ocean, critical food and critical group were investigated in the inhabitants of the coast of Ibaragi Prefecture since 1969. The survey included investigation of drinking water, menu of meal, and marine food consumption, and the results of the third item were chiefly presented in this paper. Both interview by visiting each family, and questionaire were adopted for investigation. Subjects were fishermans' families in Wada-cho in Chiba Prefecture and Kuji-cho in Hitachi City, non-fishermans' families in Tokai vilage, and both families in Nakaminato City and Oarai. The ratio of animal protein consumption per whole protein consumption was remarkably higher than the average of all over the country(23.8 per cent), showing 49 per cent in Kuji-cho. Fishermans' families in Kuji-cho revealed to be a critical group. Marine products of their whole body edible included immature anchovy, sardine, and immature prawn with their maximum individual consumption being 5 kg, 10 kg, and 5.6 kg respectively. Therefore, sardine and immature prawn should be taken care of other than immature anchovy. Marine food consumption of a person per day was estimated from the amount consumed during one week in every season, i.e., during 28 days a year. Marine food consumption of fishermans' families in Kuji-cho showed no seasonal change. Average of marine food consumption in fishermans' families of Kuji-cho and Nakaminato, was 190 g and 132 g of raw fishes, 8 g and 6 g of raw shells, and 4 g and 5 g of dried algae. Consumption frequency and consumption rate of marine foods by kinds and seasons were presented in the tables. (Mukohata, S.)

Clean Cities Now Vol. 19, No. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-12-18

Clean Cities Now is the official bi-annual newsletter of Clean Cities, an initiative designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative and renewable fuels, fuel economy improvements, idle-reduction measures, and new technologies, as they emerge.

Clean Cities Now Vol. 20, No. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2017-01-13

Clean Cities Now is the official semi-annual newsletter of Clean Cities, an initiative designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative and renewable fuels, fuel economy improvements, idle-reduction measures, and new technologies, as they emerge.

Clean Cities Now Vol. 20, No. 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2016-06-13

Clean Cities Now is the official semi-annual newsletter of Clean Cities, an initiative designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative and renewable fuels, fuel economy improvements, idle-reduction measures, and new technologies, as they emerge.

The electric energy consumption in the city of Sao Paulo - Brazil: the residential sector in the eighties; O consumo de energia eletrica na cidade de Sao Paulo: o setor residencial nos anos oitenta

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borelli, A.B.; Sellito, Y.M.; Moreira, J.G.S. [Sao Paulo Univ., SP (Brazil). Inst. de Eletrotecnica e Energia

1994-07-01

This work analyses the evolution of the energy consumption in the residential sector of the city of Sao Paulo in the years of 19980, 1985 and 1990, and relates electric power cost participation in the family monthly stratified budget. Also, the price x consumption elasticity verified in the mentioned period is analysed.

Legalization of Sunday alcohol sales and alcohol consumption in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Yörük, Barış K

2014-01-01

To investigate the relationship between legalization of Sunday alcohol sales and alcohol consumption in the United States. State-level per capita consumption of beer, wine and spirits was analyzed using difference-in-differences econometric methods. United States. Five treatment states that repealed their laws restricting Sunday alcohol sales during 1990-2007 and 12 control states that retained their Sunday alcohol laws during the same period. Outcome measures are state-level per capita consumption of overall alcohol, beer, wine and spirits. Among the states that legalized Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Mexico experienced significant increases in overall alcohol consumption (P sales in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on per capita alcohol consumption was insignificant (P = 0.964 and P = 0.367). Three out of five states in the United States that repealed their laws restricting Sunday sale of alcoholic beverages during 1990-2007 experienced significant increases in per capita alcohol consumption. This finding implies that increased alcohol availability leads to an increase in alcohol consumption. © 2013 Society for the Study of Addiction.

The Influence of the Urban Transport System in Java on City Fuel ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The system of city transportation and city typology in Central Java affects the fluctuation of fuel consumption. The population size, number of private motor vehicles, RGDP (Regional Gross Domesic Product), number of motorcycles and road length have high correlation with fuel consumption. The higher the population size, ...

Young people's blood alcohol concentration and the alcohol consumption city law, Brazil Alcoholemia de jóvenes y la ley contra consumo de alcohol, Brasil Alcoolemia de jovens e lei contra o consumo de álcool

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raquel De Boni

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The paper assesses blood alcohol concentration and risk behaviors for traffic accidents before and after the implementation of a law which prohibits the use of alcoholic beverages on city gas stations. In Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, young people go out at night and drive to gas station convenience stores to buy alcoholic beverages which are consumed on the premises of parking lots in gas stations. Data were obtained from self-administered questionnaires and breath analyzers in two cross-sectional collections with purposive samples of youngsters in May and July 2006 (n=62, and n=50, respectively. There were no significant differences between the groups before and after the city law was passed. Blood alcohol concentration greater than 0.06% was found in 35.5% of pre-law group and 40% of post-law group (p=0.62. Results point out heavy alcohol use in both groups, which did not change after the law was passed.En el artículo se analizaron la alcoholemia y los comportamientos de riesgo de accidentes de transito en jóvenes antes y después de la implementación de la ley que prohíbe el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas en puestos de gasolina. En Puerto Alegre (Sur de Brasil, los jóvenes acostumbran salir de noche y conducir hasta las tiendas de conveniencia de puestos de gasolina para comprar y consumir bebidas alcohólicas en los estacionamientos dentro de los puestos. Los datos fueron obtenidos de encuestas auto-aplicables y alcoholímetro en dos colectas transversales realizadas con jóvenes, abordados en mayo y julio de 2006 con muestreo intencional (n=62 y n=50, respectivamente. No hubo diferencia significativa entre los grupos entrevistados. Alcoholemia > 0,06% fue encontrada en 35,5% y 40% de los individuos antes y después de la ley, respectivamente (p=0,62. Los resultados señalan el uso pesado de alcohol en ambos grupos, inalterado por la implementación de la ley.No artigo foram analisados a alcoolemia e comportamentos de risco para

Modeling real-world fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions with high resolution for light-duty passenger vehicles in a traffic populated city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Shaojun; Wu, Ye; Un, Puikei; Fu, Lixin; Hao, Jiming

2016-01-01

Modeling fuel consumption of light-duty passenger vehicles has created substantial concerns due to the uncertainty from real-world operating conditions. Macao is world-renowned for its tourism industry and high population density. An empirical model is developed to estimate real-world fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions for gasoline-powered light-duty passenger vehicles in Macao by considering local fleet configuration and operating conditions. Thanks to increasingly stringent fuel consumption limits in vehicle manufacturing countries, estimated type-approval fuel consumption for light-duty passenger vehicles in Macao by model year was reduced from 7.4 L/100 km in 1995 to 5.9 L/100 km in 2012, although a significant upsizing trend has considerably offset potential energy-saving benefit. However, lower driving speed and the air-conditioning usage tend to raise fleet-average fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emission factors, which are estimated to be 10.1 L/100 km and 240 g/km in 2010. Fleet-total fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions are modeled through registered vehicle population-based and link-level traffic demand approaches and the results satisfactorily coincide with the historical record of fuel sales in Macao. Temporal and spatial variations in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from light-duty passenger vehicles further highlight the importance of effective traffic management in congested areas of Macao. - Highlights: • A fuel consumption model is developed for Macao's light-duty passenger cars. • Increased vehicle size partially offset energy benefit from tightened fuel consumption standard. • Lower speed and use of air-conditioning greatly increase fuel use of Macao light-duty passenger cars. • A high resolution inventory of fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions is built with link-level traffic data. • Policy suggestions are provided to mitigate fuel use in a traffic populated city.

Thermodynamic Laws Applied to Economic Systems

Science.gov (United States)

González, José Villacís

2009-01-01

Economic activity in its different manifestations--production, exchange, consumption and, particularly, information on quantities and prices--generates and transfers energy. As a result, we can apply to it the basic laws of thermodynamics. These laws are applicable within a system, i.e., in a country or between systems and countries. To these…

A Supervisory Control Algorithm of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Based on Adaptive Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy with Fuzzy PI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fengqi Zhang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new energy management system based on equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS for hybrid electric vehicles. The aim is to enhance fuel economy and impose state of charge (SoC charge-sustainability. First, the relationship between the equivalent factor (EF of ECMS and the co-state of pontryagin’s minimum principle (PMP is derived. Second, a new method of implementing the adaptation law using fuzzy proportional plus integral (PI controller is developed to adjust EF for ECMS in real-time. This adaptation law is more robust than one with constant EF due to the variation of EF as well as driving cycle. Finally, simulations for two driving cycles using ECMS are conducted as opposed to the commonly used rule-based (RB control strategy, indicating that the proposed adaptation law can provide a promising blend in terms of fuel economy and charge-sustainability. The results confirm that ECMS with Fuzzy PI adaptation law is more robust than ECMS with constant EF as well as PI adaptation law and it achieves significant improvements compared with RB in terms of fuel economy, which is enhanced by 4.44% and 14.7% for china city bus cycle and economic commission of Europe (ECE cycle, respectively.

Effects of Vernacular Climatic Strategies (VCS on Energy Consumption in Common Residential Buildings in Southern Iran: The Case Study of Bushehr City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amin Mohammadi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This study aims to use the vernacular climatic strategies (VCS of traditional dwellings in Bushehr, in the common residential buildings of this southern Iranian city (which is characterized by its hot and humid climate, and provide answers to the following question: What effects do VCS have in terms of energy consumption in these buildings? This study has been conducted at three levels. At the first level, three context-based climatic solutions including shading, natural ventilation, and insulation of external walls and roofs were identified and selected based on bibliographic study. At the second level, a case study reflecting the current typology of common residential buildings in Bushehr city was selected. A combination of the mentioned climatic solutions was used in the baseline case to create a developed model. Based on the space layout of the developed model and some design criteria, a series of proposed models was also created and modeled. The selected case study building was also used to establish a local weather station at a height of 12 m based on the roof, collecting local climate data which were then used for simulation to improve simulation accuracy. Finally, all models were simulated with the use of Design Builder software under natural ventilation conditions during moderate climatic periods of the year while split air-conditioning systems were used during hot and humid periods. The results showed reductions of 16% in energy consumption and 22% in CO2 emissions for the developed model, and reductions of 24–26% in energy consumption and 32–34% in CO2 emissions for the proposed models, as compared with the baseline model. Furthermore, all proposed models achieved lower annual energy consumption when compared with a selection of international sustainable low energy standards and domestic energy performance references for the Middle East region. Further studies are also recommended, and there is potential for combining VCS with

Efficiency, Equity and Effect: Virtual Water Consumption Characters and Sustainable Consumption on Diet

OpenAIRE

Shang Hai-Yang

2015-01-01

The scarcity of water is the key factor which restricted the growth of social-economy. The virtual water theory provides a new way to solve the problem of water scarcity. In this thesis, we have calculated the virtual water consumption of each household grouped by income in the cities of Gansu in 1992-2005 after introduced the virtual water theory and calculations briefly. Then we advanced the indicator of virtual water per unit of consumption expenditure to analyze the efficiency of virtual ...

Energy management in Lucknow city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zia, Hina; Devadas, V.

2007-01-01

In this paper, an attempt is made to prepare an energy management model for Lucknow city along with policy recommendations for optimal energy utilization and management. At the outset, the authors have reviewed the related literature on energy management in the urban system. The entire collected literature is divided into the following sections, such as, energy resource assessment, energy consumption, energy and economy, energy and environment, energy and transportation, forecasting the energy demand and supply, alternate energy sources and technologies, energy conservation and demand-side management and energy management measures in India, and are reviewed thoroughly and presented. Subsequently, an attempt is made to establish the importance of energy in urban development by using Systems concept. Lucknow city has been chosen for investigation in this study. A detailed methodology is developed for organizing the survey at the grassroots level to evolve feasible strategies for optimal energy management in the study area. An attempt is further made to assess the available energy resource in the city, and the energy consumption by source wise in the city and estimating the energy gap in the year 2011. The paper concludes with preparation of a detailed energy management model for Lucknow city to reduce the expected energy gap for the year 2011. The recommendations are made for supply augmentation, demand-side management and policy measures to be taken by the government authorities

Mathematical models of natural gas consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabo, Kristian; Scitovski, Rudolf; Vazler, Ivan; Zekic-Susac, Marijana

2011-01-01

In this paper we consider the problem of natural gas consumption hourly forecast on the basis of hourly movement of temperature and natural gas consumption in the preceding period. There are various methods and approaches for solving this problem in the literature. Some mathematical models with linear and nonlinear model functions relating to natural gas consumption forecast with the past natural gas consumption data, temperature data and temperature forecast data are mentioned. The methods are tested on concrete examples referring to temperature and natural gas consumption for the area of the city of Osijek (Croatia) from the beginning of the year 2008. The results show that most acceptable forecast is provided by mathematical models in which natural gas consumption and temperature are related explicitly.

City density and CO_2 efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gudipudi, Ramana; Fluschnik, Till; Ros, Anselmo García Cantú; Walther, Carsten; Kropp, Jürgen P.

2016-01-01

Cities play a vital role in the global climate change mitigation agenda. City population density is one of the key factors that influence urban energy consumption and the subsequent GHG emissions. However, previous research on the relationship between population density and GHG emissions led to contradictory results due to urban/rural definition conundrum and the varying methodologies for estimating GHG emissions. This work addresses these ambiguities by employing the City Clustering Algorithm (CCA) and utilizing the gridded CO_2 emissions data. Our results, derived from the analysis of all inhabited areas in the US, show a sub-linear relationship between population density and the total emissions (i.e. the sum of on-road and building emissions) on a per capita basis. Accordingly, we find that doubling the population density would entail a reduction in the total CO_2 emissions in buildings and on-road sectors typically by at least 42%. Moreover, we find that population density exerts a higher influence on on-road emissions than buildings emissions. From an energy consumption point of view, our results suggest that on-going urban sprawl will lead to an increase in on-road energy consumption in cities and therefore stresses the importance of developing adequate local policy measures to limit urban sprawl. - Highlights: •We use gridded population, land use and CO_2 emissions data. •We attribute building and on-road sectoral emissions to populated settlements. •We apply CCA to identify unique city extents and population densities. •Doubling the population density increases CO_2 efficiency typically by 42%. •Population density has more influence on-road CO_2 efficiency than buildings sector.

Smart Cities Will Need Chemistry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru WOINAROSCHY

2016-06-01

Full Text Available A smart city is a sustainable and efficient urban centre that provides a high quality of life to its inhabitants through optimal management of its resources. Chemical industry has a key role to play in the sustainable evolution of the smart cities. Additionally, chemistry is at the heart of all modern industries, including electronics, information technology, biotechnology and nano-technology. Chemistry can make the smart cities project more sustainable, more energy efficient and more cost effective. There are six broad critical elements of any smart city: water management systems; infrastructure; transportation; energy; waste management and raw materials consumption. In all these elements chemistry and chemical engineering are deeply involved.

Urban form and heat consumption, a comparative study in Copenhagen districts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mohammadi Dehcheshme, Mostafa; Jensen, Jesper Ole

Since urban form and land use patterns significantly influence the cities energy needs, the study linkage of energy consumption and urban form is an interdisciplinary issue and one the current central topics of urban planners in recent years. Our concern in this paper, therefore, is to address...... the implications of urban development and form in terms of its impact on energy consumption in ten districts of Copenhagen city. As comparative study, this paper is trying to respond the question: How does urban form impact the heat consumption in households in Copenhagen districts? To respond this question, two...

The Population Growth and Carrying Capacity in Semarang City

Science.gov (United States)

Hariyanto; Hadi, Sudharto P.; Buchori, Imam

2018-02-01

Population growth and development of city activities take some lands to carry them. As a result, land use competition happens among persons, society or sector. Land necessity for settlement, industry, or sector has taken over farm land, therefore farm land has been converted intensively and massively. Chronologically, population growth will cause land necessity increase. Unproductive land, especially farm land will be converted. Furthermore, farm land conversion will cause carrying capacity change. Carrying capacity has certain bio capacity. With the population growth, it will increase resource consumption; on the other side, farm land conversion will decrease carrying capacity. The objective of the study is to know about the influence of population growth towards carrying capacity (bio capacity) in Semarang city. Land consumption per capita is indeed influenced by city population, the higher the population is, the lower the land consumption per capita. With the population growth, it will influence carrying capacity. Carrying capacity here is the ratio of area to population. Analytical descriptive method is applied in the study with all sub-districts in Semarang city as the analysis unit. Population here is sub-district area and population per sub-district in Semarang city. Population growth data period is from 2000 until 2015. Main variables of the study are area per sub-district, population, population growth, carrying capacity. Result of the study shows significant influence of carrying capacity decrease, especially some outskirts in Semarang city. This condition happens because the outskirts in Semarang city tend to have dense population growth. Range of carrying capacity in Semarang city is from 0,007 to 0,117 of 0 to 1. Almost all sub-districts in Semarang city show miserable condition, except Mijen and Tugu. The conclusion of the study is that population will decrease carrying capacity. Therefore, the government should control population growth by paying

City Carbon Footprint Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guangwu Chen

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Progressive cities worldwide have demonstrated political leadership by initiating meaningful strategies and actions to tackle climate change. However, the lack of knowledge concerning embodied greenhouse gas (GHG emissions of cities has hampered effective mitigation. We analyse trans-boundary GHG emission transfers between five Australian cities and their trading partners, with embodied emission flows broken down into major economic sectors. We examine intercity carbon footprint (CF networks and disclose a hierarchy of responsibility for emissions between cities and regions. Allocations of emissions to households, businesses and government and the carbon efficiency of expenditure have been analysed to inform mitigation policies. Our findings indicate that final demand in the five largest cities in Australia accounts for more than half of the nation’s CF. City households are responsible for about two thirds of the cities’ CFs; the rest can be attributed to government and business consumption and investment. The city network flows highlight that over half of emissions embodied in imports (EEI to the five cities occur overseas. However, a hierarchy of GHG emissions reveals that overseas regions also outsource emissions to Australian cities such as Perth. We finally discuss the implications of our findings on carbon neutrality, low-carbon city concepts and strategies and allocation of subnational GHG responsibility.

Reducing Sugary Drink Consumption: New York City’s Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Kennelly, Maura O.; Nonas, Cathy A.; Curtis, Christine J.; Van Wye, Gretchen; Goodman, Andrew; Farley, Thomas A.

2015-01-01

Studies have linked the consumption of sugary drinks to weight gain, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Since 2006, New York City has taken several actions to reduce consumption. Nutrition standards limited sugary drinks served by city agencies. Mass media campaigns educated New Yorkers on the added sugars in sugary drinks and their health impact. Policy proposals included an excise tax, a restriction on use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and a cap on sugary drink portion sizes in food service establishments. These initiatives were accompanied by a 35% decrease in the number of New York City adults consuming one or more sugary drinks a day and a 27% decrease in public high school students doing so from 2007 to 2013. PMID:25713971

Energy sustainable cities. From eco villages, eco districts towards zero carbon cities

Science.gov (United States)

Zaręba, Anna; Krzemińska, Alicja; Łach, Janusz

2017-11-01

Minimizing energy consumption is the effect of sustainable design technics as among many others: designing buildings with solar access and natural ventilation, using climate responsive design materials and effective insulation. Contemporary examples of zero-carbon cities: Masdar City, United Arab Emirates and Dongtan, China, confirm technical feasibility of renewable energy by implementation of solar PV and wind technologies. The ecological city - medium or high density urban settlement separated by greenspace causes the smallest possible ecological footprint on the surrounding countryside through efficient use of land and its resources, recycling used materials and converting waste to energy. This paper investigates the concept of energy sustainable cities, examines, how urban settlements might affect building energy design in eco-villages, eco-districts (e.g. Vauban, Freiburg in Germany, Bo01 Malmo in Sweden), and discuss the strategies for achieving Zero Emission Cities principles in densely populated areas. It is focused on low energy architectural design solutions which could be incorporated into urban settlements to create ecological villages, districts and cities, designed with consideration of environmental impact, required minimal inputs of energy, water, food, waste and pollution.

Consumption patterns and levels among households with HIV positive members and economic impoverishment due to medical spending in Pune city, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Varun; Krishnaswamy, Divya; Mulay, Sanjeevanee

2015-01-01

HIV infection poses a serious threat to the economy of a household. Out of pocket (OOP) health spending can be prohibitive and can drag households below poverty level. Based on the data collected from a cross-sectional survey of 401 households with HIV+ members in Pune city, India, this paper examines the consumption levels and patterns among households, and comments on the economic impoverishment resulting from OOP medical spending. Analysis reveals that households with HIV members spend a major portion of their monthly consumption expenditure on food items. Medical expenditure constitutes a large portion of their total consumption spending. Expenditure on children's education constitutes a minor proportion of total monthly spending. A high proportion of medical expenditure has a bearing on the economic condition of households with HIV members. Poverty increases by 20% among the studied HIV households when OOP health spending is adjusted. It increases 18% among male-headed households and 26% among female-headed households. The results reiterate the need of greater support from the government in terms of accessibility and affordability of health care to save households with HIV members from economic catastrophe.

Assessing the role of access and price on the consumption of fruits and vegetables across New York City using agent-based modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yan; Zhang, Donglan; Thapa, Janani R; Madondo, Kumbirai; Yi, Stella; Fisher, Elisa; Griffin, Kerry; Liu, Bian; Wang, Youfa; Pagán, José A

2018-01-01

Most residents in New York City (NYC) do not consume sufficient fruits and vegetables every day. Difficulties with access and high prices of fruits and vegetables in some neighborhoods contribute to different consumption patterns across NYC neighborhoods. We developed an agent-based model (ABM) to predict dietary behaviors of individuals at the borough and neighborhood levels. Model parameters were estimated from the 2014 NYC Community Health Survey, United States Census data, and the literature. We simulated six hypothetical interventions designed to improve access and reduce the price of fruits and vegetables. We found that all interventions would lead to increases in fruit and vegetable consumption but the results vary substantially across boroughs and neighborhoods. For example, a 10% increase in the number of fruit/vegetable vendors combined with a 10% decrease in the prices of fruits and vegetables would lead to a median increase of 2.28% (range: 0.65%-4.92%) in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, depending on neighborhood. We also found that the impact of increasing the number of vendors on fruit/vegetable consumption is more pronounced in unhealthier local food environments while the impact of reducing prices on fruits/vegetable consumption is more pronounced in neighborhoods with low levels of education. An agent-based model of dietary behaviors that takes into account neighborhood context has the potential to inform how fruit/vegetable access and pricing strategies may specifically work in tandem to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables at the local level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cultural Identity and Knowledge Creation in Cosmopolitan Cities

OpenAIRE

Gianmarco I.P. Ottaviano; Giovanni Prarolo

2009-01-01

We study how the city system is affected by the possibility for the members of the same cultural diaspora to interact across different cities. In so doing, we propose a simple two- city model with two mobile cultural groups. A localized externality fosters the productivity of individuals when groups interact in a city. At the same time, such interaction dilutes cultural identities and reduces the consumption of culture-specific goods and services. We show that the two groups segregate in diff...

Urban transport energy consumption: Belgrade case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jovanović Miomir M.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available More than half of the global population now lives in towns and cities. At the same time, transport has become the highest single energy-consuming human activity. Hence, one of the major topics today is the reduction of urban transport demand and of energy consumption in cities. In this article we focused on the whole package of instruments that can reduce energy consumption and transport demand in Belgrade, a city that is currently at a major crossroad. Belgrade can prevent a dramatic increase in energy consumption and CO2 emissions (and mitigate the negative local environmental effects of traffic congestion, traffic accidents and air pollution, only if it: 1 implements a more decisive strategy to limit private vehicles use while its level of car passenger km (PKT is still relatively low; 2 does not try to solve its transport problems only by trying to build urban road infrastructure (bridges and ring roads; and 3 if it continues to provide priority movement for buses (a dominant form of public transport, while 4 at the same time developing urban rail systems (metro or LRT with exclusive tracks, immune to the traffic congestion on urban streets. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 37010

Cities and Socialization of Libraries in Medieval Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dilek Bayır Toplu

2000-09-01

Full Text Available In this study, socialization of libraries in Medieval Europe has been examined by means of the growing of cities and movements of ideologies. Cities, as results of economic based changes, caused the apperance of merchantiles in produce and consumption flows. Cities, by selecting an area outside of feudal city walls, and by consisting new living habits which shows differances from village living habits took its place in Medieval Feudal Regime. While cities consist their conceits, conceits consists the specialisatians which identifies the city from the village. Technologic developments, innovations, the movements of different social classes, the changes in produce and consumption models, movements of ideologies; carried Medieval Europe to Enlighment Period after very long and difficult experiements. While the man in “Enlighment Period” ideologically based on rationalism and critical thinking; it realized knowledge as a product of rationalism. That realisation gave start to the socialisation of libraries and books and books which includes the “knowledge” stating with the innovation of press, the gobalization of books and the movements in cities gave speed to the interaction between cultures and effected the extansi-on of knowledge in a positive way. While knowledge was socialized by means of the opportunities of cities, libraries became space which knowledge can easily reachable by society. Cities arosed in Middle ageesand by effecting social structures, they became an indirect effect for reaching of libraries to society and moneyfree service.

Energy law and the environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosemary Lyster; Adrian Bradbrook [University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW (Australia)

2006-08-15

The current unsustainable practices worldwide in energy production and consumption have led to a plethora of environmental problems. Until recently environmental law largely overlooked the relevance of energy production and consumption; energy was seen to be of little significance to the advancement of sustainable development. This has changed since 2000 with the global concern attached to climate change, the publication by the United Nations of the World Energy Assessment and the detailed consideration given to this issue at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. Australia has been seen to be lagging behind the other major industrialised nations of the world in addressing sustainable energy issues. Contents are: Overview of energy production and use in Australia; 2. Energy technologies and sustainable development; 3. Energy, international environmental law and sustainable development; 4. Evaluating Australian government initiatives relating to energy, climate change and the environment; 5. Sustainable energy in the Australian electricity and gas sectors; 6. State government initiatives relating to energy and the environment; 7. A sustainable energy law future for Australia. 2 apps.

Motorized transport in the city area of Besancon and its impact on energy consumption; Les deplacements motorises dans l`agglomeration bisontine et leurs consequences energetiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abram, G.

1995-12-31

Energy consumption, pollutant emissions and environmental burdens due to motor traffic in the city area of Besancon has been determined by statistics, counting and sample surveys. A computer model has been developed to simulate the impact of different elements and policy measures as the development of public transport systems, traffic regulation, limiting the accessibility of certain areas and car pooling. (C.B.) 101 refs.

Motorized transport in the city area of Besancon and its impact on energy consumption; Les deplacements motorises dans l`agglomeration bisontine et leurs consequences energetiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abram, G

1996-12-31

Energy consumption, pollutant emissions and environmental burdens due to motor traffic in the city area of Besancon has been determined by statistics, counting and sample surveys. A computer model has been developed to simulate the impact of different elements and policy measures as the development of public transport systems, traffic regulation, limiting the accessibility of certain areas and car pooling. (C.B.) 101 refs.

Food insecurity and food consumption by season in households with children in an Arctic city: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Huet, Catherine; Ford, James D; Edge, Victoria L; Shirley, Jamal; King, Nia; Harper, Sherilee L

2017-06-15

High rates of food insecurity are documented among Inuit households in Canada; however, data on food insecurity prevalence and seasonality for Inuit households with children are lacking, especially in city centres. This project: (1) compared food consumption patterns for households with and without children, (2) compared the prevalence of food insecurity for households with and without children, (3) compared food consumption patterns and food insecurity prevalence between seasons, and (4) identified factors associated with food insecurity in households with children in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. Randomly selected households were surveyed in Iqaluit in September 2012 and May 2013. Household food security status was determined using an adapted United States Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module. Univariable logistic regressions were used to examine unconditional associations between food security status and demographics, socioeconomics, frequency of food consumption, and method of food preparation in households with children by season. Households with children (n = 431) and without children (n = 468) participated in the survey. Food insecurity was identified in 32.9% (95% CI: 28.5-37.4%) of households with children; this was significantly higher than in households without children (23.2%, 95% CI: 19.4-27.1%). The prevalence of household food insecurity did not significantly differ by season. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the person responsible for food preparation, including low formal education attainment (OR Sept  = 4.3, 95% CI: 2.3-8.0; OR May  = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.8-5.8), unemployment (OR Sept  = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.1-1.3; OR May  = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.5), and Inuit identity (OR Sept  = 8.9, 95% CI: 3.4-23.5; OR May  = 21.8, 95% CI: 6.6-72.4), were associated with increased odds of food insecurity in households with children. Fruit and vegetable consumption (OR Sept  = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.8; OR May  = 0.5, 95

What is Clean Cities? October 2011 (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-10-01

Brochure describes the Clean Cities program and includes the contact information for its 85 coalitions. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Program (VTP), Clean Cities is a government-industry partnership that reduces petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. Clean Cities contributes to the energy, environmental, and economic security of the United States by supporting local decisions to reduce our dependence on imported petroleum. Established in 1993 in response to the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992, the partnership provides tools and resources for voluntary, community-centered programs to reduce consumption of petroleum-based fuels. In nearly 100 coalitions, government agencies and private companies voluntarily come together under the umbrella of Clean Cities. The partnership helps all parties identify mutual interests and meet the objectives of reducing the use of petroleum, developing regional economic opportunities, and improving air quality. Clean Cities deploys technologies and practices developed by VTP. These include idle-reduction equipment, electric-drive vehicles, fuel economy measures, and renewable and alternative fuels, such as natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (propane), electricity, hydrogen, biofuels, and biogas. Idle-reduction equipment is targeted primarily to buses and heavy-duty trucks, which use more than 2 billion gallons of fuel every year in the United States while idling. Clean Cities fuel economy measures include public education on vehicle choice and fuel-efficient driving practices.

A Universal Rank-Size Law

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

A mere hyperbolic law, like the Zipf’s law power function, is often inadequate to describe rank-size relationships. An alternative theoretical distribution is proposed based on theoretical physics arguments starting from the Yule-Simon distribution. A modeling is proposed leading to a universal form. A theoretical suggestion for the “best (or optimal) distribution”, is provided through an entropy argument. The ranking of areas through the number of cities in various countries and some sport competition ranking serves for the present illustrations. PMID:27812192

Relationship between licensing, registration, and other gun sales laws and the source state of crime guns.

Science.gov (United States)

Webster, D W; Vernick, J S; Hepburn, L M

2001-09-01

To determine the association between licensing and registration of firearm sales and an indicator of gun availability to criminals. Tracing data on all crime guns recovered in 25 cities in the United States were used to estimate the relationship between state gun law categories and the proportion of crime guns first sold by in-state gun dealers. In cities located in states with both mandatory registration and licensing systems (five cities), a mean of 33.7% of crime guns were first sold by in-state gun dealers, compared with 72.7% in cities that had either registration or licensing but not both (seven cities), and 84.2% in cities without registration or licensing (13 cites). Little of the difference between cities with both licensing and registration and cities with neither licensing nor registration was explained by potential confounders. The share of the population near a city that resides in a neighboring state without licensing or registration laws was negatively associated with the outcome. States with registration and licensing systems appear to do a better job than other states of keeping guns initially sold within the state from being recovered in crimes. Proximity to states without these laws, however, may limit their impact.

Cities of tomorrow: low energy cities with a high quality of life for all

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnin, Gerard

2010-11-01

Just as hard as describing the city of today, describing the city of tomorrow represents a real challenge. Energy Cities is active at both local and European levels, therefore we will only address the European-type cities in our reflection. Central to the vision of Energy Cities is of course the (sustainable and livable) energy issue. Therefore, our starting point is the consideration of energy issue as an essential component of urban and regional development as well as an excellent scanner of how the city and its periphery/region are organised. In 2050, cities will not look that much different than those of the beginning of the century. However, a lot of invisible radical changes will have occurred. These changes are already underway in an increasing number of cities, especially some which are committed with the Covenant of Mayors. These are 'weak signals' that pave the way for tomorrow. This paper aims at understanding these logics and at showing up paths of improvement in the domains of energy supply, urban form, buildings, mobility, public space, economy, consumption, governance, local authorities, multilevel governance and Territorial cohesion, quality of Life, peace and security

Self-medication with antibiotics in Sana'a City, Yemen

African Journals Online (AJOL)

*For correspondence: Email: profyahaya@gmail.com; Tel: +60195515611 ... Conclusion: Self-medication with antibiotics is high among consumers in Sana'a City, ... UiTM university, health office in Sana'a City and ... safety of antibiotics. .... laws and policies in Yemen [18]. .... the authors named in this article and all liabilities.

The Meat City

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thelle, Mikkel

2017-01-01

This article investigates the emergence of the Copenhagen slaughterhouse, called the Meat City, during the late nineteenth century. This slaughterhouse was a product of a number of heterogeneous components: industrialization and new infrastructures were important, but hygiene and the significance...... of Danish bacon exports also played a key role. In the Meat City, this created a distinction between rising production and consumption on the one hand, and the isolation and closure of the slaughtering facility on the other. This friction mirrored an ambivalent attitude towards meat in the urban space: one...... where consumers demanded more meat than ever before, while animals were being removed from the public eye. These contradictions, it is argued, illustrate and underline the change of the city towards a ‘post-domestic’ culture. The article employs a variety of sources, but primarily the Copenhagen...

City leadership: At the heart of the global challenge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliver, P.A.

2008-09-30

The world's attention is now focused on cities, and for good reasons. From a global perspective cities have become the engines of economic prosperity. In 2007, the collective Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the top 10 cities exceeded the total GDP of 162 countries combined, with Tokyo alone generating a larger GDP than Canada. Cities have become the centers of population. In 1900, only 10% of the world's population lived in cities, but by 2007 the urban population had reached 50%, and the estimate for 2050 is that 75% of the world's population, over 7 billion people, will be living in cities. In parallel, cities have become the centers of consumption. In 2006, cities accounted for approximately 67% of global primary energy demand, a concentration that is expected to rise to 75% by 2030. The corollary to this concentration of population and consumption is the concentration of activities that lead to climate change. Cities now acount for over 70% of global carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions. Asia's cities are at the forefront of the global challenges of urbanization. While they are the location of many challenges, cities also present opportunities, particularly in finding solutions to the crucial global challenges of our time -- climate change, energy demand and water. Many of the world's greatest challenges, from environmental degradation to widening income gaps, are increasingly coming to be defined as urban challenges, given the rapid growth of cities. The author, who leads the World Economic Forum's SlimCity initiative, take a look at the options being explored by the public and private sectors.

Comparative economic efficiency, operating costs and fuel consumption rates of freight transport modes between the largest industrial cities and seaports in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W J (Wessel Pienaar

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with aspects of efficiency within the five modes of freight transport, with special reference to the operating cost and fuel consumption rates between South Africa’s largest industrial cities and seaports. In particular, the paper deals with (a the opportunities that exist for the achievement of efficiency in freight transport; (b the subgroups of economies that can enhance efficiency attainment in the freight transport industry; (c prevailing cost structures, operating cost and fuel consumption rates within the five modes of freight transport; and (d the salient economic features of the freight transport market. The research approach and methodology combine (a a literature survey; (b empiric research, (c an analysis of the cost structures of freight transport operators from different modes of transport; and (d interviews conducted with specialists in the freight transport industry.

The city as an advertising space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Batarilo Svetlana

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The significance of the goods and also the essence of their meaning are changed within the consumer society of the modern city - the symbol of goods is more important than their usefulness. Everything becomes subject to the logic of the commodity, and in these circumstances, the city treated as a commodity is becoming an object of consumption and thus, suffering changes. This process is supported by advertising and branding as modern societies' strategies, but also by the influence of the media in terms of imposing values ??and artificial creating of needs. The ascendancy of the visual, the dominance of signs and importance of advertising in modern society, have changed the architecture and the city. The city has become a flow of communication with consumers, and the architecture has become a tool for advertising. The advertisement on architecture has become a sign for the object of consumption where it is located. The building no longer has its own meaning. The sign as a modern means has replaced what used to be a means of communication with consumers. Communication which is performed through interaction with signs, becomes dominant feature in the space. Installation of advertisements over architecture in order to transfer the message to consumers, represents the dominance of signs in the space in relation to architecture. These signs make up the place. Global use of universally understandable vocabulary of advertising contributes that cities achieve global aesthetic uniformity. By acquiring commercial uniformity, objects lose their identity, and therefore the importance of a landmark in the city.

Fast Food Consumption Pattern and Its Association with Overweight Among High School Boys in Mangalore City of Southern India.

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Nitin; Nelliyanil, Maria; Rai, Sharada; Y P, Raghavendra Babu; Kotian, Shashidhar M; Ghosh, Tanima; Singh, Manisha

2015-05-01

Fast foods are quite popular among children owing to taste, appearance and hype created by mass media. However, the increased incidence of lifestyle disorders seen now-a-days at an early age could be attributed to fast foods. This study was done to assess the awareness of health hazards, consumption pattern of fast foods and to find out its association with overweight among high school students. This cross-sectional study was done among boys of 3 private schools in Mangalore city in March 2012. Data was collected using a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Chi-square test, one-way ANOVA and binary logistic regression analysis was used for analysis. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant association. Mean age of boys was 13.5±0.9 years. Out of 300 participants, 41(13.7%) were overweight and 8 (2.7%) were obese. 292(97.3%) were fast food users of which 42(14.4%) consumed it every day. Majority of participants were introduced to fast foods through television commercials 193(64.3%). 73(57%) developed this habit as they were bored with home food. Awareness of harmful effects of fast food consumption was known to 186(62%) students and this was found to be associated with the perceived need to control its usage (pconsumption of fast foods was found to influence fast food consumption among children (p=0.024). As many as 68(22.7%) and 206(68.7%) children were not eating vegetables and fruits respectively every day. Increased frequency of fast food consumption in a week was found to be associated with overweight or obesity among children after adjusting the effects of confounders (p=0.003). Awareness on health hazards of fast foods needs to be taught at schools so as to minimize its consumption. Parents have to set an example themselves by not eating fast foods and improving home food to support discouragement of fast foods. This would minimize life style disorders among children to a greater extent.

Planning for resource efficient cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fertner, Christian; Groth, Niels Boje

2016-01-01

development from energy consumption are crucial for a city’s future vulnerability and resilience against changes in general resource availability. The challenge gets further complex, as resource and energy efficiency in a city is deeply interwoven with other aspects of urban development such as social...... structures and the geographical context. As cities are the main consumer of energy and resources, they are both problem and solution to tackle issues of energy efficiency and saving. Cities have been committed to this agenda, especially to meet the national and international energy targets. Increasingly......, cities act as entrepreneurs of new energy solutions acknowledging that efficient monitoring of energy and climate policies has become important to urban branding and competitiveness. This special issue presents findings from the European FP7 project ‘Planning for Energy Efficient Cities’ (PLEEC...

Swimming pools and intra-city climates: Influences on residential ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

While determinants such as household income, regional climate, water price, property size and household occupancy have been comprehensively studied and modelled, other determinants such as swimming pools and intra-city climates have not. This study examines residential water consumption in the City of Cape Town ...

Wastewater-based assessment of regional and temporal consumption patterns of illicit drugs and therapeutic opioids in Croatia.

Science.gov (United States)

Krizman, Ivona; Senta, Ivan; Ahel, Marijan; Terzic, Senka

2016-10-01

A comprehensive study of spatial and temporal consumption patterns of the selected illicit drugs (heroin, cocaine, amphetamine, MDMA, methamphetamine, cannabis) and therapeutic opioids (codeine, methadone) has been performed in six Croatian cities by applying wastewater-based epidemiology. The investigated cities (Bjelovar, Vinkovci, Varazdin, Karlovac, Zadar and Zagreb) varied widely in the population size (27,000-688,000 inhabitants) as well as in the number of registered drug consumers included in compulsory and voluntary medical treatment and rehabilitation programs (30-513 persons/100,000 inhabitants of age 15-64). The most consumed illicit drugs were cannabis (10-70doses/day/1000 inhabitants), heroin (consumption of amphetamine-type drugs was much lower (consumption of illegal drugs was generally associated with larger urban centers (Zagreb and Zadar) however comparatively high consumption rate of cocaine, MDMA and methadone was determined in some smaller cities as well. The overall average dose number of 3 major illegal stimulants (cocaine, MDMA, amphetamine) was rather similar to the number of corresponding heroin doses, which is in disagreement with a comparatively much higher proportion of heroin users in the total number of registered drug users in Croatia. Furthermore, the illicit drug consumption pattern in the large continental city (Zagreb) was characterized by a significant enhancement of the consumption of all stimulants during the weekend, which could not be confirmed neither for the coastal city of Zadar nor for the remaining small continental cities. On the other hand, the city of Zadar exhibited a significant increase of stimulant drug usage during summer vacation period, as a result of pronounced seasonal changes of the population composition and lifestyle in coastal tourist centers. The obtained results represent a valuable complementary data source for the optimisation and implementation of strategies to combat drug abuse in Croatia

Retail price as an outcome measure for the effectiveness of drug law enforcement.

Science.gov (United States)

Bright, David A; Ritter, Alison

2010-09-01

One outcome measure of law enforcement effectiveness is the reduction in drug consumption which occurs as a result of law enforcement interventions. A theoretical relationship between drug consumption and retail price has promoted the use of retail price as a surrogate measure for consumption. In the current article, retail price is examined as a potential outcome measure for the effectiveness of law enforcement. The predictions regarding the relationship between law enforcement intensity and price are only partially supported by research. Explanations for the disconnect between the drug law enforcement activity and retail price include: rapid adaptation by market players, enforcement swamping, assumptions of rational actors, short-run versus long-run effects, structure of the illicit market, simultaneous changes that affect price in perverse ways, the role of violence in markets, and data limitations. Researchers who use retail price as an outcome measure need to take into account the complex relationship between drug law enforcement interventions and the retail price of illicit drugs. Viable outcome measures which can be used as complements to retail price are worth investigation. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A social marketing campaign to promote low-fat milk consumption in an inner-city Latino community.

Science.gov (United States)

Wechsler, H; Wernick, S M

1992-01-01

The authors proposed the Lowfat Milk Campaign, a multifaceted social marketing campaign to promote the use of low-fat milk in the Washington Heights-Inwood neighborhood of New York City, a low-income, inner-city, Latino community. The campaign was designed for implementation by the Washington Heights-Inwood Health Heart Program, a community-based cardiovascular disease prevention agency. The first phase of the campaign began in November 1990. A followup phase for the period 1991-92 is in progress. The campaign focuses on a clear, relatively easily accomplished behavioral change, a switch by consumers of whole milk to low-fat milk, which may significantly reduce the fat consumption of persons in such a population, particularly children. The campaign strategy featured a mix of traditional health education methods, intensive local information media publicity, and innovative marketing techniques. In addition to increasing consumer demand for low-fat milk, the campaign successfully promoted institutional changes that are expected to facilitate healthy dietary choices in the future by members of the study population. Schools and other institutions that serve milk have been persuaded to begin offering low-fat milk in addition to, or instead of, whole milk. An essential component of campaign strategy was building support from key community organizations and leaders. Significant assistance was provided by the local school district, parents associations, churches, newspapers, radio stations, fraternal organizations, and a coalition of child care agencies. The campaign demonstrates a cost effective and culturally sensitive approach to promoting important cardiovascular health behavior changes by an underserved population.

Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption Prior to Sex, Unprotected Sex and Prevalence of STI/HIV Among Socially Marginalized Men in Three Coastal Cities of Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Leon, Segundo R.; Lescano, Andrés G.; Clark, Jesse L.; Hall, Eric R.; Klausner, Jeffrey D.; Coates, Tom J.; Caceres, Carlos F.

2014-01-01

This article presents data about the relationship between alcohol consumption prior to sex and unprotected sex and the prevalence of at least one sexually transmitted infection (STI) including HIV among socially marginalized men in three coastal Peruvians cities. During an epidemiological survey with 2,146 men, we assessed their STI prevalence, frequency of alcohol consumption prior to sex, unprotected sex and other sexual risk behaviors. The overall prevalence of at least one STI/HIV was 8.5 % (95 % CI 7.3–9.7), the prevalence of unprotected sex was 79.1 % (95 % CI 77.8–80.3) and alcohol consumption prior to sex with any of the last five sex partners in the previous 6 months was 68.9 % (95 % CI 66.9–70.9). Bivariate and multivariate analysis showed that alcohol consumption of participants or their partners prior to sex were associated with the prevalence of at least one STI, adjusted Prevalence Ratio (aPR) = 1.3 (95 % CI 1.01–1.68). Unprotected sex was significantly associated with alcohol consumption prior to sex when both partners used alcohol, aPR = 1.15 (95 % CI 1.10–1.20) or when either one of them used alcohol aPR = 1.14 (95 % CI 1.09–1.18). These findings concur with previous literature suggesting a relationship between alcohol consumption prior to sex and STI and HIV. These data improve our understanding of this relationship in this context and could be used to enhance STI and HIV prevention strategies for socially marginalized men in Peru. PMID:23054035

Personal Factors and Fast Food Consumption

OpenAIRE

Saraniya Devendra

2016-01-01

Asian peoples including Sri Lankans are generally fond of cooking food items in their homes. It is understandable that on the other hand, growing knowledge and adoption of western culture bring a modification in food consumption pattern among Sri Lankan families who lives in a particular city area. As such, it is useful to identify the Personal Factors (PF) that influence on Fast Food Consumption (FFC), since the Sri Lankans change their behavior to have fast foods of developed countries from...

Gender-based discrimination as reflected in the laws of urinary segregation: Comparing facilities in South Africa’s major cities with those in East Coast cities in the United States of America

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renier Steyn

2014-01-01

Full Text Available International treaties, national legislation and local by-laws advocate the equal treatment of people of different genders, but there are still claims of gender-based discrimination. However, indicators of discrimination against women, including employment ratios and differences in income, show that great strides have been made in the recent past. These measures are, however, often biased. In this study a different, more exact and tangible method of detecting and describing discrimination is presented, based on the difference between the number of ablution facilities provided for each gender group in public spaces. Ablution facilities at airports, train stations and shopping centres in four major South African cities (N=128 were inspected. The same was done at six East Coast cities in the United States of America (USA; N=124. Medium to large differences in the respective number of facilities were found (eta2 .05 to .13 in South Africa, with women receiving fewer services than those for men. The same tendency was not found in the USA. These results suggest that, despite the progressive legislation and vigorous affirmative action applied in South Africa, South African women are still being discriminated against on a very concrete, tangible level.

Pornography consumption and non-marital sexual behaviour in a sample of young Indonesian university students.

Science.gov (United States)

Hald, Gert Martin; Mulya, Teguh Wijaya

2013-01-01

Using a sample of Indonesian university students and a cross sectional design, this study investigated prevalence rates and patterns of pornography consumption in Indonesia, a religious, sexually conservative, Muslim-majority nation with strict anti-pornography laws. Further, the association between pornography consumption and common non-marital sexual behaviours was explored. The study found that in this sample, pornography is as widely and readily consumed as in comparable international studies predominantly utilising Western background samples from more sexually liberal and less religious countries with very few laws on pornography. Gender differences in patterns of pornography consumption were pronounced and comparable with findings in international counterpart studies. For men only, pornography consumption was found to significantly predict common sexual behaviours in non-marital relations. The study is the first to provide insights into prevalence rates and patterns of pornography consumption and its association with common non-marital sexual behaviours in a sexually conservative, Muslim-majority nation with strict anti-pornography laws.

Clean Cities Now, Vol. 20, No. 1, Summer 2016 - Tackling Transportation: Clean Cities and NPS Team Up to Steer National Parks Toward a Sustainable Future.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2016-06-01

Clean Cities Now is the official semi-annual newsletter of Clean Cities, an initiative designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative and renewable fuels, fuel economy improvements, idle-reduction measures, and new technologies, as they emerge.

Building-related health impacts in European and Chinese cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tuomisto, Jouni T; Niittynen, Marjo; Pärjälä, Erkki

2015-01-01

consumption of buildings. In addition, the model should be usable for policy comparisons by non-health experts on city level with city-specific data, it should give guidance on the particular climate mitigation questions but at the same time increase understanding on the related health impacts and the model......BACKGROUND: Public health is often affected by societal decisions that are not primarily about health. Climate change mitigation requires intensive actions to minimise greenhouse gas emissions in the future. Many of these actions take place in cities due to their traffic, buildings, and energy...... consumption. Active climate mitigation policies will also, aside of their long term global impacts, have short term local impacts, both positive and negative, on public health. Our main objective was to develop a generic open impact model to estimate health impacts of emissions due to heat and power...

Public opinion on abortion in Mexico City after the landmark reform.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Kate S; García, Sandra G; Díaz Olavarrieta, Claudia; Villalobos-Hernández, Aremis; Rodríguez, Jorge Valencia; Smith, Patricio Sanhueza; Burks, Courtney

2011-09-01

This article presents findings from three opinion surveys conducted among representative samples of Mexico City residents: the first one immediately prior to the groundbreaking legalization of first-trimester abortion in April 2007, and one and two years after the reform. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess changes in opinion concerning abortion and correlates of favorable opinion following reform. In 2009 a clear majority (74 percent) of respondents were in support of the Mexico City law allowing for elective first-trimester abortion, compared with 63 percent in 2008 and 38 percent in 2007. A significant increase in support for extending the law to the rest of Mexico was found: from 51 percent in 2007 to 70 percent in 2008 and 83 percent in 2009. In 2008 the significant independent correlates of support for the Mexico City law were education, infrequent religious service attendance, sex (being male), and political party affiliation; in 2009 they were education beyond high school, infrequent religious service attendance, and ever having been married.

Relation Decomposing between Urbanization and Consumption of Water-Energy Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y.; Xiao, W.; Wang, Y.; Zhao, Y.; Wang, J., , Dr; Jiang, D.; Wang, H.

2017-12-01

Abstract: Water resources and energy, important subsystems of city, are the basic guarantee for the normal operation of city, which play an important role to brace the urbanization. The interdependence between them are increasing along with the rapid development of China's economy. The relationship between urbanization and consumption of energy and water have become the focal point of the scholars, but the research have more attention to the impact of urbanization on two subsystems separately, and do not reveal the effects of urbanization on the water-energy nexus. Thus, there is little consideration upon the different characteristics of China's several regions in water and energy consumption in urbanization. In this paper, the STIRPAT model is built to reveal the relationship between urbanization and the consumption of water and energy. Also, the influence of urbanization on different main body of water and energy consumption are discussed. The different regional main factors of water and energy in the process of urbanization are identified through water and energy panel data of China's thirty provinces. Finally, through the regression analysis of total water consumption data of agriculture, industry, service industry with total energy consumption data, the relationship of water and energy in the process of urban development are analyzed.

Scaling Law of Urban Ride Sharing

Science.gov (United States)

Tachet, R.; Sagarra, O.; Santi, P.; Resta, G.; Szell, M.; Strogatz, S. H.; Ratti, C.

2017-03-01

Sharing rides could drastically improve the efficiency of car and taxi transportation. Unleashing such potential, however, requires understanding how urban parameters affect the fraction of individual trips that can be shared, a quantity that we call shareability. Using data on millions of taxi trips in New York City, San Francisco, Singapore, and Vienna, we compute the shareability curves for each city, and find that a natural rescaling collapses them onto a single, universal curve. We explain this scaling law theoretically with a simple model that predicts the potential for ride sharing in any city, using a few basic urban quantities and no adjustable parameters. Accurate extrapolations of this type will help planners, transportation companies, and society at large to shape a sustainable path for urban growth.

Employer Subsidized Meals and FAFH Consumption in Urban China

OpenAIRE

Teng, Zhijing; Seale, James Jr.; Bai, Junfei; Wahl, Thomas I.

2015-01-01

This study investigates factors influencing household decisions on food away from home (FAFH) consumption with special interest given to the effects of employer subsidized meals on FAFH consumption. Using data from a new urban food consumption survey and collected by the Center for Chinese Agriculture Policy from 2009 to 2012 in 10 cities, a double-hurdle model is utilized to estimate the demand for FAFH as a whole and by type of facility (restaurant, fast-food outlet, and other facilities). ...

Smart urban design to reduce transportation impact in city centers

Science.gov (United States)

Fezzai, Soufiane; Mazouz, Said; Ahriz, Atef

2018-05-01

Air pollution is one of the most serious problems facing human being; urban wastes are in first range of energy consumption and emission of greenhouse gasses. Transportation or car traffic is one of the most consumer sectors of fuel, and most pollutant. Reducing energy consumption in transportation and the emission of pollutant gasses becomes an important objective for urban designers; many solutions may be proposed to help solving this problem in future designs, but it depend on other factors in existing urban space especially in city centers characterized with high occupation density. In this paper we investigate traffic rate in the city center of the case study, looking for the causes of the high traffic using gate count method and estimating fuel consumption. We try to propose some design solutions to reduce distances so fuel consumption and emission of pollutant gasses. We use space syntax techniques to evaluate urban configuration and verify the proposed solutions.

Perceptions and attitudes with regard to public international law: empirical evidence from law students in the city of São Paulo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel Kamiyama

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This article empirically examines, by means of a survey conducted at four universities in São Paulo, two issues related to the teaching of international law in Brazil: (1 what law students think of the discipline as a material branch of the law (its effectiveness, legitimacy etc. and (2 what they think of the discipline as a component of the law school curriculum. The first part draws upon the semiological concept of “myth” in order to paint a picture of students’ views about the place of international law in the world, as well as upon quantitative data to assess their understandings about compliance with international norms. The second part, which also relies on quantitative and qualitative data, describes students’ ideas about how international law should be taught (if at all. The responses paint a picture of mild student scepticism and dissatisfaction with teaching methods that invite a number of questions for reflection, which are raised in the final part. 

The fragmented and diffuse city Today: From the emotional city to the town of satisfaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramón Román-Alcalá

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The article is not an attempt to return to old positions; it does not seek the lost paradise of feelings and sentiments that comprehend human relationships, but it does hope to scratch below the surface of consumption that shrouds the city today. Since the time of the ancient Greeks, one of the fundamental aims of philosophers has been to attain happiness. Today, however, that purpose is threatened. Happy people do not consume, but suffering, what is known in the advertising jargon as "post-shopping depression" has become the raw material for consumption.

The analysis of energy consumption of a commercial building in Tianjin, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Jing; Zhu Neng; Wu Yong

2009-01-01

According to statistics and field investigation, the energy consumption situation and reality of commercial building is described in this paper. As the first step of large-scale public building energy efficiency supervision system encouraged by central government of China, the energy consumption of several typical commercial buildings and public buildings was analyzed in detail. The main contents of investigation are as follows: basic information of building, operational record of energy consumption equipment, energy consumption of indoor equipments, energy-efficiency assessment of energy consumption systems and equipments, investigation of behavior energy saving, etc. On this basis further analysis and diagnosis including indoor thermal and humid environment, operation state of air-conditioning water system, operation state of air-conditioning duct system and operation management of air-conditioning system were implemented. The results show that the most energy consumption of buildings in this city is commercial buildings, which can reach to about 240 W/m 2 per year. Further analysis tells that air conditioning systems play the major role of building energy consumption, and building energy saving has great potential in this city. In this paper, the ways of diagnosis work for building energy consumption are also described and discussed. Reasonable test, diagnosis and analysis are meaningful for building energy efficiency retrofit and management.

The city at night (the case of Maribor, Slovenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir Drozg

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the city at night. The distinctive aspect of the discussed topic is the time dimension of spaces and areas – places that “live” at night. The night has economic, cultural, social and formal elements; and it is these elements that underpin how we see and come to know the city at night. A range of topics have been explored: places of retailing and consumption, workplaces, places of entertainment, places that embody the night image of the city and places of socially unacceptable, delinquent behaviour. In the empirical part, we examined the city of Maribor, Slovenia.

City of Tallahassee Innovative Energy Initiatives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilder, Todd; Moragne, Corliss L.

2014-06-25

The City of Tallahassee's Innovative Energy Initiatives program sought, first, to evaluate customer response and acceptance to in-home Smart Meter-enabled technologies that allow customers intelligent control of their energy usage. Additionally, this project is in furtherance of the City of Tallahassee's ongoing efforts to expand and enhance the City's Smart Grid capacity and give consumers more tools with which to effectively manage their energy consumption. This enhancement would become possible by establishing an "operations or command center" environment that would be designed as a dual use facility for the City's employees - field and network staff - and systems responsible for a Smart Grid network. A command center would also support the City's Office of Electric Delivery and Energy Reliability's objective to overcome barriers to the deployment of new technologies that will ensure a truly modern and robust grid capable of meeting the demands of the 2151 century.

Comparison of policies on vehicle ownership and use between Beijing and Shanghai and their impacts on fuel consumption by passenger vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao Han; Wang Hewu; Ouyang Minggao

2011-01-01

The fast growth of vehicle population in China has caused problems such as traffic congestion and excessive fuel consumption. There have been demands for policy control on growth in private vehicle travel demand. Beijing and Shanghai are China's first two cities to implement policies on vehicle ownership and use. In this paper, we compared policies in the two cities and estimated their impacts on fuel consumption by passenger vehicles. The limitation of vehicle use in Beijing provides limited but immediate reduction in fuel consumption. The limitation of vehicle ownership in Shanghai provides large potential of fuel conservation in a longer term. Under current policy, fuel consumptions by passenger vehicles in Beijing and Shanghai in 2020 were estimated to reach 7.5 and 3.9 billion liters, respectively. The experiences of Beijing and Shanghai are highly relevant for cities in China and abroad that are facing the same problems. - Research Highlights: → Beijing and Shanghai are the first two cities in China to implement policies on vehicle ownership and use. This paper compared policies in the two cities and evaluated their effectiveness. → A bottom-up model was established to simulate the fuel consumption by passenger vehicles. By using this model, fuel consumptions by passenger vehicles in Beijing and Shanghai from 1990 to 2020 under two scenarios of current policy and no policy were estimated. Under current policy, fuel consumptions by passenger vehicles in Beijing and Shanghai in 2020 were estimated to reach 7.5 and 3.9 billion liters, respectively. → This paper discussed the benefits and negative impacts of policies in Beijing and Shanghai, which are highly relevant for cities in China and abroad that are facing the problems of traffic congestion and excessive vehicle fuel consumption.

Associations between eating occasions and places of consumption among adults

OpenAIRE

Liu, Jodi L.; Han, Bing; Cohen, Deborah A.

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether places of consumption are associated with types of eating occasions. Data on dietary behaviors of 226 adults in five U.S. cities were collected in food diaries for one week. Types of eating occasions and places of consumption were recorded. Eating occasions were defined as occurrences of meal, snack, beverage, and non-fruit dessert consumption. Nearly one-third of eating occasions occurred at non-designated eating places. Rep...

7 CFR 782.15 - Filing FSA-751, Wheat Consumption and Resale Report.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... purposes of providing information relating to the consumption and resale of Canadian-produced wheat, form... this section: (i) The original shall be forwarded to Kansas City Commodity Office, Warehouse License and Contract Division, P.O. Box 419205, Kansas City, MO 64141-6205, by the importer, end user...

Comparative study of flare control laws

Science.gov (United States)

Nadkarni, A. A.

1981-01-01

The development of a digital, three dimensional, automatic control law designed to achieve an optimal transition of a B-737 aircraft between glide slope conditions and the desired final touchdown condition is presented. The digital control law is a time invariant, state estimate feedback law, and the design is capable of using the microwave landing system. Major emphasis is placed on the reduction of aircraft noise in communities surroundings airports, the reduction of fuel consumption, the reduction of the effects of adverse weather conditions on aircraft operations, and the efficient use of airspace in congested terminal areas. Attention is also given to the development of the capability to perform automatic flares from steep glide slopes to precise touchdown locations.

CITY MANAGER VS PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

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PETRISOR Mihai Bogdan

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Romanian public administration modernization is a key objective of governments declared that they have succeeded in recent years. An example is the project run by CUPAR to promote public administrator function, d epending institutionalized by Law 286/2006. Inspired by the American model of city manager (this being the original name of the function, it aims to increase professionalism in the local government of Romania and to ensure separation of the political admi nistrative landing. City Manager is a professional administration and is the leader of this team. Personality and his professional interests have a major impact on the locality. The role of city managers all Americans are to help local authorities to impro ve services provided to citizens. The success or failure of a city manager bases on developing a close working relationship with the mayor and city council members. Often, their concerns have priority and the city manager must continuously inform on all is sues of interest. American counterpart city manager, if one may say that, in the Romanian administrative system is the public administrator. Function was introduced by Law 286/2006 amending the Law on Local Public Administration, 215/2001. The main duties of public administrators in Romania are: exercise main credit quality, coordination of various public services, direct relations with the public (audience, addressing petitions. Media relations, relations with non - governmental organizations, writing proje cts with extra - budgetary funding. A comparison of the two administrative functions considered appropriate given that too many times in Romania, and here are considered only issues concerning the public sphere were adopted techniques, methods, practices con sidered successful, the West without accommodate the local environment, techniques, in many cases failed to achieve its objectives or even causing an adverse effect.

The Consumption of Poultry Products in Sivas Province and Factors Affecting on the Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hüdaverdi Bircan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, face-to-face surveys were conducted with 461 families in order to determine the consumption values of poultry products in Sivas city centre and the factors affecting them. 85.5% of the participants are in the age range of 18-54, which is considered as the active age group. The sum of high school and college graduates was found to be 68.7%. In terms of monthly food intake, the difference between the income groups was significant and the average monthly food intake was calculated as TL 595.44. In terms of the proportion of poultry products among monthly food expenditures, significant differences were determined among the income groups and the average of the participants was determined as 10.49%. The difference observed in the monthly income of the household income groups was significant, average monthly egg consumption is calculated as 34.47 Units/Month and annual egg consumption per person is calculated as 123.40 Units/year. The difference in monthly household chicken’s consumption values between income groups was found to be significant, monthly household average consumption of chicken meat is 4.13 Kg/Month, average monthly consumption of chicken meat per person is 14.89 Kg/Year. On the consumption of poultry meet, family income level, number of family members and occupational groups were effective, but these factors as well as education levels were effective on egg consumption.

Final Evaluation Report of Teacher Training Projects Sponsored by Law in a Changing Society.

Science.gov (United States)

Denton, Jon J.; Kracht, James B.

The report is an assessment of law-focused education projects located in selected cities in Texas during the 1975-76 academic year. The projects were undertaken to positively affect the attitudes and understanding of students toward the role of law in today's society and the influences of law on crime and corruption. Teacher training programs and…

Engine cold start analysis using naturalistic driving data: City level impacts on local pollutants emissions and energy consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Faria, Marta V; Varella, Roberto A; Duarte, Gonçalo O; Farias, Tiago L; Baptista, Patrícia C

2018-07-15

The analysis of vehicle cold start emissions has become an issue of utmost importance since the cold phase occurs mainly in urban context, where most of the population lives. In this sense, this research work analyzes and quantifies the impacts of cold start in urban context using naturalistic driving data. Furthermore, an assessment of the influence of ambient temperature on the percentage of time spent on cold start was also performed. Regarding the impacts of ambient temperature on cold start duration, a higher percentage of time spent on cold start was found for lower ambient temperatures (80% of the time for 0°C and ~50% for 29°C). Results showed that, during cold start, energy consumption is >110% higher than during hot conditions while emissions are up to 910% higher. Moreover, a higher increase on both energy consumption and emissions was found for gasoline vehicles than for diesel vehicles. When assessing the impacts on a city perspective, results revealed that the impacts of cold start increase for more local streets. The main finding of this study is to provide evidence that a higher increase on emissions occurs on more local streets, where most of the population lives. This kind of knowledge is of particular relevance to urban planners in order to perform an informed definition of public policies and regulations to be implemented in the future, to achieve a cleaner and healthier urban environment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Zinder: a city running dry.

Science.gov (United States)

Price, T

1993-01-01

In the West African Sahel lies the old Hausa city of Zinder, Niger. Since the last few decades, it has constantly faced considerable population growth (19,300-119,8000 between 1960 and 1980) while its acute problems with the water supply are increasing. The dry regional climate compounds the problems. In the past, Zinder was a trade center between northern and sub-Saharan Africa as well as being the colonial capital of Niger (1911-26). Its economic and political position has fallen greatly with independence. Lower than average rainfall and the disastrous droughts of the 1970s and 1980s have seriously diminished the region's economic base, e.g., the average annual rainfall in 1930-60 was 535 mm, but by the 1980s, it was only 355 mm. Zinder sits on an elevated, rocky hill which is encircled by dry river valleys and there are no major permanent bodies of water in the vicinity. Impenetrable layers of stone prevent the digging of wells within the city, so the city depends on wells in nearby valleys. The reduced rainfall hinders replenishment of the aquifer, resulting in a drop in the availability of water for daily consumption from 6500 to 3500 sq m. Per capita water consumption in Zinder is much lower than the national average (55 1/day vs. about 100 1/day). The drought in 1992 caused per capita consumption to fall to 29 1/day, just barely above the minimal standards for private use in urban areas of 20 1/person/day. To further compound the problem, 20 villages in Zinder's environs, some villages with a population of 5000, people, rely on the same water system. Zinder serves as a refuge for the regional population in drought years and during the yearly dry season. Promised international financing cannot resolve Zinder's problems at a realistic cost.

Handbook on German-Russian energy law; Handbuch zum deutsch-russischen Energierecht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saecker, Franz Juergen (ed.) [Freie Univ. Berlin (Germany)

2010-07-01

The handbook under consideration offers a comparative presentation of the energy law in Russia and in the Federal Republic of Germany and would like to promote an approach of the energy legal regulations of the two states and the European Union. The handbook covers the entire legal problems from the exploration over the production and transport from energy resources up to the processing and consumption. The handbook considers not only the energy economy law, the energy antitrust law, the energy contractual law and the energy environment law, but also refers to the atomic law and the mining law in the presentation of the energy right.

The Constructal Law of ``Designedness'' in Nature

Science.gov (United States)

Bejan, Adrian

2008-08-01

The laws of classical thermodynamics refer to systems as black boxes, without configuration. Nature is different: it has "designedness" everywhere and at all scales (pattern, configuration, rhythm). The generation of configuration is a phenomenon of all physics, and it is covered by the constructal law: for a finite-size flow system to persist in time (to live) it must evolve such that it provides easier access to its currents. The constructal law is predictive across the board, in inanimate, animate and human flow systems. Examples are the scaling laws of all river basins, the speeds and frequencies of all kinds of animal locomotion, and the zipfian distribution of hierarchical city sizes and numbers on the globe. The constructal law accounts for the numerous and often contradictory ad-hoc statements of self-optimization, e.g. minimization and maximization of entropy generation, minimization and maximization of flow resistance, minimization of time and cost, maximization of utility, and the axiom of uniform stresses in animal bones and botanical trees.

Redesigning fruit and vegetable distribution network in Tehran using a city logistics model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farshad Saeedi

2019-01-01

Full Text Available Tehran, as one of the most populated capital cities worldwide, is categorized in the group of highly polluted cities in terms of the geographical location as well as increased number of industries, vehicles, domestic fuel consumption, intra-city trips, increased manufacturing units, and in general excessive increase in the consumption of fossil energies. City logistics models can be effectively helpful for solving the complicated problems of this city. In the present study, a queuing theory-based bi-objective mathematical model is presented, which aims to optimize the environmental and economic costs in city logistics operations. It also tries to reduce the response time in the network. The first objective is associated with all beneficiaries and the second one is applicable for perishable and necessary goods. The proposed model makes decisions on urban distribution centers location problem. Subsequently, as a case study, the fruit and vegetable distribution network of Tehran city is investigated and redesigned via the proposed modelling. The results of the implementation of the model through traditional and augmented ε-constraint methods indicate the efficiency of the proposed model in redesigning the given network.

Energy aspects of city districts and rural townships; Energieaspekte staedtischer und laendlicher Siedlungen. Schlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ott, W.; Arend, M.; Philippen, D. [Econcept AG, Zuerich (Switzerland); Gilgen, K.; Beaujean, K. [Hochschule fuer Technik Rapperswil, Institut fuer Raumentwicklung, Rapperswil (Switzerland); Schneider, S. [Planungsbuero Jud AG, Zuerich (Switzerland)

2008-01-15

This illustrated final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of a project concerning the energy consumption of various residential districts in cities and in rural townships. The analysis examines the consumption of primary energy by residential buildings, their supply and disposal infrastructures and that of traffic induced by settlements. Also, grey energy: consumption for the construction, renovation and demolition of buildings and infrastructures as well as the consumption of primary energy for the production and disposal of individual motor vehicle traffic and public transport is reviewed. Four Swiss case studies are dealt with including largely homogenous residential districts in Effretikon, Oetwil am See, Uster and the City of Zurich. The results of the analyses made are presented in graphical form. The authors quote the great potential for the reduction of the consumption of settlement-dependent primary energy that lies in the fields of energy-efficiency of buildings, mobility and power consumption. The report is rounded off with a comprehensive appendix.

New York City's fight over calorie labeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Farley, Thomas A; Caffarelli, Anna; Bassett, Mary T; Silver, Lynn; Frieden, Thomas R

2009-01-01

In 2006, New York City's Health Department amended the city Health Code to require the posting of calorie counts by chain restaurants on menus, menu boards, and item tags. This was one element of the city's response to rising obesity rates. Drafting the rule involved many decisions that affected its impact and its legal viability. The restaurant industry argued against the rule and twice sued to prevent its implementation. An initial version of the rule was found to be preempted by federal law, but a revised version was implemented in January 2008. The experience shows that state and local health departments can use their existing authority over restaurants to combat obesity and, indirectly, chronic diseases.

Polycentric Development for Sustainable Cities: An Evaluation for the Ankara Metropolitan Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N Aydan Sat

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Urban population growth and the accompanying urban growth and expansion are seen as the main problems of metropolitan cities; this keeps the issues of how to consider the social, economic, spatial and environmental dimensions of cities within the framework of a concept of sustainability, and how to shape cities within this context, on the agenda. In today’s world, cities are accepted as the main hubs of energy consumption and environmental pollution, as centers of capital, culture and innovation, and as the places of residence of millions of people. Expanding and sprawling urban forms are seen as unsustainable in terms of land use, energy and the consumption of environmental resources. Thus, the question ‘How should the urban development model be applied to create sustainable cities?’ is on the agenda of theorists, politicians and practitioners alike. Taking these discussions into consideration, this study searches for an answer to the question of whether the polycentric urban development model can be used as a tool for sustainable cities by taking into account the current literature and practices, and evaluating the case of the Ankara metropolitan area.

Underage drinking: does the minimum age drinking law offer enough protection?

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Rivka; Jason, Hannah; Ganz, Debora

2015-05-01

Underage drinking is a significant problem in the US. It is responsible for several thousand mortalities and fatalities each year, both among minors and other members of society. Additionally, underage alcohol consumption produces a severe economic burden in the US. Introduction to alcohol in youth poses serious long-term risks for adolescents, including occupational, educational, and psychosocial impairments, and increases the risk for developing alcohol abuse disorders in adulthood. In order to address and mitigate this problem, the US has set a minimum age drinking law of 21 in all 50 states, and has implemented several supplementary laws limiting the possession and consumption of alcohol. Though these laws have successfully reduced underage drinking, several additional strategies are noteworthy, including preventative and intervention efforts incorporating environmental, individual, communal, and parental factors. The following literature review describes these concepts as they relate to underage drinking laws in the US. Directions for future research, interventions, and ongoing challenges related to the minimum drinking age in the US are also discussed.

Small cities face greater impact from automation

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Lijun; Cebrian, Manuel; Rahwan, Iyad

2018-01-01

The city has proved to be the most successful form of human agglomeration and provides wide employment opportunities for its dwellers. As advances in robotics and artificial intelligence revive concerns about the impact of automation on jobs, a question looms: how will automation affect employment in cities? Here, we provide a comparative picture of the impact of automation across US urban areas. Small cities will undertake greater adjustments, such as worker displacement and job content substitutions. We demonstrate that large cities exhibit increased occupational and skill specialization due to increased abundance of managerial and technical professions. These occupations are not easily automatable, and, thus, reduce the potential impact of automation in large cities. Our results pass several robustness checks including potential errors in the estimation of occupational automation and subsampling of occupations. Our study provides the first empirical law connecting two societal forces: urban agglomeration and automation's impact on employment. PMID:29436514

Small cities face greater impact from automation.

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, Morgan R; Sun, Lijun; Cebrian, Manuel; Youn, Hyejin; Rahwan, Iyad

2018-02-01

The city has proved to be the most successful form of human agglomeration and provides wide employment opportunities for its dwellers. As advances in robotics and artificial intelligence revive concerns about the impact of automation on jobs, a question looms: how will automation affect employment in cities? Here, we provide a comparative picture of the impact of automation across US urban areas. Small cities will undertake greater adjustments, such as worker displacement and job content substitutions. We demonstrate that large cities exhibit increased occupational and skill specialization due to increased abundance of managerial and technical professions. These occupations are not easily automatable, and, thus, reduce the potential impact of automation in large cities. Our results pass several robustness checks including potential errors in the estimation of occupational automation and subsampling of occupations. Our study provides the first empirical law connecting two societal forces: urban agglomeration and automation's impact on employment. © 2018 The Authors.

A Carbon Consumption Comparison of Rural and Urban Lifestyles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seppo Junnila

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Sustainable consumption has been addressed from different perspectives in numerous studies. Recently, urban structure-related lifestyle issues have gained more emphasis in the research as cities search for effective strategies to reduce their 80% share of the global carbon emissions. However, the prevailing belief often seen is that cities would be more sustainable in nature compared to surrounding suburban and rural areas. This paper will illustrate, by studying four different urban structure related lifestyles in Finland, that the situation might be reversed. Actually, substantially more carbon emissions seem to be caused on a per capita level in cities than in suburban and rural areas. This is mainly due to the higher income level in larger urban centers, but even housing-related emissions seem to favor less urbanized areas. The method of the study is a consumption-based life cycle assessment of carbon emissions. In more detail, a hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA model, that is comprehensive in providing a full inventory and can accommodate process data, is utilized.

Negotiating Custody Rights in Islamic Family Law

NARCIS (Netherlands)

N.Y. Shehada (Nahda)

2009-01-01

textabstractIntroduction The following examines the application of Islamic family law with regard to custody and custody rights in the Gaza city sharī‘a courts.1 Four objectives are pursued in the paper. First, it identifies areas of gender asymmetry in the legal code, which distinguishes

Greedy algorithms and Zipf laws

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, José; Bouchaud, Jean-Philippe

2018-04-01

We consider a simple model of firm/city/etc growth based on a multi-item criterion: whenever entity B fares better than entity A on a subset of M items out of K, the agent originally in A moves to B. We solve the model analytically in the cases K  =  1 and . The resulting stationary distribution of sizes is generically a Zipf-law provided M  >  K/2. When , no selection occurs and the size distribution remains thin-tailed. In the special case M  =  K, one needs to regularize the problem by introducing a small ‘default’ probability ϕ. We find that the stationary distribution has a power-law tail that becomes a Zipf-law when . The approach to the stationary state can also be characterized, with strong similarities with a simple ‘aging’ model considered by Barrat and Mézard.

Clean Cities Now Vol. 19, No. 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-07-24

Now is the official bi-annual newsletter of Clean Cities, an initiative designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative and renewable fuels, fuel economy improvements, idle-reduction measures, and new technologies, as they emerge.

Acute Alcohol Consumption, Alcohol Outlets, and Gun Suicide

Science.gov (United States)

Branas, Charles C.; Richmond, Therese S.; Ten Have, Thomas R.; Wiebe, Douglas J.

2014-01-01

A case–control study of 149 intentionally self-inflicted gun injury cases (including completed gun suicides) and 302 population-based controls was conducted from 2003 to 2006 in a major US city. Two focal independent variables, acute alcohol consumption and alcohol outlet availability, were measured. Conditional logistic regression was adjusted for confounding variables. Gun suicide risk to individuals in areas of high alcohol outlet availability was less than the gun suicide risk they incurred from acute alcohol consumption, especially to excess. This corroborates prior work but also uncovers new information about the relationships between acute alcohol consumption, alcohol outlets, and gun suicide. Study limitations and implications are discussed. PMID:21929327

Relationship beetween city-port-waterfront: complexity and complications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bianca Petrella

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Water is the basis of human and urban civilization; transport is the basis of trade and therefore of social progress. For many centuries water was by far the most important mode of transport, this is the principle reason why cities with rivers or seaports were predominant over cities without such features.Initially, industrialization, the construction of the railways, the advent of the car and the beginning of air transport challenged the hegemonic role of the cities-port. However, since the introduction of containers in the mid-1950‘s and shortly after the construction of inter-ports the role of water transport has been revitalized.The containers and the enormous ships carrying them need great surface areas and long piers, so ports were moved outside of cities and, thus, the historical relationship between city and port was definitively broken.The decline of large parts of the urban water front triggered redevelopment initiatives, which over time changed their use from industrial to leisure. These initiatives were often given names such as ‘urban recovery’, ‘renewal’, ‘regeneration’, ‘redevelopment’, and so forth.Enormous leisure areas were the common denominator and often the buildings had an exclusive and, for this reason, homologated architecture designed by “archi-star” (famous architects. The new built-up areas were out of the local character and out of the historical city-port relationship.Almost always liberated port spaces remain the property of the Port Authority and for this reason the way of making decisions is difficult. Italian law provides for a set of governing bodies to decide how to plan the interventions in the port areas. However, the law does not impose a co-ordination of the border area between city and port. Thus, the good governance of this area is left to chance and the hope that the various bodies can find mutually satisfying agreements.Some good and bad practices in various cities around the world

Health risk assessment of hazardous metals for population via consumption of seafood from Ogoniland, Rivers State, Nigeria; a case study of Kaa, B-Dere, and Bodo City.

Science.gov (United States)

Nkpaa, K W; Patrick-Iwuanyanwu, K C; Wegwu, M O; Essien, E B

2016-01-01

This study was designed to investigate the human health risk through consumption of seafood from contaminated sites in Kaa, B-Dere, and Bodo City all in Ogoniland. The potential non-carcinogenic health risk for consumers were investigated by assessing the estimated daily intake and target hazard quotients for Cr, Cd, Zn, Pb, Mn, and Fe while carcinogenic health effect from Cr, Cd, and Pb was also estimated. The estimated daily intake from seafood consumption was below the threshold values for Cr, Mn, and Zn while they exceeded the threshold for Cd, Pb, and Fe. The target hazard quotients for Zn and Cr were below 1. Target hazard quotients values for Cd, Pb, Mn, and Fe were greater than 1 except for Fe level in Liza falcipinis from Kaa. Furthermore, estimation of carcinogenic risk for Cr in all samples under study exceeded the accepted risk level of 10E-4. Also, Cd carcinogenic risk level for L. falcipinis and Callinectes pallidus collected from B-Dere and C. pallidus collected from Bodo City was 1.1E-3 which also exceeded the accepted risk level of 10E-4 for Cd. Estimation of carcinogenic risk for Pb was within the acceptable range of 10E-4. Consumers of seafood from these sites in Ogoniland may be exposed to metal pollution.

The History and Impact of the New York City Menu-Labeling Law

OpenAIRE

Bernell, Brent

2010-01-01

As a result of the recent federal health care legislation, all restaurants in the United States that are part of a chain with twenty or more locations will be required to post the calorie information of the food they serve directly on the menu or menu board. This development represents the culmination of a regulatory initiative to combat the growth of obesity that only began in 2006 with the decision by the New York City Board of Health to require calorie posting in New York City chain resta...

Pornography consumption and non-marital sexual behaviour in a sample of young Indonesian university students

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hald, Gert Martin; Mulya, Teguh Wijaya

2013-01-01

Using a sample of Indonesian university students and a cross sectional design, this study investigated prevalence rates and patterns of pornography consumption in Indonesia, a religious, sexually conservative, Muslim-majority nation with strict anti-pornography laws. Further, the association...... between pornography consumption and common non-marital sexual behaviours was explored. The study found that in this sample, pornography is as widely and readily consumed as in comparable international studies predominantly utilising Western background samples from more sexually liberal and less religious...... countries with very few laws on pornography. Gender differences in patterns of pornography consumption were pronounced and comparable with findings in international counterpart studies. For men only, pornography consumption was found to significantly predict common sexual behaviours in non-marital relations...

Addressing Water Consumption of Evaporative Coolers with Greywater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sahai, Rashmi [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Shah, Nihar [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Phadke, Amol [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2012-07-01

Evaporative coolers (ECs) provide significant gains in energy efficiency compared to vapor compression air conditioners, but simultaneously have significant onsite water demand. This can be a major barrier to deployment in areas of the world with hot and arid climates. To address this concern, this study determined where in the world evaporative cooling is suitable, the water consumption of ECs in these cities, and the potential that greywater can be used reduce the consumption of potable water in ECs. ECs covered 69percent of the cities where room air conditioners are may be deployed, based on comfort conditions alone. The average water consumption due to ECs was found to be 400 L/household/day in the United States and Australia, with the potential for greywater to provide 50percent this amount. In the rest of the world, the average water consumption was 250 L/household/day, with the potential for greywater to supply 80percent of this amount. Home size was the main factor that contributed to this difference. In the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Northern India, and the Midwestern and Southwestern United States alkalinity levels are high and water used for bleeding will likely contribute significantly to EC water consumption. Although technically feasible, upfront costs for household GW systems are currently high. In both developed and developing parts of the world, however, a direct EC and GW system is cost competitive with conventional vapor compression air conditioners. Moreover, in regions of the world that face problems of water scarcity the benefits can substantially outweigh the costs.

Heritage contribution in sustainable city

Science.gov (United States)

Rostami, R.; Khoshnava, S. M.; Lamit, H.

2014-02-01

The concept of sustainability has been an integral part of development work since the late 1970s. Sustainability is no longer a buzzword but a reality that must be addressed by cities all over the world. Increasing empirical evidence indicates that city sustainability is not just related to technical issues, such as carbon emissions, energy consumption and waste management, or on the economic aspects of urban regeneration and growth, but also it covers social well-being of different groups living within increasingly cosmopolitan towns and cities. Heritage is seen as a major component of quality of life, features that give a city its unique character and provide the sense of belonging that lies at the core of cultural identity. In other words, heritage by providing important social and psychological benefits enrich human life with meanings and emotions, and raise quality of life as a key component of sustainability. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine the role that built cultural heritage can play within sustainable urban development.

Heritage contribution in sustainable city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rostami, R; Khoshnava, S M; Lamit, H

2014-01-01

The concept of sustainability has been an integral part of development work since the late 1970s. Sustainability is no longer a buzzword but a reality that must be addressed by cities all over the world. Increasing empirical evidence indicates that city sustainability is not just related to technical issues, such as carbon emissions, energy consumption and waste management, or on the economic aspects of urban regeneration and growth, but also it covers social well-being of different groups living within increasingly cosmopolitan towns and cities. Heritage is seen as a major component of quality of life, features that give a city its unique character and provide the sense of belonging that lies at the core of cultural identity. In other words, heritage by providing important social and psychological benefits enrich human life with meanings and emotions, and raise quality of life as a key component of sustainability. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine the role that built cultural heritage can play within sustainable urban development

Population density and efficiency in energy consumption: An empirical analysis of service establishments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morikawa, Masayuki

2012-01-01

This study, using novel establishment-level microdata from the Energy Consumption Statistics, empirically analyzes the effect of urban density on energy intensity in the service sector. According to the analysis, the efficiency of energy consumption in service establishments is higher for densely populated cities. Quantitatively, after controlling for differences among industries, energy efficiency increases by approximately 12% when the density in a municipality population doubles. This result suggests that, given a structural transformation toward the service economy, deregulation of excessive restrictions hindering urban agglomeration, and investment in infrastructure in city centers would contribute to environmentally friendly economic growth.

Future city architecture for optimal living

CERN Document Server

Pardalos, Panos

2015-01-01

  This book offers a wealth of interdisciplinary approaches to urbanization strategies in architecture centered on growing concerns about the future of cities and their impacts on essential elements of architectural optimization, livability, energy consumption and sustainability. It portrays the urban condition in architectural terms, as well as the living condition in human terms, both of which can be optimized by mathematical modeling as well as mathematical calculation and assessment.   Special features include:   ·        new research on the construction of future cities and smart cities   ·        discussions of sustainability and new technologies designed to advance ideas to future city developments   Graduate students and researchers in architecture, engineering, mathematical modeling, and building physics will be engaged by the contributions written by eminent international experts from a variety of disciplines including architecture, engineering, modeling, optimization, and relat...

Experiencing the Tourist City. The European Capital of Culture in Re-Designing City Routes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuela Guerreiro

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Assuming that providing memorable experiences is the raison d’être of tourism industry, the city envisaged as a tourist destination should assume the tourist’s perspective when designing the settings and the most significant activities of a visit. Cities are facing new challenges, noticeably the globalisation of economies, the growing importance of the visual and the symbolic that define the current trends of consumption and the attractiveness of a place. Culture and events play a strategic role when designing innovative and appealing tourism experiences. The European Capital of Culture (ECoC is an international event which represents a unique opportunity for the cities to stand out in this globalised and competitive scenario. This paper focuses on the study of Pécs, European Capital of Culture 2010, and it aims to study the influence of this event on the design of city tourism routes. A survey by questionnaire was administered to tourists before and during ECoC in Pécs. Respondents indicated in open-ended questions the most outstanding points in their visit to the city, on which were designed the relevant circuits and routes during that tourist experience in Pécs. Data analysis was performed using the statistical software STAS.

Mexico City air quality research initiative. Volume 2, Problem definition, background, and summary of prior research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-06-01

Air pollution in Mexico City has increased along with the growth of the city, the movement of its population, and the growth of employment created by industry. The main cause of pollution in the city is energy consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the city`s economic development and its prospects when considering the technological relationships between well-being and energy consumption. Air pollution in the city from dust and other particles suspended in the air is an old problem. However, pollution as we know it today began about 50 years ago with the growth of industry, transportation, and population. The level of well-being attained in Mexico City implies a high energy use that necessarily affects the valley`s natural air quality. However, the pollution has grown so fast that the City must act urgently on three fronts: first, following a comprehensive strategy, transform the economic foundation of the city with nonpolluting activities to replace the old industries, second, halt pollution growth through the development of better technologies; and third, use better fuels, emission controls, and protection of wooded areas.

RD 140/2003: A new Spanish law about drinking waters; La nueva normativa espanola sobre aguas de consumo humano

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin Galvin, R.

2003-07-01

The new spanish law intended to drinking water (RD 140/2003 from 02-04-2003) modifies very much the ancient law about this subject. Firstly, the consideration of drinking water is just applied from the raw water without treatment but to be after treated. Moreover, quantification as potable water (spanish) is substituted by water apt to human consumption. On the other hand, responsibility of each supplier with respect to the human consumption water ends with the delivering from a new supplier or user. In this way, the municipalauthority would urge to user the reparation of their installations if these ones modify the quality water. The new law establsihes three levels of analytical survey of the human consumption water: supplier (autocontrol), sanitary authority and municipal survey, this last one is the user tap (situation very complex to carry out). The parameters to investigate in waters vary their number and their parametrix values from the ancient spanish law of the 90's. Finally, the law establishes procedures to inform about the water quality to users, setting up the SINAC system as the official form to control the quality of human consumption water in Spain. (Author)

Alcohol consumption and self-reported (SF12) physical and mental health among working aged-men in a typical Russian city

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dissing, Nete; Gil, Artyom; Keenan, Katherine

2013-01-01

the associations with PCS considerably. CONCLUSION: Among working age male adults in Russia, hazardous patterns of alcohol drinking are associated with poorer self-reported physical health, and even more strongly with poorer self-reported mental health. Physical health appears to be lower in those reporting......AIM: To investigate the association between patterns of alcohol consumption and self-reported physical and mental health in a population with a high prevalence of hazardous drinking. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of an age-stratified random sample of a population register. SETTING: The city...... of Izhevsk, The Russian Federation, 2008-9. PARTICIPANTS: 1031 men aged 25 to 60 years (68% response rate). MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported health was evaluated with the SF12 physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summaries. Measures of hazardous drinking (based on frequency of adverse effects of alcohol...

Rethinking Design and Urban Planning for the Cities of the Future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas L. Saaty

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Growth of urban areas and abandonment of rural areas are phenomena that increase quickly. The main consequences of urbanization are pollution, consumption of resources and energy, waste dumps, and junk yards. These aspects require a better planning and design of European urban metropolitan areas, considering benefits, opportunities, costs and risks (B.O.C.R., derivable by urban transformations and available resources. The paper consists of five parts. The first part contains some reflections on consequences of urban sprawl. In the second part, some possible kinds of cities are discussed (sustainable city, smart city, and compact city. The third part briefly describes a multicriteria decision-making approach known as the ‘analytic hierarchy process’ to deal with complex decisions. In the fourth part, alternative city models are analyzed (compact city, elevated city, green house city, and water city. Finally, in the fifth part, the criteria selected for the planning and design of the alternative city models are used for the prioritization of some European cities.

Greenhouse gas emissions accounting of urban residential consumption: a household survey based approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Lin

Full Text Available Devising policies for a low carbon city requires a careful understanding of the characteristics of urban residential lifestyle and consumption. The production-based accounting approach based on top-down statistical data has a limited ability to reflect the total greenhouse gas (GHG emissions from residential consumption. In this paper, we present a survey-based GHG emissions accounting methodology for urban residential consumption, and apply it in Xiamen City, a rapidly urbanizing coastal city in southeast China. Based on this, the main influencing factors determining residential GHG emissions at the household and community scale are identified, and the typical profiles of low, medium and high GHG emission households and communities are identified. Up to 70% of household GHG emissions are from regional and national activities that support household consumption including the supply of energy and building materials, while 17% are from urban level basic services and supplies such as sewage treatment and solid waste management, and only 13% are direct emissions from household consumption. Housing area and household size are the two main factors determining GHG emissions from residential consumption at the household scale, while average housing area and building height were the main factors at the community scale. Our results show a large disparity in GHG emissions profiles among different households, with high GHG emissions households emitting about five times more than low GHG emissions households. Emissions from high GHG emissions communities are about twice as high as from low GHG emissions communities. Our findings can contribute to better tailored and targeted policies aimed at reducing household GHG emissions, and developing low GHG emissions residential communities in China.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting of Urban Residential Consumption: A Household Survey Based Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Tao; Yu, Yunjun; Bai, Xuemei; Feng, Ling; Wang, Jin

2013-01-01

Devising policies for a low carbon city requires a careful understanding of the characteristics of urban residential lifestyle and consumption. The production-based accounting approach based on top-down statistical data has a limited ability to reflect the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from residential consumption. In this paper, we present a survey-based GHG emissions accounting methodology for urban residential consumption, and apply it in Xiamen City, a rapidly urbanizing coastal city in southeast China. Based on this, the main influencing factors determining residential GHG emissions at the household and community scale are identified, and the typical profiles of low, medium and high GHG emission households and communities are identified. Up to 70% of household GHG emissions are from regional and national activities that support household consumption including the supply of energy and building materials, while 17% are from urban level basic services and supplies such as sewage treatment and solid waste management, and only 13% are direct emissions from household consumption. Housing area and household size are the two main factors determining GHG emissions from residential consumption at the household scale, while average housing area and building height were the main factors at the community scale. Our results show a large disparity in GHG emissions profiles among different households, with high GHG emissions households emitting about five times more than low GHG emissions households. Emissions from high GHG emissions communities are about twice as high as from low GHG emissions communities. Our findings can contribute to better tailored and targeted policies aimed at reducing household GHG emissions, and developing low GHG emissions residential communities in China. PMID:23405187

Need Analysis for Air Conditioners in Public Sector of Surabaya City Government

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Dwiarti Larasputri

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In typical buildings, air conditioners have the biggest percentage in energy consumption among all sectors. It makes a good management for air conditioners is needed and important in order to use the energy efficiently. Having a very hot and humid weather, it gives impact that most of buildings in Surabaya installed air conditioners, including Surabaya City Government office buildings. However, there is no regulation nor guidance how to manage air conditioners in Surabaya City Government, while Surabaya itself has a goal to become a green-eco city. Then, the existing condition of air conditioners usage in Surabaya Government units (SKPDs is evaluated. The evaluation resulted that most of air conditioners were over capacity and not all of them were efficient in energy consumption. Therefore, a need analysis is required to help Surabaya City Government managing its air conditioners better. By applying two different concepts, one is based on the architectural view and another one is based on green building criteria, the existing condition is analyzed and two procedures of need analysis are produced. The procedures can be implemented for two different conditions of office building rooms in Surabaya City Government.

Tracking urban carbon footprints from production and consumption perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Jianyi; Hu, Yuanchao; Cui, Shenghui; Kang, Jiefeng; Ramaswami, Anu

2015-01-01

Cities are hotspots of socio-economic activities and greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of this study was to extend the research range of the urban carbon footprint (CF) to cover emissions embodied in products traded among regions and intra-city sectors. Using Xiamen City as a study case, the total urban-related emissions were evaluated, and the carbon flows among regions and intra-city sectors were tracked. Then five urban CF accountings were evaluated, including purely geographic accounting (PGA), community-wide infrastructure footprint (CIF), and consumption-based footprint (CBF) methods, as well as the newly defined production-based footprint (PBF) and purely production footprint (PPF). Research results show that the total urban-related emissions of Xiamen City in 2010 were 55.2 Mt CO 2 e/y, of which total carbon flow among regions or intra-city sectors accounted for 53.7 Mt CO 2 e/y. Within the total carbon flow, import and export respectively accounted for 59 and 65%, highlighting the importance of emissions embodied in trade. By regional trade balance, North America and Europe were the largest net carbon exported-to regions, and Mainland China and Taiwan the largest net carbon imported-from regions. Among intra-sector carbon flows, manufacturing was the largest emission-consuming sector of the total urban carbon flow, accounting for 77.4, and 98% of carbon export was through industrial products trade. By the PBF, PPF, CIF, PGA and CBF methods, the urban CFs were respectively 53.7 Mt CO 2 e/y, 44.8 Mt CO 2 e/y, 28.4 Mt CO 2 e/y, 23.7 Mt CO 2 e/y, and 19.0 Mt CO 2 e/y, so all of the other four CFs were higher than the CBF. All of these results indicate that urban carbon mitigation must consider the supply chain management of imported goods, the production efficiency within the city, the consumption patterns of urban consumers, and the responsibility of the ultimate consumers outside the city. (letter)

Tracking urban carbon footprints from production and consumption perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jianyi; Hu, Yuanchao; Cui, Shenghui; Kang, Jiefeng; Ramaswami, Anu

2015-05-01

Cities are hotspots of socio-economic activities and greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of this study was to extend the research range of the urban carbon footprint (CF) to cover emissions embodied in products traded among regions and intra-city sectors. Using Xiamen City as a study case, the total urban-related emissions were evaluated, and the carbon flows among regions and intra-city sectors were tracked. Then five urban CF accountings were evaluated, including purely geographic accounting (PGA), community-wide infrastructure footprint (CIF), and consumption-based footprint (CBF) methods, as well as the newly defined production-based footprint (PBF) and purely production footprint (PPF). Research results show that the total urban-related emissions of Xiamen City in 2010 were 55.2 Mt CO2e/y, of which total carbon flow among regions or intra-city sectors accounted for 53.7 Mt CO2e/y. Within the total carbon flow, import and export respectively accounted for 59 and 65%, highlighting the importance of emissions embodied in trade. By regional trade balance, North America and Europe were the largest net carbon exported-to regions, and Mainland China and Taiwan the largest net carbon imported-from regions. Among intra-sector carbon flows, manufacturing was the largest emission-consuming sector of the total urban carbon flow, accounting for 77.4, and 98% of carbon export was through industrial products trade. By the PBF, PPF, CIF, PGA and CBF methods, the urban CFs were respectively 53.7 Mt CO2e/y, 44.8 Mt CO2e/y, 28.4 Mt CO2e/y, 23.7 Mt CO2e/y, and 19.0 Mt CO2e/y, so all of the other four CFs were higher than the CBF. All of these results indicate that urban carbon mitigation must consider the supply chain management of imported goods, the production efficiency within the city, the consumption patterns of urban consumers, and the responsibility of the ultimate consumers outside the city.

Current-day matters of administration and law in the field of high-rise construction

Science.gov (United States)

Voskresenskaya, Elena; Snetkov, Vitaly; Tebryaev, Alexander

2018-03-01

The article touches upon main reasons for high-rise construction: increase in energy consumption and limited availability of site in the big cities of Russia. Increase in energy consumption is related with construction, transportation and applying of ventilation and air conditioning systems. Nowadays, there are developed a lot of design and engineer solutions, that include autonomous systems as well as passive methods with low energy consumption rate, which are interrelated with local climate conditions. Certain architectural solutions contribute to energy consumption decrease: building orientation with respect to the cardinal directions, taking into account the prevailing cold wind directions, maximum glazing of the southern facades and minimum glazing of the northern ones, what plays a big role in hard climate conditions. Limited availability of site for construction in the big cities resulted in rapid development of the high-rise construction, which today prevails in terms of quantitative indicators of civil engineering.

Legionnaires' Disease Outbreaks and Cooling Towers, New York City, New York, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzhenry, Robert; Weiss, Don; Cimini, Dan; Balter, Sharon; Boyd, Christopher; Alleyne, Lisa; Stewart, Renee; McIntosh, Natasha; Econome, Andrea; Lin, Ying; Rubinstein, Inessa; Passaretti, Teresa; Kidney, Anna; Lapierre, Pascal; Kass, Daniel; Varma, Jay K

2017-11-01

The incidence of Legionnaires' disease in the United States has been increasing since 2000. Outbreaks and clusters are associated with decorative, recreational, domestic, and industrial water systems, with the largest outbreaks being caused by cooling towers. Since 2006, 6 community-associated Legionnaires' disease outbreaks have occurred in New York City, resulting in 213 cases and 18 deaths. Three outbreaks occurred in 2015, including the largest on record (138 cases). Three outbreaks were linked to cooling towers by molecular comparison of human and environmental Legionella isolates, and the sources for the other 3 outbreaks were undetermined. The evolution of investigation methods and lessons learned from these outbreaks prompted enactment of a new comprehensive law governing the operation and maintenance of New York City cooling towers. Ongoing surveillance and program evaluation will determine if enforcement of the new cooling tower law reduces Legionnaires' disease incidence in New York City.

Quantitative Study on the Dynamic Mechanism of Smart Low-Carbon City Development in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Pang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available With the development of new generation technology and the low-carbon economy, the smart low-carbon city has become one of the academic hotspots. Many studies on it have begun; however, the dynamic mechanism is rarely involved. Therefore, this paper uses the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS method to creatively take a quantitative study on a Chinese smart low-carbon city’s dynamic mechanism. The results show that: (1 the three main dynamics of smart low-carbon city development in China are institutional and cultural conditions, facilities and functions conditions and economy and industry conditions, but the overall utility is relatively low; (2 the level of the dynamic operation mechanism of the Chinese smart low-carbon city is distinct between regions, indicating a diminishing spatial law from east to west and differences within regions; (3 the imbalance of the comprehensive dynamic mechanism and the operation status between smart low-carbon cities is prominent, showing a decreasing urban scale law of from big to small and differences within each scale, and a descending administration hierarchy law from high to low and differences within each class; (4 seven basic development patterns can be obtained, and most of the cities belong to the external strong/internal weak mode, which basically matches with its development realities. Finally, general policy recommendations and countermeasures of optimization and improvement are proposed.

Greenhouse gas emission footprints and energy use benchmarks for eight U.S. cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Hillman, Tim; Ramaswami, Anu

2010-03-15

A hybrid life cycle-based trans-boundary greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions footprint is elucidated at the city-scale and evaluated for 8 US cities. The method incorporates end-uses of energy within city boundaries, plus cross-boundary demand for airline/freight transport and embodied energy of four key urban materials [food, water, energy (fuels), and shelter (cement)], essential for life in all cities. These cross-boundary activities contributed 47% on average more than the in-boundary GHG contributions traditionally reported for cities, indicating significant truncation at city boundaries of GHG emissions associated with urban activities. Incorporating cross-boundary contributions created convergence in per capita GHG emissions from the city-scale (average 23.7 mt-CO(2)e/capita) to the national-scale (24.5 mt-CO(2)e/capita), suggesting that six key cross-boundary activities may suffice to yield a holistic GHG emission footprint for cities, with important policy ramifications. Average GHG contributions from various human activity sectors include buildings/facilities energy use (47.1%), regional surface transport (20.8%), food production (14.7%), transport fuel production (6.4%), airline transport (4.8%), long-distance freight trucking (2.8%), cement production (2.2%), and water/wastewater/waste processing (1.3%). Energy-, travel-, and key materials-consumption efficiency metrics are elucidated in these sectors; these consumption metrics are observed to be largely similar across the eight U.S. cities and consistent with national/regional averages.

An analysis of the influence of urban form on energy consumption by individual consumption behaviors from a microeconomic viewpoint

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin, Yanhong; Mizokami, Shoshi; Maruyama, Takuya

2013-01-01

Using 1997 personal trip survey (PTS) data in the Kumamoto metropolitan area, this paper examined the influence of urban form on energy consumption through an energy estimation model from a microeconomic perspective. As all goods and service are assumed to satisfy the need of people, we estimated the individual energy consumption based on the demand of goods, which is explained by a utility maximization problem constrained by income. 52.84 GJ of energy is estimated for one person one year in Kumamoto metropolitan area. 19.57% of energy is used for mobility goods. A spatial regression was performed to analyze the relationship between energy efficiency and urban form characteristics in terms of density, diversity, and accessibility. The results of regression analysis show that employment density, ratio of employee in retail department, transit fare, and distance to city center are the most influential factors of energy efficiency. Findings suggest compact development and integrated policies for increasing employment density, especially, employment proportion of local residents are suggested. Moreover, measures to improve the attractiveness of mass transit should be encouraged to increase energy efficiency in Kumamoto. - Highlights: • Energy consumption is estimated by demand of composite goods, mobility goods. • 52.84 GJ of energy is estimated to satisfy one person per year in Kumamoto. • 80% of energy is for composite goods and 20% for mobility goods. • Land use diversity and distance to city center, affect energy consumption most. • Employment density and transit fare are influential factors of energy efficiency

Urban energy consumption: Different insights from energy flow analysis, input–output analysis and ecological network analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Shaoqing; Chen, Bin

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Urban energy consumption was assessed from three different perspectives. • A new concept called controlled energy was developed from network analysis. • Embodied energy and controlled energy consumption of Beijing were compared. • The integration of all three perspectives will elucidate sustainable energy use. - Abstract: Energy consumption has always been a central issue for sustainable urban assessment and planning. Different forms of energy analysis can provide various insights for energy policy making. This paper brought together three approaches for energy consumption accounting, i.e., energy flow analysis (EFA), input–output analysis (IOA) and ecological network analysis (ENA), and compared their different perspectives and the policy implications for urban energy use. Beijing was used to exemplify the different energy analysis processes, and the 42 economic sectors of the city were aggregated into seven components. It was determined that EFA quantifies both the primary and final energy consumption of the urban components by tracking the different types of fuel used by the urban economy. IOA accounts for the embodied energy consumption (direct and indirect) used to produce goods and services in the city, whereas the control analysis of ENA quantifies the specific embodied energy that is regulated by the activities within the city’s boundary. The network control analysis can also be applied to determining which economic sectors drive the energy consumption and to what extent these sectors are dependent on each other for energy. So-called “controlled energy” is a new concept that adds to the analysis of urban energy consumption, indicating the adjustable energy consumed by sectors. The integration of insights from all three accounting perspectives further our understanding of sustainable energy use in cities

Chinese consumers and European beer: Associations between attribute importance, socio-demographics, and consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ou; Gellynck, Xavier; Verbeke, Wim

2017-01-01

The demand for western alcoholic beverages in China has increased tremendously in recent years. However, there is still a lack of understanding with regard to the behaviour of Chinese consumers towards European beer, which is a common western alcoholic beverage. This study explores associations between beer attribute importance scores, socio-demographic factors, general beer consumption frequency and country associations of European beer, and the consumption of imported European beer in China. The data (n = 541) were collected in two Chinese cities: Shanghai and Xi'an. Results of ordered logistic regression analyses show that the consumption of imported European beer is positively associated with importance attached to the product attributes Origin, Brand, Colour and Texture, and it is negatively associated with importance attached to Price and Alcoholic content. Furthermore, male gender, living in Shanghai city, a good financial situation, frequent beer consumption and a high-level employment position have a significantly positive influence on European beer consumption in China. In addition, about two thirds of the study participants associate imported European beer with 'Germany'. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Urban Systems and Energy Consumptions: A Critical Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rocco Papa

2014-05-01

Full Text Available City transformations are also due to the development of new energy sources, which have influenced economy and lifestyles, as well as the physical and functional organization of urban systems. Cities are the key place where it is need to act for the achievement of strategic environmental objectives, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy saving. The hard resolution of these challenges depends on several factors: their multidimensional nature, the change of the economic and settlement development model, and also the complexity of the relationships between the elements that constitute the urban systems and that affect energy consumption. According to this awareness the Project Smart Energy Master for the energy management of territory financed by PON 04A2_00120 R & C Axis II, from 2012 to 2015 has been developed: it is aimed at supporting local authorities in the development of strategies for the reduction of energy consumption through actions designed to change behavior (in terms of use and energy consumption and to improve the energy efficiency of equipment and infrastructure. With the goal of describing some of the results of the methodological phase of this project, this paper proposes a review of the major studies on the issue of energy consumption at the urban scale in the first section; in the second section the outcomes of the first phase of the development of the comprehension/interpretive model related to the identification of the set of physical/environmental variables at urban scale, that most affect the energy consumption, are described; the third makes a critical review of the reference scientific literature, characterised by a too sectoral approach, compared to the complexity of the topic.

Estimating the energy consumption impact of casual carpooling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minett, P. [Trip Convergence Ltd, Epsom, Auckland (New Zealand); Pearce, J. [Trip Convergence Ltd, Remuera, Auckland (New Zealand)

2011-07-01

Some of the transportation energy consumed during peak commuter periods is wasted through slow running in congested traffic. Strategies to increase average vehicle occupancy (and reduce vehicle counts and congestion) could be expected to be at the forefront of energy conservation policies. Casual carpooling (also called 'slugging') is a system of carpooling without trip-by-trip pre-arrangement. It operates in three US cities, and has been suggested in New Zealand as a strategy for managing transportation challenges when oil prices rise. The objective of the paper is to find out if casual carpooling reduces energy consumption, and if so, how much. Energy consumption by single occupant vehicles; casual carpool vehicles; and a mix of buses and single occupant vehicles; are estimated and compared, and the impact on the rest of the traffic is calculated. The paper estimates that casual carpooling in San Francisco is conserving in the order of 1.7 to 3.5 million liters of gasoline per year, or 200-400 liters for each participant, much of which comes from the impact on the rest of the traffic. The paper concludes by calling for applied research to discover how to catalyze casual carpooling in other cities as a means of reducing transportation energy consumption. (authors)

Estimating the Energy Consumption Impact of Casual Carpooling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Minett

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Some of the transportation energy consumed during peak commuter periods is wasted through slow running in congested traffic. Strategies to increase average vehicle occupancy (and reduce vehicle counts and congestion could be expected to be at the forefront of energy conservation policies. Casual carpooling (also called “slugging” is a system of carpooling without trip-by-trip pre-arrangement. It operates in three US cities, and has been suggested in New Zealand as a strategy for managing transportation challenges when oil prices rise. The objective of the paper is to find out if casual carpooling reduces energy consumption, and if so, how much. Energy consumption by single occupant vehicles; casual carpool vehicles; and a mix of buses and single occupant vehicles; are estimated and compared, and the impact on the rest of the traffic is calculated. The paper estimates that casual carpooling in San Francisco is conserving in the order of 1.7 to 3.5 million liters of gasoline per year, or 200-400 liters for each participant, much of which comes from the impact on the rest of the traffic. The paper concludes by calling for applied research to discover how to catalyze casual carpooling in other cities as a means of reducing transportation energy consumption.

Electricity Consumption Clustering Using Smart Meter Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Tureczek

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Electricity smart meter consumption data is enabling utilities to analyze consumption information at unprecedented granularity. Much focus has been directed towards consumption clustering for diversifying tariffs; through modern clustering methods, cluster analyses have been performed. However, the clusters developed exhibit a large variation with resulting shadow clusters, making it impossible to truly identify the individual clusters. Using clearly defined dwelling types, this paper will present methods to improve clustering by harvesting inherent structure from the smart meter data. This paper clusters domestic electricity consumption using smart meter data from the Danish city of Esbjerg. Methods from time series analysis and wavelets are applied to enable the K-Means clustering method to account for autocorrelation in data and thereby improve the clustering performance. The results show the importance of data knowledge and we identify sub-clusters of consumption within the dwelling types and enable K-Means to produce satisfactory clustering by accounting for a temporal component. Furthermore our study shows that careful preprocessing of the data to account for intrinsic structure enables better clustering performance by the K-Means method.

Energy consumption performance analysis of electrical mitad at ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Injera baking electrical mitad is the most energy-consuming device in every household in Ethiopia. This research presents a detail engineering study on the energy-consumption performance of existing electrical mitad in Mekelle city. The research work considered thirty-one electrical mitad from different workshops in ...

Monitoring of compliance with the national tobacco advertising law in 11 cities in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guihua Xu

2018-03-01

Despite implementation of the revised national Advertising Law, tobacco advertising and promotion is still commonly found at tobacco POS in China. Law enforcement agencies should increase inspection and enforcement measures on tobacco advertising and promotion.

Toxicity assessment of the water used for human consumption from the Cameron/Tuba City abandoned uranium mining area prior/after the combined electrochemical treatment/advanced oxidation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gajski, Goran; Oreščanin, Višnja; Gerić, Marko; Kollar, Robert; Lovrenčić Mikelić, Ivanka; Garaj-Vrhovac, Vera

2015-01-01

The purpose of this work was detailed physicochemical, radiological, and toxicological characterization of the composite sample of water intended for human consumption in the Cameron/Tuba City abandoned uranium mining area before and after a combined electrochemical/advanced oxidation treatment. Toxicological characterization was conducted on human lymphocytes using a battery of bioassays. On the bases of the tested parameters, it could be concluded that water used for drinking from the tested water sources must be strictly forbidden for human and/or animal consumption since it is extremely cytogenotoxic, with high oxidative stress potential. A combined electrochemical treatment and posttreatment with ozone and UV light decreased the level of all physicochemical and radiological parameters below the regulated values. Consequently, the purified sample was neither cytotoxic nor genotoxic, indicating that the presented method could be used for the improvement of water quality from the sites highly contaminated with the mixture of heavy metals and radionuclides.

Equivalent full-load hours for assessing climate change impact on building cooling and heating energy consumption in large Asian cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spandagos, Constantinos; Ng, Tze Ling

2017-01-01

Highlights: • EFLH for estimating cooling/heating energy demand in Asian buildings are provided. • Net increases in building energy consumption over the next 30 years are predicted. • Switching to more efficient AC devices can offset much of the increases. - Abstract: Estimating cooling and heating energy requirements is an integral part of designing and managing buildings. Further, as buildings are among the largest energy consumers in cities, the estimates are important for formulating effective energy conservation strategies. Where complex hourly simulation models are not favored, such estimates may be derived by simplified methods that are less computationally intensive but still provide results that are reasonably close to those obtained from the more complicated approach. The equivalent full load hours (EFLH) method is a simplified energy estimation method that has recently gained popularity. It offers a straightforward means of evaluating energy efficiency programs. However, to date, easily accessible EFLH data exist only for a very limited number of countries in North America and Europe, but not Asia. This current work provides previously unavailable monthly EFLH data for building cooling and heating in three large Asian cities, viz. Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo. To assess the effects of changing temperature over the course of decades on building cooling and heating energy consumption, EFLH data are calculated for three time periods: past (1983–2005), present (2006–2014) and future (2015–2044). The projections for the future time period are based on the climate scenarios Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report. RCP-4.5 assumes a stabilization of future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions followed by a reduction, while RCP-8.5 assumes their further increase. From the EFLH data, considering just the effects of ambient temperature changes, it is projected the

Reduction of firewood consumption by households in south-central Chile associated with energy efficiency programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schueftan, Alejandra; González, Alejandro D.

2013-01-01

Cities in the central-southern area of Chile face serious environmental pollution due to extensive use of firewood for heating. Low energy efficiency of constructions and cold climate increase the problem, which also affects native forests. The aims of this study are to characterize energy consumption in dwellings of this region, investigate the reduction potential, and study social and environmental consequences of high consumption of firewood. Actual energy consumption is studied with information from surveys, potential for reduction is modeled with software and other consequences are analyzed from previous studies. Results for the city of Valdivia show high firewood consumption per household, with a media bulk volume near 12 m 3 /year. Thermal regulations are softer compared with other countries. Moreover, around 85% of buildings were built before enforcing codes in 2007, and has almost no thermal protection. The reduction potential due to thermal improvements is found to be very high (62%) if buildings are refurbished to comply with the present Chilean Norm of 2007, but it reaches a 77% reduction if refurbished according to stricter foreign regulations. Therefore, an energy efficiency program strongly addressing existing buildings has the largest potential for reducing firewood use, and therefore mitigate environmental and health impacts. - Highlights: • High firewood consumption and environmental pollution in cities of south-central Chile. • High use of firewood due to inefficient constructions and soft thermal regulations. • Potential reduction of energy consumption up to 77% with more demanding regulations. • Policies should address building stock before thermal regulation, corresponding to 85%

Oxygen consumption of a pneumatically controlled ventilator in a field anesthesia machine.

Science.gov (United States)

Szpisjak, Dale F; Javernick, Elizabeth N; Kyle, Richard R; Austin, Paul N

2008-12-01

Field anesthesia machines (FAM) have been developed for remote locations where reliable supplies of compressed medical gases or electricity may be absent. In place of electricity, pneumatically controlled ventilators use compressed gas to power timing circuitry and actuate valves. We sought to determine the total O(2) consumption and ventilator gas consumption (drive gas [DG] plus pneumatic control [PC] gas) of a FAM's pneumatically controlled ventilator in mechanical models of high (HC) and low (LC) total thoracic compliance. The amount of total O(2) consumed by the Magellan-2200 (Oceanic Medical Products, Atchison, KS) FAM with pneumatically controlled ventilator was calculated using the ideal gas law and the measured mass of O(2) consumed from E cylinders. DG to the bellows canister assembly was measured with the Wright Respirometer Mk 8 (Ferraris Respiratory Europe, Hertford, UK). PC gas consumption was calculated by subtracting DG and fresh gas flow (FGF) from the total O(2) consumed from the E cylinder. The delivered tidal volume (V(T)) was measured with a pneumotach (Hans Rudolph, KS City, MO). Three different V(T) were tested (500, 750, and 1000 mL) with two lung models (HC and LC) using the Vent Aid Training Test Lung (MI Instruments, Grand Rapids, MI). Respiratory variables included an I:E of 1:2, FGF of 1 L/min, and respiratory rate of 10 breaths/min. Total O(2) consumption was directly proportional to V(T) and inversely proportional to compliance. The smallest total O(2) consumption rate (including FGF) was 9.3 +/- 0.4 L/min in the HC-500 model and the largest was 15.9 +/- 0.5 L/min in the LC-1000 model (P < 0.001). The mean PC circuitry consumption was 3.9 +/- 0.24 L/min or 390 mL +/- 24 mL/breath. To prepare for loss of central DG supply, patient safety will be improved by estimating cylinder duration for low total thoracic compliance. Using data from the smaller compliance and greatest V(T) model (LC-1000), a full O(2) E cylinder would be depleted in

A perspective of food safety laws in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Leon, Marco A; Paz, Esmeralda

2014-08-01

Mexico, with a population of 112 million, is one of the most interesting countries in the world with regard to food, hunger, domestic food consumption, tourism and international trade, and it deserves an in-depth study to explain the status of its food safety laws. Mexico has a strong and stable emerging economy and is the second country worldwide with regard to the number of free-trade agreements. Nevertheless, more than half the population lives in poverty. However, Mexico is a huge market for food consumption because, in addition to its own population, it receives 20 million international tourists per year. So, multi-national food companies have representatives and facilities throughout the country. This scenario may explain the evolution of food safety laws in Mexico, as well as the challenges that must be faced in order to achieve food safety. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Renewable energy utilization in 3 european cities. Part 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-07-01

Energy production based on fossil fuels produces CO2, SO2 and NOx, which are harmful to the environment. It is agreed, both nationally and internationally, that it is necessary to considerably reduce the energy consumption. The difference between different European countries politically, financially, culturally, and socially needs to be acknowledged when energy initiatives are considered for implementation on a local as well as an international scale. This was the basis for the initiation of the project `Renewable Energy Utilization in 3 European Cities`. Three very different cities with different problems and thus different interests got together and joined efforts to develop action plans to increase renewable energy use to reduce the burden on the environment from energy consumption in the urban and regional areas. The work has been undertaken by the working group presented in appendix 3. (EG) ALTENER. 25 refs.

Transformation of a City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trenessa L. Williams

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Gentrification changes the landscape and the cultural makeup of a city by increasing property values and changing consumption patterns. Since the late 1980s, gentrification has challenged the residential and small business community of Harlem, New York. Guided by the rent gap theory and the consumption-side theory, the purpose of this case study was to explore how small business leaders can compete with demographical changes brought by gentrification. A purposive sample of 20 Harlem small business owners operating during the city’s gentrification participated in interviews. Interview interpretations were triangulated with government documents and periodicals to bolster the trustworthiness of the final report. These findings may contribute to positive social change by informing the strategies employed by small business owners who are currently facing gentrification.

Sustainable consumption and greenhouse gas mitigation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michaelis, Laurie [Sustainable Futures Programme, University of Oxford Environmental Change Institute, 1a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ (United Kingdom)

2003-11-01

The international discourses on climate change and sustainable development represent different cultures. The sustainable development process has sought to build agreement among competing discourse coalitions. The climate change process focuses on designing cost-effective measures based on expert analysis. Sustainable consumption presents a challenge to both communities. The challenge has been taken up within the sustainable development process but little progress has been made. High consuming lifestyles seem 'locked-in' by the economic, technological and cultural context. Nevertheless, there are several reasons for optimism that sustainable consumption patterns might develop. One is the diversity of current consumption patterns and the growing minority concerned with ethical consumption. Another is the growing understanding of innovation processes, developed to address technological change, but applicable to social innovation. A third reason is the growing reflexivity of communities and institutions. Government policies that seek to manage or control consumption, or persuade consumers to change their behaviour, are important but unlikely to be sufficient to bring about sustainable consumption. A complementary strategy would establish partnerships with the public and stakeholders, developing shared visions and approaches, supporting innovation and experimentation, and learning from outcomes. Changes are also needed in policies throughout government, from employment law to trade.

The Vermont transportation energy report : Vermont Clean Cities Coalition.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-01

The mission of the Vermont Clean Cities Coalition (VCCC) is to reduce the states reliance on : fossil fuels for transportation. This annual report provides policy makers with relevant and : timely data on the status of fuel consumption, vehicle pu...

Methodology for inventorying greenhouse gas emissions from global cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, Christopher; Steinberger, Julia; Gasson, Barrie; Hansen, Yvonne; Hillman, Timothy; Havranek, Miroslav; Pataki, Diane; Phdungsilp, Aumnad; Ramaswami, Anu; Mendez, Gara Villalba

2010-01-01

This paper describes the methodology and data used to determine greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to ten cities or city-regions: Los Angeles County, Denver City and County, Greater Toronto, New York City, Greater London, Geneva Canton, Greater Prague, Barcelona, Cape Town and Bangkok. Equations for determining emissions are developed for contributions from: electricity; heating and industrial fuels; ground transportation fuels; air and marine fuels; industrial processes; and waste. Gasoline consumption is estimated using three approaches: from local fuel sales; by scaling from regional fuel sales; and from counts of vehicle kilometres travelled. A simplified version of an intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) method for estimating the GHG emissions from landfill waste is applied. Three measures of overall emissions are suggested: (i) actual emissions within the boundary of the city; (ii) single process emissions (from a life-cycle perspective) associated with the city's metabolism; and (iii) life-cycle emissions associated with the city's metabolism. The results and analysis of the study will be published in a second paper.

Making Less Vulnerable Cities: Resilience as a New Paradigm of Smart Planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Moraci

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have investigated how resilience can play a pivotal role in strategic urban design in the Netherlands and in some regional and municipal planning laws in Italy. Here, we have analysed several European projects that utilised the resilience approach successfully. Dutch policies already include resilience and climate adaptation in urban strategies. Moreover, they share those strategies with urban communities, making the innovation of the city real and cutting-edge. In Italy, on the other hand, the concept of resilience is present only in some regional laws and is still not used as an urban tool. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate how resilience can become the new paradigm of smart planning. Furthermore, we demonstrate how resilience is fundamental at all levels of urban intervention, involving municipal authorities, architects and urban planners, firms and enterprises, citizens and communities. The urban governance must establish specific goals and objectives to create a smart and sustainable city. Resilience should be one of these main aims, in order to achieve an innovative city design. A climate strategy should also be part of urban smart planning, enabling the implementation of a safer and resilient city.

City-integrated renewable energy for urban sustainability.

Science.gov (United States)

Kammen, Daniel M; Sunter, Deborah A

2016-05-20

To prepare for an urban influx of 2.5 billion people by 2050, it is critical to create cities that are low-carbon, resilient, and livable. Cities not only contribute to global climate change by emitting the majority of anthropogenic greenhouse gases but also are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and extreme weather. We explore options for establishing sustainable energy systems by reducing energy consumption, particularly in the buildings and transportation sectors, and providing robust, decentralized, and renewable energy sources. Through technical advancements in power density, city-integrated renewable energy will be better suited to satisfy the high-energy demands of growing urban areas. Several economic, technical, behavioral, and political challenges need to be overcome for innovation to improve urban sustainability. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Multi-fractal measures of city-size distributions based on the three-parameter Zipf model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Yanguang; Zhou Yixing

2004-01-01

A multi-fractal framework of urban hierarchies is presented to address the rank-size distribution of cities. The three-parameter Zipf model based on a pair of exponential-type scaling laws is generalized to multi-scale fractal measures. Then according to the equivalent relationship between Zipf's law and Pareto distribution, a set of multi-fractal equations are derived using dual conversion and the Legendre transform. The US city population data coming from the 2000 census are employed to verify the multi-fractal models and the results are satisfying. The multi-fractal measures reveal some strange symmetry regularity of urban systems. While explaining partially the remains of the hierarchical step-like frequency distribution of city sizes suggested by central place theory, the mathematical framework can be interpreted with the entropy-maximizing principle and some related ideas from self-organization

Impacts of a farmers' market incentive programme on fruit and vegetable access, purchase and consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsho, Lauren Ew; Payne, Gayle Holmes; Walker, Deborah Klein; Baronberg, Sabrina; Jernigan, Jan; Abrami, Alyson

2015-10-01

The present study examines the impact of Health Bucks, a farmers' market incentive programme, on awareness of and access to farmers' markets, and fruit and vegetable purchase and consumption in low-income New York City neighbourhoods. The evaluation used two primary data collection methods: (i) an on-site point-of-purchase survey of farmers' market shoppers; and (ii) a random-digit-dial telephone survey of residents in neighbourhoods where the programme operates. Additionally, we conducted a quasi-experimental analysis examining differential time trends in consumption before and after programme introduction using secondary Community Health Survey (CHS) data. New York City farmers' markets and communities. Farmers' market shoppers (n 2287) completing point-of-purchase surveys in a representative sample of New York City farmers' markets in 2010; residents (n 1025) completing random-digit-dial telephone survey interviews in 2010; and respondents (n 35 606) completing CHS interviews in 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009. Greater Health Bucks exposure was associated with: (i) greater awareness of farmers' markets; (ii) increased frequency and amount of farmers' market purchases; and (iii) greater likelihood of a self-reported year-over-year increase in fruit and vegetable consumption. However, our CHS analysis did not detect impacts on consumption. While our study provides promising evidence that use of farmers' market incentives is associated with increased awareness and use of farmers' markets, additional research is needed to better understand impacts on fruit and vegetable consumption.

Children's media consumption in Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filipović Jelena

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The paper aims at providing an insight into media consumption among children in Serbia. A consumer survey was conducted to examine differences in children's consumption of various advertising media based on their age, gender and hometown. The research findings revealed significant differences between the two age cohorts in the three out of four tested media categories (TV, print, radio and Internet. On the other hand, the research findings also revealed variations in consumption of radio and print media, and no difference in the consumption of television and Internet between boys and girls. Finally, the research findings suggested significant differences in the consumption of Internet among children living in five cities in Serbia. Though the sample included more than 700 children it cannot be considered strictly representative for the whole country since the survey was conducted in urban areas only. However, the greatest value of this study comes from the fact that the research was placed in Serbia as a transitional society of the Western Balkans which has been seriously underrepresented in the main body of contemporary marketing theory and research studies. Therefore, one of the main goals of this paper was to make a contribution to better understanding of local conditions that might influence marketing decisions when communicating with children as a specific target group on Serbian market.

The potential impact of urban growth simulation on the long-term planning of our cities

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Waldeck, L

2012-10-01

Full Text Available of urban growth simulation on the long-term planning of our cities 4th Biennial Conference Presented by: Dr Louis Waldeck Date: 10 October 2012 Slide 2 of 17 Why Urban Growth Simulation? ? Reduced carbon footprint ? Reduce resource consumption... of the population concentrated in cities and the opportunities to gain efficiencies, cities are the most important arena for intervention.? Maurice Strong Unabated urbanisation Quest for sustainable development What makes a city sustainable? Slide 3 of 17...

Drinking-driving fatalities and consumption of beer, wine and spirits.

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Robert E; Zalcman, Rosely Flam; Asbridge, Mark; Suurvali, Helen; Giesbrecht, Norman

2006-07-01

Drinking-driving is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in Canada. The purpose of this paper was to examine factors that influenced drinking driver deaths in Ontario. We examined the impact of per capita consumption of total alcohol, and of beer, wine and spirits separately, on drinking-driving deaths in Ontario from 1962 to 1996, as well as the impact of the introduction of Canada's per se law and the founding of People to Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere - Mothers Against Drunk Driving (PRIDE - MADD) Canada. We utilised time-series analyses with autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modelling. As total alcohol consumption increased, drinking driving fatalities increased. The introduction of Canada's per se law, and of PRIDE-MADD Canada, acted to reduce drinking driving death rates. Among the specific beverage types, only consumption of beer had a significant impact on drinking driver deaths. Several factors were identified that acted to increase and decrease drinking driver death rates. Of particular interest was the observation of the impact of beer consumption on these death rates. In North America, beer is taxed at a lower rate than other alcoholic beverages. The role of taxation policies as determinants of drinking-driving deaths is discussed.

Review of China's Low-Carbon City Initiative and Developments in the Coal Industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fridley, David [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Khanna, Nina Zheng [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Hong, Lixuan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2012-09-01

As China continues its double-digit economic growth, coal remains the principal fuel for the country’s primary energy consumption and electricity generation. China’s dependence on coal in coming years makes its carbon emission intensity reduction targets more difficult to achieve, particularly given rising electricity demand from a growing number of Chinese cities. This paradox has led the government to pursue cleaner and more efficient development of the coal industry on the supply side and “low carbon” development of cities on the demand side. To understand and assess how China may be able to meet its energy and carbon intensity reduction targets, this report looks at the recent development of low carbon cities as well as new developments and trends in the coal industry. Specifically, we review low-carbon city and related eco-city development in China before delving into a comparison of eight pilot lowcarbon city plans to highlight their strengths and weaknesses in helping achieve national energy and carbon targets. We then provide insights into the future outlook for China’s coal industry by evaluating new and emerging trends in coal production, consumption, transport, trade and economic performance.

Towards a sustainable city : roles, behaviour and attitudes of citizens, local organisations and the authorities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Falkena, HJ; Moll, HC; Noorman, KJ; Brebbia, C.A.; Martin-Duque, J.F.; Wadhwa, L.C.

2002-01-01

On the UNCED conference in Rio the Janeiro (1992) sustainable development has been put high on the international agenda. Sustainable development policy has also consequences for policy making at the city level. Several cities have adopted the objective to become sustainable. The consumption of

[Snacks consumption among residents in Shenzhen City].

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Qinggang; Cao, Keke; Xu, Jiazhang; Yuan, Xueli; Zhuo, Zhipeng; Xu, Jian; Pan, Peng

2014-07-01

To describe the status of snacks consumption among residents in Shenzhen. By a multiple stage probability proportionate to size sampling, 12 communities were randomly selected from 8 districts of Shenzhen based on population proportion. In the second stage, 30 households were randomly selected from each community. In each household, 2 years or older were invited to take dietary survey. There were 66.1% residents consuming snacks. More girls ate snacks than boys (chi2 = 11.552, P snacks than adults (chi2 = 27.207, P snacks were 107.8 kcal (451.5 kJ), 1.7 g, 0.8 g, 22.0 g, 1.1 g, 23.1 microg, 8.3 mg, 1.1 mg,17.0 mg, 9.3 mg, 21.0 mg, 0.8 mg and 0.4 mg. Food categories the most frequently consumed as snacks were fruit, pastry, milk and products, beverages and grains. It's important to strengthen the diet education among residents in Shenzhen, especially the knowledge how to select snacks correctly and rationally.

Spatial and temporal trends in alcohol consumption in Belgian cities: A wastewater-based approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Boogaerts, Tim; Covaci, Adrian; Kinyua, Juliet; Neels, Hugo; van Nuijs, Alexander L N

2016-03-01

In recent years, scientific evidence has emerged that wastewater-based epidemiology can deliver complementary information concerning the use of different substances of abuse. In this study, the potential of wastewater-based epidemiology in monitoring spatial and temporal trends in alcohol consumption in different populations in Belgium has been examined. Concentrations of ethyl sulphate, a minor Phase-II metabolite of ethanol, in 163 influent wastewater samples from eight wastewater treatment plants in Belgium in the period 2013-2015 were measured with liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry and used to estimate alcohol consumption. The highest levels of alcohol consumption were detected in the metropoles Antwerp and Brussels compared to smaller villages. Annual variations were detected, with a higher alcohol consumption measured in 2013 compared with 2014. The weekly pattern showed a clear week and weekend difference in alcohol use, with intermediate levels on Monday and Friday. The results were extrapolated and a use of 5.6L pure alcohol per year per inhabitant aged 15+ has been estimated in Belgium. The comparison with available information on drinking habits of the Belgian population further demonstrated the usefulness of the wastewater-based epidemiology approach. This is the largest wastewater-based epidemiology study monitoring alcohol consumption to date, demonstrating that objective and quick information on spatio-temporal trends in alcohol consumption on a local and (inter)national scale can be obtained. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of alcohol consumption on periodontitis in older Danes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hach, M; Holm-Pedersen, P; Adegboye, A R A

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of alcohol consumption measured at different points in time and periodontitis at 20 years follow-up and to investigate whether long-term alcohol consumption is related to periodontitis in old age. DESIGN: Participants aged 65 years or older in 2003, from...... the longitudinal study Copenhagen City Heart Study (CCHS), were invited to participate in the Copenhagen Oral Health Senior Study. METHODS: Clinical periodontal attachment loss was calculated to determine the progress of periodontitis. Alcohol consumption was measured at CCHS follow-ups in 1981-1983, 1991...... alcohol consumption measured at different points in time and periodontitis and to assess the effect of long-term alcohol consumption on periodontitis. RESULTS: The results show that heavy drinkers in 1981-1983 had a higher odds ratio for having periodontitis compared to light drinkers (OR = 4.64 95% CI...

Socioeconomic Determinants of Antibiotic Consumption in the State of São Paulo, Brazil: The Effect of Restricting Over-The-Counter Sales.

Science.gov (United States)

Kliemann, Breno S; Levin, Anna S; Moura, M Luísa; Boszczowski, Icaro; Lewis, James J

2016-01-01

Improper antibiotic use is one of the main drivers of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, increasing infectious diseases morbidity and mortality and raising costs of healthcare. The level of antibiotic consumption has been shown to vary according to socioeconomic determinants (SED) such as income and access to education. In many Latin American countries, antibiotics could be easily purchased without a medical prescription in private pharmacies before enforcement of restrictions on over-the-counter (OTC) sales in recent years. Brazil issued a law abolishing OTC sales in October 2010. This study seeks to find SED of antibiotic consumption in the Brazilian state of São Paulo (SSP) and to estimate the impact of the 2010 law. Data on all oral antibiotic sales having occurred in the private sector in SSP from 2008 to 2012 were pooled into the 645 municipalities of SSP. Linear regression was performed to estimate consumption levels that would have occurred in 2011 and 2012 if no law regulating OTC sales had been issued in 2010. These values were compared to actual observed levels, estimating the effect of this law. Linear regression was performed to find association of antibiotic consumption levels and of a greater effect of the law with municipality level data on SED obtained from a nationwide census. Oral antibiotic consumption in SSP rose from 8.44 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day (DID) in 2008 to 9.95 in 2010, and fell to 8.06 DID in 2012. Determinants of a higher consumption were higher human development index, percentage of urban population, density of private health establishments, life expectancy and percentage of females; lower illiteracy levels and lower percentage of population between 5 and 15 years old. A higher percentage of females was associated with a stronger effect of the law. SSP had similar antibiotic consumption levels as the whole country of Brazil, and they were effectively reduced by the policy.

[Vulnerability of women in common-law marriage to becoming infected with HIV/AIDS: a study of social representations].

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Larissa Silva Abreu; Paiva, Mirian Santos; de Oliveira, Jeane Freitas; da Nóbrega, Sheva Maia

2012-04-01

This article discusses the social representations of women living in common-law marriage in terms of their vulnerability to becoming infected with HIV/AIDS. Data were obtained through the free association of words, and consisted of an excerpt of a study founded on the Social Representations Theory developed with HIV-negative women living in the state capital and cities in the interior of Bahia. The correspondence factor analysis showed significance for the variables: origin, education level and time spent in common-law marriage. Their acceptance of marital affairs emerged as a vulnerability factor for respondents with one to five years spent in common-law marriage, living in cities in the interior. Women from the capital, with 6-10 years spent in common-law marriage, reported monogamy as a form of prevention. Women with a longer common-law marriage who had completed only a primary education reported feeling invulnerable, which was the opposite of those with one to five years in common-law marriage with a secondary education. Results show there is a need for more interventions aiming to denaturalize the socio-cultural coercions that generate representations and make women in common-law marriages more vulnerable to AIDS.

Navigating behavioral energy sufficiency. Results from a survey in Swiss cities on potential behavior change.

Science.gov (United States)

Seidl, Roman; Moser, Corinne; Blumer, Yann

2017-01-01

Many countries have some kind of energy-system transformation either planned or ongoing for various reasons, such as to curb carbon emissions or to compensate for the phasing out of nuclear energy. One important component of these transformations is the overall reduction in energy demand. It is generally acknowledged that the domestic sector represents a large share of total energy consumption in many countries. Increased energy efficiency is one factor that reduces energy demand, but behavioral approaches (known as "sufficiency") and their respective interventions also play important roles. In this paper, we address citizens' heterogeneity regarding both their current behaviors and their willingness to realize their sufficiency potentials-that is, to reduce their energy consumption through behavioral change. We collaborated with three Swiss cities for this study. A survey conducted in the three cities yielded thematic sets of energy-consumption behavior that various groups of participants rated differently. Using this data, we identified four groups of participants with different patterns of both current behaviors and sufficiency potentials. The paper discusses intervention types and addresses citizens' heterogeneity and behaviors from a city-based perspective.

How are cities combating climate change?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paugam, Anne; Giraud, Gael; Thauvin, Eric

2015-11-01

Cities are often blamed for being the main emitters of greenhouse gases (up to 75% of CO_2 emissions are attributed to cities [IPCC, Climate Change Synthesis Report 2014]) due to the energy consumption tied to the activities they host: transport, industry, etc. But they are also the first to suffer from climate change: extreme climate events have more drastic outcomes in highly populated areas and the harmful effects of polluting activities are felt more strongly. Aware of the role that they can play, cities have been organising themselves into networks since the 1990's (C40, Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, etc.) to share their experiences and reinforce their actions. Their commitment now singles them out as leading players: for example, London has announced an 80% reduction in its emissions by 2050, which is one of the most ambitious objectives targeted at local authority level or even national level. A comparative study conducted in five cities of the Global North and South (Agadir, Da Nang, Lima, London, Nantes) aimed at understanding their commitment to action on climate change. Why have they made this a priority? What concrete actions have been launched? What challenges are they facing?

Rethinking cities in the post-carbon society. Research notebook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cecutti-Etahiri, Nathalie; Brou, Evane; Riviere, Antoine; Emelianoff, C.; Mor, E.; Chevalier, J.; Boulianne, L.M.; Tabaka, K.; Pichavant, F.; Barbezet, S.; Pezet-Kuhn, M.; Aubree, L.; Bonduelle, A.; Metivier, S.; Dossier, J.; Hain, L.; Pares-Ramos, I.K.; Dupas, S.; Coutard, O.; Rutherford, J.; Gillet, C.; Lange, J.; Ranoux, M.; Noisette, P.; Deseez, G.; Allio, C.; Waisman, H.; Mousel, Michel; Girard, S.; Huber, A.; Thomas, Y.; Dobre, M.; Cordellier, M.; Barbier, C.; Blanc, N.; Sander, A.; Castelain Meunier, C.; Joliton, D.; Leroy, P.; Pour Rou Chottamin, N.; Radanne, P.; Chevrier, S.; Darris, G.; Gauthier, V.; Theile, D.; Souami, T.; Kasdi, I.; Meyer, P.; Artous, A.; Salini, P.; Vanel, S.

2014-10-01

This document compiles the different syntheses of the research projects which were used to prepare the synthesis report 'Rethinking cities in the post-carbon society', published in March 2014 by the French Agency of environment and energy mastery (Ademe). It allows to browse more precisely the experience of six French cities (Lille, Mulhouse, Tours, Fontainebleau, Plaine Commune et Grenoble) and to go deeper into the governance stakes. This publication also brings together some unpublished sectoral studies about life styles and consumption habits, energy inequalities and poverty, housing etc. Different levels of reading of the document are possible, in order to make it accessible to all readers and to involve all citizens in the post-carbon city culture

Greenhouse gas emissions of motor vehicles in Chinese cities and the implication for China’s mitigation targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Yuan; Tan, Xianchun; Gu, Baihe; Wang, Yi; Xu, Baoguang

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Predict baseline GHG emissions of different motor vehicles of Chinese cities. • Different kinds of fuels are considered when accounting GHG emissions. • A comparative analysis on four case cities of China is conducted. • New energy will have different growth patterns due to diverse policies and resources. • Policy implications are given based on the analysis results. - Abstract: Along with rapid development of economy, urbanization and industrialization in China, the transportation sector especially road transport accounts for the quickest growth of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the country. This paper selects four representative cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chongqing) in the north, east, south, and west of China as targets of case study. It predicts future motor vehicle population in various cities using the Gompertz Model, and predicts and analyzes fuel consumption and GHG emissions of different types of motor vehicles in the case cities by 2035. The results indicate that besides gasoline and diesel, in the future uses of various types of vehicle fuels will follow different patterns among these four cities due to diverse resources endowment, economic strength, technology levels and geographical features. Based on predicted vehicle population and fuel consumption, it is found that from 2013 to 2035, GHG emissions from tank to wheel (TTW) and well to wheel (WTW) in all cities will continuously increase yet at different rates. If there is no interference from new policies, around 2020 Chongqing is expected to replace Beijing as the city with the highest volume of GHG emissions of vehicles among four case study cities. Therefore, the four cities especially Chongqing need urgently to develop or adjust low-carbon policies in road transportation sector, in order to achieve China’s future greenhouse gas reduction targets. Some policy implications to reduce GHG emissions of the road transportation

Practical experience with second law power plant monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lang, F.D.; Horn, K.F.

1992-01-01

This article discusses the use of an ultimate performance monitoring technique derived from Second Law concepts. Other techniques and their methods have been reported. If electricity is to be produced with the minimum of unproductive consumption of fuel - then fundamental thermodynamic losses must be understood on a system bases. Such understanding cuts across vendor curves, plant design, fuels, etc. Thermal losses in a nuclear unit are comparable at a prime facia level to losses at any other thermal system. They are what we must minimize in the production of electricity, no manner the method of that production. The Second Law offers the only foundation for the study of such losses, and thus affords the bases for a true and ultimate indicator of system performance. From such a foundation, a parameter is needed to tell us specifically what components are thermodynamically responsible for fuel consumption given either their direct creation of electricity or their contribution to thermodynamic losses. The Fuel Consumption Index, discussed in this article, is this parameter. It can be used for thermodynamic system design, monitoring, diagnosing problems, and economic dispatching. It tells us why fuel is being consumed; consumed by a nuclear plant, trash burner, a 40 year-old fossil plant, etc

Greenhouse gas emissions from cities and regions: International implications revealed by Hong Kong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, Paul G.; Chow, Alice S.Y.; Symons, Jonathan

2012-01-01

The diversity of greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting methodologies currently utilized by cities around the world make meaningful comparisons of their emissions almost impossible. Consequently, the 2010 United Nations International Standard for Determining Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Cities promotes a “harmonized protocol for quantifying the GHG emissions attributable to cities and local regions.” The UN's common standard has important implications for comparison, benchmarking and policy assessment related to energy policies. This paper uses Hong Kong as a case study to illustrate these implications. Hong Kong's per capita contribution to GHG emissions are among the highest in the world, yet the local government's official statistics indicate emissions that are far below those reported by most affluent economies. This discrepancy arises from a reporting methodology that does not require inclusion of GHG emissions linked to consumption of imported goods or emissions from aviation and shipping. The Hong Kong case reveals that current inventories do not provide sufficient information to guide policymaking related to energy and climate change. They also do not provide adequate information for comparing policies of cities internationally. Alternative emissions-reporting standards that focus more on pollution from consumption will create avenues for more effective climate-related policies. - Highlights: ► Flawed GHG inventory methodologies can lead cities to adopt misguided policies. ► Diverse GHG inventory methodologies make meaningful comparisons among cities difficult. ► A Hong Kong case study highlights that GHG inventories can misrepresent cities' climate impacts. ► City inventories often exclude GHG emissions linked to imports, aviation and shipping. ► The International Standard for Determining GHG Emissions for Cities can assist climate policy.

An Agent-Based Model for Zip-Code Level Diffusion of Electric Vehicles and Electricity Consumption in New York City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azadeh Ahkamiraad

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Current power grids in many countries are not fully prepared for high electric vehicle (EV penetration, and there is evidence that the construction of additional grid capacity is constantly outpaced by EV diffusion. If this situation continues, then it will compromise grid reliability and cause problems such as system overload, voltage and frequency fluctuations, and power losses. This is especially true for densely populated areas where the grid capacity is already strained with existing old infrastructure. The objective of this research is to identify the zip-code level electricity consumption that is associated with large-scale EV adoption in New York City, one of the most densely populated areas in the United States (U.S.. We fuse the Fisher and Pry diffusion model and Rogers model within the agent-based simulation to forecast zip-code level EV diffusion and the required energy capacity to satisfy the charging demand. The research outcomes will assist policy makers and grid operators in making better planning decisions on the locations and timing of investments during the transition to smarter grids and greener transportation.

Taking Control of Air Pollution in Mexico City

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Nancy Minogue

la Mujer del Distrito Federal (Women's Institute of Mexico City). The researchers ... nator of workplace health, who led the project's first module. Tangible ... mountains, they say it's a good day. If they can't, they ... Empowering women to foster social and politi- ... added to attract and motivate better consumption practices and.

Simple spatial scaling rules behind complex cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ruiqi; Dong, Lei; Zhang, Jiang; Wang, Xinran; Wang, Wen-Xu; Di, Zengru; Stanley, H Eugene

2017-11-28

Although most of wealth and innovation have been the result of human interaction and cooperation, we are not yet able to quantitatively predict the spatial distributions of three main elements of cities: population, roads, and socioeconomic interactions. By a simple model mainly based on spatial attraction and matching growth mechanisms, we reveal that the spatial scaling rules of these three elements are in a consistent framework, which allows us to use any single observation to infer the others. All numerical and theoretical results are consistent with empirical data from ten representative cities. In addition, our model can also provide a general explanation of the origins of the universal super- and sub-linear aggregate scaling laws and accurately predict kilometre-level socioeconomic activity. Our work opens a new avenue for uncovering the evolution of cities in terms of the interplay among urban elements, and it has a broad range of applications.

Energy Consumption During Lactation and Duration of Breastfeeding at Puskesmas Margajaya Bekasi City in 2014

OpenAIRE

Ahmad Syafiq; Sandra Fikawati; Retno Widiastuti

2015-01-01

Despite recommendation for higher energy intake during lactation than during pregnancy, researches at Jakarta and Depok showed that energy consumption during lactation was lower than during pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between individual characteristics and energy consumption during lactation, and to assess the relationship between energy consumption during lactation to duration of breastfeeding among 60 mothers in the working area of PuskesmasMargaja...

Post-Kyoto energy consumption strategies for the Greek interconnected electric system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dagoumas, A.S.; Panapakidis, I.P.; Papagiannis, G.K.; Dokopoulos, P.S.

2008-01-01

The liberalization of the Greek electric market (Law 2773/99, updated with Laws 3175/2003 and 3426/2005 for incorporating Directive 2003/54 into the Greek legislation) is in its final structural transformation, which includes the fact that from 1.7.2007 each customer can select its electricity provider. This new status together with the procedure towards the formation of a post-Kyoto plan, raise the need of examining different energy saving strategies in the consumption side for evaluating their economic and environmental consequences. Such strategies may be useful for the decision makers or the electricity retail companies. This paper examines the influence of several post-Kyoto electricity consumption strategies in the Greek interconnected electric system for the period 2005-2025. The aim of the paper is to be used as a decision makers' tool for investigating the potential of electricity consumption policies. The results show that policies related either to seasonal peak demand control, or targeting at the total electric consumption lead to significant gains and emission reduction. Moreover the influence of factors, such as the weather conditions, the discount rate of the energy investments, the fuel prices evolution and the consumers' behavior linkage with oil prices are examined

City of Berkeley, California Municipal Tree Resource Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

S.E. Maco; E.G. McPherson; J.R. Simpson; P.J. Peper; Q. Xiao

2005-01-01

Vibrant, renowned for its livability and cultural wealth, the city of Berkeley maintains trees as an integral component of the urban infrastructure. Research indicates that healthy trees can mitigate impacts associated with the built environment by reducing stormwater runoff, energy consumption, and air pollutants. Put simply, trees improve urban life, making Berkeley...

Unified scaling law for earthquakes in Crimea and Northern Caucasus

Science.gov (United States)

Nekrasova, A. K.; Kossobokov, V. G.

2016-10-01

This study continues detailed investigations on the construction of regional charts of the parameters of the generalized Guttenberg-Richter Law, which takes into account the properties of the spatiotemporal seismic energy scaling. We analyzed the parameters of the law in the vicinity of the intersections of morphostructural lineaments in Crimea and Greater Caucasus. It was shown that ignoring the fractal character of the spatial distribution of earthquakes in the southern part of the Russian Federation can lead to significant underestimation of the seismic hazard in the largest cities of the region.

Reconceiving Citizenship: Noncitizen Voting in New York City Municipal Elections as a Case Study in Immigrant Integration and Local Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauren Gilbert

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This paper uses New York City’s consideration of an amendment to its charter that would extend voting rights to noncitizens in municipal elections as a case study in immigrant integration and local governance.  It argues that New York City’s biggest challenge in moving this issue forward is dealing successfully with two related questions: 1 why the New York City Council should be able to decide who "the People" are without approval from the state government in Albany and 2 whether it should attempt to enact the measure without a referendum.The analysis first examines the role of local government in regulating the lives of immigrants, contrasting enforcement-oriented strategies with those that are more integration-oriented. It then spotlights federal law obstacles to noncitizen suffrage, concluding that while neither federal criminal nor immigration law prevents state or local governments from extending the franchise to noncitizens in state or local matters, federal law imposes impediments that may deter some noncitizens from registering or that could carry serious immigration consequences for those who vote in violation of federal law.  The article then focuses on state law obstacles, including New York’s constitution, its state election law and its home rule provisions. It contrasts other recent experiences with noncitizen suffrage around the country, looking at both municipal and school board elections. Finally, it provides some thoughts on best practices in moving forward the issue of noncitizen suffrage in New York City and other locales. New York law is ambiguous enough that good arguments can be made for why neither Albany’s approval nor a city-wide referendum is required. However, given New York City’s historic relationship with Albany and the state legislature’s power to preempt local law on election matters, if the city council attempts to expand the franchise to noncitizen voters without a referendum or comparable measure

The Short-Term Impacts of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax on Beverage Consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Yichen; Auchincloss, Amy H; Lee, Brian K; Kanter, Genevieve P

2018-04-11

On January 1, 2017, Philadelphia implemented a beverage tax of $0.015/ounce on sugar ("regular") and sugar-substitute ("diet") beverages. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immediate impact of the tax on residents' consumption of soda, fruit drinks, energy drinks, and bottled water. A repeat cross-sectional study design used data from a random-digit-dialing phone survey during a no-tax period (December 6-31, 2016) and a tax period (January 15-February 31, 2017) among 899 respondents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 878 respondents in three nearby comparison cities. Survey questions included frequency and volume of bottled water and beverages. Outcomes were daily consumption, and 30-day consumption frequency and volume. Propensity score-weighted difference-in-differences regression was used to control for secular time trend and confounding. Covariates were sociodemographics, BMI, health status, smoking, and alcohol use. Analyses were conducted in 2017. Within the first 2 months of tax implementation, relative to the comparison cities, in Philadelphia the odds of daily consumption of regular soda was 40% lower (OR=0.6, 95% CI=0.37, 0.97); energy drink was 64% lower (OR=0.36, 95% CI=0.17, 0.76); bottled water was 58% higher (OR=1.58, 95% CI=1.13, 2.20); and the 30-day regular soda consumption frequency was 38% lower (ratio of consumption frequency=0.62, 95% CI=0.40, 0.98). Early results suggest that the tax influenced daily consumption of regular soda, energy drinks, and bottled water. Future studies are needed to evaluate longer-term impact of the tax on sugared beverage consumption and substitutions. Copyright © 2018 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New energy vision of the Gotsu city area; 2001 nendo Gotsu shi chiiki shin energy vision

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-02-01

For the purpose of promoting the introduction of new energy and enhancing the awareness of it in Gotsu City, Shimane Prefecture, an investigational study was conducted of the energy consumption amount of the city, existence amount of new energy, project for new energy introduction, etc., and a new energy vision was worked out. The energy consumption amount of the city was estimated at 1,558,022 Gcal. By sector, the energy consumption amount consisted of 80.0% in the industrial sector, 11.2% of in the transportation sector, 5.8% in the residential sector and 3.0% in the business sector. In the industrial sector, the main energy consumption industries were the paper manufacturing industry and tile industry. As the project for new energy introduction, the following were studied: project for the wind farm where a lot of wind power generators are installed; park as a symbol having 1 or 2 wind power generators; introduction of solar energy use water warmer/photovoltaic power generation to public facilities; system for promotion of the introduction of solar energy use water warmer/photovoltaic power generation to households; project on CO2 reduction by installation of LNG station; refuse/waste power generation project; project on utilization of the waste heat from tile makers. (NEDO)

Cities heading towards 100% renewable energy by controlling their consumption. Food for thought and action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bringault, Anne; Eisermann, Miriam; Lacassagne, Sylvie; Fauchadour, Nathalie

2016-11-01

This report provides guidance and solutions to cities and metropolitan areas anxious to embark on a 100% renewable energy path. It is based on the knowledge and experience of the authors' networks, as well as on around 30 interviews of councillors and city employees from about fifteen French local governments. It also features 5 European pioneers: Barcelona, Frankfurt, Frederikshavn, Geneva and Malmoe

The Role of Urban Financial Centers within the Economy of Global Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oana Mionel

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, there is no doubt that state economy refers to city economy. In other words, the most part of a state‘s GDP is given by the urban environment, especially by capitals, which are often the economic engine of this environment. There are also cities having great economic importance abroad, beyond the state and even continental borders. These are the so-called global cities where the financial activities play an important role. There are a few cities (New York, London, Hong Kong etc. centering financial activities which are influential for large geographic areas. This research highlights the importance of the financial sector within urban economy and, subsequently, how it consolidates the status of global city. These cities are the engine of the international financial system as they host the headquarters of the most important and famous international stock exchange markets, financial supervision institutions, law firms and consulting companies.

Urban agriculture as one of the ecological applications of the regenerative city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

وفل جوزيف رزقو

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Recently, several concepts and expressions have emerged that have often preoccupied the world . around the concept of environment and sustainability. This is due to the negative and irresponsible impact of man and his innovations in various industrial and technological fieldsthat have damaged the natural environment. Architecture and cities at the broader level are some of the man made components that caused these negative impacts and in the same time affected by them. What distinguishes architectural and urban projects is the consumption of large . quantities of natural resources and production larger amounts of waste and pollution, along the life of these projects. At the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century, the developed countries presented new concepts and methods that were not previously familiar with the design and implementation of architectural projects to reflect the growing interest in urban sectors issues to protect the environment and reduce consumption to reach the optimal utilization of natural resources. This leads to develop a new term called the Regenerative City. Here appeared the general research problem concerning the regenerative city and its objectives and the special research problem concerning urban agriculture and its relationship with the regenerative city, besides how urban agriculture will affect the city. The hypothesis of the research is that urban agriculture in its various forms (horizontal or vertical is an essential and integral part of the regenerative city, and it will affect the city planning, this will require including this usage in the city master plan as a new form of land use. The research aims to show the possibilities of using urban agriculture in its different forms within the urban fabric.

Urbanization and Access Inequality to Collective Consumption Goods & Services related to Sanitation & Solid Waste in the cities of Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Roig, C. D. A.; Feitosa, F. D. F.; Monteiro, A. M. V.

2016-12-01

Cities are mainly a product of collective consumption and there is a pressing need to expand and deepen the discussion about the quality of access to collective goods and services in the urban world: the availability of electricity and potable water and its interrelation with the lack of solid waste management and wastewater treatment leading to pollution of water sources.This study attempts to measure urban stratification through access conditions to collective goods in the metropolitan regions of Sao Paulo State (SPS) by contributing with a research method that incorporates collective consumption as a core component of the population-environment relationship. The use of spatial analysis allows the examination of the structure and distribution of accessibility to sanitation services and basic urban infrastructure.The water stress situation in SPS is dramatic. The average water loss within these distribution systems is 34,3% and a 39% average sewage treatment rate of all wastewater generated. The SPS also imports 60,6% of electricity from other states that use mostly hydroelectric power which imposes greater pressure on the country's water resources. The energy and water crisis has harmed a number of essential rights related mostly to resource access and service continuity as suburban residents of poor municipalities are the ones most affected by disruptions.SPS is the most populous state of Brazil and this region of study is responsible for 75% of total State population with 83% of State GDP. There has been a major increase in water use conflicts such as power generation, urban water supply (including the Rio de Janeiro water demand) and the dilution of urban sewage and solid waste disposal. These collective consumption access problems demonstrate the urgent need for better integrated metropolitan management of natural resources and the urban commons.

The diffusion and impact of clean indoor air laws.

Science.gov (United States)

Eriksen, Michael P; Cerak, Rebecca L

2008-01-01

Over the past quarter century, primarily as a result of scientific discovery, citizen advocacy, and legislative action, comprehensive clean indoor air laws have spread rapidly throughout the world. Laws that establish completely smoke-free indoor environments have many relative advantages including being low cost, safe, effective, and easy to implement. The diffusion of these laws has been associated with a dramatic and rapid reduction in population levels of serum cotinine among nonsmokers and has also contributed to a reduction in overall cigarette consumption among smokers, with no adverse economic impact, except to the tobacco industry. Currently, nearly half of the U.S. population lives in jurisdictions with some combination of completely smoke-free workplaces, restaurants, or bars. The diffusion of clean indoor air laws is spreading rapidly throughout the world, stimulated by the first global health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Law as a Medium of Reformation for Society (Sociological Research of the Prevailing of the Law No. 6 Year 2014 concerning the Village

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Gusti Bagus Suryawan

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Law No. 6 Year 2014 about the Village mentioned that, every village in all Indonesia territories gets fund allocation from the National Budget. This fund is used for the development which is village based. Total mentioned allocated fund is up to 10% from the balanced fund received by the Regency/City in National Budget after being reduced by the Special Allocation Fund. Theoretically this research has purpose to find out the role of the Village Law as a medium for reformation of the society. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja saw the changing of the attitude to legislation which shows the balance between the will to perform law reformation through legislation and the awareness to also give attention to the values and facts that is life in the society. The Village Law becomes the foundation and part of the reformation of mind setting, action setting of the village people. The Law about village is properly also as the instrument to develop the new village living which is autonomous, democratic and prosperous.

Integrated Urban System and Energy Consumption Model: Public and Singular Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rocco Papa

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The present paper illustrates the results of the first steps of a study on one aspect investigated as the preliminary step of the definition of the analysis - comprehension model of the relation between: city, buildings, and user behavior, for the reduction of energy consumption within the research project “Smart Energy Master” for the energetic governance of the territory (PON_MIUR n. pos. 04a2_00120 CUP Ricerca: E61H12000130005, at the Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering - University of Naples Federico II, principal investigator prof. Carmela Gargiulo.Specifically the literary review aimed at determining if, and in what measure, the presence of public and singular buildings is present in the energy consumption estimate models,  proposed by the scientific community, for the city or neighborhood scale.The difficulties in defining the weight of these singular buildings on the total energy consumption and the impossibility to define mean values that are significant for all subsets and different types as well as for each one, have forced model makers to either ignore them completely or chose a portion of this specific stock to include.

Cities in Climate Change Mitigation Policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paugam, Anne; Giraud, Gael; Thauvin, Eric

2015-03-01

The phenomenon of accelerated urbanization of emerging and developing economies is a potential source of harmful environmental impacts on people's well-being. Major negative effects can especially be expected on the climate, possibly compromising, in the long run, large-scale local economic development. This is because the urban environment is characterized by a concentration of activities with high energy consumption (between 56 and 78% of final energy used is ascribable to transportation and buildings, as well as to industries and services). These activities, in addition to generating significant local pollution, are a large source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Due to divergent methods of calculation as well as to the perimeter of urban activities, there is uncertainty about the exact extent to which these activities contribute to GHG. Nonetheless, a strong increase in the overall impact of cities on climate change can be expected. The international community wants to reach a coordinated commitment to keep global warming between now and the end of the 21. century under the threshold of an average 2 deg. C higher than the temperature of the pre-industrial age and thereby prevent irreversible damage from climate disturbance. This comes down to examining the potential of cities to contribute to implementing effective solutions. However, analysis of mid- to long-term impacts of urban development strategies on GHG emissions is still difficult, due to great complexity of the underlying impact mechanisms. Because of the large number of sectors and services concerned (transportation infrastructures and networks, energy-management services, and urban spatial planning), urban development strategies can simultaneously have a direct and indirect effect on several sources of GHG emissions. They are also highly dependent on each country's competence level and institutional organization. Despite this complexity, the urgency of the climate issues linked to growing

A Low Power Consumption Algorithm for Efficient Energy Consumption in ZigBee Motes.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaquerizo-Hdez, Daniel; Muñoz, Pablo; R-Moreno, María D; F Barrero, David

2017-09-22

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are becoming increasingly popular since they can gather information from different locations without wires. This advantage is exploited in applications such as robotic systems, telecare, domotic or smart cities, among others. To gain independence from the electricity grid, WSNs devices are equipped with batteries, therefore their operational time is determined by the time that the batteries can power on the device. As a consequence, engineers must consider low energy consumption as a critical objective to design WSNs. Several approaches can be taken to make efficient use of energy in WSNs, for instance low-duty-cycling sensor networks (LDC-WSN). Based on the LDC-WSNs, we present LOKA, a LOw power Konsumption Algorithm to minimize WSNs energy consumption using different power modes in a sensor mote. The contribution of the work is a novel algorithm called LOKA that implements two duty-cycling mechanisms using the end-device of the ZigBee protocol (of the Application Support Sublayer) and an external microcontroller (Cortex M0+) in order to minimize the energy consumption of a delay tolerant networking. Experiments show that using LOKA, the energy required by the sensor device is reduced to half with respect to the same sensor device without using LOKA.

A Low Power Consumption Algorithm for Efficient Energy Consumption in ZigBee Motes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Vaquerizo-Hdez

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs are becoming increasingly popular since they can gather information from different locations without wires. This advantage is exploited in applications such as robotic systems, telecare, domotic or smart cities, among others. To gain independence from the electricity grid, WSNs devices are equipped with batteries, therefore their operational time is determined by the time that the batteries can power on the device. As a consequence, engineers must consider low energy consumption as a critical objective to design WSNs. Several approaches can be taken to make efficient use of energy in WSNs, for instance low-duty-cycling sensor networks (LDC-WSN. Based on the LDC-WSNs, we present LOKA, a LOw power Konsumption Algorithm to minimize WSNs energy consumption using different power modes in a sensor mote. The contribution of the work is a novel algorithm called LOKA that implements two duty-cycling mechanisms using the end-device of the ZigBee protocol (of the Application Support Sublayer and an external microcontroller (Cortex M0+ in order to minimize the energy consumption of a delay tolerant networking. Experiments show that using LOKA, the energy required by the sensor device is reduced to half with respect to the same sensor device without using LOKA.

Potential Health Risk Assessment of Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn for Human Population via Consumption of Commercial Spices; a Case Study of Hamedan City, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sobhanardakani S.* PhD

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Aims: Spices are sources of many bioactive compounds that can improve the taste of food as well as affecting the digestion and metabolism. Along with that, they may also contain some substances as heavy metals, which have harmful effects on the body. The aim of present study was to assess the potential health risk of Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn contents of cardamom, curry powder and turmeric in Hamedan City, Iran. Instrument & Methods: 18 industrially packaged and weighted spice samples (cardamom, curry powder and turmeric belonging to 6 famous brands were bought from different supermarkets of Hamedan City, Iran, in 2015. The human health risks posed by chronic exposure to the heavy metals were assessed by computing the average daily intake of metal. The health risk index (HRI for the local population through the consumption of spice was assessed using DIM/RfD formula. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, DMS post-hoc, Tukey HSD and Pearson's correlation coefficient tests. Findings: Cr was detected in spice samples in 0.08-1.67mg/kg, Cu 0.05-1.28mg/kg, Fe 1.04-6.89mg/kg and Zn 0.40-2.25mg/kg. The mean concentration of Cu, Fe and Zn were lower than MPL. The DIM values for the examined spice samples were below the recommended values. Conclusion: The levels of Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn are less than the MPL in cardamom, curry powder and turmeric in Hamedan City, Iran.

Media consumption features of different social groups (by the example of Zaporizhzia city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. S. Khrustaliov

2014-01-01

Due to the fast changes in the dynamics of new media features, the constant monitoring and research in this sphere seems to be perspective direction to explore within modern sociology. The article discusses the features of the modern media consumption in the Ukrainian society. The trends associated with the development of new media, the advent of cyberspace and mobile technologies were analyzed. In the article were made the assumptions about the influence of social media on young people, who are most engaged with the consumption of new media.

Research on statistical methodology to investigate energy consumption in public buildings sector in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Shuqin; Li Nianping; Guan Jun

2008-01-01

The purpose of this research is to find a statistical methodology to investigate the national energy consumption in the public buildings sector in China, in order to look into the actuality of the national energy consumption of public buildings and to provide abundant data for building energy efficiency work. The frame of a national statistical system of energy consumption for public buildings is presented in this paper. The statistical index system of energy consumption is constituted, which refers to the general characteristics of public buildings, their possession and utilization of energy consumption equipment and their energy consumption quantities. Sequentially, a set of statistical report forms is designed to investigate the energy consumption of cities, provinces and the country, respectively. On this base, the above statistical methodology is used to gather statistics of a public building for annual energy consumption

Law proposal aiming at imposing the domestic consumption tax to the natural gas used for hydrogen generation for petroleum refining purposes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-04-01

In France, natural gas benefits from tax exemptions in several situations and in particular when used as raw material for hydrogen generation, which in turn, is used for crude oil refining and fuels generation. However, crude oil is cheaper when it is heavier but more hydrogen, and thus more natural gas, is needed to refine it and more CO 2 is released in the atmosphere. Therefore, refining cheap crude oil increases the refining margins of oil companies but their environmental impact as well. The aim of this law proposal is to impose the domestic consumption tax to natural gas when used in oil refining processes in order to finance the development of the renewable hydrogen industry through the creation of a High Council of Hydrogen Industry. This High Council would be in charge of promoting the development of renewable hydrogen production facilities and distribution circuits, of hydrogen-fueled vehicles, and of fuel cells. (J.S.)

Assessing peak aerobic capacity in Dutch law enforcement officers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wittink, Harriet; Takken, Tim; de Groot, Janke; Reneman, Michiel; Peters, Roelof; Vanhees, Luc

2015-01-01

Objectives: To cross-validate the existing peak rate of oxygen consumption (VO2peak) prediction equations in Dutch law enforcement officers and to determine whether these prediction equations can be used to predict VO2peak for groups and in a single individual. A further objective was to report

Assessing peak aerobic capacity in Dutch law enforcement officers.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wittink, H.; Takken, T.; Groot, J.F. de; Reneman, M.; Peters, R.; Vanhees, L.

2015-01-01

Objectives: To cross-validate the existing peak rate of oxygen consumption (VO2peak) prediction equations in Dutch law enforcement officers and to determine whether these prediction equations can be used to predict VO2peak for groups and in a single individual. A further objective was to report

Eco2 Cities : Ecological Cities as Economic Cities

OpenAIRE

Suzuki, Hiroaki; Dastur, Arish; Moffatt, Sebastian; Yabuki, Nanae; Maruyama, Hinako

2010-01-01

This book provides an overview of the World Bank's Eco2 cities : ecological cities as economic cities initiative. The objective of the Eco2 cities initiative is to help cities in developing countries achieve a greater degree of ecological and economic sustainability. The book is divided into three parts. Part one describes the Eco2 cities initiative framework. It describes the approach, be...

City of Charleston, South Carolina Municipal Forest Resource Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

E.G. McPherson; J.R. Simpson; P.J. Peper; S.L. Gardner; K.E. Vargas; S.E. Maco; Q. Xiao

2006-01-01

Charleston, a charming Southern city appreciated for its rich history and culture, maintains trees as an integral component of the urban infrastructure (Figure 1). Research indicates that healthy trees can lessen impacts associated with the built environment by reducing stormwater runoff, energy consumption, and air pollutants. Trees improve urban life, making...

Brazilian law for scientific use of animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Marques, Ruy Garcia; Morales, Marcelo Marcos; Petroianu, Andy

2009-01-01

The Brazilian scientific community claimed for a definitive systematization and for comprehensive and realistic national rules, to provide guidance and regulation, instead of sanctions, so that the question of scientific research involving animals could be better contemplated. This is beginning to occur now with Law no. 11.794, sanctioned by the President of the Republic on November 8, 2008. To describe the evolution of Brazilian regimentation for scientific use of animals and to analyze Law no. 11.794. The legislation about the use of animals in teaching and in scientific research in Brazil and in Rio de Janeiro State was identified and discussed. Until now, there was no updated general and systematizing rule regarding animal vivisection and experimentation for didactic or scientific purposes. The only specific law dates back to 1979 and was not regimented. More recent laws equated the practice of scientific experiments to acts of abuse and mistreatment of animals, when alternative technology was available. Municipal laws that restricted the scientific practice of vivisection and experimentation with animals were created in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Florianopolis. With the claim and collaboration of the scientific community, the sanction of Law no. 11.794 regarding the scientific use of animals represented an invaluable advance in spite of the presence of some points that eventually may require another type of treatment. The new Law states that it will be regimented within 180 (one-hundred-and-eighty) days, when some of these points could be better elucidated.

STATE OF WATER SUPPLY INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE SUBCARPATHIAN CITIES

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Katarzyna PIETRUCHA-URBANIK

Full Text Available The characteristics of equipping the Subcarpathian province cities with water supply infrastructure was made on the basis of data collected from the Provincial Office, Statistical Office, reports submitted by water companies regarding the functioning of water supply infrastructure and literature data. The indicators characterizing water supply infrastructure were determined for the years 1995-2014. In the paper the indicators of equipping cities with water supply systems were presented. Also water consumption and changes in the length of the water supply network in the cities of the Subcarpathian Province were examined. The analysis shows that the water consumption for the years 1995-2014 decreased by almost 6 m3∙year-1 per capita. The reason for such situation was the increasing price of water and the ecological awareness of the inhabitants of the Subcarpathian region. In the last year of the analysis the water supply system in urban areas of the Subcarpathian province was used by 95% of the population and, for comparison, in rural areas by 77% of the population. In the paper also changes in prices for water in the Subcarpathian region were shown, on the basis of data from the water tariffs in individual water companies. The important element of urban development is the technical infrastructure which reduces the investment costs. The determined indicators of equipping cities with water supply systems show an upward trend in the development of technical infrastructure. Based on the operational data from the water companies the failure rates in selected water supply networks were determined.

EVALUATION OF BARTIN CITY ECONOMIC CONSTRUCT WITH DIGITALIZED SWOT ANALYSIS

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NERMİN ÇELİK

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In this study, firstly besides weakness and strengths of Bartın economy, threats and opportunities were presented by means of SWOT analysis. Secondly obtained findings were evaluated in comparative way and priority weights of each one were calculated by means of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP which is an evaluation approach with multiple criteria. Finally, the weak aspects were taken attention on the basis of quantitative findings and the alternative strategies towards to economic development of the city were presented. The weakest side of the city is high unemployment ratio and immigration problem, the most strength side of the city is the using for trading of Bartın port. Besides preparing that study as a first for Bartın city which is within the Encouragement Law, offering the solutions by evaluating the current and potential situations can be described as original sides of this study.

Understanding Attitudes towards Proenvironmental Travel: An Empirical Study from Tangshan City in China

OpenAIRE

Fang, Xiaoping; Xu, Yajing; Chen, Weiya

2014-01-01

Understanding people's attitudes towards proenvironmental travel will help to encourage people to adopt proenvironmental travel behavior. Revealed preference theory assumes that the consumption preference of consumers can be revealed by their consumption behavior. In order to investigate the influences on citizens' travel decision and analyze the difficulties of promoting proenvironmental travel behavior in medium-sized cities in China, based on revealed preference theory, this paper uses the...

THE USE OF GIS TECHNOLOGIES IN ANALYZING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF URBAN GREEN SPACES IN KIGALI CITY, RWANDA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Rwanyiziri

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study was assessing the challenges and opportunities for managing Green Spaces (GS of the Urban Part of Kigali City (UPKC. To find out the GS classes and their threats, the land use classes were identified using GIS technologies. Its output was completed by the field visit, questionnaire survey, informal interviews and desk review of the existing environmental and biodiversity policies and laws. The land use assessment has shown that the built up areas is the most predominant and occupies 74.3%, while the green spaces occupy only 25.3% of the total areas of Urban Part of Kigali City (UPKC. Among the GS classes identified in UPKC, wetlands occupy about 62.6% of the total area of the GS, forests 25%, gardens that are combination of the road side trees, the roundabouts, and playgrounds occupy 12.4% of the total area of GS while the seasonal and perennial crops areas are not significant in the city. In addition, results have shown that GS play different roles in the city among others, the beautification of the city, the air purification and refreshment, waste water treatment, heat reduction, mind refreshment; act as habitat, food and corridors for a good number of animal, etc. Even though there is no specific law or policy to the urban GS management and protection, the Government of Rwanda (GoR has put in place a good number of opportunities that take them into consideration. Those include, (1 the governmental policies such as Environmental Policy, Biodiversity Policy, and Forest Policy; (2 the laws such as Organic Environmental Law and, (3 the plans such the master plans for the three districts that make Kigali City. Despite these opportunities, the management of GS in Kigali City is still facing some challenges that the Kigali City authorities are still trying to address. Those include the lack of policies on GS management, low level of awareness on GS management among local people, and the demographic pressure particularly caused by the

[Factors related to awareness on tobacco advertisement and promotion among adults in six cities in China].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yan; Wu, Xi; Li, Qiang; Jiao, Shu-fang; Li, Xun; Li, Xin-jian; Zhu, Guo-ping; Du, Lin; Zhao, Jian-hua; Jiang, Yuan; Feng, Guo-ze

2009-04-01

To know the situation of tobacco advertisement, promotions and related factors in six cities in China. 4815 adults (above 18 years), selected form Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Changsha, Guangzhou and Yinchuan through probability proportionate sampling and simple random sampling, were investigated through questionnaires. The most commonly reported channels that smokers noticed tobacco advertisements were billboards (35.6%) and television (34.4%). The most commonly reported tobacco promotional activities that were noticed by smokers were free gifts when buying cigarettes (23.1%) and free samples of cigarettes (13.9%). Smokers in Changsha were more likely to report noticing tobacco advertisement on billboards (chi2 = 562.474, P advertisement and promotion. It was universal to see tobacco advertisement and promotions in cities in China but the laws and regulations about tobacco-control were not uniformly executed in different cities. It is necessary to perfect and uniform related laws and regulations.

Federal laws needed for food irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benson, D.

1987-01-01

The proposed use of irradiation in food processing is drawing considerable attention to the Australian irradiation industry that has operated safely for almost 30 years. A recent inquiry by the Australian Consumers Association concluded that food irradiation should only be allowed if strong federal laws are implemented to ensure the safety of consumers and environment. At present, Australian irradiation plants are confined to sterilising or reducing health risks associated with products not for human consumption

Climatic influence on electricity consumption: The case of Singapore and Hong Kong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ang, B.W.; Wang, H.; Ma, Xiaojing

2017-01-01

Global warming and the associated risks for natural and human systems have been major global concerns. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected average global surface temperature to increase by between 0.3 °C and 4.8 °C by the end of this century, depending on the greenhouse gas emission scenarios assessed. In the tropical and sub-tropical regions increases in temperature will lead to greater use of electricity for space cooling, a development that is undesirable from energy and sustainability viewpoints. We investigate how temperature increases affect electricity consumption in Singapore and Hong Kong. This is done by consuming sector, i.e. residential, commercial and industrial. Singapore and Hong Kong are respectively two tropical and subtropical cities with comparable physical, population and economy sizes. Two different approaches are used to relate their sectoral electricity consumption to temperature using regression analysis. It is estimated that total annual electricity consumption would increase by between 3% and 4% in Singapore in 2015 if there were to be a 1 °C rise in temperature. The corresponding estimates for Hong Kong are between 4% and 5%. In both cities, increases would be the greatest in the residential sector, followed by the commercial sector and the industrial sector. - Highlights: • Growth and changes in electricity consumption in Singapore and Hong Kong over the past 25 years are compared. • Relationships between electricity consumption and temperature by consuming sector are modelled. • Two statistical approaches are used to study the relationships. • Impacts of a 1 °C rise in temperature on sectoral and total electricity consumption are estimated.

Evaluation of alternatives for reducing the consumption of natural gas fuel at city-gates of Brazilian transport systems; Avaliacao das alternativas de reducao do consumo de gas natural combustivel nos pontos de entrega dos sistemas de transporte brasileiros

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Almir B. [Agencia Nacional do Petroleo, Gas Natural e Biocombustiveis (ANP), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Augusto, Cristiane R.; Seidl, Peter R. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Escola de Quimica; Goncalves, Raquel G. [UNISUAM - Centro Universitario Augusto Motta, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2008-07-01

This work aims to identify actions that can be implemented to increase the energy efficiency of processes involved in the value chain of natural gas, specifically in the process of heating in existing city-gates of transporting natural gas Brazilians plants. The goal is increase supply of gas in Brazil. The main function of city-gates is to deliver the natural gas in contract terms (flow, pressure, temperature and quality). The main issue related to the consumption of natural gas fuel in city-gates is related to the operation (set-up and control) of natural gas combustion, in other words, depends on how the heating system is adjusted dynamically to burn, efficiently, the exact amount of gas required by this system, depending on temperature, pressure, temperature, quality and flow of natural gas at the 'city-gates'. The main objective of this work is to present a study on alternatives at design, set-up and control of natural gas city-gates (transport) in Brazil, aiming to increase the energy efficiency of this facility, and thus contributing to the growth in supply of natural gas available to the market. (author)

Evaluation of alternatives for reducing the consumption of natural gas fuel at city-gates of Brazilian transport systems; Avaliacao das alternativas de reducao do consumo de gas natural combustivel nos pontos de entrega dos sistemas de transporte brasileiros

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Almir B [Agencia Nacional do Petroleo, Gas Natural e Biocombustiveis (ANP), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Augusto, Cristiane R; Seidl, Peter R [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Escola de Quimica; Goncalves, Raquel G [UNISUAM - Centro Universitario Augusto Motta, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2008-07-01

This work aims to identify actions that can be implemented to increase the energy efficiency of processes involved in the value chain of natural gas, specifically in the process of heating in existing city-gates of transporting natural gas Brazilians plants. The goal is increase supply of gas in Brazil. The main function of city-gates is to deliver the natural gas in contract terms (flow, pressure, temperature and quality). The main issue related to the consumption of natural gas fuel in city-gates is related to the operation (set-up and control) of natural gas combustion, in other words, depends on how the heating system is adjusted dynamically to burn, efficiently, the exact amount of gas required by this system, depending on temperature, pressure, temperature, quality and flow of natural gas at the 'city-gates'. The main objective of this work is to present a study on alternatives at design, set-up and control of natural gas city-gates (transport) in Brazil, aiming to increase the energy efficiency of this facility, and thus contributing to the growth in supply of natural gas available to the market. (author)

City of Charlotte, North Carolina Municipal Forest Resource Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

E.G. McPherson; J.R. Simpson; P.J. Peper; S.L. Gardner; K.E. Vargas; S.E. Maco; Q. Xiao

2005-01-01

Charlotte, a vibrant Southern city appreciated for its rich history and cultural wealth, maintains trees as an integral component of the urban infrastructure (Figure 1). Research indicates that healthy trees can lessen impacts associated with the built environment by reducing stormwater runoff, energy consumption, and air pollutants. Trees improve urban life, making...

[Third World cities: points of accumulation, centers of distribution].

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, W R; Mcgee, T G

1985-01-01

Attention was called over 3 decades ago to the very rapid growth of Third World cities and the significance of the differences between their patterns of urbanization and those of industrialized countries. Their demographic growth occurred much faster and depended much more heavily on high fertility, their economies were geared more to export of raw materials than to manufacturing and were unable to create massive numbers of jobs to absorb the growing labor force except in the unproductive tertiary sector, and it appeared unlikely that they would be able to produce entrepreneurial classes of their own. Several economic developments during the 1970s affected the world economy and the patterns of urbanization of the Third World: the decline of the principal capitalist economies and the multiple increases in the price of oil, the floating exchange rate, the considerable increase in consumer goods, and the increasing costs of labor in industrialized countries, among others, created new conditions. World economic interdependence, international control of investment and exchange, and volume and mobility of capital increased at a time of rapid economic growth in some Third World countries, especially those whose governments took an aggressive role in promoting growth and investment. Some Third World cities now seem to be developing according to a more western model, but the same cannot be said of all Third World countries, and international economic evolution appears to have led to increasing polarization between countries as well as within them. The 1 domain where a certain convergence has occurred is consumption, beginning with the privileged classes and filtering to the lower income groups. Consumption of collective and individual consumer goods, which is concentrated in the largest cities, increases dependence on imports, technology, knowledge, and usually debt. The modern productive sector and its distribution activities become implanted in the cities to such a degree

Evaluation of possible health risks of heavy metals by consumption of foodstuffs available in the central market of Rajshahi City, Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Narottam; Zaman, M R

2013-05-01

Considering the human health risk due to the consumption of foodstuffs, the concentrations of heavy metals (lead, manganese, chromium, cadmium, and arsenic) are investigated in vegetables, fruits, and fish species collected from the central market (called Shaheb Bazar) of Rajshahi City, Bangladesh. The foodstuffs examined for metal constituents are the basis of human nutrition in the study area. The highest concentrations of Mn and As in vegetables (onion and pointed gourd, respectively), Cr and Cd in fruits (black berry and mango, respectively), and Pb in fish (catla) are recorded. Health risks associated with these heavy metals are evaluated due to dietary intake. Target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) are calculated to evaluate the non-carcinogenic health risk from individual and combined heavy metals. The THQ values for individual heavy metals are below 1, suggesting that people would not experience significant health risks if they ingest a single heavy metal from one kind of foodstuff (e.g., vegetables). However, consumption of several of the foodstuffs could lead a potential health risk to human population since HI value is higher than 1. The relative contributions of vegetables, fishes, and fruits to HI are 49.44, 39.07, and 11.53 %, respectively. Also, the relative contributions of Pb, Cd, As, Mn, and Cr to HI are 51.81, 35.55, 11.73, 0.85, and 0.02 %, respectively. The estimation shows that the carcinogenic risk of arsenic exceeds the accepted risk level of 1 × 10(-6). Thus, the carcinogenic risk of arsenic for consumers is a matter of concern.

Prevalence of smoking and other smoking related behaviors reported by the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in four Peruvian cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Zavaleta, Alfonso; Salas, Maria; Peruga, Armando; Hallal, Ana Luiza Curi; Warren, Charles W; Jones, Nathan R; Asma, Samira

2008-12-15

In 2004, Peru ratified the Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and in 2006 passed Law 28705 for tobacco consumption and exposure reduction. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) provides data on youth tobacco use for development of tobacco control programs. Findings from the GYTS conducted in four main cities in Peru in 2000 and 2003 are reported in this paper and can be used to monitor provisions of the WHO FCTC. The GYTS is a school-based survey that uses a standardized methodology for sampling, questionnaire construction, field procedures, and data management. In total, 5,332 and 7,824 students aged 13 to 15 years participated in the 2000 and 2003 surveys conducted in Huancayo, Lima, Tarapoto and Trujillo. In both years, Lima had the highest lifetime (54.6% and 59.6%) and current use of tobacco (18.6% and 19.2%) of the four cities. According to gender, boys smoked more than girls and less than 20% of students initiated smoking before the age of 10. Among smokers, more than 60% bought their cigarettes in a store with no restriction for their age, and approximately 12% had ever been offered "free cigarettes". Around 90% of students were in favor of banning smoking in public places. Changes between 2000 and 2003 included an increase in the percentage of smokers who wanted to have a cigarette first thing in the morning in Tarapoto (from 0% to 1.2%) and a decrease in exposure to tobacco at home in Huancayo (from 23.7% to 17.8%) and Trujillo (from 27.8% to 19.8%) While few changes in tobacco use among youth have been observed in the GYTS in Peru, the data in this report can be used as baseline measures for future evaluation efforts. At this time, tobacco control efforts in Peru need to focus on enhancing Law 28705 to include enforcement of existing provisions and inclusion of new laws and regulations. Most of these provisions are required of all countries, such as Peru, that have ratified the WHO FCTC.

Ecological footprint and food consumption in Minna, Nigeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Razack, N T A A; Ludin, A N M

2014-01-01

Cities all over the world are growing and will continue to grow as development is tilted toward development at the expense of the rural area. As a result of this there is need for development of housing that constructed at the urban fringes. There are many tools to measure sustainability of a city and one of them is Ecological Footprint. This paper looked at the Ecological Footprint and food consumption Minna, Nigeria. The paper evaluates the effectiveness of Ecological Footprint in the context of urban development. The survey revealed that food contributed 38.77% of the Ecological Footprint of Minna. This is as a result of the lifestyle of the people. It was concluded that the Ecological Footprint of Minna (1.096gha) is lower than the national bio-capacity (1.24gha), which therefore make city sustainable. Therefore, the people of Minna have to develop a lifestyle that will be sustainable better than the present practice

Opportunity and prospect analysis of RES utilization for sustainable development of Ekaterinburg city in Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Volkov, A.; Aristova, A.

2017-06-01

Recently megalopolises have become centres of economy development worldwide. Gradual growth in energy consumption and thereafter - enormous power production and delivery to sustain metropolis’ needs entailed, rapid increase in emissions of hazardous substances in quantities, no longer tolerable for secure residence in majority of these cities. Ekaterinburg, is one of them. In order to abridge harmful pollution in Ekaterinburg and further centralize economic importance of the city, this paper proposes to implement the concept of urban sustainable development/ref. / by introducing alternative energy sources, which would progressively displace traditional fossil fuels. A number of actual cases, where the concept was successfully implemented, were studied and analysed to demonstrate how different shares of renewables can become effective substitutes to conventional energy sources in the cities strongly dependent on them: 1. Energy strategy of Pecs (Hungary); 2. International low carbon city (ILCC) project (Shenzhen, China); 3. Electric power system template of Tangshan city (China). Further, regional environmental and economic specifics of Ekaterinburg were studied to understand power consumption needs and energy generation possibilities, which led authors to conclude on the alternative energy sources feasibility, plot specific flow chart for RES implementation in Ekaterinburg’s power network and outline recommendations for future works.

Machine for Shopping: American Postwar Malls, Culture, and the Consumption of Commercial Urbanism

OpenAIRE

Siegel, Robyn Schwartz

2011-01-01

This thesis presents three case studies: a modern mall, NorthPark Center, and two contemporary shopping malls, The Americana at Brand and Crystals at CityCenter. These examples problematize aspects of American culture and consumption. Each mall is analyzed in the context of its retail history, the intention of the architecture, the art, the references to other buildings, places, or times, and, lastly, how the commercial mall purports to embody positive forms of urbanity in an idealized city ...

Tobacco outlet density, retailer cigarette sales without ID checks and enforcement of underage tobacco laws: associations with youths' cigarette smoking and beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipperman-Kreda, Sharon; Grube, Joel W; Friend, Karen B; Mair, Christina

2016-03-01

To estimate the relationships of tobacco outlet density, cigarette sales without ID checks and local enforcement of underage tobacco laws with youth's life-time cigarette smoking, perceived availability of tobacco and perceived enforcement of underage tobacco laws and changes over time. The study involved: (a) three annual telephone surveys, (b) two annual purchase surveys in 2000 tobacco outlets and (c) interviews with key informants from local law enforcement agencies. Analyses were multi-level models (city, individual, time). A sample of 50 mid-sized non-contiguous cities in California, USA. A total of 1478 youths (aged 13-16 at wave 1, 52.2% male); 1061 participated in all waves. Measures at the individual level included life-time cigarette smoking, perceived availability and perceived enforcement. City-level measures included tobacco outlet density, cigarette sales without ID checks and compliance checks. Outlet density was associated positively with life-time smoking [OR = 1.12, P Sales rate without checking IDs was related to greater perceived availability (β = 0.01, P sales without ID checks and enforcement levels may influence beliefs about access to cigarettes and enforcement of underage tobacco sales laws. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Tobacco control policies are egalitarian: a vulnerabilities perspective on clean indoor air laws, cigarette prices, and tobacco use disparities.

Science.gov (United States)

Dinno, Alexis; Glantz, Stanton

2009-04-01

This study models independent associations of state or local strong clean indoor air laws and cigarette prices with current smoker status and consumption in a multilevel framework, including interactions with educational attainment, household income and race/ethnicity and the relationships of these policies to vulnerabilities in smoking behavior. Cross sectional survey data are employed from the February 2002 panel of the Tobacco Use Supplement of the Current Population Survey (54,024 individuals representing the US population aged 15-80). Non-linear relationships between both outcome variables and the predictors were modeled. Independent associations of strong clean indoor air laws were found for current smoker status (OR 0.66), and consumption among current smokers (-2.36 cigarettes/day). Cigarette price was found to have independent associations with both outcomes, an effect that saturated at higher prices. The odds ratio for smoking for the highest versus lowest price over the range where there was a price effect was 0.83. Average consumption declined (-1.16 cigarettes/day) over the range of effect of price on consumption. Neither policy varied in its effect by educational attainment, or household income. The association of cigarette price with reduced smoking participation and consumption was not found to vary with race/ethnicity. Population vulnerability in consumption appears to be structured by non-white race categories, but not at the state and county levels at which the policies we studied were enacted. Clean indoor air laws and price increases appear to benefit all socio-economic and race/ethnic groups in our study equally in terms of reducing smoking participation and consumption.

VOLUNTARY NOISE MAPPING FOR SMART CITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Poslončec-Petrić

2016-09-01

Full Text Available One of the main concept objectives of smart cities is to create a quality living environment that is long-term sustainable and economically justified. In that context, modern cities are aware of the exposure to various forms of physical and non-physical pollution that needs to be remediated, eliminated or reduced. To achieve that it is necessary to quality determine the sources and reasons of each pollution. The most prominent examples of physical pollution that affects the quality of life of citizens in cities are light and noise pollution. Noise pollution or noise, is mostly the consequence of road and rail traffic in cities and it directly affects the health of citizens. Traffic control, reduction of peak congestion, dispersion and traffic redirection or building protective barriers, are ways that cities use to reduce the amount of noise or its effects. To make these measures efficient it is necessary to obtain the information related to the level of noise in certain areas, streets, cities. To achieve this, smart cities use noise mapping. The city of Zagreb since 2012, participates in the i-SCOPE project (interoperable Smart City services trough Open Platform for urban Ecosystems. i-SCOPE delivers an open platform on top of which it develops, three "smart city" services: optimization of energy consumption through a service for accurate assessment of solar energy potential and energy loss at building level, environmental monitoring through a real-time environmental noise mapping service leveraging citizen's involvement will who act as distributed sensors city-wide measuring noise levels through an application on their mobile phones and improved inclusion and personal mobility of aging and diversely able citizens through an accurate personal routing service. The students of Faculty of Geodesy University of Zagreb, who enrolled in the course Thematic Cartography, were actively involved in the voluntary data acquisition in order to monitor the

Voluntary Noise Mapping for Smart City

Science.gov (United States)

Poslončec-Petrić, V.; Vuković, V.; Frangeš, S.; Bačić, Ž.

2016-09-01

One of the main concept objectives of smart cities is to create a quality living environment that is long-term sustainable and economically justified. In that context, modern cities are aware of the exposure to various forms of physical and non-physical pollution that needs to be remediated, eliminated or reduced. To achieve that it is necessary to quality determine the sources and reasons of each pollution. The most prominent examples of physical pollution that affects the quality of life of citizens in cities are light and noise pollution. Noise pollution or noise, is mostly the consequence of road and rail traffic in cities and it directly affects the health of citizens. Traffic control, reduction of peak congestion, dispersion and traffic redirection or building protective barriers, are ways that cities use to reduce the amount of noise or its effects. To make these measures efficient it is necessary to obtain the information related to the level of noise in certain areas, streets, cities. To achieve this, smart cities use noise mapping. The city of Zagreb since 2012, participates in the i-SCOPE project (interoperable Smart City services trough Open Platform for urban Ecosystems). i-SCOPE delivers an open platform on top of which it develops, three "smart city" services: optimization of energy consumption through a service for accurate assessment of solar energy potential and energy loss at building level, environmental monitoring through a real-time environmental noise mapping service leveraging citizen's involvement will who act as distributed sensors city-wide measuring noise levels through an application on their mobile phones and improved inclusion and personal mobility of aging and diversely able citizens through an accurate personal routing service. The students of Faculty of Geodesy University of Zagreb, who enrolled in the course Thematic Cartography, were actively involved in the voluntary data acquisition in order to monitor the noise in real time

Assessment of annual effective dose from 238U and 226Ra due to consumption of foodstuffs by inhabitants of Tehran city (IR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosseini, T.; Fathivand, A. A.; Abbasisiar, F.; Karimi, M.; Barati, H.

2006-01-01

The concentrations of 238 U and 226 Ra were determined in different foodstuffs purchased from markets in Tehran. Determinations of the radionuclides have been carried out using alpha spectrometry technique, on samples of egg, lentil, potato, rice, soya, spinach, tea and wheat. Average concentrations of natural radionuclides and foodstuff consumption rate were used to assess annual intake and based on intake values, the annual effective ingestion dose has been estimated for Tehran city residents. The measurement results show that soya has the maximum concentration of 238 U equal to 15.6 ± 2.6 mBq kg -1 and tea has the maximum concentration of 226 Ra equal to 1153.3 ± 265.3 mBq kg -1 . Besides, the maximum annual effective dose from 238 U and 226 Ra were assessed to be 2.88 x 10 -2 ±7.20 x 10 -3 and 2.15 ± 0.54 μSv, respectively, from wheat samples. (authors)

Prediction of Chiller Power Consumption: An Entropy Generation Approach

KAUST Repository

Saththasivam, Jayaprakash

2016-06-21

Irreversibilities in each component of vapor compression chillers contribute to additional power consumption in chillers. In this study, chiller power consumption was predicted by computing the Carnot reversible work and entropy generated in every component of the chiller. Thermodynamic properties namely enthalpy and entropy of the entire refrigerant cycle were obtained by measuring the pressure and temperature at the inlet and outlet of each primary component of a 15kW R22 water cooled scroll chiller. Entropy generation of each component was then calculated using the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics. Good correlation was found between the measured and computed chiller power consumption. This irreversibility analysis can be also effectively used as a performance monitoring tool in vapor compression chillers as higher entropy generation is anticipated during faulty operations.

Examining Determinants of CO2 Emissions in 73 Cities in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haitao Zheng

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Issues concerning which factors that influence carbon dioxide emission, and which administrative measures should be imposed to reduce carbon emission in Chinese cities, have been on the agenda in cities’ policy-making. Yet little literature has studied this topic from the city level. This paper first measures CO2 emission of 73 Chinese cities. We find heterogeneity embedded in the cross-city distribution of CO2 emission per capita and a nonlinear structure in the relationship between carbon emission and GDP per capita. To describe such multimodality and examine the determinants of CO2 emission in these cities, this article applies a linear mixed effect model covering the quadratic term of GDP per capita to extend the stochastic impact by regression on population, affluence, and technology (STIRPAT model. The empirical results demonstrate that population size, secondary industry proportion, energy consumption structure, urbanization level and economic level have generally shown a positive influence on CO2 emissions in Chinese cities. However, the urbanization level is of no significance. The phenomenon of the environmental Kuznets curve varies across Chinese cities, according to which three city groups are formed. Specific policy recommendations are given to each city group in light of their unique influencing modes on carbon emissions.

Introduction: meat and the nineteenth-century city

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thelle, Mikkel; Baics, Gergely

2017-01-01

The articles gathered in this special section explore the complex and layered relationship between meat and the nineteenth-century city. For urban historians interested in food provisioning, meat represents a critical juncture because no other food item was so deeply and, in so many ways, tied...... to urban modernity. This introduction outlines five central themes of the urban meat nexus: city and country relations, geography and urban space, technology and infrastructure, government and regulation, and changing nutritional standards. The four articles speak to these larger issues in specific...... and novel ways. They advance the existing scholarship by opening up new questions and approaches, focusing on hitherto understudied locations, while also collectively covering the entire spectrum of meat provisioning from supply hinterlands to urban consumption....

Evolution of municipal law in 2014-2016.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yury Blagov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available УДК 342The subject. This article is devoted the municipal reform 2014-2016. The reform of state are institutes of territorial organization, organizational principles, competency bases of local self-government.The purpose of this paper is to show that the municipal reform 2014-2016 is directed on limiting local self-government and the subordination of local self-government to state authorities of the subjects of Russia.Methodology. The author uses a dialectical method, a method of analysis and synthesis, a formal legal method, a comparative legal method.Results, scope. Urban districts with intracity and intercity division areas – two new municipalities have been legally introduced. In science municipal law formed two points of view on the admissibility and feasibility of separating the urban district in the inner city areas. According to the first point of view, the separation of large urban districts in the inner city areas is acceptable and appropriate. According to the second point of view, the separation of large urban districts in the inner city areas is unacceptable and inappropriate. The author adheres to the second point of view, since the introduction of a two-tier model of local government organization would violate the principle of unity of municipal economy, will lead to the rupture of a single urban space on the organizational and financial sustainability areas dependent city district, will lead to a sharp increase in the number of deputies and municipal employees, unnecessary increase financial expenses.Municipal and regulatory policy in the sphere of organizational principles of local self-government is aimed at the maximum limit of direct elections of the population of the local self-government, which leads to their further alienation from the local authorities (the direct election of saved only 11 urban districts (13 %, which are the administrative centers of the subject of the Russian Federation. In addition, the actual

The Interior City. Infinity and Concavity in the No-Stop City(1970-1971

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo Martínez Capdevila

2013-10-01

Full Text Available AbstractIn the late 60s it had become clear how the environment technification had allowed some typologies (supermarkets, car parks, factories to reach potentially unlimited built depths becoming, therefore, independent from the outside. The No-Stop City is born from a very simple idea: to extend this technification to the totality of built reality encompassing, not only almost all functions, but ultimately, the whole city. This operation has paradoxical effects: as architecture grows, it loses most of the features that have traditionally defined it. A dissolution by hypertrophy that gives rise to an homogeneous, concave and potentially infinite space.But beyond the pure technical feasibility, there are two key influences, seemingly contradictory, that explain this endeavor for an interior and endless city: Marxism and Pop Art. The project is, in many senses, a built manifesto reflecting the militancy of the group members within the Italian Marxism. But it is also the embodiment of the group's declared interest in Pop Art, popular culture and mass society. The cross-influence of communism and consumerism explains this "quantitative utopia" in which the society and the factory, the production and consumption, would match. A city based on the centrality of consumer products and the subsequent loss of prominence of architecture, in which the urban phenomenon, while spreading endlessly over territory, ignoring its rural exteriority, dissolves the home as a sphere of privacy, ignoring its domestic interiority.A project, also in the wake of Marshall McLuhan, that illustrates like few others the conversion of the urbane into a virtually omnipresent "condition" and that still interrogates us with questions that are, on the other hand, eternal: What is a building? What is a city?Key wordsBranzi, dissolution, pop, Marxism, neo-avant-garde

Fees for Having Dogs in Cities with Poviat Rights. An analysis of an empirical research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weronika Baran

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The elaboration presents an analysis of issues concerning a charge in Polish cities with district rights for having a dog. The purpose of this publication is to analyse particular solutions as well as motives, which have become a determining factor in individual cities, on whether to pass or not to pass an appropriate local laws introducing a fee for having a dog. The authors conducted their research in all cities with district rights in Poland. In that regard they used surveys consisting of 10 questions.

The Whys and Hows of Certification. Public Librarian Certification Law.

Science.gov (United States)

Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison. Div. of Library Services.

Under Wisconsin state law (Administrative Code P1-6.03) any librarian employed in a public library system or any municipal public library, except in a city of the first class, supported in whole or in part by public funds, must hold state certification. Qualifications are delineated for three grades of certification: grade 1, for public libraries…

Structural, geographic, and social factors in urban building energy use: Analysis of aggregated account-level consumption data in a megacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porse, Erik; Derenski, Joshua; Gustafson, Hannah; Elizabeth, Zoe; Pincetl, Stephanie

2016-01-01

Residential and commercial buildings comprise approximately forty percent of total energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. Yet, while California spends $1.5 billion annually on energy efficiency programs, limited research has explored how building energy consumption varies within cities, including the social and structural factors that influence electricity and natural gas use. We present results from an analysis of aggregated account-level utility billing data for energy consumption across the over two million properties in Los Angeles County. Results show that consumption in L.A. County varies widely with geography, income, building characteristics, and climate. Several higher-income areas have greater total energy use per building even in cooler climates, while many lower-income regions rank higher for energy use per square-foot. Energy consumption also correlates with building age, which varies widely throughout the region. Our results demonstrate the many complex and interrelated factors that influence urban energy use. While billing data is critical for devising energy efficiency programs that actually realize estimated savings and promote more sustainable cities, opening access to such data presents significant challenges for protecting personal privacy. The presented approach is adaptable and scalable to cities seeking to develop data-driven policies to reduce building energy use. - Highlights: •Building energy use varies widely across metropolitan Los Angeles. •Building age, household income, home ownership rates, and land use are all correlated with energy consumption. •High-income areas use more energy per building, while lower-income areas use more energy per square-foot. •Account-level energy use data can help local governments devise conservation strategies. •Energy efficiency programs need evaluated using energy consumption data.

Luxury in ancient Rome: scope, timing and enforcement of sumptuary laws

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dari-Mattiacci, G.; Plisecka, A.E.

2010-01-01

Between 182 BC and 18 BC, Roman lawmakers enacted a series of sumptuary laws regulating banquets (including the number of guests and the consumption of specific foods). Moreover, enforcement was hardly successful and these regulations were reiterated over time. Traditional explanations based on

Adolescent Alcohol Consumption in Romania: A Blueprint for Measuring Alcohol (mis)Use

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hoof, Joris Jasper; Moll, Marit

2012-01-01

In order to address the issues of adolescent alcohol (mis)use in Romanian cities and to develop local alcohol prevention policies comprised of interventions aimed at reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol related problems, information on the prevalence of alcohol use and relevant related topics is

An analysis on social cost benefit of city gas safety supervision system - concentrated on estimating the intended amount paid about gas safety of households using city gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Yong Sung [Korea Energy Economics Institute, Euiwang (Korea)

1999-04-01

With the increase of convenient and clean gas fuel consumption, the danger of gas safety accident is also increasing. Therefore, now is the time for requiring many thoughtful concerns and cares for the prevention of gas accident. In this study, the perception of city gas end users on use of city gas was studied and the economic value of improving gas safety was estimated by examining the intended amount paid for improving safety of city gas use. Although most of city gas end-users perceive that gas use is generally safe, they are concerned about a possibility of dander of accidents happened without any notice. On the other hand, about 97% of households using city gas know checking gas safety at a minimum, but only 60% among them are implementing self-checkup. The economic benefit of improving gas safety of city gas end-users in Korea is estimated from the lowest of 121.47 billion to the highest of 317.97 billion annually. (author). 38 refs., 5 figs., 45 tabs.

Energy efficiency and the law: A multidisciplinary approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Willemien du Plessis

2015-01-01

Full Text Available South Africa is an energy-intensive country. The inefficient use of, mostly, coal-generated energy is the cause of South Africa's per capita contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and environmental degradation and negative health impacts. The inefficient use of the country's energy also amounts to the injudicious use of natural resources. Improvements in energy efficiency are an important strategy to stabilise the country's energy crisis. Government responded to this challenge by introducing measures such as policies and legislation to change energy consumption patterns by, amongst others, incentivising the transition to improved energy efficiencies. A central tenet underpinning this review is that the law and energy nexus requires a multidisciplinary approach as well as a multi-pronged adoption of diverse policy instruments to effectively transform the country's energy use patterns. Numerous, innovative instruments are introduced by relevant legislation to encourage the transformation of energy generation and consumption patterns of South Africans. One such innovative instrument is the ISO 50001 energy management standard. It is a voluntary instrument, to plan for, measure and verify energy-efficiency improvements. These improvements may also trigger tax concessions. In this paper, the nature and extent of the various policy instruments and legislation that relate to energy efficiency are explored, while the interactions between the law and the voluntary ISO 50001 standard and between the law and the other academic disciplines are highlighted. The introduction of energy-efficiency measures into law requires a multidisciplinary approach, as lawyers may be challenged to address the scientific and technical elements that characterise these legal measures and instruments. Inputs by several other disciplines such as engineering, mathematics or statistics, accounting, environmental management and auditing may be needed. Law is often

Investigating the impact of training on water consumption saving in Khorramabad in 2015

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Bazdar

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background: In the water demand management there is a certain relationship between attitudes, beliefs, actual behavior of consumers and water consumption. There are many factors in a positive attitude towards water use. By providing the right information should changed the beliefs and attitudes of citizens towards drinking water habits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of training on water consumption in the Khorramabad city in 1394. Methods: This study was conducted in the Lorestan province and in the Khorramabad city. That the effect of training on water saving was evaluated for 60 households with high water consumption levels. The selected households were randomly assigned to 2 groups: control and treatment. In the treatment group was taught how to properly use in a regular basis and periodically meter reading for both groups took .This study was performed for 6 months in summer and autumn in 1394. Results: The results of this study showed that households in 1393 and 1394 respectively in the control group consumed an average per capita consumption of 60.78 ± 253.7 and 62.35 ± 208 liters per day per person. The average consumption per capita in 93 and 94 in the treatment group was respectively 192.14 ±51.2 and 171.9 ± 48.57 liters per day per person. As well as due to intervention education decrease 9-11% water consumption. Conclusion: The basic results of this study to raise public awareness about the water crisis, stresses and the importance of water using education can affect to water use. It can also promote a culture of right consumption and to change people’s behavior towards water use.

Materialities of Law: Celebrity Production and the Public Domain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esther Milne

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Celebrity production and consumption are powerful socio-economic forces. The celebrity functions as a significant economic resource for the commercial sector and plays a fundamental symbolic role within culture by providing a shared ‘vocabulary’ through which to understand contemporary social relations. A pivotal element of this allure is the process by which the celebrity figure is able to forge an intimate link with its audience, often producing public expressions of profound compassion, respect or revulsion. This process, however, is complicated by emerging participatory media forms whose impact is experienced as new conditions of possibility for celebrity production and consumption. As Marshall argues, video mash-ups of celebrity interviews, such as those of Christian Bale or Tom Cruise, are dramatically changing the relation between celebrity and audience (Marshall, 2006: 640. Meanings produced by these audience remixes challenge the extent to which a celebrity might control her image. So is the celebrity personality, therefore, a public or private commodity? Who owns the celebrity image within remix culture? Although the celebrity figure has been thoroughly researched in relation to its patterns of consumption; semiotic power; and industry construction; less attention has been focused on the forms of celebrity governance enabled by legislative and case law settings. How might the law deal with the significant economic and cultural power exercised within celebrity culture?

Thermodynamics and the evolution of a city: a tale of how Chicago came to be, from biophysical and socio-economic perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Cities are complex organized systems, similar to biological and ecological systems in the way that they are structured and function. These systems are subject to the laws of thermodynamics and the principles of Energy Systems Theory (EST). Like other systems, cities experience l...

Strategies employed by inner-city activists to reduce alcohol-related problems and advance social justice.

Science.gov (United States)

Drabble, Laurie; Herd, Denise

2014-01-01

This study explored strategies employed by activists engaged in efforts to change policies and laws related to selling and promoting alcoholic beverages based on in-depth interviews with 184 social activists in seven U.S. major cities. Nine strategies aimed at improving local conditions and influencing policy were described by activists across regional contexts. Grassroots mobilization was central to all other strategies, which included the creation or enforcement of laws, meeting with elected officials, media advocacy, working with police/law enforcement, education and training, direct action, changing community norms, and negotiating with store owners.

Testing the Pareto against the lognormal distributions with the uniformly most powerful unbiased test applied to the distribution of cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Malevergne, Yannick; Pisarenko, Vladilen; Sornette, Didier

2011-03-01

Fat-tail distributions of sizes abound in natural, physical, economic, and social systems. The lognormal and the power laws have historically competed for recognition with sometimes closely related generating processes and hard-to-distinguish tail properties. This state-of-affair is illustrated with the debate between Eeckhout [Amer. Econ. Rev. 94, 1429 (2004)] and Levy [Amer. Econ. Rev. 99, 1672 (2009)] on the validity of Zipf's law for US city sizes. By using a uniformly most powerful unbiased (UMPU) test between the lognormal and the power-laws, we show that conclusive results can be achieved to end this debate. We advocate the UMPU test as a systematic tool to address similar controversies in the literature of many disciplines involving power laws, scaling, "fat" or "heavy" tails. In order to demonstrate that our procedure works for data sets other than the US city size distribution, we also briefly present the results obtained for the power-law tail of the distribution of personal identity (ID) losses, which constitute one of the major emergent risks at the interface between cyberspace and reality.

Post-carbon Society: Pioneering Cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emelianoff, Cyria; Mor, Elsa

2013-01-01

In 2009 a programme was launched, steered jointly by the Foresight Mission of the French Ecology Ministry and by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), called 'Rethinking Cities in a Post-carbon Society'. The programme's work is still on-going towards a final report planned for 2013. The idea of a transition towards a 'post-carbon' society embraces four main objectives: the reduction of greenhouse gases by 2050 to one quarter of their 1990 levels, virtual autonomy in respect of carbon-based energies (oil, gas and coal), an adequate capacity for adaptation to climate change and, lastly, greater attention to situations of energy precariousness . As part of the dossier Futuribles is devoting, this month, to this programme, Cyria Emelianoff and Elsa Mor show, in this article, how certain cities have gradually taken this subject on board, developing -often thanks to civil society initiatives and the emergence of networks of pioneering cities at the European level- highly ambitious strategies of transition towards less carbon energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Here they outline two concrete cases of cities that are highly active in this field, Hanover and Bristol, showing their aims, the strategies deployed, the levers used and the results obtained. They particularly stress the importance played in these two transitions by the economic and environmental departments coming together on the question, and also by the development of 'multi-partner' approaches. They are, nevertheless, critical of the difficulties in establish - ing proper 'multi-scale climate governance' involving -above and beyond these pioneering cities- the regional, national, European and international levels, with a view to a more large-scale post-carbon transition. (authors)

Injecting risk behavior among traveling young injection drug users: travel partner and city characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Martha E; Fatch, Robin S; Evans, Jennifer L; Yu, Michelle; Davidson, Peter J; Page, Kimberly; Hahn, Judith A

2013-06-01

Young injection drug users (IDUs), a highly mobile population, engage in high levels of injecting risk behavior, yet little is understood about how such risk behavior may vary by the characteristics of the cities to which they travel, including the existence of a syringe exchange program (SEP), as well as travel partner characteristics. In 2004-2005, we conducted a 6-month prospective study to investigate the risk behavior of 89 young IDUs as they traveled, with detailed information gathered about 350 city visits. In multivariable analyses, travel to larger urban cities with a population of 500,000-1,000,000 was significantly associated with injecting drugs (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.71; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.56-8.82), ancillary equipment sharing (AES; AOR = 7.05; 95 % CI, 2.25-22.06) and receptive needle sharing (RNS; AOR = 5.73; 95 % CI, 1.11-27.95), as compared with visits to smaller cities with populations below 50,000. Region of the country, and the existence of a SEP within the city visited, were not independently associated with injecting drugs, AES, or RNS during city visits. Traveling with more than one injecting partner was associated with injecting drugs during city visits (AOR = 2.77; 95 % CI, 1.46-5.27), when compared with traveling alone. Additionally, both non-daily and daily/almost daily alcohol use during city visits were associated with AES (AOR = 3.37; 95 % CI, 1.42-7.68; AOR = 3.03; 95 % CI, 1.32-6.97, respectively) as compared with no alcohol consumption. Traveling young IDUs are more likely to inject when traveling with other IDUs and to engage in higher risk injection behavior when they are in large cities. Risk behavior occurring in city visits, including equipment sharing and alcohol consumption, suggests further need for focused interventions to reduce risk for viral infection among this population.

Consumo infantil de alimentos industrializados e renda familiar na cidade de São Paulo Association of children's consumption of processed foods and family income in the city of São Paulo, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rita de Cássia de Aquino

2002-12-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Descrever o consumo infantil de alimentos industrializados e a relação com a renda familiar per capita, com base em inquérito domiciliar. MÉTODOS: O consumo alimentar de uma amostra probabilística da população infantil residente na cidade de São Paulo, entre zero e 59 meses de idade (n=718, foi estudado em 1995/1996 por meio de inquérito recordatório de 24h. Analisou-se a relação entre o consumo de 24 alimentos industrializados e a renda familiar per capita, distribuída em quartis. RESULTADOS: O consumo de açúcar foi maior entre as crianças de menor renda, enquanto achocolatados, chocolates, iogurte, leite em pó modificado e refrigerantes foram mais consumidos por crianças de maior renda familiar per capita (pOBJECTIVE: To describe children's consumption of processed foods and its relationship with per capita family income based on a household survey. METHODS: Food consumption was studied in a statistical sample of 718 children living in the city of São Paulo in the period 1995-1996. A 24-hour dietary recall was used. Data regarding the association of children's consumption of 24 processed foods and per capita family income (arranged in quartiles was analyzed. RESULTS: Consumption of sugar was higher among children of low income families whereas the consumption of chocolate powder, chocolate, yogurt, infant formula and soft drinks was higher among children of high income families (p< 0.05. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that per capita family income affects the consumption of some processed foods.

The main fiscal dispositions in the domain of energy and mineral raw materials as foreseen by the 2005 finances law and by the last 2004 amended law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

This short paper summarizes in tables the main changes made in the 2005 French finances law and in the 2004 amended law about: the domestic tax on petroleum products (TIPP), the general tax on polluting activities (TGAP), the bio-fuel production units, the tax credits for the implementation of renewable energies in dwellings, the domestic tax on natural gas consumptions (TICGN) for greenhouse owners, the European harmonization of the added-value tax (TVA), the taxes on companies (IS), and the electric utility charges (CSPE). (J.S.)

Food and feed supply and waste disposal in the industrialising city of Vienna (1830-1913): a special focus on urban nitrogen flows.

Science.gov (United States)

Gierlinger, Sylvia

Taking an urban metabolism perspective, this article investigates food and feed consumption as well as flows of nitrogen in the city of Vienna during the industrial transformation. It addresses the question of the amount of agricultural products consumed in the city and their nitrogen content, their origin and their fate after consumption. Changes in dietary nitrogen flows in nineteenth century Vienna are embedded in the context of a socio-ecological transition from an agrarian to an industrial socio-metabolic regime. Similarities and differences in the size and dynamics of urban nitrogen flows in Vienna and Paris are discussed. Critical reading of historical sources and historical material flow accounting are the methodological backbone of this study. Between 1830 and 1913, inflows of dietary nitrogen into the city increased fivefold. Throughout the time period under observation, the urban waterscape was the most important sink for human and animal excreta. The amount of nitrogen disposed of in the urban waterscape via urban excreta increased sevenfold. The average daily consumption of nitrogen per capita was very similar to that in Paris, but the composition of foodstuff differed. In Vienna, the share of meat in food consumption was considerably higher. Both cities had to face the challenge of increasing output flows. However, urban authorities in Vienna and Paris came to different solutions of how to deal with this challenge. Besides institutional settings, the specific geomorphology of the cities as well as biogeographic factors such as the absorption capacity of the Danube in Vienna and the Seine in Paris mattered.

Alcohol consumption and risk of atrial fibrillation in men and women: the Copenhagen City Heart Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mukamal, KJ; Tolstrup, JS; Friberg, J

2005-01-01

BACKGROUND: The relationship of the full range of alcohol consumption with risk of incident atrial fibrillation has been inconsistent in previous, mainly case-control studies. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a prospective cohort study, we studied the association between self-reported alcohol use...... nationwide registry of all hospitalizations. A total of 1071 cases occurred during follow-up. Among both women and men, alcohol consumption throughout the moderate range was not associated with risk of atrial fibrillation. However, consumption of 35 or more drinks per week among men was associated...... not attenuate the association (hazard ratio 1.63; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.31). CONCLUSIONS: Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with a higher risk of atrial fibrillation, at least among men. This relationship does not appear to be related to the adverse effects of heavy drinking on coronary heart disease or blood...

New energy vision of the Yokaichi city area. New energy society to be created by all citizen - Yokaichi City; 2001 nendo Youkaichi shi chiiki shin energy vision. Minna no chikara de tsukuru shin energy shakai Youkaichi

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-03-01

For the purpose of promoting the introduction of new energy and enhancing the awareness of it in Yokaichi City, Shiga Prefecture, an investigational study was conducted of the energy demand amount of the city, existence amount of new energy, project for new energy introduction, etc., and a new energy vision was worked out. The energy consumption amount of the city was estimated at approximately 1,004,638 drums in terms of oil drum (200L). By sector, the energy consumption amount was 66.1% in the industrial sector, 17.4% in the transportation sector and 16.5% in the commercial/residential sector. The rate of energy source was 62.2% of fossil fuel, etc., and 37.9% of electric power. As the project for new energy introduction, the following were studied: promotion of introduction of solar energy collector/photovoltaic power generation to general households; introduction of photovoltaic power generation/solar hot water supply space heating system to public facilities; road preparation by installation of street light using photovoltaic power generation; installation of micro wind power generator at the disaster-prevention base; introduction of biomass energy such as wood pellet stove to public facilities; project of rape blossoms (cultivation of rape/production and consumption of rape oil/recovery of waste cooking oil/BDF). (NEDO)

State cigarette minimum price laws - United States, 2009.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-09

Cigarette price increases reduce the demand for cigarettes and thereby reduce smoking prevalence, cigarette consumption, and youth initiation of smoking. Excise tax increases are the most effective government intervention to increase the price of cigarettes, but cigarette manufacturers use trade discounts, coupons, and other promotions to counteract the effects of these tax increases and appeal to price-sensitive smokers. State cigarette minimum price laws, initiated by states in the 1940s and 1950s to protect tobacco retailers from predatory business practices, typically require a minimum percentage markup to be added to the wholesale and/or retail price. If a statute prohibits trade discounts from the minimum price calculation, these laws have the potential to counteract discounting by cigarette manufacturers. To assess the status of cigarette minimum price laws in the United States, CDC surveyed state statutes and identified those states with minimum price laws in effect as of December 31, 2009. This report summarizes the results of that survey, which determined that 25 states had minimum price laws for cigarettes (median wholesale markup: 4.00%; median retail markup: 8.00%), and seven of those states also expressly prohibited the use of trade discounts in the minimum retail price calculation. Minimum price laws can help prevent trade discounting from eroding the positive effects of state excise tax increases and higher cigarette prices on public health.

Dense downtown living more carbon intense due to higher consumption: a case study of Helsinki

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heinonen, Jukka; Kyroe, Riikka; Junnila, Seppo, E-mail: jukka.heinonen@aalto.fi, E-mail: riikka.kyro@aalto.fi, E-mail: seppo.junnila@aalto.fi [School of Engineering, Department of Surveying, Aalto University, PO Box 11200, 00076 Aalto (Finland)

2011-07-15

Hindering urban sprawl is one of the main goals for contemporary urban planning. Urban density is considered crucial in climate change mitigation since it reduces automobile dependence and decreases unit sizes, for example. This letter analyzes the effect of density in a city context. In the study the Finnish capital Helsinki is divided into two areas of different urban densities: the high density downtown area and the more scarcely populated suburbs. The study is a continuation of a recently published study on the implications of urban structure on carbon emissions, and analyzes further the main finding of the first study-that higher urban density might have negligible or even reverse effect on the per capita carbon emissions. Similarly to the previous study, a consumption based tiered hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) approach is employed in order to produce a comprehensive assessment, free of territorial boundaries and system cutoffs typical of traditional LCAs. Based on the findings of the previous study, it is hypothesized that when assessing city level carbon dioxide emissions from a wider, consumer oriented LCA perspective, increased urban density may not necessarily reduce carbon emissions. Surprisingly, the study finds that carbon dioxide equivalent (CO{sub 2}e) emissions are substantially higher in the dense downtown area than in the surrounding suburbs, which is suggested to imply that the increased consumption due to the higher standard of living increases emissions more than the higher density is able to reduce them. The results demonstrate that, while increasing urban density can be justified from a number of ecological, social and economic viewpoints, density is not necessarily a key parameter in the particular case of climate change. In cities like Helsinki, where wealth is concentrated in the downtown area, climate policies should give higher priority to the energy consumption of buildings, to alternative energy production and distribution modes

Dense downtown living more carbon intense due to higher consumption: a case study of Helsinki

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinonen, Jukka; Kyroe, Riikka; Junnila, Seppo

2011-01-01

Hindering urban sprawl is one of the main goals for contemporary urban planning. Urban density is considered crucial in climate change mitigation since it reduces automobile dependence and decreases unit sizes, for example. This letter analyzes the effect of density in a city context. In the study the Finnish capital Helsinki is divided into two areas of different urban densities: the high density downtown area and the more scarcely populated suburbs. The study is a continuation of a recently published study on the implications of urban structure on carbon emissions, and analyzes further the main finding of the first study-that higher urban density might have negligible or even reverse effect on the per capita carbon emissions. Similarly to the previous study, a consumption based tiered hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) approach is employed in order to produce a comprehensive assessment, free of territorial boundaries and system cutoffs typical of traditional LCAs. Based on the findings of the previous study, it is hypothesized that when assessing city level carbon dioxide emissions from a wider, consumer oriented LCA perspective, increased urban density may not necessarily reduce carbon emissions. Surprisingly, the study finds that carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 e) emissions are substantially higher in the dense downtown area than in the surrounding suburbs, which is suggested to imply that the increased consumption due to the higher standard of living increases emissions more than the higher density is able to reduce them. The results demonstrate that, while increasing urban density can be justified from a number of ecological, social and economic viewpoints, density is not necessarily a key parameter in the particular case of climate change. In cities like Helsinki, where wealth is concentrated in the downtown area, climate policies should give higher priority to the energy consumption of buildings, to alternative energy production and distribution modes, as

Microgradients of microbial oxygen consumption in a barley rhizosphere model system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Højberg, Ole; Sorensen, J.

1993-01-01

A microelectrode technique was used to map the radial distribution of oxygen concentrations and oxygen consumption rates around single roots of 7- day-old barley seedlings. The seedlings were grown in gel-stabilized medium containing a nutrient solution, a soil extract, and an inert polymer. Oxygen...... consumption by microbial respiration in the rhizosphere (30 mm from the root) was determined by using Fick's laws of diffusion and an analytical approach with curve fitting to measured microprofiles of oxygen concentration. A marked increase of microbial respiration...... was observed in the inner 0- to 3-mm-thick, concentric zone around the root (rhizosphere). The volume-specific oxygen consumption rate (specific activity) was thus 30 to 60 times higher in the innermost 0 to 0.01 mm (rhizoplane) than in the bulk medium. The oxygen consumption rate in the root tissue...

Structure and external factors of chinese city airline network

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hong-Kun; Zhang, Xiao-Li; Zhou, Tao

2010-08-01

Abstract We investigate the structural properties of Chinese city airline network (CCAN), where nodes and edges denote cities and direct flights. The degree distribution follows a double power law and a clear hierarchical layout is observed. The population exhibits a weakly positive correlation with the number of flights, yet it does not show obvious correlation with the transportation flow. The distance is an important parameter in CCAN, that is, the number of flights decays fast with the increasing of the distance. In comparison, the tertiary industry has the most important influence on the Chinese air passenger transportation. Statistically speaking, when the tertiary industry value increases by 1%, the next period's volume will increase by 0.73%.

Modeling of Residential Water Demand Using Random Effect Model,Case Study: Arak City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyed Hossein Sajadifar

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The present study tries to apply the “Partial Adjustment Model” and “Random Effect Model” techniques to the Stone-Greay’s linear expenditure system, in order to estimate the "Residential Seasonal Demand" for water in Arak city. Per capita water consumption of family residences is regressed on marginal price, per capita income, price of other goods, average temperature and average rainfall. Panel data approaches based on a sample of 152 observations from Arak city referred to 1993-2003. From the estimation of the Elasticity-price of the residential water demand, we want to know how a policy of responsive pricing can lead to more efficient household water consumption inArakcity. Results also indicated that summer price elasticity was twice the winter and price and income elasticity was less than 1 in all cases.

Using research data to impact consumer protection legislation: lessons learned from CITY100 dissemination efforts.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoerster, Katherine D; Mayer, Joni A

2013-09-01

The Correlates of Indoor Tanning in Youth (CITY100) project evaluated individual, built-environmental, and policy correlates of indoor tanning by adolescents in the 100 most populous US cities. After CITY100's completion, the research team obtained supplemental dissemination funding to strategically share data with stakeholders. The primary CITY100 dissemination message was to encourage state-level banning of indoor tanning among youth. We created a user-friendly website to broadly share the most relevant CITY100 data. Journalists were a primary target audience, as were health organizations that would be well positioned to advocate for legislative change. CITY100 data were used to pass the first US state law to ban indoor tanning among those under 18 (CA, USA), as well as in other legislative advocacy activities. This paper concludes with lessons learned from CITY100 dissemination activities that we hope will encourage more health researchers to proactively address policy implications of their data and to design relevant, effective dissemination strategies.

Influence of smoking and alcohol consumption on admissions and duration of hospitalization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hvidtfeldt, Ulla A; Rasmussen, Søren; Grønbaek, Morten

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have linked smoking and alcohol consumption to a considerable disease burden and large healthcare expenditures. However, findings from studies based on individual level data are sparse and inconclusive. Our objective was to assess the association between alcohol...... consumption, smoking and patterns of hospitalization, defined as admission and duration of hospitalization. METHODS: The study was based on 12 698 men and women, aged 20 years or more, enrolled in the Copenhagen City Heart Study. We related smoking and alcohol to hospital admission from any cause, smoking...

Zipf’s law, 1/f noise, and fractal hierarchy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Yanguang

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► I developed a general scaling method based on hierarchies of cites. ► Hierarchy is classified into three types based on monofractal and multifractals. ► Zipf’s law can be used to estimate the capacity dimension of a multifractal set. ► I derive the self-similar hierarchy from the rank-size distribution. ► The hierarchical scaling method can be applied to the 1/f spectra. - Abstract: Fractals, 1/f noise, and Zipf’s laws are frequently observed within the natural living world as well as in social institutions, representing three signatures of complex systems. All these observations are associated with scaling laws and therefore have created much research interest in many diverse scientific circles. However, the inherent relationships between these scaling phenomena are not yet clear. In this paper, theoretical demonstration and mathematical experiments based on urban studies are employed to reveal the analogy between fractal patterns, 1/f spectra, and the Zipf distribution. First, the multifractal process empirically suggests the Zipf distribution. Second, a 1/f spectrum is mathematically identical to Zipf’s law. Third, both 1/f spectra and Zipf’s law can be converted into a self-similar hierarchy. Fourth, fractals, 1/f spectra, Zipf’s law can be rescaled with similar exponential laws and power laws. The self-similar hierarchy is a more general scaling method which can be used to unify different scaling phenomena and rules in both physical and social systems such as cities, rivers, earthquakes, fractals, 1/f noise, and rank-size distributions. The mathematical laws of this hierarchical structure can provide us with a holistic perspective of looking at complexity and complex systems.

Pattern of structural relationships of the effects of consumption values on product perceived value and purchase intention of chain stores customers

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Chiman Maleki

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In recent years, chain stores have experienced quick growth and used marketing strategies of advertisement and branding to expand their business. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of consumption values on perceived value and purchase intention of customers of Refah Chain Store of Sanandaj City. The present study is survey-description in methodology, and an applied research based on structural equation modeling in objective. Measurement tool is a questionnaire based on Almokarami model (2013 and Kaunas’ (2013 distributed among a sample of 384 people including customers of Refah Chain Store of sanandaji City randomly chosen. Findings of this study indicate a significant relationship between variables of the research and a good fit for the established pattern. Thus, consumption values affect customers’ perceived value, consumption values affect customers’ purchase intention and perceived value affects customers’ purchase intention in Refah Chain Stores of Sanandaj City. Also based on findings of study of figures, significance of research conceptual pattern and good fit for the posed pattern are confirmed.

Surveying the Environmental Footprint of Urban Food Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goldstein, Benjamin Paul; Birkved, Morten; Fernandez, John

2017-01-01

Assessments of urban metabolism (UM) are well situated to identify the scale, components, and direction of urban and energy flows in cities and have been instrumental in benchmarking and monitoring the key levers of urban environmental pressure, such as transport, space conditioning......, and electricity. Hitherto, urban food consumption has garnered scant attention both in UM accounting (typically lumped with “biomass”) and on the urban policy agenda, despite its relevance to local and global environmental pressures. With future growth expected in urban population and wealth, an accounting...... of the environmental footprint from urban food demand (“foodprint”) is necessary. This article reviews 43 UM assessments including 100 cities, and a total of 132 foodprints in terms of mass, carbon footprint, and ecological footprint and situates it relative to other significant environmental drivers (transport...

[Consumption of alcoholic beverages: cultural revolution is necessary].

Science.gov (United States)

Testino, Gianni

2015-11-01

Significant investment in advertising has been made to promote the consumption of alcoholic beverages, but only 0.5% of the GDP is allocated for preventing alcohol use. Although available evidence clearly demonstrates a causal relationship between ethanol and cancer, the perception of risk in the general population remains extremely low. This is partly due to the fact that alcohol consumption is considered as a "normal" habit in our society, mostly as a consequence of the lack of appropriate information. It should also be emphasized the lack of a common language within the healthcare community, in that too often alcohol is identified as a food or a preservative. The fourth edition of the RDA represents a true cultural revolution as it identifies alcohol consumption as a risk, regardless of the amount consumed. Recommended dosages are defined as low-risk dosages. It would be appropriate to correctly apply the Law 125/2001, which provides for inclusion of alcoholism in university education programs.

Carbon footprints of cities and other human settlements in the UK

Science.gov (United States)

Minx, Jan; Baiocchi, Giovanni; Wiedmann, Thomas; Barrett, John; Creutzig, Felix; Feng, Kuishuang; Förster, Michael; Pichler, Peter-Paul; Weisz, Helga; Hubacek, Klaus

2013-09-01

A growing body of literature discusses the CO2 emissions of cities. Still, little is known about emission patterns across density gradients from remote rural places to highly urbanized areas, the drivers behind those emission patterns and the global emissions triggered by consumption in human settlements—referred to here as the carbon footprint. In this letter we use a hybrid method for estimating the carbon footprints of cities and other human settlements in the UK explicitly linking global supply chains to local consumption activities and associated lifestyles. This analysis comprises all areas in the UK, whether rural or urban. We compare our consumption-based results with extended territorial CO2 emission estimates and analyse the driving forces that determine the carbon footprint of human settlements in the UK. Our results show that 90% of the human settlements in the UK are net importers of CO2 emissions. Consumption-based CO2 emissions are much more homogeneous than extended territorial emissions. Both the highest and lowest carbon footprints can be found in urban areas, but the carbon footprint is consistently higher relative to extended territorial CO2 emissions in urban as opposed to rural settlement types. The impact of high or low density living remains limited; instead, carbon footprints can be comparatively high or low across density gradients depending on the location-specific socio-demographic, infrastructural and geographic characteristics of the area under consideration. We show that the carbon footprint of cities and other human settlements in the UK is mainly determined by socio-economic rather than geographic and infrastructural drivers at the spatial aggregation of our analysis. It increases with growing income, education and car ownership as well as decreasing household size. Income is not more important than most other socio-economic determinants of the carbon footprint. Possibly, the relationship between lifestyles and infrastructure only

Carbon footprints of cities and other human settlements in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minx, Jan; Pichler, Peter-Paul; Weisz, Helga; Baiocchi, Giovanni; Wiedmann, Thomas; Barrett, John; Creutzig, Felix; Feng, Kuishuang; Hubacek, Klaus; Förster, Michael

2013-01-01

A growing body of literature discusses the CO 2 emissions of cities. Still, little is known about emission patterns across density gradients from remote rural places to highly urbanized areas, the drivers behind those emission patterns and the global emissions triggered by consumption in human settlements—referred to here as the carbon footprint. In this letter we use a hybrid method for estimating the carbon footprints of cities and other human settlements in the UK explicitly linking global supply chains to local consumption activities and associated lifestyles. This analysis comprises all areas in the UK, whether rural or urban. We compare our consumption-based results with extended territorial CO 2 emission estimates and analyse the driving forces that determine the carbon footprint of human settlements in the UK. Our results show that 90% of the human settlements in the UK are net importers of CO 2 emissions. Consumption-based CO 2 emissions are much more homogeneous than extended territorial emissions. Both the highest and lowest carbon footprints can be found in urban areas, but the carbon footprint is consistently higher relative to extended territorial CO 2 emissions in urban as opposed to rural settlement types. The impact of high or low density living remains limited; instead, carbon footprints can be comparatively high or low across density gradients depending on the location-specific socio-demographic, infrastructural and geographic characteristics of the area under consideration. We show that the carbon footprint of cities and other human settlements in the UK is mainly determined by socio-economic rather than geographic and infrastructural drivers at the spatial aggregation of our analysis. It increases with growing income, education and car ownership as well as decreasing household size. Income is not more important than most other socio-economic determinants of the carbon footprint. Possibly, the relationship between lifestyles and infrastructure

Alcohol consumption and risk of atrial fibrillation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tolstrup, Janne Schurmann; Wium-Andersen, Marie Kim; Ørsted, David Dynnes

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that alcohol consumption, both observational (self-reported) and estimated by genetic instruments, is associated with a risk of atrial fibrillation and to determine whether people with high cardiovascular risk are more sensitive towards...... alcohol than people with low risk. METHODS: We used data for a total of 88,782 men and women from the Copenhagen City Heart Study 1991-1994 and 2001-2003 and the Copenhagen General Population Study 2003-2010. Information on incident cases of atrial fibrillation was obtained from a validated nationwide...... register. As a measure of alcohol exposure, both self-reported consumption and genetic variations in alcohol metabolizing genes (ADH1B/ADH1C) were used as instrumental variables. The endpoint was admission to hospital for atrial fibrillation as recorded in a validated hospital register. RESULTS: A total...

The distance-decay function of geographical gravity model: Power law or exponential law?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Yanguang

2015-01-01

Highlights: •The distance-decay exponent of the gravity model is a fractal dimension. •Entropy maximization accounts for the gravity model based on power law decay. •Allometric scaling relations relate gravity models with spatial interaction models. •The four-parameter gravity models have dual mathematical expressions. •The inverse power law is the most probable distance-decay function. -- Abstract: The distance-decay function of the geographical gravity model is originally an inverse power law, which suggests a scaling process in spatial interaction. However, the distance exponent of the model cannot be reasonably explained with the ideas from Euclidean geometry. This results in a dimension dilemma in geographical analysis. Consequently, a negative exponential function was used to replace the inverse power function to serve for a distance-decay function. But a new puzzle arose that the exponential-based gravity model goes against the first law of geography. This paper is devoted for solving these kinds of problems by mathematical reasoning and empirical analysis. New findings are as follows. First, the distance exponent of the gravity model is demonstrated to be a fractal dimension using the geometric measure relation. Second, the similarities and differences between the gravity models and spatial interaction models are revealed using allometric relations. Third, a four-parameter gravity model possesses a symmetrical expression, and we need dual gravity models to describe spatial flows. The observational data of China's cities and regions (29 elements indicative of 841 data points) in 2010 are employed to verify the theoretical inferences. A conclusion can be reached that the geographical gravity model based on power-law decay is more suitable for analyzing large, complex, and scale-free regional and urban systems. This study lends further support to the suggestion that the underlying rationale of fractal structure is entropy maximization. Moreover

Research and Analysis on Energy Consumption Features of Civil Airports

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bo; Zhang, Wen; Wang, Jianping; Xu, Junku; Su, Jixiang

2017-11-01

Civil aviation is an important part of China’s transportation system, and also the fastest-growing field of comprehensive transportation. Airports, as a key infrastructure of the air transportation system, are the junctions of air and ground transportation. Large airports are generally comprehensive transportation hubs that integrate various modes of transportation, serving as important functional zones of cities. Compared with other transportation hubs, airports cover a wide area, with plenty of functional sections, complex systems and strong specialization, while airport buildings represented by terminals have exhibited characteristics of large space, massive energy consumption, high requirement for safety and comfort, as well as concentrated and rapidly changing passenger flows. Through research and analysis on energy consumption features of civil airports, and analysis on energy consumption features of airports with different sizes or in different climate regions, this article has drawn conclusions therefrom.

Building-related health impacts in European and Chinese cities: a scalable assessment method.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuomisto, Jouni T; Niittynen, Marjo; Pärjälä, Erkki; Asikainen, Arja; Perez, Laura; Trüeb, Stephan; Jantunen, Matti; Künzli, Nino; Sabel, Clive E

2015-12-14

Public health is often affected by societal decisions that are not primarily about health. Climate change mitigation requires intensive actions to minimise greenhouse gas emissions in the future. Many of these actions take place in cities due to their traffic, buildings, and energy consumption. Active climate mitigation policies will also, aside of their long term global impacts, have short term local impacts, both positive and negative, on public health. Our main objective was to develop a generic open impact model to estimate health impacts of emissions due to heat and power consumption of buildings. In addition, the model should be usable for policy comparisons by non-health experts on city level with city-specific data, it should give guidance on the particular climate mitigation questions but at the same time increase understanding on the related health impacts and the model should follow the building stock in time, make comparisons between scenarios, propagate uncertainties, and scale to different levels of detail. We tested The functionalities of the model in two case cities, namely Kuopio and Basel. We estimated the health and climate impacts of two actual policies planned or implemented in the cities. The assessed policies were replacement of peat with wood chips in co-generation of district heat and power, and improved energy efficiency of buildings achieved by renovations. Health impacts were not large in the two cities, but also clear differences in implementation and predictability between the two tested policies were seen. Renovation policies can improve the energy efficiency of buildings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly, but this requires systematic policy sustained for decades. In contrast, fuel changes in large district heating facilities may have rapid and large impacts on emissions. However, the life cycle impacts of different fuels is somewhat an open question. In conclusion, we were able to develop a practical model for city

Consumo de leite de vaca e anemia na infância no Município de São Paulo Cow's milk consumption and childhood anemia in the city of São Paulo, southern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Bertazzi Levy-Costa

2004-12-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar a influência de consumo de leite de vaca sobre o risco de anemia em menores de cinco anos. MÉTODOS: Estudou-se amostra domiciliar de menores de cinco anos do Município de São Paulo (n=584 em 1995 e 1996. O diagnóstico de anemia (hemoglobina OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of the consumption of cow's milk on the risk of anemia during childhood in the city of São Paulo. METHODS: We have studied a probabilistic sample (n=584 of underfive children living in the city of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, between 1995 and 1996. Anemia (hemoglobin <11g/dl was diagnosed using capillary blood obtained by fingertip puncture. The cow's milk content and the density of heme and nonheme iron in the child's diet were obtained using 24-hour recall questionnaires. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to study the association between cow's milk content in the diet and hemoglobin concentration or risk of anemia, and included statistical control for potential confounders (age, sex, birthweight, presence of intestinal parasites, family income, and mother's schooling. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia was 45.2% and the mean contribution of milk to the total caloric content of the children's diets was 22.0%. The association between milk consumption and risk of anemia remained significant, even after considering the dilutive effect of milk consumption on the density of iron in the diet, thus indicating a possible inhibitor effect of milk on the absorption of the iron present in the other foods ingested by the child. CONCLUSIONS: The relative participation of cow's milk in the child's diet showed a significant positive association with risk of anemia in children between ages six and 60 months, regardless of the density of iron in the diet.

Building and household X-factors and energy consumption at the residential sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Estiri, Hossein

2014-01-01

Energy use in residential buildings is one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emission production from cities. Using microdata from the 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), this study applies structural equation modeling to analyze the direct, indirect, and total impacts of household and building characteristics on residential energy consumption. Results demonstrate that the direct impact of household characteristics on residential energy consumption is significantly smaller than the corresponding impact from the buildings. However, accounting for the indirect impact of household characteristics on energy consumption, through choice of the housing unit characteristics, the total impact of households on energy consumption is just slightly smaller than that of buildings. Outcomes of this paper call for smart policies to incorporate housing choice processes in managing residential energy consumption. - Highlights: • Households indirectly influence residential energy use through housing choice. • Households' total impact on energy use is comparable to that of buildings. • Understanding households' indirect impact will enhance residential energy policy. • Smart energy policies are needed to target both direct and indirect effects

Climate impacts on extreme energy consumption of different types of buildings.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingcai; Shi, Jun; Guo, Jun; Cao, Jingfu; Niu, Jide; Xiong, Mingming

2015-01-01

Exploring changes of building energy consumption and its relationships with climate can provide basis for energy-saving and carbon emission reduction. Heating and cooling energy consumption of different types of buildings during 1981-2010 in Tianjin city, was simulated by using TRNSYS software. Daily or hourly extreme energy consumption was determined by percentile methods, and the climate impact on extreme energy consumption was analyzed. The results showed that days of extreme heating consumption showed apparent decrease during the recent 30 years for residential and large venue buildings, whereas days of extreme cooling consumption increased in large venue building. No significant variations were found for the days of extreme energy consumption for commercial building, although a decreasing trend in extreme heating energy consumption. Daily extreme energy consumption for large venue building had no relationship with climate parameters, whereas extreme energy consumption for commercial and residential buildings was related to various climate parameters. Further multiple regression analysis suggested heating energy consumption for commercial building was affected by maximum temperature, dry bulb temperature, solar radiation and minimum temperature, which together can explain 71.5 % of the variation of the daily extreme heating energy consumption. The daily extreme cooling energy consumption for commercial building was only related to the wet bulb temperature (R2= 0.382). The daily extreme heating energy consumption for residential building was affected by 4 climate parameters, but the dry bulb temperature had the main impact. The impacts of climate on hourly extreme heating energy consumption has a 1-3 hour delay in all three types of buildings, but no delay was found in the impacts of climate on hourly extreme cooling energy consumption for the selected buildings.

How efficient is city logistics? Estimating ecological footprints for urban freight deliveries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Munuzuri, J.; Van Duin, J.H.R.; Escudero, A.

2010-01-01

In medium and large cities, the delivery of goods represents a significant contribution to the problems of congestion, lack of parking, pollution and energy consumption. The characteristics of this type of transport are also very different from passenger mobility, even though they are often

Do smoke-free laws affect revenues in pubs and restaurants?

Science.gov (United States)

Melberg, Hans Olav; Lund, Karl E

2012-02-01

In the debate about laws regulating smoking in restaurants and pubs, there has been some controversy as to whether smoke-free laws would reduce revenues in the hospitality industry. Norway presents an interesting case for three reasons. First, it was among the first countries to implement smoke-free laws, so it is possible to assess the long-term effects. Second, it has a cold climate so if there is a negative effect on revenue one would expect to find it in Norway. Third, the data from Norway are detailed enough to distinguish between revenue from pubs and restaurants. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) intervention analysis of bi-monthly observations of revenues in restaurants and pubs show that the law did not have a statistically significant long-term effect on revenue in restaurants or on restaurant revenue as a share of personal consumption. Similar analysis for pubs shows that there was no significant long-run effect on pub revenue.

DETERMINING INDICATORS OF URBAN HOUSEHOLD WATER CONSUMPTION THROUGH MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gledsneli Maria Lima Lins

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Water has a decisive influence on populations’ life quality – specifically in areas like urban supply, drainage, and effluents treatment – due to its sound impact over public health. Water rational use constitutes the greatest challenge faced by water demand management, mainly with regard to urban household water consumption. This makes it important to develop researches to assist water managers and public policy-makers in planning and formulating water demand measures which may allow urban water rational use to be met. This work utilized the multivariate techniques Factor Analysis and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis – in order to determine the participation level of socioeconomic and climatic variables in monthly urban household consumption changes – applying them to two districts of Campina Grande city (State of Paraíba, Brazil. The districts were chosen based on socioeconomic criterion (income level so as to evaluate their water consumer’s behavior. A 9-year monthly data series (from year 2000 up to 2008 was utilized, comprising family income, water tariff, and quantity of household connections (economies – as socioeconomic variables – and average temperature and precipitation, as climatic variables. For both the selected districts of Campina Grande city, the obtained results point out the variables “water tariff” and “family income” as indicators of these district’s household consumption.

Alcohol in the city: wherever and whenever

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xisca Sureda

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Alcohol urban environment has been associated with individual alcohol behaviors. We are constantly exposed to a wide variety of alcohol products, its marketing and promotion and signs of alcohol consumption that may influence alcohol-drinking behaviors. In this photo-essay, we include photographs that visually explain the exposure to alcohol in the urban streetscape of Madrid. These photographs show the pervasiveness of alcohol products in this city, which can be found everywhere at any time.

Consumo e Descarte do Óleo Comestível em um Município do sul de Minas Gerais/ Consumption and Disposal of Edible Oil in a city of Southern Minas Gerais

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia Calixto Novaes

2014-09-01

selected establishments, it was seen that was marketed in the year 2013 425.301 kilograms of oil equivalent to 600,429 liters were sold According to surveys raised in fifteen ecopoints city, the amount of waste cooking oil that has been reused corresponds to only 10.6% of all oil traded in 2013, which represents 45,055 pounds of oil. Discussion: The percentage of oil which is reused in the city is too small considering the amount that is sold. The city has a municipal law for the proper disposal of the waste, however the lack of awareness of the population and also the lack of supervision result in non-compliance with the law, as well as the improper disposal of waste cooking oil. Conclusion: probably much of the residual cooking oil is still disposed of improperly.

(Un-shackling the University in the City

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Ulrike Kistner

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This article examines the relation between the University of Pretoria and the City of Tshwane, outlining seven different kinds of relation as they have taken shape historically. The first type relation between the University and the City presented here, establishes correspondences in public architecture at the height of apartheid modernity, between structures marking and shaping political convergences. The second type of relation is premised on the walling in and fencing off of the University from the City; the Metro musings exhibition inaugurating the ‘Capital Cities’ project looks across the divides thus cemented, from within the confines of the University. The third type of relation is that of ‘Community Engagement’ culminating in the annual Mandela Day activities, impelled by ideas on the Developmental State featuring in the National Development Plan. In the fourth type of relation, corporate models of municipal governance find common cause with the corporate management styles of the University, expressed in corporate partnerships combining a ‘University of Excellence’ with ‘the African City of Excellence’. The strategies envisaged for social intervention emerging from this ‘partnership’ form a sixth type of relation between the University and the City. In the process of pitting property and law against poverty and lawlessness, new civic challenges are emerging for transformative constitutionalism and for the University. In both arenas, this article concludes, what is at stake is a seventh type of relation between the University and the City – outside of the ‘legal’-‘illegal’ distinction. For the University, in particular, this would entail a productive idea of ‘dissensus’.

Exploration and Practice of Green Building Management in Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Sun; Xiaofeng; Song; Kun; Liu; Jinxin

2016-01-01

This paper summarizes the current development status of green building management in China, and analyzes the problems existing in its present management pattern. It fi rstly introduces the background, procedures and achievements gained during the green building practice in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, expounds the principles and methods of the establishment of the green building management system in this Tianjin Eco-City, and then focuses on practical experience and specifi c measures in separate parts of green building management system in the Tianjin EcoCity, which is constituted by laws, regulations and policies, technical standards, management process, product access, etc. Through exploration and practice, it took 8 years for the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City to preliminarily establish a set of management systems which were suited to its own characteristics. By introduction of the management system, this paper aims to provide reference for other cities to carry out green building practice and improve the quality of green buildings in China.

Impact of cutting meat intake on hidden greenhouse gas emissions in an import-reliant city

Science.gov (United States)

Yau, Y. Y.; Thibodeau, B.; Not, C.

2018-06-01

Greenhouse gas emissions embodied in trade is a growing concern for the international community. Multiple studies have highlighted drawbacks in the territorial and production-based accounting of greenhouse gas emissions because it neglects emissions from the consumption of goods in trade. This creates weak carbon leakage and complicates international agreements on emissions regulations. Therefore, we estimated consumption-based emissions using input-output analysis and life cycle assessment to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions hidden in meat and dairy products in Hong Kong, a city predominately reliant on imports. We found that emissions solely from meat and dairy consumption were higher than the city’s total greenhouse gas emissions using conventional production-based calculation. This implies that government reports underestimate more than half of the emissions, as 62% of emissions are embodied in international trade. The discrepancy emphasizes the need of transitioning climate targets and policy to consumption-based accounting. Furthermore, we have shown that dietary change from a meat-heavy diet to a diet in accordance with governmental nutrition guidelines could achieve a 67% reduction in livestock-related emissions, allowing Hong Kong to achieve the Paris Agreement targets for 2030. Consequently, we concluded that consumption-based accounting for greenhouse gas emissions is crucial to target the areas where emissions reduction is realistically achievable, especially for import-reliant cities like Hong Kong.

Clean Cities Now, Vol. 20, No. 2, Winter 2017 - Capitalizing on Core Strengths & New Technologies for Today's Mobility Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2017-01-01

Clean Cities Now is the official semi-annual newsletter of Clean Cities, an initiative designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative and renewable fuels, fuel economy improvements, idle-reduction measures, and new technologies, as they emerge.

Oxygen consumption rates by different oenological tannins in a model wine solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Pascual, Olga; Vignault, Adeline; Gombau, Jordi; Navarro, Maria; Gómez-Alonso, Sergio; García-Romero, Esteban; Canals, Joan Miquel; Hermosín-Gutíerrez, Isidro; Teissedre, Pierre-Louis; Zamora, Fernando

2017-11-01

The kinetics of oxygen consumption by different oenological tannins were measured in a model wine solution using the non-invasive method based on luminiscence. The results indicate that the oxygen consumption rate follows second-order kinetics depending on tannin and oxygen concentrations. They also confirm that the oxygen consumption rate is influenced by temperature in accordance with Arrhenius law. The indications are that ellagitannins are the fastest oxygen consumers of the different oenological tannins, followed in decreasing order by quebracho tannins, skin tannins, seed tannins and finally gallotannins. This methodology can therefore be proposed as an index for determining the effectiveness of different commercial tannins in protecting wines against oxidation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Associations between eating occasions and places of consumption among adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jodi L; Han, Bing; Cohen, Deborah A

2015-04-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether places of consumption are associated with types of eating occasions. Data on dietary behaviors of 226 adults in five U.S. cities were collected in food diaries for one week. Types of eating occasions and places of consumption were recorded. Eating occasions were defined as occurrences of meal, snack, beverage, and non-fruit dessert consumption. Nearly one-third of eating occasions occurred at non-designated eating places. Repeated measure generalized linear models were used to assess the associations between types of eating occasions and places where food was consumed. Snacking on low-nutrient foods were more likely to occur in non-designated eating places. Snacking was more likely at work than at home, and sugar sweetened beverage consumption was more likely at food service outlets than at home. The finding that places of consumption were associated with different types of eating occasions suggests that contextual characteristics of a place are important in individual eating behaviors. Policies and programs aiming to promote healthy eating should leverage contextual characteristics of eating environments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative indicators of fruit and vegetable consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dagmar Kozelová

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The quantitative research of the market is often based on surveys and questionnaires which are finding out the behavior of customers in observed areas. Before purchasing process consumers consider where they will buy fruit and vegetables, what kind to choose and in what quantity of goods. Consumers' behavior is affected by the factors as: regional gastronomic traditions, price, product appearance, aroma, place of buying, own experience and knowledge, taste preferences as well as specific health issues of consumers and others. The consumption of fruit and vegetables brings into the human body biological active substances that favorably affect the health of consumers. In the presented research study we were interested in differences of consumers' behavior in the consumption of fruit and vegetables according to the place of residence and gender. In the survey 200 respondents has participated; their place of residence was city or village. The existence of dependences and statistical significance were examined by selected statistical testing methods. Firstly we analyzed the responses via statistical F-test whether observed random samples have the same variance. Then we applied two-sample unpaired t-test with equal variance and χ2-test of statistical independence. The statistical significance was tested by corresponding p values. Correlations were proved by the Cramer's V coefficient. We found that place of residence has no impact on the respondents' consumption of fruit. The gender of respondents does not affect their consumption of fruit. Equally, the gender does not affect the respondents' consumption of vegetables. Only in one observed case the significant differences proved that the place of respondent residence has impact on the consumption of vegetables. Higher consumption of vegetables is due to the fact that the majority of citizens, who live in villages, have a possibility to grow their own vegetables and, thus, the demand for it in village

Household pathway selection of energy consumption during urbanization process in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Chuanwang; Ouyang, Xiaoling; Cai, Hongbo; Luo, Zhichao; Li, Aijun

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Energy consumption patterns have long-term impacts on energy demand. • We explore determinants and structure of household energy consumption. • Tobit and OLS models are adopted to explore factors influencing energy expenditure. • Residential energy consumption in 2030 is evaluated using scenario analysis. - Abstract: China’s growing energy demand is driven by urbanization. Facing the problem of energy scarcity, residential energy consumption is a crucial area of energy conservation and emissions reduction. Household energy consumption patterns, which are characterized by effects of “path lock-in”, have long-term impacts on China’s energy demand. Based on the survey data, this paper explores factors that influence household energy consumption and analyzes the structure of residential energy consumption in China. Based on the results of analysis of variance (ANOVA), this paper applies the Tobit and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models to investigate impacts of variables of “the tiered pricing for household electricity (TPHE)”, “solar energy usage”, “automobile ownership”, “rural or urban areas”, “household income” and “city scale” on the residential energy expenditure. In addition, household energy consumption is estimated under different scenarios including improving the utilization of solar energy, rise in energy prices and the increase in automobile ownership. Residential energy consumption in 2030 is evaluated by simulating different models for urban development. Policy recommendations are suggested for China’s urban development strategy, new energy development and household pathway selection of energy consumption

Effectiveness of policies maintaining or restricting days of alcohol sales on excessive alcohol consumption and related harms.

Science.gov (United States)

Middleton, Jennifer Cook; Hahn, Robert A; Kuzara, Jennifer L; Elder, Randy; Brewer, Robert; Chattopadhyay, Sajal; Fielding, Jonathan; Naimi, Timothy S; Toomey, Traci; Lawrence, Briana

2010-12-01

Local, state, and national laws and policies that limit the days of the week on which alcoholic beverages may be sold may be a means of reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. The methods of the Guide to Community Preventive Services were used to synthesize scientific evidence on the effectiveness for preventing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms of laws and policies maintaining or reducing the days when alcoholic beverages may be sold. Outcomes assessed in 14 studies that met qualifying criteria were excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms, including motor vehicle injuries and deaths, violence-related and other injuries, and health conditions. Qualifying studies assessed the effects of changes in days of sale in both on-premises settings (at which alcoholic beverages are consumed where purchased) and off-premises settings (at which alcoholic beverages may not be consumed where purchased). Eleven studies assessed the effects of adding days of sale, and three studies assessed the effects of imposing a ban on sales on a given weekend day. The evidence from these studies indicated that increasing days of sale leads to increases in excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms and that reducing the number of days that alcoholic beverages are sold generally decreases alcohol-related harms. Based on these findings, when the expansion of days of sale is being considered, laws and policies maintaining the number of days of the week that alcoholic beverages are sold at on- and off-premises outlets in local, state, and national jurisdictions are effective public health strategies for preventing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Effectiveness of Policies Maintaining or Restricting Days of Alcohol Sales on Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Related Harms

Science.gov (United States)

Middleton, Jennifer Cook; Hahn, Robert A.; Kuzara, Jennifer L.; Elder, Randy; Brewer, Robert; Chattopadhyay, Sajal; Fielding, Jonathan; Naimi, Timothy S.; Toomey, Traci; Lawrence, Briana

2013-01-01

Local, state, and national laws and policies that limit the days of the week on which alcoholic beverages may be sold may be a means of reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. The methods of the Guide to Community Preventive Services were used to synthesize scientific evidence on the effectiveness for preventing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms of laws and policies maintaining or reducing the days when alcoholic beverages may be sold. Outcomes assessed in 14 studies that met qualifying criteria were excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms, including motor vehicle injuries and deaths, violence-related and other injuries, and health conditions. Qualifying studies assessed the effects of changes in days of sale in both on-premises settings (at which alcoholic beverages are consumed where purchased) and off-premises settings (at which alcoholic beverages may not be consumed where purchased). Eleven studies assessed the effects of adding days of sale, and three studies assessed the effects of imposing a ban on sales on a given weekend day. The evidence from these studies indicated that increasing days of sale leads to increases in excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms and that reducing the number of days that alcoholic beverages are sold generally decreases alcohol-related harms. Based on these findings, when the expansion of days of sale is being considered, laws and policies maintaining the number of days of the week that alcoholic beverages are sold at on- and off-premises outlets in local, state, and national jurisdictions are effective public health strategies for preventing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. PMID:21084079

Drinking water quality in a Mexico city university community: perception and preferences.

Science.gov (United States)

Espinosa-García, Ana C; Díaz-Ávalos, Carlos; González-Villarreal, Fernando J; Val-Segura, Rafael; Malvaez-Orozco, Velvet; Mazari-Hiriart, Marisa

2015-03-01

A transversal study was conducted at the University City campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, with the goal of estimating the university community preference for drinking either tap water or bottled water and the reasons for their selection. A representative sample of three university community subpopulations (students, workers/administrative staff, and academic personnel) were interviewed with respect to their water consumption habits. The results showed that 75% of the university community drinks only bottled water and that the consumption of tap water is low. The interviewees responded that the main reason for this preference is the organoleptic features of tap water independent of quality. In general, the participants in this study do not trust the quality of the tap water, which could be caused by the facilities that distribute bottled water encouraging a general disinterest in learning about the origin and management of the tap water that is distributed on campus.

Other history of drug consumption in modernit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo Ornelas Rosa

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The prohibition and control of certain psychoactive substances are perhaps one of the most controversial subjects these days, embracing not only distinct areas such as health, education, public security, politics, law, etc., but also involving moralities conditioned by points of view regarding the understanding of reality. As the construction of different practical speeches around drugs implies the incorporation and reproduction of multiple arguments to the identities of each subject on the logical chaining of areas such as chemistry, neurobiology, medicine, psychology, ethics, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, history, culture, sciences, economy, and politics, amongst others, the debate on the consumption of these substances is eventually surrounded by particular relations between the individuals, groups and communities with the laws established by the States, which seek to corroborate a model of society based on controls. This article is based on a literature review that resulted from a certain genealogy of drugs arising from my doctorate thesis, Graduate Studies Program in Social Science – PEPGCS, Catholic Universityof Sao Paulo – PUC/SP, entitled “Drugs and Biopolitics: Genealogy of Harm Reduction”. It aims to discuss the treatment to drug consumption in modernity in order to not only reflect about this subject, but also deconstruct some myths, mostly conceptual and historic, recurrent on the knowledge grounded on common sense and on the scientific field. Thus we evidence that the selection of forbidden or authorized psychoactive substances, including by medical prescription, is established arbitrarily, without necessarily taking into account its effect in the human body, resulting in subjective choices that deny the sovereignty of individuals over their bodies, delegating this type of ability to the State, which operates by means of the law, legitimated by modern medicine.

78 FR 7393 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; 2014 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

... planning purposes and by the private sector for business decisions. New York is required by city law to have such a survey conducted every three years. Information to be collected includes: age, gender, race...

Infrastructure Shapes Differences in the Carbon Intensities of Chinese Cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Bo; Zhang, Qiang; Davis, Steven J; Ciais, Philippe; Hong, Chaopeng; Li, Meng; Liu, Fei; Tong, Dan; Li, Haiyan; He, Kebin

2018-05-15

The carbon intensity of economic activity, or CO 2 emissions per unit GDP, is a key indicator of the climate impacts of a given activity, business, or region. Although it is well-known that the carbon intensity of countries varies widely according to their level of economic development and dominant industries, few studies have assessed disparities in carbon intensity at the level of cities due to limited availability of data. Here, we present a detailed new inventory of emissions for 337 Chinese cities (every city in mainland China including 333 prefecture-level divisions and 4 province-level cities, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing) in 2013, which we use to evaluate differences of carbon intensity between cities and the causes of those differences. We find that cities' average carbon intensity is 0.84 kg of CO 2 per dollar of gross domestic product (kgCO 2 per $GDP), but individual cities span a large range: from 0.09 to 7.86 kgCO 2 per $GDP (coefficient of variation of 25%). Further analysis of economic and technological drivers of variations in cities' carbon intensity reveals that the differences are largely due to disparities in cities' economic structure that can in turn be traced to past investment-led growth. These patterns suggest that "carbon lock-in" via socio-economic and infrastructural inertia may slow China's efforts to reduce emissions from activities in urban areas. Policy instruments targeted to accelerate the transition of urban economies from investment-led to consumption-led growth may thus be crucial to China meeting both its economic and climate targets.

Tables developed under Task 2A of the commercial energy-consumption data-base-development project. Preliminary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1977-10-20

Survey data are presented in tables for space HVAC, lighting, and water heating systems. Data are given on energy use in: stores; restaurants; food markets by fuel and function; warehouse spaces; office buildings; a sample of 44 New York City office buildings; a New York City office building under various conservation options; financial institutional buildings; laundries; schools and colleges; hospitals. Additional data on Btu consumption per unit of space are included. (MCW)

Optimal Intra-Urban Hierarchy of Activity Centers—A Minimized Household Travel Energy Consumption Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie Zhang

2015-08-01

Full Text Available An intra-urban hierarchy of activity centers interconnected by non-motorized and public transportation is broadly believed to be the ideal urban spatial structure for sustainable cities. However, the proper hinterland area for centers at each level lacks empirical study. Based on the concentric structure of everyday travel distances, working centers, shopping centers, and neighborhood centers are extracted from corresponding types of POIs in 286 Chinese cities at the prefectural level and above. A U-shaped curve between Household Transportation Energy Consumption (HTEC per capita and center density at each of the three levels has been found through regression analysis. An optimal intra-urban hierarchy of activity centers is suggested to construct energy-efficient cities.

Climate impacts on extreme energy consumption of different types of buildings.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingcai Li

Full Text Available Exploring changes of building energy consumption and its relationships with climate can provide basis for energy-saving and carbon emission reduction. Heating and cooling energy consumption of different types of buildings during 1981-2010 in Tianjin city, was simulated by using TRNSYS software. Daily or hourly extreme energy consumption was determined by percentile methods, and the climate impact on extreme energy consumption was analyzed. The results showed that days of extreme heating consumption showed apparent decrease during the recent 30 years for residential and large venue buildings, whereas days of extreme cooling consumption increased in large venue building. No significant variations were found for the days of extreme energy consumption for commercial building, although a decreasing trend in extreme heating energy consumption. Daily extreme energy consumption for large venue building had no relationship with climate parameters, whereas extreme energy consumption for commercial and residential buildings was related to various climate parameters. Further multiple regression analysis suggested heating energy consumption for commercial building was affected by maximum temperature, dry bulb temperature, solar radiation and minimum temperature, which together can explain 71.5 % of the variation of the daily extreme heating energy consumption. The daily extreme cooling energy consumption for commercial building was only related to the wet bulb temperature (R2= 0.382. The daily extreme heating energy consumption for residential building was affected by 4 climate parameters, but the dry bulb temperature had the main impact. The impacts of climate on hourly extreme heating energy consumption has a 1-3 hour delay in all three types of buildings, but no delay was found in the impacts of climate on hourly extreme cooling energy consumption for the selected buildings.

Monitoring MDMA metabolites in urban wastewater as novel biomarkers of consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

González-Mariño, Iria; Zuccato, Ettore; Santos, Miquel M; Castiglioni, Sara

2017-05-15

Consumption of 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has been always estimated by measuring the parent substance through chemical analysis of wastewater. However, this may result in an overestimation of the use if the substance is directly disposed in sinks or toilets. Using specific urinary metabolites may overcome this limitation. This study investigated for the first time the suitability of a panel of MDMA metabolites as biomarkers of consumption, considering the specific criteria recently proposed, i.e. being detectable and stable in wastewater, being excreted in a known percentage in urine, and having human excretion as the sole source. A new analytical method was developed and validated for the extraction and analysis of MDMA and three of its main metabolites in wastewater. 24-h composite raw wastewater samples from three European cities were analysed and MDMA use was back-calculated. Results from single MDMA loads, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA) loads and from the sum of MDMA, HMMA and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine (HMA) loads were in line with the well-known recreational use of this drug: consumption was higher during the weekend in all cities. HMMA and HMA turned out to be suitable biomarkers of consumption; however, concentrations measured in wastewater did not resemble the expected pharmacokinetic profiles, quite likely due to the very limited information available on excretion profiles. Different options were tested to back-calculate MDMA use, including the sum of MDMA and its metabolites, to balance the biases associated with each single substance. Nevertheless, additional pharmacokinetic studies are urgently needed in order to get more accurate excretion rates and, therefore, improve the estimates of MDMA use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Towards a comprehensive system of methodological considerations for cities' climate targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kramers, Anna; Wangel, Josefin; Johansson, Stefan; Höjer, Mattias; Finnveden, Göran; Brandt, Nils

2013-01-01

Climate targets for cities abound. However, what these targets really imply is dependent on a number of decisions regarding system boundaries and methods of calculation. In order to understand and compare cities' climate targets, there is a need for a generic and comprehensive framework of key methodological considerations. This paper identifies eight key methodological considerations for the different choices that can be made when setting targets for GHG emissions in a city and arranges them in four categories: temporal scope of target, object for target setting, unit of target, and range of target. To explore how target setting is carried out in practice, the climate targets of eight European cities were analysed. The results showed that these targets cover only a limited part of what could be included. Moreover, the cities showed quite limited awareness of what is, or could be, include in the targets. This makes comparison and benchmarking between cities difficult. - Highlights: • Cities' climate targets are almost impossible to compare and benchmark. • There is a need for consistent protocols and frameworks supporting target setting. • A framework with key methodological considerations for cities' climate targets is identified. • The framework is used to explore the climate targets for eight European cities. • The difference between production- and consumption based accounting is illustrated in a new way

US cities can manage national hydrology and biodiversity using local infrastructure policy.

Science.gov (United States)

McManamay, Ryan A; Surendran Nair, Sujithkumar; DeRolph, Christopher R; Ruddell, Benjamin L; Morton, April M; Stewart, Robert N; Troia, Matthew J; Tran, Liem; Kim, Hyun; Bhaduri, Budhendra L

2017-09-05

Cities are concentrations of sociopolitical power and prime architects of land transformation, while also serving as consumption hubs of "hard" water and energy infrastructures. These infrastructures extend well outside metropolitan boundaries and impact distal river ecosystems. We used a comprehensive model to quantify the roles of anthropogenic stressors on hydrologic alteration and biodiversity in US streams and isolate the impacts stemming from hard infrastructure developments in cities. Across the contiguous United States, cities' hard infrastructures have significantly altered at least 7% of streams, which influence habitats for over 60% of North America's fish, mussel, and crayfish species. Additionally, city infrastructures have contributed to local extinctions in 260 species and currently influence 970 indigenous species, 27% of which are in jeopardy. We find that ecosystem impacts do not scale with city size but are instead proportionate to infrastructure decisions. For example, Atlanta's impacts by hard infrastructures extend across four major river basins, 12,500 stream km, and contribute to 100 local extinctions of aquatic species. In contrast, Las Vegas, a similar size city, impacts cities have local policy choices that can reduce future impacts to regional aquatic ecosystems as they grow. By coordinating policy and communication between hard infrastructure sectors, local city governments and utilities can directly improve environmental quality in a significant fraction of the nation's streams reaching far beyond their city boundaries.

The Role of Cellars in Reducing Energy Consumption in the Residential Architecture of Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossein Soltanzadeh

2015-03-01

Full Text Available According to research, between 15 to 20 percent of the total energy consumption of every country is used for residential spaces. This amount is explanatory of the high cost and will follow the destruction of natural resources and environmental demolition. The aim of this research is to recognize earth thermal ability and its usage in public buildings and especially in private buildings in order to reduce energy consumption which can lead to huge savings in natural resources. It is intended to pay attention to the role of cellars as underground spaces in reducing energy consumption in residential spaces in this research. Cellars which are one of the climatic elements were very useful in residential spaces in the past and underground spaces in cities and public spaces are using in the contemporary era. Native Iranian architecture has exclusive features in residential spaces. One of the reducing energy consumption techniques is using ground depth and underground spaces in private and public buildings. Pit gardens, Shovadan, aqueducts, lavers, cellars with natural abilities in coldness, warmness and support are examples of underground space uses (providing cooling, heating and storing food and goods in Iranian cities. The Main questions of this research are: what the role of undergrounds or cellars was in native Iranian architecture and how impressionable it was in reducing energy consumption. The theoretical framework of this study indicates that several factors had positive impacts on reducing energy consumption in cellars. To do this research, descriptive-analytical methods were uses and were analyzed according to case studies in Qazvin houses. The results of this study reveal that cellars had a main role in human thermal comfort and they caused reducing energy consumption in residential and even public spaces. Also, several factors such as the cellar's depth, height and dimensions had impacts on the reduction amount of energy consumption and the

Methods for Analysis of Urban Energy Systems: A New York City Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Bianca

This dissertation describes methods developed for analysis of the New York City energy system. The analysis specifically aims to consider the built environment and its' impacts on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Several contributions to the urban energy systems literature were made. First, estimates of annual energy intensities of the New York building stock were derived using a statistical analysis that leveraged energy consumption and tax assessor data collected by the Office of the Mayor. These estimates provided the basis for an assessment of the spatial distribution of building energy consumption. The energy consumption estimates were then leveraged to estimate the potential for combined heat and power (CHP) systems in New York City at both the building and microgrid scales. In aggregate, given the 2009 non-baseload GHG emissions factors for electricity production, these systems could reduce citywide GHG emissions by 10%. The operational characteristics of CHP systems were explored further considering different prime movers, climates, and GHG emissions factors. A combination of mixed integer linear programing and controlled random search algorithms were the methods used to determine the optimal capacity and operating strategies for the CHP systems under the various scenarios. Lastly a multi-regional unit commitment model of electricity and GHG emissions production for New York State was developed using data collected from several publicly available sources. The model was used to estimate average and marginal GHG emissions factors for New York State and New York City. The analysis found that marginal GHG emissions factors could reduce by 30% to 370 g CO2e/kWh in the next 10 years.

Nuclear Energy Law and Arbo Law/Safety Law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eijnde, J.G. van den

1986-01-01

The legal aspects of radiation protection in the Netherlands are described. Radiation protection is regulated mainly in the Nuclear Energy Law. The Arbo Law also has some sections about radiation protection. The interaction between both laws is discussed. (Auth.)

CIUDADES PARALELAS. EL NEGATIVO DE LA CIUDAD / Parallel cities. The negative of the city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco Javier Montero-Fernández

2016-05-01

Full Text Available RESUMEN Las ocultaciones de la realidad nos permite de alguna manera pensar en los valores de la ciudad capaces de convertirse en sus identidades y motores de su habitabilidad. La ciudad no debe pensarse en claves que conduzcan a su consumo irracional hata el extremo que se deterioren y conviertan en algo que no eran. La habitabilidad debe ser medida por la identidad de los habitantes con su ciudad y debemos reconocer el calor de los invisibles "paseantes" que son capaces de identificar los valores urbanos de nuestras sociedades frente a la gestión privada que las administraciones hacen de lo público. La ciudad la hacemos todos habitandola pero no devorandola, destruyendola. Tomar conciencia de estas cuestiones abre una puerta de esperanza hacia el futuro porque marca nuevos rumbos. SUMMARY Somehow, the occultations of reality allow us to think about the values of the city capable of becoming their identities and their habitability engines. The city should not be considered with keys that lead to irrational consumption to the extent that deteriorate and become something that they were not. Habitability must be measured by the identity of the inhabitants with their city and we must recognize the value of the invisible “walkers” who are able to identify the urban capacity of our societies against the“private management” that the public administration normally does, for example with the tourism. All of us together make up the city, inhabiting it but not devouring to destroying it. Be aware of these issues opens a door of hope towards the future because it marks new directions.

Food Consumption Patterns in Relation to Life Styles of In-migrant Negro Families.

Science.gov (United States)

Jerome, Norge W.

This paper discusses the relevance of sociocultural characterization to an understanding of the food consumption patterns of families headed by inmigrant Negro manual workers in the central city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Field techniques employed in ethnological studies and in dietary surveys were followed in this study. The original population…

Consumption of, and beliefs about fonio (digitaria exilis) in urban area in Mali

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fanou, N.; Koreissi, Y.; Dossa, R.A.M.; Brouwer, I.D.

2009-01-01

The study sought to determine beliefs and practices about neglected crops in West Africa, using fonio (Digitaria exilis) as a model to understand how obstacles impede the consumption of this cereal in Bamako, the capital city of Mali. This was a crosssectional study on food ethnography in three

3D city models as a basis for heat demand simulations; 3D-Stadtmodelle als Grundlage fuer Waermebedarfssimulationen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulte, Claudia; Coors, Volker; Eicker, Ursula [Hochschule fuer Technik (HFT), Stuttgart (Germany)

2012-07-01

The biggest potential for heat consumption reduction and CO2 emission reduction in Germany is in older buildings. By applying innovative modernization concepts, primary energy consumption could be reduced by 80 percent. Planning of modernisation and energy concepts requires data on the current status. HFT Stuttgart developed a promising method for assessing heat consumption according to DIN 18599 of urban districts on the basis of 3D models of buildings (CityGML). The method is presented and explained here.

Urban archetypes project: community case study: the City of Regina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

A comparative analysis of the energy consumption of typical households in four neighbourhoods in the city of Regina is presented. Representative household annual energy inputs and services are summarized in Sankey-style graphics. Depending on consumption in common house and apartment types within the study areas in Regina, energy costs ranged from $1,424 to $4,141 per year for the combined use of natural gas and electricity. Associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ranged from 8.5 to 11.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year. Average annual household vehicle kilometres travelled ranged from 12 400 to 45 200 km.

Decreasing of energy consumption for space heating in existing residential buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stamov, S.; Zlateva, M.; Gechkov, N.

2000-01-01

An analysis is for the technical possibilities for reducing the energy consumption in existing buildings by means of the heat control and measurement. The basic performances of the heat capacity control methods, of the hierarchy structure of the control and of the heat measurement technologies are presented. This paper also presents the results from the long-term investigation of energy consumption for heating. The results area consist of three typical and uniform buildings in the city of Kazanlak (Bulgaria). The outcome of the investigation provides a valuable basis for future decisions to be made concerning reconstruction of heating installations and enables the results to be transferred. (Authors)

Towards a seascape typology. I. Zipf versus Pareto laws

Science.gov (United States)

Seuront, Laurent; Mitchell, James G.

Two data analysis methods, referred to as the Zipf and Pareto methods, initially introduced in economics and linguistics two centuries ago and subsequently used in a wide range of fields (word frequency in languages and literature, human demographics, finance, city formation, genomics and physics), are described and proposed here as a potential tool to classify space-time patterns in marine ecology. The aim of this paper is, first, to present the theoretical bases of Zipf and Pareto laws, and to demonstrate that they are strictly equivalent. In that way, we provide a one-to-one correspondence between their characteristic exponents and argue that the choice of technique is a matter of convenience. Second, we argue that the appeal of this technique is that it is assumption-free for the distribution of the data and regularity of sampling interval, as well as being extremely easy to implement. Finally, in order to allow marine ecologists to identify and classify any structure in their data sets, we provide a step by step overview of the characteristic shapes expected for Zipf's law for the cases of randomness, power law behavior, power law behavior contaminated by internal and external noise, and competing power laws illustrated on the basis of typical ecological situations such as mixing processes involving non-interacting and interacting species, phytoplankton growth processes and differential grazing by zooplankton.

Report on the initial-stage survey of the new energy vision of the Izumi city area; 2001 nendo Izumi shi chiiki shin energy vision shoki dankai chosa hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-02-01

For the purpose of promoting the introduction of new energy and enhancing the awareness of it in Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, an investigational study was conducted of the structure of energy consumption, existence amount of new energy, subjects in utilization of new energy, etc. The energy consumption amount of the city is increasing mostly in electric power in the residential sector, but is decreasing in the business sector and industrial sector. It is leveling off in the transportation sector, but only the consumption amount of gasoline is markedly increasing. In the potential amount of new energy utilization in the city, the rate of solar energy/clean energy vehicles was high. As a result of the study, the following were made clear: It is effective to introduce new energy mostly used for citizen such as the household use photovoltaic power system/solar heat use hot water supplier/hybrid private car. Of waste energy, wind energy, biomass energy and temperature difference energy, it is effective for city to take the initiative in introducing them. It is effective for city/proprietor to introduce the natural gas cogeneration. (NEDO)

Global patterns of city size distributions and their fundamental drivers.

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Ethan H Decker

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Urban areas and their voracious appetites are increasingly dominating the flows of energy and materials around the globe. Understanding the size distribution and dynamics of urban areas is vital if we are to manage their growth and mitigate their negative impacts on global ecosystems. For over 50 years, city size distributions have been assumed to universally follow a power function, and many theories have been put forth to explain what has become known as Zipf's law (the instance where the exponent of the power function equals unity. Most previous studies, however, only include the largest cities that comprise the tail of the distribution. Here we show that national, regional and continental city size distributions, whether based on census data or inferred from cluster areas of remotely-sensed nighttime lights, are in fact lognormally distributed through the majority of cities and only approach power functions for the largest cities in the distribution tails. To explore generating processes, we use a simple model incorporating only two basic human dynamics, migration and reproduction, that nonetheless generates distributions very similar to those found empirically. Our results suggest that macroscopic patterns of human settlements may be far more constrained by fundamental ecological principles than more fine-scale socioeconomic factors.

Towards Safer Seafood: What Indonesian Law Should “Say” about Mercury-Contaminated Fish

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Margaretha Quina

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Fish is a popular culinary dish in Indonesian culture and a major economic resource on which many people depend their livelihood. However, with severe pollution in Indonesian water, including uncontrolled mercury pollution which persists in the food chain and eventually gets into humans’ body as the top predator, fish safety is particularly worrying – especially taking into account the frequency of average Indonesians’ consumption of fish. In various jurisdictions, the management tool used by lawmakers and regulators with regard to this issue is information disclosure, or known as “fish advisory warning,” to cover the failure of command and control. This paper analyses whether Indonesian laws have provided the mandate or authority to issue fish advisory warning under Fishery Law, Food Law, Environmental Protection and Management Law, and Public Information Disclosure Law. It concluded that Indonesian law implies a statutory mandate for the government to issue fish advisory warning, at least in a situation involving the threat to general life – not specifically through the Fishery Law, Food Law, or EPML, but through PIDL’s immediate information mandate.  

Green Eco-Driving Effects in Non-Congested Cities

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Juan Francisco Coloma

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Despite technological advances in engines and fuels, the transportation sector is still one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gas (GHG. Driving patterns, including eco-driving techniques, are a complementary measure for saving GHG emissions. Most eco-driving studies so far have been conducted in large cities suffering chronic congestion problems. The aim of this research is therefore to analyse the potential of driver behaviour for reducing emissions in a small non-congested city. Driver performance parameters such as travel speeds, number of stops, revolutions per minute, and maximum acceleration-deceleration are also studied. The methodology is designed to measure the effect of both eco-driving and eco-routing under real traffic conditions. A campaign was carried out in the city of Caceres (Spain to collect data on various types of roads under different traffic conditions. This research concludes that eco-driving leads to CO2 savings on all routes and road types of 17% in gasoline engines and 21% in diesel, although travel times are increased by 7.5% on average. The shortest route is also the most ecological, regardless of the traffic volume and characteristics, implying that consumption in non-congested cities depends mainly on distance travelled rather than driving patterns in terms of number of stops, speed and acceleration.

Comparison of CO2 Emissions Data for 30 Cities from Different Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Nakagawa, Y.; Koide, D.; Ito, A.; Saito, M.; Hirata, R.

2017-12-01

Many sources suggest that cities account for a large proportion of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, in search for the best ways to reduce total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, a focus on the city emission is crucial. In this study, we collected CO2 emissions data in 30 cities during 1990-2015 and evaluated the degree of variance between data sources. The CO2 emissions data were obtained from academic papers, municipal reports, and high-resolution emissions maps (CIDIACv2016, EDGARv4.2, ODIACv2016, and FFDASv2.0). To extract urban CO2 emissions from the high-resolution emissions maps, urban fraction ranging from 0 to 1 was calculated for each 1×1 degree grid cell using the global land cover data (SYNMAP). Total CO2 emissions from the grid cells in which urban fraction occupies greater than or equal to 0.9 were regarded as urban CO2 emissions. The estimated CO2 emissions varied greatly depending on the information sources, even in the same year. There was a large difference between CO2 emissions collected from academic papers, municipal reports, and those extracted from high-resolution emissions maps. One reason is that they use different city boundaries. That is, the city proper (i.e. the political city boundary) is often defined as the city boundary in academic papers and municipal reports, whereas the urban area is used in the high-resolution emissions maps. Furthermore, there was a large variation in CO2 emissions collected from academic papers and municipal reports. These differences may be due to the difference in the assumptions such as allocation ratio of CO2 emissions to producers and consumers. In general, the consumption-based assignment of emissions gives higher estimates of urban CO2 emission in comparison with production-based assignment. Furthermore, there was also a large variation in CO2 emissions extracted from high-resolution emissions maps. This difference would be attributable to differences in information used

Proper Consumption of Sugary Drinks and its Association with Adolescent Girls’ Knowledge and Skill

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Ali Ramezankhani

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Changes in the nutritional behaviors from consumption of traditional nutriments to intakes of high energy, concerned in powering the increasing problem in adolescents and children's obesity. The current study intended to evaluate Proper consumption of sugary drinks and its association with adolescent girls’ knowledge and skill in Shahr-e-kord city, Iran.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out on girl's students in Shahr-e-kord city. Using random sampling method and based on sampling size formula, a total of 308 of the girls students were randomly selected from the schools and were registered into the study. Then they received a research-made questionnaire containing questions about the knowledge, skill and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 18.0 by ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient.Results: The mean age of the participating adolescent girls was 13.86 ± 1.3 years old. The mean score for knowledge was 36.53 ± 21.87 and the mean score for the skill of preparing and consumption of sugar free drinks was 35.77 ± 24.67. The average amount of daily consumption of sugary drinks among studied adolescent girls was 2.95 glasses.There was a direct significant association between students’ knowledge and skill (P = 0.002, r = 0.182, There was also a significant reverse association between adolescents’ skill(P = 0. 006 r = -0.228 and knowledge (P = 0. 05 r = -0.322 with consumption of sugary drinks.Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, to increase the consumption of valuable foods and improving adolescents’ nutritional habits, more attention should be paid to the health education and promotion and by using effective relevant patterns and theories.

Monitoring work at decontamination in Fukushima city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Kazuyuki

2013-01-01

The author has been working at the decontamination site of Fukushima residences as a radiation monitor since Feb. 2012 for about 1 year, of which experiences are reported here. The decontamination conducted was legally based on the Act on Special Measures concerning the contamination by Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Mar. 2011, and on other national, municipal related laws and guidelines. Fukushima city planned to conduct the decontamination for coming 5 years from Oct. 2011 to reduce its ambient dose rate to 9 sites within a residence. The work was managed with monitoring result cards and photographs. The definition of contamination to be cleared was against the dose rate of garden ground surface >30 Bq/cm 2 and of ambient at 1 m height 0.5-2 mc-Sv/h, the latter of which was aimed at reducing to <1 mc-Sv/h and the ambient at 1 cm height, to <0.4 mc-Sv. The ambient dose rate after decontamination of 717 residences has been found decreased to about a half (36-73% of doses before the work). Radiation hazard protection of workers was managed with the health examination defined by the law, education and pocket dosimeter: the exposure dose of the decontamination workers has been found to be about 5 mc-Sv/day. Finally, the report presents comments of thoughts and resolves of the city, executing trader, executer and monitoring staff. (T.T.)

The Konrad mine. No more recourse to law?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, Horst

2010-01-01

The constitutional guarantee in Article 19, Para. 4 of the Basic Law, expressed as a fundamental right, implies that everybody whose rights were violated by public action may have recourse to law. These constitutional principles, of course, also apply to the execution of atomic laws and to resorting to courts of law against actions by federal and state authorities under the Atomic Energy Act. This guaranteed recourse to law may, even if possibilities of so-called immediate execution of decisions by authorities are employed, lead to proceedings dragging on for years but, in the end, will result in legal certainty. The plans approval decision about construction and operation of the Konrad Mine as a repository for radioactive waste was passed in May/June 2002 and, as expected, became the subject of litigation. In late March 2007, the Federal Administrative Court rejected the complaints on very detailed grounds. This constituted the end of the legal measures open under administrative law. In the German system of legal redress, this then leaves everybody the possibility to bring a complaint for unconstitutionality to the Federal Constitutional Court, provided a violation of basic rights is claimed. This approach was taken by 2 complaining parties. The complaint for unconstitutionality by the city of Salzgitter was rejected in a decision of non-acceptance in February 2008. On November 26, 2009, the Federal Constitutional Court reported that it had unanimously decided not to accept the complaint of unconstitutionality on November 10. This decision of non-acceptance by the Federal Constitutional Court must be seen both in a confirmatory light 'after Konrad' and in a sense of anticipation 'before Gorleben'. This completes the possibilities of having recourse to law in Germany. The only course remaining open is to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, which is what the private prosecutor had announced earlier. (orig.)

Prevalence of smoking and other smoking related behaviors reported by the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS in four Peruvian cities

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Warren Charles W

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction In 2004, Peru ratified the Health Organization (WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC and in 2006 passed Law 28705 for tobacco consumption and exposure reduction. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS provides data on youth tobacco use for development of tobacco control programs. Findings from the GYTS conducted in four main cities in Peru in 2000 and 2003 are reported in this paper and can be used to monitor provisions of the WHO FCTC. Methods The GYTS is a school-based survey that uses a standardized methodology for sampling, questionnaire construction, field procedures, and data management. In total, 5,332 and 7,824 students aged 13 to 15 years participated in the 2000 and 2003 surveys conducted in Huancayo, Lima, Tarapoto and Trujillo. Results In both years, Lima had the highest lifetime (54.6% and 59.6% and current use of tobacco (18.6% and 19.2% of the four cities. According to gender, boys smoked more than girls and less than 20% of students initiated smoking before the age of 10. Among smokers, more than 60% bought their cigarettes in a store with no restriction for their age, and approximately 12% had ever been offered "free cigarettes". Around 90% of students were in favor of banning smoking in public places. Changes between 2000 and 2003 included an increase in the percentage of smokers who wanted to have a cigarette first thing in the morning in Tarapoto (from 0% to 1.2% and a decrease in exposure to tobacco at home in Huancayo (from 23.7% to 17.8% and Trujillo (from 27.8% to 19.8% Conclusion While few changes in tobacco use among youth have been observed in the GYTS in Peru, the data in this report can be used as baseline measures for future evaluation efforts. At this time, tobacco control efforts in Peru need to focus on enhancing Law 28705 to include enforcement of existing provisions and inclusion of new laws and regulations. Most of these provisions are required of all countries, such as Peru

Utilization of Local Law Enforcement Aerial Resources in Consequence Management (CM) Response

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wasiolek, Piotr T.; Malchow, Russell L.

2013-03-12

During the past decade the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was instrumental in enhancing the nation’s ability to detect and prevent a radiological or nuclear attack in the highest risk cities. Under the DHS Securing the Cities initiative, nearly 13,000 personnel in the New York City region have been trained in preventive radiological and nuclear detection operations, and nearly 8,500 pieces of radiological detection equipment have been funded. As part of the preventive radiological/nuclear detection (PRND) mission, several cities have received funding to purchase commercial aerial radiation detection systems. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Aerial Measuring System (AMS) program started providing Mobile Aerial Radiological Surveillance (MARS) training to such assets, resulting in over 150 HAZMAT teams’ officers and pilots from 10 law enforcement organizations and fire departments being trained in the aerial radiation detection. From the beginning, the MARS training course covered both the PRND and consequence management (CM) missions. Even if the law enforcement main focus is PRND, their aerial assets can be utilized in the collection of initial radiation data for post-event radiological CM response. Based on over 50 years of AMS operational experience and information collected during MARS training, this presentation will focus on the concepts of CM response using aerial assets as well as utilizing law enforcement/fire department aerial assets in CM. Also discussed will be the need for establishing closer relationships between local jurisdictions’ aerial radiation detection capabilities and state and local radiation control program directors, radiological health department managers, etc. During radiological events these individuals may become primary experts/advisers to Incident Commanders for radiological emergency response, especially in the early stages of a response. The knowledge of the existence

Metabolic heat production by human and animal populations in cities

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Iain D.; Kennedy, Chris A.

2017-07-01

Anthropogenic heating from building energy use, vehicle fuel consumption, and human metabolism is a key term in the urban energy budget equation. Heating from human metabolism, however, is often excluded from urban energy budgets because it is widely observed to be negligible. Few reports for low-latitude cities are available to support this observation, and no reports exist on the contribution of domestic animals to urban heat budgets. To provide a more comprehensive view of metabolic heating in cities, we quantified all terms of the anthropogenic heat budget at metropolitan scale for the world's 26 largest cities, using a top-down statistical approach. Results show that metabolic heat release from human populations in mid-latitude cities (e.g. London, Tokyo, New York) accounts for 4-8% of annual anthropogenic heating, compared to 10-45% in high-density tropical cities (e.g. Cairo, Dhaka, Kolkata). Heat release from animal populations amounts to <1% of anthropogenic heating in all cities. Heat flux density from human and animal metabolism combined is highest in Mumbai—the world's most densely populated megacity—at 6.5 W m-2, surpassing heat production by electricity use in buildings (5.8 W m-2) and fuel combustion in vehicles (3.9 W m-2). These findings, along with recent output from global climate models, suggest that in the world's largest and most crowded cities, heat emissions from human metabolism alone can force measurable change in mean annual temperature at regional scale.

Metabolic heat production by human and animal populations in cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Iain D; Kennedy, Chris A

2017-07-01

Anthropogenic heating from building energy use, vehicle fuel consumption, and human metabolism is a key term in the urban energy budget equation. Heating from human metabolism, however, is often excluded from urban energy budgets because it is widely observed to be negligible. Few reports for low-latitude cities are available to support this observation, and no reports exist on the contribution of domestic animals to urban heat budgets. To provide a more comprehensive view of metabolic heating in cities, we quantified all terms of the anthropogenic heat budget at metropolitan scale for the world's 26 largest cities, using a top-down statistical approach. Results show that metabolic heat release from human populations in mid-latitude cities (e.g. London, Tokyo, New York) accounts for 4-8% of annual anthropogenic heating, compared to 10-45% in high-density tropical cities (e.g. Cairo, Dhaka, Kolkata). Heat release from animal populations amounts to heating in all cities. Heat flux density from human and animal metabolism combined is highest in Mumbai-the world's most densely populated megacity-at 6.5 W m -2 , surpassing heat production by electricity use in buildings (5.8 W m -2 ) and fuel combustion in vehicles (3.9 W m -2 ). These findings, along with recent output from global climate models, suggest that in the world's largest and most crowded cities, heat emissions from human metabolism alone can force measurable change in mean annual temperature at regional scale.

Determinants of tobacco use and prevalence of oral precancerous lesions in cab drivers in Bengaluru City, India

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Punith Shetty

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Tobacco is a most important risk factor for various types of cancer as well as some noncommunicable disease. Around 34.6% of Indian population consume tobacco. The tobacco consumption is higher in some vulnerable population such as drivers, daily wage laborers, and policemen. Tobacco consumption is known to cause oral cancers, and screening for oral cancer in these individuals is known to reduce mortality from cancer. The study was designed to assess the determinants of tobacco use and the prevalence of oral precancerous lesions in cab drivers. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study among cab drivers at prepaid taxi counters in Bengaluru city. A total of 450 cab drivers were enrolled in the study, of which 225 cab drivers were interviewed during morning hours and remaining half at night time using a semi-structured questionnaire. All were screened for oral cancer/precancerous lesions. Results: Nearly 70.88% of cab drivers were consuming tobacco in any form. Long working hours, working at night, and family members consuming tobacco were significant risk factors for tobacco use among cab drivers. Forty-eight drivers were detected to have oral precancerous lesions. Conclusions: It was very evident that long hours of driving and infrequent shifts played a greater role in acquiring the habit. Behavioral counseling and new laws need to be formed to limit the working hours in drivers to have an effective tobacco control.

Opportunities for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Multi-Modal Intra-City Freight Movement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walkowicz, Kevin; Duran, Adam

2017-07-06

This poster focuses on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's analysis of opportunities for freight movement energy savings via optimization and integration of existing/emerging intra-city goods delivery modes as well as an assessment of the efficacy and energy consumption impact of new technologies.

Use of pharmacy data to evaluate smoking regulations' impact on sales of nicotine replacement therapies in New York City.

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger, Kristina B; Mostashari, Farzad; Kerker, Bonnie D

2005-06-01

Recently, New York City and New York State increased cigarette excise taxes and New York City implemented a smoke-free workplace law. To assess the impact of these policies on smoking cessation in New York City, we examined over-the-counter sales of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products. Pharmacy sales data were collected in real time as part of nontraditional surveillance activities. We used Poisson generalized estimating equations to analyze the effect of smoking-related policies on pharmacy-specific weekly sales of nicotine patches and gum. We assessed effect modification by pharmacy location. We observed increases in NRT product sales during the weeks of the cigarette tax increases and the smoke-free workplace law. Pharmacies in low-income areas generally had larger and more persistent increases in response to tax increases than those in higher-income areas. Real-time monitoring of existing nontraditional surveillance data, such as pharmacy sales of NRT products, can help assess the effects of public policies on cessation attempts. Cigarette tax increases and smoke-free workplace regulations were associated with increased smoking cessation attempts in New York City, particularly in low-income areas.

The analysis of clean water demand for land use optimization based on water resource balance in Balikpapan city

Science.gov (United States)

Ghozali, Achmad; Yanti, Rossana Margaret Kadar

2017-11-01

Balikpapan city has transformed from oil city to trade and industry center. In the last 5 years, industry and trade sectors experienced annual economic growth by more than 25%, while mining had only 0.05%. This condition raised a strong economic attraction which increased urban activities and population growth, especially urbanization process. Nevertheless, the growth of the city had a challenge in the urban water supply. Due to natural condition of the city, Balikpapan does not have a large river, making water supply conducted by reservoirs relying on rainfall intensity. In line with population growth and conversion of green open space, the city government should consider to the allocation of land use effectively based on sustainable water resources. As the associated pressure on water resources continued to increase, it is crucial to identify the water demand future in Balikpapan City related to domestic and non-domestic activities as the first step to optimize land use allocation. Domestic's activities is defined as household and public hydrant, while non-domestic sectors are public facilities, offices, trade and services, and industrial areas. Mathematical calculations, population projections and water consumption estimation, were used as analysis methods. Analysis result showed that the total the city population in 2025 amounted to 740.302 people, increasing by 14.5% from 2016. Population growth increased the urban water needs. From the calculations, the amount of water consumption in 2016 amounted to 5075.77 liter/s, and in 2025 to 7528.59 liter/s. Thus, the water needs of the population of Balikpapan from 2016-2025 year increased by 32.58%.

Effect of tomato consumption on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level: a randomized, single-blinded, controlled clinical trial

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Cuevas-Ramos D

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Daniel Cuevas-Ramos,1 Paloma Almeda-Valdés,1 Emma Chávez-Manzanera,1 Clara Elena Meza-Arana,2 Griselda Brito-Córdova,1 Roopa Mehta,1 Oscar Pérez-Méndez,3 Francisco J Gómez-Pérez1 1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico; 3Department of Molecular Biology, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, Mexico Introduction: Epidemiologic evidence suggests that tomato-based products could reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. One of the main cardiovascular risk factors is low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C. This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the effect of tomato consumption on HDL-C levels. Subject and methods: We conducted a randomized, single-blinded, controlled clinical trial. We screened 432 subjects with a complete lipid profile. Those individuals with low HDL-C (men 40 mg/dL. A linear regression model that adjusted for those parameters that impact HDL-C levels (age, gender, waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index, fasting triglyceride concentration, simple sugars, alcohol, physical activity, and omega-3 consumption showed an independent association between tomato consumption and the increase in HDL-C (r2 = 0.69; P > 0.0001. Conclusion: Raw tomato consumption produced a favorable effect on HDL-C levels in overweight women. Keywords: lycopene, hypoalphalipoproteinemia, dyslipidemia, overweight, cardiovascular diseases

Study tour: welcome to 11 european cities. Exchanges of good practice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson-Pejovic, D.; Schilken, P.; Vallar, J.P.

2001-11-01

On-site visits, information, meetings with players engaged in practical actions and exchanges of experience: eleven European cities organize visits of about forty sites or installations which include: energy efficient and high environmental quality buildings and districts, cogeneration and tri-generation installations, new technologies such as the fuel cell or the Stirling engine, bike-stations or tram-train stations within the scope of innovative mobility policies, low energy consumption equipment, renewable energy installations, solar buildings, hydro-electric or photovoltaic power stations, wind farms.This document presents a typical two day's visit for the following cities: Amersfoort/Utrecht, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Grenoble, Hannover, Heidelberg, Lausanne, London, Montpellier, Saarbrucken. (J.S.)

Communal energy law. An outline. 2. ed.; Kommunales Energierecht. Darstellung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henneke, Hans-Guenter; Ritgen, Klaus

2013-08-01

Ensuring a reliable, reasonably priced, environmentally friendly energy supply area-wide belongs to the most important public services that cities, administrative districts and municipalities are required to provide. In preparation of its second edition the present publication was thoroughly revised to do justice to the numerous legislative changes attending the energy turnaround. It presents the wide array of legal instruments at the disposal of municipalities for fulfilling their important duties in matters relating to the energy supply. It discusses the requirements of communal economic law as well as the constitutional and energy economy related framework conditions governing the energy supply. The concession contract, one of the most important instruments in the area of energy supply, has been given a chapter of its own. In regard to another of its focal topics the publication explains how municipal planning autonomy, especially in the area of land use planning, can help municipalities implement energy policies according to their own ideas. The publication concludes with a discussion of topics concerning municipalities as energy consumers, namely energy-related environmental law, the requirements of the Renewable Energy Heat Law and laws on energy saving.

Consumo alimentar de população adulta residente em área rural da cidade de Ibatiba (ES, Brasil Consumption to feed of resident adult population in rural area of the city of Ibatiba (ES, Brazil

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Edilaine Oliveira Carvalho

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Trata-se de um estudo transversal no qual foi aplicado um questionário de frequência alimentar (QFCA em 150 adultos residentes em área rural da cidade de Ibatiba (ES. O QFCA classificou o consumo alimentar como: habitual (> 4 vezes na semana, não habitual (It is a transverse study where a questionnaire of alimentary frequency was applied (QAF in 150 adults resident of the rural area of the city of Ibatiba (ES, Brazil. QAF classified the alimentary consumption as: habitual (> 4 times in the week, not habitual (<4 times in the week and rarely (1 time a month, with objective of correlating the alimentary consumption with the chronic-degenerative diseases. The results evidenced a habitual consumption of rice, breads, stalk, bean, cow milk, animal fat, margarine, sugar and coffee, and a non habitual consumption of cake, potato, cookies, manioc, sweet potato, chayote, carrot, beet, pumpkin, juice of fruits, banana, orange, guava, mango and tangerine. It can be concluded that the feeding habit presented by the studied population it can come to increase in a medium or long period the prevalence and occurrences of chronic-degenerative diseases as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and coronary diseases. The alimentary consumption of this population needs concern, because when compared with the national patterns, it is observed some inadequacies, and it is known that this picture comes to every day causing damages the public health.

Increased incidence of gang rape in Benin-City, Nigeria: Is this a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Increased incidence of gang rape in Benin-City, Nigeria: Is this a forensic epidemic? ... creates so much negative impact on the legal outcome. There is a need to provide a holistic support to the victims and to review Nigerian laws on sexual offences for the good of all. Keywords: Gang-Rape, Sexual violence, Forensic, Ep ...

Smart City, Metropolitan Areas and Competitiveness: the Case Study of Florence

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Carmela Gargiulo

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In several urban contexts, the definition of a new development process is arising and it is focused on the use and the application of new technologies in different areas of the urban system. Such new development process is aimed at increasing life quality and local communities wellness and at promoting the creation of a more efficient and more sustainable urban system, as well as at making it more competitive. The issue of the reorganization of metropolitan areas is combined with such process, following the recent approval of the Delrio Law that establishes the Metropolitan City in Italy, as government authority of the metropolitan areas. Smart City, Metropolitan Areas and Competitiveness are the three topics of this paper, which aim is the description of the most innovative politics and initiatives adopted in the Metropolitan City of Florence that is proposed as a case study where such topics are combined.

Alcohol consumption and binge drinking in adolescents: comparison of different migration backgrounds and rural vs. urban residence - a representative study

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Bleich Stefan

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Binge drinking is a constant problem behavior in adolescents across Europe. Epidemiological investigations have been reported. However, epidemiological data on alcohol consumption of adolescents with different migration backgrounds are rare. Furthermore representative data on rural-urban comparison concerning alcohol consumption and binge drinking are lacking. The aims of the study are the investigation of alcohol consumption patterns with respect to a urban-rural differences and b differences according to migration background. Methods In the years 2007/2008, a representative written survey of N = 44,610 students in the 9th. grade of different school types in Germany was carried out (net sample. The return rate of questionnaires was 88% regarding all students whose teachers respectively school directors had agreed to participate in the study. Weighting factors were specified and used to make up for regional and school-type specific differences in return rates. 27.4% of the adolescents surveyed have a migration background, whereby the Turkish culture is the largest group followed by adolescents who emigrated from former Soviet Union states. The sample includes seven large cities (over 500,000 inhabitants (12.2%, independent smaller cities ("urban districts" (19.0% and rural areas ("rural districts" (68.8%. Results Life-time prevalence for alcohol consumption differs significantly between rural (93.7% and urban areas (86.6% large cities; 89.1% smaller cities with a higher prevalence in rural areas. The same accounts for 12-month prevalence for alcohol consumption. 57.3% of the rural, re-spectively 45.9% of the urban adolescents engaged in binge drinking in the 4 weeks prior to the survey. Students with migration background of the former Soviet Union showed mainly drinking behavior similar to that of German adolescents. Adolescents with Turkish roots had engaged in binge drinking in the last four weeks less frequently than

Family lifestyle and childhood obesity in an urban city of Northern Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bracale, Renata; Milani Marin, Laura Emma; Russo, Vincenzo; Zavarrone, Emma; Ferrara, Emanuela; Balzaretti, Claudia; Valerio, Alessandra; Pasanisi, Fabrizio; Nisoli, Enzo; Carruba, Michele O

2015-09-01

Over the last decades, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in elementary school children has steadily increased worldwide. This phenomenon is also linked to food habits. The main purpose of our study was to understand the role that environmental factors may play in this context; in particular, we investigated how and to what extent family food habits and children lifestyle are associated with the spread of children obesity. One hundred and nine primary schools, with 6-11-year-old children (n = 14,500), were recruited for this cross-sectional study in Milan (Italy). Children anthropometric data were measured and reported by parents; citizenship, fruit and vegetable consumption data of both parents and children were collected. Time spent watching television and doing physical activity was also investigated in children. The study revealed that children's vegetable (not fruit) consumption was positively associated with physical activity, while negatively associated with time watching TV; in particular, fewer hours spent watching television were a stronger protective factor than more hours spent doing physical activity. Moreover, the parental feeding style was associated with children's attitudes toward consumption of fruit and vegetable. Family characteristics (family size and level of parents' education) and children gender were associated to the risk of being overweight/obese. Our findings support the relevance of environmental factors in childhood food consumption and BMI distribution among children in an urban city. This is the reason why we stress the need to design ad hoc interventions, which should be developed in accordance with the socio-economic peculiarities of a cosmopolitan city suburb.

A Study of Household Energy Consumption and Road Trafin Bra_ov, Using West-European Methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ten Meer, Erwin

2006-01-01

The aims of the project were reflected in the research question which was formulated as: "What type of methodologies applicable to end-use household energy-consumption, environmental awareness, and road-traffic analysis are suitable to apply in Eastern-European cities and households, under which

The Association between Socio-Demographic Charactristics and Fast Food Consumption withinHigh School Students in Isfahan, Iran

OpenAIRE

Parastoo Yarmohammadi; Gholam Reza Sharifirad; Leila Azadbakht; Parisa Yarmohammadi; Zohreh Rahaei; Vali Bahrevar; Zahra Khajeh

2015-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Fast food consumption has greatly increased with in adolescents in recent years, which is linked with weight gain, poor dietary indexes and insulin resistance. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between demographic characteristics and fast food consumption with in high school students. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, a sample of 521 high school students  aged 15-18 years were examined in Isfahan city, who wer...

Zipf's law and influential factors of the Pareto exponent of the city size distribution: Evidence from China

OpenAIRE

GAO Hongying; WU Kangping

2007-01-01

This paper estimates the Pareto exponent of the city size (population size and economy size) distribution, all provinces, and three regions in China in 1997, 2000 and 2003 by OLS, comparatively analyzes the Pareto exponent cross section and times, and empirically analyzes the factors which impacts on the Pareto exponents of provinces. Our analyses show that the size distributions of cities in China follow the Pareto distribution and are of structural features. Variations in the value of the P...

Evaluation of Law no. 6306 on Transformation of Areas under Disaster Risk from Perspective of Public Spaces – Gezi Park Case

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Sezen Tarakçı

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Throughout history, cities have offered a place for freedom and accommodated differences. Ideological and social developments have taken place in urban spaces where differences, different cultures and ideologies gathered together. Therefore, significant attention should be paid to public-oriented planning and design of urban spaces in the face of social segregation and disintegration experienced in cities. However, cities inTurkeyare mostly transformed under the pressure of international and national capital. The most recent legal instrument governing urban redevelopment, the Law no. 6306 on Transformation of Areas under Disaster Risk contains quite controversial provisions relating to many paradigms. Its uncertainty over public property and public spaces, and the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning as the sole authority in this field leave all the public spaces at “risk”.GeziPark, a ‘saved’ public space in the backdrop of protests, is still exposed to risks of being stripped off its public nature. This study browses through the literature on public spaces and urban redevelopment, while evaluating the Law no. 6306 on Transformation of Areas under Disaster Risk. It goes on to evaluateGeziParkevents, from the perspective of these experiences and the interviews conducted thereafter. The study concludes how actually the aforementioned Law may itself pose risks for our public spaces.

[Between the stigma and the law: legal abortion in Mexico City].

Science.gov (United States)

Lamas, Marta

2014-01-01

The present contribution is part of a research developed with qualitative social research methods. It offers part of the results attained in a study performed at a clinic belonging to Mexico City´s Government, and explores the effects on staff of the implementation of Legal Pregnancy Termination (ILE, for its initials in Spanish). The results highlights that, besides diminishing health risks in the women who abort, the use of misoprostol prompted assertive attitudes in many women, that reduced the negative effects produced by the stigma of abortion. It also acknowledges the persistence of stigma in the opinions of the health personnel. The empowering of the self-image of women who become subject to this procedure is due to the full exercise of their legal right.

Future of Allotment Gardens in the Context of City Spatial Policy – A Case Study of Poznań

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Poniży Lidia

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Multifunctional allotment gardens are an important part of the green infrastructure of cities. In spite of this, they are given little attention in the plans and policies of cities. One of the major threats to the existence of allotment gardens within the spatial structure of cities is the pressure of investment, which results from an underestimation of the role of gardens. The task of preserving allotment gardens in the ecosystems of cities rests with the local spatial planning. Urban spatial policy towards allotment gardening is exemplified by the case study of Poznan. The bases for the analysis include the study of the conditions and directions of spatial planning, as the spatial policy document that sets forth the city and local spatial development plans, which are Acts of local laws.

Urban archetypes project: community energy case studies: the City of Coquitlam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

A comparative analysis of the energy consumption of typical households in four neighbourhoods in the city of Coquitlam in British Columbia is presented. Representative household annual energy inputs and services are summarized in Sankey-style graphics. Depending on consumption in common house and apartment types within the study areas in Coquitlam, energy costs ranged from $1,625 to $2,356 per year for the combined use of natural gas and electricity. Associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ranged from 8.4 to 11.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year. Average annual household vehicle kilometres travelled ranged from 26,710 to 32,443 km.

Advanced scoring method of eco-efficiency in European cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Moutinho, Victor; Madaleno, Mara; Robaina, Margarita; Villar, José

2018-01-01

This paper analyzes a set of selected German and French cities' performance in terms of the relative behavior of their eco-efficiencies, computed as the ratio of their gross domestic product (GDP) over their CO 2 emissions. For this analysis, eco-efficiency scores of the selected cities are computed using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique, taking the eco-efficiencies as outputs, and the inputs being the energy consumption, the population density, the labor productivity, the resource productivity, and the patents per inhabitant. Once DEA results are analyzed, the Malmquist productivity indexes (MPI) are used to assess the time evolution of the technical efficiency, technological efficiency, and productivity of the cities over the window periods 2000 to 2005 and 2005 to 2008. Some of the main conclusions are that (1) most of the analyzed cities seem to have suboptimal scales, being one of the causes of their inefficiency; (2) there is evidence that high GDP over CO 2 emissions does not imply high eco-efficiency scores, meaning that DEA like approaches are useful to complement more simplistic ranking procedures, pointing out potential inefficiencies at the input levels; (3) efficiencies performed worse during the period 2000-2005 than during the period 2005-2008, suggesting the possibility of corrective actions taken during or at the end of the first period but impacting only on the second period, probably due to an increasing environmental awareness of policymakers and governors; and (4) MPI analysis shows a positive technological evolution of all cities, according to the general technological evolution of the reference cities, reflecting a generalized convergence of most cities to their technological frontier and therefore an evolution in the right direction.

Pilgrimage Experience and Consumption of Travel to the City of Makkah for Hajj Ritual

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Razaq Raj

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In modern society which, by definition is increasingly secular and culturally motivated, the Hajj is considered the culmination of each Muslim's religious duty and aspiration. It is stated in the Holy Qur'an, that every physically and financially able Muslim should make the Hajj to the Holy City of Makkah once in his or her lifetime. This paper explores what people do during their pilgrimage, providing a brief description of the principle rites and experiences and their meaning to an individual participants travelling from the USA. The paper will draw upon previously published literature as well as an analysis of findings from a quantitative study in which steps within the pilgrimage process were explored. These findings include participants’ descriptions of the significance and value of the experience which individual pilgrims face during travel to the holy city of Makkah. The results from the quantitative study indicated that the main motivations to attend the annual pilgrimage of Hajj were to fulfil religious obligation, spiritual enhancement and to follow teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad.

The Inverse Response Law: Theory and Relevance to the Aftermath of Disasters

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Suzanne Phibbs

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The Inverse Care Law is principally concerned with the effect of market forces on health care which create inequities in access to health services through privileging individuals who possess the forms of social capital that are valued within health care settings. The fields of disaster risk reduction need to consider the ways in which inequities, driven by economic and social policy as well as institutional decision-making, create vulnerabilities prior to a disaster, which are then magnified post disaster through entrenched structural differences in access to resources. Drawing on key principles within the Inverse Care Law, the Inverse Response Law refers to the idea that people in lower socio-economic groups are more likely to be impacted and to experience disparities in service provision during the disaster response and recovery phase. In a market model of recovery, vulnerable groups struggle to compete for necessary services creating inequities in adaptive capacity as well as in social and wellbeing outcomes over time. Both the Inverse Care Law and the Inverse Response Law focus on the structural organisation of services at a macro level. In this article, the Inverse Care Law is outlined, its application to medical treatment following disasters considered and an explanation of the Inverse Response Law provided. Case studies from recent disasters, in London, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Mexico City are examined in order to illustrate themes at work relating to the Inverse Response Law.

[Compliance with antismoking laws in official institutions].

Science.gov (United States)

Cordovilla, R; Barrueco, M; González Ruiz, J M; Hernández, M A; de Castro, J; Gómez, F

1997-01-01

The prevention of nicotine addiction involves a wide range of measures, including writing laws to preserve public health by protecting nonsmokers from smoke and discouraging smokers from consumption. Also important are campaigns to educate both parties (smokers and nonsmokers) about the negative effects of tobacco. The main antismoking law in Spain is the Health and Consumer Ministry's Royal Decree 192/1988 limiting the sale and use of tobacco with the aim of protecting public health. Other regulations have since been enacted by public administrations to complement that law. Research finding published in recent years have been the basis for major legal changes leading in two directions; toward standardizing laws existing in different countries and toward increasing restrictions on the advertising and sale of tobacco. Various scientific and social groups have demanded that current laws be made stricter. Little has been done, however, to assess the degree of vigilance and compliance, and consequently the efficacy, of current legislation. The aim of this study was to determine the level of compliance with the law in governmental institutions in Salamanca. We visited 30 centers and saw that while notices prohibiting smoking were visible in 80%, the number of smokers was high: 43% among workers (none of whom was in educational or medical centers) and 37% among the public. No posters warning of the dangers of tobacco were seen in any of the centers visited. It appears necessary to further restrict the sale and use of tobacco in public places, to enforce compliance with existing regulations and to increase the amount of information on the toxic effects of tobacco in order to gain the cooperation of both smokers and nonsmokers toward achieving smoke-free environments.

The Cinematographic Representation of the City of Porto (as seen by the author in six films

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Paula Mota Santos

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Departing from a material cultural studies anthropology, the paper takes film production and consumption as part of representational systems, analysing the city image of Porto as represented in six Portuguese films of the 20 th century. Looking at what is filmed and how it is filmed, it highlights the main themes found in this city image production and discusses the role of film in the construction of a collective memory.

210Pb ingestion in Akita City, Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hisamatsu, Shunichi; Takizawa, Yukio; Komura, Kazuhisa; Tada, Tetsuo.

1992-01-01

Ingestion of 210 Pb in Akita City, northern Japan was studied with food category samples and total diet samples by means of a low energy photon spectrometry. Results for food category samples revealed that the contribution of marine products to total 210 Pb ingestion was the largest. Mean 210 Pb ingestion of the two total diet samples was found to be 0.19 Bq d -1 , and approximately 1/3 of a previous reported value which was cited in an UNSCEAR report as an example of high 210 Pb ingestion by marine foods consumption. (author)

Alcohol in the city: wherever and whenever.

Science.gov (United States)

Sureda, Xisca; Carreño, Víctor; Espelt, Albert; Villalbí, Joan R; Pearce, Jamie; Franco, Manuel

Alcohol urban environment has been associated with individual alcohol behaviors. We are constantly exposed to a wide variety of alcohol products, its marketing and promotion and signs of alcohol consumption that may influence alcohol-drinking behaviors. In this photo-essay, we include photographs that visually explain the exposure to alcohol in the urban streetscape of Madrid. These photographs show the pervasiveness of alcohol products in this city, which can be found everywhere at any time. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Preliminary results on food consumption rates for off-site dose calculation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Gab Bock; Chung, Yang Geun; Bang, Sun Young; Kang, Duk Won

2005-01-01

The Internal dose by food consumption mostly account for radiological dose of public around nuclear power plants(NPP). But, food consumption rate applied to off-site dose calculation in Korea which is the result of field investigation around Kori NPP by the KAERI in 1988. is not reflected of the latest dietary characteristics. The Ministry of Health and Welfare Affairs has investigated the food and nutrition of nations every 3 years based on the Law of National Health Improvement. To update the food consumption rates of the maximum individual, the analysis of the national food investigation results and field surveys around nuclear power plant sites have been carried out

A Solution for Street Lighting in Smart Cities

OpenAIRE

M. Popa; A. Marcu

2012-01-01

Smart Cities is a domain of great interest in the modern society. The aim of a smart urban environment is to increase citizens’ comfort and quality of life with minimum resources and power consumption and without affecting the natural environment. Street lighting is one of the main interests in such a smart environment. This thesis focuses on implementing a lighting control system that makes street lighting to be an autonomous and efficient part of the urban environment. The performance of th...

[Low consumption of fruit, vegetables and greens: associated factors among the elderly in a Midwest Brazilian city].

Science.gov (United States)

Silveira, Erika Aparecida; Martins, Bruna Bittar; de Abreu, Laísa Ribeiro Silva; Cardoso, Camila Kellen de Souza

2015-12-01

The scope of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of daily consumption of fruit, vegetables and greens by the elderly and its association with sociodemographic, lifestyle, morbidity and hospitalization variables. The study was part of the multiple-stage sampling cross-sectional research entitled the Goiânia Elderly Project (Projeto Idosos Goiânia). 416 elderly people were interviewed in their homes. Multivariate analysis was conducted using Poisson regression to analyze statistical associations. P values of fruit, vegetables and greens was 16.6%: fruit accounted for 44%, vegetables 39.7% and greens 32.5%. Factors statistically associated with daily consumption of fruits and vegetables were female sex, age between 70 and 79, higher education level, social class A/B and C, alcohol consumption, use of sweeteners, regular physical activity during leisure time, abdominal obesity and hospitalization. Public policies to promote health should develop strategies that encourage adequate intake of fruit, vegetables and greens among the elderly, since regular consumption of same can improve quality of life and prevent/control diseases.

Densifying the city: urban recycle as a strategic system to refurbish the built environment

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Vittorino Belpoliti

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The persisting economic crisis and the necessity for more sustainable construction processes imply the need for innovative strategies to reuse the existing building stock. Retrofit and recycling plans are already active for whole city districts, adopting the urban densification strategy to reduce the consumption of resources, promoting the functional, technological, and energy refurbishment of the existing city districts The study introduces considerations and tools to increase the efficiency of retrofit action onto abandoned and degraded area through the improvement of their energy and environmental performances. 

Hazardous alcohol consumption is a major factor in male premature mortality in a typical Russian city: prospective cohort study 2003-2009.

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Susannah Tomkins

Full Text Available Russia has experienced massive fluctuations in mortality at working ages over the past three decades. Routine data analyses suggest that these are largely driven by fluctuations in heavy alcohol drinking. However, individual-level evidence supporting alcohol having a major role in Russian mortality comes from only two case-control studies, which could be subject to serious biases due to their design.A prospective study of mortality (2003-9 of 2000 men aged 25-54 years at recruitment was conducted in the city of Izhevsk, Russia. This cohort was free from key limitations inherent in the design of the two earlier case-control studies. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios of all-cause mortality by alcohol drinking type as reported by a proxy informant. Hazardous drinkers were defined as those who either drank non-beverage alcohols or were reported to regularly have hangovers or other behaviours related to heavy drinking episodes. Over the follow-up period 113 men died. Compared to non-hazardous drinkers and abstainers, men who drank hazardously had appreciably higher mortality (HR = 3.4, 95% CI 2.2, 5.1 adjusted for age, smoking and education. The population attributable risk percent (PAR% for hazardous drinking was 26% (95% CI 14,37. However, larger effects were seen in the first two years of follow-up, with a HR of 4.6 (2.5, 8.2 and a corresponding PAR% of 37% (17, 51.This prospective cohort study strengthens the evidence that hazardous alcohol consumption has been a major determinant of mortality among working age men in a typical Russian city. As such the similar findings of the previous case-control studies cannot be explained as artefacts of limitations of their design. As Russia struggles to raise life expectancy, which even in 2009 was only 62 years among men, control of hazardous drinking must remain a top public health priority.

Ecological Footprint in relation to Climate Change Strategy in Cities

Science.gov (United States)

Belčáková, Ingrid; Diviaková, Andrea; Belaňová, Eliška

2017-10-01

Ecological footprint determines how much natural resources are consumed by an individual, city, region, state or all inhabitants of our planet in order to ensure their requirements and needs. It includes all activities, from food consumption, housing, transport to waste produced and allows us to compare particular activities and their impacts on the environment and natural resources. Ecological footprint is important issue for making sustainable development concept more popular using simplifications, which provide the public with basic information on situation on our planet. Today we know calculations of global (worldwide), national and local ecological footprints. During our research in cities, we were concentrated on calculation of city’s ecological footprint. The article tries to outline theoretical and assumptions and practical results of climate change consequences in cities of Bratislava and Nitra (Slovakia), to describe potential of mitigating adverse impacts of climate change and to provide information for general and professional public on theoretical assumptions in calculating ecological footprint. The intention is to present innovation of ecological footprint calculation, taking into consideration ecological stability of a city (with a specific focus on micro-climate functions of green areas). Present possibilities to reduce ecological footprint are presented.

Engagement in the electoral processes: scaling laws and the role of political positions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mantovani, M C; Ribeiro, H V; Lenzi, E K; Picoli, S; Mendes, R S

2013-08-01

We report on a statistical analysis of the engagement in the electoral processes of all Brazilian cities by considering the number of party memberships and the number of candidates for mayor and councillor. By investigating the relationships between the number of party members and the population of voters, we have found that the functional forms of these relationships are well described by sublinear power laws (allometric scaling) surrounded by a multiplicative log-normal noise. We have observed that this pattern is quite similar to those we previously reported for the relationships between the number of candidates (mayor and councillor) and population of voters [Europhys. Lett. 96, 48001 (2011)], suggesting that similar universal laws may be ruling the engagement in the electoral processes. We also note that the power-law exponents display a clear hierarchy, where the more influential is the political position the smaller is the value of the exponent. We have also investigated the probability distributions of the number of candidates (mayor and councillor), party memberships, and voters. The results indicate that the most influential positions are characterized by distributions with very short tails, while less influential positions display an intermediate power-law decay before showing an exponential-like cutoff. We discuss the possibility that, in addition to the political power of the position, limitations in the number of available seats can also be connected with this changing of behavior. We further believe that our empirical findings point out to an under-representation effect, where the larger the city is, the larger are the obstacles for more individuals to become directly engaged in the electoral process.

Attracting visitors to ancient neighborhoods. Creation and management of the tourist-historic city of Plymouth, UK

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Antonia Ma. Balbuena Vázquez

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Plymouth is a city of United Kingdom that has considered tourism as a means of development. For this reason, it has created a series of strategies to promote this sector, making this historic city in a place of consumption and sales. It has resulted in a series of impacts that difficult them to turning it into a tourist-historic center. The author studies this particular case and makes us an evolutionary and historical tour of the city offering a comprehensive view of the changes that tourism has generated as well as urban plans that have been drawn to achieve the goal of attracting tourists.

US cities can manage national hydrology and biodiversity using local infrastructure policy

Science.gov (United States)

Surendran Nair, Sujithkumar; DeRolph, Christopher R.; Ruddell, Benjamin L.; Morton, April M.; Stewart, Robert N.; Troia, Matthew J.; Tran, Liem; Kim, Hyun; Bhaduri, Budhendra L.

2017-01-01

Cities are concentrations of sociopolitical power and prime architects of land transformation, while also serving as consumption hubs of “hard” water and energy infrastructures. These infrastructures extend well outside metropolitan boundaries and impact distal river ecosystems. We used a comprehensive model to quantify the roles of anthropogenic stressors on hydrologic alteration and biodiversity in US streams and isolate the impacts stemming from hard infrastructure developments in cities. Across the contiguous United States, cities’ hard infrastructures have significantly altered at least 7% of streams, which influence habitats for over 60% of North America’s fish, mussel, and crayfish species. Additionally, city infrastructures have contributed to local extinctions in 260 species and currently influence 970 indigenous species, 27% of which are in jeopardy. We find that ecosystem impacts do not scale with city size but are instead proportionate to infrastructure decisions. For example, Atlanta’s impacts by hard infrastructures extend across four major river basins, 12,500 stream km, and contribute to 100 local extinctions of aquatic species. In contrast, Las Vegas, a similar size city, impacts impacts to regional aquatic ecosystems as they grow. By coordinating policy and communication between hard infrastructure sectors, local city governments and utilities can directly improve environmental quality in a significant fraction of the nation’s streams reaching far beyond their city boundaries. PMID:28827332

A Tale of Many Cities: Universal Patterns in Human Urban Mobility

Science.gov (United States)

Noulas, Anastasios; Scellato, Salvatore; Lambiotte, Renaud; Pontil, Massimiliano; Mascolo, Cecilia

2012-01-01

The advent of geographic online social networks such as Foursquare, where users voluntarily signal their current location, opens the door to powerful studies on human movement. In particular the fine granularity of the location data, with GPS accuracy down to 10 meters, and the worldwide scale of Foursquare adoption are unprecedented. In this paper we study urban mobility patterns of people in several metropolitan cities around the globe by analyzing a large set of Foursquare users. Surprisingly, while there are variations in human movement in different cities, our analysis shows that those are predominantly due to different distributions of places across different urban environments. Moreover, a universal law for human mobility is identified, which isolates as a key component the rank-distance, factoring in the number of places between origin and destination, rather than pure physical distance, as considered in some previous works. Building on our findings, we also show how a rank-based movement model accurately captures real human movements in different cities. PMID:22666339

A tale of many cities: universal patterns in human urban mobility.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastasios Noulas

Full Text Available The advent of geographic online social networks such as Foursquare, where users voluntarily signal their current location, opens the door to powerful studies on human movement. In particular the fine granularity of the location data, with GPS accuracy down to 10 meters, and the worldwide scale of Foursquare adoption are unprecedented. In this paper we study urban mobility patterns of people in several metropolitan cities around the globe by analyzing a large set of Foursquare users. Surprisingly, while there are variations in human movement in different cities, our analysis shows that those are predominantly due to different distributions of places across different urban environments. Moreover, a universal law for human mobility is identified, which isolates as a key component the rank-distance, factoring in the number of places between origin and destination, rather than pure physical distance, as considered in some previous works. Building on our findings, we also show how a rank-based movement model accurately captures real human movements in different cities.

LAW ENFORCEMENT OF THE BANDUNG REGIONAL REGULATIONS ON THE ORDERLINESS, CLEANLINESS, AND THE BEAUTY

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Yesmil Anwar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Number of sidewalk vendors in Bandung has reached 11,000 with no decline in growth according to the survey conducted by Indonesian University of Education/ Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI in collaboration with Badan Perencanaan dan Pembangunan Daerah (Bappeda or regional development planning agency Bandung. Sidewalk vendor is one of the main contributors to the dirtiness and traffic congestion in Bandung. Bandung has passed a Regional Regulation Numbered 3 and 5 about Cleanliness, Orderliness and the Beauty to prevent and to build the  sidewalk vendors. However, lack of legal awareness and law enforcement may constrain the effectiveness of the regulation. Those regulations are particularly Bandung Regional Regulation Numbered 4/ 2011 concerning sidewalk vendors in which imposing high fine sanction not only for the seller but also for the buyer to prevent them from violating those regulations. To analyze the the compliance level of society and the effectiveness of fine sanction for the violation of regulations, this research used juridical normative approach and comparative method by comparing the regulation in Bandung with other Regional regulations related to sidewalk vendors in other cities in Indonesia such as in Surakarta and Surabaya. This research found that the law enforcement to the violation of sidewalk vendors regulation in Bandung city is not optimum due to lack of awareness to obey the law. The criminal sanction such as fine and forced fees are not able to prevent the violation of sidewalk vendors regulations. This research suggest that The Regional government of Bandung City: (1 needs to find a right model to keep sidewalk vendors in order by looking at the characteristics of the society and its social culture; (2 needs to search for a way to increase society’s compliance to any policies made by the government; and (3 needs to revise the current regulation

Assessing peak aerobic capacity in Dutch law enforcement officers