Local and Regional Impacts of Pollution on Coral Reefs along the Thousand Islands North of the Megacity Jakarta, Indonesia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gunilla Baum

Full Text Available Worldwide, coral reefs are challenged by multiple stressors due to growing urbanization, industrialization and coastal development. Coral reefs along the Thousand Islands off Jakarta, one of the largest megacities worldwide, have degraded dramatically over recent decades. The shift and decline in coral cover and composition has been extensively studied with a focus on large-scale gradients (i.e. regional drivers, however special focus on local drivers in shaping spatial community composition is still lacking. Here, the spatial impact of anthropogenic stressors on local and regional scales on coral reefs north of Jakarta was investigated. Results indicate that the direct impact of Jakarta is mainly restricted to inshore reefs, separating reefs in Jakarta Bay from reefs along the Thousand Islands further north. A spatial patchwork of differentially degraded reefs is present along the islands as a result of localized anthropogenic effects rather than regional gradients. Pollution is the main anthropogenic stressor, with over 80% of variation in benthic community composition driven by sedimentation rate, NO2, PO4 and Chlorophyll a. Thus, the spatial structure of reefs is directly related to intense anthropogenic pressure from local as well as regional sources. Therefore, improved spatial management that accounts for both local and regional stressors is needed for effective marine conservation.

Megacity precipitationsheds reveal tele-connected water security challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Wang-Erlandsson, Lan; Gordon, Line J.

2018-01-01

Urbanization is a global process that has taken billions of people from the rural countryside to concentrated urban centers, adding pressure to existing water resources. Many cities are specifically reliant on renewable freshwater regularly refilled by precipitation, rather than fossil groundwater or desalination. A precipitationshed can be considered the “watershed of the sky” and identifies the origin of precipitation falling in a given region. In this paper, we use this concept to determine the sources of precipitation that supply renewable water in the watersheds of the largest cities of the world. We quantify the sources of precipitation for 29 megacities and analyze their differences between dry and wet years. Our results reveal that 19 of 29 megacities depend for more than a third of their water supply on evaporation from land. We also show that for many of the megacities, the terrestrial dependence is higher in dry years. This high dependence on terrestrial evaporation for their precipitation exposes these cities to potential land-use change that could reduce the evaporation that generates precipitation. Combining indicators of water stress, moisture recycling exposure, economic capacity, vegetation-regulated evaporation, land-use change, and dry-season moisture recycling sensitivity reveals four highly vulnerable megacities (Karachi, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Chongqing). A further six megacities were found to have medium vulnerability with regard to their water supply. We conclude that understanding how upwind landscapes affect downwind municipal water resources could be a key component for understanding the complexity of urban water security. PMID:29534109

Contrasting regional versus global radiative forcing by megacity pollution emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, H.; Unger, N.

2015-10-01

We assess the regional and global integrated radiative forcing on 20- and 100-year time horizons caused by a one-year pulse of present day pollution emissions from 10 megacity areas: Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York City, Sao Paulo, Lagos, Cairo, New Delhi, Beijing, Shanghai and Manila. The assessment includes well-mixed greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4); and short-lived climate forcers: tropospheric ozone (O3) and fine mode aerosol particles (sulfate, nitrate, black carbon, primary and secondary organic aerosol). All megacities contribute net global warming on both time horizons. Most of the 10 megacity areas exert a net negative effect on their own regional radiation budget that is 10-100 times larger in magnitude than their global radiative effects. Of the cities examined, Beijing, New Delhi, Shanghai and New York contribute most to global warming with values ranging from +0.03 to 0.05 Wm-2yr on short timescales and +0.07-0.10 Wm-2yr on long timescales. Regional net 20-year radiative effects are largest for Mexico City (-0.84 Wm-2yr) and Beijing (-0.78 Wm-2yr). Megacity reduction of non-CH4 O3 precursors to improve air quality offers zero co-benefits to global climate. Megacity reduction of aerosols to improve air quality offers co-benefits to the regional radiative budget but minimal or no co-benefits to global climate with the exception of black carbon reductions in a few cities, especially Beijing and New Delhi. Results suggest that air pollution and global climate change mitigation can be treated as separate environmental issues in policy at the megacity level with the exception of CH4 action. Individual megacity reduction of CO2 and CH4 emissions can mitigate global warming and therefore offers climate safety improvements to the entire planet.

Bioindication of atmospheric trace metals - With special references to megacities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markert, Bernd; Wuenschmann, Simone; Fraenzle, Stefan; Graciana Figueiredo, Ana Maria; Ribeiro, Andreza P.; Wang Meie

2011-01-01

After considering the particular problems of atmospheric pollution in megacities, i.e. agglomerations larger than 5 mio. inhabitants, with urbanization of World's population going on steadily, possibilities of active biomonitoring by means of green plants are discussed. Based on specific definitions of active and passive bioindication the chances of monitoring heavy metals in Sao Paulo megacity were demonstrated (first results published before). This is to show that there is need for increased use of bioindication to tackle the particular problems of megacities concerning environmental 'health', the data to be processed according to the Multi-Markered-Bioindication-Concept (MMBC). Comparison to other work shows this approach to be reasonable. - Highlights: → Chemical Pollution. → Bioindication. → Multi-Markered-Bioindication-Concept (MMBC). → Mega cities. - Bioindication is a relevant technique for observing the atmospheric deposition of chemical elements of the environment in megacities.

Megacity Green Infrastructure Converts Water into Billions of Dollars in Ecosystem Services

Science.gov (United States)

Endreny, T. A.; Ulgiati, S.; Santagata, R.

2016-12-01

Cities can invest in green infrastructure to purposefully couple water with urban tree growth, thereby generating ecosystem services and supporting human wellbeing as advocated by United Nations sustainable development initiatives. This research estimates the value of tree-based ecosystem services in order to help megacities assess the benefits relative to the costs of such investments. We inventoried tree cover across the metropolitan area of 10 megacities, in 5 continents and biomes, and developed biophysical scaling equations using i-Tree tools to estimate the tree cover value to reductions in air pollution, stormwater, building energy, and carbon emissions. Metropolitan areas ranged from 1173 to 18,720 sq km (median value 2530 sq km), with median tree cover 21%, and potential additional tree cover 19%, of this area. Median tree cover density was 39 m2/capita (compared with global value of 7800 m2/capita), with lower density in desert and tropical biomes, and higher density in temperate biomes. Using water to support trees led to median benefits of 1.2 billion/yr from reductions in CO, NO2, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5, 27 million/yr in avoided stormwater processing by wastewater facilities, 1.2 million/yr in building energy heating and cooling savings, and 20 million/yr in CO2 sequestration. These ecosystem service benefits contributed between 0.1% and 1% of megacity GDP, with a median contribution of 0.3%. Adjustment of benefit value between different city economies considered factors such as purchasing power parity and emergy to money ratio conversions. Green infrastructure costs billions of dollars less than grey infrastructure, and stormwater based grey infrastructure provides fewer benefits. This analysis suggests megacities should invest in tree-based green infrastructure to maintain and increase ecosystem service benefits, manage their water resources, and improve human wellbeing.

Local Climate Zones Classification to Urban Planning in the Mega City of São Paulo - SP, Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Gonçalves Santos, Rafael; Saraiva Lopes, António Manuel; Prata-Shimomura, Alessandra

2017-04-01

Local Climate Zones Classification to Urban Planning in the Mega city of São Paulo - SP, Brazil Tropical megacities have presented a strong trend in growing urban. Urban management in megacities has as one of the biggest challenges is the lack of integration of urban climate and urban planning to promote ecologically smart cities. Local Climatic Zones (LCZs) are considered as important and recognized tool for urban climate management. Classes are local in scale, climatic in nature, and zonal in representation. They can be understood as regions of uniform surface cover, structure, material and human activity that have to a unique climate response. As an initial tool to promote urban climate planning, LCZs represent a simple composition of different land coverages (buildings, vegetation, soils, rock, roads and water). LCZs are divided in 17 classes, they are based on surface cover (built fraction, soil moisture, albedo), surface structure (sky view factor, roughness height) and cultural activity (anthropogenic heat flux). The aim of this study is the application of the LCZs classification system in the megacity of São Paulo, Brazil. Located at a latitude of 23° 21' and longitude 46° 44' near to the Tropic of Capricorn, presenting humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with diversified topographies. The megacity of São Paulo currently concentrates 11.890.000 inhabitants is characterized by large urban conglomerates with impermeable surfaces and high verticalization, having as result high urban heat island intensity. The result indicates predominance in urban zones of Compact low-rise, Compact Mid-rise, Compact High-rise and Open Low-rise. Non-urban regions are mainly covered by dense vegetation and water. The LCZs classification system promotes significant advantages for climate sensitive urban planning in the megacity of São Paulo. They offers new perspectives to the management of temperature and urban ventilation and allows the formulation of urban planning

Statistical exploration of dataset examining key indicators influencing housing and urban infrastructure investments in megacities

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Adedeji O. Afolabi

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Lagos, by the UN standards, has attained the megacity status, with the attendant challenges of living up to that titanic position; regrettably it struggles with its present stock of housing and infrastructural facilities to match its new status. Based on a survey of construction professionals’ perception residing within the state, a questionnaire instrument was used to gather the dataset. The statistical exploration contains dataset on the state of housing and urban infrastructural deficit, key indicators spurring the investment by government to upturn the deficit and improvement mechanisms to tackle the infrastructural dearth. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to present the dataset. The dataset when analyzed can be useful for policy makers, local and international governments, world funding bodies, researchers and infrastructural investors. Keywords: Construction, Housing, Megacities, Population, Urban infrastructures

Air Quality in Megacities: Lessons Learned from Mexico City Field Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Molina, L. T.

2014-12-01

More than half of the world's population now lives in urban areas because of the opportunities for better jobs, access to city services, cultural and educational activities, and a desire for more stimulating human interaction. At the same time, many of these urban centers are expanding rapidly, giving rise to the phenomenon of megacities. In recent decades air pollution has become not only one of the most important environmental problems of megacities, but also presents serious consequences to human health and ecosystems and economic costs to society. Although the progress to date in combating air pollution problems in developed and some developing world megacities has been impressive, many challenges remain including the need to improve air quality while simultaneously mitigating climate change. This talk will present the results and the lessons learned from field measurements conducted in Mexico City Metropolitan Area - one of the world's largest megacities - over the past decade. While each city has its own unique circumstances, the need for an integrated assessment approach in addressing complex environmental problems is the same. There is no single strategy in solving air pollution problems in megacities; a mix of policy measures based on sound scientific findings will be necessary to improve air quality, protect public health, and mitigate climate change.

In situ, satellite measurement and model evidence on the dominant regional contribution to fine particulate matter levels in the Paris megacity

Science.gov (United States)

Beekmann, M.; Prévôt, A. S. H.; Drewnick, F.; Sciare, J.; Pandis, S. N.; Denier van der Gon, H. A. C.; Crippa, M.; Freutel, F.; Poulain, L.; Ghersi, V.; Rodriguez, E.; Beirle, S.; Zotter, P.; von der Weiden-Reinmüller, S.-L.; Bressi, M.; Fountoukis, C.; Petetin, H.; Szidat, S.; Schneider, J.; Rosso, A.; El Haddad, I.; Megaritis, A.; Zhang, Q. J.; Michoud, V.; Slowik, J. G.; Moukhtar, S.; Kolmonen, P.; Stohl, A.; Eckhardt, S.; Borbon, A.; Gros, V.; Marchand, N.; Jaffrezo, J. L.; Schwarzenboeck, A.; Colomb, A.; Wiedensohler, A.; Borrmann, S.; Lawrence, M.; Baklanov, A.; Baltensperger, U.

2015-08-01

A detailed characterization of air quality in the megacity of Paris (France) during two 1-month intensive campaigns and from additional 1-year observations revealed that about 70 % of the urban background fine particulate matter (PM) is transported on average into the megacity from upwind regions. This dominant influence of regional sources was confirmed by in situ measurements during short intensive and longer-term campaigns, aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements from ENVISAT, and modeling results from PMCAMx and CHIMERE chemistry transport models. While advection of sulfate is well documented for other megacities, there was surprisingly high contribution from long-range transport for both nitrate and organic aerosol. The origin of organic PM was investigated by comprehensive analysis of aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), radiocarbon and tracer measurements during two intensive campaigns. Primary fossil fuel combustion emissions constituted less than 20 % in winter and 40 % in summer of carbonaceous fine PM, unexpectedly small for a megacity. Cooking activities and, during winter, residential wood burning are the major primary organic PM sources. This analysis suggests that the major part of secondary organic aerosol is of modern origin, i.e., from biogenic precursors and from wood burning. Black carbon concentrations are on the lower end of values encountered in megacities worldwide, but still represent an issue for air quality. These comparatively low air pollution levels are due to a combination of low emissions per inhabitant, flat terrain, and a meteorology that is in general not conducive to local pollution build-up. This revised picture of a megacity only being partially responsible for its own average and peak PM levels has important implications for air pollution regulation policies.

In-situ, satellite measurement and model evidence for a~dominant regional contribution to fine particulate matter levels in the Paris Megacity

Science.gov (United States)

Beekmann, M.; Prévôt, A. S. H.; Drewnick, F.; Sciare, J.; Pandis, S. N.; Denier van der Gon, H. A. C.; Crippa, M.; Freutel, F.; Poulain, L.; Ghersi, V.; Rodriguez, E.; Beirle, S.; Zotter, P.; von der Weiden-Reinmüller, S.-L.; Bressi, M.; Fountoukis, C.; Petetin, H.; Szidat, S.; Schneider, J.; Rosso, A.; El Haddad, I.; Megaritis, A.; Zhang, Q. J.; Michoud, V.; Slowik, J. G.; Moukhtar, S.; Kolmonen, P.; Stohl, A.; Eckhardt, S.; Borbon, A.; Gros, V.; Marchand, N.; Jaffrezo, J. L.; Schwarzenboeck, A.; Colomb, A.; Wiedensohler, A.; Borrmann, S.; Lawrence, M.; Baklanov, A.; Baltensperger, U.

2015-03-01

A detailed characterization of air quality in Paris (France), a megacity of more than 10 million inhabitants, during two one month intensive campaigns and from additional one year observations, revealed that about 70% of the fine particulate matter (PM) at urban background is transported on average into the megacity from upwind regions. This dominant influence of regional sources was confirmed by in-situ measurements during short intensive and longer term campaigns, aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements from ENVISAT, and modeling results from PMCAMx and CHIMERE. While advection of sulfate is well documented for other megacities, there was surprisingly high contribution from long-range transport for both nitrate and organic aerosol. The origin of organic PM was investigated by a comprehensive analysis of aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), radiocarbon and tracer measurements during two intensive campaigns. Primary fossil fuel combustion emissions contributed less than 20% in winter and 40% in summer to carbonaceous fine PM, unexpectedly little for a megacity. Cooking activities and, during winter, residential wood burning are the major primary organic PM sources. This analysis suggests that the major part of secondary organic aerosol is of modern origin, i.e. from biogenic precursors and from wood burning. Black carbon concentrations are on the lower end of values encountered in megacities worldwide, but still represent an issue for air quality. These comparatively low air pollution levels are due to a combination of low emissions per inhabitant, flat terrain, and a meteorology that is in general not conducive to local pollution build-up. This revised picture of a megacity only controlling part of its own average and peak PM levels has important implications for air pollution regulation policies.

Environmental Impact of Megacities - Results from CityZen

Science.gov (United States)

Gauss, M.

2012-04-01

Megacities have increasingly important impacts on air quality and climate change on different spatial scales, owing to their high population densities and concentrated emission sources. The EU FP7 project CityZen (Megacity - Zoom for the Environment) ended in 2011 and was, together with its sister project MEGAPOLI, part of a major research effort within FP7 on megacities in Europe and worldwide. The project mainly focused on air pollution trends in large cities and emission hotspots, climate-chemistry couplings, future projections, and emission mitigation options. Both observational and modeling tools have been extensively used. This paper reviews some of the main results from CityZen regarding present air pollution in and around megacities, future scenarios and mitigation options to reduce air pollution and/or climate change, and the main policy messages from the project. The different observed trends over European and Asian hotspots during the last 10 to 15 years are shown. Results of source attribution of pollutants, which have been measured and calculated in and around the different selected hot spots in CityZen will be discussed. Another important question to be addressed is the extent to which climate change will affect air quality and the effectiveness of air quality legislation. Although projected emission reductions are a major determinate influencing the predictions of future air pollution, model results suggest that climate change has to be taken into account when devising future air quality legislation. This paper will also summarize some important policy messages in terms of ozone, particles and the observational needs that have been put forward as conclusions from the project.

Creative Shenzhen? A critical view on Shenzhen's transformation from a low-cost manufacturing hub to a creative megacity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bontje, M.

2014-01-01

Since 1980, Shenzhen has grown in a record-breaking pace to the megacity it is today. Initially, Shenzhen’s growth was based on low-cost mass industrial production. In recent years, however, the Shenzhen city government is trying to modernize and diversify its economy. Shenzhen has embraced the

Atmospheric Pollution and Greenhouse Emissions over 14 Largest Megacities of the World

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, X.; Singh, R. P.

2017-12-01

Megacities have more than 10 million people, some of them are located in developing/developed countries. We have considered the top 14 megacities of the world. Due to growing industries, urbanization, vehicular density, and energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions have increased, which has degraded air quality. In some countries, clean air act has improved the air quality. We have considered multiple satellites and have retrieved atmospheric pollution parameters (aerosol optical depth-AOD and angstrom exponent) and greenhouse gases to study their variability from the period 2002-2016. High AOD represents high pollution level, which are prominent during winter and spring for Manila, Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow, Mexico City, Mumbai, Seoul, Dhaka, Cairo, and Bangkok. During summer and fall, Delhi, Karachi, and Sao Paulo have high values. During spring season, some of the megacities show significant higher pollution levels (high AOD) associated with the dust storms; however, Moscow and Karachi show contrasting behaviors. The angstrom exponent parameter has high values in the spring and summer for Manila, Shanghai, Beijing, Moscow, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Seoul, and Cairo. Moscow shows a significant low value in April 2012. Delhi, Karachi, Mumbai, Dhaka, and Bangkok have high values in fall and winter. Dhaka shows significant low values in August 2003, June 2005, June 2008, July 2011, and June 2016. The total ozone column concentrations have high values during summer and spring, and low values during fall and winter. The methane concentrations are higher during fall and winter, and lower during spring and summer. An increasing trend of methane level is observed over all the megacities from 2002 until now. The increasing greenhouse gases in megacities have direct impact on human health and weather conditions. Some of the megacities suffer from dense haze, fog and smog, which impact the day-to-day lives of residents due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases.

Megacities and large urban agglomerations in the coastal zone: interactions between atmosphere, land, and marine ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

von Glasow, Roland; Jickells, Tim D; Baklanov, Alexander; Carmichael, Gregory R; Church, Tom M; Gallardo, Laura; Hughes, Claire; Kanakidou, Maria; Liss, Peter S; Mee, Laurence; Raine, Robin; Ramachandran, Purvaja; Ramesh, R; Sundseth, Kyrre; Tsunogai, Urumu; Uematsu, Mitsuo; Zhu, Tong

2013-02-01

Megacities are not only important drivers for socio-economic development but also sources of environmental challenges. Many megacities and large urban agglomerations are located in the coastal zone where land, atmosphere, and ocean meet, posing multiple environmental challenges which we consider here. The atmospheric flow around megacities is complicated by urban heat island effects and topographic flows and sea breezes and influences air pollution and human health. The outflow of polluted air over the ocean perturbs biogeochemical processes. Contaminant inputs can damage downstream coastal zone ecosystem function and resources including fisheries, induce harmful algal blooms and feedback to the atmosphere via marine emissions. The scale of influence of megacities in the coastal zone is hundreds to thousands of kilometers in the atmosphere and tens to hundreds of kilometers in the ocean. We list research needs to further our understanding of coastal megacities with the ultimate aim to improve their environmental management.

Local initiative extrapolated to nation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wittchen, Kim Bjarne; Kragh, Jesper; Brøgger, Morten

In the municipality of Sønderborg, in the southern part of Jutland, there is a shining example initiated in 2007, ProjectZero, of a local initiative that have resulted in extensive energy savings in residential buildings and at the same time created local workplaces. The intension with the pilot...

Paradox of Migration in Kolkata: A Megacity in GBM Delta

Science.gov (United States)

Das, S.; Hazra, S.; Ghosh, T.

2015-12-01

Contrary to other coastal cities (Mumbai, Chennai, Bhubaneswar etc.) in India, Kolkata, the largest city of India until 1990, has been showing a persistent trend of out-migration over the last decade. The situation is more paradoxical when compared to Dhaka in Bangladesh, the other coastal city in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) delta. Exacerbating impacts of Climate Change like accelerated sea level rise, impact of cyclones, rising temperature and high rainfall events and waterlogging, vis-à-vis the density of poor population in slums, Kolkata has been assessed as one of the most vulnerable cities of the world. However, Kolkata has long been a preferred destination for migrants for its port based economy, existence of industrial belt with labour intensive industries. The city and its surrounding districts attracted a massive influx of trans-border migrants when India and Bangladesh gained Independence in 1947 and 1971 respectively. The paper attempts to explore reasons behind the present trend of depopulation in the erstwhile preferred migration destination. This paper distinguishes between 'Kolkata City' (census district) with 4.5 million residents and 'Kolkata Megacity' which encompasses also the peri-urban areas and home to almost 14.1 million people according to Census 2011. Analysing migration as an ongoing research activity under DECCMA project, an overall 'in-migration' pattern can be deciphered in Kolkata 'megacity'. On the contrary, the Kolkata 'city' located right in the heart of the megacity exhibits negative net migration (-5.11%) i.e. high 'out-migration'. Plausible causes can be movement of people from Kolkata 'city' to peri-urban areas and satellite towns (urban to urban migration) probably due to closure of labour intensive industries, comparatively lower land prices, availability of space and accommodation, lower costs of living, development of different modes of commutation and communication. Further growth of population in the Kolkata Megacity

A Distributed, Open Source based Data Infrastructure for the Megacities Carbon Project

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, R.; Crichton, D. J.; Duren, R. M.; Salameh, P.; Sparks, A.; Sloop, C.

2014-12-01

With the goal of assessing the anthropogenic carbon-emission impact of urban centers on local and global climates, the Megacities Carbon Project has been building carbon-monitoring capabilities for the past two years around the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Hundreds of megabytes (MB) of data are generated daily, and distributed among data centers local to the sensor networks involved. We automatically pull this remotely generated data into a centralized data infrastructure local to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), seeking to (1) provide collaboration opportunities on the data, and (2) generate refined data products through community-requested centralized data processing pipelines. The goal of this informatics effort is to ensure near real-time access to generated data products across the Los Angeles carbon monitoring sensor network and meet the data analysis needs of carbon researchers through the production of customized products. We discuss the goals of the informatics effort, its uniqueness, and assess its effectiveness in providing an insight into the carbon sphere of Los Angeles.

URBAN DETECTION, DELIMITATION AND MORPHOLOGY: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SELECTIVE "MEGACITIES"

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B. Alhaddad

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Over the last 50 years, the world has faced an impressive growth of urban population. The walled city, close to the outside, an "island"for economic activities and population density within the rural land, has led to the spread of urban life and urban networks in almost all the territory. There was, as said Margalef (1999, "a topological inversion of the landscape". The "urban" has gone from being an island in the ocean of rural land vastness, to represent the totally of the space in which are inserted natural and rural "systems". New phenomena such as the fall of the fordist model of production, the spread of urbanization known as urban sprawl, and the change of scale of the metropolis, covering increasingly large regions, called "megalopolis" (Gottmann, 1961, have characterized the century. However there are no rigorous databases capable of measuring and evaluating the phenomenon of megacities and in general the process of urbanization in the contemporary world. The aim of this paper is to detect, identify and analyze the morphology of the megacities through remote sensing instruments as well as various indicators of landscape. To understand the structure of these heterogeneous landscapes called megacities, land consumption and spatial complexity needs to be quantified accurately. Remote sensing might be helpful in evaluating how the different land covers shape urban megaregions. The morphological landscape analysis allows establishing the analogies and the differences between patterns of cities and studying the symmetry, growth direction, linearity, complexity and compactness of the urban form. The main objective of this paper is to develop a new methodology to detect urbanized land of some megacities around the world (Tokyo, Mexico, Chicago, New York, London, Moscow, Sao Paulo and Shanghai using Landsat 7 images.

Trends in urbanization and patterns of land use in the Asian mega-cities Jakarta, Bangkok, and Metro Manila

OpenAIRE

Murakami, Akinobu; Zain, Alinda Medrial; Takeuchi, Kazuhiko; Tsunekawa, Atsushi; Yokota, Shigehiro

2005-01-01

Asian mega-cities have experienced rapid population growth and continue to grow. Urbanization in those areas is proceeding differently from the patterns of city growth experienced in Western countries. Understanding the characteristics of Asian urbanization will be indispensable for the establishment of a local landscape planning system. In this study, we used the Clark linear exponential model and the Newling quadratic exponential model to compare the spatial distribution of population densi...

Green Spaces as an Indicator of Urban Health: Evaluating Its Changes in 28 Mega-Cities

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Conghong Huang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Urban green spaces can yield considerable health benefits to urban residents. Assessing these health benefits is a key step for managing urban green spaces for human health and wellbeing in cities. In this study, we assessed the change of health benefits generated by urban green spaces in 28 megacities worldwide between 2005 and 2015 by using availability and accessibility as proxy indicators. We first mapped land covers of 28 megacities using 10,823 scenes of Landsat images and a random forest classifier running on Google Earth Engine. We then calculated the availability and accessibility of urban green spaces using the land cover maps and gridded population data. The results showed that the mean availability of urban green spaces in these megacities increased from 27.63% in 2005 to 31.74% in 2015. The mean accessibility of urban green spaces increased from 65.76% in 2005 to 72.86% in 2015. The increased availability and accessibility of urban green spaces in megacities have brought more health benefits to their residents.

Megacity megaquakes—Two near misses

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Ross S.; Toda, Shinji

2013-01-01

Two recent earthquakes left their mark on Santiago de Chile and Tokyo, well beyond the rupture zones, raising questions about the future vulnerability of these and other cities that lie in seismically active regions. Though spared strong shaking, the megacities nevertheless lit up in small quakes, perhaps signaling an abrupt change in the condition for failure on the faults beneath the cities. To detect such changes in earthquake rate requires good seismic monitoring networks; to respond to such hazard increases with civic preparations requires good government.

Los Angeles megacity: a high-resolution land–atmosphere modelling system for urban CO2 emissions

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S. Feng

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Megacities are major sources of anthropogenic fossil fuel CO2 (FFCO2 emissions. The spatial extents of these large urban systems cover areas of 10 000 km2 or more with complex topography and changing landscapes. We present a high-resolution land–atmosphere modelling system for urban CO2 emissions over the Los Angeles (LA megacity area. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-Chem model was coupled to a very high-resolution FFCO2 emission product, Hestia-LA, to simulate atmospheric CO2 concentrations across the LA megacity at spatial resolutions as fine as  ∼  1 km. We evaluated multiple WRF configurations, selecting one that minimized errors in wind speed, wind direction, and boundary layer height as evaluated by its performance against meteorological data collected during the CalNex-LA campaign (May–June 2010. Our results show no significant difference between moderate-resolution (4 km and high-resolution (1.3 km simulations when evaluated against surface meteorological data, but the high-resolution configurations better resolved planetary boundary layer heights and vertical gradients in the horizontal mean winds. We coupled our WRF configuration with the Vulcan 2.2 (10 km resolution and Hestia-LA (1.3 km resolution fossil fuel CO2 emission products to evaluate the impact of the spatial resolution of the CO2 emission products and the meteorological transport model on the representation of spatiotemporal variability in simulated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We find that high spatial resolution in the fossil fuel CO2 emissions is more important than in the atmospheric model to capture CO2 concentration variability across the LA megacity. Finally, we present a novel approach that employs simultaneous correlations of the simulated atmospheric CO2 fields to qualitatively evaluate the greenhouse gas measurement network over the LA megacity. Spatial correlations in the atmospheric CO2 fields reflect the coverage of

Sustainable Urban Transport in the Developing World : Beyond Megacities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pojani, D.; Stead, D.

2015-01-01

Megacities have frequently received a disproportionate amount of attention over other sizes of cities in recent discourse on urban sustainability. In this article, the authors argue that a focus on smaller and medium-sized cities is crucial to achieving substantial progress towards more sustainable

MOBILITY, ENVIRONMENT AND SAFETY IN MEGACITIES

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Dinesh MOHAN

2000-01-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on issues concerning mobility, pollution and safety in megacities of less motorised countries (LMCs using Delhi (India as an example. Issues discussed are: Urban transport and land use patterns, planning, systems management and infrastructure development, fuel quality and alternate fuels, control of car ownership, in-use maintenance and inspection, fuel efficiency and technologies, pedestrian and bicycle environments and road safety. The patterns of traffic and management issues in LMCs are very complex and some of their problems have not been faced by the richer countries in the past. In LMC cities' non-motorised modes of transport and some form of public transport/para-transit already constitute a significant proportion of all trips. It will be difficult to increase this share unless these modes are made much more convenient and safer. Unless people actually perceive that they are not inconvenienced or exposed to greater risks as bicyclists, pedestrians and bus commuters it will be difficult to reduce private vehicle use. Buses and non-motorised modes of transport will remain the backbone of mobility in LMC mega-cities. To control pollution both bus use and non-motorised forms of transport have to be given importance without increasing the rate of road accidents. These issues have to be considered in an overall context where safety and environmental research efforts are not conducted in complete isolation.

Long-term impacts of aerosols on precipitation and lightning over the Pearl River Delta megacity area in China

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Y. Wang

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Seven-year measurements of precipitation, lightning flashes, and visibility from 2000 to 2006 have been analyzed in the Pearl River Delta (PRD region, China, with a focus on the Guangzhou megacity area. Statistical analysis shows that the occurrence of heavy rainfall (>25 mm per day and frequency of lightning strikes are reversely correlated to visibility during this period. To elucidate the effects of aerosols on cloud processes, precipitation, and lightning activity, a cloud resolving – Weather Research and Forecasting (CR-WRF model with a two-moment bulk microphysical scheme is employed to simulate a mesoscale convective system occurring on 28 Match 2009 in the Guangzhou megacity area. The model predicted evolutions of composite radar reflectivity and accumulated precipitation are in agreement with measurements from S-band weather radars and automatic gauge stations. The calculated lightning potential index (LPI exhibits temporal and spatial consistence with lightning flashes recorded by a local lightning detection network. Sensitivity experiments have been performed to reflect aerosol conditions representative of polluted and clean cases. The simulations suggest that precipitation and LPI are enhanced by about 16% and 50%, respectively, under the polluted aerosol condition. Our results suggest that elevated aerosol loading suppresses light and moderate precipitation (less than 25 mm per day, but enhances heavy precipitation. The responses of hydrometeors and latent heat release to different aerosol loadings reveal the physical mechanism for the precipitation and lightning enhancement in the Guangzhou megacity area, showing more efficient mixed phase processes and intensified convection under the polluted aerosol condition.

Model elucidating the sources and formation mechanisms of severe haze pollution over Northeast mega-city cluster in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ting; Gbaguidi, Alex; Yan, Pingzhong; Zhang, Wending; Zhu, Lili; Yao, Xuefeng; Wang, Zifa; Chen, Hui

2017-11-01

Recent studies on regional haze pollution over China come up in general with strong variability of main causes of heavy polluted episodes, in linkage with local specificities, sources and pollution characteristics. This paper therefore aims at elucidating the main specific sources and formation mechanisms of observed strong haze pollution episodes over 1-15 November 2015 in Northeast region considered as one of biggest megacity clusters in China. The Northeast China mega-city cluster, including Heilong Jiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces, is adjacent to Russia in the north, Mongolian at the west, North Korea at east, and representing key geographical location in the regional and transnational air pollution issues in China due to the presence of heavy industries and intense economic activities. The present study, based on air quality monitoring, remote sensing satellite data and sensitivity experiments carried on the Nested Air Quality Prediction Modeling System (NAQPMS), quantitatively assesses the impact of meteorological conditions and potential contributions from regional chemical transport, intensive energy combustion, illegal emission and biomass burning emissions to PM 2.5 concentration variation. The results indicate strong inversion occurrence at lower atmosphere with weak near-surface wind speed and high relative humidity, leading to PM 2.5 concentration increase of about 30-50%. Intensive energy combustion (plausibly for heating activities) and illegal emission also significantly enhance the overall PM 2.5 accumulation by 100-200 μg m -3 (60-70% increase), against 75-100 μg m -3 from the biomass burning under the northeast-southwest transport pathway, corresponding to a contribution of 10-20% to PM 2.5 concentration increase. Obviously, stagnant meteorological conditions, energy combustion, illegal emission and biomass burning are main drivers of strong haze formation and spatial distribution over Northeast China megacity cluster. In clear, much

Assessing Urban Water Management Sustainability of a Megacity: Case Study of Seoul, South Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyowon Kim

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Many cities are facing various water-related challenges caused by rapid urbanization and climate change. Moreover, a megacity may pose a greater risk due to its scale and complexity for coping with impending challenges. Infrastructure and governance also differ by the level of development of a city which indicates that the analysis of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM and water governance are site-specific. We examined the status of IWRM of Seoul by using the City Blueprint® Approach which consists of three different frameworks: (1 Trends and Pressures Framework (TPF, (2 City Blueprint Framework (CBF and (3 the water Governance Capacity Framework (GCF. The TPF summarizes the main social, environmental and financial pressures that may impede water management. The CBF assesses IWRM of the urban water cycle. Finally, the GCF identifies key barriers and opportunities to develop governance capacity. The results indicate that nutrient recovery from wastewater, stormwater separation, and operation cost recovery of water and sanitation services are priority areas for Seoul. Furthermore, the local sense of urgency, behavioral internalization, consumer willingness to pay, and financial continuation are identified as barriers limiting Seoul’s governance capacity. We also examined and compared the results with other mega-cities, to learn from their experiences and plans to cope with the challenges in large cities.

Characteristics of PM2.5 speciation in representative megacities and across China

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, F.; Tan, J.; Zhao, Q.; Du, Z.; He, K.; Ma, Y.; Duan, F.; Chen, G.; Zhao, Q.

2011-06-01

Based on PM2.5 chemical data sets from literature and from our surface observations, chemical species and reconstructed speciation of PM2.5 in representative Chinese megacities and across China were compared to draw insights into the characteristics of PM2.5 speciation. PM2.5 mass concentrations and speciation compositions varied substantially over geographical regions in China. Near six-fold variations in average PM2.5 concentrations (34.0-193.4 μg m-3) across China were found with high PM2.5 levels (>100 μg m-3) appearing in the cities in the northern and western regions and low levels (transport of the secondary aerosols, thus more intensive characteristic of "complex atmospheric pollution" compared to the western region. Organic matter had significant contribution to PM2.5 over all the sites. Organic matter plus sulfate, nitrate, and ammonia accounted for 53-90 % of PM2.5 mass across China. PM2.5 speciation across China was also characterized by high content of crustal material, which was usually at more than ~10 μg m-3 level or shared ~10 % of PM2.5 mass in urban areas, due to transported desert dust and locally induced dust. In four representative megacities (i.e. Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou), PM2.5 mass and major components (except sulfate) were at higher levels than those in US continental east by one order of magnitude. Distinct differences in nitrate and sulfate levels and their mass ratio [NO3-]/[SO42-] imply that mobile sources are likely more important in Guangzhou, whereas in Chongqing it is stationary (coal combustion) sources. The observed intra-city variations in PM2.5 mass and speciation indicate that both local emissions and regional transportation contributed significantly to high fine particle loadings in Beijing, while local contribution likely played a predominant role in Chongqing. During the ten-year period from 1999 through 2008 in urban Beijing, both the sum of sulfate, nitrate, and ammonia and [NO3-]/[SO42-] ratio

Investigating Bidirectional Reflectance in the Los Angeles Megacity Using CLARS Multiangle and Hyperspectral Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Z. C.; Natraj, V.; Pongetti, T.; Shia, R. L.; Sander, S. P.; Yung, Y. L.

2017-12-01

The surface reflectance is a key ingredient in the remote sensing of surface and atmospheric properties from space. The determination of atmospheric composition, including greenhouse gas (GHG) and aerosol concentrations, from reflected sunlight requires accurate knowledge of the contribution from the underlying surface. Over megacity areas, such as the Los Angeles (LA) basin, which are major sources of GHGs and anthropogenic aerosols, the quantification of surface reflectance is challenging due to the associated complex land use types. In this study, we investigate the bidirectional reflectance in the Los Angeles megacity area using multiangle and hyperspectral radiance measurements from the California Laboratory for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (CLARS). The CLARS facility is located near the top of Mt. Wilson, at an altitude of 1670 m a.s.l., overlooking the LA megacity area with an FTS operating since 2011 to continuously monitor the GHGs and near-surface aerosols in the basin. The CLARS-FTS offers continuous high-resolution spectral measurements in the visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared spectral regions. The CLARS measurements mimic the off-nadir viewing of a low-Earth orbiting instrument, such as GOSAT and OCO-2, but with daily viewing capability. Eight surface targets with different land use types, including urban parks, industrial and residential areas, are selected in this study. The surface reflectance for specific solar incident and viewing angles is calculated by dividing, for non-absorbing spectral channels on clear days (such that gas and aerosol extinction can be ignored), the observed radiance reflected from surface targets by the observed irradiance. The non-linear Rahman-Pinty-Verstraete (RPV) model is used to model the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) by fitting the multiangle and hyperspectral measurements. By evaluating the retrieved RPV parameters, we find that the RPV model provides a good representation of the

Urban air pollution in megacities of the world

Science.gov (United States)

Mage, David; Ozolins, Guntis; Peterson, Peter; Webster, Anthony; Orthofer, Rudi; Vandeweerd, Veerle; Gwynne, Michael

Urban air pollution is a major environmental problem in the developing countries of the world. WHO and UNEP created an air pollution monitoring network as part of the Global Environment Monitoring System. This network now covers over 50 cities in 35 developing and developed countries throughout the world. The analyses of the data reported by the network over the past 15-20 yr indicate that the lessons of the prior experiences in the developed countries (U.S.A., U.K.) have not been learned. A study of air pollution in 20 of the 24 megacities of the world (over 10 million people by year 2000) shows that ambient air pollution concentrations are at levels where serious health effects are reported. The expected rise of population in the next century, mainly in the developing countries with a lack of capital for air pollution control, means that there is a great potential that conditions will worsen in many more cities that will reach megacity status. This paper maps the potential for air pollution that cities will experience in the future unless control strategies are developed and implemented during the next several decades.

Regional disparity and cost-effective SO2 pollution control in China: A case study in 5 mega-cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanada, Momoe; Dong, Liang; Fujita, Tsuyoshi; Fujii, Minoru; Inoue, Tsuyoshi; Hirano, Yujiro; Togawa, Takuya; Geng, Yong

2013-01-01

With rapid development, increasing sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emission becomes a key environmental issue in China. To respond to this challenge, the Chinese government established a top-down scheme to reduce its SO 2 emissions. However, regional disparity and the associated cost differences brought uncertainties to the policy effectiveness and efficiency. Few studies focus on this field. Therefore, this study tries to fill such a gap by investigating the differences of SO 2 emissions, reduction potential, and cost-effectiveness through use of the GAINS-China model in five mega-cities in China, namely, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, and Hong Kong. A scenario analysis approach is employed, focusing on two technologies named flue gas desulfurization (FGD) and limestone injection (LINJ). Results demonstrated that a large SO 2 reduction potential exists, as well as a great disparity, among the five mega-cities. Chongqing had the largest reduction potential with lowest unit cost, while Beijng and Hong Kong showed the lowest reduction potential with higher unit cost. In Beijing and Shanghai, FGD and LINJ in the power generation sector had the larger reduction potential with the highest cost-effectiveness. However, in Chongqing, the industry sectors also had large reduction potentials. Finally, appropriate SO 2 control strategies and policies are raised by considering the local realities. - Highlights: • The cost-effectiveness of SO 2 control policy was analyzed in five mega-cities in China. • Reduction potential and cost-effectiveness were closely linked to regional disparity. • Beijing and Hong Kong showed lower reduction potential and higher marginal reduction cost. • Chongqing showed the largest reduction potential and the lowest marginal reduction cost

Calculation of high-rise construction limitations for non-resident housing fund in megacities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iliashenko Oksana

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The paper is devoted to topical issues of urban planning in terms of high-rise construction of a non-resident housing stock in relation to megacities. We consider this issue taking into account the limitations of natural, communal and social resources. The problem is especially acute for the overwhelming majority of the state capitals, as well as cities with historical heritage that are of great interest due to the rapid development of tourism and the high mobility of the population in the world. The growth of the population of many states capitals led to the use of high-rise buildings as a non-resident housing stock. However, there are a number of restrictions on the high-rise construction of non-resident housing stock in megacities. The authors formalize the problem of determining the optimal ratio of the volume of urban buildings belonging to the high-rise buildings types and intended for non-residents to a common housing fund. We conduct economic calculations to determine the quantitative indicators. It can be used as the basis for administrative measures aimed at limiting the people flow arriving with the intention of temporarily deploying in megacities.

Calculation of high-rise construction limitations for non-resident housing fund in megacities

Science.gov (United States)

Iliashenko, Oksana; Krasnov, Sergey; Sergeev, Sergey

2018-03-01

The paper is devoted to topical issues of urban planning in terms of high-rise construction of a non-resident housing stock in relation to megacities. We consider this issue taking into account the limitations of natural, communal and social resources. The problem is especially acute for the overwhelming majority of the state capitals, as well as cities with historical heritage that are of great interest due to the rapid development of tourism and the high mobility of the population in the world. The growth of the population of many states capitals led to the use of high-rise buildings as a non-resident housing stock. However, there are a number of restrictions on the high-rise construction of non-resident housing stock in megacities. The authors formalize the problem of determining the optimal ratio of the volume of urban buildings belonging to the high-rise buildings types and intended for non-residents to a common housing fund. We conduct economic calculations to determine the quantitative indicators. It can be used as the basis for administrative measures aimed at limiting the people flow arriving with the intention of temporarily deploying in megacities.

Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution Control Measures for Megacities

Science.gov (United States)

Friedrich, R.; Theloke, J.; Denier-van-der-Gon, H.; Kugler, U.; Kampffmeyer, T.; Roos, J.; Torras, S.

2012-04-01

Air pollution in large cities is still a matter of concern. Especially the concentration of fine particles (PM10 and PM2.5) is largest in large cities leading to severe health impacts. Furthermore the PM10 thresholds of the EU Air Quality Directive are frequently exceeded. Thus the question arises, whether the initiated policies and measures for mitigating air pollution are sufficient to meet the air quality targets and - if not - which efficient further pollution mitigation measures exist. These questions have been addressed in the EU research project MEGAPOLI for the four European megacities respectively agglomerations London, Paris, Rhine-Ruhr area and Po valley. Firstly, a reference scenario of future activities and emissions has been compiled for the megacities for the years 2020, 2030 and 2050 for all relevant air pollutants (CO, NH3, NMVOC, NOx, PM10, PM2.5 and SO2) and greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4 and N2O). The reference scenario takes into account as well population changes as technical progress and economic growth. As pollution flowing in from outside the city is about as important as pollution caused by emissions in the city, the analysis covers the whole of Europe and not only the city area. Emissions are then transformed into concentrations using atmospheric models. The higher concentrations in cities were estimated with a newly developed 'urban increment' model. Results show, that in the megacities the limits of the Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC) will be exceeded. Thus additional efforts are necessary to reduce emissions further. Thus, a number of further measures (not implemented in current legislation) were selected and assessed. These included mitigation options for road transport, other mobile sources, large combustion plants, small and medium combustion plants and industry. For each measure and in addition for various bundles of measures a cost-benefit analysis has been carried out. Benefits (avoided health risks and climate change risks) have

Alternative Governance Structures in Megacities: Threats or Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-01

territories, leaving inhabitants disenfranchised. These gaps are then filled by social entrepreneurs , often ethnic or re- ligious-based civil society...social entrepreneurs , often ethnic or re- ligious-based civil society groups—or even organized crime syndicates—who effectively identify niche needs in...be applied to provide a picture of megacities of increasing importance to U.S. defense planning, including Transparency Inter- national’s Corruption

Multi-Scale Enviro-HIRLAM Forecasting of Weather and Atmospheric Composition over China and its Megacities

Science.gov (United States)

Mahura, Alexander; Amstrup, Bjarne; Nuterman, Roman; Yang, Xiaohua; Baklanov, Alexander

2017-04-01

Air pollution is a serious problem in different regions of China and its continuously growing megacities. Information on air quality, and especially, in urbanized areas is important for decision making, emergency response and population. In particular, the metropolitan areas of Shanghai, Beijing, and Pearl River Delta are well known as main regions having serious air pollution problems. The on-line integrated meteorology-chemistry-aerosols Enviro-HIRLAM (Environment - HIgh Resolution Limited Area Model) model adapted for China and selected megacities is applied for forecasting of weather and atmospheric composition (with focus on aerosols). The model system is running in downscaling chain from regional to urban scales at subsequent horizontal resolutions of 15-5-2.5 km. The model setup includes also the urban Building Effects Parameterization module, describing different types of urban districts (industrial commercial, city center, high density and residential) with its own morphological and aerodynamical characteristics. The effects of urbanization are important for atmospheric transport, dispersion, deposition, and chemical transformations, in addition to better quality emission inventories for China and selected urban areas. The Enviro-HIRLAM system provides meteorology and air quality forecasts at regional-subregional-urban scales (China - East China - selected megacities). In particular, such forecasting is important for metropolitan areas, where formation and development of meteorological and chemical/aerosol patterns are especially complex. It also provides information for evaluation impact on selected megacities of China as well as for investigation relationship between air pollution and meteorology.

Relevance of the land use changes related to a megacity development in a Colombian river basin

Science.gov (United States)

García-Arias, Alicia; Romero Hernández, Claudia Patricia; Francés, Félix

2017-04-01

A megacity development is a main driving force for land uses changes. Population in these megacities usually rise depending on some or all of the natural resources related to the occupied area and, among them, water is a pivotal requirement. On the other hand, land use changes determine the catchment hydrology and, in consequence, its management. The better knowledge on land uses cover distribution and characteristics, the higher capabilities to increase the accuracy of hydrological predictions and the efficiency of water management. This study aims to describe the land uses changes occurred during the recent expansion of the megacity of Bogotá (Colombia) and to understand the expected changes. In addition, we propose the base for the consideration of this land use changes in the TETIS distributed hydrological modelling approach. The discussion focus on the necessity of considering this kind of scenarios in hydrological modelling for a responsible management of the water resources.

Mental disorders in megacities: findings from the Sao Paulo megacity mental health survey, Brazil.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Helena Andrade

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: World population growth is projected to be concentrated in megacities, with increases in social inequality and urbanization-associated stress. São Paulo Metropolitan Area (SPMA provides a forewarning of the burden of mental disorders in urban settings in developing world. The aim of this study is to estimate prevalence, severity, and treatment of recently active DSM-IV mental disorders. We examined socio-demographic correlates, aspects of urban living such as internal migration, exposure to violence, and neighborhood-level social deprivation with 12-month mental disorders. METHODS AND RESULTS: A representative cross-sectional household sample of 5,037 adults was interviewed face-to-face using the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI, to generate diagnoses of DSM-IV mental disorders within 12 months of interview, disorder severity, and treatment. Administrative data on neighborhood social deprivation were gathered. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate individual and contextual correlates of disorders, severity, and treatment. Around thirty percent of respondents reported a 12-month disorder, with an even distribution across severity levels. Anxiety disorders were the most common disorders (affecting 19.9%, followed by mood (11%, impulse-control (4.3%, and substance use (3.6% disorders. Exposure to crime was associated with all four types of disorder. Migrants had low prevalence of all four types compared to stable residents. High urbanicity was associated with impulse-control disorders and high social deprivation with substance use disorders. Vulnerable subgroups were observed: women and migrant men living in most deprived areas. Only one-third of serious cases had received treatment in the previous year. DISCUSSION: Adults living in São Paulo megacity had prevalence of mental disorders at greater levels than similar surveys conducted in other areas of the world. Integration of mental health promotion

Mega-city and great earthquake distributions: the search of basic links.

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, Boris; Sasorova, Elena; Domanski, Andrej

2013-04-01

The ever-increasing population density in large metropolitan cities near major active faults (e.g. Tokyo, Lisbon, San-Francisco, et al.) and recent catastrophic earthquakes in Japan, Indonesia and Haiti (loss of life more 500000), highlight the need for searching of causal relationships between distributions of earthquake epicenters and mega-cities at the Earth [1]. The latitudinal distribution of mega-cities calculated with using Internet data base, discovers a curious peculiarity: the density of large city numbers, related to 10-degree latitude interval, demonstrates two maximums in middle latitudes (±30-40°) on both sides of the equator. These maximums are separated by clean local minimum near equator, and such objects (mega-cities) are practically absent in the high latitudes. In the last two decades, it was shown [2, 3, 4] that a seismic activity of the Earth is described by the similar bimodal latitudinal distribution. The similarity between bimodal distributions for geophysical phenomena and mega-city locations attracts common attention. The peak values in the both distributions (near ±35°) correspond to location of well-known "critical latitudes" at the planet. These latitudes were determined [5], as the lines of intersection of a sphere and a spheroid of equal volume (±35°15'52″). Increasing of the angular velocity of a celestial body rotation leads to growth of oblateness of planet, and vice versa, the oblateness is decreasing with reducing of velocity of rotation. So, well-known effect of the Earth rotation instability leads to small pulsations of the geoid. In the critical latitudes, the geoid radius-vector is equal to the radius of sphere. The zones of near critical latitudes are characterized by high density of faults in the Earth crust and manifestation of some geological peculiarities (hot spot distribution, large ore deposit distribution, et al.). The active faults existence has led to an emanation of depth fluids, which created the good

In situ, satellite measurement and model evidence on the dominant regional contribution to fine particulate matter levels in the Paris megacity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beekmann, M.; Prévôt, A.S.H.; Drewnick, F.; Sciare, J.; Pandis, S.N.; Denier van der Gon, H.A.C.; Crippa, M.; Freutel, F.; Poulain, L.; Ghersi, V.; Rodriguez, E.; Beirle, S.; Zotter, P.; Weiden-Reinmüller, S.L. von der; Bressi, M.; Fountoukis, C.; Petetin, H.; Szidat, S.; Schneider, J.; Rosso, A.; El Haddad, I.; Megaritis, A.; Zhang, Q.J.; Michoud, V.; Slowik, J.G.; Moukhtar, S.; Kolmonen, P.; Stohl, A.; Eckhardt, S.; Borbon, A.; Gros, V.; Marchand, N.; Jaffrezo, J.L.; Schwarzenboeck, A.; Colomb, A.; Wiedensohler, A.; Borrmann, S.; Lawrence, M.; Baklanov, A.; Baltensperger, U.

2015-01-01

A detailed characterization of air quality in the megacity of Paris (France) during two 1-month intensive campaigns and from additional 1-year observations revealed that about 70 % of the urban background fine particulate matter (PM) is transported on average into the megacity from upwind regions.

The crisis of the core seen through the eyes of the periphery: A Schelling model of the global-south megacity and the European crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dymski Gary A.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Adapting Schelling’s checker-board discrimination framework, we develop a disequilibrium model to examine growth in two core-periphery settings: global-South megacities and the Eurozone. Regarding megacities, informal sector growth undercuts the government’s capacity to fund fully adequate public services. Regarding the Eurozone, an increase in the relative size of the periphery will - under the government’s balanced-budget constraint - undercut the provision of public safety-net and infrastructure services. And if low-wage production is initiated in the European periphery, the core is likely to collapse. “Urbanization is decisive because it is so expensive. The difference between the costs of urban development and rural development does not turn on comparing the capital required for factories and that required for farms. Each of these is a small part of total investment, and the difference per head is not always in favor of industry. The difference turns on infrastructure.” W. Arthur Lewis (1977, pp. 39-40.

Air-quality measurements in mega-cities: Focus on gaseous organic and particulate pollutants and comparison between two contrasted cities, Paris and Beijing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gros, V.; Sciare, J.; Yu, T.

2007-01-01

The rapid and important development of large urban areas ('mega-cities'), especially in developing countries, causes and will cause serious air-quality problems. Pollutant measurements in these cities help to characterize the chemical nature and the quantity of these pollutants and to constrain air-quality models. This paper focuses on measurements of volatile organic compounds and aerosols that have an important impact on air quality. We present a brief review on existing measurements and experimental strategies in mega-cities and then we show results from recent measurement campaigns that took place in two contrasted mega-cities: Paris and Beijing. (authors)

Mental Disorders in Megacities: Findings from the São Paulo Megacity Mental Health Survey, Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, Laura Helena; Wang, Yuan-Pang; Andreoni, Solange; Silveira, Camila Magalhães; Alexandrino-Silva, Clovis; Siu, Erica Rosanna; Nishimura, Raphael; Anthony, James C.; Gattaz, Wagner Farid; Kessler, Ronald C.; Viana, Maria Carmen

2012-01-01

Background World population growth is projected to be concentrated in megacities, with increases in social inequality and urbanization-associated stress. São Paulo Metropolitan Area (SPMA) provides a forewarning of the burden of mental disorders in urban settings in developing world. The aim of this study is to estimate prevalence, severity, and treatment of recently active DSM-IV mental disorders. We examined socio-demographic correlates, aspects of urban living such as internal migration, exposure to violence, and neighborhood-level social deprivation with 12-month mental disorders. Methods and Results A representative cross-sectional household sample of 5,037 adults was interviewed face-to-face using the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), to generate diagnoses of DSM-IV mental disorders within 12 months of interview, disorder severity, and treatment. Administrative data on neighborhood social deprivation were gathered. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate individual and contextual correlates of disorders, severity, and treatment. Around thirty percent of respondents reported a 12-month disorder, with an even distribution across severity levels. Anxiety disorders were the most common disorders (affecting 19.9%), followed by mood (11%), impulse-control (4.3%), and substance use (3.6%) disorders. Exposure to crime was associated with all four types of disorder. Migrants had low prevalence of all four types compared to stable residents. High urbanicity was associated with impulse-control disorders and high social deprivation with substance use disorders. Vulnerable subgroups were observed: women and migrant men living in most deprived areas. Only one-third of serious cases had received treatment in the previous year. Discussion Adults living in São Paulo megacity had prevalence of mental disorders at greater levels than similar surveys conducted in other areas of the world. Integration of mental health promotion and care into the

Megacities and Large Urban Complexes - WMO Role in Addressing Challenges and Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Terblanche, Deon; Jalkanen, Liisa

2013-04-01

Megacities and Large Urban Complexes - WMO Role in Addressing Challenges and Opportunities Deon E. Terblanche and Liisa Jalkanen dterblanche@wmo.int ljalkanen@wmo.int World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland The 21st Century could amongst others, become known as the century in which our species has evolved from Homo sapiens to Homo urbanus. By now the urban population has surpassed the rural population and the rate of urbanization will continue at such a pace that by 2050 urban dwellers could outnumber their rural counterpart by more than two to one. Most of this growth in urban population will occur in developing countries and along coastal areas. Urbanization is to a large extent the outcome of humans seeking a better life through improved opportunities presented by high-density communities. Megacities and large urban complexes provide more job opportunities and social structures, better transport and communication links and a relative abundance of physical goods and services when compared to most rural areas. Unfortunately these urban complexes also present numerous social and environmental challenges. Urban areas differ from their surroundings by morphology, population density, and with high concentration of industrial activities, energy consumption and transport. They also pose unique challenges to atmospheric modelling and monitoring and create a multi-disciplinary spectrum of potential threats, including air pollution, which need to be addressed in an integrated way. These areas are also vulnerable to the changing climate and its implications to sea-level and extreme events, air quality and related health impacts. Many urban activities are significantly impacted by weather events that would not be considered to be of high impact in less densely populated areas. For instance, moderate precipitation events can cause flooding and landslides as modified urban catchments generally have higher run-off to rainfall ratios than their more pristine rural

How to make mega-cities energy efficient?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aoki, Hitoshi; Aoki, Yoshitaka

2010-09-15

Tokyo is a Megalopolis with 40 million+ population. It has an energy efficient profile due to its uniqueness as extensive mass rail transit networks, high density and compact urban formation, compact space oriented life style. The other feature is extensive use of electric heat pumps (EHP), which entails low carbon city profile. Further possibility is prepared with water thermal energy utilization, which is widely available also through EHP particularly in Tokyo central districts, which could make Tokyo one of the lowest carbon cities in the world. Emerging mega-cities are expected to learn from Tokyo's success and not from western conventional models.

New Approaches for Estimating Motor Vehicle Emissions in Megacities

Science.gov (United States)

Marr, L. C.; Thornhill, D. A.; Herndon, S. C.; Onasch, T. B.; Wood, E. C.; Kolb, C. E.; Knighton, W. B.; Mazzoleni, C.; Zavala, M. A.; Molina, L. T.

2007-12-01

The rapid proliferation of megacities and their air quality problems is producing unprecedented air pollution health risks and management challenges. Quantifying motor vehicle emissions in the developing world's megacities, where vehicle ownership is skyrocketing, is critical for evaluating the cities' impacts on the atmosphere at urban, regional, and global scales. The main goal of this research is to quantify gasoline- and diesel-powered motor vehicle emissions within the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). We apply positive matrix factorization to fast measurements of gaseous and particulate pollutants made by the Aerodyne Mobile Laboratory as it drove throughout the MCMA in 2006. We consider carbon dioxide; carbon monoxide; volatile organic compounds including benzene and formaldehyde; nitrogen oxides; ammonia; fine particulate matter; particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; and black carbon. Analysis of the video record confirms the apportionment of emissions to different engine types. From the derived source profiles, we calculate fuel-based fleet-average emission factors and then estimate the total motor vehicle emission inventory. The advantages of this method are that it can capture a representative sample of vehicles in a variety of on-road driving conditions and can separate emissions from gasoline versus diesel engines. The results of this research can be used to help assess the accuracy of emission inventories and to guide the development of strategies for reducing vehicle emissions.

Application of Satellite Remote Sensing to Identify Climatic and Anthropogenic Changes Related to Water and Health Conditions in Emerging Megacities

Science.gov (United States)

Akanda, A. S.; Serman, E. A.; Jutla, A.

2014-12-01

By 2050, more than 70% of the world's population is expected to be living in a city. In many of the urbanizing regions in Asia and Africa, most new development is taking place without adequate urban or regional planning, and a majority population is crowded into densely populated unplanned settlements, also known as slums. During the same period, precipitation and temperature patterns are likely to see significant changes in many of these regions while coastal megacities will have to accommodate sea-level rise in their ecosystems. The rapid increase in population is usually observed in fringes of the urban sprawl without adequate water or sanitation facilities or access to other municipal amenities (such as utilities, healthcare, and education). Collectively, these issues make the ever increasing slum dwellers in emerging megacities significantly vulnerable to a combination of climatic and anthropogenic threats. However, how the growth of unplanned urban and peri-urban sprawl and simultaneous change in climatic patterns have impacted public health in the emerging megacities remain largely unexplored due to lack of readily available and usable data. We employ a number of Remote Sensing products (GRACE, LANDSAT, MODIS) to bridge above knowledge gaps and to identify relevant hydrologic and anthropogenic changes in emerging megacities that are most vulnerable due to the climate-water-health nexus. We explore one of the largest and the fastest growing megacities in the world - Dhaka, Bangladesh - on identifying and investigating the changes in the water environment and growth of slum areas, and impact on water services and health outcomes. The hydroclimatology of South Asia is highly seasonal and the asymmetric availability of water affects vast areas of Bangladesh differently in space and time, exposing the population of Dhaka region to both droughts and floods and periodic spring-fall outbreaks of diarrheal diseases, such as cholera and rotavirus. This research

Sustainable Urban Transport in the Developing World: Beyond Megacities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorina Pojani

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Megacities have frequently received a disproportionate amount of attention over other sizes of cities in recent discourse on urban sustainability. In this article, the authors argue that a focus on smaller and medium-sized cities is crucial to achieving substantial progress towards more sustainable urban development, not only because they are home to at least a quarter of the world’s population but because they also offer great potential for sustainable transformations. In principle, their size allows for flexibility in terms of urban expansion, adoption of “green” travel modes, and environmental protection. At the same time, smaller and medium-sized cities often have fewer resources to implement new transport measures and can be more vulnerable to fluctuations in the world economy. This article critically reviews the potential role and impact of nine commonly considered options for sustainable urban transport in cities in developing countries: (1 road infrastructure; (2 rail-based public transport; (3 road-based public transport; (4 support for non-motorized travel modes; (5 technological solutions; (6 awareness-raising campaigns; (7 pricing mechanisms; (8 vehicle access restrictions; and (9 control of land-uses. Drawing on international research and examples of policies to reduce the environmental impacts of transport in urban areas, this article identifies some key lessons for sustainable urban transport in smaller and medium-sized cities in developing countries. These lessons are certainly not always identical to those for megacities in the global south.

Long-term changes of tropospheric NO2 over megacities derived from multiple satellite instruments

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A. Hilboll

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Tropospheric NO2, a key pollutant in particular in cities, has been measured from space since the mid-1990s by the GOME, SCIAMACHY, OMI, and GOME-2 instruments. These data provide a unique global long-term dataset of tropospheric pollution. However, the observations differ in spatial resolution, local time of measurement, viewing geometry, and other details. All these factors can severely impact the retrieved NO2 columns. In this study, we present three ways to account for instrumental differences in trend analyses of the NO2 columns derived from satellite measurements, while preserving the individual instruments' spatial resolutions. For combining measurements from GOME and SCIAMACHY into one consistent time series, we develop a method to explicitly account for the instruments' difference in ground pixel size (40 × 320 km2 vs. 30 × 60 km2. This is especially important when analysing NO2 changes over small, localised sources like, e.g. megacities. The method is based on spatial averaging of the measured earthshine spectra and extraction of a spatial pattern of the resolution effect. Furthermore, two empirical corrections, which summarise all instrumental differences by including instrument-dependent offsets in a fitted trend function, are developed. These methods are applied to data from GOME and SCIAMACHY separately, to the combined time series, and to an extended dataset comprising also GOME-2 and OMI measurements. All approaches show consistent trends of tropospheric NO2 for a selection of areas on both regional and city scales, for the first time allowing consistent trend analysis of the full time series at high spatial resolution. Compared to previous studies, the longer study period leads to significantly reduced uncertainties. We show that measured tropospheric NO2 columns have been strongly increasing over China, the Middle East, and India, with values over east-central China tripling from 1996 to 2011. All parts of the developed world

Understanding Local Energy Initiatives and Preconditions for Business Opportunities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jablonska, B. [ECN Policy Studies, Petten (Netherlands); Oostra, M. [TNO, Delft (Netherlands)

2013-09-15

More and more local bottom-up energy initiatives are emerging. Those involved encounter many barriers during the realization of their ideas. As the generation of renewable energy is mostly included, these local initiatives contribute to the targets set at regional, national and EU level. At the same time, they are an indication that end-users themselves want to be part of the energy transition. What are the reasons for citizens to organize themselves and start and initiative? What kind of barriers do they encounter? What does this mean for roles and responsibilities of professionals? And to what kind of opportunities does this lead for products and services? Answers to these questions provide a solid starting point to develop methods and instruments to stimulate, facilitate and upscale local energy initiatives. This paper bundles the outcomes of three workshops and three additional interviews in the Netherlands as part of the European E-hub project. Conclusions can be drawn on needs and drivers, barriers, risks and solutions (lessons learned), possible roles for professionals and opportunities for new products and services.

Project management initiative local development through specialized training.

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Neisy Ramos Acevedo

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The local development should complete a group of basic principles, such as: the design for training and the tools information adapted to the particularity of each territory. This training facilitates, also, the articulation of the stocks deployed by the local leaders, and it increases the administration of the knowledge and the transfer of technologies, processes in those that the nexuses are enlarged between the structures and the population, and where the participation of different present actors is potentialized in the territory. During the year 2010 the Ministry of Economy and Planning begins to offer the possibility to finance projects for the local development, nevertheless these initiatives should be accompanied by a rigorous study of feasibility of the investments. The University of Sancti Spíritus, committed in this zeal, designs the Diplomate of Administration of Projects for Local Initiatives, which offers theoretical tools and it develops practical abilities in the different actors of the local development that facilitate the realization of these studies. The exercise of this graduate's culmination consists on the defence of the study of feasibility of those projects that each municipality identifies as priority for its development.

Climate-driven endemic cholera is modulated by human mobility in a megacity

Science.gov (United States)

Perez-Saez, Javier; King, Aaron A.; Rinaldo, Andrea; Yunus, Mohammad; Faruque, Abu S. G.; Pascual, Mercedes

2017-10-01

Although a differential sensitivity of cholera dynamics to climate variability has been reported in the spatially heterogeneous megacity of Dhaka, Bangladesh, the specific patterns of spread of the resulting risk within the city remain unclear. We build on an established probabilistic spatial model to investigate the importance and role of human mobility in modulating spatial cholera transmission. Mobility fluxes were inferred using a straightforward and generalizable methodology that relies on mapping population density based on a high resolution urban footprint product, and a parameter-free human mobility model. In accordance with previous findings, we highlight the higher sensitivity to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the highly populated urban center than in the more rural periphery. More significantly, our results show that cholera risk is largely transmitted from the climate-sensitive core to the periphery of the city, with implications for the planning of control efforts. In addition, including human mobility improves the outbreak prediction performance of the model with an 11 month lead. The interplay between climatic and human mobility factors in cholera transmission is discussed from the perspective of the rapid growth of megacities across the developing world.

Diversity and human perceptions of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in Southeast Asian megacities.

Science.gov (United States)

Sing, Kong-Wah; Wang, Wen-Zhi; Wan, Tao; Lee, Ping-Shin; Li, Zong-Xu; Chen, Xing; Wang, Yun-Yu; Wilson, John-James

2016-10-01

Urbanization requires the conversion of natural land cover to cover with human-constructed elements and is considered a major threat to biodiversity. Bee populations, globally, are under threat; however, the effect of rapid urban expansion in Southeast Asia on bee diversity has not been investigated. Given the pressing issues of bee conservation and urbanization in Southeast Asia, coupled with complex factors surrounding human-bee coexistence, we investigated bee diversity and human perceptions of bees in four megacities. We sampled bees and conducted questionnaires at three different site types in each megacity: a botanical garden, central business district, and peripheral suburban areas. Overall, the mean species richness and abundance of bees were significantly higher in peripheral suburban areas than central business districts; however, there were no significant differences in the mean species richness and abundance between botanical gardens and peripheral suburban areas or botanical gardens and central business districts. Urban residents were unlikely to have seen bees but agreed that bees have a right to exist in their natural environment. Residents who did notice and interact with bees, even though being stung, were more likely to have positive opinions towards the presence of bees in cities.

Local and national initiatives to motivate young people for engineering & ICT

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ir. Dick van Schenk Brill; Ing Peter van den Berg

2009-01-01

Described are a number of national and local initiatives that are taken to motivate young people to choose for technical education. From the local initiatives we focus on the area where Fontys and Actemium are located; the southeast of the Netherlands. Not only governmental organizations and

The role local initiatives in community based disaster risk management in Kemijen, Semarang City

Science.gov (United States)

Fauzie, W. Z.; Sariffudin, S.

2017-06-01

Community-based disaster risk reduction is one of the homegrown initiatives efforts and community empowerment oriented in disaster management. This approach is very important because no one can understand the conditions in a region better than the local communities. Therefore, the implementation of CBDRM always emphasize local initiatives in decision making. The existence of local initiative is necessary specially to anticipate the impact of climate change which is increasingly affecting towns in coastal areas, including settlements in Semarang. Kemijen Urban Village is one of the informal settlements in Semarang, which has the highest intensity of flood that is 12 times during 5 years (2011-2015). The research question is how the level of local initiatives in flood disaster management in Kemijen, Semarang? This study aims to assess the level of local initiatives in Kemijen as the community adaptive capacity of flood prevention in pre-disaster, emergency response, and post-disaster. Local initiatives assessed on water supply, sanitation, food, shelter, health, drainage maintenance and waste management. This study shows the level of local initiatives in pre-disaster and post-disaster is almost same and bigger than the response phase. Scoring results showed that pre-disaster is 35.002, 27.9577 for emergency response, and post-disaster is 34.9862 with each category that is independent, empowered, and independent. This study also shows that local initiatives in Kemijen largely formed by individual initiative and only a few were formed by a collective initiative.

The Urban Leaders Adaptation Initiative: Climate Resilient Local Governments

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, J. G.

2008-12-01

Local governments, the first responders to public health, safety and environmental hazards, must act now to lessen vulnerabilities to climate change. They must plan for and invest in "adapting" to inevitable impacts such as flood, fire, and draught that will occur notwithstanding best efforts to mitigate climate change. CCAP's Urban Leaders Adaptation Initiative is developing a framework for informed decision making on climate adaptation. Looking ahead to projected climate impacts and 'back casting' can identify what is needed now to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build local resiliency to climate change. CCAP's partnership with King County (WA), Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami-Dade County (FL), Milwaukee, Nassau County (NY), Phoenix, San Francisco, and Toronto is advancing policy discussions to ensure that state and local governments consider climate change when making decisions about infrastructure, transportation, land use, and resource management. Through the Initiative, local leaders will incorporate climate change into daily urban management and planning activities, proactively engage city and county managers and the public in developing solutions, and build community resilience. One goal is to change both institutional and public attitudes and behaviors. Determining appropriate adaptation strategies for each jurisdiction requires Asking the Climate Question: "How does what we are doing increase our resilience to climate change?" Over the next three years, the Initiative will design and implement specific adaptation plans, policies and 'catalytic' projects, collect and disseminate "best practices," and participate in framing national climate policy discussions. In the coming years, policy-makers will have to consider climate change in major infrastructure development decisions. If they are to be successful and have the resources they need, national climate change policy and emerging legislation will have to support these communities. The Urban Leaders

Minimizing Surface Exposure to Climate Extremity in Coastal Megacities by Structure Remodelling using Integral Geographic Information System: Lessons from Greater Mumbai Metropolitan

Science.gov (United States)

Tiwari, A.

2016-12-01

Coastal metropolitans in South Asia represent the most densely populated and congested urban spaces ranking among the largest urban settlements of the planet. These megacities are characterized by inadequate infrastructure, lack of mitigation tools, and weak resilience of urban ecosystems. Additionally, climate change has increased vulnerability of poor and marginalized population living in rapidly growing coastal megacities to increased frequency, severity and intensity of extreme weather events. This has adversely affected local counter strategies and adaptation tools, transforming such events into hazards with the inability to respond and mitigate. Study aimed to develop a participatory framework for risk reduction in Greater Mumbai Metropolitan by Structure Remodeling (SR) in integral GIS. Research utilized terrain analysis tools and vulnerability mapping, and identified risk susceptible fabric and checked its scope for SR without: 1.adding to its (often) complex fragmentation, and 2.without interference with the ecosystem services accommodated by it. Surfaces available included paved ground, streetscapes commercial facades, rooftops,public spaces, open as well as dark spaces. Remodeling altered certain characteristics in the intrinsic or extrinsic cross-section profile or in both (if suitable) with infrastructure measures (grey, green, blue) that collectively involved ecosystem services and maintained natural hydrological connection. This method fairly reduced exposure of vulnerable surface and minimized risk to achieve extremity-neutral state. Harmonizing with public perception and incorporating priorities of local authorities, the method is significant as it rises above the fundamental challenges arising during management of (often) conflicting perspectives and interests of multiplicity of stakeholders involved at various levels in urban climate governance while ensuring inclusive solutions with reduced vulnerability and increased resilience. Additionally

Quantifying changes in water use and groundwater availability in a megacity using novel integrated systems modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Hyndman, D. W.; Xu, T.; Deines, J. M.; Cao, G.; Nagelkirk, R.; Viña, A.; McConnell, W.; Basso, B.; Kendall, A. D.; Li, S.; Luo, L.; Lupi, F.; Ma, D.; Winkler, J. A.; Yang, W.; Zheng, C.; Liu, J.

2017-08-01

Water sustainability in megacities is a growing challenge with far-reaching effects. Addressing sustainability requires an integrated, multidisciplinary approach able to capture interactions among hydrology, population growth, and socioeconomic factors and to reflect changes due to climate variability and land use. We developed a new systems modeling framework to quantify the influence of changes in land use, crop growth, and urbanization on groundwater storage for Beijing, China. This framework was then used to understand and quantify causes of observed decreases in groundwater storage from 1993 to 2006, revealing that the expansion of Beijing's urban areas at the expense of croplands has enhanced recharge while reducing water lost to evapotranspiration, partially ameliorating groundwater declines. The results demonstrate the efficacy of such a systems approach to quantify the impacts of changes in climate and land use on water sustainability for megacities, while providing a quantitative framework to improve mitigation and adaptation strategies that can help address future water challenges.

Megacity-Induced Mesoclimatic Effects in the Lower Atmosphere: A Modeling Study for Multiple Summers over Moscow, Russia

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Mikhail Varentsov

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Urbanization leads to distinct meteorological features of urban environments, and one the best-known is the urban heat island (UHI effect. For megacities, these features become mesoscale phenomena (scale ≥ 10 km that are amplified by the tropospheric feedbacks, and have substantial implications on human well-being. For the first time, a three-dimensional statistical description of the megacity-induced meteorological effects extending towards the lower troposphere for summer is acquired on a quasi-climatological timescale (a decade based on high-resolution (1 km simulations for Moscow with the COSMO-CLM model with and without its urban canopy model TERRA_URB. Our results confirm the features from previous observational and modeling studies, including the UHI itself, the cooling effect above established by the cross-over effect, the urban dry/moist islands and the urban breeze circulation. Particularly, the UHI shows a strong diurnal variation in terms of intensity and vertical extent between daytime (≈0.5 K/≈1.5 km and nighttime (>3 K/≈150 m. We have discovered a systematic veering in the downwind shift of the UHI spatial pattern established by the Coriolis effect, and an enhanced stable stratification of the rural surroundings established by the urban plumes further downwind. Finally, extending the analysis to multiple summers demonstrates a substantial increase in summer precipitation (up to +25% over the city center and its leeward side. These urban-caused mesoclimatic effects need to be taken into account in weather and climate services, including the design of future megacities.

A Comparison of Traffic Operations among Beijing and Several International Megacities

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Yuanzhou Yang

2011-12-01

Full Text Available High-Efficient traffic system is very important for economy and society of cities. Previous studies on the traffic comparison mostly took a city as a whole, but ignored the differences among areas inside the city. But in fact, the traffic congestion in different areas with a city is mostly different. Taking typical mega cities like Beijing, London, New York, and Tokyo as objects, this paper makes cross-comparison in the traffic operation and performance based on intelligent algorithm. Transportation infrastructure and travel demand data are discussed and unbalanced transport system is found in Beijing because of the conflict between too much traffic demand and defect road networks. From the aspects of traffic load, operational efficiency and safety, indexes including traffic v/c ratio, average vehicle speed and accident rate are selected to assess the performance of road traffic. It is concluded that road networks of Beijing have the worst performance compared with other three mega-cities and the primary reasons are the inappropriate distribution of utilization rate among the freeways, arterials, and local streets, and the high traffic concentration in urban area. So, several measures are recommended to improve the operation efficiency of traffic in Beijing especially for the green intelligent traffic system. Keywords: Traffic operation; Operational efficiency; Intelligent traffic system (ITS; Traffic load; traffic safety; Intelligent algorithm.

Multi-annual changes of NOx emissions in megacity regions: nonlinear trend analysis of satellite measurement based estimates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. P. Burrows

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Hazardous impact of air pollutant emissions from megacities on atmospheric composition on regional and global scales is currently an important issue in atmospheric research. However, the quantification of emissions and related effects is frequently a difficult task, especially in the case of developing countries, due to the lack of reliable data and information. This study examines possibilities to retrieve multi-annual NOx emissions changes in megacity regions from satellite measurements of nitrogen dioxide and to quantify them in terms of linear and nonlinear trends. By combining the retrievals of the GOME and SCIAMACHY satellite instrument data with simulations performed by the CHIMERE chemistry transport model, we obtain the time series of NOx emission estimates for the 12 largest urban agglomerations in Europe and the Middle East in the period from 1996 to 2008. We employ then a novel method allowing estimation of a nonlinear trend in a noisy time series of an observed variable. The method is based on the probabilistic approach and the use of artificial neural networks; it does not involve any quantitative a priori assumptions. As a result, statistically significant nonlinearities in the estimated NOx emission trends are detected in 5 megacities (Bagdad, Madrid, Milan, Moscow and Paris. Statistically significant upward linear trends are detected in Istanbul and Tehran, while downward linear trends are revealed in Berlin, London and the Ruhr agglomeration. The presence of nonlinearities in NOx emission changes in Milan, Paris and Madrid is confirmed by comparison of simulated NOx concentrations with independent air quality monitoring data. A good quantitative agreement between the linear trends in the simulated and measured near surface NOx concentrations is found in London.

Identification of spatially-localized initial conditions via sparse PCA

Science.gov (United States)

Dwivedi, Anubhav; Jovanovic, Mihailo

2017-11-01

Principal Component Analysis involves maximization of a quadratic form subject to a quadratic constraint on the initial flow perturbations and it is routinely used to identify the most energetic flow structures. For general flow configurations, principal components can be efficiently computed via power iteration of the forward and adjoint governing equations. However, the resulting flow structures typically have a large spatial support leading to a question of physical realizability. To obtain spatially-localized structures, we modify the quadratic constraint on the initial condition to include a convex combination with an additional regularization term which promotes sparsity in the physical domain. We formulate this constrained optimization problem as a nonlinear eigenvalue problem and employ an inverse power-iteration-based method to solve it. The resulting solution is guaranteed to converge to a nonlinear eigenvector which becomes increasingly localized as our emphasis on sparsity increases. We use several fluids examples to demonstrate that our method indeed identifies the most energetic initial perturbations that are spatially compact. This work was supported by Office of Naval Research through Grant Number N00014-15-1-2522.

Characteristics and factors of groundwater contamination in Asian coastal megacities

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, M.; Onodera, S. I.; Jin, G.; Shimizu, Y.; Admajaya, F. T.

2017-12-01

For the sustainable use of groundwater resources for the future, it is important to conserve its quality as well as quantity. Especially in the developing megacities, land subsidence and groundwater pollution by several contaminants (e.g. nitrogen, trace metals and organic pollutants etc.) is one of a critical environmental problems, because of the intensive extraction of groundwater and huge amount of contaminant load derived from domestic wastewater as well as agricultural and industrial wastewater. However, the process of groundwater degradation, including depletion and contamination with urbanization, has not been examined well in the previous studies. In the present study, we aim to confirm the characteristics and factors of groundwater contamination in coastal Asian megacities such as Osaka and Jakarta. In Osaka, groundwater was used as a water resource during the period of rapid population increase before 1970, and consequently groundwater resources have been degraded. Hydraulic potential of groundwater has been recovered after the regulation for abstraction. However, it is still below sea level in the deeper aquifer (>20 m) of some regions, and higher Cl-, NH4+-N and PO43-P concentrations were detected in these regions. The results also suggest that shallower aquifer (>10 m) is influenced by infiltration of sewage to groundwater. In the Jakarta metropolitan area, current hydraulic potential is below sea level in because of prior excess abstraction of groundwater. As a result, the direction of groundwater flow is now downward in the coastal area. The distribution of Cl- and Mn concentration in groundwater suggests that the decline in hydraulic potential has caused the intrusion of seawater and shallow groundwater into deep groundwater. It implies an accumulation of contaminants in deep aquifers. On the other hands, NO3-N in groundwater is suggested to be attenuated by the processes of denitrification and dilution in the coastal area.

Initial operations in local nuclear emergency response headquarter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-06-01

As a result of the Fukushima nuclear accident due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the tsunami that occurred thereafter, local nuclear emergency response headquarters (local headquarters) was set up at off-site center (OFC). However, several obstacles such as the collapse of means of communication resulting from severed communication lines, food and fuel shortage resulting from stagnant physical distribution, and increasing radiation dose around the center significantly restricted originally intended operation of local headquarters. In such severe situation, the personnel gathered at the OFC from the government, local public bodies and electric companies from March 11 to 15 acted without sufficient food, sleep or rest and did all they could against successively occurring unexpected challenges by using limited means of communication. However, issues requiring further consideration were activities of each functional group, location of OFC and the functions of equipment, machines and materials and reflecting the consideration results into future protective measures and revision of the manual for nuclear emergency response were greatly important. This report described investigated results on initial operations in local headquarters such as situation of activities conducted by local headquarters and operations at functional groups. (T. Tanaka)

Urban UV environment in a sub-tropical megacity – A measurement and modelling study

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Ka-Ming Wai

Full Text Available The variations of solar total UV (UVA + UVB exposure rates in a megacity featured with high-rise buildings during summer months were measured and relevant model predictions were evaluated. The maximum pedestrian-level total solar UV exposure rate was less than the un-obstructed exposure rate at any time, attributing to the prevailing reduction in the diffuse solar radiation due to the obstruction effects of distant buildings. Comparing with the measurements, our coupled model well captured the spatial and temporal variations of the reduction of UV exposure rates. By measurements, large reduction in the solar total UV exposure rate down to 12% of un-obstructed exposure rate due to the building obstruction effects was found, agreeing with our previous simulation results and results from an Australian megacity. On the other hand, building reflection from reflective curtain walls could reach 23% of the un-obstructed solar total UV exposure rate at the ground level. This implied improper building design creating additional harmful effects of solar UV radiation on the environment. The coupled model was also applied to predict the urban UV exposure rates during a tropical-cyclone induced aerosol episode. A well-evaluated urban solar UV model is an important tool for sustainable urban design.

Carbon dioxide and methane measurements from the Los Angeles Megacity Carbon Project - Part 1: calibration, urban enhancements, and uncertainty estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Verhulst, Kristal R.; Karion, Anna; Kim, Jooil; Salameh, Peter K.; Keeling, Ralph F.; Newman, Sally; Miller, John; Sloop, Christopher; Pongetti, Thomas; Rao, Preeti; Wong, Clare; Hopkins, Francesca M.; Yadav, Vineet; Weiss, Ray F.; Duren, Riley M.; Miller, Charles E.

2017-07-01

We report continuous surface observations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) from the Los Angeles (LA) Megacity Carbon Project during 2015. We devised a calibration strategy, methods for selection of background air masses, calculation of urban enhancements, and a detailed algorithm for estimating uncertainties in urban-scale CO2 and CH4 measurements. These methods are essential for understanding carbon fluxes from the LA megacity and other complex urban environments globally. We estimate background mole fractions entering LA using observations from four extra-urban sites including two marine sites located south of LA in La Jolla (LJO) and offshore on San Clemente Island (SCI), one continental site located in Victorville (VIC), in the high desert northeast of LA, and one continental/mid-troposphere site located on Mount Wilson (MWO) in the San Gabriel Mountains. We find that a local marine background can be established to within ˜ 1 ppm CO2 and ˜ 10 ppb CH4 using these local measurement sites. Overall, atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane levels are highly variable across Los Angeles. Urban and suburban sites show moderate to large CO2 and CH4 enhancements relative to a marine background estimate. The USC (University of Southern California) site near downtown LA exhibits median hourly enhancements of ˜ 20 ppm CO2 and ˜ 150 ppb CH4 during 2015 as well as ˜ 15 ppm CO2 and ˜ 80 ppb CH4 during mid-afternoon hours (12:00-16:00 LT, local time), which is the typical period of focus for flux inversions. The estimated measurement uncertainty is typically better than 0.1 ppm CO2 and 1 ppb CH4 based on the repeated standard gas measurements from the LA sites during the last 2 years, similar to Andrews et al. (2014). The largest component of the measurement uncertainty is due to the single-point calibration method; however, the uncertainty in the background mole fraction is much larger than the measurement uncertainty. The background uncertainty for the marine

The Progress in Localization Initiatives in PDC, BST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosli Darmawan; Hasni Hassan; Anwar Abdul Rahman

2011-01-01

Nuclear Malaysia has been established since 1972. It has evolves from laying the foundation for infrastructure and human resources in nuclear technology; research and development in nuclear applications; producing new products and prototypes; and finally, transferring the products and technology to the end users such as the industry and communities. While Nuclear Malaysia has been able to develop various nuclear applications, there are areas which have been left behind. Most of the facilities and instruments for nuclear Research and Development are imported. Although Nuclear Malaysia has been able to operate and maintain the facilities, there are occasions where the foreign experts and components need to be sought for. This dependency on foreign technology has cost Nuclear Malaysia a lot, especially in the maintenance and procurement of new instruments and spare parts. To reduce this dependency, some localization initiatives have been conducted by various groups in Nuclear Malaysia. This paper discusses the recent progress and achievement of localization initiatives undertaken by PDC on the related technology which has reduced the dependency on foreign experts and technology. (author)

An Overview of the MILAGRO 2006 Campaign: Mexico City Emissions and their Transport and Transformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molina, Luisa T.; Madronich, Sasha; Gaffney, Jeffrey; Apel, Eric; de Foy, B.; Fast, Jerome D.; Ferrare, R.; Herndon, Scott C.; Jimenez, Jose L.; Lamb, Brian K.; Orsonio-Vargas, A. R.; Russell, P. B.; Schauer, James J.; Stevens, P. S.; Volkamer, Rainer M.; Zavala, Miguel A.

2010-03-25

The world’s population is projected to increase 33% during the next three decades, to 8.1 billion. Nearly all of the projected growth is expected to be concentrated in urban centers. These rapidly expanding urban regions and surrounding suburban areas are leading to the phenomenon of megacities (metropolitan areas with populations exceeding 10 million inhabitants). Well governed, densely populated settlements can reduce the need for land conversion and provide proximity to infrastructure and services. However, many urban areas experience uncontrolled sprawl and their activities are the leading cause of environmental problems. These mega-centers of human population are tied directly to increasing demands for energy and associated industrial activities and motorization that lead to more emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. Air pollution is one of the most important environmental challenges of this century. This challenge is particularly acute in the developing world where the rapid growth of megacities is producing atmospheric pollution of unprecedented severity and extent. MILAGRO (Megacity Initiative: Local And Global Research Observations) is the first international collaborative project to examine the behavior and the export of atmospheric pollutants generated in megacities. The Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) - one of the world’s largest megacities and North America’s most populous city -- was selected as the initial case study to characterize the sources and processes of emissions from the urban center and to evaluate the regional and global impacts of the Mexico City air pollution plume

State and Local Initiatives: Your Bridge to Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Resources (Brochure)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Epstein, K.

2001-01-01

A brochure for local and state policymakers, informing them about the State and Local Initiatives team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The brochure outlines the benefits of using renewables and energy efficiency, the benefits of using the State and Local Initiatives team as a liaison to the wealth of information at NREL, and some of the services and resources available

Automation, Autonomy & Megacities 2025: A Dark Preview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Assante, Michael; Bochman, Andrew

2017-03-01

This paper extrapolates from present trends to describe very plausible – and actually quite likely – future crises playing out in multiple global cities. While predicting the future is fraught with uncertainty, much of what occurs in the scenarios that follow is fully possible today and absent a significant course change, probable in the timeframe discussed. The authors want to caveat that we are not commenting on a specific organization or technology deployment. It is not hard to find tech evangelists touting that ubiquitous and highly interconnected digital technology will bring great advances in productivity and efficiency, as well as new capabilities we cannot foresee. This paper attempts to reveal what is possible when these technologies are applied to critical infrastructure applications en masse without adequate security in densely populated cities that by their nature are less resilient than other environments. Megacities need and will deploy these new technologies to keep up with insatiable demand for energy, communications, transportation and other services, but it is important to recognize that they are also made more vulnerable by following this path .

On the Use of Hedonic Price Indices to Understand Ecosystem Service Provision from Urban Green Space in Five Latin American Megacities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ursula Loret de Mola

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Latin American (LA megacities are facing enormous challenges to provide welfare to millions of people who live in them. High rates of urbanization and limited administrative capacity of LA cities to plan and control urban growth have led to a critical deficit of urban green space, and therefore, to sub-optimal outcomes in terms of urban sustainability. This study seeks to assess the possibility of using real estate prices to provide an estimate of the monetary value of the ecosystem services provided by urban green space across five Latin American megacities: Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico City and Santiago de Chile. Using Google Earth images to quantify urban green space and multiple regression analysis, we evaluated the impact of urban green space, crime rates, business density and population density on real estate prices across the five mentioned megacities. In addition, for a subset of the data (Lima and Buenos Aires we analyzed the effects of landscape ecology variables (green space patch size, connectivity, etc. on real estate prices to provide a first insight into how the ecological attributes of urban green space can determine the level of ecosystem service provision in different urban contexts in Latin America. The results show a strong positive relationship between the presence of urban green space and real estate prices. Green space explains 52% of the variability in real estate prices across the five studied megacities. Population density, business density and crime had only minor impacts on real estate prices. Our analysis of the landscape ecology variables in Lima and Buenos Aires also show that the relationship between green space and price is context-specific, which indicates that further research is needed to better understand when and where ecological attributes of green space affect real estate prices so that managers of urban green space in LA cities can optimize ecological configuration to maximize ecosystem service

Contribution of Tula Refinery flaring emissions to the Mexico megacity

Science.gov (United States)

Almanza, Victor; Molina, Luisa; Sosa, Gustavo

2013-04-01

Flaring is an important source of greenhouse gases, particulate matter and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in both upstream and downstream operations in the oil and gas industry. In 2010 Mexico was the eleventh emitting country with 2.5 billion cubic meters of gas flared (World Bank, 2012). Black carbon (a component of soot) emissions from flaring facilities are of particular interest because soot is considered a short-lived climate forcer (SLCF) (UNEP, 2011). In 2011 there were 23 megacities of at least 10 million inhabitants. It is expected that this number increase to 37 by 2025, which will include one more in Northern America (NA) and two more in Latin America (UN, 2012). International collaborative projects like MILAGRO in NA and MEGAPOLI/CityZen in Europe, have been conducted to assess the impact of megacities air pollution at several scales. The former focused on the air pollution plume of Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA), the largest megacity in NA. This work studies the contribution of flaring emissions from Tula Refinery to regional air quality. This is accomplished in two steps. First, the flame of a representative sour gas flare is modeled with a CFD combustion code in order to estimate emission rates of combustion by-products of interest for air quality. Mass flow rates of acetylene, ethylene, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, soot and sulfur dioxide are obtained. The emission rates of NO2 and SO2 are compared with measurements obtained at Tula as part of MILAGRO field campaign. The rates of soot, VOCs and CO emissions are compared with estimates obtained by Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo (IMP). The second stage takes the flaring emission rates of the aforementioned species as inputs to WRF-Chem in order to simulate the chemical transport of the plume from 22 March to 27 March of 2006. The air quality model presented reliable performance of the resolved meteorology, with respect to the Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE

Transforming Karachi into a Livable and Competitive Megacity : A City Diagnostic and Transformation Strategy

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2018-01-01

With a population of 16 million, Karachi is the largest megacity in Pakistan. Despite being a large city that is home to many, it has seen a substantial decline in quality of life and economic competitiveness in recent decades. Basic service delivery is very poor, with very low indicators for water supply, sanitation, public transport and public spaces. Pollution levels are high, and the city is vulnerable to disasters and climate change. A highly complex political economy, institutional frag...

Struggle over energy transition in Berlin: How do grassroots initiatives affect local energy policy-making?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanchet, Thomas

2015-01-01

This paper examines the growing role of grassroots initiatives in the governance of urban energy systems. In recent years, research has increasingly underlined the potential for sustainable innovation of community-led bottom-up actions but has at the same time underestimated their potential impact on the governance of energy systems. Based on a strategic action field framework (SAF), this paper analyses the conflicts over the remunicipalisation of Berlin's electricity grid and investigates the creation and strategic development of two grassroots initiatives as well as their interaction with the local government and the established grid operator. We argue that grassroots initiatives have an important impact on the local energy system, not just through their influence on the implementation of local energy policy but above all by their framing of a specific vision of a local energy transition. The paper discusses the scope and limits of such initiatives in an urban context. - Highlights: • Grassroots initiatives as actors with countervailing power in local energy policy. • They increase citizens' awareness and impact the action of the local government. • Grids as objects of struggle between competing visions of energy transition. • Urban context is both a resource and a constraint for grassroots initiatives action

Toxicity and mutagenicity of exhaust from compressed natural gas: Could this be a clean solution for megacities with mixed-traffic conditions?

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Avinash K; Ateeq, Bushra; Gupta, Tarun; Singh, Akhilendra P; Pandey, Swaroop K; Sharma, Nikhil; Agarwal, Rashmi A; Gupta, Neeraj K; Sharma, Hemant; Jain, Ayush; Shukla, Pravesh C

2018-04-20

Despite intensive research carried out on particulates, correlation between engine-out particulate emissions and adverse health effects is not well understood yet. Particulate emissions hold enormous significance for mega-cities like Delhi that have immense traffic diversity. Entire public transportation system involving taxis, three-wheelers, and buses has been switched from conventional liquid fuels to compressed natural gas (CNG) in the Mega-city of Delhi. In this study, the particulate characterization was carried out on variety of engines including three diesel engines complying with Euro-II, Euro-III and Euro-IV emission norms, one Euro-II gasoline engine and one Euro-IV CNG engine. Physical, chemical and biological characterizations of particulates were performed to assess the particulate toxicity. The mutagenic potential of particulate samples was investigated at different concentrations using two different Salmonella strains, TA98 and TA100 in presence and absence of liver S9 metabolic enzyme fraction. Particulates emitted from diesel and gasoline engines showed higher mutagenicity, while those from CNG engine showed negligible mutagenicity compared to other test fuels and engine configurations. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed onto CNG engine particulates were also relatively fewer compared to those from equivalent diesel and gasoline engines. Taken together, our findings indicate that CNG is comparatively safer fuel compared to diesel and gasoline and can offer a cleaner transport energy solution for mega-cities with mixed-traffic conditions, especially in developing countries. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Local Governments Supporting Local Energy Initiatives: Lessons from the Best Practices of Saerbeck (Germany) and Lochem (The Netherlands)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoppe, Thomas; Graf, Antonia; Warbroek, Wynzen Douwe Beau; Lammers, Imke; Lepping, Isabella

2015-01-01

The social dimension of the transition to a low carbon economy is a key challenge to cities. The establishment of local energy initiatives (LEIs) has recently been attracting attention. It is of great importance to draw lessons from best practices when LEIs have been facilitated by local governments

Modelling and evaluating municipal solid waste management strategies in a mega-city: The case of Ho Chi Minh City

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ThiKimOanh, L.; Bloemhof-Ruwaard, J.M.; Buuren, van J.C.L.; Vorst, van der J.G.A.J.; Rulkens, W.H.

2015-01-01

Ho Chi Minh City is a large city that will become a mega-city in the near future. The city struggles with a rapidly increasing flow of municipal solid waste and a foreseeable scarcity of land to continue landfilling, the main treatment of municipal solid waste up to now. Therefore, additional

Des initiatives locales européennes pour atteindre le facteur 4 ?

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Elsa Mor

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Dans un contexte d’urgence climatique et de pics énergétiques, la dimension locale s’avère être une échelle stratégique pour relever le défi du facteur 4. C’est ce que nous tenterons de questionner au cœur de cet article. Nous examinerons les freins et les leviers que rencontrent les initiatives locales en Europe, en matière de politiques sectorielles, énergétiques et climatiques, ainsi que de gouvernance, en nous appuyant d’exemples précurseurs.In a climate emergency and peak oil context, the local dimension proves to be a strategical scale to take up the challenge of factor 4. It is what we will try to question in this article. We will examine brakes and levers which meet the local initiatives in Europe, in sectoral, energy-climate policies and governance, by leaning of forerunners examples.

Local, organic food initiatives and their potentials for transforming the conventional food system

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Geir Lieblein

2005-05-01

Full Text Available L’objectif de cet article est de discuter l’importance des initiatives locales dans la distribution de produits biologiques. Le sujet est abordé d’une part en fonction de la relation entre ce type d’initiatives et le système agroalimentaire conventionnel et d’autre part en fonction de la possibilité du développement d’un système agroalimentaire plus durable. Basé sur trois études scandinaves, concernant des produits biologiques en Norvège et au Danemark, cet article souligne le fait que les différents acteurs intreviewés jouent à la fois sur le tableau du local et du biologique et sur le tableau du conventionnel. En dépit de différences structurelles distinctes, les deux systèmes, et les conventions qui leur sont rattachées, s’influencent mutuellement. Afin de mettre au point une agriculture plus durable, il semble donc important de mettre en valeur le fondement global de l’agriculture écologique, qui repose non seulement sur des valeurs biologiques et locales, mais encore sur des aspects économiques, sociaux et culturels qui doivent être pris en considération.The aim of this article is to discuss the importance of local initiatives for distribution of organic food. This subject is discussed both in relation to how such initiatives may affect the overall conventional food system and the possible implications for development of a more sustainable food system. The article is based on findings from three different cases of local, organic food in Norway and Denmark. We found that actors within the cases are both involved with local, organic food initiatives and at the same time part of the overall conventional food system. Even though there are distinctive structural differences between these distribution systems, they mutually affect each other. This means that conventions normally associated with local, organic food systems may ‘rub off’ to the conventional food system and vice versa. In order to develop

Aerosol optical properties in the mega-cities Beijing and Guangzhou: Measurements and implications for regional air pollution, aerosol sources and remote sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Garland, R. M.; Yang, H.; Schmid, O.; Rose, D.; Gunthe, S. S.

2009-04-01

Aerosol optical properties were measured in two mega-city regions in China. The first site (Backgarden) was in a rural area approximately 60 km northwest of the mega-city Guangzhou in south China and was part of the "Program of Regional Integrated Experiments of Air Quality over the Pearl River Delta" intensive campaign in July 2006 (PRIDE-PRD2006). The second site (Yufa) was in a suburban area approximately 40 km south of Beijing and was part of "Campaigns of Air Quality Research in Beijing" (CAREBeijing-2006) in August 2006. Both sites were designed to measure the regional pollution of the mega-cities. The optical parameters determined with a nephelometer and photoacoustic spectrometer include absorption and scattering coefficients, single scattering albedos and Angstrom exponents at multiple wavelengths (450-700 nm). In both measurement campaigns, we observed pronounced diurnal cycles in absorption and scattering coefficients and single scattering albedo, which can be explained by boundary layer mixing effects and enhanced light absorbing carbon emissions from traffic activity during the nighttime and early morning, respectively (diesel soot from regulated truck traffic). In Beijing both the extensive and the intensive properties were highly dependent upon the origin of the air mass, which indicates that not only does the aerosol concentration change with air mass origin, but so do the chemical composition and sources. When the measured air masses originated in the north and passed over Beijing, the single scattering albedo was generally low (transported into the city from the south. The scattering and absorption coefficients measured in the outflow of the Guangzhou area during PRIDE-PRD2006 were ~2 times smaller than the southerly inflow into Beijing during CARBeijing-2006, which indicates that the sources of particulate pollution south of Beijing are even stronger than those in the Pearl River Delta. In both mega-city regions the Angstrom exponent exhibited a

Local French Food Initiatives in Practice: The Emergence of a Social Movement

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Angela Giovanangeli

2013-07-01

Full Text Available This article analyses the development of local food systems from a social movement perspective. It examines the case study of a farm market located in France and considers whether and how local initiatives in food distribution can be viewed as a social movement, using social theory as the conceptual framework.

Salvage treatment for local or local-regional recurrence after initial breast conservation treatment with radiation for ductal carcinoma in situ

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Solin, Lawrence J.; Fourquet, Alain; Vicini, Frank A.; Taylor, Marie; Haffty, Bruce; Strom, Eric A.; Wai, Elaine; Pierce, Lori J.; Marks, Lawrence B.; Bartelink, Harry; Campana, Francois; McNeese, Marsha D.; Jhingran, Anuja; Olivotto, Ivo A.; Bijker, Nina; Hwang, Wei-Ting

2005-01-01

The present study evaluated the outcome of salvage treatment for women with local or local-regional recurrence after initial breast conservation treatment with radiation for mammographically detected ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS; intraductal carcinoma) of the breast. The study cohort consisted of

Regional-to-Urban Enviro-HIRLAM Downscaling for Meteorological and Chemical Patterns over Chinese Megacities

Science.gov (United States)

Mahura, Alexander; Nuterman, Roman; Gonzalez-Aparicio, Iratxe; Amstrup, Bjarne; Baklanov, Alexander; Yang, Xiaohua; Nielsen, Kristian

2015-04-01

Due to strong economic growth in the past decades, air pollution became a serious problem in megacities and major industrial agglomerations of China. So, information on air quality in these urbanized areas is important for population. In particular, the metropolitan areas of Shanghai, Beijing, and Pearl River Delta are well known as main regions with serious air pollution issues. One of the aims of the EU FP7 MarcoPolo project is to improve existing regional-meso-urban/city scale air quality forecasts using improved emission inventories and to validate modelling results using satellite and ground-based measurements. The Enviro-HIRLAM (Environment - HIgh Resolution Limited Area Model) adapted for the Shanghai region of China is applied for forecasting. The model is urbanized using the Building Effects Parameterization module, which describes different types of urban districts such as industrial commercial, city center, high density and residential with its own characteristics. For sensitivity studies, the model was run in downscaling chain from regional-to-urban scales at subsequent horizontal resolutions of 15-5-2.5 km for selected dates with elevated pollution levels and unfavorable meteorological conditions. For these dates, the effects of urbanization are analyzed for atmospheric transport, dispersion, deposition, and chemical transformations. The evaluation of formation and development of meteorological and chemical/aerosol patterns due to influence of the urban areas is performed. The impact of selected (in a model domain) megacities of China is estimated on regional-to-urban scales, as well as relationship between air pollution and meteorology are studied.

Ambiental volatile organic compounds in the megacity of São Paulo

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Leila Droprinchinski Martins

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In order to characterize the composition of the main urban air organic compounds in the megacity of Sao Paulo, analysis of samples collected during the winter of 2003 downtown was carried out. The samplings were performed on the roof of a building in the commercial center of São Paulo. Hydrocarbons and carbonyls compounds were collected on August 4, 5 and 6. Comparing to previous data, the concentration of hydrocarbons presented no decrease in the concentration, except for the aldehydes, which decreased when compared to previous data. Among the HCs species analyzed, the highest concentrations observed were those of toluene (7.5 ± 3.4 ppbv, n-decane (3.2 ± 2.0 ppbv, benzene (2.7 ± 1.4 ppbv and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (2.2 ± 1.5 ppbv.

The uncertainty of future water supply adequacy in megacities: Effects of population growth and climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Alarcon, T.; Garcia, M. E.; Small, D. L.; Portney, K.; Islam, S.

2013-12-01

Providing water to the expanding population of megacities, which have over 10 million people, with a stressed and aging water infrastructure creates unprecedented challenges. These challenges are exacerbated by dwindling supply and competing demands, altered precipitation and runoff patterns in a changing climate, fragmented water utility business models, and changing consumer behavior. While there is an extensive literature on the effects of climate change on water resources, the uncertainty of climate change predictions continues to be high. This hinders the value of these predictions for municipal water supply planning. The ability of water utilities to meet future water needs will largely depend on their capacity to make decisions under uncertainty. Water stressors, like changes in demographics, climate, and socioeconomic patterns, have varying degrees of uncertainty. Identifying which stressors will have a greater impact on water resources, may reduce the level of future uncertainty for planning and managing water utilities. Within this context, we analyze historical and projected changes of population and climate to quantify the relative impacts of these two stressors on water resources. We focus on megacities that rely primarily on surface water resources to evaluate (a) population growth pattern from 1950-2010 and projected population for 2010-2060; (b) climate change impact on projected climate change scenarios for 2010-2060; and (c) water access for 1950-2010; projected needs for 2010-2060.

The Local Initiator Role in the Adoption of Biogas Energy Innovation for Household Needs in Rural Areas

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Hartiningsih

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The need for Kerosene is very high. When energy crisis hit Indonesia, it caused the scarcity and soaring prices of kerosene. Hence, finding alternative energy sources is needed, especially a renewable energy to households. One is which is Biogas energy. Biogas is an energy that uses simple technology, which uses raw materials of animal waste. Many rural communities do not know about it, so it requires a pioneer, called the local initiator. The local initiator is an agent of change that comes from the local community, who has the initiative to make changes and become a guide passage of the change process in an organization or community, in order to achieve the expected goals. Local initiator becomes an important factor in the success of biogas innovation adoption. Biogas is used for household needs such as cooking, water heating, and lighting. Biogas program has been reinforced by Presidential Decree No 5 of 2006, Minister of ESDM Regulation (Permen ESDM No 3 of 2013, Permen ESDM No 10 of 2015, and Minister of Rural Affairs Regulation (Permen Desa No 5 of 2015. This paper aims to examine the role of a local initiator as an agent of change and the most dominant factors in the successful adoption of biogas for the needs of rural households. This study uses a qualitative method by using a case study approach and conducting a descriptive analysis. The focus of the data analysis is only performed on the local initiator in the successful adoption of biogas in Haurngombong village in West Java and Pandua-North Lombok, NTB. The result of the study shows that the successful adoption of biogas in Haurngombong Village and Pandua Village is strongly influenced by the local initiator. The local initiator success is not determined by the position, age, and gender, but is determined by the experience in the use of biogas, biogas sector knowledge, dissemination strategies, and communication among stakeholders of biogas program. The key to the success of local

Initialization and Restart in Stochastic Local Search: Computing a Most Probable Explanation in Bayesian Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Mengshoel, Ole J.; Wilkins, David C.; Roth, Dan

2010-01-01

For hard computational problems, stochastic local search has proven to be a competitive approach to finding optimal or approximately optimal problem solutions. Two key research questions for stochastic local search algorithms are: Which algorithms are effective for initialization? When should the search process be restarted? In the present work we investigate these research questions in the context of approximate computation of most probable explanations (MPEs) in Bayesian networks (BNs). We introduce a novel approach, based on the Viterbi algorithm, to explanation initialization in BNs. While the Viterbi algorithm works on sequences and trees, our approach works on BNs with arbitrary topologies. We also give a novel formalization of stochastic local search, with focus on initialization and restart, using probability theory and mixture models. Experimentally, we apply our methods to the problem of MPE computation, using a stochastic local search algorithm known as Stochastic Greedy Search. By carefully optimizing both initialization and restart, we reduce the MPE search time for application BNs by several orders of magnitude compared to using uniform at random initialization without restart. On several BNs from applications, the performance of Stochastic Greedy Search is competitive with clique tree clustering, a state-of-the-art exact algorithm used for MPE computation in BNs.

Role of meteorology in seasonality of air pollution in megacity Delhi, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Guttikunda, Sarath K; Gurjar, Bhola R

2012-05-01

The winters in megacity Delhi are harsh, smoggy, foggy, and highly polluted. The pollution levels are approximately two to three times those monitored in the summer months, and the severity is felt not only in the health department but also in the transportation department, with regular delays at airport operations and series of minor and major accidents across the road corridors. The impacts felt across the city are both manmade (due to the fuel burning) and natural (due to the meteorological setting), and it is hard to distinguish their respective proportions. Over the last decade, the city has gained from timely interventions to control pollution, and yet, the pollution levels are as bad as the previous year, especially for the fine particulates, the most harmful of the criteria pollutants, with a daily 2009 average of 80 to 100 μg/m(3). In this paper, the role of meteorology is studied using a Lagrangian model called Atmospheric Transport Modeling System in tracer mode to better understand the seasonality of pollution in Delhi. A clear conclusion is that irrespective of constant emissions over each month, the estimated tracer concentrations are invariably 40% to 80% higher in the winter months (November, December, and January) and 10% to 60% lower in the summer months (May, June, and July), when compared to annual average for that year. Along with monitoring and source apportionment studies, this paper presents a way to communicate complex physical characteristics of atmospheric modeling in simplistic manner and to further elaborate linkages between local meteorology and pollution.

Carbon dioxide and methane measurements from the Los Angeles Megacity Carbon Project – Part 1: calibration, urban enhancements, and uncertainty estimates

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K. R. Verhulst

2017-07-01

Full Text Available We report continuous surface observations of carbon dioxide (CO2 and methane (CH4 from the Los Angeles (LA Megacity Carbon Project during 2015. We devised a calibration strategy, methods for selection of background air masses, calculation of urban enhancements, and a detailed algorithm for estimating uncertainties in urban-scale CO2 and CH4 measurements. These methods are essential for understanding carbon fluxes from the LA megacity and other complex urban environments globally. We estimate background mole fractions entering LA using observations from four extra-urban sites including two marine sites located south of LA in La Jolla (LJO and offshore on San Clemente Island (SCI, one continental site located in Victorville (VIC, in the high desert northeast of LA, and one continental/mid-troposphere site located on Mount Wilson (MWO in the San Gabriel Mountains. We find that a local marine background can be established to within  ∼  1 ppm CO2 and  ∼  10 ppb CH4 using these local measurement sites. Overall, atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane levels are highly variable across Los Angeles. Urban and suburban sites show moderate to large CO2 and CH4 enhancements relative to a marine background estimate. The USC (University of Southern California site near downtown LA exhibits median hourly enhancements of  ∼  20 ppm CO2 and  ∼  150 ppb CH4 during 2015 as well as  ∼  15 ppm CO2 and  ∼  80 ppb CH4 during mid-afternoon hours (12:00–16:00 LT, local time, which is the typical period of focus for flux inversions. The estimated measurement uncertainty is typically better than 0.1 ppm CO2 and 1 ppb CH4 based on the repeated standard gas measurements from the LA sites during the last 2 years, similar to Andrews et al. (2014. The largest component of the measurement uncertainty is due to the single-point calibration method; however, the uncertainty in the background mole fraction is much

Natural Time, Nowcasting and the Physics of Earthquakes: Estimation of Seismic Risk to Global Megacities

Science.gov (United States)

Rundle, John B.; Luginbuhl, Molly; Giguere, Alexis; Turcotte, Donald L.

2018-02-01

Natural Time ("NT") refers to the concept of using small earthquake counts, for example of M > 3 events, to mark the intervals between large earthquakes, for example M > 6 events. The term was first used by Varotsos et al. (2005) and later by Holliday et al. (2006) in their studies of earthquakes. In this paper, we discuss ideas and applications arising from the use of NT to understand earthquake dynamics, in particular by use of the idea of nowcasting. Nowcasting differs from forecasting, in that the goal of nowcasting is to estimate the current state of the system, rather than the probability of a future event. Rather than focus on an individual earthquake faults, we focus on a defined local geographic region surrounding a particular location. This local region is considered to be embedded in a larger regional setting from which we accumulate the relevant statistics. We apply the nowcasting idea to the practical development of methods to estimate the current state of risk for dozens of the world's seismically exposed megacities, defined as cities having populations of over 1 million persons. We compute a ranking of these cities based on their current nowcast value, and discuss the advantages and limitations of this approach. We note explicitly that the nowcast method is not a model, in that there are no free parameters to be fit to data. Rather, the method is simply a presentation of statistical data, which the user can interpret. Among other results, we find, for example, that the current nowcast ranking of the Los Angeles region is comparable to its ranking just prior to the January 17, 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Population-level impact of active tuberculosis case finding in an Asian megacity.

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David W Dowdy

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The potential population-level impact of private-sector initiatives for tuberculosis (TB case finding in Southeast Asia remains uncertain. In 2011, the Indus Hospital TB Control Program in Karachi, Pakistan, undertook an aggressive case-finding campaign that doubled notification rates, providing an opportunity to investigate potential population-level effects. METHODS: We constructed an age-structured compartmental model of TB in the intervention area. We fit the model using field and literature data, assuming that TB incidence equaled the estimated nationwide incidence in Pakistan (primary analysis, or 1.5 times greater (high-incidence scenario. We modeled the intervention as an increase in the rate of formal-sector TB diagnosis and evaluated the potential impact of sustaining this rate for five years. RESULTS: In the primary analysis, the five-year intervention averted 24% (95% uncertainty range, UR: 18-30% of five-year cumulative TB cases and 52% (95% UR: 45-57% of cumulative TB deaths. Corresponding reductions in the high-incidence scenario were 12% (95% UR: 8-17% and 27% (95% UR: 21-34%, although the absolute number of lives saved was higher. At the end of five years, TB notification rates in the primary analysis were below their 2010 baseline, incidence had dropped by 45%, and annual mortality had fallen by 72%. About half of the cumulative impact on incidence and mortality could be achieved with a one-year intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained, multifaceted, and innovative approaches to TB case-finding in Asian megacities can have substantial community-wide epidemiological impact.

Analysis of the Convective Storm using Meteosat Second Generation and SPOL Radar over a Megacity, on May 18, 2014

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva Júnior, Ivon Wilson; José Pereira Filho, Augusto; Alves Barbosa, Humberto

2017-04-01

The rapid populational growth in urban areas of Southeast and South Brazil has increased anthropic effects on severe weather caused by thunderstorms whose impacts require mitigation on a small space-time scale more susceptible to natural disasters such as flooding. The 18 May 2015 thunderstorms in The Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) caused many losses due to heavy rain, gusty winds and falling hail. The local press reported 310 tons of ice removed from the surface. Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) images, polarimetric weather radar measurements, radiosondes and surface weather variables data sets were used to analyze the event. The environmental thermodynamic analysis showed a dry layer at mid levels with wind shear at upper levels. Diabatic heating increased throughout the day and made the atmosphere very unstable at the end of the afternoon with greater potential energy induced by the local sea breeze. The 0 °C isotherm was at 3781 m. Initially, the rapid horizontal expansion of the storm caused by environmental wind shear was observed at 10.8 mm IR MSG channel brightness temperature (BT) was of -57 ° C. The brightness temperature differences (BTD) between WV and IR MSG channels evidenced vertical moisture transport from near the surface to the upper levels during convection. In the mature stage, radar reflectivity showed widespread multi cellular storm structures. Vertical cross-section indicated reflectivities between 45 dBZ to 55 dBZ with cloud tops with reflectivity greater than 30 dBZ at 14 km altitude when updrafts were more intense. Vertical profiles of differential reflectivity (ZDR) showed a deep column from to +2 to +4 dB between 6 km to 12 km altitude where intense vertical transport of large drops and a mixture of water and ice well above the 0 ° C isotherm level. This environment increased efficiency of the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen type microphysics with rapid ice crystal growth to hail with later precipitation at the surface that lasted

A survey of local health promotion initiatives for older people in Wales

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Williams Nefyn H

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background As the demographic profile of the UK changes, policy makers and practitioners have to respond to health challenges presented by a progressively ageing population. The health promotion plan for older people, aged over 50 years, in Wales included eight key areas: physical activity, healthy eating, home safety and warmth, emotional health, health protection, smoking, alcohol and sexual health. The aim of this study was to describe the extent, content and regional variation of existing health promotion initiatives for older people in Wales, provided by statutory, voluntary and private sector agencies. Method A questionnaire was sent to senior health promotion specialists employed in the 22 local authority areas in Wales to ascertain details of all projects promoting health and wellbeing in the eight key areas where the priority population was aged over 50, or the majority of users were older people. Additional information was sought from project leads and websites. Results Eighteen questionnaires were returned; not all were fully completed. Four areas did not return a questionnaire. Additional information was obtained from internet searches but this mainly concerned national initiatives rather than local projects. In all, 120 projects were included, 11 were throughout Wales. Best provision was for physical activity, with 3 national and 42 local initiatives, but local provision was patchy. Healthy eating, and home safety and warmth had far fewer initiatives, as did health protection, which comprised two national immunisation campaigns. Smoking and alcohol misuse were poorly provided for, and there was no provision for older people's sexual health. Evaluation arrangements were poorly described. Half of those who responded identified unmet training needs. Conclusion The reasons for patchy provision of services were not clear. Increased efforts to improve the coverage of interventions known to be effective should be made. Rigorous

Diesel-related hydrocarbons can dominate gas phase reactive carbon in megacities

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R. E. Dunmore

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Hydrocarbons are key precursors to two priority air pollutants, ozone and particulate matter. Those with two to seven carbons have historically been straightforward to observe and have been successfully reduced in many developed cities through air quality policy interventions. Longer chain hydrocarbons released from diesel vehicles are not considered explicitly as part of air quality strategies and there are few direct measurements of their gaseous abundance in the atmosphere. This study describes the chemically comprehensive and continuous measurements of organic compounds in a developed megacity (London, which demonstrate that on a seasonal median basis, diesel-related hydrocarbons represent only 20–30 % of the total hydrocarbon mixing ratio but comprise more than 50 % of the atmospheric hydrocarbon mass and are a dominant local source of secondary organic aerosols. This study shows for the first time that 60 % of the winter primary hydrocarbon hydroxyl radical reactivity is from diesel-related hydrocarbons and using the maximum incremental reactivity scale, we predict that they contribute up to 50 % of the ozone production potential in London. Comparing real-world urban composition with regulatory emissions inventories in the UK and US highlights a previously unaccounted for, but very significant, under-reporting of diesel-related hydrocarbons; an underestimation of a factor ~4 for C9 species rising to a factor of over 70 for C12 during winter. These observations show that hydrocarbons from diesel vehicles can dominate gas phase reactive carbon in cities with high diesel fleet fractions. Future control of urban particulate matter and ozone in such locations requires a shift in policy focus onto gas phase hydrocarbons released from diesels as this vehicle type continues to displace gasoline world-wide.

Towards Interpreting the Signal of CO2 Emissions from Megacities by Applying a Lagrangian Receptor-oriented Model to OCO-2 XCO2 data

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, D.; Lin, J. C.; Oda, T.; Ye, X.; Lauvaux, T.; Yang, E. G.; Kort, E. A.

2017-12-01

Urban regions are large emitters of CO2 whose emission inventories are still associated with large uncertainties. Therefore, a strong need exists to better quantify emissions from megacities using a top-down approach. Satellites — e.g., the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2), provide a platform for monitoring spatiotemporal column CO2 concentrations (XCO2). In this study, we present a Lagrangian receptor-oriented model framework and evaluate "model-retrieved" XCO2 by comparing against OCO-2-retrieved XCO2, for three megacities/regions (Riyadh, Cairo and Pearl River Delta). OCO-2 soundings indicate pronounced XCO2 enhancements (dXCO2) when crossing Riyadh, which are successfully captured by our model with a slight latitude shift. From this model framework, we can identify and compare the relative contributions of dXCO2 resulted from anthropogenic emission versus biospheric fluxes. In addition, to impose constraints on emissions for Riyadh through inversion methods, three uncertainties sources are addressed in this study, including 1) transport errors, 2) receptor and model setups in atmospheric models, and 3) urban emission uncertainties. For 1), we calculate transport errors by adding a wind error component to randomize particle distributions. For 2), a set of sensitivity tests using bootstrap method is performed to describe proper ways to setup receptors in Lagrangian models. For 3), both emission uncertainties from the Fossil Fuel Data Assimilation System (FFDAS) and the spread among three emission inventories are used to approximate an overall fractional uncertainty in modeled anthropogenic signal (dXCO2.anthro). Lastly, we investigate the definition of background (clean) XCO2 for megacities from retrieved XCO2 by means of statistical tools and our model framework.

Bridging the scales in a eulerian air quality model to assess megacity export of pollution

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Siour, G.; Colette, A.; Menut, L.; Bessagnet, B.; Coll, I.; Meleux, F.

2013-08-01

In Chemistry Transport Models (CTMs), spatial scale interactions are often represented through off-line coupling between large and small scale models. However, those nested configurations cannot give account of the impact of the local scale on its surroundings. This issue can be critical in areas exposed to air mass recirculation (sea breeze cells) or around regions with sharp pollutant emission gradients (large cities). Such phenomena can still be captured by the mean of adaptive gridding, two-way nesting or using model nudging, but these approaches remain relatively costly. We present here the development and the results of a simple alternative multi-scale approach making use of a horizontal stretched grid, in the Eulerian CTM CHIMERE. This method, called "stretching" or "zooming", consists in the introduction of local zooms in a single chemistry-transport simulation. It allows bridging online the spatial scales from the city (∼1 km resolution) to the continental area (∼50 km resolution). The CHIMERE model was run over a continental European domain, zoomed over the BeNeLux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) area. We demonstrate that, compared with one-way nesting, the zooming method allows the expression of a significant feedback of the refined domain towards the large scale: around the city cluster of BeNeLuX, NO2 and O3 scores are improved. NO2 variability around BeNeLux is also better accounted for, and the net primary pollutant flux transported back towards BeNeLux is reduced. Although the results could not be validated for ozone over BeNeLux, we show that the zooming approach provides a simple and immediate way to better represent scale interactions within a CTM, and constitutes a useful tool for apprehending the hot topic of megacities within their continental environment.

The relationship between transcription initiation RNAs and CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF localization

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Taft Ryan J

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Transcription initiation RNAs (tiRNAs are nuclear localized 18 nucleotide RNAs derived from sequences immediately downstream of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII transcription start sites. Previous reports have shown that tiRNAs are intimately correlated with gene expression, RNA polymerase II binding and behaviors, and epigenetic marks associated with transcription initiation, but not elongation. Results In the present work, we show that tiRNAs are commonly found at genomic CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF binding sites in human and mouse, and that CTCF sites that colocalize with RNAPII are highly enriched for tiRNAs. To directly investigate the relationship between tiRNAs and CTCF we examined tiRNAs originating near the intronic CTCF binding site in the human tumor suppressor gene, p21 (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A gene, also known as CDKN1A. Inhibition of CTCF-proximal tiRNAs resulted in increased CTCF localization and increased p21 expression, while overexpression of CTCF-proximal tiRNA mimics decreased CTCF localization and p21 expression. We also found that tiRNA-regulated CTCF binding influences the levels of trimethylated H3K27 at the alternate upstream p21 promoter, and affects the levels of alternate p21 (p21alt transcripts. Extending these studies to another randomly selected locus with conserved CTCF binding we found that depletion of tiRNA alters nucleosome density proximal to sites of tiRNA biogenesis. Conclusions Taken together, these data suggest that tiRNAs modulate local epigenetic structure, which in turn regulates CTCF localization.

Source apportionment of the particulate PAHs at Seoul, Korea: impact of long range transport to a megacity

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J. Y. Lee

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Northeast Asia including China, Korea, and Japan is one of the world's largest fossil fuel consumption regions. Seoul, Korea, is a megacity in Northeast Asia. Its emissions of air pollutants can affect the region, and in turn it is also affected by regional emissions. To understand the extent of these influences, major sources of ambient particulate PAHs in Seoul were identified and quantified based on measurements made between August 2002 and December 2003. The chemical mass balance (CMB model was applied. Seven major emission sources were identified based on the emission data in Seoul and Northeast Asia: Gasoline and diesel vehicles, residential coal use, coke ovens, coal power plants, biomass burning, and natural gas (NG combustion. The major sources of particulate PAHs in Seoul during the whole measurement period were gasoline and diesel vehicles, together accounted for 31% of the measured particulate PAHs levels. However, the source contributions showed distinct daily and seasonal variations. High contributions of biomass burning and coal (residential and coke oven were observed in fall and winter, accounting for 63% and 82% of the total concentration of PAHs, respectively. Since these sources were not strong in and around Seoul, they are likely to be related to transport from outside of Seoul, from China and/or North Korea. This implies that the air quality in a mega-city such as Seoul can be influenced by the long range transport of air pollutants such as PAHs.

Effect of vehicular traffic, remote sources and new particle formation on the activation properties of cloud condensation nuclei in the megacity of São Paulo, Brazil

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C. E. Souto-Oliveira

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Atmospheric aerosol is the primary source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN. The microphysics and chemical composition of aerosols can affect cloud development and the precipitation process. Among studies conducted in Latin America, only a handful have reported the impact of urban aerosol on CCN activation parameters such as activation ratio (AR and activation diameter (Dact. With over 20 million inhabitants, the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP is the largest megacity in South America. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the impact that remote sources and new particle formation (NPF events have on CCN activation properties in a South American megacity. The measurements were conducted in the MASP between August and September 2014. We measured the CCN within the 0.2–1.0 % range of supersaturation, together with particle number concentration (PNC and particle number distribution (PND, as well as trace-element concentrations and black carbon (BC. NPF events were identified on 35 % of the sampling days. Combining multivariate analysis in the form of positive matrix factorization (PMF with an aerosol profile from lidar and HYSPLIT model analyses allowed us to identify the main contribution of vehicular traffic on all days and sea salt and biomass burning from remote regions on 28 and 21 % of the sampling days, respectively. The AR and Dact parameters showed distinct patterns for daytime with intense vehicular traffic and nighttime periods. For example, CCN activation was lower during the daytime than during the nighttime periods, a pattern that was found to be associated mainly with local road-traffic emissions. A decrease in CCN activation was observed on the NPF event days, mainly due to high concentrations of particles with smaller diameters. We also found that aerosols from sea salt, industrial emissions, and biomass burning had minor effects on Dact. For example, nights with biomass burning and vehicular emissions

Effect of vehicular traffic, remote sources and new particle formation on the activation properties of cloud condensation nuclei in the megacity of São Paulo, Brazil

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Souto-Oliveira, Carlos Eduardo; de Fátima Andrade, Maria; Kumar, Prashant; Juliano da Silva Lopes, Fábio; Babinski, Marly; Landulfo, Eduardo

2016-11-01

Atmospheric aerosol is the primary source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The microphysics and chemical composition of aerosols can affect cloud development and the precipitation process. Among studies conducted in Latin America, only a handful have reported the impact of urban aerosol on CCN activation parameters such as activation ratio (AR) and activation diameter (Dact). With over 20 million inhabitants, the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) is the largest megacity in South America. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the impact that remote sources and new particle formation (NPF) events have on CCN activation properties in a South American megacity. The measurements were conducted in the MASP between August and September 2014. We measured the CCN within the 0.2-1.0 % range of supersaturation, together with particle number concentration (PNC) and particle number distribution (PND), as well as trace-element concentrations and black carbon (BC). NPF events were identified on 35 % of the sampling days. Combining multivariate analysis in the form of positive matrix factorization (PMF) with an aerosol profile from lidar and HYSPLIT model analyses allowed us to identify the main contribution of vehicular traffic on all days and sea salt and biomass burning from remote regions on 28 and 21 % of the sampling days, respectively. The AR and Dact parameters showed distinct patterns for daytime with intense vehicular traffic and nighttime periods. For example, CCN activation was lower during the daytime than during the nighttime periods, a pattern that was found to be associated mainly with local road-traffic emissions. A decrease in CCN activation was observed on the NPF event days, mainly due to high concentrations of particles with smaller diameters. We also found that aerosols from sea salt, industrial emissions, and biomass burning had minor effects on Dact. For example, nights with biomass burning and vehicular emissions showed slightly lower

Toward consistency between trends in bottom-up CO2 emissions and top-down atmospheric measurements in the Los Angeles megacity

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S. Newman

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Large urban emissions of greenhouse gases result in large atmospheric enhancements relative to background that are easily measured. Using CO2 mole fractions and Δ14C and δ13C values of CO2 in the Los Angeles megacity observed in inland Pasadena (2006–2013 and coastal Palos Verdes peninsula (autumn 2009–2013, we have determined time series for CO2 contributions from fossil fuel combustion (Cff for both sites and broken those down into contributions from petroleum and/or gasoline and natural gas burning for Pasadena. We find a 10 % reduction in Pasadena Cff during the Great Recession of 2008–2010, which is consistent with the bottom-up inventory determined by the California Air Resources Board. The isotopic variations and total atmospheric CO2 from our observations are used to infer seasonality of natural gas and petroleum combustion. The trend of CO2 contributions to the atmosphere from natural gas combustion is out of phase with the seasonal cycle of total natural gas combustion seasonal patterns in bottom-up inventories but is consistent with the seasonality of natural gas usage by the area's electricity generating power plants. For petroleum, the inferred seasonality of CO2 contributions from burning petroleum is delayed by several months relative to usage indicated by statewide gasoline taxes. Using the high-resolution Hestia-LA data product to compare Cff from parts of the basin sampled by winds at different times of year, we find that variations in observed fossil fuel CO2 reflect seasonal variations in wind direction. The seasonality of the local CO2 excess from fossil fuel combustion along the coast, on Palos Verdes peninsula, is higher in autumn and winter than spring and summer, almost completely out of phase with that from Pasadena, also because of the annual variations of winds in the region. Variations in fossil fuel CO2 signals are consistent with sampling the bottom-up Hestia-LA fossil CO2 emissions product for sub

School environment and policies, child eating behavior and overweight/obesity in urban China: the childhood obesity study in China megacities.

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Jia, P; Li, M; Xue, H; Lu, L; Xu, F; Wang, Y

2017-05-01

Childhood obesity is rising rapidly in China, especially in urban areas. Knowledge about how school environment and policies (SEPs) may have contributed to the epidemic remains limited. We examined SEP and their associations with students' eating behaviors and overweight/obesity in urban China. Data were collected from 1648 students (plus their parents and schools) in 16 primary and middle schools (4 schools per city) in four megacities across China: Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Xi'an. We examined nutrition-related SEP such as unhealthy food restriction, healthy food promotion, price control and nutrition guideline in school cafeterias (SCs), campus food stores (CFS), school vicinity food stalls (SVFS); SEP on physical activity, physical education (PE) and physical examination. Cluster robust regression models were fit to assess associations of SEP with child eating behaviors and overweight/obesity (defined based on body mass index, from measured weight and height). All 16 schools had regular PE classes and annual physical examination. Most schools (n=12; 75%) had food policies in SC; few had policies on CFS (n=1; 6.25%) or SVFS (n=4; 25%). Local governments had a major role in regulating food prices, setting nutrition guidelines and regulating SVFS. Policies on CFS and SVFS were associated with less frequent intake of sugary beverage (odds ratio (OR)=0.54 (0.47-0.61); OR=0.70 (0.61-0.80)), snack (OR=0.84 (0.74-0.95); OR=0.78 (0.67-0.92)) and fast food (OR=0.58 (0.42-0.81); OR=0.56 (0.39-0.80)). The associations were stronger for boys. Policies on SC, CFS and SVFS were associated with lower likelihood for overweight/obesity (OR=0.60 (0.46-0.79); OR=0.74 (0.62-0.90); OR=0.51 (0.35-0.73)) and central obesity (OR=0.79 (0.70-0.89); OR=0.67 (0.48-0.92); OR=0.63 (0.48-0.84)) in boys. Policies on SC were associated with lower overweight/obesity odds (OR=0.48 (0.28-0.82)) for girls. SEP are heterogeneous in the four Chinese megacities, high-income areas. They affect

Variability of SO₂, CO, and light hydrocarbons over a megacity in Eastern India: effects of emissions and transport.

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Mallik, Chinmay; Ghosh, Dipanjan; Ghosh, Debreka; Sarkar, Ujjaini; Lal, Shyam; Venkataramani, S

2014-01-01

The Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP) has received extensive attention of the global scientific community due to higher levels of trace gases and aerosols over this region. Satellite retrievals and model simulations show that, in particular, the eastern part IGP is highly polluted. Despite this attention, in situ measurements of trace gases are very limited over this region. This paper presents measurements of SO₂, CO, CH₄, and C₂-C₅ NMHCs during March 2012-February 2013 over Kolkata, a megacity in the eastern IGP, with a focus on processes impacting their levels. The mean SO₂ and C2H6 concentrations during winter and post-monsoon periods were eight and three times higher compared to pre-monsoon and monsoon. Early morning enhancements in SO₂ and several NMHCs during winter connote boundary layer effects. Daytime elevations in SO₂ during pre-monsoon and monsoon suggest impacts of photo-oxidation. Inter-species correlations and trajectory analysis evince transport of SO₂ from regional combustion sources (e.g., coal burning in power plants, industries) along the east of the Indo-Gangetic plain impacting SO₂ levels at the site. However, C₂H₂ to CO ratio over Kolkata, which are comparable to other urban regions in India, show impacts of local biofuel combustions. Further, high levels of C₃H₈ and C₄H₁₀ evince the dominance of LPG/petrochemicals over the study location. The suite of trace gases measured during this study helps to decipher between impacts of local emissions and influence of transport on their levels.

Chimera states and the interplay between initial conditions and non-local coupling

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Kalle, Peter; Sawicki, Jakub; Zakharova, Anna; Schöll, Eckehard

2017-03-01

Chimera states are complex spatio-temporal patterns that consist of coexisting domains of coherent and incoherent dynamics. We study chimera states in a network of non-locally coupled Stuart-Landau oscillators. We investigate the impact of initial conditions in combination with non-local coupling. Based on an analytical argument, we show how the coupling phase and the coupling strength are linked to the occurrence of chimera states, flipped profiles of the mean phase velocity, and the transition from a phase- to an amplitude-mediated chimera state.

Megacities in climate governance: the case of Rio de Janeiro

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Alberto Teixeira da Silva

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper shows the vital role of cities in climate governance, as places where the crisis is expressed in latent form, but also as emblematic spaces in terms of technological innovation and social empowerment. It discusses challenges of megacities like Rio de Janeiro, given their vulnerability, resilience and environmental risks to the transition of a more intelligent and sustainable patterns of urbanization, through its domestic policies and paradiplomacy networks. Este artigo mostra o papel vital das cidades na governança do clima, como lugares onde a crise se expressa de forma latente, mas também como espaços emblemáticos em termos de inovação tecnológica e empoderamento social. Discute os desafios de megacidades como Rio de Janeiro, considerando suas vulnerabilidades, riscos socioambientais e resiliências para a transição de modelos mais inteligentes e sustentáveis de urbanização, através de suas políticas domésticas e redes de paradiplomacia.

Source tagging modeling study of heavy haze episodes under complex regional transport processes over Wuhan megacity, Central China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Miaomiao; Tang, Xiao; Wang, Zifa; Gbaguidi, Alex; Liang, Shengwen; Hu, Ke; Wu, Lin; Wu, Huangjian; Huang, Zhen; Shen, Longjiao

2017-01-01

Wuhan as a megacity of Central China was suffering from severe particulate matter pollution according to previous observation studies, however, the mechanism behind the pollution formation especially the impact of regional chemical transport is still unclear. This study, carried out on the Nested Air Quality Prediction Modeling System (NAQPMS) coupled with an on-line source-tagging module, explores different roles regional transport had in two strong haze episodes over Wuhan in October 2014 and quantitatively assesses the contributions from local and regional sources to PM 2.5 concentration. Validation of predictions based on observations shows modeling system good skills in reproducing key meteorological and chemical features. The first short-time haze episode occurred on 12 October under strong northerly winds, with a hourly PM 2.5 peak of 180 μg m −3 , and was found to be caused primarily by the long-range transport from the northern regions, which contributed 60.6% of the episode's PM 2.5 concentration (versus a total of 32.7% from sources in and near Wuhan). The second episode lasted from the 15–20 October under stable regional large-scale synoptic conditions and weak winds, and had an hourly PM 2.5 peak of 231.0 μg m −3 . In this episode, both the long-distance transport from far regions and short-range transport from the Wuhan-cluster were the primary causes of the haze episode and account for 24.8% and 29.2% of the PM 2.5 concentration respectively. Therefore, regional transport acts as a crucial driver of haze pollution over Wuhan through not only long-range transfer of pollutants, but also short-range aerosol movement under specific meteorological conditions. The present findings highlight the important role of regional transport in urban haze formation and indicate that the joint control of multi city-clusters are needed to reduce the particulate pollution level in Wuhan. - Highlights: • Regional transport impacts studied on two haze

Local Governments Supporting Local Energy Initiatives: Lessons from the Best Practices of Saerbeck (Germany and Lochem (The Netherlands

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Thomas Hoppe

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The social dimension of the transition to a low carbon economy is a key challenge to cities. The establishment of local energy initiatives (LEIs has recently been attracting attention. It is of great importance to draw lessons from best practices when LEIs have been facilitated by local governments and made a substantial contribution to greening local energy systems. The main research questions in this paper are: What lessons can be drawn from successful local low carbon energy transition cases, and which strategies proved successful to support LEIs? We have used analytical notions from the Strategic Niche Management (SNM and grassroots innovation literature to analyze two best-practice cases: Saerbeck (Germany and Lochem (The Netherlands. Data collection involved a set of fourteen in-depth interviews and secondary data. The results show that three key factors from SNM (building networks, managing expectations, and facilitation of learning are of great importance. However, to a great degree it is also strategic, community serving, responsive, reflexive leadership and proper process management by public officials that spurred success, which would not have been possible without close interaction and mutual trust between local government and representatives of the local communities.

New interaction paths in the energy landscape: the role of local energy initiatives

OpenAIRE

de Boer, Jessica; Zuidema, Christian; Gugerell, Katharina

2018-01-01

Energy transition is an encompassing process which not only involves the energy system but also the landscape in which the energy system is embedded. Renewable energy is triggering new interactions with local landscapes in physical, socio-economic and institutional senses. We capture these interactions using the energy landscape concept, which expresses the interdependence of the energy system with the landscape. We aim to understand whether and how local energy initiatives facilitate this in...

A geometric initial guess for localized electronic orbitals in modular biological systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beckman, P. G. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States); Fattebert, J. L. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Lau, E. Y. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Osei-Kuffuor, D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-09-11

Recent first-principles molecular dynamics algorithms using localized electronic orbitals have achieved O(N) complexity and controlled accuracy in simulating systems with finite band gaps. However, accurately deter- mining the centers of these localized orbitals during simulation setup may require O(N³) operations, which is computationally infeasible for many biological systems. We present an O(N) approach for approximating orbital centers in proteins, DNA, and RNA which uses non-localized solutions for a set of fixed-size subproblems to create a set of geometric maps applicable to larger systems. This scalable approach, used as an initial guess in the O(N) first-principles molecular dynamics code MGmol, facilitates first-principles simulations in biological systems of sizes which were previously impossible.

Influence of risk factors and past events on flood resilience in coastal megacities: Comparative analysis of NYC and Shanghai.

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Xian, Siyuan; Yin, Jie; Lin, Ning; Oppenheimer, Michael

2018-01-01

Coastal flood protection measures have been widely implemented to improve flood resilience. However, protection levels vary among coastal megacities globally. This study compares the distinct flood protection standards for two coastal megacities, New York City and Shanghai, and investigates potential influences such as risk factors and past flood events. Extreme value analysis reveals that, compared to NYC, Shanghai faces a significantly higher flood hazard. Flood inundation analysis indicates that Shanghai has a higher exposure to extreme flooding. Meanwhile, Shanghai's urban development, population, and economy have increased much faster than NYC's over the last three decades. These risk factors provide part of the explanation for the implementation of a relatively high level of protection (e.g. reinforced concrete sea-wall designed for a 200-year flood return level) in Shanghai and low protection (e.g. vertical brick and stone walls and sand dunes) in NYC. However, individual extreme flood events (typhoons in 1962, 1974, and 1981) seem to have had a greater impact on flood protection decision-making in Shanghai, while NYC responded significantly less to past events (with the exception of Hurricane Sandy). Climate change, sea level rise, and ongoing coastal development are rapidly changing the hazard and risk calculus for both cities and both would benefit from a more systematic and dynamic approach to coastal protection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GHG monitoring over Paris megacity and Orléans forest

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Te, Y. V.; Jeseck, P.; Zanon, T.; Boursier, C.; Janssen, C.; Deutscher, N. M.; Warneke, T.; Notholt, J.; Lac, C.; Dieudonné, E.; Lopez, M.; Schmidt, M.; Xueref-remy, I. C.

2012-12-01

In a growing world with more than 7 billion inhabitants and big emerging countries such as China, Brazil and India, emissions of anthropogenic pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs) are increasing continuously. Their monitoring and control in megacities have become a major challenge for scientists and public health authorities in environmental research area. The ground-based Fourier transform spectrometer (QualAir FTS[a], model IFS 125HR) of the QualAir platform located in downtown Paris at University Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), is a scientific research instrument dedicated to the survey of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and urban air quality. Equipped with a sun-tracker, the remote sensing QualAir FTS relies on solar infrared absorption for monitoring trace gas concentrations and their variability in the Ile-de-France region[b]. Concentrations of atmospheric GHGs, especially CO2, CH4 and N2O, are retrieved by the radiative transfer model PROFFIT[c]. Because Paris is the third largest European megacity, the QualAir FTS can provide new and complementary measurements as compared to existing ground-based FTS network stations (NDACC and TCCON) located in unpolluted environments, such as the TCCON-Orléans station[d] situated in the forest of Orléans (100 km south of Paris). In the effort to integrate QualAir FTS into the TCCON network, simultaneous FTS measurements of GHGs at Paris and Orléans have been performed. We will emphasize on comparisons of CO2 from these two sites. Our comparison will be completed by high-resolved direct CO2 modeling outputs from the Meso-NH model, and ground in situ measurements at different sites (Orléans/Trainou, Paris/Jussieu, Paris/Eiffel Tower). Parts of the data were acquired in the framework of the French CO2-MEGAPARIS project[e, f], whose main goal is to quantify CO2 emissions from the Paris area. The present data intercomparison will help to reduce uncertainties in carbon cycle models and to better characterize regional GHG fluxes

Ohio’s Research Initiative for Locals Peer Exchange Report, March 8-9, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-23

On March 8-9, 2017, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) hosted a peer exchange on behalf of the Ohios Research Initiative for Locals (ORIL) program. Peer exchanges provide an opportunity to foster best practices and evaluate processes wit...

Water resources for urban water and food security: the case of megacity Hong Kong

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Vanham, Davy; Gawlik, Bernd; Bidoglio, Giovanni

2017-04-01

. Many of the products consumed, contribute to different levels of blue water scarcity (WS) in the regions of origin Hong Kong imports from. Most rice consumed in Hong Kong e.g., is produced under moderate to severe WS in Thailand, Vietnam, China, the USA or Australia. Other food items consumed in Hong Kong with a high blue WFcons contributing to local WS are wheat, sugar, selected treenuts (pistachios and almonds), oranges, grapes and livestock products. This poses, to some extent, a water-related risk to food security in Hong Kong. As all diet scenarios also result in a lower blue WFcons, they decrease this risk. In order to become sustainable, (mega)cities should reduce their dependency on distant resources and ecosystems.

Mitigating the Urban Heat Island Effect in Megacity Tehran

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Sahar Sodoudi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Cities demonstrate higher nocturnal temperatures than surrounding rural areas, which is called “urban heat island” (UHI effect. Climate change projections also indicate increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves, which will intensify the UHI effect. As megacity Tehran is affected by severe heatwaves in summer, this study investigates its UHI characteristics and suggests some feasible mitigation strategies in order to reduce the air temperature and save energy. Temperature monitoring in Tehran shows clear evidence of the occurrence of the UHI effect, with a peak in July, where the urban area is circa 6 K warmer than the surrounding areas. The mobile measurements show a park cool island of 6-7 K in 2 central parks, which is also confirmed by satellite images. The effectiveness of three UHI mitigation strategies high albedo material (HAM, greenery on the surface and on the roofs (VEG, and a combination of them (HYBRID has been studied using simulation with the microscale model ENVI-met. All three strategies show higher cooling effect in the daytime. The average nocturnal cooling effect of VEG and HYBRID (0.92, 1.10 K is much higher than HAM (0.16 K, although high-density trees show a negative effect on nocturnal cooling.

The Space-Borne SBAS-DInSAR Technique as a Supporting Tool for Sustainable Urban Policies: The Case of Istanbul Megacity, Turkey

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Fabiana Calò

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In today’s urbanizing world, home of 28 megacities, there is a growing need for tools to assess urban policies and support the design and implementation of effective development strategies. Unsustainable practices of urbanization bring major implications for land and environment, and cause a dramatic increase of urban vulnerability to natural hazards. In Istanbul megacity, disaster risk reduction represents a challenging issue for urban managers. In this paper, we show the relevance of the space-borne Differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR technique as a tool for supporting risk management, and thus contributing to achieve the urban sustainability. To this aim, we use a dataset of high resolution SAR images collected by the TerraSAR-X satellite that have been processed through the advanced (multi-temporal Small BAseline Subset (SBAS—DInSAR technique, thus producing spatially-dense deformation velocity maps and associated time-series. Results allow to depict an up-to-date picture of surface deformations occurring in Istanbul, and thus to identify urban areas subject to potential risk. The joint analysis of remotely sensed measurements and ancillary data (geological and urban development information provides an opportunity for city planners and land professionals to discuss on the mutual relationship between urban development policies and natural/man-made hazards.

Photochemically consumed hydrocarbons and their relationship with ozone formation in two megacities of China

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, C.; Wang, J.; Liu, S.; Shao, M.; Zhang, Y.; Zhu, T.; Shiu, C.; Lai, C.

2010-12-01

Two on-site continuous measurements of ozone and its precursors in two megacities of China were carried out in an urban site of Beijing and a suburban site near Guangzhou in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) to estimate precursor consumption and to assess its relationship with oxidant (O3+NO2) formation level. An observation-based method (OBM) with the precursor consumption concept was adopted to assess the relationship between oxidant production and amounts of photochemically consumed non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs). In this approach, the ratio of ethylbenzene to m,p-xylenes was used to estimate the degree of photochemical processing, as well as the amounts of photochemically consumed NMHCs by reacting with OH. By trying to correlate the observed oxidant with the observed NMHC concentration, the two areas both revealed nearly no to low correlation between them. However, it existed fair to good correlations (R2=0.68 for Beijing, 0.53 for PRD) between the observed oxidant level and the degree of photochemical processing (ethylbenzene/m,p-xylenes). Furthermore, after taking the approach of consumption to estimate the consumed amounts of NMHCs, an interesting finding reveals that the definite correlation existed between the observed oxidant level and the total consumed NMHCs. The good correlations (R2=0.83 for Beijing, 0.81 for PRD) implies that the ambient oxidant level correlated to the amount of consumed NMHCs. The results of the two megacities in China by using the OBM with the precursor consumption concept can provide another pathway to explore the relationship between photochemically produced oxidant and consumed precursors, and will be helpful to validate model results and to reduce uncertainty of model predictions. However, the method has some room for uncertainty, as injection of fresh precursor emissions and additional boundary ozone involved, etc. could affect the estimation of consumed NMHCs and observed oxidant levels. Assistance of approaches in assessing the

A Performance Management Initiative for Local Health Department Vector Control Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerding, Justin; Kirshy, Micaela; Moran, John W; Bialek, Ron; Lamers, Vanessa; Sarisky, John

2016-01-01

Local health department (LHD) vector control programs have experienced reductions in funding and capacity. Acknowledging this situation and its potential effect on the ability to respond to vector-borne diseases, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Public Health Foundation partnered on a performance management initiative for LHD vector control programs. The initiative involved 14 programs that conducted a performance assessment using the Environmental Public Health Performance Standards. The programs, assisted by quality improvement (QI) experts, used the assessment results to prioritize improvement areas that were addressed with QI projects intended to increase effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of services such as responding to mosquito complaints and educating the public about vector-borne disease prevention. This article describes the initiative as a process LHD vector control programs may adapt to meet their performance management needs. This study also reviews aggregate performance assessment results and QI projects, which may reveal common aspects of LHD vector control program performance and priority improvement areas. LHD vector control programs interested in performance assessment and improvement may benefit from engaging in an approach similar to this performance management initiative.

Public’s Health Risk Awareness on Urban Air Pollution in Chinese Megacities: The Cases of Shanghai, Wuhan and Nanchang

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaojun; Zhu, Hui; Hu, Yongxin; Feng, Sha; Chu, Yuanyuan; Wu, Yanyan; Wang, Chiyu; Zhang, Yuxuan; Yuan, Zhaokang; Lu, Yuanan

2016-01-01

This study assessed the public’s health risk awareness of urban air pollution triggered by three megacities in China, and the data are the responses from a sample size of 3868 megacity inhabitants from Shanghai, Nanchang and Wuhan. Descriptive analyses were used to summarize the respondents’ demographics, perceived health risks from air pollution and sources of health-related knowledge on urban air pollution. Chi-square tests were used to examine if participants’ demographics were associated with participant’s general attitudes towards current air quality and the three perceived highest health risks due to urban air pollution. We found low rate of satisfaction of current urban air quality as well as poor knowledge of air pollution related indicator. Participants’ gender, age and travel experience were found to be associated with the satisfaction of current air quality. The knowledge of air pollution related indicator was significantly affected by respondents’ education, monthly income, health status, and sites of study. As many as 46.23% of the participants expressed their feelings of anxiety when exposed to polluted air, especially females, older adults and those with poor health conditions. Most participants believed that coughs/colds, eye problems and skin allergies were the three highest health risks due to urban air pollution based on public education through television/radio, internet and newspaper/magazine. Further public health education is needed to improve public awareness of air pollution and its effects. PMID:27571088

Spatio-temporal Variations in on-road CO2 Emissions in the Los Angeles Megacity

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Preeti Rao

2017-06-01

Full Text Available We quantify hourly on-road fossil fuel carbon dioxide (FFCO2 emissions at the road segment level for the Los Angeles (LA megacity based on observed traffic data, and characterize emission patterns across space and time. This on-road FFCO2 emissions dataset for LA (from Hestia version 1.0, based on actual traffic volume, provides emissions per vehicle kilometer travelled (VKT—an important metric for greenhouse gas (GHG reductions. We further identify emissions hotpots that can help state and local policy makers plan the most effective GHG reduction strategies. On-road vehicle traffic accounts for half of the FFCO2 emissions in LA, of which 41% is from arterials (intermediate road type. Arterials also have the largest C emissions intensity—FFCO2 per VKT—possibly from high traffic congestion and fleet composition. Non-interstate emissions hotspots (> 419 tC lane-km-1 are equally dominated by arterials and collectors (the lowest road type in terms of FFCO2 emissions though collectors have a higher VKT. These hotspots occur in densely populated areas and developed landuse classes, largely in LA (67% and Orange (18% counties, and provide specific targets for emissions reduction efforts. The estimated uncertainties for interstate, arterial and collector emissions per road length are ± 2.1, ± 0.5 and ± 18.0%, respectively. Our overall estimates compare reasonably well with other products, DARTE and FIVE but with substantial differences in spatial distribution. The method for developing this dataset is easily replicable in other urban landscapes, and represents a powerful tool for carbon cycle science and regional policy makers.

Ground-Based Remote Sensing of Aerosol Properties over a Coastal Megacity of Pakistan

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Salman Tariq

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Atmospheric aerosols are considered to be an important constituent of Earth’s atmosphere because of their climatic, environmental, and health effects. Therefore, while studying the global climate change, investigation of aerosol concentrations and properties is essential both at local and regional levels. In this paper, we have used relatively long-term Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET data during September 2006–August 2014 to analyze aerosol properties such as aerosol optical depth at 500 nm (AOD, Ångström exponent (440–870 nm (AE, refractive index (RI, and asymmetry parameter over Karachi, a coastal megacity of Pakistan. The average annual values of AOD and AE were found to be 0.48 ± 0.20 and 0.59 ± 0.29, respectively. The peak (0.88 ± 0.31 AOD was recorded in July with corresponding AE of 0.30 ± 0.22 representing reasonably higher concentration of coarse size particles over Karachi. The cluster analysis using the scatter plot between absorption AE and extinction AE revealed that desert dust prevailed in the atmosphere of Karachi in spring and summer, while biomass burning aerosols dominate in autumn and winter. The peak values of volume concentrations of coarse and fine-mode particulate matter were found in summer and autumn, respectively. Also, we found significant growing trend in single-scattering albedo with wavelength, indicating the domination of dust particles during summer and spring. The peak value of the real part of the RI was observed in spring (1.53 and modest in winter (1.50. On the contrary, the peak value of the imaginary part of the RI was observed to be constantly elevated in winter and lesser in spring.

Energy and greenhouse gas inventories by local governments in BC : implications for the CEEI initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macdonald, R.

2007-01-01

The community energy and emissions inventory (CEEI) initiative has been undertaken through British Columbia's Ministry of Environment in order to establish a cost-effective, provincially-sponsored, rigorous, yet flexible, data collection, analysis and reporting system to provide local governments with energy-related and greenhouse gas inventory baselines, ongoing monitoring and periodic reports to help inform community decision making and support provincial objectives. This report described the CEEI initiative including background information, project objectives, and project methodology. The report also provided a review of community and corporate inventories and discussed the implications of various data and methodological issues for the CEEI initiative. This included reporting and updating issues; desired accuracy and frequency of community inventories; regular inventory generation; and implications for the development of indicators. The report concluded with a sampling of possible indicators, and the factors that affect their use. It was concluded that the characteristics of an ideal indicator for local action on climate change would be one that describes a condition or state of the urban or built environment representing the magnitude of emissions. It would also be one that is within the influence of local governments to affect and would be both measurable and affordable. 11 tabs., 2 appendices

LOCAL INITIATIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL HOKKAIDO: A CASE STUDY OF SAMANI

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Devon Dublin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of a field investigation about sustainable development of Samani town—a rural area in Hidaka region, Hokkaido, Japan. Local activities, business, environmental, social and economic challenges that affect the town as well as the advantages were investigated. The research was done by means of field visits, questionnaires and interviews involving the local people and government. The main economic sectors: olivine industry, fishery, agriculture and tourism were targeted as well as the government sector and the local high school with a particular focus on rural-urban migration. Samani has quite unique natural features on hand but a few strong comprehensive challenges on the other hand. The authors focused on the citizens opinions and positions which were based on the uniqueness of Samani and their own local activities and initiatives for the sustainable development of the town in the future which can be replicated in other rural communities around the world.

44. Causes of initiation and promotion of cannabis among local transport drivers of Peshawar

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Hamzullah Khan

2015-10-01

Conclusion: Cannabis smoking is common in local transport drivers. The major causes that are involved in the initiation and progression of cannabis smoking are; driving in young age, poverty, lack of education, easy availability of cannabis, inspiration from colleagues and smoker parents.

Analysis of Attraction Features of Tourism Destinations in a Mega-City Based on Check-in Data Mining—A Case Study of Shenzhen, China

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Zhihui Gu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Location-based service information, provided by social networks, provides new data sources and perspectives to research tourism activities, especially in highly populated mega-cities. Based on three years (2012–2014 of approximately 340,000 check-in records collected from Sina micro-blog at 86 tourist attractions in Shenzhen, a first-tier city in southern China, we conducted a comprehensive study of the attraction features involving different aspects, such as tourist source, duration of stay, check-in activity index, and attraction correlation degree. The results showed that (1 theme parks established in the early 1990s were the most popular tourist attractions in Shenzhen, but a negative trend was detected in the check-in population; (2 compared with check-in times from surrounding activities and the kernel density of tourists, most destinations in Shenzhen showed a lack of attraction, failing to make the most of their geographic accessibility; and (3 the homogeneity and inconvenient traffic conditions of major tourist destinations leading to the construction of a tourism tour chain has become a challenge. The results of this study demonstrate the potential of big-data mining and provide valuable insights into tourism market design and management in mega-cities.

Impact of local and non-local sources of pollution on background US Ozone: synergy of a low-earth orbiting and geostationary sounder constellation

Science.gov (United States)

Bowman, K. W.; Lee, M.

2015-12-01

Dramatic changes in the global distribution of emissions over the last decade have fundamentally altered source-receptor pollution impacts. A new generation of low-earth orbiting (LEO) sounders complimented by geostationary sounders over North America, Europe, and Asia providing a unique opportunity to quantify the current and future trajectory of emissions and their impact on global pollution. We examine the potential of this constellation of air quality sounders to quantify the role of local and non-local sources of pollution on background ozone in the US. Based upon an adjoint sensitivity method, we quantify the role synoptic scale transport of non-US pollution on US background ozone over months representative of different source-receptor relationships. This analysis allows us distinguish emission trajectories from megacities, e.g. Beijing, or regions, e.g., western China, from natural trends on downwind ozone. We subsequently explore how a combination of LEO and GEO observations could help quantify the balance of local emissions against changes in distant sources . These results show how this unprecedented new international ozone observing system can monitor the changing structure of emissions and their impact on global pollution.

MAX-DOAS aerosol and trace gases measurements in megacities in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Xin [Institut fuer Energie- und Klimaforschung, Forschungszentrum Juelich (Germany); College of Environmental Science and Engineering Peking University, Beijing (China); Brauers, Theo [Institut fuer Energie- und Klimaforschung, Forschungszentrum Juelich (Germany); Shao, Min [College of Environmental Science and Engineering Peking University, Beijing (China)

2011-07-01

Multi Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAXDOAS) is a new remote sensing technique to measure atmospheric trace gases. Compared to other areas in the world, the atmospheric observations in megacities in China are rather limited. We present MAX-DOAS measurements at four sites in Beijing and Guangzhou in 2006 and 2008. At each site, the scattered sunlight was recorded at 7 elevation angles for about 1 months. Using the zenith spectrum as reference, the Differential Slant Column Densities (DSCDs) of HCHO, CHOCHO, O{sub 4} and NO{sub 2} at offaxis viewing geometries were derived from the DOAS fit. These DSCDs were simulated using a backward Monte Carlo radiative transfer model. The aerosol and trace gas profiles were defined by 3 parameters: the integrated quantities (T), the height of the surface layer (H), and the fraction of T below H. We fitted the modeled values to the measured values at the corresponding viewing geometries by varying the 3 parameters. The aerosol extinction and the boundary layer height were successfully retrieved from the measured O{sub 4} DSCDs as well as ground level concentrations of CHOCHO, HCHO, and NO{sub 2}, the latter being compared to simultaneous in-situ measurements.

Ozone production in summer in the megacities of Tianjin and Shanghai, China: a comparative study

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L. Ran

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Rapid economic growth has given rise to a significant increase in ozone precursor emissions in many regions of China, especially in the densely populated North China Plain (NCP and Yangtze River Delta (YRD. Improved understanding of ozone formation in response to different precursor emissions is imperative to address the highly nonlinear ozone problem and to provide a solid scientific basis for efficient ozone abatement in these regions. A comparative study on ozone photochemical production in summer has thus been carried out in the megacities of Tianjin (NCP and Shanghai (YRD. Two intensive field campaigns were carried out respectively at an urban and a suburban site of Tianjin, in addition to routine monitoring of trace gases in Shanghai, providing data sets of surface ozone and its precursors including nitrogen oxides (NO_x and various non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs. Ozone pollution in summer was found to be more severe in the Tianjin region than in the Shanghai region, based on either the frequency or the duration of high ozone events. Such differences might be attributed to the large amount of highly reactive NMHCs in Tianjin. Industry related species like light alkenes were of particular importance in both urban and suburban Tianjin, while in Shanghai aromatics dominated. In general, the ozone problem in Shanghai is on an urban scale. Stringent control policies on local emissions would help reduce the occurrence of high ozone concentrations. By contrast, ozone pollution in Tianjin is probably a regional problem. Combined efforts to reduce ozone precursor emissions on a regional scale must be undertaken to bring the ozone problem under control.

‘Initiative-Decision’ Typology of New Product Launching (NPL into Local Market: Toward Interaction Mechanism

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Firmanzah

2009-12-01

Full Text Available New product launching (NPL process in subsidiaries is very complex, expensive and risky. This process is marked by the problem of role partition between headquarter and subsidiaries. This research emphasizes the quality of relation between subsidiaries and headquarter which determines the qualities of NPL process into local market. Typology of initiative-decision during NPL process has been documented. Using cluster analysis, three clusters of ‘initiative-decision’ during NPL are found in this research: ‘headquarters domination’, ‘mix-initiative’ and ‘interaction’. Using ANOVA analysis, this research found that interaction between subsidiary and headquarter managers positively increases the effectiveness of marketing-strategy during NPL process. This finding suggests that interaction mechanism between subsidiary and headquarter is the best solution to launch a new product to the local market.

Requirement of subunit co-assembly and ankyrin-G for M-channel localization at the axon initial segment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Hanne B; Frøkjaer-Jensen, Christian; Jensen, Camilla Stampe

2007-01-01

The potassium channel subunits KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 are believed to underlie the M current of hippocampal neurons. The M-type potassium current plays a key role in the regulation of neuronal excitability; however, the subcellular location of the ion channels underlying this regulation has been...... controversial. We report here that KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 subunits are localized to the axon initial segment of pyramidal neurons of adult rat hippocampus and in cultured hippocampal neurons. We demonstrate that the localization of the KCNQ2/3 channel complex to the axon initial segment is favored by co...

Typical types and formation mechanisms of haze in an Eastern Asia megacity, Shanghai

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K. Huang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available An intensive aerosol and gases campaign was performed at Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta region over Eastern China from late March to early June 2009. This study provided a complementary picture of typical haze types and the formation mechanisms in megacities over China by using a synergy of ground-based monitoring, satellite and lidar observations. During the whole study period, several extreme low visibility periods were observed with distinct characteristics, and three typical haze types were identified, i.e. secondary inorganic pollution, dust, and biomass burning. Sulfate, nitrate and ammonium accounted for a major part of PM_2.5 mass during the secondary inorganic pollution, and the good correlation between SO₂/NO_x/CO and PM_2.5 indicated that coal burning and vehicle emission were the major sources. Large-scale regions with high AOD (aerosol optical depths and low Ångström exponent were detected by remote-sensing observation during the dust pollution episode, and this episode corresponded to coarse particles rich in mineral components such as Al and Ca contributing 76.8% to TSP. The relatively low Ca/Al ratio of 0.75 along with the air mass backward trajectory analysis suggested the dust source was from Gobi Desert. Typical tracers for biomass burning from satellite observation (column CO and HCHO and from ground measurement (CO, particulate K⁺, OC, and EC were greatly enhanced during the biomass burning pollution episode. The exclusive linear correlation between CO and PM_2.5 corroborated that organic aerosol dominated aerosol chemistry during biomass burning, and the high concentration and enrichment degree of arsenic (As could be also partly derived from biomass burning. Aerosol optical profile observed by lidar demonstrated that aerosol was mainly constrained below the boundary layer and comprised of spheric aerosol (depolarization ratio <5% during the secondary

Restoring the capacity for initiative to local authorities for the development of ENR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouvello, Ch. de; Nadaud, F.

2001-01-01

The decree of June 8. 2001 concerning wind powered electricity purchase prices as a sign of public support in terms of industrial policy. The recent debates have given the local authorities a key role in the development of ENR systems although concrete achievements so far remain quite limited We will demonstrate that this is essentially explained by the fact that the skills of local authorities chiefly lie in the discrete framework of the Rural Electrification scheme. Based on examples of thermal ENR systems in housing and of electrical production via ENR systems connected to the network, we will show that the Rural Electrification scheme has the effect of focusing the technical choices of local authorities on the traditional technology of the distribution networks. A minor modification to the Rural Electrification scheme would make it possible to give the capacity for initiative back to local authorities with regard to ENR systems, while at the same time making it possible to contribute to resolving the question of the reinforcement of transportation and distribution networks in order to incorporate production obtained from ENR systems. (authors)

Local energy ownership in Europe. An exploratory study of local public initiatives in France, Germany and the United Kingdom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruedinger, Andreas

2017-06-01

Across Europe, a growing number of local authorities are eager to regain control over energy systems on a wide range of scales and modalities. Through an exploratory study authored by Andreas Ruedinger and funded by the French Agency for Energy Management (ADEME), Energy Cities decided to shed light on the various nuances surrounding this phenomenon of local reclaim over energy systems and offer new perspectives to cities wishing to replicate successful initiatives. This European overview focuses mainly on three countries: Germany, which could almost be described as the cradle of re-municipalization, the United Kingdom and France. Local energy management can take many forms, and the study outlines and develops four specific processes: 1. re-municipalization, 2. Political decentralization, 3. Citizen projects, 4. Participatory governance. More and more cities are taking a leading role in driving the energy transition, not only as planning authorities but also as an operational actors, inspired in particular by examples of re-municipalization in the water sector. Whether it is through the creation of new integrated municipal companies such as Germany, public energy suppliers such as the UK, or local operators investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. France, we see the outlines of a movement of re-appropriation of energy transition by local communities, the study finds. The reasons and opportunities that motivate local authorities to embark on re-municipalization projects are multiple: revitalizing the local economy, creating a close connection with citizens, managing local public services in a more integrated way, fostering cooperation and partnerships with other players, accessing new markets, etc. However, as the study points out, these endeavors can also come with some risks, such as the competitive pressure exerted by the private sector and the limited influence over national and European energy policies

Local energy ownership in Europe. An exploratory study of local public initiatives in France, Germany and the United Kingdom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruedinger, Andreas

2017-06-01

Across Europe, a growing number of local authorities are eager to regain control over energy systems on a wide range of scales and modalities. Through an exploratory study authored by Andreas Ruedinger and funded by the French Agency for Energy Management (ADEME), Energy Cities decided to shed light on the various nuances surrounding this phenomenon of local reclaim over energy systems and offer new perspectives to cities wishing to replicate successful initiatives. This European overview focuses mainly on three countries: Germany, which could almost be described as the cradle of re-municipalization, the United Kingdom and France. Local energy management can take many forms, and the study outlines and develops four specific processes: 1. Re-municipalization, 2. Political decentralization, 3. Citizen projects, 4. Participatory governance. More and more cities are taking a leading role in driving the energy transition, not only as planning authorities but also as an operational actors, inspired in particular by examples of re-municipalization in the water sector. Whether it is through the creation of new integrated municipal companies such as Germany, public energy suppliers such as the UK, or local operators investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. France, we see the outlines of a movement of re-appropriation of energy transition by local communities, the study finds. The reasons and opportunities that motivate local authorities to embark on re-municipalization projects are multiple: revitalizing the local economy, creating a close connection with citizens, managing local public services in a more integrated way, fostering cooperation and partnerships with other players, accessing new markets, etc. However, as the study points out, these endeavors can also come with some risks, such as the competitive pressure exerted by the private sector and the limited influence over national and European energy policies

Meteorology and air-quality in a mega-city: application to Tehran, Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malakooti, Hossein

2010-01-01

The influence of a mega-city on the atmospheric boundary layer and surface conditions was examined in the complex-terrain, semi-arid Tehran region using the Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research fifth-generation Mesoscale Model (MM5) during a high pollution period. In addition, model sensitivity studies were conducted to evaluate the performance of the urban canopy and urban soil model 'SM2-U (3D)' parameterization on the meteorological fields and ground level air pollutant concentrations in this area. The topographic flows and urban effects were found to play important roles in modulating the wind and temperature fields, and the urbanized areas exerted important local effects on the boundary layer meteorology. An emission inventory of air pollutants and an inventory of heat generation were developed and updated for 2005 in this work. Emissions from on-road motor vehicles constitute a major portion of the emission inventory and play the most important role in terms of contributions of air pollutants to the atmosphere in Tehran. By using a detailed methodology, we calculated spatial and temporal distributions of the anthropogenic heat flux (Qf) for Tehran during 2005. Wintertime Qf is larger than summertime Qf, which reflects the importance of heating emissions from buildings and traffic during cold and warm period respectively. Different urban parameterizations were used as a tool to investigate the modifications induced by the presence of an urban area in the area of interest. It was found that, for local meteorological simulations, the drag-force approach coupled with an urban soil model (DA-SM2-U) is preferable to the roughness approach (RA-SLAB). The comparisons indicated that the most important features of the wind, temperature and turbulent fields in urban areas are well reproduced by the DA-SM2-U configuration with the anthropogenic heat flux being taken into account (i.e., 'DA-SM2-U Qf: On' option). This

Association of chagasic megacolon and cancer of the colon: case report and review of the literature Associação de megacólon chagásico e câncer de cólon: relato de caso e revisão da literatura

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Sheila Jorge Adad

2002-02-01

Full Text Available There are few descriptions of association between chagasic megacolon and colon cancer. We report a case of obstructive abdomen caused by adenocarcinoma of the left colon in chagasic megacolon. A review of the literature revealed 8 cases of this association and, analyzing together the series of findings of cancer in chagasic organomegalies, we found a frequency of 4.8% in megaesophagus and 0.1% in megacolon.Há poucas descrições de associação entre megacólon chagásico e câncer de cólon. Relatamos caso de abdômen obstrutivo por adenocarcinoma do cólon esquerdo, em megacólon chagásico. A revisão da literatura indica 8 casos desta associação e, analisando-se em conjunto as séries de levantamentos de câncer em megas chagásicos, encontra-se freqüência de 4,8% em megaesôfago e 0,1% em megacólon.

Tackling the mortality from long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution in megacities: Lessons from the Greater Cairo case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheida, Ali; Nasser, Amira; El Nazer, Mostafa; Borbon, Agnes; Abo El Ata, Gehad A; Abdel Wahab, Magdy; Alfaro, Stephane C

2018-01-01

The poor outdoor air quality in megacities of the developing world and its impact on health is a matter of concern for both the local populations and the decision-makers. The objective of this work is to quantify the mortality attributable to long-term exposure to PM2.5, NO 2 , and O 3 in Greater Cairo (Egypt). We analyze the temporal and spatial variability of the three pollutants concentrations measured at 18 stations of the area. Then, we apply the method recommended by the WHO to estimate the excess mortality. In this assessment, three different shapes (log-linear, linear, and log-log) of the concentration-response functions (CRF) are used. With PM2.5 concentrations varying from 50 to more than 100µg/m 3 in the different sectors of the megacity, the spatial variability of this pollutant is found to be one important cause of uncertainty on the excess mortality associated with it. Also important is the choice of the CRF. With the average (75µg/m 3 ) PM2.5 concentration and the most favorable log-log shape of the CRF, 11% (CI, 9-14%) of the non-accidental mortality in the population older than 30 years can still be attributed to PM2.5, which corresponds to 12520 (CI, 10240-15930) yearly premature deaths. Should the Egyptian legal 70µg/m 3 PM10 limit (corresponding to approximately 37.5µg/m 3 for PM2.5) be met, this number would be reduced to 7970, meaning that 4550 premature deaths could be avoided each year. Except around some industrial or traffic hot spots, NO 2 concentration is found to be below the 40µg/m 3 air quality guideline of the WHO. However, the average concentration (34µg/m 3 ) of this gas exceeds the stricter 10µg/m 3 recommendation of the HRAPIE project and it is thus estimated that from 7850 to 10470 yearly deaths can be attributed to NO 2 . Finally, with the ozone concentration measured at one station only, it is found that, depending on the choice of the CRF, between 2.4% and 8.8% of the mortality due to respiratory diseases can be

Depopulation of interstitial cells of cajal in chagasic megacolon: towards tailored surgery? Depleção de células intersticiais de Cajal no megacólon chagásico: a caminho do tratamento cirúrgico individualizado?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio Eduardo Alonso Araujo

2010-06-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The mechanism of constipation in patients with Chagasic megacolon remains partially explained. In these patients, it was recently demonstrated a reduction in the population of interstitial cells of Cajal. AIM: To evaluate density of Cajal cells in the surgically resected colon of Chagasic patients in comparison to control patients, and to verify possible association between preoperative and postoperative bowel function of Chagasic patients and colonic cell count. METHOD: Sixteen patients with Chagasic megacolon were operated on. Clinical pre- and post-operative evaluation using the Cleveland Clinic Constipation Score was undertaken. Resected colons were examined. Cajal cells were identified by immunohistochemistry using anti-CD117 antibody. The mean cell number was compared to resected colons from 16 patients with non-obstructive sigmoid cancer. Association between pre-and post-operative constipation scores and cell count for megacolon patients was evaluated using the Pearson coefficient correlation test (r. RESULTS: A reduced number of Cajal cells [cells per field: 2.84 (0-6.6 vs. 9.68 (4.3-13 - pRACIONAL: A fisiopatologia da constipação intestinal nos pacientes portadores de megacólon chagásico permanece parcialmente esclarecida. Recentemente demontrou-se que nesses pacientes, o contingente de células intersticiais de Cajal está reduzido assim como ocorre em outros distúrbios funcionais gastrointestinais. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a densidade de células intersticiais de Cajal no intestino ressecado de pacientes submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico eletivo de megacólon chagásico em comparação com a observada no cólon de pacientes controles, e verificar possível associação entre o grau de constipação intestinal de pacientes com megacólon chagásico no pré e no pós-operatório e o grau de despopulação de células de Cajal. MÉTODO: Dezesseis pacientes com megacólon chagásico foram operados. A avaliação da fun

Initial Analysis of VOCs Speciation in CREATE Emissions Inventory using the MAPS-Seoul Aircraft Field Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Bu, C.; Woo, J. H.; Lee, Y.; Kim, J.; Choi, K. C.; Kim, Y.; Kim, J.; Jang, Y. K.; Kim, S.

2016-12-01

As the first international cooperative air quality field study, the MAPS-Seoul (Megacity Air Pollution Studies-Seoul) aircraft mission was conducted in May - June 2016 over the South Korea, to understand of climate and atmospheric environment. The aircraft carried observation instruments for measurements of GHGs, ozone and its precursors, aerosols, and chemical tracers. The CREATE (Comprehensive Regional Emissions inventory for Atmospheric Environment) emissions inventory and SMOKE-Asia emission processing system were used to support chemical forecasting and to serve as a priori for evaluation. Initial results of comparison studies show large discrepancies in VOC species over the South Korea - especially over urban regions. Several VOC species observed high near megacities and petro-chemical plants but under-predicted by chemical transport models (CTMs) - possibly due to relatively low emissions. The chemical speciation profiles and emissions inventory for each emission sources, therefore, have to be re-visited to improve emissions information. In this study, we have; 1) re-examined our emissions inventory and emission speciation processes, 2) and tried to find possible missing sources and alternative chemical speciation profiles, to improve our modelling emissions inventory. Initial review of the mapping and classification profiles, the original US chemical speciation profiles were found to be low in partitioning painting and surface coating sources, although they are the very significant contributors. Unlike other major national cities in China, Shanghai's VOC emissions fraction seems very similar to that of Seoul. Continuous analysis of major urban and industrial areas of the country will be presented at site.Acknowledgements : This subject is supported by Korea Ministry of Environment as "Climate Change Correspondence Program". This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environment Research (NIER), funded by the Ministry of Environment

Particulate matter levels in a South American megacity: the metropolitan area of Lima-Callao, Peru.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Jose; Rojas, Jhojan; Norabuena, Magdalena; Molina, Carolina; Toro, Richard A; Leiva-Guzmán, Manuel A

2017-11-13

The temporal and spatial trends in the variability of PM 10 and PM 2.5 from 2010 to 2015 in the metropolitan area of Lima-Callao, Peru, are studied and interpreted in this work. The mean annual concentrations of PM 10 and PM 2.5 have ranges (averages) of 133-45 μg m -3 (84 μg m -3 ) and 35-16 μg m -3 (26 μg m -3 ) for the monitoring sites under study. In general, the highest annual concentrations are observed in the eastern part of the city, which is a result of the pattern of persistent local winds entering from the coast in a south-southwest direction. Seasonal fluctuations in the particulate matter (PM) concentrations are observed; these can be explained by subsidence thermal inversion. There is also a daytime pattern that corresponds to the peak traffic of a total of 9 million trips a day. The PM 2.5 value is approximately 40% of the PM 10 value. This proportion can be explained by PM 10 re-suspension due to weather conditions. The long-term trends based on the Theil-Sen estimator reveal decreasing PM 10 concentrations on the order of -4.3 and -5.3% year -1 at two stations. For the other stations, no significant trend is observed. The metropolitan area of Lima-Callao is ranked 12th and 16th in terms of PM 10 and PM 2.5 , respectively, out of 39 megacities. The annual World Health Organization thresholds and national air quality standards are exceeded. A large fraction of the Lima population is exposed to PM concentrations that exceed protection thresholds. Hence, the development of pollution control and reduction measures is paramount.

The South/Southeast Asia Research Initiative (SARI) Update and Meeting Objectives

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Vadrevu, Krishna Prasad

2017-01-01

Land Use/Cover Change (LU/CC) is one of the most important types of environmental change in South and Southeast Asian countries. Several studies suggest that LU/CC in these countries is in large part driven by population growth and economic development. In the region, changes that are most common include urban expansion, agricultural land loss, land abandonment, deforestation, logging, reforestation, etc. To address the research needs and priorities in the region, a regional initiative entitled South Southeast Asia Regional Initiative (SARI) has been developed involving US and regional scientists. The initiative is funded by NASA Land Cover, Land Use Change program. The goal of SARI is to integrate state-of-the-art remote sensing, natural sciences, engineering and social sciences to enrich LU/CC science in South Southeast Asian countries. In the presentation, LU/CC change research in SARI countries will be highlighted including the drivers of change. For example, in South Asia, forest cover has been increasing in countries like India, Nepal and Bhutan due to sustainable afforestation measures; whereas, large-scale deforestation in Southeast Asian countries is still continuing, due to oil palm plantation expansion driven by the international market demand in Malaysia and Indonesia. With respect to urbanization, South and Southeast Asian countries contain 23 megacities, each with more than 10 million people. Rapid urbanization is driving agricultural land loss and agricultural intensification has been increasing due to less availability of land for growing food crops such as in India, Vietnam, and Thailand. The drivers of LUCC vary widely in the region and include such factors as land tenure, local economic development, government policies, inappropriate land management, land speculation, improved road networks, etc. In addition, variability in the weather, climate, and socioeconomic factors also drive LU/CC resulting in disruptions of biogeochemical cycles

Aerosol optical properties in a rural environment near the mega-city Guangzhou, China: implications for regional air pollution, radiative forcing and remote sensing

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Y. H. Zhang

2008-09-01

strongly influenced by fresh emissions into a shallow nocturnal boundary layer. In spite of high photochemical activity during daytime, we found no evidence for strong local production of secondary aerosol mass.

The average mass scattering efficiencies with respect to PM₁₀ and PM₁ concentrations derived from particle size distribution measurements were 2.8 m² g⁻¹ and 4.1 m² g⁻¹, respectively. The Ångström exponent exhibited a wavelength dependence (curvature that was related to the ratio of fine and coarse particle mass (PM₁/PM₁₀ as well as the surface mode diameter of the fine particle fraction. The results demonstrate consistency between in situ measurements and a remote sensing formalism with regard to the fine particle fraction and volume mode diameter, but there are also systematic deviations for the larger mode diameters. Thus we suggest that more data sets from in situ measurements of aerosol optical parameters and particle size distributions should be used to evaluate formalisms applied in aerosol remote sensing. Moreover, we observed a negative correlation between single scattering albedo and backscatter fraction, and we found that it affects the impact that these parameters have on aerosol radiative forcing efficiency and should be considered in model studies of the PRD and similarly polluted mega-city regions.

Radiotherapy for locally recurrent rectal cancer treated with surgery alone as the initial treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Hidekazu; Yamaguchi, Takahiro; Hachiya, Kae; Okada, Sunaho; Kitahara, Masashi; Matsuyama, Katsuya; Matsuo, Masayuki [Gifu University, Gifu (Japan)

2017-03-15

Although the technical developments of radiotherapy have been remarkable, there are currently few reports on the treatment results of radiotherapy for local recurrence of rectal cancer treated with surgery alone as initial treatment in this three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy era. Thus, we retrospectively evaluated the treatment results of radiotherapy for local recurrence of rectal cancer treated with surgery alone as the initial treatment. Thirty-two patients who underwent radiotherapy were enrolled in this study. The dose per fraction was 2.0–3.5 Gy. Because the treatment schedule was variable, the biological effective dose (BED) was calculated. Local control (LC) and overall survival (OS) rates from the completion of radiotherapy were calculated. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year LC rates were 51.5%, 24.5%, 19.6%, 19.6%, and 13.1%, respectively. LC rates were significantly higher for the high BED group (≥75 Gy10) than for the lower BED group (<75 Gy10). All patients who reported pain achieved pain relief. The duration of pain relief was significantly higher for the high BED group than for the lower BED group. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year OS rates were 82.6%, 56.5%, 45.2%, 38.7%, and 23.2%, respectively. There was a trend toward higher OS rates in with higher BED group compared to lower BED group. For patients with unresectable locally recurrent rectal cancer treated with surgery alone, radiotherapy is effective treatment. The prescribed BED should be more than 75 Gy10, if the dose to the organ at risk is within acceptable levels.

Potential Fuel Loadings, Fire Ignitions, and Smoke Emissions from Nuclear Bursts in Megacities

Science.gov (United States)

Turco, R. P.; Toon, O. B.; Robock, A.; Bardeen, C.; Oman, L.; Stenchikov, G. L.

2006-12-01

We consider the effects of "small" nuclear detonations in modern "megacities," focusing on the possible extent of fire ignitions, and the properties of corresponding smoke emissions. Explosive devices in the multi-kiloton yield range are being produced by a growing number of nuclear states (Toon et al., 2006), and such weapons may eventually fall into the hands of terrorists. The numbers of nuclear weapons that might be used in a regional conflict, and their potential impacts on population and infrastructure, are discussed elsewhere. Here, we estimate the smoke emissions that could lead to widespread environmental effects, including large-scale climate anomalies. We find that low-yield weapons, which emerging nuclear states have been stockpiling, and which are likely to be targeted against cities in a regional war, can generate up to 100 times as much smoke per kiloton of yield as the high-yield weapons once associated with a superpower nuclear exchange. The fuel loadings in modern cities are estimated using a variety of data, including extrapolations from earlier detailed studies. The probability of ignition and combustion of fuels, smoke emission factors and radiative properties, and prompt scavenging and dispersion of the smoke are summarized. We conclude that a small regional nuclear war might generate up to 5 teragrams of highly absorbing particles in urban firestorms, and that this smoke could initially be injected into the middle and upper troposphere. These results are used to develop smoke emission scenarios for a climate impact analysis reported by Oman et al. (2006). Uncertainties in the present smoke estimates are outlined. Oman, L., A. Robock, G. L. Stenchikov, O. B. Toon, C. Bardeen and R. P. Turco, "Climatic consequences of regional nuclear conflicts," AGU, Fall 2006. Toon, O. B., R. P. Turco, A. Robock, C. Bardeen, L. Oman and G. L. Stenchikov, "Consequences of regional scale nuclear conflicts and acts of individual nuclear terrorism," AGU, Fall

Determination of the Support Level of Local Organizations in a Model Forest Initiative: Do Local Stakeholders Have Willingness to Be Involved in the Model Forest Development?

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Ahmet Tolunay

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Voluntary cooperation and the support of stakeholders carry a major importance in the development of Model Forests. The identification of the support level of local organizations as stakeholders in the Bucak Model Forest initiative, located in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, constitutes the theme of this study. Within this scope, the views of the stakeholders comprising local government units (LGUs, non-governmental organizations (NGOs, village councils (VCs, professional organizations (POs and forest products enterprises (FPEs located in the district of Bucak were collected by utilizing a survey technique. The data were analysed by using non-parametric statistical analyses due to the absence of a normal distribution. The results show that the information provided about the Model Forest concept to the stakeholders located in the district on the Bucak Model Forest initiative was identified as a factor impacting the support level. Moreover, it was also observed that the stakeholders were more willing to provide advisory support rather than financial support. NGOs and VCs were identified as stakeholders who could not provide financial support due to their restricted budgets. We discuss the benefits for a Model Forest initiative of establishing international cooperation to strengthen the local and regional sustainable development process.

Megacólon tóxico fatal por cytomegalovirus em paciente com retocolite ulcerativa idiopática: relato de caso e revisão de literatura Fatal toxic megacolon due to cytomegalovirosis in a patient with ulcerative colitis: case report and review

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Sérgio Ossamu IOSHII

2002-04-01

Full Text Available Racional - O megacólon tóxico é complicação grave e pouco freqüente na retocolite ulcerativa idiopática. Ocorre, geralmente, em pacientes cuja doença ativa é resistente ao tratamento clínico e, em algumas situações, o fator desencadeante é desconhecido. A infecção pelo cytomelogalovirus em seres humanos em geral é evento subclínico; entretanto, em pacientes imunocomprometidos a primoinfecção ou mesmo a reativação de infecção latente pode ter amplas repercussões clínicas, uma das quais o desencadeamento de megacólon tóxico. Objetivo - Descrever um caso de megacólon tóxico fatal por cytomegalovirose em paciente com retocolite ulcerativa idiopática. Paciente - Masculino, 38 anos, com clínica de diarréia e perda ponderal cuja investigação mostrou tratar-se de retocolite ulcerativa idiopática e para a qual foi instituída terapêutica imunossupressora vigorosa. Resultados - Evoluiu com quadro clínico de megacólon tóxico, sendo submetido a colectomia total. Complicações clínicas culminaram no óbito pós-operatório e o estudo anatomopatológico do cólon revelou doença ativa, associada a ulcerações confluentes na base das quais foram observadas células com alterações características da cytomegalovirose. Conclusão - A cytomegalovirose deve ser considerada como um dos agentes causadores de megacólon tóxico em retocolite ulcerativa.Background - The toxic megacolon is a rare and severe complication of ulcerative colitis. In general it complicates patients with active colitis that are resistant to clinical treatment and, in some cases, the developing factor is unknown. Cytomegalovirus infection in humans in general is a subclinical condition. However, in patients with immunodeficiency the primary infection or the reactivation of latent infection could have enormous clinical effects. One of these effects is the toxic megacolon. Aim - To report a case of fatal toxic megacólon due to cytomegalovirosis in a

Sulfate Formation Enhanced by a Cocktail of High NOx, SO2, Particulate Matter, and Droplet pH during Haze-Fog Events in Megacities in China: An Observation-Based Modeling Investigation.

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Xue, Jian; Yuan, Zibing; Griffith, Stephen M; Yu, Xin; Lau, Alexis K H; Yu, Jian Zhen

2016-07-19

In recent years in a few Chinese megacities, fog events lasting one to a few days have been frequently associated with high levels of aerosol loading characterized by high sulfate (as high as 30 μg m(-3)), therefore termed as haze-fog events. The concomitant pollution characteristics include high gas-phase mixing ratios of SO2 (up to 71 ppbv) and NO2 (up to 69 ppbv), high aqueous phase pH (5-6), and smaller fog droplets (as low as 2 μm), resulting from intense emissions from fossil fuel combustion and construction activities supplying abundant Ca(2+). In this work, we use an observation-based model for secondary inorganic aerosols (OBM-SIA) to simulate sulfate formation pathways under conditions of haze-fog events encountered in Chinese megacities. The OBM analysis has identified, at a typical haze-fogwater pH of 5.6, the most important pathway to be oxidation of S(IV) by dissolved NO2, followed by the heterogeneous reaction of SO2 on the aerosol surface. The aqueous phase oxidation of S(IV) by H2O2 is a very minor formation pathway as a result of the high NOx conditions suppressing H2O2 formation. The model results indicate that the unique cocktail of high fogwater pH, high concentrations of NO2, SO2, and PM, and small fog droplets are capable of greatly enhancing sulfate formation. Such haze-fog conditions could lead to rapid sulfate production at night and subsequently high PM2.5 in the morning when the fog evaporates. Sulfate formation is simulated to be highly sensitive to fogwater pH, PM, and precursor gases NO2 and SO2. Such insights on major contributing factors imply that reduction of road dust and NOx emissions could lessen PM2.5 loadings in Chinese megacities during fog events.

Investigation of OxProduction Rates in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area during MILAGRO

Science.gov (United States)

Dusanter, S.; Molina, L. T.; Stevens, P. S.

2009-12-01

Understanding the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere and the formation of secondary pollutants are important issues in atmospheric chemistry. For instance, the photochemical production of tropospheric ozone (O3) is of particular interest due to its detrimental effects on both human health and agricultural ecosystems. A detailed characterization of tropospheric O3 production rates will help in the development of effective control strategies. The 2006 Mexico City Metropolitan Area field campaign (MCMA-2006) was one of four components of MILAGRO (Megacity Initiative: Local And Global Research Observations) intended to collect information on the impact of megacity emissions on local, regional and global scales. In this presentation, rates of production of Ox (Ox = O3 + NO2) species during MCMA-2006 at the supersite T0 (Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo) will be presented using different approaches based on measured and modeled concentrations of ROx (OH + HO2 + RO2) radicals. In addition, we will examine both the reactivity of OH and the contribution of specific peroxy radicals to the oxidation rate of NO to estimate the contribution of groups of VOCs (alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, oxygenated and biogenic VOCs) to the total production rate of Ox species.

CDC/NACCHO Accreditation Support Initiative: advancing readiness for local and tribal health department accreditation.

Science.gov (United States)

Monteiro, Erinn; Fisher, Jessica Solomon; Daub, Teresa; Zamperetti, Michelle Chuk

2014-01-01

Health departments have various unique needs that must be addressed in preparing for national accreditation. These needs require time and resources, shortages that many health departments face. The Accreditation Support Initiative's goal was to test the assumption that even small amounts of dedicated funding can help health departments make important progress in their readiness to apply for and achieve accreditation. Participating sites' scopes of work were unique to the needs of each site and based on the proposed activities outlined in their applications. Deliverables and various sources of data were collected from sites throughout the project period (December 2011-May 2012). Awardees included 1 tribal and 12 local health departments, as well as 5 organizations supporting the readiness of local and tribal health departments. Sites dedicated their funding toward staff time, accreditation fees, completion of documentation, and other accreditation readiness needs and produced a number of deliverables and example documents. All sites indicated that they made accreditation readiness gains that would not have occurred without this funding. Preliminary evaluation data from the first year of the Accreditation Support Initiative indicate that flexible funding arrangements may be an effective way to increase health departments' accreditation readiness.

Observation of regional air pollutant transport between the megacity Beijing and the North China Plain

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Y. Li

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Megacities have strong interactions with the surrounding regions through transport of air pollutants. It has been frequently addressed that the air quality of Beijing is influenced by the influx of air pollutants from the North China Plain (NCP. Estimations of air pollutant cross-boundary transport between Beijing and the NCP are important for air quality management. However, evaluation of cross-boundary transport using long-term observations is very limited. Using the observational results of the gaseous pollutants SO2, NO, NO2, O3, and CO from August 2006 to October 2008 at the Yufa site, a cross-boundary site between the megacity Beijing and the NCP, together with meteorological parameters, we explored a method for evaluating the transport flux intensities at Yufa, as part of the “Campaign of Air Quality Research in Beijing and Surrounding Region 2006–2008” (CAREBeijing 2006–2008. The hourly mean ± SD (median concentration of SO2, NO, NO2, NOx, O3, Ox, and CO was 15 ± 16 (9 ppb, 12 ± 25 (3 ppb, 24 ± 19 (20 ppb, 36 ± 39 (23 ppb, 28 ± 27 (21 ppb, 52 ± 24 (45 ppb, and 1.6 ± 1.4 (1.2 ppm during the observation period, respectively. The bivariate polar plots showed the dependence of pollutant concentrations on both wind speed and wind direction, and thus inferred their dominant transport directions. Surface flux intensity calculations further demonstrated the regional transport influence of Beijing and the NCP on Yufa. The net surface transport flux intensity (mean ± SD of SO2, NO, NO2, NOx, O3, Ox, and CO was 6.2 ± 89.5, −4.3 ± 29.5, −0.6 ± 72.3, −4.9 ± 93.0, 14.7 ± 187.8, 14.8 ± 234.9, and 70 ± 2830 µg s−1 m−2 during the observation period, respectively. For SO2, CO, O3, and Ox the surface flux intensities from the NCP to Yufa surpassed those from Beijing to Yufa in all seasons except winter, with the strongest net fluxes largely

Assessing the ammonium nitrate formation regime in the Paris megacity and its representation in the CHIMERE model

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H. Petetin

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Secondary inorganic compounds represent a major fraction of fine aerosol in the Paris megacity. The thermodynamics behind their formation is now relatively well constrained but, due to sparse direct measurements of their precursors (in particular NH3 and HNO3, uncertainties remain on their concentrations and variability as well as the formation regime of ammonium nitrate (in terms of limited species among NH3 and HNO3 in urban environments such as Paris. This study presents the first urban background measurements of both inorganic aerosol compounds and their gaseous precursors during several months within the city of Paris. Intense agriculture-related NH3 episodes are observed in spring/summer while HNO3 concentrations remain relatively low, even during summer, which leads to a NH3-rich regime in Paris. The local formation of ammonium nitrate within the city appears low, despite high NOx emissions. The data set also allows evaluating the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model (CTM. Interestingly, the rather good results obtained on ammonium nitrates hide significant errors on gaseous precursors (e.g., mean bias of −75 and +195 % for NH3 and HNO3, respectively. This leads to a misrepresentation of the nitrate formation regime through a highly underestimated gas ratio metric (introduced by Ansari and Pandis, 1998 and a much higher sensitivity of nitrate concentrations to ammonia changes. Several uncertainty sources are investigated, pointing out the importance of better assessing both NH3 agricultural emissions and OH concentrations in the future. These results remind us of the caution required when using of CTMs for emission scenario analysis, highlighting the importance of prior diagnostic and dynamic evaluations.

Analysis of urban land use in the megacity of Dhaka, Bangladesh: Roof-top detection in the context of assessing solar photovoltaic potential

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Jaegermeyr, J.; Kabir, H.; Endlicher, W.

2009-12-01

The megacity of Dhaka, Bangladesh is considered to be one of the world’s fastest growing urban centers. With nearly 14 million people Dhaka currently faces tremendous power crisis. The available power supply of Dhaka Megacity is currently 1000-1200 MW against the maximum demand of nearly 2000 MW. The objective of this study is to classify land cover of Dhaka to locate roof-top areas which are adequate for solar photovoltaic applications. Usually this task is performed with additional building-heights data. With lack of that, we present an object-based classification approach which is based on high resolution Quickbird data only. Extensive formal buildings in Dhaka mostly have flat roof-tops made from concrete which are well suited for PV applications. The classification is focused to detect these ‘Bright Roof-Tops’ to assess a lower limit for potential PV areas. With that conservative approach bright roof-top areas of 10.554 km2 out of the city’s 134.282 km2 could be found. The overall classification accuracy is 0.918, the producer’s accuracy of ‘Bright Roof-Tops’ is 0.833. Preliminary result of the PhD work of Humayun Kabir indicates that the application of only 75 Wp stand-alone solar modules on these available bright roof-tops can generate nearly 1,000 MW of electricity. The application of solar modules with high capacity (i.e., >200 Wp) preferably through grid-connected PV systems can substantially meet-up the city’s power demand, although several techno-economic and socio-political factors are certainly involved.

On the initiation of sustained slip-weakening ruptures by localized stresses

KAUST Repository

Galis, Martin

2014-12-10

Numerical simulations of dynamic earthquake rupture require an artificial initiation procedure, if they are not integrated in long-term earthquake cycle simulations. A widely applied procedure involves an \\'overstressed asperity\\', a localized region stressed beyond the static frictional strength. The physical properties of the asperity (size, shape and overstress) may significantly impact rupture propagation. In particular, to induce a sustained rupture the asperity size needs to exceed a critical value. Although criteria for estimating the critical nucleation size under linear slip-weakening friction have been proposed for 2-D and 3-D problems based on simplifying assumptions, they do not provide general rules for designing 3-D numerical simulations. We conduct a parametric study to estimate parameters of the asperity that minimize numerical artefacts (e.g. changes of rupture shape and speed, artificial supershear transition, higher slip-rate amplitudes). We examine the critical size of square, circular and elliptical asperities as a function of asperity overstress and background (off-asperity) stress. For a given overstress, we find that asperity area controls rupture initiation while asperity shape is of lesser importance. The critical area obtained from our numerical results contrasts with published theoretical estimates when background stress is low. Therefore, we derive two new theoretical estimates of the critical size under low background stress while also accounting for overstress. Our numerical results suggest that setting the asperity overstress and area close to their critical values eliminates strong numerical artefacts even when the overstress is large. We also find that properly chosen asperity size or overstress may significantly shorten the duration of the initiation. Overall, our results provide guidelines for determining the size of the asperity and overstress to minimize the effects of the forced initiation on the subsequent spontaneous

Continuous measurements at the urban roadside in an Asian megacity by Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM): particulate matter characteristics during fall and winter seasons in Hong Kong

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, C.; Lee, B. P.; Huang, D.; Jie Li, Y.; Schurman, M. I.; Louie, P. K. K.; Luk, C.; Chan, C. K.

2016-02-01

Non-refractory submicron aerosol is characterized using an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) in the fall and winter seasons of 2013 on the roadside in an Asian megacity environment in Hong Kong. Organic aerosol (OA), characterized by application of Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF), and sulfate are found to be dominant. Traffic-related organic aerosol shows good correlation with other vehicle-related species, and cooking aerosol displays clear mealtime concentration maxima and association with surface winds from restaurant areas. Contributions of individual species and OA factors to high NR-PM1 are analyzed for hourly data and daily data; while cooking emissions in OA contribute to high hourly concentrations, particularly during mealtimes, secondary organic aerosol components are responsible for episodic events and high day-to-day PM concentrations. Clean periods are either associated with precipitation, which reduces secondary OA with a lesser impact on primary organics, or clean oceanic air masses with reduced long-range transport and better dilution of local pollution. Haze events are connected with increases in contribution of secondary organic aerosol, from 30 to 50 % among total non-refractory organics, and the influence of continental air masses.

Continuous measurements at the urban roadside in an Asian megacity by Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM: particulate matter characteristics during fall and winter seasons in Hong Kong

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C. Sun

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Non-refractory submicron aerosol is characterized using an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM in the fall and winter seasons of 2013 on the roadside in an Asian megacity environment in Hong Kong. Organic aerosol (OA, characterized by application of Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF, and sulfate are found to be dominant. Traffic-related organic aerosol shows good correlation with other vehicle-related species, and cooking aerosol displays clear mealtime concentration maxima and association with surface winds from restaurant areas. Contributions of individual species and OA factors to high NR-PM1 are analyzed for hourly data and daily data; while cooking emissions in OA contribute to high hourly concentrations, particularly during mealtimes, secondary organic aerosol components are responsible for episodic events and high day-to-day PM concentrations. Clean periods are either associated with precipitation, which reduces secondary OA with a lesser impact on primary organics, or clean oceanic air masses with reduced long-range transport and better dilution of local pollution. Haze events are connected with increases in contribution of secondary organic aerosol, from 30 to 50 % among total non-refractory organics, and the influence of continental air masses.

Úlceras em megacólons chagásicos operados na urgência e eletivamente Ulcerations in Chagas' megacolon operated at urgency and electively

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Augusto Diogo-Filho

2006-12-01

Full Text Available RACIONAL: O megacólon é uma doença freqüente no nosso meio e abordado na urgência pelas suas complicações como fecalomas, volvos e perfurações. As úlceras de estases nos megacólons contribuem como prováveis sítios de perfurações OBJETIVO: Comparar as freqüências de úlceras de decúbito em megacólons chagásicos operados na urgência, por volvo e fecaloma, e eletivamente, objetivando melhor conduta cirúrgica na urgência MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Analisaram-se os laudos de 356 exames anatomopatológicos de ressecções colônicas de pacientes operados por megacólon chagásico na urgência (102 casos; 29% e eletivamente (254 casos; 71%, no período de 1980 a 2000. As indicações cirúrgicas de urgência foram atribuídas a volvo (71 casos; 69,6%, fecaloma (25 casos; 24,5%, abdome agudo perfurativo após sondagem retal ou sigmoidoscopia (6 casos; 5,9%. Compararam-se as freqüências de úlceras nos dois grupos de peças cirúrgicas, com a utilização do teste do qui-quadrado RESULTADOS: Nos laudos das peças cirúrgicas obtidas nas cirurgias de urgência, constatou-se o registro de úlceras em 26 casos (25,5%; nas peças de ressecções eletivas verificaram-se úlceras em 21 casos (8,25%. A diferença observada foi estatisticamente significante. A comparação dos grupos de volvo, fecaloma e volvo com fecaloma, em separado com o grupo das cirurgias eletivas, evidenciou diferenças significantes em relação ao volvo e ao fecaloma CONCLUSÃO: A freqüência muito maior de úlceras nos megas operados em caráter de urgência enfatiza a necessidade da ressecção imediata do cólon sigmóide, ao invés da conduta conservadora de simples colostomia descompressiva, mesmo naquelas laparotomias exploradoras em que o exame macroscópico do sigmóide não mostre sinais de necrose. Desta forma, deve-se prevenir a ocorrência de perfuração do megacólon no pós-operatório mediato, com conseqüências usualmente graves.BACKGROUD: The

CO Seasonal Variability and Trend over Paris Megacity Using Ground-Based QualAir FTS and Satellite IASI-MetOp Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Te, Yao; Jeseck, Pascal; Hadji-Lazaro, Juliette

2012-11-01

In a growing world with more than 7 billion inhabitants and big emerging countries such as China, Brazil and India, emissions of anthropogenic pollutants are increasing continuously. Monitoring and control of atmospheric pollutants in megacities have become a major challenge for scientists and public health authorities in environmental research area. The QualAir platform at University Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), is an innovating experimental research platform dedicated to survey urban atmospheric pollution and air quality. A Bruker Optics IFS 125HR Fourier transform spectrometer belonged to the Laboratoire de Physique Moléculaire pour l'Atmosphère et l'Astrophysique (LPMAA), was adapted for ground-based atmospheric measurements. As one of the major instruments of the QualAir platform, this ground-based Fourier transform spectrometer (QualAir FTS) analyses the composition of the urban atmosphere of Paris, which is the third largest European megacity. The continuous monitoring of atmospheric pollutants is essential to improve the understanding of urban air pollution processes. Associated with a sun-tracker, the QualAir remote sensing FTS operates in solar infrared absorption and enables to monitor many trace gases, and to follow up their variability in the Ile-de-France region. Concentrations of atmospheric pollutants are retrieved by the radiative transfer model PROFFIT. These ground-based remote sensing measurements are compared to ground in-situ measurements and to satellite data from IASI-MetOp (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer). The remote sensing total column of the carbon monoxide (CO) obtained from January 2009 to June 2012, has a seasonal variability with a maximum in April and a minimum in October. While, after 2008, the mean CO level is quite stable (no significant decrease as before 2008).

From Family Based to Industrial Based Production: Local Economic Development Initiatives and the HELIX Model

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Bartjan W Pennink

2013-01-01

Full Text Available To build a strong local economy, good practice tells us that each community should undertake a collaborative, strategically planned process to understand and then act upon its own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. From this perspective we start with the local communities but how is this related to the perspective from the Helix model in which three actors are explicitly introduced: the Government, the Industry and the Universities? The purpose of local economic development (LED is to build up the economic capacity of a local area to improve its economic future and the quality of life for all. To support  the Local Economic Development in remote areas,   a program  has been developed based on the LED frame work of the world bank. This approach and  the experiences over  the past years with this program are  described in the first part.  In the second part of the paper, We analyse work done with that program with the help of the social capital concept and the triple helix model.  In all cases it is important to pay attention to who is taken the initiative after the first move (and it is not always the governance as actor and for the triple helix we suggest  that the concepts of (national Government, Industry and University need a translation to Local Governance Agency, Cooperation or other ways of cooperation of local communities and Local Universities. Although a push from outside might help  a local region in development the endogenous factors are  also needed. Keywords: Triple Helix model, Local Economic Development, Local Actors, Double Triangle within the Helix Model

Seasonal variability and source apportionment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs in the Paris megacity (France

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A. Baudic

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Within the framework of air quality studies at the megacity scale, highly time-resolved volatile organic compound (C2–C8 measurements were performed in downtown Paris (urban background sites from January to November 2010. This unique dataset included non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs and aromatic/oxygenated species (OVOCs measured by a GC-FID (gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector and a PTR-MS (proton transfer reaction – mass spectrometer, respectively. This study presents the seasonal variability of atmospheric VOCs being monitored in the French megacity and their various associated emission sources. Clear seasonal and diurnal patterns differed from one VOC to another as the result of their different origins and the influence of environmental parameters (solar radiation, temperature. Source apportionment (SA was comprehensively conducted using a multivariate mathematical receptor modeling. The United States Environmental Protection Agency's positive matrix factorization tool (US EPA, PMF was used to apportion and quantify ambient VOC concentrations into six different sources. The modeled source profiles were identified from near-field observations (measurements from three distinct emission sources: inside a highway tunnel, at a fireplace and from a domestic gas flue, hence with a specific focus on road traffic, wood-burning activities and natural gas emissions and hydrocarbon profiles reported in the literature. The reconstructed VOC sources were cross validated using independent tracers such as inorganic gases (NO, NO2, CO, black carbon (BC and meteorological data (temperature. The largest contributors to the predicted VOC concentrations were traffic-related activities (including motor vehicle exhaust, 15 % of the total mass on the annual average, and evaporative sources, 10 %, with the remaining emissions from natural gas and background (23 %, solvent use (20 %, wood-burning (18 % and a biogenic source (15 %. An

Radiation or chemoradiation: initial utility study of selected therapy for local advanced stadium cervical cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Pramitasari, D. A.; Gondhowiardjo, S.; Nuranna, L.

2017-08-01

This study aimed to compare radiation only or chemo radiation treatment of local advanced cervical cancers by examining the initial response of tumors and acute side effects. An initial assessment employed value based medicine (VBM) by obtaining utility values for both types of therapy. The incidences of acute lower gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and hematology side effects in patients undergoing chemoradiation did not differ significantly from those undergoing radiation alone. Utility values for patients who underwent radiation alone were higher compared to those who underwent chemoradiation. It was concluded that the complete response of patients who underwent chemoradiation did not differ significantly from those who underwent radiation alone.

Modelling and evaluating municipal solid waste management strategies in a mega-city: the case of Ho Chi Minh City.

Science.gov (United States)

ThiKimOanh, Le; Bloemhof-Ruwaard, Jacqueline M; van Buuren, Joost Cl; van der Vorst, Jack Gaj; Rulkens, Wim H

2015-04-01

Ho Chi Minh City is a large city that will become a mega-city in the near future. The city struggles with a rapidly increasing flow of municipal solid waste and a foreseeable scarcity of land to continue landfilling, the main treatment of municipal solid waste up to now. Therefore, additional municipal solid waste treatment technologies are needed. The objective of this article is to support decision-making towards more sustainable and cost-effective municipal solid waste strategies in developing countries, in particular Vietnam. A quantitative decision support model is developed to optimise the distribution of municipal solid waste from population areas to treatment plants, the treatment technologies and their capacities for the near future given available infrastructure and cost factors. © The Author(s) 2015.

Initial results of local grid control using wind farms with grid support

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soerensen, Poul; Hansen, Anca D.; Iov, F.; Blaabjerg, F.

2005-09-01

This report describes initial results with simulation of local grid control using wind farms with grid support. The focus is on simulation of the behaviour of the wind farms when they are isolated from the main grid and establish a local grid together with a few other grid components. The isolated subsystems used in the work presented in this report do not intend to simulate a specific subsystem, but they are extremely simplified single bus bar systems using only a few more components than the wind farm. This approach has been applied to make it easier to understand the dynamics of the subsystem. The main observation is that the fast dynamics of the wind turbines seem to be able to contribute significantly to the grid control, which can be useful where the wind farm is isolated with a subsystem from the main grid with surplus of generation. Thus, the fast down regulation of the wind farm using automatic frequency control can keep the subsystem in operation and thereby improve the reliability of the grid. (LN)

A successful local economic development-urban renewal initiative ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Despite the urgent need for local economic development in South Africa, Local Economic Development (LED) as area of professional endeavour/activity has largely failed to live up to this need. In this article, an alternative approach to local economic development, which involved a 'bottom-up' approach to urban renewal is ...

National strategy for suicide prevention in Japan: impact of a national fund on progress of developing systems for suicide prevention and implementing initiatives among local authorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakanishi, Miharu; Yamauchi, Takashi; Takeshima, Tadashi

2015-01-01

In Japan, the Cabinet Office released the 'General Principles of Suicide Prevention Policy' in 2007 and suggested nine initiatives. In 2009, a national fund was launched to help prefectures (the administrative divisions of Japan) and local authorities implement five categories of suicide-prevention programs. This paper examines the impact of the national fund on the establishment of the systems for suicide prevention and the implementation of these initiatives among local authorities. The present study included 1385 local authorities (79.5%) from all 47 prefectures that responded to the cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Improved suicide-prevention systems and the implementation of nine initiatives in April 2013 were observed among 265 local authorities (19.1%) that implemented 'Training of community service providers' and 'Public awareness campaigns'; 178 local authorities (12.9%) that implemented 'Face-to-face counseling', 'Training of community service providers' and 'Public awareness campaigns'; and 324 local authorities (23.4%) that implemented 'Trauma-informed policies and practices'. There was no significant difference in suicide-prevention systems and the implementation of nine initiatives between 203 local authorities (14.7%) that implemented only 'Public awareness campaigns' and 231 local authorities (16.7%) that did not implement any suicide-prevention programs. The results of our study suggest that the national fund promoted the establishment of community systems for suicide prevention and helped implement initiatives among local authorities. The national suicide-prevention strategy in Japan should explore a standard package of programs to guide community suicide-prevention efforts with a sustained workforce among local authorities. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

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 ...

Health risk assessment of exposure to the Middle-Eastern Dust storms in the Iranian megacity of Kermanshah.

Science.gov (United States)

Goudarzi, G; Daryanoosh, S M; Godini, H; Hopke, P K; Sicard, P; De Marco, A; Rad, H D; Harbizadeh, A; Jahedi, F; Mohammadi, M J; Savari, J; Sadeghi, S; Kaabi, Z; Omidi Khaniabadi, Y

2017-07-01

This study assessed the effects of particulate matter (PM), equal or less than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM 10 ), from the Middle-Eastern Dust events on public health in the megacity of Kermanshah (Iran). This study used epidemiological modeling and monitored ambient air quality data to estimate the potential PM 10 impacts on public health. The AirQ2.2.3 model was used to calculate mortality and morbidity attributed to PM 10 as representative of dust events. Using Visual Basic for Applications, the programming language of Excel software, hourly PM 10 concentrations obtained from the local agency were processed to prepare input files for the AirQ2.2.3 model. Using baseline incidence, defined by the World Health Organization, the number of estimated excess cases for respiratory mortality, hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for respiratory diseases, and for cardiovascular diseases were 37, 39, 476, and 184 persons, respectively, from 21st March, 2014 to 20th March, 2015. Furthermore, 92% of mortality and morbidity cases occurred in days with PM 10 concentrations lower than 150 μg/m 3 . The highest percentage of person-days occurred for daily concentrations range of 100-109 μg/m 3 , causing the maximum health end-points among the citizens of Kermanshah. Calculating the number of cumulative excess cases for mortality or morbidity attributed to PM 10 provides a good tool for decision and policy-makers in the field of health care to compensate their shortcomings particularly at hospital and healthcare centers for combating dust storms. To diminish these effects, several immediate actions should be managed in the governmental scale to control dust such as spreading mulch and planting new species that are compatible to arid area. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. All rights reserved.

View From a Megacity: Aerosol Light Absorption and Scattering at Four Sites in and Near Mexico City.

Science.gov (United States)

Paredes-Miranda, G.; Arnott, W. P.; Gaffney, J. S.; Marley, N. A.

2006-12-01

As part of the Megacity Impacts on Regional and Global Environments, MIRAGE-Mex deployment to Mexico City in the period of 30 days, March 2006, a suite of photoacoustic spectrometers (PAS) were installed to measure at ground level the light absorption and scattering by aerosols at four sites: an urban site at Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (Mexican Oil Institute, denoted by IMP), a suburban site at the Technological University of Tecamac, a rural site at "La Biznaga" ranch, and a site at the Paseo de Cortes (altitude 3,810 meters ASL) in the rural area above Amecameca in the State of Mexico, on the saddle between the volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. The IMP site gave in-situ characterization of the Mexico City plume under favorable wind conditions while the other sites provided characterization of the plume, mixed in with any local sources. The second and third sites are north of Mexico City, and the fourth site is south. The PAS used at IMP operates at 532 nm, and conveniently allowed for characterization of gaseous absorption at this wavelength as well. Instruments at the second and third sites operate at 870 nm, and the one at the fourth site at 780 nm. Light scattering measurements are accomplished within the PAS by the reciprocal nephelometery method. In the urban site the aerosol absorption coefficient typically varies between 40 and 250 Mm-1 during the course of the day and significant diurnal variation of the aerosol single scattering albedo was observed. Comparisons with TSI nephelometer scattering and Aetholemeter absorption measurements at the T0 site will be presented. We will present a broad overview of the diurnal variation of the scattering and absorption as well as the single scattering albedo and fraction of absorption due to gases at the IMP site. Insight on the dynamical connections will be discussed.

Managing future air quality in megacities: A case study for Delhi

Science.gov (United States)

Amann, Markus; Purohit, Pallav; Bhanarkar, Anil D.; Bertok, Imrich; Borken-Kleefeld, Jens; Cofala, Janusz; Heyes, Chris; Kiesewetter, Gregor; Klimont, Zbigniew; Liu, Jun; Majumdar, Dipanjali; Nguyen, Binh; Rafaj, Peter; Rao, Padma S.; Sander, Robert; Schöpp, Wolfgang; Srivastava, Anjali; Vardhan, B. Harsh

2017-07-01

Megacities in Asia rank high in air pollution at the global scale. In many cities, ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have been exceeding both the WHO interim targets as well as respective national air quality standards. This paper presents a systems analytical perspective on management options that could efficiently improve air quality at the urban scale, having Delhi as a case study. We employ the newly developed GAINS-City policy analysis framework, consisting of a bottom up emission calculation combined with atmospheric chemistry-transport calculation, to derive innovative insights into the current sources of pollution and their impacts on ambient PM2.5, both from emissions of primary PM as well as precursors of secondary inorganic and organic aerosols. We outline the likely future development of these sources, quantify the related ambient PM2.5 concentrations and health impacts, and explore potential policy interventions that could effectively reduce environmental pollution and resulting health impacts in the coming years. The analysis demonstrates that effective improvement of Delhi's air quality requires collaboration with neighboring States and must involve sources that are less relevant in industrialized countries. At the same time, many of the policy interventions will have multiple co-benefits on development targets in Delhi and its neighboring States. Outcomes of this study, as well as the modelling tools used herein, are applicable to other urban areas and fast growing metropolitan zones in the emerging Asian regions.

The impact of attitudes and perceptions on travel mode choice and car ownership in a Chinese megacity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

He, Sylvia Y.; Thøgersen, John

2017-01-01

The objective of this research is to understand intentions to buy a car and how car-ownership, together with other personal, situational and attitudinal factors, influences travel mode choice in a Chinese megacity. A survey was carried out in Guangzhou, China to examine respondents’ car ownership...... and travel mode perceptions and choices, as well as personal and situational characteristics. A quota sampling procedure was used to select members of three different groups: car owners; no car but planning to buy one in the next 5 years – car intenders; and no car and not planning to buy one. We find...... that car ownership is the most important among included predictors of travel mode choice, which also depend on other personal and situational factors, but only indirectly by attitudinal factors. However, attitudinal factors have a strong impact on the intention to buy a car, while controlling for other...

Local adaptations to a global health initiative: penalties for home births in Zambia.

Science.gov (United States)

Greeson, Dana; Sacks, Emma; Masvawure, Tsitsi B; Austin-Evelyn, Katherine; Kruk, Margaret E; Macwan'gi, Mubiana; Grépin, Karen A

2016-11-01

Global health initiatives (GHIs) are implemented across a variety of geographies and cultures. Those targeting maternal health often prioritise increasing facility delivery rates. Pressure on local implementers to meet GHI goals may lead to unintended programme features that could negatively impact women. This study investigates penalties for home births imposed by traditional leaders on women during the implementation of Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL) in Zambia. Forty focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted across four rural districts to assess community experiences of SMGL at the conclusion of its first year. Participants included women who recently delivered at home (3 FGDs/district), women who recently delivered in a health facility (3 FGDs/district), community health workers (2 FGDs/district) and local leaders (2 FGDs/district). Findings indicate that community leaders in some districts-independently of formal programme directive-used fines to penalise women who delivered at home rather than in a facility. Participants in nearly all focus groups reported hearing about the imposition of penalties following programme implementation. Some women reported experiencing penalties firsthand, including cash and livestock fines, or fees for child health cards that are typically free. Many women who delivered at home reported their intention to deliver in a facility in the future to avoid penalties. While communities largely supported the use of penalties to promote facility delivery, the penalties effectively introduced a new tax on poor rural women and may have deterred their utilization of postnatal and child health care services. The imposition of penalties is thus a punitive adaptation that can impose new financial burdens on vulnerable women and contribute to widening health, economic and gender inequities in communities. Health initiatives that aim to increase demand for health services should monitor local efforts to achieve programme targets in order

Microbial Indicators, Opportunistic Bacteria, and Pathogenic Protozoa for Monitoring Urban Wastewater Reused for Irrigation in the Proximity of a Megacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Fonseca-Salazar, María Alejandra; Díaz-Ávalos, Carlos; Castañón-Martínez, María Teresa; Tapia-Palacios, Marco Antonio; Mazari-Hiriart, Marisa

2016-12-01

In Latin America and the Caribbean, with a population of approximately 580 million inhabitants, less than 20 % of wastewater is treated. Megacities in this region face common challenges and problems related with water quality and sanitation, which require urgent actions, such as changes in the sustainable use of water resources. The Mexico City Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world, with over 20 million inhabitants, and is no exception to the challenges of sustainable water management. For more than 100 years, wastewater from Mexico City has been transported north to the Mezquital Valley, which is ranked as the largest wastewater-irrigated area in the world. In this study, bacteria and pathogenic protozoa were analyzed to determine the association between the presence of such microorganisms and water types (WTs) across sampling sites and seasons in Mexico City and the Mezquital Valley. Our results show a difference in microbiological water quality between sampling sites and WTs. There is no significant interaction between sampling sites and seasons in terms of bacterial concentration, demonstrating that water quality remains constant at each site regardless of whether it is the dry or the rainy season. The results illustrate the quantity of these microorganisms in wastewater, provide a current diagnosis of water quality across the area which could affect the health of residents in both Mexico City and the Mezquital Valley, and demonstrate the need to transition in the short term to treat wastewater from a local to a regional scale.

The PM2.5 threshold for aerosol extinction in the Beijing megacity

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Lingbin; Xin, Jinyuan; Liu, Zirui; Zhang, Kequan; Tang, Guiqian; Zhang, Wenyu; Wang, Yuesi

2017-10-01

Particulate pollution has remained at a high level in the megacity of Beijing in the past decade. The PM2.5, PM10, aerosol optical depth (AOD), Angstrom exponent(α), and PM2.5/PM10 ratio (the proportion of PM2.5 in PM10) in Beijing were 70±6 μg m-3, 128±6 μg m-3, 0.57 ± 0.05, 1.10 ± 0.08, 45 ± 4%, respectively, from 2005 to 2014. The annual means of PM concentration, AOD, α, and PM2.5/PM10 ratio decreased slightly during this decade, meanwhile PM concentration increased in the winter. Furthermore, we found there were thresholds of PM2.5 concentration for aerosol extinction. When the PM concentration was lower than a certain threshold, AOD decreased quickly with the decline of PM concentration. To make the improvement of the particle pollution more noticeable, the PM concentration should be controlled under the threshold. The annual averaged threshold is 63 μg m-3, and the threshold values reached the maximum of 74 μg m-3 in spring, ranged from 54 to 56 μg m-3 in the three other seasons. The threshold values ranged from 55 to 77 μg m-3 under other relevant factors, including air masses directions and relative humidity.

Investigation on the trace elemental profile of sewage workers in Kolkata, an Indian megacity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajlaxmi Basu

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Background. Environmental pollution has become a global health risk. Exposure to pollutants at the work place, i.e. occupational exposure, is one of the areas that need immediate attention. The civic drainage workers are exposed to pollutants present in the wastewater they handle and most of them are toxic heavy metals. Exposure to such pollutants may be a health hazard, since it can lead to the imbalance in nutrient elements status.§Design and Methods. In the present study, profiling of trace elements in the blood of drainage worker population from an Indian megacity, Kolkata, was carried out by energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF and compared with the control group population of the same area. Results. The elements detected by EDXRF spectrometry include P, S, Cl, K, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, and Rb. By using ANOVA with 5% significance level, we observed significant alterations in the trace elements status, iron over loading, selenium deficiency, and in Cu-Zn ratio. Gender specific variations within the same population were also observed. Conclusions. The results indicate that the drainage workers have altered elemental profile in comparison to that of control population.

Evaluation of local stress for stress corrosion crack initiation by three-dimensional polycrystal model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamaya, Masayuki; Kitamura, Takayuki

2006-01-01

In order to understand the initiation behavior of microstructurally small cracks in a stress corrosion cracking condition, it is important to know the tensile normal stress acting on the grain boundary (normal G.B. stress). The local stress in a polycrystalline body is greatly influenced by deformation constraint which is caused by anisotropic and/or inhomogeneous property of each grain. In present study, the local normal G.B. stress on bi- and tri-crystal bodies and a three-dimensional polycrystalline body consisting of 100 grains were evaluated by the finite element method under a remote uniform tensile stress condition. The polycrystalline body was generated by using a Monte Carlo procedure and random orientations were assigned to each grain. It was revealed that the local normal G.B. stress on the polycrystalline body is inhomogeneous under uniform applied stress. The stress tends to be large near the triple points due to the deformation constraint caused by adjacent grains, even though the grain boundary inclination to the load axis has large influence. It was also shown that particular high stress was not observed at corners of the polycrystalline body. (author)

Strain localization and fatigue crack initiation in ultrafine-grained copper in high- and giga-cycle region

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kunz, Ludvík; Lukáš, Petr; Navrátilová, L.

2014-01-01

Roč. 58, JAN (2014), s. 202-208 ISSN 0142-1123 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP108/10/2001; GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0068 Institutional support: RVO:68081723 Keywords : Fatigue crack initiation * Strain localization * Stability of ultrafine-grained structure * UFG Cu Subject RIV: JL - Materials Fatigue, Friction Mechanics Impact factor: 2.275, year: 2014

Air quality in the megacity of São Paulo: Evolution over the last 30 years and future perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, Maria de Fatima; Kumar, Prashant; de Freitas, Edmilson Dias; Ynoue, Rita Yuri; Martins, Jorge; Martins, Leila D.; Nogueira, Thiago; Perez-Martinez, Pedro; de Miranda, Regina Maura; Albuquerque, Taciana; Gonçalves, Fabio Luiz Teixeira; Oyama, Beatriz; Zhang, Yang

2017-06-01

We present a comprehensive review of published results from the last 30 years regarding the sources and atmospheric characteristics of particles and ozone in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP). During the last 30 years, many efforts have been made to describe the emissions sources and to analyse the primary and secondary formation of pollutants under a process of increasing urbanisation in the metropolitan area. From the occurrence of frequent violations of air quality standards in the 1970s and 1980s (due to the uncontrolled air pollution sources) to a substantial decrease in the concentrations of the primary pollutants, many regulations have been imposed and enforced, although those concentrations do not yet conform to the World Health Organization guidelines. The greatest challenge currently faced by the São Paulo State Environmental Protection Agency and the local community is controlling secondary pollutants such as ozone and fine particles. Understanding the formation of these secondary pollutants, by experimental or modelling approaches, requires the description of the atmospheric chemical processes driven by biofuel, ethanol and biodiesel emissions. Exposure to air pollution is the cause of many injuries to human health, according to many studies performed not only in the region but also worldwide, and affects susceptible populations such as children and the elderly. The MASP is the biggest megacity in the Southern Hemisphere, and its specifics are important for other urban areas that are facing the challenge of intensive growth that puts pressure on natural resources and worsens the living conditions in urban areas. This text discusses how imposing regulations on air quality and emission sources, mainly related to the transportation sector, has affected the evolution of pollutant concentrations in the MASP.

Assessing and evaluating urban VOC emissions in mid-latitude megacities from intensive observations in Paris and Los Angeles

Science.gov (United States)

Borbon, A.; Gilman, J. B.; Kuster, W. C.; McKeen, S. A.; Holloway, J. S.; Gros, V.; Gaimoz, C.; Beekmann, M.; De Gouw, J. A.

2011-12-01

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) affect urban air quality and regional climate change by contributing to ozone formation and the build-up of Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOA). Quantification of VOC emissions is a first critical step to predict VOC environmental impacts and to design effective abatement strategies. Indeed, the quality of ozone and SOA forecasts strongly depends on an accurate knowledge of the primary VOC emissions. However, commonly used bottom-up approaches are highly uncertain due to source multiplicity (combustion processes, storage and distribution of fossil fuels, solvent use, etc.) because of numerous controlling factors (driving conditions, fuel type, temperature, radiation, etc.), and their great variability in time and space. Field observations of VOC and other trace gases can provide valuable top-down constraints to evaluate VOC emission inventories at urban scales. In addition, the implementation of emission reduction measures raises the question of the increasing importance of VOC sources other than traffic. Here, we will evaluate VOC emissions of two mid-latitude megacities in the Northern Hemisphere: the Greater Paris area (Europe) and Los Angeles (USA). In 2009 and 2010, three intensive field campaigns took place in Paris and Los Angeles in the framework of the MEGAPOLI (EU FP7) and CalNex-2010 projects, respectively. Very detailed measurements of aerosol composition and properties, and their gaseous VOC precursors were carried out at ground-based sites (urban center and suburban) and on various mobile platforms. This contribution uses a comprehensive suite of VOC measurements collected by GC-MS/FID techniques at ground-based sites in both cities by a source-receptor methodology. First, emission ratios were estimated from the observations (uncertainty of ± 20%) and compared regarding regional characteristics and European vs. Californian control policies. Then, determined emission ratios were used to assess the accuracy of up

Re-evaluating the NO 2 hotspot over the South African Highveld

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra S.M. Lourens

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Globally, numerous pollution hotspots have been identified using satellite-based instruments. One of these hotspots is the prominent NO2hotspot over the South African Highveld. The tropospheric NO2column density of this area is comparable to that observed for central and northern Europe, eastern North America and south-east Asia. The most well-known pollution source in this area is a large array of coal-fired power stations. Upon closer inspection, long-term means of satellite observations also show a smaller area, approximately 100 km west of the Highveld hotspot, with a seemingly less substantial NO2column density. This area correlates with the geographical location of the Johannesburg–Pretoria conurbation or megacity, one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world. Ground-based measurements indicate that NO2concentrations in the megacity have diurnal peaks in the early morning and late afternoon, which coincide with peak traffic hours and domestic combustion. During these times, NO2concentrations in the megacity are higher than those in the Highveld hotspot. These diurnal NO2 peaks in the megacity have generally been overlooked by satellite observations because the satellites have fixed local overpass times that do not coincide with these peak periods. Consequently, the importance of NO2 over the megacity has been underestimated. We examined the diurnal cycles of NO2 ground-based measurements for the two areas – the megacity and the Highveld hotspot – and compared them with the satellite-based NO2 observations. Results show that the Highveld hotspot is accompanied by a second hotspot over the megacity, which is of significance for the more than 10 million people living in this megacity.

Recent trends in nitrogen flows with urbanization in the Shanghai megacity and the effects on the water environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chen; Wang, Qinxue; Zou, Chunjing; Hayashi, Yoshitsugu; Yasunari, Tetsuzo

2015-03-01

The objectives of this study are to diagnose and prevent environmental problems that threaten urban sustainability, the impact of changes in lifestyle (diet, domestic sanitation, and motorization), and production style (agriculture, industry, and services) with the rapid urbanization on regional nitrogen (N) flows, and the water environment was quantitatively evaluated. The megacity Shanghai was chosen as a case study to investigate the temporal changes in nitrogen flow during 1980-2008 by a multidisciplinary approach (a field survey, a regional nitrogen mass balance model, input-output analysis, etc.). Although the total potential nitrogen load in Shanghai has decreased in the 2000s and water pollution problems seem to have improved, the problem has shifted and expanded to affect a wider area through the food/product chain and water/air movement. Further effective solutions that aim at material cycles are necessary and have to be implemented on a large scale.

Production of meat of rabbit, an alternative for the cooperative sector palmero to inclination of a project of municipal initiative of local development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raúl Rosales Guzmán

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The present article contains an analysis on the possibilities offered by the cooperative sector in La Palma, which is supported by the local development initiative of breeding rabbits. This activity can be easily carried out with minimal cost and effort, and is supported by a tradition in the local population, mainly in the private sector. The proposal will allow the production of rabbit meat in order to ease the difficult situation regarding meat supply; constitute the fundamental problem of how to incorporate research conducted the cooperative sector in La Palma to development projects municipal initiative? The Group of Local Development in La Palma has a project portfolio in which many important enterprises take part, with lack of initiation on the cooperative sector, which is basic for La Palma’s and Cuba’s economy. This proposal is also sustained by the fact that all cooperatives in that territory have a great deal of resources of all kinds (human, natural, etc which will allow for a sustainable development and the improvement of life quality standards for associates and inhabitants in general.  The aim of the research conducted to analyze the possibilities of the cooperative sector in the municipality of La Palma, incorporating the process of local development initiative, through a project on breeding rabbit and improve the supply of meat in the town

Megacity impacts on regional ozone formation: observations and WRF-Chem modeling for the MIRAGE-Shanghai field campaign

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. Tie

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The MIRAGE-Shanghai experiment was designed to characterize the factors controlling regional air pollution near a Chinese megacity (Shanghai and was conducted during September 2009. This paper provides information on the measurements conducted for this study. In order to have some deep analysis of the measurements, a regional chemical/dynamical model (version 3 of Weather Research and Forecasting Chemical model – WRF-Chemv3 is applied for this study. The model results are intensively compared with the measurements to evaluate the model capability for calculating air pollutants in the Shanghai region, especially the chemical species related to ozone formation. The results show that the model is able to calculate the general distributions (the level and the variability of air pollutants in the Shanghai region, and the differences between the model calculation and the measurement are mostly smaller than 30%, except the calculations of HONO (nitrous acid at PD (Pudong and CO (carbon monoxide at DT (Dongtan. The main scientific focus is the study of ozone chemical formation not only in the urban area, but also on a regional scale of the surrounding area of Shanghai. The results show that during the experiment period, the ozone photochemical formation was strongly under the VOC (volatile organic compound-limited condition in the urban area of Shanghai. Moreover, the VOC-limited condition occurred not only in the city, but also in the larger regional area. There was a continuous enhancement of ozone concentrations in the downwind of the megacity of Shanghai, resulting in a significant enhancement of ozone concentrations in a very large regional area in the surrounding region of Shanghai. The sensitivity study of the model suggests that there is a threshold value for switching from VOC-limited condition to NOx (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide-limited condition. The threshold value is strongly dependent on the emission ratio of NOx / VOCs. When the

Aerosol particle measurements at three stationary sites in the megacity of Paris during summer 2009: meteorology and air mass origin dominate aerosol particle composition and size distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Freutel

2013-01-01

Full Text Available During July 2009, a one-month measurement campaign was performed in the megacity of Paris. Amongst other measurement platforms, three stationary sites distributed over an area of 40 km in diameter in the greater Paris region enabled a detailed characterization of the aerosol particle and gas phase. Simulation results from the FLEXPART dispersion model were used to distinguish between different types of air masses sampled. It was found that the origin of air masses had a large influence on measured mass concentrations of the secondary species particulate sulphate, nitrate, ammonium, and oxygenated organic aerosol measured with the Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer in the submicron particle size range: particularly high concentrations of these species (about 4 μg m⁻³, 2 μg m⁻³, 2 μg m⁻³, and 7 μg m⁻³, respectively were measured when aged material was advected from continental Europe, while for air masses originating from the Atlantic, much lower mass concentrations of these species were observed (about 1 μg m⁻³, 0.2 μg m⁻³, 0.4 μg m⁻³, and 1–3 μg m⁻³, respectively. For the primary emission tracers hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol, black carbon, and NO_x it was found that apart from diurnal source strength variations and proximity to emission sources, local meteorology had the largest influence on measured concentrations, with higher wind speeds leading to larger dilution and therefore smaller measured concentrations. Also the shape of particle size distributions was affected by wind speed and air mass origin. Quasi-Lagrangian measurements performed under connected flow conditions between the three stationary sites were used to estimate the influence of the Paris emission plume onto its surroundings, which was found to be rather small. Rough estimates for the impact of the Paris emission plume on the suburban areas can be

Clinical outcomes of radiotherapy as initial local therapy for Graves’ ophthalmopathy and predictors of the need for post-radiotherapy decompressive surgery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prabhu, Roshan S; Liebman, Lang; Wojno, Ted; Hayek, Brent; Hall, William A; Crocker, Ian

2012-01-01

The optimal initial local treatment for patients with Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO) is not fully characterized. The purpose of this retrospective study is to describe the clinical outcomes of RT as initial local therapy for GO and define predictors of the need for post-RT salvage bony decompressive surgery. 91 patients with active GO and without prior surgery were treated with RT as initial local therapy between 01/1999 and 12/2010, with a median follow-up period of 18.3 months (range 3.7 - 142 months). RT dose was 24 Gy in 12 fractions. 44 patients (48.4%) had prior use of steroids, with 31 (34.1%) being on steroids at the initiation of RT. The most common presenting symptoms were diplopia (79%), proptosis (71%) and soft tissue signs (62%). 84 patients (92.3%) experienced stabilization or improvement of GO symptoms. 58 patients (64%) experienced improvement in their symptoms. 19 patients (20.9%) underwent salvage post-RT bony decompressive surgery. Smoking status and total symptom score at 4 months were independent predictors of post-RT bony decompression with odds ratios of 3.23 (95% CI 1.03 – 10.2) and 1.59 (95% CI 1.06 – 2.4), respectively. Persistent objective vision loss at 4 months post-RT was the most important symptom type in predicting salvage decompression. Chronic dry eye occurred in 9 patients (9.9%) and cataracts developed in 4 patients (4.4%). RT is effective and well tolerated as initial local therapy for active GO, with only 21% of patients requiring decompressive surgery post RT. Most patients experience stabilization or improvement of GO symptoms, but moderate to significant response occurs in the minority of patients. Smoking status and total symptom severity at 4 months, primarily persistent objective vision loss, are the primary determinants of the need for post-RT salvage bony decompression. Patients who smoke or present with predominantly vision loss symptoms should be advised as to their lower likelihood of symptomatic response to RT

Remote sensing of GHG over Paris megacity and Orléans forest using ground-based QualAir FTS and TCCON-Orléans

Science.gov (United States)

Te, Y.; Jeseck, P.; Da Costa, J.; Deutscher, N. M.; Warneke, T.; Notholt, J.

2012-04-01

In a growing world with more than 7 billion inhabitants and big emerging countries such as China, Brazil and India, emissions of anthropogenic pollutants are increasing continuously. Monitoring and control of atmospheric pollutants in megacities have become a major challenge for scientists and public health authorities in environmental research area. The QualAir platform at University Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), is an innovating experimental research platform dedicated to survey greenhouse gases (GHGs) and urban air quality. As one of the major instruments of the QualAir platform, the ground-based Fourier transform spectrometer (QualAir FTS, IFS 125HR model) analyses the composition of the urban atmosphere of Paris, which is the third European megacity. The continuous monitoring of atmospheric pollutants is essential to improve the understanding of urban air pollution processes. Associated with a sun-tracker, the QualAir remote sensing FTS operates in solar infrared absorption and enables to monitor many trace gases, and to follow up their variability in the Ile-de-France region. A description of the QualAir FTS will be given. Concentrations of atmospheric GHG, especially CO2 and CH4, are retrieved by the radiative transfer model PROFFIT. Located in the centre of Paris, the QualAir FTS can provide new and complementary urban measurements as compared to unpolluted ground-based stations of existing networks (NDACC and TCCON). The work made by LPMAA to join the TCCON network will also be presented. TCCON-Orléans is a ground-based FTS of the TCCON network located in the forest of Orléans (100 km south of Paris). Preliminary comparisons of GHGs measurements from both sites will be shown. Such ground-based information will help to better characterize regional GHGs, especially regarding anthropogenic emissions and trends.

Simulation of surface crack initiation induced by slip localization and point defects kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sauzay, Maxime; Liu, Jia; Rachdi, Fatima

2014-01-01

Crack initiation along surface persistent slip bands (PSBs) has been widely observed and modelled. Nevertheless, from our knowledge, no physically-based fracture modelling has been proposed and validated with respect to the numerous recent experimental data showing the strong relationship between extrusion and microcrack initiation. The whole FE modelling accounts for: - localized plastic slip in PSBs; - production and annihilation of vacancies induced by cyclic slip. If temperature is high enough, point defects may diffuse in the surrounding matrix due to large concentration gradients, allowing continuous extrusion growth in agreement with Polak's model. At each cycle, the additional atoms diffusing from the matrix are taken into account by imposing an incremental free dilatation; - brittle fracture at the interfaces between PSBs and their surrounding matrix which is simulated using cohesive zone modelling. Any inverse fitting of parameter is avoided. Only experimental single crystal data are used such as hysteresis loops and resistivity values. Two fracture parameters are required: the {111} surface energy which depends on environment and the cleavage stress which is predicted by the universal binding energy relationship. The predicted extrusion growth curves agree rather well with the experimental data published for copper and the 316L steel. A linear dependence with respect to PSB length, thickness and slip plane angle is predicted in agreement with recent AFM measurement results. Crack initiation simulations predict fairly well the effects of PSB length and environment for copper single and poly-crystals. (authors)

Improvement of Early Antenatal Care Initiation: The Effects of Training Local Health Volunteers in the Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Liabsuetrakul, Tippawan; Oumudee, Nurlisa; Armeeroh, Masuenah; Nima, Niamina; Duerahing, Nurosanah

2018-01-01

Although antenatal care (ANC) coverage has been increasing in low- and middle-income countries, the adherence to the ANC initiation standards at gestational age ANC initiation by training the existing local health volunteers (LHVs) in 3 southernmost provinces of Thailand. A clustered nonrandomized intervention study was conducted from November 2012 to February 2014. One district of each province was selected to be the study intervention districts for that province. A total of 124 LHVs in the intervention districts participated in the knowledge-counseling intervention. It was organized as half-day workshop using 2 training modules each comprising a 30-minute lecture followed by counseling practice in pairs for 1 hour. Outcome was the rate of early ANC initiation among women giving birth, and its association with intervention, meeting an LHV, and months after training was analyzed. Of 6677 women, 3178 and 3499 women were in the control and intervention groups, respectively. Rates of early ANC were significantly improved after the intervention (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-1.43, P ANC. Training LHVs in communities by knowledge-counseling intervention significantly improved early ANC initiation, but the magnitude of change was still limited.

Investigation of Future Thermal Comforts in a Tropical Megacity Using Coupling of Energy Balance Model and Large Eddy Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Sueishi, T.; Yucel, M.; Ashie, Y.; Varquez, A. C. G.; Inagaki, A.; Darmanto, N. S.; Nakayoshi, M.; Kanda, M.

2017-12-01

Recently, temperature in urban areas continue to rise as an effect of climate change and urbanization. Specifically, Asian megacities are projected to expand rapidly resulting to serious in the future atmospheric environment. Thus, detailed analysis of urban meteorology for Asian megacities is needed to prescribe optimum against these negative climate modifications. A building-resolving large eddy simulation (LES) coupled with an energy balance model is conducted for a highly urbanized district in central Jakarta on typical daytime hours. Five cases were considered; case 1 utilizes present urban scenario and four cases representing different urban configurations in 2050. The future configurations were based on representative concentration pathways (RCP) and shared socio-economic pathways (SSP). Building height maps and land use maps of simulation domains are shown in the attached figure (top). Case 1 3 focuses on the difference of future scenarios. Case 1 represents current climatic and urban conditions, case 2 and 3 was an idealized future represented by RCP2.6/SSP1 and RCP8.5/SSP3, respectively. More complex urban morphology was applied in case 4, vegetation and building area were changed in case 5. Meteorological inputs and anthropogenic heat emission (AHE) were calculated using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model (Varquez et al [2017]). Sensible and latent heat flux from surfaces were calculated using an energy balance model (Ashie et al [2011]), with considers multi-reflection, evapotranspiration and evaporation. The results of energy balance model (shown in the middle line of figure), in addition to WRF outputs, were used as input into the PArallelized LES Model (PALM) (Raasch et al [2001]). From standard new effective temperature (SET*) which included the effects of temperature, wind speed, humidity and radiation, thermal comfort in urban area was evaluated. SET* contours at 1 m height are shown in the bottom line of the figure. Extreme climate

Synthetic and non-synthetic anthropogenic fibers in a river under the impact of Paris Megacity: Sampling methodological aspects and flux estimations.

Science.gov (United States)

Dris, Rachid; Gasperi, Johnny; Rocher, Vincent; Tassin, Bruno

2018-03-15

Processed fibers are highly present in our daily life and can be either natural, artificial (regenerated cellulose) and synthetic (made with petrochemicals). Their widespread use lead inevitably to a high contamination of environment. Previous studies focus on plastic particles regardless of their type or shape as long as they are comprised between 330μm and 5mm. On the contrary, this study focuses exclusively on fibers using a smaller mesh size net (80μm) to sample freshwater. Moreover, all processed organic fibers are considered, irrespective to their nature. First, the short term temporal variability of the fibers in the environment was assessed. While exposing the sampling net during 1min a coefficient of variation of approx. 45% (with n=6) was determined. It was of only 26% (n=6) when the exposure was of 3min. The assessment of the distribution through the section showed a possible difference in concentrations between the middle of the water surface and the river banks which could be attributed to the intense river traffic within the Paris Megacity. The vertical variability seems negligible as turbulence and current conditions homogenize the distribution of the fibers. A monthly monitoring showed concentrations of 100.6±99.9fibers·m -3 in the Marne River and of: 48.5±98.5, 27.9±26.3, 27.9±40.3 and 22.1±25.3fibers·m -3 from the upstream to downstream points in the Seine River. Once these concentrations are converted into fluxes, it seems that the impact generated by the Paris Megacity cannot be distinguished. Investigations on the role of sedimentation and deposition on the banks are required. This study helped fill some major knowledge gaps regarding the fibers in rivers, their sampling, occurrence, spatial-temporal distribution and fluxes. It is encouraged that future studies include both synthetic and none synthetic fibers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparing Urban and Rural Household CO2 Emissions—Case from China’s Four Megacities: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rui Huang

2018-05-01

Full Text Available CO2 emissions caused by household consumption have become one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Studying household CO2 emissions (HCEs is of great significance to energy conservation and emissions reduction. In this study, we quantitatively analyzed the direct and indirect CO2 emissions by urban and rural households in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing. The results show that urban total HCEs are larger than rural total HCEs for the four megacities. Urban total per capita household CO2 emissions (PHCEs are larger than rural total PHCEs in Beijing, Tianjin, and Chongqing, while rural total PHCEs in Shanghai are larger than urban total PHCEs. Electricity and hot water production and supply was the largest contributor of indirect HCEs for both rural and urban households. Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing outsourced a large amount of indirect CO2 emissions to their neighboring provinces.

Remotely Measuring Trash Fluxes in the Flood Canals of Megacities with Time Lapse Cameras and Computer Vision Algorithms - a Case Study from Jakarta, Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sedlar, F.; Turpin, E.; Kerkez, B.

2014-12-01

As megacities around the world continue to develop at breakneck speeds, future development, investment, and social wellbeing are threatened by a number of environmental and social factors. Chief among these is frequent, persistent, and unpredictable urban flooding. Jakarta, Indonesia with a population of 28 million, is a prime example of a city plagued by such flooding. Yet although Jakarta has ample hydraulic infrastructure already in place with more being constructed, the increasingly severity of the flooding it experiences is not from a lack of hydraulic infrastructure but rather a failure of existing infrastructure. As was demonstrated during the most recent floods in Jakarta, the infrastructure failure is often the result of excessive amounts of trash in the flood canals. This trash clogs pumps and reduces the overall system capacity. Despite this critical weakness of flood control in Jakarta, no data exists on the overall amount of trash in the flood canals, much less on how it varies temporally and spatially. The recent availability of low cost photography provides a means to obtain such data. Time lapse photography postprocessed with computer vision algorithms yields a low cost, remote, and automatic solution to measuring the trash fluxes. When combined with the measurement of key hydrological parameters, a thorough understanding of the relationship between trash fluxes and the hydrology of massive urban areas becomes possible. This work examines algorithm development, quantifying trash parameters, and hydrological measurements followed by data assimilation into existing hydraulic and hydrological models of Jakarta. The insights afforded from such an approach allows for more efficient operating of hydraulic infrastructure, knowledge of when and where critical levels of trash originate from, and the opportunity for community outreach - which is ultimately needed to reduce the trash in the flood canals of Jakarta and megacities around the world.

Model calculated global, regional and megacity premature mortality due to air pollution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Lelieveld

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Air pollution by fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and ozone (O3 has increased strongly with industrialization and urbanization. We estimate the premature mortality rates and the years of human life lost (YLL caused by anthropogenic PM2.5 and O3 in 2005 for epidemiological regions defined by the World Health Organization (WHO. This is based upon high-resolution global model calculations that resolve urban and industrial regions in greater detail compared to previous work. Results indicate that 69% of the global population is exposed to an annual mean anthropogenic PM2.5 concentration of >10 μg m−3 (WHO guideline and 33% to > 25 μg m−3 (EU directive. We applied an epidemiological health impact function and find that especially in large countries with extensive suburban and rural populations, air pollution-induced mortality rates have been underestimated given that previous studies largely focused on the urban environment. We calculate a global respiratory mortality of about 773 thousand/year (YLL ≈ 5.2 million/year, 186 thousand/year by lung cancer (YLL ≈ 1.7 million/year and 2.0 million/year by cardiovascular disease (YLL ≈ 14.3 million/year. The global mean per capita mortality caused by air pollution is about 0.1% yr−1. The highest premature mortality rates are found in the Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions (about 25% and 46% of the global rate, respectively where more than a dozen of the most highly polluted megacities are located.

Initiative for local district heating. New chances for municipal utilities. Boundary conditions for the heat market; Initiative Nahwaerme. Neue Chancen fuer Stadtwerke. Rahmenbedingungen fuer den Waermemarkt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koenig, Michael [K.Group GmbH, Muenchen (Germany). Bereich Nachhaltige Energieversorgung und Stadtentwicklung

2009-06-15

In the regulated market, municipal utilities are forced to find new fields of activity. The heat market offers good chances. For example, local district heating grids can be established, independent power generation can be encouraged, and new services can be offered which may increase customer loyalty. The district heating initiative of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Minister of the Environment was launched early in 2009 with the intention to offer valuable assistance to the municipal utilities. (orig.)

Shifting the urban heat island clock in a megacity: a case study of Hong Kong

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xuan; Jeong, Su-Jong

2018-01-01

With increasing levels of urbanization in the near future, understanding the impact of urbanization on urban heat islands (UHIs) is critical to adapting to regional climate and environmental changes. However, our understanding of the UHI effect relies mainly on its intensity or magnitude. The present study evaluates the impact of urbanization on UHI duration changes by comparing three stations with different rates of urbanization, including highly developed and developing urban areas throughout Hong Kong, from 1990-2015. Results show that the 26 year average UHI intensity in highly urbanized regions is much higher than that in developing areas, and the 26 year average of UHI duration is similar. Over the past 25 years, however, UHI duration has increased only in developing urban areas, from 13.59-17.47 hours. Both earlier UHI starting and later UHI ending times concurrently contribute to the UHI effect being experienced for a longer duration. The differences in UHI duration change between the two areas are supported by population and by night light changes from space. Increasing night light, which suggests enhancements in the economic infrastructure, occurred only in the developing urban areas. Our results suggest that changes in UHI duration should be included in an assessment of regional climate change as well as in urban planning in a megacity.

Can butterflies cope with city life? Butterfly diversity in a young megacity in southern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Sing, Kong-Wah; Dong, Hui; Wang, Wen-Zhi; Wilson, John-James

2016-09-01

During 30 years of unprecedented urbanization, plant diversity in Shenzhen, a young megacity in southern China, has increased dramatically. Although strongly associated with plant diversity, butterfly diversity generally declines with urbanization, but this has not been investigated in Shenzhen. Considering the speed of urbanization in Shenzhen and the large number of city parks, we investigated butterfly diversity in Shenzhen parks. We measured butterfly species richness in four microhabitats (groves, hedges, flowerbeds, and unmanaged areas) across 10 parks and examined the relationship with three park variables: park age, park size, and distance from the central business district. Butterflies were identified based on wing morphology and DNA barcoding. We collected 1933 butterflies belonging to 74 species from six families; 20% of the species were considered rare. Butterfly species richness showed weak negative correlations with park age and distance from the central business district, but the positive correlation with park size was statistically significant (p = 0.001). Among microhabitat types, highest species richness was recorded in unmanaged areas. Our findings are consistent with others in suggesting that to promote urban butterfly diversity it is necessary to make parks as large as possible and to set aside areas for limited management. In comparison to neighbouring cities, Shenzhen parks have high butterfly diversity.

Recurrently connected and localized neuronal communities initiate coordinated spontaneous activity in neuronal networks

Science.gov (United States)

Amin, Hayder; Maccione, Alessandro; Nieus, Thierry

2017-01-01

Developing neuronal systems intrinsically generate coordinated spontaneous activity that propagates by involving a large number of synchronously firing neurons. In vivo, waves of spikes transiently characterize the activity of developing brain circuits and are fundamental for activity-dependent circuit formation. In vitro, coordinated spontaneous spiking activity, or network bursts (NBs), interleaved within periods of asynchronous spikes emerge during the development of 2D and 3D neuronal cultures. Several studies have investigated this type of activity and its dynamics, but how a neuronal system generates these coordinated events remains unclear. Here, we investigate at a cellular level the generation of network bursts in spontaneously active neuronal cultures by exploiting high-resolution multielectrode array recordings and computational network modelling. Our analysis reveals that NBs are generated in specialized regions of the network (functional neuronal communities) that feature neuronal links with high cross-correlation peak values, sub-millisecond lags and that share very similar structural connectivity motifs providing recurrent interactions. We show that the particular properties of these local structures enable locally amplifying spontaneous asynchronous spikes and that this mechanism can lead to the initiation of NBs. Through the analysis of simulated and experimental data, we also show that AMPA currents drive the coordinated activity, while NMDA and GABA currents are only involved in shaping the dynamics of NBs. Overall, our results suggest that the presence of functional neuronal communities with recurrent local connections allows a neuronal system to generate spontaneous coordinated spiking activity events. As suggested by the rules used for implementing our computational model, such functional communities might naturally emerge during network development by following simple constraints on distance-based connectivity. PMID:28749937

Recurrently connected and localized neuronal communities initiate coordinated spontaneous activity in neuronal networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davide Lonardoni

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Developing neuronal systems intrinsically generate coordinated spontaneous activity that propagates by involving a large number of synchronously firing neurons. In vivo, waves of spikes transiently characterize the activity of developing brain circuits and are fundamental for activity-dependent circuit formation. In vitro, coordinated spontaneous spiking activity, or network bursts (NBs, interleaved within periods of asynchronous spikes emerge during the development of 2D and 3D neuronal cultures. Several studies have investigated this type of activity and its dynamics, but how a neuronal system generates these coordinated events remains unclear. Here, we investigate at a cellular level the generation of network bursts in spontaneously active neuronal cultures by exploiting high-resolution multielectrode array recordings and computational network modelling. Our analysis reveals that NBs are generated in specialized regions of the network (functional neuronal communities that feature neuronal links with high cross-correlation peak values, sub-millisecond lags and that share very similar structural connectivity motifs providing recurrent interactions. We show that the particular properties of these local structures enable locally amplifying spontaneous asynchronous spikes and that this mechanism can lead to the initiation of NBs. Through the analysis of simulated and experimental data, we also show that AMPA currents drive the coordinated activity, while NMDA and GABA currents are only involved in shaping the dynamics of NBs. Overall, our results suggest that the presence of functional neuronal communities with recurrent local connections allows a neuronal system to generate spontaneous coordinated spiking activity events. As suggested by the rules used for implementing our computational model, such functional communities might naturally emerge during network development by following simple constraints on distance-based connectivity.

Ownership dynamics in local multi-stakeholder initiatives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K. Biekart (Kees); A.F. Fowler (Alan)

2018-01-01

textabstractThe nature and dynamics of ownership are often neglected features of multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs). Seventeen cases in four countries illustrate characteristics of narrow government or broad societal ownership and forces for change over time. Refinements to the application of

Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar Aerosol Measurements during MILAGRO and TEXAQS/GOMACCS

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrare, Richard; Hostetler, Chris; Hair, John; Cook Anthony; Harper, David; Burton, Sharon; Clayton, Marian; Clarke, Antony; Russell, Phil; Redemann, Jens

2007-01-01

Two1 field experiments conducted during 2006 provided opportunities to investigate the variability of aerosol properties near cities and the impacts of these aerosols on air quality and radiative transfer. The Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) /Megacity Aerosol Experiment in Mexico City (MAX-MEX)/Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-B (INTEX-B) joint experiment conducted during March 2006 investigated the evolution and transport of pollution from Mexico City. The Texas Air Quality Study (TEXAQS)/Gulf of Mexico Atmospheric Composition and Climate Study (GoMACCS) (http://www.al.noaa.gov/2006/) conducted during August and September 2006 investigated climate and air quality in the Houston/Gulf of Mexico region. During both missions, the new NASA Langley airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) was deployed on the NASA Langley B200 King Air aircraft and measured profiles of aerosol extinction, backscattering, and depolarization to: 1) characterize the spatial and vertical distributions of aerosols, 2) quantify aerosol extinction and optical thickness contributed by various aerosol types, 3) investigate aerosol variability near clouds, 4) evaluate model simulations of aerosol transport, and 5) assess aerosol optical properties derived from a combination of surface, airborne, and satellite measurements.

Automated Recognition of Vegetation and Water Bodies on the Territory of Megacities in Satellite Images of Visible and IR Bands

Science.gov (United States)

Mozgovoy, Dmitry k.; Hnatushenko, Volodymyr V.; Vasyliev, Volodymyr V.

2018-04-01

Vegetation and water bodies are a fundamental element of urban ecosystems, and water mapping is critical for urban and landscape planning and management. A methodology of automated recognition of vegetation and water bodies on the territory of megacities in satellite images of sub-meter spatial resolution of the visible and IR bands is proposed. By processing multispectral images from the satellite SuperView-1A, vector layers of recognized plant and water objects were obtained. Analysis of the results of image processing showed a sufficiently high accuracy of the delineation of the boundaries of recognized objects and a good separation of classes. The developed methodology provides a significant increase of the efficiency and reliability of updating maps of large cities while reducing financial costs. Due to the high degree of automation, the proposed methodology can be implemented in the form of a geo-information web service functioning in the interests of a wide range of public services and commercial institutions.

RECONSTRUCTING THE INITIAL DENSITY FIELD OF THE LOCAL UNIVERSE: METHODS AND TESTS WITH MOCK CATALOGS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Huiyuan; Mo, H. J.; Yang Xiaohu; Van den Bosch, Frank C.

2013-01-01

Our research objective in this paper is to reconstruct an initial linear density field, which follows the multivariate Gaussian distribution with variances given by the linear power spectrum of the current cold dark matter model and evolves through gravitational instabilities to the present-day density field in the local universe. For this purpose, we develop a Hamiltonian Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to obtain the linear density field from a posterior probability function that consists of two components: a prior of a Gaussian density field with a given linear spectrum and a likelihood term that is given by the current density field. The present-day density field can be reconstructed from galaxy groups using the method developed in Wang et al. Using a realistic mock Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7, obtained by populating dark matter halos in the Millennium simulation (MS) with galaxies, we show that our method can effectively and accurately recover both the amplitudes and phases of the initial, linear density field. To examine the accuracy of our method, we use N-body simulations to evolve these reconstructed initial conditions to the present day. The resimulated density field thus obtained accurately matches the original density field of the MS in the density range 0.3∼ –1 , much smaller than the translinear scale, which corresponds to a wavenumber of ∼0.15 h Mpc –1

[Initial subretinal localization of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML5) recurrence].

Science.gov (United States)

Le Gall, S; François, S; Urier, N; Genevieve, F; d'Hermies, F; Rachieru, P; Ifrah, N

2001-10-13

Reduced visual acuity in patients with acute leucemia can result from many causes including an ocular localization. A patient previously treated for acute myeloblastic leucemia-5 (AML5) developed bilateral vision impairment related to a subretinal localization of the leucemia. Meningeal and bone marrow relapse followed. The subretinal localization responded only to massive systemic steroid treatment. Although asymptomatic, ocular localizations are frequent in leucemia. Their prognostic impact depends on the ocular structure involved and on the chronology of onset--early or late in the leucemia course. The underlying pathophysiological mechanism of ocular involvement remains unexplained but hyperleucocytosis at presentation may be a risk factor and would justify at least systematic specialized examinations and discussion of prophylactic treatment.

The N-terminal region of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A signals to nuclear localization of the protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parreiras-e-Silva, Lucas T.; Gomes, Marcelo D.; Oliveira, Eduardo B.; Costa-Neto, Claudio M.

2007-01-01

The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A) is a ubiquitous protein of eukaryotic and archaeal organisms which undergoes hypusination, a unique post-translational modification. We have generated a polyclonal antibody against murine eIF5A, which in immunocytochemical assays in B16-F10 cells revealed that the endogenous protein is preferentially localized to the nuclear region. We therefore analyzed possible structural features present in eIF5A proteins that could be responsible for that characteristic. Multiple sequence alignment analysis of eIF5A proteins from different eukaryotic and archaeal organisms showed that the former sequences have an extended N-terminal segment. We have then performed in silico prediction analyses and constructed different truncated forms of murine eIF5A to verify any possible role that the N-terminal extension might have in determining the subcellular localization of the eIF5A in eukaryotic organisms. Our results indicate that the N-terminal extension of the eukaryotic eIF5A contributes in signaling this protein to nuclear localization, despite of bearing no structural similarity with classical nuclear localization signals

Long-Term Outcome and Toxicity of Salvage Brachytherapy for Local Failure After Initial Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burri, Ryan J.; Stone, Nelson N.; Unger, Pam; Stock, Richard G.

2010-01-01

Purpose: To describe long-term outcomes and toxicity after salvage brachytherapy (BT) for local failure after initial radiotherapy for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: Between 1994 and 2008, 37 men with local failure after initial prostate radiotherapy (32 external-beam radiation therapy [EBRT] and 5 BT) underwent salvage BT with 103 Pd or 125 I. Estimates of freedom from biochemical failure (FFbF, Phoenix definition) and cause-specific survival (CSS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Toxicities were graded using CTCv3.0. Results: Median follow-up was 86 months (range, 2-156). The median dose to 90% of the prostate volume was 122 Gy (range, 67-166). The 10-year FFbF and CSS were 54% and 96%, respectively. On univariate analysis, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) >10 ng/mL at initial diagnosis was significantly associated with FFbF (p = 0.01), and there were trends for both age <70 years (p = 0.08) and PSA <6 ng/mL (p = 0.08) at the time of salvage BT. On multivariate analysis, only presalvage PSA <6 ng/mL (p = 0.046) was significantly associated with improved FFbF. There were three Grade 3 toxicities and one Grade 4 toxicity. Pelvic lymph node dissection before salvage BT was the only variable significantly associated with Grade ≥2 toxicity (p = 0.03). Conclusion: With a median follow-up of 86 months, salvage prostate BT was associated with a 10-year FFbF of 54% and CSS of 96%. Improved FFbF was associated with a presalvage PSA <6 ng/mL. Toxicity was worse in patients who had undergone pelvic lymph node dissection before salvage BT. Careful patient selection for salvage BT may result in improved outcomes and reduced toxicity.

Factors affecting initial disability allowance rates for the Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs: the role of the demographic and diagnostic composition of applicants and local labor market conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Rupp, Kalman

2012-01-01

Various factors outside the control of decision makers may affect the rate at which disability applications are allowed or denied during the initial step of eligibility determination in the Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. In this article, using individual-level data on applications, I estimate the role of three important factors--the demographic characteristics of applicants, the diagnostic mix of applicants, and the local unemployment rate--in affecting the probability of an initial allowance and state allowance rates. I use a random sample of initial determinations from 1993 through 2008 and a fixed-effects multiple regression framework. The empirical results show that the demographic and diagnostic characteristics of applicants and the local unemployment rate substantially affect the initial allowance rate. An increase in the local unemployment rate tends to be associated with a decrease in the initial allowance rate. This negative relationship holds for adult DI and SSI applicants and for SSI childhood applicants.

Atmospheric ammonia and its impacts on regional air quality over the megacity of Shanghai, China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shanshan; Nan, Jialiang; Shi, Chanzhen; Fu, Qingyan; Gao, Song; Wang, Dongfang; Cui, Huxiong; Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso; Zhou, Bin

2015-01-01

Atmospheric ammonia (NH3) has great environmental implications due to its important role in ecosystem and global nitrogen cycle, as well as contribution to secondary particle formation. Here, we report long-term continuous measurements of NH3 at different locations (i.e. urban, industrial and rural) in Shanghai, China, which provide an unprecedented portrait of temporal and spatial characteristics of atmospheric NH3 in and around this megacity. In addition to point emission sources, air masses originated from or that have passed over ammonia rich areas, e.g. rural and industrial sites, increase the observed NH3 concentrations inside the urban area of Shanghai. Remarkable high-frequency NH3 variations were measured at the industrial site, indicating instantaneous nearby industrial emission peaks. Additionally, we observed strong positive exponential correlations between NH4+/(NH4++NH3) and sulfate-nitrate-ammonium (SNA) aerosols, PM2.5 mass concentrations, implying a considerable contribution of gas-to-particle conversion of ammonia to SNA aerosol formation. Lower temperature and higher humidity conditions were found to favor the conversion of gaseous ammonia to particle ammonium, particularly in autumn. Although NH3 is currently not included in China’s emission control policies of air pollution precursors, our results highlight the urgency and importance of monitoring gaseous ammonia and improving its emission inventory in and around Shanghai. PMID:26514559

Modeling Thermal Comfort and Optimizing Local Renewal Strategies—A Case Study of Dazhimen Neighborhood in Wuhan City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chong Peng

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Modeling thermal comfort provides quantitative evidence and parameters for effective and efficient urban planning, design, and building construction particularly in a dense and narrow inner city, which has become one of many concerns for sustainable urban development. This paper aims to develop geometric and mathematical models of wind and thermal comfort and use them to examine the impacts of six small-scale renewal strategies on the wind and thermal environment at pedestrian level in Dazhimen neighborhood, Wuhan, which is a typical case study of urban renewal project in a mega-city. The key parameters such as the solar radiation, natural convection, relative humidity, ambient crosswind have been incorporated into the mathematical models by using user-defined-function (UDF method. Detailed temperature and velocity distributions under different strategies have been compared for the optimization of local renewal strategies. It is concluded that five rules generated from the simulation results can provide guidance for building demolition and reconstruction in a neighborhood and there is no need of large-scale demolition. Particularly, combining the local demolition and city virescence can both improve the air ventilation and decrease the temperature level in the study area.

Morphometric study of the fibrosis and mast cell count in the circular colon musculature of chronic Chagas patients with and without megacolon Estudo morfométrico da fibrose e do número de mastócitos na muscular circular do cólon de chagásicos crônicos com e sem megacólon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone Wanderley Pinheiro

2003-07-01

Full Text Available A morphometric study of the circular colon musculature was performed, in which the mast cell count was determined and the connective fibrous tissue in this layer was measured. The objective was to gain better understanding of Chagas megacolon morphology and contribute towards the knowledge of fibrosis pathogenesis in Chagas megas. An evaluation was made of 15 distal sigmoid rings from Chagas patients with megacolon (MCC, 15 without megacolon (CSMC and 15 non-Chagas patients (NC. The rings were fixed in formol, embedded in paraffin, and 7mm thick sections were cut and stained using Azan-Heidenhain and Giemsa. The mast cell count and fibrosis were greater in the MCC group than in the CSMC and NC groups (p Com os objetivos de conhecer melhor a morfologia do megacólon chagásico e contribuir para o conhecimento da patogênese da fibrose dos megas, realizou-se estudo morfométrico na muscular circular do cólon, contando-se o número de mastócitos e medindo o conjuntivo fibroso nessa camada. Foram avaliados anéis do sigmóide distal de 15 chagásicos com megacólon (MCC, 15 sem megacólon (CSMC e 15 não chagásicos (NC. Os anéis foram fixados em formol, incluídos em parafina, cortados com 7mm de espessura e corados por Azan-Heidenhain e Giemsa. O número de mastócitos e a fibrose foram maiores no grupo com MCC em relação ao CSMC e NC (p < 0,05; teste de Kruskal-Wallis; não houve diferença significante entre os dois últimos grupos. Diante destes achados, é possível, que haja relação entre mastocitose e fibrose no megacólon chagásico, como já se demonstrou em outras doenças.

Local learning-networks on energy efficiency in industry - Successful initiative in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jochem, Eberhard; Gruber, Edelgard

2007-01-01

Profitable energy-efficiency potentials are often not exploited in industry since management tends not to focus on energy issues. Sharing experiences between companies reveals possibilities for reducing the transaction costs involved. For this purpose, regionally or locally-organised learning networks of companies have been established. Social mechanisms are used to motivate management to pay more attention to energy efficiency in Switzerland and Germany. The main elements of the activities include initial consultation for each company with an experienced engineer, agreement on a common target for energy-efficiency improvement, regular meetings with technical presentations and an exchange of experiences, yearly control of energy consumption and CO 2 emissions as well as scientific monitoring and evaluation of the process. The results of some evaluations show that substantial progress has been made in implementing organisational measures and investments in energy efficiency in the participating companies. The reasons for these achievements are discussed and conclusions drawn about the opportunities and limits of this instrument. Finally, a recommendation is made to implement this instrument on a broader level

Comparing the urbanization and global warming impacts on extreme rainfall characteristics in Southern China Pearl River Delta megacity based on dynamical downscaling

Science.gov (United States)

Fung, K. Y.; Tam, C. Y.; Wang, Z.

2017-12-01

It is well known that urban land use can significantly influence the local temperature, precipitation and meteorology through altering land-atmosphere exchange of momentum, moisture and heat in urban areas. In recent decades, there has been a substantial increase ( 5-10%) on the intensity of extreme rainfall over Southeast China; it is projected to increase further according to the latest IPCC reports. In this study, we assess how urbanization and global warming together might impact on heavy precipitation characteristics over the highly urbanized Pearl River Delta (PRD) megacity, located in southern China. This is done by dynamically downscaling GFDL-ESM2M simulations for the present and future (RCP8.5) climate scenarios, using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with a single-layer urban canopy model (UCM). Over the PRD area, the WRF model is integrated at a resolution of 2km x 2km. To focus on extreme events, episodes covering daily rainfall intensity above the 99th percentile in Southeast China in the GFDL-ESM2M daily precipitation datasets were first identified. These extreme episodes were then dynamically downscaled in two parallel experiments with the following model designs: one with anthropogenic heat flux (AH) = 0 Wm-2 and the other with peak AH = 300 Wm-2 in the AH diurnal cycle over the urban domain. Results show that, with AH in urban area, the urban 2m-temperature can rise by about 2oC. This in turn leads to an increase of the mean as well as the extreme rain rates by 10-15% in urban domain. The latter is comparable to the impact of global warming alone, according to downscaling experiments for the RCP8.5 scenario. Implications of our results on urban effects on extreme rainfall under a warming background climate will be discussed.

Retrospective Evaluation of the Short-Term Sustainability of the Locally Grown Produce Initiative of the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program in New York State.

Science.gov (United States)

Allsopp, Marie A K; Hosler, Akiko S

2018-03-27

The Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) is a New York State Department of Health program. The HPNAP improves nutritional quality of food available at food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters through contractual relationships to fund the purchase, delivery, storage, and service of nutritious food. To determine whether a one-time fiscal stimulus of the Locally Grown Produce Initiative to HPNAP contractors in 2012-2013 would result in a short-term sustainable increase in the proportion of dollars spent on New York State Grown (NYSG) produce. Quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design. We analyzed New York State Department of Health administrative data regarding expenditures on all produce and NYSG produce by HPNAP contractors. New York State. The proportion of dollars spent on NYSG produce during 2011-2012 (preintervention) and 2013-2014 (postintervention) was compared between HPNAP food bank contractors (recipients of stimulus money, n = 8) and non-food bank contractors (nonrecipients, n = 34) using nonparametric methods. The HPNAP Locally Grown Produce Initiative was associated with an increased proportion of NYSG produce spending by food bank contractors that received a fiscal stimulus 1 year later. Upstate food banks had the largest increase (median 31.6%) among all HPNAP contractors. The results of this study revealed that the Locally Grown Produce Initiative fiscal stimulus had a positive, year-long and statewide effect on the proportion of expenditure on NYSG produce by food banks. We hope that the initial success seen in New York State may encourage other states to adopt similar initiatives in future.

Local government units initiatives on coastal resource management in adjacent municipalities in Camarines Sur, Philippines

Science.gov (United States)

Faustino, A. Z.; Madela, H. L.

2018-03-01

This research was conducted to determine the local government units (LGUs) initiatives on coastal resource management (CRM) in adjacent municipalities in Camarines Sur, Philippines. The respondents of this study are 100 fisherfolk leaders in the municipalities of Calabanga, Tinambac and Siruma. Descriptive, comparative and evaluative methods of research were employed and a survey questionnaire was used as the primary tool in data gathering. On the test of difference, the computed F-value of 12.038 and p-value of .001 revealed a very high difference in the implementation of CRM initiatives in the adjacent municipalities. The respondents in this study live below the poverty threshold. The intrusion of commercial fishers and the use of active fishing gears inside the 15-km municipal waters significantly affect the marine habitat while fishpond conversion kills the natural cycle in the mangrove forests. However, the FOs membership in the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council empower them to engage in governance which can be a venue for them to recommend policies related to CRM. As a result of this study, a CRM monitoring and evaluation model was crafted to guide the LGUs in the review, revision and crafting of CRM programs.

Contribution of Fossil Fuels and Wood Combustion to Carcinogenic PAHs in the Ambient Atmosphere of a Tropical Megacity

Science.gov (United States)

Jyethi, D. S.; Khillare, P. S.; Sarkar, S.

2015-12-01

Weekly particulate matter sampling was carried out at a peri-urban site located in megacity Delhi, India for 1 year (2009-2010) and the annual mean PM10 level was found to be ˜9 times the World Health Organization limit. Seasonal variation of PAHs (range 37.2-74.0 ng m-3) was significant with winter values being 72% and 68% higher than summer and monsoon respectively. Principal component analysis coupled with multiple linear regression identified diesel, natural gas and lubricating oil combustion (49.5%), wood combustion (25.4%), gasoline (15.5%) and coal combustion (9.6%) sources for the observed PAHs. Heavy traffic on the national highway and arterial roads and domestic emissions from suburban households in the vicinity of the site appeared to have significantly affected its air quality. A substantial portion (˜55%) of the aerosol PAH load was comprised of carcinogenic species, which yielded a considerably high lifetime inhalation cancer risk estimate (8.7E-04). If considered as a conservative lower-bound estimate, this risk translates into ˜211 excess cancer cases for lifetime inhalation exposure to the observed PAH concentrations in Delhi.

Ownership dynamics in local multi-stakeholder initiatives

OpenAIRE

Biekart, Kees; Fowler, Alan

2018-01-01

textabstractThe nature and dynamics of ownership are often neglected features of multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs). Seventeen cases in four countries illustrate characteristics of narrow government or broad societal ownership and forces for change over time. Refinements to the application of Gaventa’s Power Cube are used to analyse such shifts from the perspective of invited and closed spaces for participation. Observations about ways in which stakeholder groups can create a more enabling ...

Tracking greenhouse gas emissions from a U.S. megacity by remote sensing from a mountaintop site

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Clare; Fu, Dejian; Pongetti, Thomas; Newman, Sally; Kort, Eric; Duren, Riley; Hsu, Ying-Kuang; Miller, Charles; Yung, Yuk; Sander, Stanley

2014-05-01

Cities, such as Los Angeles, are significant sources of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs). With the growth of populations in cities worldwide, GHG emissions will increase, and monitoring the temporal trends will provide crucial data for global climate models as well as assessments of the effectiveness of control policies. Currently, continuous GHG observations in the Los Angeles basin are limited to a few in situ measurements, which are shown to be sensitive to local emissions and do not represent the Los Angeles basin well. To quantify GHG emissions from the metropolitan area, which tend to have heterogeneous characteristics, it is important to perform measurements which provide both continuous temporal and spatial coverage of the domain. Here we present observations of the major greenhouse gases, CO2 and CH4, using a spectroscopic remote sensing technique from the California Laboratory for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (CLARS) at Mount Wilson, California (1.7 km elevation). A Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) deployed at the CLARS site points downward at 28 selected land surfaces in the LA basin to measure the slant column abundances of CO2, CH4, N2¬O, CO and O2 using reflected sunlight in the near-infrared and short-wave infrared regions. This remote sensing technique provides continuous temporal and spatial measurements in the Los Angeles basin to achieve the goal of quantifying emissions of GHGs and CO. It also serves as a test-bed for future geostationary satellite missions to measure GHGs from space such as NASA JPL's Geostationary Carbon Process Investigation (GCPI). The path-averaged dry-air mixing ratio, XCO2 and XCH4, observed by the CLARS FTS, showed significant diurnal variability that arises from emissions in the Los Angeles basin and atmospheric transport processes. High-precision data have been collected since August 2011. We analyze the seasonal trends of the ratio XCH4:XCO2 and estimate the seasonal and annual CH4 emission in the Los Angeles

Investigation on relationship between epicentral distance and growth curve of initial P-wave propagating in local heterogeneous media for earthquake early warning system

Science.gov (United States)

Okamoto, Kyosuke; Tsuno, Seiji

2015-10-01

In the earthquake early warning (EEW) system, the epicenter location and magnitude of earthquakes are estimated using the amplitude growth rate of initial P-waves. It has been empirically pointed out that the growth rate becomes smaller as epicentral distance becomes far regardless of the magnitude of earthquakes. So, the epicentral distance can be estimated from the growth rate using this empirical relationship. However, the growth rates calculated from different earthquakes at the same epicentral distance mark considerably different values from each other. Sometimes the growth rates of earthquakes having the same epicentral distance vary by 104 times. Qualitatively, it has been considered that the gap in the growth rates is due to differences in the local heterogeneities that the P-waves propagate through. In this study, we demonstrate theoretically how local heterogeneities in the subsurface disturb the relationship between the growth rate and the epicentral distance. Firstly, we calculate seismic scattered waves in a heterogeneous medium. First-ordered PP, PS, SP, and SS scatterings are considered. The correlation distance of the heterogeneities and fractional fluctuation of elastic parameters control the heterogeneous conditions for the calculation. From the synthesized waves, the growth rate of the initial P-wave is obtained. As a result, we find that a parameter (in this study, correlation distance) controlling heterogeneities plays a key role in the magnitude of the fluctuation of the growth rate. Then, we calculate the regional correlation distances in Japan that can account for the fluctuation of the growth rate of real earthquakes from 1997 to 2011 observed by K-NET and KiK-net. As a result, the spatial distribution of the correlation distance shows locality. So, it is revealed that the growth rates fluctuate according to the locality. When this local fluctuation is taken into account, the accuracy of the estimation of epicentral distances from initial P

Initiation of Meiotic Recombination in Mammals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajeev Kumar

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Meiotic recombination is initiated by the induction of programmed DNA double strand breaks (DSBs. DSB repair promotes homologous interactions and pairing and leads to the formation of crossovers (COs, which are required for the proper reductional segregation at the first meiotic division. In mammals, several hundred DSBs are generated at the beginning of meiotic prophase by the catalytic activity of SPO11. Currently it is not well understood how the frequency and timing of DSB formation and their localization are regulated. Several approaches in humans and mice have provided an extensive description of the localization of initiation events based on CO mapping, leading to the identification and characterization of preferred sites (hotspots of initiation. This review presents the current knowledge about the proteins known to be involved in this process, the sites where initiation takes place, and the factors that control hotspot localization.

How to Fund Homeland Security without Federal Dollars: State and Local Funding of Homeland Security Initiatives in Light of Decreased Support by the Federal Government

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Emler, Jay S

2008-01-01

.... This thesis, therefore, examined alternatives states and local units of government might use to fund homeland security initiatives, ranging from conventional alternatives such as, asset forfeiture...

Characteristics of atmospheric ammonia and its relationship with vehicle emissions in a megacity in China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ruyu; Ye, Xingnan; Liu, Yuxuan; Li, Haowen; Yang, Xin; Chen, Jianmin; Gao, Wei; Yin, Zi

2018-06-01

Atmospheric ammonia plays an important role in haze formation in East China. In this study, long-term measurements of NH3 concentrations were implemented at urban, suburban, and tunnel sites in Shanghai, the largest city in East China. The average monthly ammonia concentrations at the urban site varied from 3.7 ppb to 14.5 ppb and exhibited the highest levels in summer and lowest levels in winter, indicating that the biological emissions and agriculture in the surrounding areas are important contributors. The suburban NH3 levels were significantly higher in autumn compared to those at the urban site, indicating the important contribution of agricultural activities. Regardless of the season, the difference of NH3 concentrations between the tunnel and urban sites remained almost constant. On average, the tunnel NH3 level was three times higher than that of the nearby urban site, indicating strong vehicle NH3 emissions in the tunnel. The tunnel NH3 levels on weekdays were comparable to those on weekends, a result that was in agreement with the daily average traffic volume. It was estimated that the vehicle emissions contributed 12.6-24.6% of the atmospheric NH3 in the urban area and 3.8-7.5% for the whole area of Shanghai. Our results suggest that vehicle NH3 emissions should be considered, although agricultural emissions are still more important for mitigating severe haze pollution during wintertime in the megacities of China.

Radiation induced apoptosis and initial DNA damage are inversely related in locally advanced breast cancer patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinar, Beatriz; Henríquez-Hernández, Luis Alberto; Lara, Pedro C; Bordon, Elisa; Rodriguez-Gallego, Carlos; Lloret, Marta; Nuñez, Maria Isabel; De Almodovar, Mariano Ruiz

2010-01-01

DNA-damage assays, quantifying the initial number of DNA double-strand breaks induced by radiation, have been proposed as a predictive test for radiation-induced toxicity. Determination of radiation-induced apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes by flow cytometry analysis has also been proposed as an approach for predicting normal tissue responses following radiotherapy. The aim of the present study was to explore the association between initial DNA damage, estimated by the number of double-strand breaks induced by a given radiation dose, and the radio-induced apoptosis rates observed. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were taken from 26 consecutive patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma. Radiosensitivity of lymphocytes was quantified as the initial number of DNA double-strand breaks induced per Gy and per DNA unit (200 Mbp). Radio-induced apoptosis at 1, 2 and 8 Gy was measured by flow cytometry using annexin V/propidium iodide. Radiation-induced apoptosis increased in order to radiation dose and data fitted to a semi logarithmic mathematical model. A positive correlation was found among radio-induced apoptosis values at different radiation doses: 1, 2 and 8 Gy (p < 0.0001 in all cases). Mean DSB/Gy/DNA unit obtained was 1.70 ± 0.83 (range 0.63-4.08; median, 1.46). A statistically significant inverse correlation was found between initial damage to DNA and radio-induced apoptosis at 1 Gy (p = 0.034). A trend toward 2 Gy (p = 0.057) and 8 Gy (p = 0.067) was observed after 24 hours of incubation. An inverse association was observed for the first time between these variables, both considered as predictive factors to radiation toxicity

Size-resolved measurement of the mixing state of soot in the megacity Beijing, China: diurnal cycle, aging and parameterization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. F. Cheng

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Soot particles are the most efficient light absorbing aerosol species in the atmosphere, playing an important role as a driver of global warming. Their climate effects strongly depend on their mixing state, which significantly changes their light absorbing capability and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN activity. Therefore, knowledge about the mixing state of soot and its aging mechanism becomes an important topic in the atmospheric sciences.

The size-resolved (30–320 nm diameter mixing state of soot particles in polluted megacity air was measured at a suburban site (Yufa during the CAREBeijing 2006 campaign in Beijing, using a volatility tandem differential mobility analyzer (VTDMA. Particles in this size range with non-volatile residuals at 300 °C were considered to be soot particles. On average, the number fraction of internally mixed soot in total soot particles (F_in, decreased from 0.80 to 0.57 when initial D_p increased from 30 to 320 nm. Further analysis reveals that: (1 F_in was well correlated with the aerosol hygroscopic mixing state measured by a CCN counter. More externally mixed soot particles were observed when particles showed more heterogeneous features with regard to hygroscopicity. (2 F_in had pronounced diurnal cycles. For particles in the accumulation mode (D_p at 100–320 nm, largest F_in were observed at noon time, with "apparent" turnover rates (k_{ex → in} up to 7.8% h⁻¹. (3 F_in was subject to competing effects of both aging and emissions. While aging increases F_in by converting externally mixed soot particles into internally mixed ones, emissions tend to reduce F_in by emitting more fresh and externally mixed soot particles. Similar competing effects were also found with air mass age indicators. (4 Under the estimated emission

Report of Committee for JAEA Internationalization Initiative. Focusing on the activities of local teams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-10-01

The 'Committee for JAEA Internationalization Initiative' was established in 2010 with the view to discuss the policy and improvement plans for JAEA's achievement of an international center of excellence (ICOE), which include improving the environment to accept foreign researchers, etc. The existing issues to be solved in the effort for ICOE and recommendations for the solutions, which were discussed in the committee, and challenges in developing human resources with a global mindset were written in the report summarizing the activities conducted in the following two years. This report was compiled focusing on the efforts in respective sites made during a period of two years from 2013 to 2014 by the local teams that were set up in accordance with the situation of the R and D centers hosting a number of foreign researchers, etc. based on the above-mentioned recommendations. (author)

Reconstructing the Initial Density Field of the Local Universe: Methods and Tests with Mock Catalogs

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huiyuan; Mo, H. J.; Yang, Xiaohu; van den Bosch, Frank C.

2013-07-01

Our research objective in this paper is to reconstruct an initial linear density field, which follows the multivariate Gaussian distribution with variances given by the linear power spectrum of the current cold dark matter model and evolves through gravitational instabilities to the present-day density field in the local universe. For this purpose, we develop a Hamiltonian Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to obtain the linear density field from a posterior probability function that consists of two components: a prior of a Gaussian density field with a given linear spectrum and a likelihood term that is given by the current density field. The present-day density field can be reconstructed from galaxy groups using the method developed in Wang et al. Using a realistic mock Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7, obtained by populating dark matter halos in the Millennium simulation (MS) with galaxies, we show that our method can effectively and accurately recover both the amplitudes and phases of the initial, linear density field. To examine the accuracy of our method, we use N-body simulations to evolve these reconstructed initial conditions to the present day. The resimulated density field thus obtained accurately matches the original density field of the MS in the density range 0.3 \\lesssim \\rho /\\bar{\\rho } \\lesssim 20 without any significant bias. In particular, the Fourier phases of the resimulated density fields are tightly correlated with those of the original simulation down to a scale corresponding to a wavenumber of ~1 h Mpc-1, much smaller than the translinear scale, which corresponds to a wavenumber of ~0.15 h Mpc-1.

Source apportionment and health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in road dust from urban industrial areas of Ahvaz megacity, Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Najmeddin, Ali; Keshavarzi, Behnam; Moore, Farid; Lahijanzadeh, Ahmadreza

2017-10-28

This study investigates the occurrence and spatial distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (Hg, Cd, Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Al, Fe, Mn, V and Sb) in 67 road dust samples collected from urban industrial areas in Ahvaz megacity, southwest of Iran. Geochemical methods, multivariate statistics, geostatistics and health risk assessment model were adopted to study the spatial pollution pattern and to identify the priority pollutants, regions of concern and sources of the studied PTEs. Also, receptor positive matrix factorization model was employed to assess pollution sources. Compared to the local background, the median enrichment factor values revealed the following order: Sb > Pb > Hg > Zn > Cu > V > Fe > Mo > Cd > Mn > Cr ≈ Co ≈ Al ≈ Ni. Statistical results show that a significant difference exists between concentrations of Mo, Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Sb, V and Hg in different regions (univariate analysis, Kruskal-Wallis test p matrix factorization model revealed that traffic-related emissions (43.5%) and steel industries (26.4%) were first two sources of PTEs in road dust, followed by natural sources (22.6%) and pipe and oil processing companies (7.5%). The arithmetic mean of pollution load index (PLI) values for high traffic sector (1.92) is greater than industrial (1.80) and residential areas (1.25). Also, the results show that ecological risk values for Hg and Pb in 41.8 and 9% of total dust samples are higher than 80, indicating their considerable or higher potential ecological risk. The health risk assessment model showed that ingestion of dust particles contributed more than 83% of the overall non-carcinogenic risk. For both residential and industrial scenarios, Hg and Pb had the highest risk values, whereas Mo has the lowest value.

Integrated landscape initiatives in Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

García-Martín, María; Bieling, Claudia; Hart, Abigail

2016-01-01

Landscapes are linked to human well-being in a multitude of ways, some of which are challenged by global market forces and traditional management approaches. In response to this situation there has been a rise in local initiatives to sustain the values of landscape. The aim of this paper is to pr......Landscapes are linked to human well-being in a multitude of ways, some of which are challenged by global market forces and traditional management approaches. In response to this situation there has been a rise in local initiatives to sustain the values of landscape. The aim of this paper...... searches and canvassing of European umbrella organisations; followed by an online survey of representatives from the identified initiatives (n??=??71). Our results show that the most relevant characteristics of integrated landscape initiatives in Europe are: a holistic approach to landscape management...

Teachers’ perceptions of their own initiative: Collective initiative vs. personal initiative

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Džinović Vladimir

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Current trends in education demand from teachers to exhibit proactive behaviour and assume responsibility for the implementation of changes in school practice. In that sense, it is important to study how teachers perceive their own initiative and to gain insight into the activities where such initiative is demonstrated. This study has been conceived as a mixed-methods research. The qualitative study implied forming four focus groups with subject teachers and class teachers (N=38, while the quantitative study entailed surveying 1441 teachers in forty primary schools in Serbia using the questionnaire constructed based on qualitative data. Data from focus groups were processed by qualitative thematic analysis, while the questionnaire data were processed by principal component analysis and univariate analysis of variance. The findings of the study have shown that teachers mostly demonstrate initiative through co­operative activities that include planning of joint teaching as well as conducting joint projects within school and with the local community actors. Teachers are least ready to demonstrate personal initiative and the initiative aimed at accomplishing considerable changes in school work. The concluding part includes the recommendations for encouraging teachers’ personal initiative and building organizational culture that would support such initiative. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. br. 47008: Unapređivanje kvaliteta i dostupnosti obrazovanja u procesima modernizacije Srbije i br. 179034: Od podsticanja inicijative, saradnje i stvaralaštva u obrazovanju do novih uloga i identiteta u društvu

Measurements and Analysis of Black Carbon Aerosols in the Eastern Mediterranean Megacity

Science.gov (United States)

Unal, A.; Ozdemir, H.; Kindap, T.; Demir, G.; Karaca, M.; Khan, M. N.

2010-12-01

In a world where at least 50 percent of the population is living in urban environments, air pollution and specifically particulate matter became one of the most critical issues. There have been many studies that focused on mass concentration measurements of PM10 and PM2.5. Recent studies suggest that chemical composition is critical in understanding the effects of PM on health as well as climate. For example, public health studies reveal that, components of the atmospheric aerosols have different impacts on human health. Smith et al. (2009) stated that; on the basis of the 1μg/m3 contrast, the percentage increase in all-cause mortality for PM2.5 was 0.58; sulfate effects were about twice those of PM2.5, and effects of elemental carbon (an indicator of black carbon mass) about ten times greater. To date, many studies and national inventories have been based on particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), and the major greenhouse pollutants, but not speciated emissions, especially in the developing world (Smith et al., 2009; Chow et al., 2010). But air quality standards will soon need to include particulate black carbon (BC), as it directly afffects climate, visibility, and human health. Anthropogenic emissions are increasing dramatically worldwide and recent estimates of global BC emissions range from 8 to 24 Tg (1012 g) per year. In this study, we investigated BC pollution for the first time in Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul is a megacity of over 15 million inhabitants (OECD, 2008). On-road traffic is also increasing rapidly in the city (over 3 million vehicles on the road). Hence, the city has a potential to be an important source for both local and regional pollution in the Eastern Mediterranean. In our study, an Aethalometer (<0.1μg/m3 sensitivity) was used for continuous and real-time measurements of BC concentration. Measurements were carried out at the selected five different locations throughout the city. 1st and 2nd sites were near high-traffic streets; in the city

PESP Landscaping Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Landscaping practices can positively or negatively affect local environments and human health. The Landscaping Initiative seeks to enhance benefits of landscaping while reducing need for pesticides, fertilizers, etc., by working with partners.

'China Gives and China Takes' : African Traders and the Nondocumenting States

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lan, S.

2017-01-01

Based on ethnographic research in South China’s megacity Guangzhou, this article examines the gaps and contradictions in the central and local Chinese states’ efforts to regulate migrant traders from Africa. I identify economic interests, everyday racism, and ideological concerns as three major

The Physical Density of the City—Deconstruction of the Delusive Density Measure with Evidence from Two European Megacities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannes Taubenböck

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Density is among the most important descriptive as well as normative measures in urban research. While its basic concept is generally understandable, approaches towards the density measure are manifold, diverse and of multidimensional complexity. This evolves from differing thematic, spatial and calculative specifications. Consequently, applied density measures are often used in a subjective, non-transparent, unspecific and thus non-comparable manner. In this paper, we aim at a systematic deconstruction of the measure density. Varying thematic, spatial and calculative dimensions show significant influence on the measure. With both quantitative and qualitative techniques of evaluation, we assess the particular influences on the measure density. To do so, we reduce our experiment setting to a mere physical perspective; that is, the quantitative measures building density, degree of soil sealing, floor space density and, more specifically, the density of generic structural classes such as open spaces and highest built-up density areas. Using up-to-date geodata derived from remote sensing and volunteered geographic information, we build upon high-quality spatial information products such as 3-D city models. Exemplified for the comparison of two European megacities, namely Paris and London, we reveal and systemize necessary variables to be clearly defined for meaningful conclusions using the density measure.

Neoplasia no sítio da colostomia de paciente com megacólon chagásico: relato de caso Neoplasia at the site of the colostomy of patient with chagasic megacolon: case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thiago Agostini Braga

2011-06-01

Full Text Available A neoplasia no sítio da colostomia associada ao megacólon chagásico é uma entidade rara. Os autores relatam caso de um paciente com lesão avançada, o qual foi submetido a tratamento cirúrgico e discutem aspectos relacionados a esta afecção.Neoplasia at the site of the colostomy associated with chagasic megacolon is a rare clinical event. Here, the authors report the case of a patient with advanced lesion, who had to undergo surgical treatment, and discuss aspects related to this disease.

Chemically-resolved aerosol volatility measurements from two megacity field studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. A. Huffman

2009-09-01

Full Text Available The volatilities of different chemical species in ambient aerosols are important but remain poorly characterized. The coupling of a recently developed rapid temperature-stepping thermodenuder (TD, operated in the range 54–230°C with a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS during field studies in two polluted megacities has enabled the first direct characterization of chemically-resolved urban particle volatility. Measurements in Riverside, CA and Mexico City are generally consistent and show ambient nitrate as having the highest volatility of any AMS standard aerosol species while sulfate showed the lowest volatility. Total organic aerosol (OA showed volatility intermediate between nitrate and sulfate, with an evaporation rate of 0.6%·K⁻¹ near ambient temperature, although OA dominates the residual species at the highest temperatures. Different types of OA were characterized with marker ions, diurnal cycles, and positive matrix factorization (PMF and show significant differences in volatility. Reduced hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA, a surrogate for primary OA, POA, oxygenated OA (OOA, a surrogate for secondary OA, SOA, and biomass-burning OA (BBOA separated with PMF were all determined to be semi-volatile. The most aged OOA-1 and its dominant ion, CO₂⁺, consistently exhibited the lowest volatility, with HOA, BBOA, and associated ions for each among the highest. The similar or higher volatility of HOA/POA compared to OOA/SOA contradicts the current representations of OA volatility in most atmospheric models and has important implications for aerosol growth and lifetime. A new technique using the AMS background signal was demonstrated to quantify the fraction of species up to four orders-of-magnitude less volatile than those detectable in the MS mode, which for OA represent ~5% of the non-refractory (NR OA signal. Our results strongly imply that all OA types should be considered

24 CFR 125.201 - Administrative Enforcement Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Initiative. 125.201 Section 125.201 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... FAIR HOUSING FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM § 125.201 Administrative Enforcement Initiative. The Administrative Enforcement Initiative provides funding to State and local fair housing agencies administering...

Localized deformation as a key precursor to initiation of intergranular stress corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless steels employed in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karlsen, Wade; Diego, Gonzalo; Devrient, Bastian

2010-01-01

Cold-work has been associated with the occurrence of intergranular cracking of stainless steels employed in light water reactors. This study examined the deformation behavior of AISI 304, AISI 347 and a higher stacking fault energy model alloy subjected to bulk cold-work and (for 347) surface deformation. Deformation microstructures of the materials were examined and correlated with their particular mechanical response under different conditions of temperature, strain rate and degree of prior cold-work. Select slow-strain rate tensile tests in autoclaves enabled the role of local strain heterogeneity in crack initiation in pressurized water reactor environments to be considered. The high stacking fault energy material exhibited uniform strain hardening, even at sub-zero temperatures, while the commercial stainless steels showed significant heterogeneity in their strain response. Surface treatments introduced local cold-work, which had a clear effect on the surface roughness and hardness, and on near-surface residual stress profiles. Autoclave tests led to transgranular surface cracking for a circumferentially ground surface, and intergranular crack initiation for a polished surface.

Emerging Pathogens Initiative (EPI)

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — The Emerging Pathogens Initiative (EPI) database contains emerging pathogens information from the local Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). The EPI software...

Chemical composition and source apportionment of PM10 at an urban background site in a high-altitude Latin American megacity (Bogota, Colombia).

Science.gov (United States)

Ramírez, Omar; Sánchez de la Campa, A M; Amato, Fulvio; Catacolí, Ruth A; Rojas, Néstor Y; de la Rosa, Jesús

2018-02-01

Bogota registers frequent episodes of poor air quality from high PM 10 concentrations. It is one of the main Latin American megacities, located at 2600 m in the tropical Andes, but there is insufficient data on PM 10 source contribution. A characterization of the chemical composition and the source apportionment of PM 10 at an urban background site in Bogota was carried out in this study. Daily samples were collected from June 2015 to May 2016 (a total of 311 samples). Organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water soluble compounds (SO 4 2- , Cl - , NO 3 - , NH 4 + ), major elements (Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, K, P) and trace metals (V, Cd, Pb, Sr, Ba, among others) were analyzed. The results were interpreted in terms of their variability during the rainy season (RS) and the dry season (DS). The data obtained revealed that the carbonaceous fraction (∼51%) and mineral dust (23%) were the main PM 10 components, followed by others (15%), Secondary Inorganic Compounds (SIC) (11%) and sea salt (0.4%). The average concentrations of soil, SIC and OC were higher during RS than DS. However, peak values were observed during the DS due to photochemical activity and forest fires. Although trace metals represented <1% of PM 10 , high concentrations of toxic elements such as Pb and Sb on RS, and Cu on DS, were obtained. By using a PMF model, six factors were identified (∼96% PM 10 ) including fugitive dust, road dust, metal processing, secondary PM, vehicles exhaust and industrial emissions. Traffic (exhaust emissions + road dust) was the major PM 10 source, accounting for ∼50% of the PM 10 . The results provided novel data about PM 10 chemical composition, its sources and its seasonal variability during the year, which can help the local government to define control strategies for the main emission sources during the most critical periods. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Local Control of Perivascular Malignant Liver Lesions Using Percutaneous Irreversible Electroporation: Initial Experiences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eller, Achim, E-mail: Achim.Eller@uk-erlangen.de; Schmid, Axel, E-mail: axel.schmid@uk-erlangen.de [University Hospital Erlangen, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Department of Radiology (Germany); Schmidt, Joachim, E-mail: joachim.schmidt@kfa.imed.uni-erlangen.de [University Hospital Erlangen, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Department of Anesthesiology (Germany); May, Matthias, E-mail: matthias.may@uk-erlangen.de; Brand, Michael, E-mail: michael.brand@uk-erlangen.de; Saake, Marc, E-mail: marc.saake@uk-erlangen.de; Uder, Michael, E-mail: michael.uder@uk-erlangen.de; Lell, Michael, E-mail: michael.lell@uk-erlangen.de [University Hospital Erlangen, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Department of Radiology (Germany)

2015-02-15

PurposeThis study was designed to assess efficacy and safety in the treatment of perivascular malignant liver lesions using percutaneous, computed tomography (CT)-guided irreversible electroporation (IRE).MethodsFourteen patients (mean age 58 ± 11 years) with 18 malignant liver lesions were consecutively enrolled in this study. IRE was performed in patients not eligible for surgery and lesions abutting large vessels or bile ducts. Follow-up exams were performed using multislice-CT (MS-CT) or MRI.ResultsMedium lesion diameter was 20 ± 5 mm. Ten of 14 (71 %) were successfully treated with no local recurrence to date (mean follow-up 388 ± 160 days). One case left initial tumor control unclear and additional RFA was performed 4 weeks after IRE. Complications occurred in 4 of 14 (29 %) cases. In one case, intervention was terminated and abdominal bleeding required laparotomy. In two cases, a postinterventional hematothorax required intervention. In another case, abdominal bleeding could be managed conservatively. No complications related to the bile ducts occurred.ConclusionsPercutaneous IRE seems to be effective in perivascular lesions but is associated with a higher complication rate compared with thermoablative techniques.

Highlight report local initiatives. Experiences with electric transport; Highlight report lokale initiatieven. Ervaringen met elektrisch vervoer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-06-15

In March 2013 Linkingreen and XTNT started a survey on local electric transportation initiatives. The aim is to learn from the experiences, problems and obstacles of business users of electric vehicles: cars, vans or trucks, scooters, boats and special vehicles (e.g. garbage trucks) that are all-electric or plug-in (with plug). In this brief report, the main results are presented [Dutch] In maart 2013 is door Linkingreen en XTNT in opdracht van Agentschap NL een enquete uitgezet naar lokale initiatieven elektrisch vervoer. Doel is te leren wat de ervaringen, knelpunten en belemmeringen zijn van zakelijke gebruikers van elektrisch vervoer: personenauto's, bestel- of vrachtauto's, scooters, vaartuigen en bijzondere voertuigen (vuilniswagens etc.) die volledig elektrische of plug in (met stekker) zijn. In dit korte verslag zijn de belangrijkste resultaten opgenomen.

Intensified Local Resource Mobilization for the Polio Eradication Initiative: The Experience of World Health Organization in Nigeria During 2008-2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Yehualashet, Yared G; Horton, Janet; Mkanda, Pascal; Vaz, Rui G; Afolabi, Oluwole; Gashu, Sisay G; Banda, Richard; O'Malley, Helena; Nsubuga, Peter

2016-05-01

Since the World Health Assembly (WHA) resolved in 1988 to eradicate poliovirus, several rounds of immunization campaigns have been conducted by member states. By 2000, with the support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners, the number of polio cases decreased by 99%. Eradicating the remaining 1% proved to be more challenging. Although the GPEI, being the largest public health project, required >$9 billion between 1988 and 2012, economic analysis showed the estimated incremental net benefits of $40 billion-$50 billion between 1988 and 2035. In 2012, the WHA declared that the completion of poliovirus eradication is a programmatic emergency for global public health. Nigeria, as one of 3 remaining polio-endemic countries, developed an emergency plan to interrupt the transmission of poliovirus. The plan included the introduction or scale-up of various new innovations and strategies, which had substantial financial implication. This is a retrospective study to document the intensified resource mobilization efforts made by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Nigeria to meet the increased financial requirements and bridge the remaining gap in funding. In addition to the established coordination platforms, the WHO Nigeria Country Office team directly engaged with national authorities, donors, and partners throughout the process of resource requirement analysis, project appraisals, proposal development, and implementation of activities, joint monitoring, and evaluation exercises. The office strengthened its capacity for direct funds disbursement and systematic implementation of a rigorous accountability framework. Between 2008 and May 2015, $538 million was mobilized locally, of which 82% was mobilized since 2012. The percentage of the total funding requirements that were locally mobilized averaged 31% between 2008 and 2011 and increased to 70% between 2012 and May 2015. During the same period, the WHO Nigeria Country Office team produced and

In situ formation and spatial variability of particle number concentration in a European megacity

Science.gov (United States)

Pikridas, M.; Sciare, J.; Freutel, F.; Crumeyrolle, S.; von der Weiden-Reinmüller, S.-L.; Borbon, A.; Schwarzenboeck, A.; Merkel, M.; Crippa, M.; Kostenidou, E.; Psichoudaki, M.; Hildebrandt, L.; Engelhart, G. J.; Petäjä, T.; Prévôt, A. S. H.; Drewnick, F.; Baltensperger, U.; Wiedensohler, A.; Kulmala, M.; Beekmann, M.; Pandis, S. N.

2015-09-01

Ambient particle number size distributions were measured in Paris, France, during summer (1-31 July 2009) and winter (15 January to 15 February 2010) at three fixed ground sites and using two mobile laboratories and one airplane. The campaigns were part of the Megacities: Emissions, urban, regional and Global Atmospheric POLlution and climate effects, and Integrated tools for assessment and mitigation (MEGAPOLI) project. New particle formation (NPF) was observed only during summer on approximately 50 % of the campaign days, assisted by the low condensation sink (about 10.7 ± 5.9 × 10-3 s-1). NPF events inside the Paris plume were also observed at 600 m altitude onboard an aircraft simultaneously with regional events identified on the ground. Increased particle number concentrations were measured aloft also outside of the Paris plume at the same altitude, and were attributed to NPF. The Paris plume was identified, based on increased particle number and black carbon concentration, up to 200 km away from the Paris center during summer. The number concentration of particles with diameters exceeding 2.5 nm measured on the surface at the Paris center was on average 6.9 ± 8.7 × 104 and 12.1 ± 8.6 × 104 cm-3 during summer and winter, respectively, and was found to decrease exponentially with distance from Paris. However, further than 30 km from the city center, the particle number concentration at the surface was similar during both campaigns. During summer, one suburban site in the NE was not significantly affected by Paris emissions due to higher background number concentrations, while the particle number concentration at the second suburban site in the SW increased by a factor of 3 when it was downwind of Paris.

Initial conditions and entanglement sudden death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian, Xiao-Feng; Eberly, J.H.

2012-01-01

We report results bearing on the behavior of non-local decoherence and its potential for being managed or even controlled. The decoherence process known as entanglement sudden death (ESD) can drive prepared entanglement to zero at the same time that local coherences and fidelity remain non-zero. For a generic ESD-susceptible Bell superposition state, we provide rules restricting the occurrence and timing of ESD, amounting to management tools over a continuous variation of initial conditions. These depend on only three parameters: initial purity, entanglement and excitation. Knowledge or control of initial phases is not needed. -- Highlights: ► We study the possibility of managing disentanglement through initial conditions. ► The initial parameters are the amount of entanglement, excitation, and purity. ► Entanglement sudden death (ESD) free and ESD susceptible phases are identified. ► ESD onset time is also presented in the ESD susceptible phase. ► Our results may guide experiments to prepare ESD free or delayed ESD states.

NASA SPoRT Initialization Datasets for Local Model Runs in the Environmental Modeling System

Science.gov (United States)

Case, Jonathan L.; LaFontaine, Frank J.; Molthan, Andrew L.; Carcione, Brian; Wood, Lance; Maloney, Joseph; Estupinan, Jeral; Medlin, Jeffrey M.; Blottman, Peter; Rozumalski, Robert A.

2011-01-01

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has developed several products for its National Weather Service (NWS) partners that can be used to initialize local model runs within the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Environmental Modeling System (EMS). These real-time datasets consist of surface-based information updated at least once per day, and produced in a composite or gridded product that is easily incorporated into the WRF EMS. The primary goal for making these NASA datasets available to the WRF EMS community is to provide timely and high-quality information at a spatial resolution comparable to that used in the local model configurations (i.e., convection-allowing scales). The current suite of SPoRT products supported in the WRF EMS include a Sea Surface Temperature (SST) composite, a Great Lakes sea-ice extent, a Greenness Vegetation Fraction (GVF) composite, and Land Information System (LIS) gridded output. The SPoRT SST composite is a blend of primarily the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) infrared and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System data for non-precipitation coverage over the oceans at 2-km resolution. The composite includes a special lake surface temperature analysis over the Great Lakes using contributions from the Remote Sensing Systems temperature data. The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory Ice Percentage product is used to create a sea-ice mask in the SPoRT SST composite. The sea-ice mask is produced daily (in-season) at 1.8-km resolution and identifies ice percentage from 0 100% in 10% increments, with values above 90% flagged as ice.

Seasonal and spatial changes in trace gases over megacities from Aura TES observations: two case studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. E. Cady-Pereira

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES is collecting closely spaced observations over 19 megacities. The objective is to obtain measurements that will lead to better understanding of the processes affecting air quality in and around these cities, and to better estimates of the seasonal and interannual variability. We explore the TES measurements of ozone, ammonia, methanol and formic acid collected around the Mexico City metropolitan area (MCMA and in the vicinity of Lagos (Nigeria. The TES data exhibit seasonal signals that are correlated with Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS CO and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS aerosol optical depth (AOD, with in situ measurements in the MCMA and with Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-Chem model output in the Lagos area. TES was able to detect an extreme pollution event in the MCMA on 9 April 2013, which is also evident in the in situ data. TES data also show that biomass burning has a greater impact south of the city than in the caldera where Mexico City is located. TES measured enhanced values of the four species over the Gulf of Guinea south of Lagos. Since it observes many cities from the same platform with the same instrument and applies the same retrieval algorithms, TES data provide a very useful tool for easily comparing air quality measures of two or more cities. We compare the data from the MCMA and Lagos, and show that, while the MCMA has occasional extreme pollution events, Lagos consistently has higher levels of these trace gases.

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

Local/regional policies: Acting globally by thinking locally

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hillsman, E.L.

1991-01-01

Policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from present levels will require changes in local and regional decision making as well as decisions made at national and multinational scales. A number of cities and states have taken action to reduce emissions either directly or as a byproduct of solving local problems such as air quality. These initiatives represent a potential resource to be mobilized in national policy. A series of case studies is under way to understand the decision making involved and its implications, and to identify ways that national policy might support and benefit from local efforts. Preliminary results from the first of these case studies indicate that reductions in greenhouse gas emissions may be greater when set as a direct target than when resulting as a byproduct of other local problem solving

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Evaluation After Initial Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy Predicts Local Control in Rhabdomyosarcoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dharmarajan, Kavita V., E-mail: dharmark@mskcc.org [Departments of Radiation Oncology, Pediatric Oncology, and Nuclear Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, New York, New York (United States); Wexler, Leonard H.; Gavane, Somali; Fox, Josef J.; Schoder, Heiko; Tom, Ashlyn K.; Price, Alison N.; Meyers, Paul A.; Wolden, Suzanne L. [Departments of Radiation Oncology, Pediatric Oncology, and Nuclear Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, New York, New York (United States)

2012-11-15

Purpose: 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) is already an integral part of staging in rhabdomyosarcoma. We investigated whether primary-site treatment response characterized by serial PET imaging at specific time points can be correlated with local control. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively examined 94 patients with rhabdomyosarcoma who received initial chemotherapy 15 weeks (median) before radiotherapy and underwent baseline, preradiation, and postradiation PET. Baseline PET standardized uptake values (SUVmax) and the presence or absence of abnormal uptake (termed PET-positive or PET-negative) both before and after radiation were examined for the primary site. Local relapse-free survival (LRFS) was calculated according to baseline SUVmax, PET-positive status, and PET-negative status by the Kaplan-Meier method, and comparisons were tested with the log-rank test. Results: The median patient age was 11 years. With 3-year median follow-up, LRFS was improved among postradiation PET-negative vs PET-positive patients: 94% vs 75%, P=.02. By contrast, on baseline PET, LRFS was not significantly different for primary-site SUVmax {<=}7 vs >7 (median), although the findings suggested a trend toward improved LRFS: 96% for SUVmax {<=}7 vs 79% for SUVmax >7, P=.08. Preradiation PET also suggested a statistically insignificant trend toward improved LRFS for PET-negative (97%) vs PET-positive (81%) patients (P=.06). Conclusion: Negative postradiation PET predicted improved LRFS. Notably, 77% of patients with persistent postradiation uptake did not experience local failure, suggesting that these patients could be closely followed up rather than immediately referred for intervention. Negative baseline and preradiation PET findings suggested statistically insignificant trends toward improved LRFS. Additional study may further understanding of relationships between PET findings at these time points and outcome in rhabdomyosarcoma.

Local Development Responses in Zambia:The Case of Kitwe ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

growth in planning initiatives for Local Economic Development (LED). This article examines LED activities in the city of Kitwe, against the backdrop of regional and local economic decline, two different sets of responses may be recognised: (i) local government led initiatives and (ii) 'bottom up' LED responses arising from the ...

Results of external beam irradiation for rectal carcinomas locally recurrent after local excision or electrocoagulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shun Wong, C.; Cummings, B.J.; Keane, T.J.; O'Sullivan, Brian; Catton, C.N.

1991-01-01

The outcome of 42 patients who developed locally recurrent rectal carcinoma after initial local excision or electrocoagulation was presented. Five patients received combined surgery and radiotherapy (XRT). The remaining 37 patients were managed by XRT alone. The overall 5 years actuarial survival and local control rates were 21 and 22 percent, respectively. For patients who received XRT alone, the 5 year actuarial survival and local control rates were 20 and 15 percent, resp. The corresponding figures were 35 and 40 percent for patients who received a total XRT dose of 50 Gy or more. One patient who underwent combined treatment developed rectal and bladder incontinence requiring surgery. For patients with rectal recurrence after initial conservative surgery, XRT is an alternative to abdominoperipheral resection if major resection is contraindicated. (author). 13 refs.; 2 tabs

Preliminary Results of a U.S. Deep South Warm Season Deep Convective Initiation Modeling Experiment using NASA SPoRT Initialization Datasets for Operational National Weather Service Local Model Runs

Science.gov (United States)

Medlin, Jeffrey M.; Wood, Lance; Zavodsky, Brad; Case, Jon; Molthan, Andrew

2012-01-01

The initiation of deep convection during the warm season is a forecast challenge in the relative high instability and low wind shear environment of the U.S. Deep South. Despite improved knowledge of the character of well known mesoscale features such as local sea-, bay- and land-breezes, observations show the evolution of these features fall well short in fully describing the location of first initiates. A joint collaborative modeling effort among the NWS offices in Mobile, AL, and Houston, TX, and NASA s Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center was undertaken during the 2012 warm season to examine the impact of certain NASA produced products on the Weather Research and Forecasting Environmental Modeling System. The NASA products were: a 4-km Land Information System data, a 1-km sea surface temperature analysis, and a 4-km greenness vegetation fraction analysis. Similar domains were established over the southeast Texas and Alabama coastlines, each with a 9 km outer grid spacing and a 3 km inner nest spacing. The model was run at each NWS office once per day out to 24 hours from 0600 UTC, using the NCEP Global Forecast System for initial and boundary conditions. Control runs without the NASA products were made at the NASA SPoRT Center. The NCAR Model Evaluation Tools verification package was used to evaluate both the forecast timing and location of the first initiates, with a focus on the impacts of the NASA products on the model forecasts. Select case studies will be presented to highlight the influence of the products.

A comparative study of the organic matter in PM 2.5 from three Chinese megacities in three different climatic zones

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Jialiang; Hu, Min; Chan, Chak K.; Lau, P. S.; Fang, Ming; He, Lingyan; Tang, Xiaoyan

Organic matter in PM 2.5 collected in 2002 and 2003 from three megacities in different climatic zones in China, Beijing (40°N), Shanghai (31°N) and Guangzhou (23°N), was characterized. The focus was on solvent-extractable organic compounds (SEOC), which were used to identify the influences of geography, variation of the season, sources and transport on the concentration and distribution of these homologues. Organic carbon, elemental carbon, and water-soluble organic carbon concentrations were analyzed only for the substantiation of the SEOC findings. Analysis of the fossil fuel residues and the plant wax components in n-alkanes, PAHs, fatty acids and n-alkanols allowed the identification of anthropogenic (coal and petroleum combustion processes, and kitchen emissions) and biogenic (vegetation and microbial) sources. The influence of temperature on the distribution of the SEOC was exemplified by the negative correlation between the relative concentrations of the semivolatile homologues (alkanes and PAHs) and ambient temperature. This is attributable to gas-particle partitioning. Indirectly, ambient temperature dictates the type of vegetation that can grow in a geographical zone. This would influence the distribution of the plant waxes, and finally, it plays a role in the aerosol loading due to energy usage.

Bioaccessibility and health risk of arsenic, mercury and other metals in urban street dusts from a mega-city, Nanjing, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Xin; Zhang, Yun; Luo Jun; Wang Tijian; Lian Hongzhen; Ding Zhuhong

2011-01-01

The oral bioaccessibility and the human health risks of As, Hg and other metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Cd, Cr, Mn, V and Fe) in urban street dusts from different land use districts in Nanjing (a mega-city), China were investigated. Both the total contents and the oral bioaccessibility estimated by the Simple Bioaccessibility Extraction Test (SBET) of the studied elements varied with street dusts from different land use districts. Cd, Zn, Mn, Pb, Hg and As showed high bioaccessibility. SBET-extractable contents of elements were significantly correlated with their total contents and the dust properties (pH, organic matter contents). The carcinogenic risk probability for As and Cr to children and adults were under the acceptable level ( -4 ). Hazard Quotient values for single elements and Hazard Index values for all studied elements suggested potential non-carcinogenic health risk to children, but not to adults. - Highlights: → Spatial variation of elements in street dusts from different land use districts. → Oral bioaccessibility of elements in street dusts from different land use districts. → Human health risks of elements in street dusts from different land use districts. - Bioaccessibility and health risks of trace elements differed with street dusts from different land use districts in Nanjing.

Intensified Local Resource Mobilization for the Polio Eradication Initiative: The Experience of World Health Organization in Nigeria During 2008–2015

Science.gov (United States)

Yehualashet, Yared G.; Horton, Janet; Mkanda, Pascal; Vaz, Rui G.; Afolabi, Oluwole; Gashu, Sisay G.; Banda, Richard; O'Malley, Helena; Nsubuga, Peter

2016-01-01

Background. Since the World Health Assembly (WHA) resolved in 1988 to eradicate poliovirus, several rounds of immunization campaigns have been conducted by member states. By 2000, with the support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners, the number of polio cases decreased by 99%. Eradicating the remaining 1% proved to be more challenging. Although the GPEI, being the largest public health project, required >$9 billion between 1988 and 2012, economic analysis showed the estimated incremental net benefits of $40 billion–$50 billion between 1988 and 2035. In 2012, the WHA declared that the completion of poliovirus eradication is a programmatic emergency for global public health. Nigeria, as one of 3 remaining polio-endemic countries, developed an emergency plan to interrupt the transmission of poliovirus. The plan included the introduction or scale-up of various new innovations and strategies, which had substantial financial implication. Methods. This is a retrospective study to document the intensified resource mobilization efforts made by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Nigeria to meet the increased financial requirements and bridge the remaining gap in funding. In addition to the established coordination platforms, the WHO Nigeria Country Office team directly engaged with national authorities, donors, and partners throughout the process of resource requirement analysis, project appraisals, proposal development, and implementation of activities, joint monitoring, and evaluation exercises. The office strengthened its capacity for direct funds disbursement and systematic implementation of a rigorous accountability framework. Results. Between 2008 and May 2015, $538 million was mobilized locally, of which 82% was mobilized since 2012. The percentage of the total funding requirements that were locally mobilized averaged 31% between 2008 and 2011 and increased to 70% between 2012 and May 2015. During the same period, the WHO Nigeria

Towards a comparable carbon footprint for local initiatives: The FP7 project TESS

Science.gov (United States)

Reusser, Dominik E.; Kropp, Jürgen P.

2014-05-01

TESS (Towards European Societal Sustainability -- www.tess-transition.eu) is a three-year, European-wide research project. It aims to reach an understanding of the potential for community-led initiatives to help deliver a truly sustainable, low-carbon future. Transitions to low-carbon societies take place at multiple and complementary scales. Transition processes are highly dependent on the innovative potential of community-based initiatives and their articulation with appropriate institutional architecture. Community-based initiatives are potentially more adaptable and less constrained by current structural circumstances than top-down policies and can give impetus to large-scale and technology driven changes. TESS will provide an understanding on the upscaling possibilities of such high-potential community-based initiatives by addressing two main questions: What is the impact of community-based initiatives in terms of carbon reduction potential and economic effect? What institutional structures (values, policies and mechanisms) support these initiatives in persisting beyond the initial phase and moving into an acceleration phase, spreading desired impacts? Answers will be provided through (1) a novel measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) framework for benchmarking community-based initiatives. This will enable quantifiable, comparable and standardised evaluation, and (2) the identification of success factors for the emergence, persistence and diffusion of promising initiatives, including online initiatives. We will identify these initiatives through case studies across regions and sectors and produce a systemic understanding of their impact on societal transitions towards sustainability. Our research will be integrated and transdisciplinary, with the unique opportunity to bring together social and natural scientists to foster a transition towards European societal sustainability. Our work will feed into and extend the Climate Adapt database to facilitate

Importance of Performance Measurement and MCH Epidemiology Leadership to Quality Improvement Initiatives at the National, State and Local Levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Rankin, Kristin M; Gavin, Loretta; Moran, John W; Kroelinger, Charlan D; Vladutiu, Catherine J; Goodman, David A; Sappenfield, William M

2016-11-01

Purpose In recognition of the importance of performance measurement and MCH epidemiology leadership to quality improvement (QI) efforts, a plenary session dedicated to this topic was presented at the 2014 CityMatCH Leadership and MCH Epidemiology Conference. This paper summarizes the session and provides two applications of performance measurement to QI in MCH. Description Performance measures addressing processes of care are ubiquitous in the current health system landscape and the MCH community is increasingly applying QI processes, such as Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of systems impacting MCH populations. QI is maximally effective when well-defined performance measures are used to monitor change. Assessment MCH epidemiologists provide leadership to QI initiatives by identifying population-based outcomes that would benefit from QI, defining and implementing performance measures, assessing and improving data quality and timeliness, reporting variability in measures throughout PDSA cycles, evaluating QI initiative impact, and translating findings to stakeholders. MCH epidemiologists can also ensure that QI initiatives are aligned with MCH priorities at the local, state and federal levels. Two examples of this work, one highlighting use of a contraceptive service performance measure and another describing QI for peripartum hemorrhage prevention, demonstrate MCH epidemiologists' contributions throughout. Challenges remain in applying QI to complex community and systems-level interventions, including those aimed at improving access to quality care. Conclusion MCH epidemiologists provide leadership to QI initiatives by ensuring they are data-informed and supportive of a common MCH agenda, thereby optimizing the potential to improve MCH outcomes.

Common genomic signaling among initial DNA damage and radiation-induced apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes from locally advanced breast cancer patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henríquez-Hernández, Luis Alberto; Pinar, Beatriz; Carmona-Vigo, Ruth

2013-01-01

PURPOSE: To investigate the genomic signaling that defines sensitive lymphocytes to radiation and if such molecular profiles are consistent with clinical toxicity; trying to disclose the radiobiology mechanisms behind these cellular processes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twelve consecutive patients...... suffering from locally advanced breast cancer and treated with high-dose hyperfractionated radiotherapy were recruited. Initial DNA damage was measured by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and radiation-induced apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. Gene expression was assessed by DNA microarray. RESULTS...

Collective commitment for local bio energy projects. Motives and experiences of the initiators: An interview study of German renewable energy projects; Kollektives Engagement fuer kommunale Bioenergieprojekte. Motive und Erfahrungen der Initiatoren: Eine Interviewstudie deutschlandweiter erneuerbarer Energieprojekte

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rehatschek, Anja

2009-07-01

With the help of a sustainable power production, local bio energy projects connect ecological, economic and social solutions for the climate protection and the environment protection, for the support of the agriculture and forestry as well as for living together in the rural area. Past investigations concern primarily consider the collective commitment and the effects of such projects on the population. Under this aspect, the contribution under consideration is occupied with the acting of the initiators of the bio energy projects during the management of their tasks: Which conditions and motives of the initiators affect the conversion process? Under which conditions do the initiators arrive their goal? Which cognitive abilities, strategies of motivation and experiences particularly are important? For the qualitative investigation of these questions, five initiators of German local bio energy projects were interviewed. The results of these interviews are presented by means of paradigm models. It could be shown that both the person of the initiator and the relation of the person to the environment crucially contribute to the conversion of local bio energy projects.

The Smart Health Initiative in China: The Case of Wuhan, Hubei Province.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Meiyu; Sun, Jian; Zhou, Bin; Chen, Min

2016-03-01

To introduce smart health in Wuhan, and provide some references for other cities. As the largest mega-city in central China, Wuhan is investing large amounts of resources to push forward the development of Smart Wuhan and Health Wuhan, and it has unique features. It is one of the centerpieces of China's New Healthcare Reform, and great hope is put on it to help solve the conflict between limited healthcare resources and the large population of patients. How to plan and design smart health is important. The construction of Wuhan Smart Health includes some aspects as follows, like requirement analysis, the establishment of objectives and blueprint, the architecture design of regional health information platform, evaluation and implementation, problems and solutions, and so on. Wuhan Smart Health has obtained some achievements in health network, information systems, resident's health records, information standard, and the first phase of municipal health information platform. The focus of this article is the whole construction process of smart health in Wuhan. Although there are some difficulties during this period, some smart health services and management have been reflected. Compared with other cities or countries, Wuhan Smart Health has its own advantages and disadvantages. This study aims to provide a reference for other cities. Because smart health of Wuhan is characteristic in construction mode. Though still in the initial stage, it has great potentials in the future.

Relationship between Air Pollution and Weather Conditions under Complicated Geographical conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Q.; Jiang, P.; Li, M.

2017-12-01

Air pollution is one of the most serious issues all over the world, especially in megacities with constrained geographical conditions for air pollution diffusion. However, the dynamic mechanism of air pollution diffusion under complicated geographical conditions is still be confused. Researches to explore relationship between air pollution and weather conditions from the perspective of local atmospheric circulations can contribute more to solve such problem. We selected three megacities (Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou) under different geographical condition (mountain-plain transition region, coastal alluvial plain and coastal hilly terrain) to explore the relationship between air pollution and weather conditions. RDA (Redundancy analysis) model was used to analyze how the local atmospheric circulation acts on the air pollutant diffusion. The results show that there was a positive correlation between the concentration of air pollutants and air pressure, while temperature, precipitation and wind speed have negative correlations with the concentration of air pollutants. Furthermore, geographical conditions, such as topographic relief, have significant effects on the direction, path and intensity of local atmospheric circulation. As a consequence, air pollutants diffusion modes in different cities under various geographical conditions are diverse from each other.

Automatic localization of landmark sets in head CT images with regression forests for image registration initialization

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Dongqing; Liu, Yuan; Noble, Jack H.; Dawant, Benoit M.

2016-03-01

Cochlear Implants (CIs) are electrode arrays that are surgically inserted into the cochlea. Individual contacts stimulate frequency-mapped nerve endings thus replacing the natural electro-mechanical transduction mechanism. CIs are programmed post-operatively by audiologists but this is currently done using behavioral tests without imaging information that permits relating electrode position to inner ear anatomy. We have recently developed a series of image processing steps that permit the segmentation of the inner ear anatomy and the localization of individual contacts. We have proposed a new programming strategy that uses this information and we have shown in a study with 68 participants that 78% of long term recipients preferred the programming parameters determined with this new strategy. A limiting factor to the large scale evaluation and deployment of our technique is the amount of user interaction still required in some of the steps used in our sequence of image processing algorithms. One such step is the rough registration of an atlas to target volumes prior to the use of automated intensity-based algorithms when the target volumes have very different fields of view and orientations. In this paper we propose a solution to this problem. It relies on a random forest-based approach to automatically localize a series of landmarks. Our results obtained from 83 images with 132 registration tasks show that automatic initialization of an intensity-based algorithm proves to be a reliable technique to replace the manual step.

Uterine fibroid embolisation: Initial experience in our local population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jawad, R.A.; Rehman, I.; Rana, A.I.; Tariq, N.; Tariq, N.

2013-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the results of uterine fibroid embolisation as a treatment option for symptomatic uterine fibroids in the local population. Methods: The retrospective study was done at the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, and comprised records of 12 patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids who had undergone uterine fibroid embolisation with the use of polyvinyl alcohol between May 2008 and July 2012. All of these patients had been assessed by a gynaecologist. Pre-embolisation workup was done by pelvic Magnetic Resonance Imaging. A detailed questionnaire was prepared to assess clinical improvement and interval change in fibroid size on follow-up imaging. Results: A technically successful embolisation was done in all patients. All patients experienced immediate post-procedure pain, but responded to conservative treatment. Clinical follow-up showed a significant reduction in symptoms within six months of the procedure, with 88% improvement in menorrhagia and 100% improvement in pain. Follow-up imaging showed reduction in fibroid sizes ranging from 17-63%. Two patients developed infection, which is a known complication of this procedure. Conclusion: Uterine fibroid embolisation is a well-recognised treatment option for symptomatic uterine fibroids. Ascertaining its long-term results in our local population will, however, require additional studies with larger patient populations. (author)

A platform for local entrepreneurship

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Freire-Gibb, L. Carlos; Lorentzen, Anne

2011-01-01

This article discusses the birth and evolution of a festival that has targeted the entrepreneurial dynamics in the provincial city of Frederikshavn (North Denmark). The festival was initiated in 2004 to confront a local economic crisis and has enjoyed support from a broad range of stakeholders. I......-in. Empirically, the article is based on interviews with a wide range of actors across the organizing network. The article offers some preliminary lessons about what such an event can contribute to local entrepreneurship.......This article discusses the birth and evolution of a festival that has targeted the entrepreneurial dynamics in the provincial city of Frederikshavn (North Denmark). The festival was initiated in 2004 to confront a local economic crisis and has enjoyed support from a broad range of stakeholders...

GHG and black carbon emission inventories from Mezquital Valley: The main energy provider for Mexico Megacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Montelongo-Reyes, M M; Otazo-Sánchez, E M; Romo-Gómez, C; Gordillo-Martínez, A J; Galindo-Castillo, E

2015-09-15

The greenhouse gases and black carbon emission inventory from IPCC key category Energy was accomplished for the Mezquital Valley, one of the most polluted regions in Mexico, as the Mexico City wastewater have been continuously used in agricultural irrigation for more than a hundred years. In addition, thermoelectric, refinery, cement and chemistry industries are concentrated in the southern part of the valley, near Mexico City. Several studies have reported air, soil, and water pollution data and its main sources for the region. Paradoxically, these sources contaminate the valley, but boosted its economic development. Nevertheless, no research has been done concerning GHG emissions, or climate change assessment. This paper reports inventories performed by the 1996 IPCC methodology for the baseline year 2005. Fuel consumption data were derived from priority sectors such as electricity generation, refineries, manufacturing & cement industries, transportation, and residential use. The total CO2 emission result was 13,894.9 Gg, which constituted three-quarters of Hidalgo statewide energy category. The principal CO2 sources were energy transformation (69%) and manufacturing (19%). Total black carbon emissions were estimated by a bottom-up method at 0.66 Gg. The principal contributor was on-road transportation (37%), followed by firewood residential consumption (26%) and cocked brick manufactures (22%). Non-CO2 gas emissions were also significant, particularly SO2 (255.9 Gg), which accounts for 80% of the whole Hidalgo State emissions. Results demonstrated the negative environmental impact on Mezquital Valley, caused by its role as a Megacity secondary fuel and electricity provider, as well as by the presence of several cement industries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Toward Innovative, Liveable and Prosperous Asian Megacities ...

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

Knowledge-intensive business service within creative industry in Thailand : paper to be presented at "The 7th ASIALICS International Conference" Global Recession and Reform of Innovation Systems in Asia, 15-17 April 2010. Dossiers ... Privatization of business incubation : initiatives to achieve sustainability and success.

Water quality and small-scale land use mapping in the South-Chinese megacity Guangzhou

Science.gov (United States)

Strohschoen, R.; Azzam, R.; Baier, K.

2011-12-01

Since China adopted its "open-door" policy in 1978/ 79, the Pearl River Delta became one of the most rapid and dynamic urbanizing areas in East Asia due to migration, industrialization and globalization processes. The study area Guangzhou grew from a small town to a megacity with some 15 million inhabitants within less than 30 years. The rapid population growth and the urban and industrial expansion led to a remarkably increasing demand for freshwater, a high water consume and a rising sewage production. While economy and house constructions developed very fast, the expansion of water infrastructures could not keep pace with the urban growth. The consequences arising out of these situations are a serious deterioration of the surface and groundwater resources but also a degradation of living conditions and a threat to human health, particularly of the urban poor. In contrast to other studies that often consider the surface water quality outside Guangzhou, our focus was put on the urban Pearl River and its tributaries as well as urban groundwater and tap water. The study was conducted to spatially investigate the present status of the water quality in view of the concurrent formal and informal anthropogenic influences. Additional land use mapping was undertaken to analyze the interrelations between different land use types and water quality and to determine local pollution hotspots which should be taken into particular consideration of future city planning. Supplementing interviews were hold to find out usage patterns of groundwater and strategies to cope with both insufficient tap water quality and water infrastructures. A total of 74 surface water samples and 16 groundwater samples of privately and publicly accessible wells were taken at the beginning of the rainy season in May 2010. Those samples were partly compared to measurements carried out from 2007-2009, where adequate. Further, 15 tap water samples were taken in 2007/ 08 to draw conclusions about possible

Diurnal, synoptic and seasonal variability of atmospheric CO2 in the Paris megacity area

Science.gov (United States)

Xueref-Remy, Irène; Dieudonné, Elsa; Vuillemin, Cyrille; Lopez, Morgan; Lac, Christine; Schmidt, Martina; Delmotte, Marc; Chevallier, Frédéric; Ravetta, François; Perrussel, Olivier; Ciais, Philippe; Bréon, François-Marie; Broquet, Grégoire; Ramonet, Michel; Spain, T. Gerard; Ampe, Christophe

2018-03-01

Most of the global fossil fuel CO2 emissions arise from urbanized and industrialized areas. Bottom-up inventories quantify them but with large uncertainties. In 2010-2011, the first atmospheric in situ CO2 measurement network for Paris, the capital of France, began operating with the aim of monitoring the regional atmospheric impact of the emissions coming from this megacity. Five stations sampled air along a northeast-southwest axis that corresponds to the direction of the dominant winds. Two stations are classified as rural (Traînou - TRN; Montgé-en-Goële - MON), two are peri-urban (Gonesse - GON; Gif-sur-Yvette - GIF) and one is urban (EIF, located on top of the Eiffel Tower). In this study, we analyze the diurnal, synoptic and seasonal variability of the in situ CO2 measurements over nearly 1 year (8 August 2010-13 July 2011). We compare these datasets with remote CO2 measurements made at Mace Head (MHD) on the Atlantic coast of Ireland and support our analysis with atmospheric boundary layer height (ABLH) observations made in the center of Paris and with both modeled and observed meteorological fields. The average hourly CO2 diurnal cycles observed at the regional stations are mostly driven by the CO2 biospheric cycle, the ABLH cycle and the proximity to urban CO2 emissions. Differences of several µmol mol-1 (ppm) can be observed from one regional site to the other. The more the site is surrounded by urban sources (mostly residential and commercial heating, and traffic), the more the CO2 concentration is elevated, as is the associated variability which reflects the variability of the urban sources. Furthermore, two sites with inlets high above ground level (EIF and TRN) show a phase shift of the CO2 diurnal cycle of a few hours compared to lower sites due to a strong coupling with the boundary layer diurnal cycle. As a consequence, the existence of a CO2 vertical gradient above Paris can be inferred, whose amplitude depends on the time of the day and on

The determination of the local conditions for void initiation in front of a crack tip for materials with second-phase particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabirov, I. [Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Jahnstrasse 12, A-8700 Leoben (Austria)]. E-mail: sabirov@unileoben.ac.at; Duschlbauer, D. [Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse 27-29, A-1040 Vienna (Austria); Pettermann, H.E. [Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse 27-29, A-1040 Vienna (Austria); Kolednik, O. [Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Jahnstrasse 12, A-8700 Leoben (Austria)

2005-02-25

A procedure is proposed to determine, for second-phase particles near a crack tip, the maximum particle stresses at the moment of void initiation by either particle fracture or particle/matrix interface separation. A digital image analysis system is applied to perform a quantitative analysis of corresponding fracture surface regions from stereo image pairs taken in the scanning electron microscope. The fracture surface analysis is used to measure, for individual particles, the crack tip opening displacement at the moment of void initiation and the particle location with respect to the crack tip. From these data, the stress tensor at the moment of void initiation is calculated from the Hutchinson-Rice-Rosengren (HRR) field theory. The corresponding average local stresses within the particle are evaluated by a non-linear Mori-Tanaka-type approach. These stresses are compared to estimates according to the models by Argon et al. [A.S. Argon, J. Im, R. Safoglu, Metall. Trans. 6 (1975) 825] and Beremin [F.M. Beremin, Metall. Trans. 12 (1981) 723]. The procedure is demonstrated on an Al6061-10% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} metal matrix composite.

Results of external beam irradiation for rectal carcinomas locally recurrent after local excision or electrocoagulation; Short communication

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shun Wong, C.; Cummings, B.J.; Keane, T.J.; O' Sullivan, Brian; Catton, C.N. (Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, ON (Canada))

1991-10-01

The outcome of 42 patients who developed locally recurrent rectal carcinoma after initial local excision or electrocoagulation was presented. Five patients received combined surgery and radiotherapy (XRT). The remaining 37 patients were managed by XRT alone. The overall 5 years actuarial survival and local control rates were 21 and 22 percent, respectively. For patients who received XRT alone, the 5 year actuarial survival and local control rates were 20 and 15 percent, resp. The corresponding figures were 35 and 40 percent for patients who received a total XRT dose of 50 Gy or more. One patient who underwent combined treatment developed rectal and bladder incontinence requiring surgery. For patients with rectal recurrence after initial conservative surgery, XRT is an alternative to abdominoperipheral resection if major resection is contraindicated. (author). 13 refs.; 2 tabs.

A phase II trial of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) plus chemotherapy as initial treatment for local failures or advanced prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Amato, Robert; Stepankiw, Mika; Gonzales, Patricia

2013-06-01

Long-term hormonal ablation in prostate cancer is associated with decreased overall health and quality of life. Few reports emphasized the role of chemotherapy in the management of early stage prostate cancer. This study analyzed the safety and efficacy of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) plus chemotherapy as initial treatment for patients identified as local failures or not eligible for prostatectomy or radiation therapy due to advanced disease presentation. Enrolled patients received ADT in the form of leuprolide every 12 weeks for 24 months with bicalutamide initiating after the completion of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy consisted of ketoconazole and doxorubicin for weeks 1, 3, and 5 and estramustine and docetaxel and for weeks 2, 4 and 6. During weeks 7 and 8, no treatment was received. Forty-six patients were enrolled, and forty-five patients were evaluable. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 23.4 months. Median overall survival (OS) was 53.7 months. Out of 45 patients with measurable disease, 22 patients had an objective response: 9 patients achieved a complete response; 2 patients achieved a partial response; 10 patients achieved stable disease. Frequent grade 3 adverse events included elevated ALT (17 %), hypokalemia (13 %), and hypophosphatemia (13 %). Grade 4 adverse events were rare and included low bicarbonate (2 %), hypokalemia (2 %), leukocytopenia (2 %), and neutropenia (2 %). The treatment demonstrated clinical benefit in all patient subsets with minimal reversible treatment-related adverse events. Subgroup analysis suggests that having prior local therapy resulted in greater PFS and OS.

Impact of anthropogenic emission on air quality over a megacity – revealed from an intensive atmospheric campaign during the Chinese Spring Festival

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Huang

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The Chinese Spring Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. The peak transport in the Spring Festival season (spring travel rush provides a unique opportunity for investigating the impact of human activity on air quality in the Chinese megacities. Emission sources are varied and fluctuate greatly before, during and after the Festival. Increased vehicular emissions during the "spring travel rush" before the 2009 Festival resulted in high level pollutants of NO_x (270 μg m⁻³, CO (2572 μg m⁻³, black carbon (BC (8.5 μg m⁻³ and extremely low single scattering albedo of 0.76 in Shanghai, indicating strong, fresh combustion. Organics contributed most to PM_2.5, followed by NO₃⁻, NH₄⁺, and SO₄²⁻. During the Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve and Day, widespread usage of fireworks caused heavy pollution of extremely high aerosol concentration, scattering coefficient, SO₂, and NO_x. Due to the "spring travel rush" after the festival, anthropogenic emissions gradually climbed and mirrored corresponding increases in the aerosol components and gaseous pollutants. Secondary inorganic aerosol (SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻, and NH₄⁺ accounted for a dominant fraction of 74% in PM_2.5 due to an increase in human activity. There was a greater demand for energy as vast numbers of people using public transportation or driving their own vehicles returned home after the Festival. Factories and constructions sites were operating again.

The potential source contribution function (PSCF analysis illustrated the possible source areas for air pollutants of Shanghai. The effects of regional and long-range transport were both revealed. Five major sources, i.e. natural sources, vehicular emissions, burning of fireworks, industrial

THE RELEVANCE OF SUBSIDIARY INITIATIVES FOR BRAZILIAN MULTINATIONALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moacir de Miranda Oliveira Junior

2009-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to analyze relationship patterns between headquarters and subsidiaries of Brazilian Multinationals Enterprises (BrMNEs. The key construct for that investigation is Subsidiary Initiative, which comprises Subsidiary Entrepreneurial Orientation, Autonomy, Integration, Local Competitive Context and Business Network.A survey was carried out in a sample of 65 subsidiaries of 29 BrMNEs. The main outcome is that subsidiaries are highly integrated and receive Entrepreneurial Orientation from Headquarters (HQs, but Initiative is limited. Actually, the main determinants of subsidiary’s initiatives are Local Context and Business Networking in the host country. This apparent paradox may be explained by what we call ‘rebellious subsidiaries’, which take initiatives based on their business environment and connections, regardless of their HQs’ directions or delegation of autonomy.

Incremental health expenditure and lost days of normal activity for individuals with mental disorders: results from the São Paulo Megacity Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiavegatto Filho, Alexandre Dias Porto; Wang, Yuan-Pang; Campino, Antonio Carlos Coelho; Malik, Ana Maria; Viana, Maria Carmen; Andrade, Laura Helena

2015-08-05

With the recent increase in the prevalence of mental disorders in developing countries, there is a growing interest in the study of its consequences. We examined the association of depression, anxiety and any mental disorders with incremental health expenditure, i.e. the linear increase in health expenditure associated with mental disorders, and lost days of normal activity. We analyzed the results from a representative sample survey of residents of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (n = 2,920; São Paulo Megacity Mental Health Survey), part of the World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative, coordinated by the World Health Organization and performed in 28 countries. The instrument used for obtaining the individual results, including the assessment of mental disorders, was the WMH version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 (WMH-CIDI 3.0) that generates psychiatric diagnoses according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria. Statistical analyses were performed by multilevel generalized least squares (GLS) regression models. Sociodemographic determinants such as income, age, education and marital status were included as controls. Depression, anxiety and any mental disorders were consistently associated with both incremental health expenditure and missing days of normal activity. Depression was associated with an incremental annual expenditure of R$308.28 (95% CI: R$194.05-R$422.50), or US$252.48 in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). Anxiety and any mental disorders were associated with a lower, but also statistically significant, incremental annual expenditure (R$177.82, 95% CI: 79.68-275.97; and R$180.52, 95% CI: 91.13-269.92, or US$145.64 and US$147.85 in terms of PPP, respectively). Most of the incremental health costs associated with mental disorders came from medications. Depression was independently associated with higher incremental health expenditure than the two most prevalent chronic

Initial Thomson Scattering Survey of Local Helicity Injection and Ohmic Plasmas at the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Schlossberg, D. J.; Bodner, G. M.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Winz, G. R.

2014-10-01

A multipoint Thomson scattering diagnostic has recently been installed on the Pegasus ST. The system utilizes a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser (λ0 ~ 532 nm), spectrometers with volume phase holographic gratings, and a gated, intensified CCD camera. It provides measurements of Te and ne at 8 spatial locations for each spectrometer once per discharge. A new multiple aperture and beam dump system has been implemented to mitigate interference from stray light. This system has provided initial measurements in the core region of plasmas initiated by local helicity injection (LHI), as well as conventional Ohmic L- and H-mode discharges. Multi-shot averages of low-density (ne ~ 3 ×1018 m-3) , Ip ~ 0 . 1 MA LHI discharges show central Te ~ 75 eV at the end of the helicity injection phase. Ip ~ 0 . 13 MA Ohmic plasmas at moderate densities (ne ~ 2 ×1019 m-3) have core Te ~ 150 eV in L-mode. Generally, these plasmas do not reach transport equilibrium in the short 25 ms pulse length available. After an L-H transition, strong spectral broadening indicates increasing Te, to values above the range of the present spectrometer system with a high-dispersion VPH grating. Near-term system upgrades will focus on deploying a second spectrometer, with a lower-dispersion grating capable of measuring the 0.1-1.0 keV range. The second spectrometer system will also increase the available number of spatial channels, enabling study of H-mode pedestal structure. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Factors associated with initial treatment and survival for clinically localized prostate cancer: results from the CDC-NPCR Patterns of Care Study (PoC1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schymura, Maria J; Kahn, Amy R; German, Robert R; Hsieh, Mei-Chin; Cress, Rosemary D; Finch, Jack L; Fulton, John P; Shen, Tiefu; Stuckart, Erik

2010-01-01

Despite the large number of men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, there is as yet no consensus concerning appropriate treatment. The purpose of this study was to describe the initial treatment patterns for localized prostate cancer in a population-based sample and to determine the clinical and patient characteristics associated with initial treatment and overall survival. The analysis included 3,300 patients from seven states, diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer in 1997. We examined the association of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics with four treatment options: radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and watchful waiting. Diagnostic and treatment information was abstracted from medical records. Socioeconomic measures were derived from the 2000 Census based on the patient's residence at time of diagnosis. Vital status through December 31, 2002, was obtained from medical records and linkages to state vital statistics files and the National Death Index. Multiple logistic regression analysis and Cox proportional hazards models identified factors associated with initial treatment and overall survival, respectively. Patients with clinically localized prostate cancer received the following treatments: radical prostatectomy (39.7%), radiation therapy (31.4%), hormone therapy (10.3%), or watchful waiting (18.6%). After multivariable adjustment, the following variables were associated with conservative treatment (hormone therapy or watchful waiting): older age, black race, being unmarried, having public insurance, having non-screen detected cancer, having normal digital rectal exam results, PSA values above 20, low Gleason score (2-4), comorbidity, and state of residence. Among patients receiving definitive treatment (radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy), older age, being unmarried, PSA values above 10, unknown Gleason score, state of residence, as well as black race in patients under 60 years of age, were

Factors associated with initial treatment and survival for clinically localized prostate cancer: results from the CDC-NPCR Patterns of Care Study (PoC1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fulton John P

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the large number of men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, there is as yet no consensus concerning appropriate treatment. The purpose of this study was to describe the initial treatment patterns for localized prostate cancer in a population-based sample and to determine the clinical and patient characteristics associated with initial treatment and overall survival. Methods The analysis included 3,300 patients from seven states, diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer in 1997. We examined the association of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics with four treatment options: radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and watchful waiting. Diagnostic and treatment information was abstracted from medical records. Socioeconomic measures were derived from the 2000 Census based on the patient's residence at time of diagnosis. Vital status through December 31, 2002, was obtained from medical records and linkages to state vital statistics files and the National Death Index. Multiple logistic regression analysis and Cox proportional hazards models identified factors associated with initial treatment and overall survival, respectively. Results Patients with clinically localized prostate cancer received the following treatments: radical prostatectomy (39.7%, radiation therapy (31.4%, hormone therapy (10.3%, or watchful waiting (18.6%. After multivariable adjustment, the following variables were associated with conservative treatment (hormone therapy or watchful waiting: older age, black race, being unmarried, having public insurance, having non-screen detected cancer, having normal digital rectal exam results, PSA values above 20, low Gleason score (2-4, comorbidity, and state of residence. Among patients receiving definitive treatment (radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy, older age, being unmarried, PSA values above 10, unknown Gleason score, state of residence, as well as black

Pocket money, eating behaviors, and weight status among Chinese children: The Childhood Obesity Study in China mega-cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Miao; Xue, Hong; Jia, Peng; Zhao, Yaling; Wang, Zhiyong; Xu, Fei; Wang, Youfa

2017-07-01

Both the obesity rate and pocket money are rising among children in China. This study examined family correlates of children's pocket money, associations of pocket money with eating behaviors and weight status, and how the associations may be modified by schools' unhealthy food restrictions in urban China. Data were collected in 2015 from 1648 students in 16 primary and middle schools in four mega-cities in China (4 schools/city): Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Xi'an. Cluster robust negative binomial regression models were fit to assess family correlates of pocket money, associations of pocket money with child eating behaviors and weight outcomes, and possible modifying effects of schools' unhealthy food restrictions. Sixty-nine percent of students received pocket money weekly. Students received more pocket money if mothers frequently ate out of home (IRR=2.28 [1.76, 2.94]) and/or family rarely had dinner together (IRR=1.42, 95%=[1.01, 1.99]). Students got less pocket money if parents were concerned about child's future health due to unhealthy eating (IRR=0.56 [0.32,0.98]). Students with more pocket money more frequently consumed (by 25-89%) sugary beverages, snacks, fast food, or at street food stalls, and were 45-90% more likely to be overweight/obese. Associations of pocket money with unhealthy eating and overweight/obesity were weaker in schools with unhealthy food restrictions. Pocket money is a risk factor for unhealthy eating and obesity in urban China. School policies may buffer pocket money's negative influence on students' eating and weight status. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

GHG emission control and solid waste management for megacities with inexact inputs: A case study in Beijing, China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Hongwei, E-mail: luhw@ncepu.edu.cn; Sun, Shichao; Ren, Lixia; He, Li

2015-03-02

Highlights: • This study advances an integrated MSW management model under inexact input information. • The model can minimize net system cost and mitigate GHG emissions. • The model is particularly developed for the city of Beijing, China. • It reduces system cost by [45, 61]% and mitigates GHG emissions by [141, 179]%. • It could provide implications to megacities regarding GHG emissions control. - Abstract: This study advances an integrated MSW management model under inexact input information for the city of Beijing, China. The model is capable of simultaneously generating MSW management policies, performing GHG emission control, and addressing system uncertainty. Results suggest that: (1) a management strategy with minimal system cost can be obtained even when suspension of certain facilities becomes unavoidable through specific increments of the remaining ones; (2) expansion of facilities depends only on actual needs, rather than enabling the full usage of existing facilities, although it may prove to be a costly proposition; (3) adjustment of waste-stream diversion ratio directly leads to a change in GHG emissions from different disposal facilities. Results are also obtained from the comparison of the model with a conventional one without GHG emissions consideration. It is indicated that (1) the model would reduce the net system cost by [45, 61]% (i.e., [3173, 3520] million dollars) and mitigate GHG emissions by [141, 179]% (i.e., [76, 81] million tons); (2) increased waste would be diverted to integrated waste management facilities to prevent overmuch CH{sub 4} emission from the landfills.

Influence of local crystallographic configuration on microcrack initiation in fatigued 316LN stainless steel: Experiments and crystal plasticity finite elements simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Signor, L., E-mail: loic.signor@ensma.fr [Institut Pprime (UPR3346) CNRS/ISAE-ENSMA/Poitiers University (France); Villechaise, P.; Ghidossi, T.; Lacoste, E.; Gueguen, M. [Institut Pprime (UPR3346) CNRS/ISAE-ENSMA/Poitiers University (France); Courtin, S. [AREVA NP (France)

2016-01-01

Local crystallographic configurations (also referred to as local micro-texture) which promote transgranular micro-crack initiation in 316LN stainless steel in low cycle fatigue are studied. Specimens were subjected to tension-compression with constant plastic strain amplitude, in air, at room temperature, during 5000 cycles (i.e. about 20% of the fatigue life). The first part of this work is devoted to a statistical analysis of slip marks and cracks observed at surface of one fatigued specimen using scanning electron microscope (SEM), in a region composed of about 1000 grains. 95 micro-cracks initiated along persistent slip markings detected in this region are analyzed with respect to different characteristics of grains, especially crystallographic orientation, measured using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). From the detailed analysis of the numerous data derived from these observations and measurements performed only at surface, the two main significant factors which are found to favour crack formation are the grain size and the orientation of the activated slip system with respect to the surface. Indeed, the mean size of grains which contain cracks is almost twice the one of the remaining grains. Moreover, for most grains in which cracks are observed, the angle between the normal to the surface and the activated Burgers vector (resp. the normal to the activated slip plane) lies in the range [30°, 50°] (resp. [55°, 70°]). No other characteristic was found to provide significant and direct information in order to identify initiation sites. Thus, in the second part of this work, the analysis of initiation sites is performed using additional information relative to three-dimensional (3D) aspects of the microstructure. 3D characterisation of the polycrystalline microstructure and some cracks in one fatigued specimen was achieved using serial-sectioning technique combined with SEM and EBSD. As an example, the study of one specific crack and its surrounding

The energy transition: new dialogues between cities and local stakeholders. Exploratory study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saxer, Olivia; Lacassagne, Sylvie; Guerin, Laura; Dupas, Stephane

2016-01-01

Energy Cities has carried out an exploratory study for cities and diverse project leaders desiring to start a sustainable energy transition in collaboration with all stakeholders in their territory. Local authorities have a key role to play in climate and energy policies and in the energy transition towards a low carbon, energy efficient and sustainable society. However, they cannot act alone. They often control only a small percentage of the emissions of local greenhouse gases directly, and this percentage rarely exceeds a quarter. It is therefore necessary to rely on the involvement of local stakeholders, which in turn will provide an opportunity for these stakeholders to be ambitious through innovative actions. How to stimulate stakeholders' involvement? In the past several years, a number of citizens', economic actors' or other local actors' initiatives have contributed to the energy transition of territories. These initiatives are based on empowerment. For instance, stakeholders can get access and the power to act on innovative tools and approaches, such as social economy, stakeholders' participation, crowd-funding, renewable energy citizen cooperatives and fab labs. Two primary questions to explore: As coordinators and pilots of local strategies for energy transition, how can local authorities foster, identify, support and replicate local energy transition initiatives? What dialogue should local authorities and leaders of local initiatives engage in? How can they drive new modes of governance, where stakeholders share responsibility to co-develop public policies, manage their city, and encourage the energy transition at the local level? We selected more than ten European energy transition initiatives, as diverse as they are innovative, anticipating new forms of governance and new ways to act and collaborate. The exploratory study does not only describe their process but it also analyses the synergies between the different stakeholders and the role the

Local government and climate policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burger, H.; Menkveld, M.; Coenen, F.H.J.M.

2000-01-01

Local government in the Netherlands could play a greater role than they currently do in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the country. This fact formed the motivation for initiating the research project on Local Government and Climate Policy. Many local climate options are known in theory. Options for reduction that lie within the sphere of influence of Dutch local government are, for example, sustainable building or encouraging the utilisation of sustainable energy. But actual practice turns out to be rather refractory. If such options are to be implemented, then one has to overcome institutional barriers, such as the co-operation between different departments in the same local authority. The objective of this research is to improve the contribution that local government makes to climate policy

Dynamical localization in the 3-D kicked Rydberg atom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persson, E.; Yoshida, S.; Tong, X.-M.; Reinhold, C.; Burgdoerfer, J.

2001-01-01

Full text: The dynamical localization for the 3D periodically kicked Rydberg atom is analyzed. For the 1D kicked atom, earlier work shows dynamical localization as the quantum suppression of classically fast ionization associated with unbounded chaotic trajectories. The corresponding wave functions localize around unstable periodic orbits. For the experimental observation, the crucial question is the dependence of the dynamical localization on the dimension. As the first step, we simulate the full 3D evolution of an extreme parabolic initial state elongated in the direction of the unidirectional kicks. We compare this simulation with the 1D model and find signatures of localization also in 3D. We further examine the dependence of quantum localization on the parabolic quantum number of the initial state. In the limit of high kick frequencies, the origin of the localization can be understood in terms of Stark states in the average field. We discuss conditions for where an experimental observation of the localization is most likely. (author)

Diurnal, synoptic and seasonal variability of atmospheric CO2 in the Paris megacity area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Xueref-Remy

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Most of the global fossil fuel CO2 emissions arise from urbanized and industrialized areas. Bottom-up inventories quantify them but with large uncertainties. In 2010–2011, the first atmospheric in situ CO2 measurement network for Paris, the capital of France, began operating with the aim of monitoring the regional atmospheric impact of the emissions coming from this megacity. Five stations sampled air along a northeast–southwest axis that corresponds to the direction of the dominant winds. Two stations are classified as rural (Traînou – TRN; Montgé-en-Goële – MON, two are peri-urban (Gonesse – GON; Gif-sur-Yvette – GIF and one is urban (EIF, located on top of the Eiffel Tower. In this study, we analyze the diurnal, synoptic and seasonal variability of the in situ CO2 measurements over nearly 1 year (8 August 2010–13 July 2011. We compare these datasets with remote CO2 measurements made at Mace Head (MHD on the Atlantic coast of Ireland and support our analysis with atmospheric boundary layer height (ABLH observations made in the center of Paris and with both modeled and observed meteorological fields. The average hourly CO2 diurnal cycles observed at the regional stations are mostly driven by the CO2 biospheric cycle, the ABLH cycle and the proximity to urban CO2 emissions. Differences of several µmol mol−1 (ppm can be observed from one regional site to the other. The more the site is surrounded by urban sources (mostly residential and commercial heating, and traffic, the more the CO2 concentration is elevated, as is the associated variability which reflects the variability of the urban sources. Furthermore, two sites with inlets high above ground level (EIF and TRN show a phase shift of the CO2 diurnal cycle of a few hours compared to lower sites due to a strong coupling with the boundary layer diurnal cycle. As a consequence, the existence of a CO2 vertical gradient above Paris can be inferred, whose amplitude depends

Localization of three human polypeptide GalNAc-transferases in HeLa cells suggests initiation of O-linked glycosylation throughout the Golgi apparatus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Röttger, S; White, J; Wandall, H H

1998-01-01

O-glycosylation of proteins is initiated by a family of UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine:polypeptide N-acetylgalactos-aminyltransferases (GalNAc-T). In this study, we have localized endogenous and epitope-tagged human GalNAc-T1, -T2 and -T3 to the Golgi apparatus in HeLa cells by subcellular fractionation......, immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. We show that all three GalNAc-transferases are concentrated about tenfold in Golgi stacks over Golgi associated tubular-vesicular membrane structures. Surprisingly, we find that GalNAc-T1, -T2 and -T3 are present throughout the Golgi stack suggesting that initiation...... of O-glycosylation may not be restricted to the cis Golgi, but occur at multiple sites within the Golgi apparatus. GalNAc-T1 distributes evenly across the Golgi stack whereas GalNAc-T2 and -T3 reside preferentially on the trans side and in the medial part of the Golgi stack, respectively. Moreover, we...

Whose Knowledge, Whose Values? The Contribution of Local Knowledge to Education Policy Processes: A Case Study of Research Development Initiatives in the Small State of Saint Lucia

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Keith; Crossley, Michael

2004-01-01

This paper draws upon a case study of education in the small Caribbean state of Saint Lucia (population 154,000) to examine how local knowledge and values can influence the education policy process. It is argued that recent research development initiatives have strengthened the ability of Saint Lucia to mediate international education agendas to…

Source apportionment of particulate matter in Chinese megacities: the implication for emission control strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ru-Jin; Elser, Miriam; Wang, Qiyuan Wang; Bozzetti, Carlo; Wolf, Robert; Wang, Yichen; Ni, Haiyan; Wang, Meng; Ho, Kin-Fai; Han, Yongming; Dällenbach, Kaspar; Canonaco, Francesco; Slowik, Jay; El Haddad, Imad; Baltensperger, Urs; Cao, Junji; Prévôt, André S. H.

2015-04-01

The rapid industrialization and urbanization in developing countries has led to an increase in air pollution, along a similar trajectory to that previously experienced by the developed nations. In China, particulate pollution is a serious environmental problem that is influencing air quality, regional and global climates, and human health. A quantitative understanding of these effects has proven extremely challenging due to spatial and temporal variability in the sources of aerosols and their precursors, the complexity of particle composition, and uncertainties associated with the atmospheric aging of existing particles (Pöschl 2005; Hallquist et al., 2009; Huang et al., 2014). Nowadays the average PM2.5 concentrations in China are approximately one to two orders of magnitude higher than those observed in urban areas in the US and European countries (Cao 2012). This has forced the Chinese government to announce its first national environmental standard for PM2.5 in 2012 and to make highly ambitious plans for emission control. The Chinese aim to reduce the PM2.5 concentrations by up to 25% of the 2012 levels by 2017, backed by 277 billion investments from the central government. To achieve this ambitious aim, a better understanding of the aerosol composition, sources, and atmospheric processing is required. In this study, we present the results from intensive field measurement campaigns carried out in Chinese megacities in 2013/2014. The sources of PM2.5 and the organic aerosol (OA) were investigated by applying the multi-linear engine (ME-2) receptor model (Canonaco et al., 2013) to a comprehensive dataset. Primary sources including vehicle emissions, biomass burning, coal burning, and dust-related emissions were identified and quantified. The contributions from secondary aerosol formation processes to total PM2.5 mass and OA mass were evaluated. Detailed results will be presented and discussed. References Cao, J. J. (2012) J. Earth Environ., 3, 1030

Dynamical localization of two electrons in triple-quantum-dot shuttles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qu, Jinxian; Duan, Suqing; Yang, Ning

2012-01-01

The dynamical localization phenomena in two-electron quantum-dot shuttles driven by an ac field have been investigated and analyzed by the Floquet theory. The dynamical localization occurs near the anti-crossings in Floquet eigenenergy spectrum. The oscillation of the quantum-dot shuttles may increase the possibility of the dynamical localization. Especially, even if the two electrons are initialized in two neighbor dots, they can be localized there for appropriate intensity of the driven field. The studies may help the understanding of dynamical localization in electron shuttles and expand the application potential of nanoelectromechanical devices. -- Highlights: ► The dynamical localization in electron shuttle is studied by Floquet theory. ► There is a relation between quasi-energy anti-crossings and dynamical localization. ► The oscillation of quantum dot increases the dynamical localization. ► Even the electrons are initialized in different dots, the localization can occur.

Practical recommendations for the evaluation of improvement initiatives

Science.gov (United States)

Parry, Gareth; Coly, Astou; Goldmann, Don; Rowe, Alexander K; Chattu, Vijay; Logiudice, Deneil; Rabrenovic, Mihajlo; Nambiar, Bejoy

2018-01-01

Abstract A lack of clear guidance for funders, evaluators and improvers on what to include in evaluation proposals can lead to evaluation designs that do not answer the questions stakeholders want to know. These evaluation designs may not match the iterative nature of improvement and may be imposed onto an initiative in a way that is impractical from the perspective of improvers and the communities with whom they work. Consequently, the results of evaluations are often controversial, and attribution remains poorly understood. Improvement initiatives are iterative, adaptive and context-specific. Evaluation approaches and designs must align with these features, specifically in their ability to consider complexity, to evolve as the initiative adapts over time and to understand the interaction with local context. Improvement initiatives often identify broadly defined change concepts and provide tools for care teams to tailor these in more detail to local conditions. Correspondingly, recommendations for evaluation are best provided as broad guidance, to be tailored to the specifics of the initiative. In this paper, we provide practical guidance and recommendations that funders and evaluators can use when developing an evaluation plan for improvement initiatives that seeks to: identify the questions stakeholders want to address; develop the initial program theory of the initiative; identify high-priority areas to measure progress over time; describe the context the initiative will be applied within; and identify experimental or observational designs that will address attribution. PMID:29447410

Local control after brachytherapy for localized prostatic carcinomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wachter, T.; Peneau, M.; Sabattier, R.; Breteau, N.

1996-01-01

From 1991 to 1995; 31 patients (mid-age: 70 years) underwent prostatic brachytherapy for localized prostate cancers using Iridium 192 transperineal percutaneous interstitial implantation guided by transrectal ultrasonography. Initial staging included among other evaluations a bilateral staging, iliac and obturator lymph nodes dissection. Classification according to stage was : T1b=16%, T1c=36%, T2a=19%, T2b=13%, T2c=13%, T3a=3%. All patients were N (-). Gleason score was 5 for 55%. 77% of the initial PSA was < 25μg/l. Follow-up included one clinical control and psa determination at 1-3-6-12 and 18 months, bone scanning at 12 months and prostate biopsy guided by transrectal ultrasonography at 18, 24, 30 months. Up to now, mean follow-up is 32 months. At one month, psa was normal (< 2,5μg/l) in 21% of the patients, at 12 months 60% and 67% two years after brachytherapy. Biopsies at 18 months were negative for 60% of the patients and 63% at 24 months. 3 patients were metastased after 3 years. 4 patients had severe complications with colostomy and/or urinary derivation. This technic seems to be interesting for localized prostate cancers T1 and T2 with initial psa < 25μg/l. Two third of the patients had normal psa and negative biopsies after 2 years. The rate of ano-rectal and urinary morbidity is high but is explained by the technic used at the beginning of this study

Local fields and their extensions

CERN Document Server

Fesenko, I B

2002-01-01

This book offers a modern presentation of local fields whose spectacular development was initiated almost one hundred years ago by K. Hensel. The volume consists of nine chapters divided into four parts: arithmetic properties of local fields, class field theory for various types of local fields and generalizations, explicit formulas for the Hilbert pairing, and Milnor K-groups of fields and of local fields. The first three parts essentially simplify, revise, and update the first edition. This second edition contains about sixty additional pages reflecting several aspects of the developments in local number theory in the last ten years. Exercises point to many other paths for exploration. The book is designed for graduate students and research mathematicians interested in local number theory and its applications in arithmetic algebraic geometry.

Seasonal characteristics, formation mechanisms and source origins of PM2.5 in two megacities in Sichuan Basin, China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huanbo; Tian, Mi; Chen, Yang; Shi, Guangming; Liu, Yuan; Yang, Fumo; Zhang, Leiming; Deng, Liqun; Yu, Jiayan; Peng, Chao; Cao, Xuyao

2018-01-01

To investigate the characteristics of PM2.5 and its major chemical components, formation mechanisms, and geographical origins in the two megacities, Chengdu (CD) and Chongqing (CQ), in Sichuan Basin of southwest China, daily PM2.5 samples were collected simultaneously at one urban site in each city for four consecutive seasons from autumn 2014 to summer 2015. Annual mean concentrations of PM2.5 were 67.0 ± 43.4 and 70.9 ± 41.4 µg m-3 at CD and CQ, respectively. Secondary inorganic aerosol (SNA) and organic matter (OM) accounted for 41.1 and 26.1 % of PM2.5 mass at CD, and 37.4 and 29.6 % at CQ, respectively. Seasonal variations of PM2.5 and major chemical components were significant, usually with the highest mass concentration in winter and the lowest in summer. Daily PM2.5 concentration exceeded the national air quality standard on 30 % of the sampling days at both sites, and most of the pollution events were at the regional scale within the basin formed under stagnant meteorological conditions. The concentrations of carbonaceous components were higher at CQ than CD, likely partially caused by emissions from the large number of motorcycles and the spraying processes used during automobile production in CQ. Heterogeneous reactions probably played an important role in the formation of SO42-, while both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions contributed to the formation of NO3-. Geographical origins of emissions sources contributing to high PM2.5 masses at both sites were identified to be mainly distributed within the basin based on potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis.

Simulating the formation of carbonaceous aerosol in a European Megacity (Paris during the MEGAPOLI summer and winter campaigns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Fountoukis

2016-03-01

Full Text Available We use a three-dimensional regional chemical transport model (PMCAMx with high grid resolution and high-resolution emissions (4 × 4 km2 over the Paris greater area to simulate the formation of carbonaceous aerosol during a summer (July 2009 and a winter (January/February 2010 period as part of the MEGAPOLI (megacities: emissions, urban, regional, and global atmospheric pollution and climate effects, and Integrated tools for assessment and mitigation campaigns. Model predictions of carbonaceous aerosol are compared against Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer and black carbon (BC high time resolution measurements from three ground sites. PMCAMx predicts BC concentrations reasonably well reproducing the majority (70 % of the hourly data within a factor of two during both periods. The agreement for the summertime secondary organic aerosol (OA concentrations is also encouraging (mean bias = 0.1 µg m−3 during a photochemically intense period. The model tends to underpredict the summertime primary OA concentrations in the Paris greater area (by approximately 0.8 µg m−3 mainly due to missing primary OA emissions from cooking activities. The total cooking emissions are estimated to be approximately 80 mg d−1 per capita and have a distinct diurnal profile in which 50 % of the daily cooking OA is emitted during lunch time (12:00–14:00 LT and 20 % during dinner time (20:00–22:00 LT. Results also show a large underestimation of secondary OA in the Paris greater area during wintertime (mean bias =  −2.3 µg m−3 pointing towards a secondary OA formation process during low photochemical activity periods that is not simulated in the model.

Simulating the formation of carbonaceous aerosol in a European Megacity (Paris) during the MEGAPOLI summer and winter campaigns

Science.gov (United States)

Fountoukis, Christos; Megaritis, Athanasios G.; Skyllakou, Ksakousti; Charalampidis, Panagiotis E.; Denier van der Gon, Hugo A. C.; Crippa, Monica; Prévôt, André S. H.; Fachinger, Friederike; Wiedensohler, Alfred; Pilinis, Christodoulos; Pandis, Spyros N.

2016-03-01

We use a three-dimensional regional chemical transport model (PMCAMx) with high grid resolution and high-resolution emissions (4 × 4 km2) over the Paris greater area to simulate the formation of carbonaceous aerosol during a summer (July 2009) and a winter (January/February 2010) period as part of the MEGAPOLI (megacities: emissions, urban, regional, and global atmospheric pollution and climate effects, and Integrated tools for assessment and mitigation) campaigns. Model predictions of carbonaceous aerosol are compared against Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer and black carbon (BC) high time resolution measurements from three ground sites. PMCAMx predicts BC concentrations reasonably well reproducing the majority (70 %) of the hourly data within a factor of two during both periods. The agreement for the summertime secondary organic aerosol (OA) concentrations is also encouraging (mean bias = 0.1 µg m-3) during a photochemically intense period. The model tends to underpredict the summertime primary OA concentrations in the Paris greater area (by approximately 0.8 µg m-3) mainly due to missing primary OA emissions from cooking activities. The total cooking emissions are estimated to be approximately 80 mg d-1 per capita and have a distinct diurnal profile in which 50 % of the daily cooking OA is emitted during lunch time (12:00-14:00 LT) and 20 % during dinner time (20:00-22:00 LT). Results also show a large underestimation of secondary OA in the Paris greater area during wintertime (mean bias = -2.3 µg m-3) pointing towards a secondary OA formation process during low photochemical activity periods that is not simulated in the model.

Local Community Detection Algorithm Based on Minimal Cluster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Zhou

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In order to discover the structure of local community more effectively, this paper puts forward a new local community detection algorithm based on minimal cluster. Most of the local community detection algorithms begin from one node. The agglomeration ability of a single node must be less than multiple nodes, so the beginning of the community extension of the algorithm in this paper is no longer from the initial node only but from a node cluster containing this initial node and nodes in the cluster are relatively densely connected with each other. The algorithm mainly includes two phases. First it detects the minimal cluster and then finds the local community extended from the minimal cluster. Experimental results show that the quality of the local community detected by our algorithm is much better than other algorithms no matter in real networks or in simulated networks.

Exploring the Strengths and Limits of Strong and Weak Sustainability Indicators: A Case Study of the Assessment of China’s Megacities with EF and GPI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Huang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The perspective of strong/weak sustainability has a great impact on sustainability assessment. In this study, two most widely used indices, Ecological Footprint (EF and Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI for strong and weak sustainability assessment, were employed to evaluate the sustainability of China’s ten megacities between 1978 and 2015. The results showed that the ecological footprint had been enlarged in the past twenty years; while the genuine economic welfare started to increase since 2005. The cities of Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Shanghai met the threshold of below 2.5 global hectares for EF/capita, and over 3000 dollars/capita (in 2010 US$ for GPI/capita. By analyzing and comparing the characteristics, the processes and results, and the complementary features of evaluation methods of EF and GPI, the research suggested that: (1 Strong and weak sustainability indicators, with their own pros/cons in sustainability assessment, should be used carefully; (2 Weak sustainability indicators could be analyzed from the perspective of strong sustainability; (3 Strong sustainability indicators need to be developed urgently. The results in this study could guide the selection of sustainability indicators, and help interpret the results of sustainability assessment.

Communication: Estimating the initial biasing potential for λ-local-elevation umbrella-sampling (λ-LEUS) simulations via slow growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bieler, Noah S.; Hünenberger, Philippe H., E-mail: phil@igc.phys.chem.ethz.ch [Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zürich (Switzerland)

2014-11-28

In a recent article [Bieler et al., J. Chem. Theory Comput. 10, 3006–3022 (2014)], we introduced a combination of the λ-dynamics (λD) approach for calculating alchemical free-energy differences and of the local-elevation umbrella-sampling (LEUS) memory-based biasing method to enhance the sampling along the alchemical coordinate. The combined scheme, referred to as λ-LEUS, was applied to the perturbation of hydroquinone to benzene in water as a test system, and found to represent an improvement over thermodynamic integration (TI) in terms of sampling efficiency at equivalent accuracy. However, the preoptimization of the biasing potential required in the λ-LEUS method requires “filling up” all the basins in the potential of mean force. This introduces a non-productive pre-sampling time that is system-dependent, and generally exceeds the corresponding equilibration time in a TI calculation. In this letter, a remedy is proposed to this problem, termed the slow growth memory guessing (SGMG) approach. Instead of initializing the biasing potential to zero at the start of the preoptimization, an approximate potential of mean force is estimated from a short slow growth calculation, and its negative used to construct the initial memory. Considering the same test system as in the preceding article, it is shown that of the application of SGMG in λ-LEUS permits to reduce the preoptimization time by about a factor of four.

Communication: Estimating the initial biasing potential for λ-local-elevation umbrella-sampling (λ-LEUS) simulations via slow growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bieler, Noah S.; Hünenberger, Philippe H.

2014-01-01

In a recent article [Bieler et al., J. Chem. Theory Comput. 10, 3006–3022 (2014)], we introduced a combination of the λ-dynamics (λD) approach for calculating alchemical free-energy differences and of the local-elevation umbrella-sampling (LEUS) memory-based biasing method to enhance the sampling along the alchemical coordinate. The combined scheme, referred to as λ-LEUS, was applied to the perturbation of hydroquinone to benzene in water as a test system, and found to represent an improvement over thermodynamic integration (TI) in terms of sampling efficiency at equivalent accuracy. However, the preoptimization of the biasing potential required in the λ-LEUS method requires “filling up” all the basins in the potential of mean force. This introduces a non-productive pre-sampling time that is system-dependent, and generally exceeds the corresponding equilibration time in a TI calculation. In this letter, a remedy is proposed to this problem, termed the slow growth memory guessing (SGMG) approach. Instead of initializing the biasing potential to zero at the start of the preoptimization, an approximate potential of mean force is estimated from a short slow growth calculation, and its negative used to construct the initial memory. Considering the same test system as in the preceding article, it is shown that of the application of SGMG in λ-LEUS permits to reduce the preoptimization time by about a factor of four

InSAR analysis of the crustal deformation affecting the megacity of Istanbul: the results of the FP7 Marsite Project as a GEO Supersite Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Solaro, Giuseppe; Bonano, Manuela; Manzo, Mariarosaria

2016-04-01

The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) is one of the most active faults worldwide, extending approximately 1,200 km from Eastern Turkey to the Northern Aegean Sea. During the 20th century series of damaging earthquakes occurred along the NAF, generally propagated westward towards Istanbul; the last one occurred in 1999 at Izmit, a city 80 km away from Istanbul. Within this scenario, the FP7 MARsite project (New Directions in Seismic Hazard assessment through Focused Earth Observation in Marmara Supersite), supported by EU, intends to collect, share and integrate multidisciplinary data (seismologic, geochemical, surveying, satellite, etc.) in order to carry out assessment, mitigation and management of seismic risk in the region of the Sea of Marmara. In the framework of the MARsite project, we performed the analysis and monitoring of the surface deformation affecting the Istanbul mega city by exploiting the large archives of X-band satellite SAR data, made available through the Supersites Initiatives, and by processing them via the advanced multi-temporal and multi-scale InSAR technique, known as the Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) approach. In particular, we applied the SBAS technique to a dataset of 101 SAR images acquired by the TerraSAR-X constellation of the German Space Agency (DLR) over descending orbits and spanning the November 2010 - August 2014 time interval. From,these images, we generated 312 differential interferograms with a maximum spatial separation (perpendicular baseline) between the acquisition orbits of about 500 m., that were used to generate, via the SBAS approach, mean deformation velocity map and corresponding ground time series of the investigated area. The performed InSAR analysis reveals a generalized stability over the Istanbul area, except for some localized displacements, related to subsidence and slope instability phenomena. In particular, we identified: (i) a displacement pattern related to the Istanbul airport, showing a mostly linear

Fayette County Better Buildings Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Capella, Arthur [County of Fayette, Uniontown, PA (United States)

2015-03-04

The Fayette County Better Buildings Initiative represented a comprehensive and collaborative approach to promoting and implementing energy efficiency improvements. The initiative was designed to focus on implementing energy efficiency improvements in residential units, while simultaneously supporting general marketing of the benefits of implementing energy efficiency measures. The ultimate goal of Fayette County’s Better Buildings Initiative was to implement a total of 1,067 residential energy efficiency retrofits with a minimum 15% estimated energy efficiency savings per unit. Program partners included: United States Department of Energy, Allegheny Power, and Private Industry Council of Westmoreland-Fayette, Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, and various local partners. The program was open to any Fayette County residents who own their home and meet the prequalifying conditions. The level of assistance offered depended upon household income and commitment to undergo a BPI – Certified Audit and implement energy efficiency measures, which aimed to result in at least a 15% reduction in energy usage. The initiative was designed to focus on implementing energy efficiency improvements in residential units, while simultaneously supporting general marketing of the benefits of implementing energy efficiency measures. Additionally, the program had components that involved recruitment and training for employment of persons in the energy sector (green jobs), as well as marketing and implementation of a commercial or community facilities component. The residential component of Fayette County’s Better Buildings Initiative involved a comprehensive approach, providing assistance to low- moderate- and market-rate homeowners. The initiative will also coordinate activities with local utility providers to further incentivize energy efficiency improvements among qualifying homeowners. The commercial component of Fayette County’s Better Building Initiative involved grants

Initial operation of the new bevatron local injector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staples, J.; Dwinell, R.; Gough, R.

1985-01-01

Initial operational characteristics of a new Bevatron injector system are described. It is capable of providing an independent source of ions to the Bevatron through mass 40. The new injector consists of a sputter ion PIG source, operating on a 60 kV DC platform, an RFQ linac, and two Alvarez linacs, all operating at 199 MHz. Beams with q/A greater than or equal to 0.14 are accelerated to 200 keV/n in the RFQ and to 800 keV/n in the first Alvarez tank. Each Alvarez operates in the 2βlambda mode, and each is followed by a foil stripper. Beams with a q/A greater than or equal to 0.32 are accelerated through the second Alvarez to 5 MeV/n, fully stripped, and injected into the Bevatron. Because the Bevatron can be efficiently switched between this injector and the Super HILAC injector, a more efficient operations schedule is made possible to meet the increasingly diverse needs of the Biomedical and Nuclear Science research programs

Initial operation of the new Bevatron local injector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staples, J.; Dwinell, R.; Gough, R.

1985-05-01

Initial operational characteristics of a new Bevatron injector system are described. It is capable of providing an independent source of ions to the Bevatron through mass 40. The new injector consists of a sputter ion PIG source, operating on a 60 kV dc platform, an RFQ linac, and two Alvarez linacs, all operating at 199 MHz. Beams with q/A greater than or equal to 0.14 are accelerated to 200 keV/n in the RFQ and to 800 keV/n in the first Alvarez tank. Each Alvarez operates in the 2βlambda mode, and each is followed by a foil stripper. Beams with a q/A greater than or equal to 0.32 are accelerated through the second Alvarez to 5 MeV/n, fully stripped, and injected into the Bevatron. Because the Bevatron can be efficiently switched between this injector and the SuperHILAC injector, a more efficient operations schedule is made possible to meet the increasingly diverse needs of the Biomedical and Nuclear Science research programs. 5 refs

Vermont Biofuels Initiative: Local Production for Local Use to Supply a Portion of Vermont's Energy Needs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sawyer, Scott; Kahler, Ellen

2009-05-31

The Vermont Biofuels initiative (VBI) is the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund's (VSJF) biomass-to-biofuels market development program. Vermont is a small state with a large petroleum dependency for transportation (18th in per capita petroleum consumption) and home heating (55% of all households use petroleum for heating). The VBI marks the first strategic effort to reduce Vermont's dependency on petroleum through the development of homegrown alternatives. As such, it supports the four key priorities of the U.S. Department of Energy's Multi-year Biomass Plan: 1.) Dramatically reduce dependence on foreign oil; 2.) Promote the use of diverse, domestic and sustainable energy resources; 3.) Reduce carbon emissions from energy production and consumption; 4.) Establish a domestic bioindustry. In 2005 VSJF was awarded with a $496,000 Congressionally directed award from U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy. This award was administered through the U.S. Department of Energy (DE-FG36- 05GO85017, hereafter referred to as DOE FY05) with $396,000 to be used by VSJF for biodiesel development and $100,000 to be used by the Vermont Department of Public Service for methane biodigester projects. The intent and strategic focus of the VBI is similar to another DOE funded organization-the Biofuels Center of North Carolina-in that it is a nonprofit driven, statewide biofuels market development effort. DOE FY05 funds were expensed from 2006 through 2008 for seven projects: 1) a feedstock production, logistics, and biomass conversion research project conducted by the University of Vermont Extension; 2) technical assistance in the form of a safety review and engineering study of State Line Biofuels existing biodiesel production facility; 3) technical assistance in the form of a safety review and engineering study of Borderview Farm's proposed biodiesel production facility; 4) technology and infrastructure purchases for capacity expansion at Green Technologies, LLC, a waste vegetable

Estimation of Initial Position Using Line Segment Matching in Maps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chongyang Wei

2016-06-01

Full Text Available While navigating in a typical traffic scene, with a drastic drift or sudden jump in its Global Positioning System (GPS position, the localization based on such an initial position is unable to extract precise overlapping data from the prior map in order to match the current data, thus rendering the localization as unfeasible. In this paper, we first propose a new method to estimate an initial position by matching the infrared reflectivity maps. The maps consist of a highly precise prior map, built with the offline simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM technique, and a smooth current map, built with the integral over velocities. Considering the attributes of the maps, we first propose to exploit the stable, rich line segments to match the lidar maps. To evaluate the consistency of the candidate line pairs in both maps, we propose to adopt the local appearance, pairwise geometric attribute and structural likelihood to construct an affinity graph, as well as employ a spectral algorithm to solve the graph efficiently. The initial position is obtained according to the relationship between the vehicle's current position and matched lines. Experiments on the campus with a GPS error of dozens of metres show that our algorithm can provide an accurate initial value with average longitudinal and lateral errors being 1.68m and 1.04m, respectively.

A critical assessment of marine aquarist biodiversity data and commercial aquaculture: identifying gaps in culture initiatives to inform local fisheries managers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna M Murray

Full Text Available It is widely accepted that if well managed, the marine aquarium trade could provide socio-economic stability to local communities while incentivising the maintenance of coral reefs. However, the trade has also been implicated as having potentially widespread environmental impacts that has in part driven developments in aquaculture to relieve wild collection pressures. This study investigates the biodiversity in hobbyist aquaria (using an online survey and those species currently available from an aquaculture source (commercial data and hobbyist initiatives in the context of a traffic light system to highlight gaps in aquaculture effort and identify groups that require fisheries assessments. Two hundred and sixty nine species including clown fish, damsels, dotty backs, angelfish, gobies, sea horses and blennies, have reported breeding successes by hobbyists, a pattern mirrored by the European and US commercial organisations. However, there is a mismatch (high demand and low/non-existent aquaculture for a number of groups including tangs, starfish, anemones and hermit crabs, which we recommend are priority candidates for local stock assessments. Hobbyist perception towards the concept of a sustainable aquarium trade is also explored with results demonstrating that only 40% of respondents were in agreement with industry and scientists who believe the trade could be an exemplar of a sustainable use of coral reefs. We believe that a more transparent evidence base, including the publication of the species collected and cultured, will go some way to align the concept of a sustainable trade across industry stakeholders and better inform the hobbyist when purchasing their aquaria stock. We conclude by proposing that a certification scheme established with government support is the most effective way to move towards a self-regulating industry. It would prevent industry "greenwashing" from multiple certification schemes, alleviate conservation concerns

Localization of nuclear power plant technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stiteler, F.Z.; Rudek, T.G.

1998-01-01

Asia, and particularly China, has an enormous need for power and must deal with the practicalities of building large base load units. In China, as in other countries, there are limitations on the use of large quantities of fossil fuel. This raises the possibility of turning to nuclear power to satisfy their energy needs. Other issues tend to point to the nuclear option for these growing economies, including economic considerations, environmental concerns, energy independence and raising the technological capabilities of the country. When a country embarks on a nuclear power program with the intention of localizing the technology, a long-term commitment is necessary to achieve this objective. Localization of nuclear technology is not a new phenomenon. The nature of the industry from the early beginnings has always involved transfer of technology when a new country initiated a nuclear power construction program. In fact, most previous experiences with this localization process involved heavy governmental, political and financial support to drive the success of the program. Because of this strong governmental support, only the receiving nation's companies were generally allowed to participate in the local business operations of the technology recipient. What is new and different today is the retreat from heavy financial support by the receiving country's government. This change has created a strong emphasis on cost-effectiveness in the technology transfer process and opportunities for foreign companies to participate in local business activities. ABB is a world-wide company with two parent companies that have been very active over many years in establishing cost-justified local operations throughout the world. Today, ABB has become the largest electrical engineering company in the world with respected local operations in nearly every country. Lessons learned by ABB in their world-wide localization initiatives are being applied to the challenge of cost

Megacity Indicator System for Disaster Risk Management in Istanbul (MegaIST)

Science.gov (United States)

Yahya Menteşe, Emin; Kılıç, Osman; Baş, Mahmut; Khazai, Bijan; Ergün Konukcu, Betul; Emre Basmacı, Ahmet

2017-04-01

Decision makers need tools to understand the priorities and to set up benchmarks and track progress in their disaster risk reduction activities, so that they can justify their decisions and investments. In this regard, Megacity Indicator System for Disaster Risk Management (MegaIST), is developed in order to be used in disaster risk management studies, for decision makers and managers to establish right strategies and proper risk reduction actions, enhance resource management and investment decisions, set priorities, monitor progress in DRM and validate decisions taken with the aim of helping disaster oriented urban redevelopment, inform investors about risk profile of the city and providing a basis for dissemination and sharing of risk components with related stakeholders; by Directorate of Earthquake and Ground Research of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM). MegaIST achieves these goals by analyzing the earthquake risk in three separate but complementary sub-categories consisting of "urban seismic risk, coping capacity and disaster risk management index" in an integrated way. MegaIST model fosters its analyses by presenting the outputs in a simple and user friendly format benefiting from GIS technology that ensures the adoptability of the model's use. Urban seismic risk analysis includes two components, namely; Physical Risk and Social Vulnerability Analysis. Physical risk analysis is based on the possible physical losses (such as building damage, casualties etc.) due to an earthquake while social vulnerability is considered as a factor that increases the results of the physical losses in correlation with the level of education, health, economic status and disaster awareness/preparedness of society. Coping capacity analysis is carried out with the aim of understanding the readiness of the Municipality to respond and recover from a disaster in Istanbul can be defined both in terms of the Municipality's operational capacities - the capacity of the

GHG and black carbon emission inventories from Mezquital Valley: The main energy provider for Mexico Megacity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montelongo-Reyes, M.M.; Otazo-Sánchez, E.M.; Romo-Gómez, C.; Gordillo-Martínez, A.J.; Galindo-Castillo, E.

2015-09-15

The greenhouse gases and black carbon emission inventory from IPCC key category Energy was accomplished for the Mezquital Valley, one of the most polluted regions in Mexico, as the Mexico City wastewater have been continuously used in agricultural irrigation for more than a hundred years. In addition, thermoelectric, refinery, cement and chemistry industries are concentrated in the southern part of the valley, near Mexico City. Several studies have reported air, soil, and water pollution data and its main sources for the region. Paradoxically, these sources contaminate the valley, but boosted its economic development. Nevertheless, no research has been done concerning GHG emissions, or climate change assessment. This paper reports inventories performed by the 1996 IPCC methodology for the baseline year 2005. Fuel consumption data were derived from priority sectors such as electricity generation, refineries, manufacturing & cement industries, transportation, and residential use. The total CO{sub 2} emission result was 13,894.9 Gg, which constituted three-quarters of Hidalgo statewide energy category. The principal CO{sub 2} sources were energy transformation (69%) and manufacturing (19%). Total black carbon emissions were estimated by a bottom-up method at 0.66 Gg. The principal contributor was on-road transportation (37%), followed by firewood residential consumption (26%) and cocked brick manufactures (22%). Non-CO{sub 2} gas emissions were also significant, particularly SO{sub 2} (255.9 Gg), which accounts for 80% of the whole Hidalgo State emissions. Results demonstrated the negative environmental impact on Mezquital Valley, caused by its role as a Megacity secondary fuel and electricity provider, as well as by the presence of several cement industries. - Highlights: • First GHG & black carbon inventory for Mezquital Valley: Mexico City energy supplier • Energy industries caused the largest CO{sub 2} and SO{sub 2} emissions from residual fuel oil. • Diesel

Scattering and absorption characteristics of aerosols at an urban megacity over IGB: Implications to radiative forcing

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, A. K.; Bisht, D. S.; Singh, Sachchidanand; Kishore, N.; Soni, V. K.; Singh, Siddhartha; Tiwari, S.

2018-06-01

Aerosol scattering and absorption characteristics were investigated at an urban megacity Delhi in the western Indo-Gangetic Basin (IGB) during the period from October 2011 to September 2012 using different in-situ measurements. The scattering coefficient (σsp at 550 nm) varied between 71 and 3014 Mm-1 (mean 710 ± 615 Mm-1) during the entire study period, which was about ten times higher than the absorption coefficient (σabs at 550 nm 67 ± 40 Mm-1). Seasonally, σsp and σabs were substantially higher during the winter/post-monsoon periods, which also gave rise to single scattering albedo (SSA) by 5%. The magnitude of SSA (at 550 nm) varied between 0.81 and 0.94 (mean: 0.89 ± 0.05). Further, the magnitude of scattering Ångström exponent (SAE) and back-scattering Ångström exponent (BAE) showed a wide range from -1.20 to 1.57 and -1.13 to 0.87, respectively which suggests large variability in aerosol sizes and emission sources. Relatively higher aerosol backscatter fraction (b at 550 nm) during the monsoon (0.25 ± 0.10) suggests more inhomogeneous scattering, associated with the coarser dust particles. However, lower value of b during winter (0.13 ± 0.02) is associated with more isotropic scattering due to dominance of smaller size particles. This is further confirmed with the estimated asymmetry parameter (AP at 550 nm), which exhibits opposite trend with b. The aerosol optical parameters were used in a radiative transfer model to estimate aerosol radiative forcing. A mean radiative forcing of -61 ± 22 W m-2 (ranging from -111 to -40 W m-2) was observed at the surface and 42 ± 24 W m-2 (ranging from 18 to 87 W m-2) into the atmosphere, which can give rise to the mean atmospheric heating rate of 1.18 K day-1.

Fast combustion waves and chemi-ionization processes in a flame initiated by a powerful local plasma source in a closed reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Artem'ev, K. V.; Berezhetskaya, N. K.; Kazantsev, S. Yu.; Kononov, N. G.; Kossyi, I. A.; Popov, N. A.; Tarasova, N. M.; Filimonova, E. A.; Firsov, K. N.

2015-01-01

Results are presented from experimental studies of the initiation of combustion in a stoichiometric methane–oxygen mixture by a freely localized laser spark and by a high-current multispark discharge in a closed chamber. It is shown that, preceding the stage of ‘explosive’ inflammation of a gas mixture, there appear two luminous objects moving away from the initiator along an axis: a relatively fast and uniform wave of ‘incomplete combustion’ under laser spark ignition and a wave with a brightly glowing plasmoid behind under ignition from high-current slipping surface discharge. The gas mixtures in both the ‘preflame’ and developed-flame states are characterized by a high degree of ionization as the result of chemical ionization (plasma density ne≈1012 cm−3) and a high frequency of electron–neutral collisions (νen≈1012 s−1). The role of chemical ionization in constructing an adequate theory for the ignition of a gas mixture is discussed. The feasibility of the microwave heating of both the preflame and developed-flame plasma, supplementary to a chemical energy source, is also discussed. PMID:26170426

Quantum localization in the three-dimensional kicked Rydberg atom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persson, Emil; Yoshida, Shuhei; Burgdoerfer, Joachim; Tong, X.-M.; Reinhold, Carlos O.

2003-01-01

We study the three-dimensional (3D) unidirectionally kicked Rydberg atom. For parabolic initial states elongated in the direction of the kicks we show that the ionization of the quantum system is suppressed as compared to the classical counterpart and that the quantum wave function is localized along all degrees of freedom, whereas the classical system is globally diffusive. We discuss the connection to the previously studied one-dimensional (1D) model of the kicked Rydberg atom and verify that the 1D model is a good approximation to the 3D quantum case in the limiting case of the most elongated initial states. We further study the quantum phase-space distribution (Husimi distribution) of the eigenstates of the period-one time-evolution (Floquet) operator and show that the eigenstates are localized in phase space. For the most elongated parabolic initial state, we are able to identify the unstable periodic orbits around which Floquet states localize. We discuss the possibility of observing quantum localization in high Rydberg states in n>100

Secondary Organic Aerosol Production over Seoul, South Korea, during KORUS-AQ

Science.gov (United States)

Nault, B.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Day, D. A.; Schroder, J. C.; Blake, D. R.; Brune, W. H.; Choi, Y.; DiGangi, J. P.; Fried, A.; Huey, L. G.; Knote, C. J.; Montzka, D. D.; Weinheimer, A. J.; Jimenez, J. L.; Armin, W.

2017-12-01

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is rapidly produced over and downwind of urban areas, causing important effects on health, visibility, and climate. However, multiple studies over different cities have shown that the production of SOA over urban areas cannot be accounted for when only using traditional volatile compounds (e.g., aromatics). Non-traditional anthropogenic volatile compounds—semi- and intermediate-volatile organic compounds (S/IVOC) are needed to account the observed urban SOA production. At this time, only a few megacities have been well characterized for urban SOA production; however, urban SOA production has not been well characterized in a megacity embedded in a region of rapid economic growth and energy consumption. In this study, we utilize observations from the NASA DC-8 over Seoul, South Korea, during the NASA/NIER 2016 KORean United States-Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) study to investigate the influence of transported OA and SOA precursors to Seoul versus the influence of local emissions of SOA precursors on the observed SOA production. We utilize the ambient gas-phase and OA observations over Seoul and the Western Sea along with Oxidation Flow Reactor (OFR) observations and FLEXPART tracer analysis to investigate the influence of transport versus local emissions. We find that the contribution of transported OA and SOA precursors to Seoul, during the campaign, was minor and had a small impact on the observed SOA production. Using the observed traditional volatile compounds, along with estimates of S/IVOC, brought near closure for the observed SOA production. We found that greater than 90% of the SOA production can be accounted for by reactive organic compounds with OH lifetimes less than 1 day, consistent with several previous megacity studies, further suggesting that local SOA precursor emissions are dominant. Our study highlights the need to further investigate and account for speciated S/IVOC measurements, as these represented an estimated 60

RNA Localization in Astrocytes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Rune

2012-01-01

, regulation of the blood brain barrier and glial scar tissue formation. Despite the involvement in various CNS functions only a limited number of studies have addressed mRNA localization in astrocytes. This PhD project was initially focused on developing and implementing methods that could be used to asses mRNA......Messenger RNA (mRNA) localization is a mechanism by which polarized cells can regulate protein synthesis to specific subcellular compartments in a spatial and temporal manner, and plays a pivotal role in multiple physiological processes from embryonic development to cell differentiation...... localization in astrocyte protrusions, and following look into the subcellular localization pattern of specific mRNA species of both primary astrocytes isolated from cortical hemispheres of newborn mice, and the mouse astrocyte cell line, C8S. The Boyden chamber cell fractionation assay was optimized, in a way...

Stakeholder initiatives in flood risk management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Edelenbos, Jurian; Buuren, Van Arwin; Roth, Dik; Winnubst, Madelinde

2017-01-01

In recent years stakeholder participation has become a popular topic in flood management. Little is known about how and under which circumstances local stakeholders initiate and develop successful flood management strategies and how governmental actors respond to them. Drawing on theories of

Local Government in the South Pacific Islands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Graham Hassall

2008-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper we seek to answer some basic questions about the condition of local government in the Pacific. Firstly, we examine what is meant by ‘local government’ in the various islands and for that matter how Pacific Island states have perceived and accepted local government institutions in practice; second, we ask basic questions about existing legal and constitutional recognition and powers; and third, we provide initial findings on current per capita expenditure and local government financial viability in a number of Pacific cities and towns. We also make some observations on current moves towards local government reform.

29 CFR 1601.13 - Filing; deferrals to State and local agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...; deferrals to State and local agencies. (a) Initial presentation of a charge to the Commission. (1) Charges... give full weight to the policy of section 706(c) of title VII, which affords State and local fair... date of the alleged violation. (b) Initial presentation of a charge to a FEP agency. (1) When a charge...

36 CFR 254.4 - Agreement to initiate an exchange.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... exchange. 254.4 Section 254.4 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LANDOWNERSHIP ADJUSTMENTS Land Exchanges § 254.4 Agreement to initiate an exchange. (a) Exchanges may be proposed by the Forest Service or by any person, State, or local government. Initial exchange proposals...

Differential and enhanced response to climate forcing in diarrheal disease due to rotavirus across a megacity of the developing world.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, Pamela P; King, Aaron A; Yunus, Mohammad; Faruque, A S G; Pascual, Mercedes

2016-04-12

The role of climate forcing in the population dynamics of infectious diseases has typically been revealed via retrospective analyses of incidence records aggregated across space and, in particular, over whole cities. Here, we focus on the transmission dynamics of rotavirus, the main diarrheal disease in infants and young children, within the megacity of Dhaka, Bangladesh. We identify two zones, the densely urbanized core and the more rural periphery, that respond differentially to flooding. Moreover, disease seasonality differs substantially between these regions, spanning variation comparable to the variation from tropical to temperate regions. By combining process-based models with an extensive disease surveillance record, we show that the response to climate forcing is mainly seasonal in the core, where a more endemic transmission resulting from an asymptomatic reservoir facilitates the response to the monsoons. The force of infection in this monsoon peak can be an order of magnitude larger than the force of infection in the more epidemic periphery, which exhibits little or no postmonsoon outbreak in a pattern typical of nearby rural areas. A typically smaller peak during the monsoon season nevertheless shows sensitivity to interannual variability in flooding. High human density in the core is one explanation for enhanced transmission during troughs and an associated seasonal monsoon response in this diarrheal disease, which unlike cholera, has not been widely viewed as climate-sensitive. Spatial demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental heterogeneity can create reservoirs of infection and enhance the sensitivity of disease systems to climate forcing, especially in the populated cities of the developing world.

Local participation in biodiversity conservation initiatives: a comparative analysis of different models in South East Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Méndez-López, María Elena; García-Frapolli, Eduardo; Pritchard, Diana J; Sánchez González, María Consuelo; Ruiz-Mallén, Isabel; Porter-Bolland, Luciana; Reyes-Garcia, Victoria

2014-12-01

In Mexico, biodiversity conservation is primarily implemented through three schemes: 1) protected areas, 2) payment-based schemes for environmental services, and 3) community-based conservation, officially recognized in some cases as Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas. In this paper we compare levels of local participation across conservation schemes. Through a survey applied to 670 households across six communities in Southeast Mexico, we document local participation during the creation, design, and implementation of the management plan of different conservation schemes. To analyze the data, we first calculated the frequency of participation at the three different stages mentioned, then created a participation index that characterizes the presence and relative intensity of local participation for each conservation scheme. Results showed that there is a low level of local participation across all the conservation schemes explored in this study. Nonetheless, the payment for environmental services had the highest local participation while the protected areas had the least. Our findings suggest that local participation in biodiversity conservation schemes is not a predictable outcome of a specific (community-based) model, thus implying that other factors might be important in determining local participation. This has implications on future strategies that seek to encourage local involvement in conservation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seasonal characteristics, formation mechanisms and source origins of PM2.5 in two megacities in Sichuan Basin, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available To investigate the characteristics of PM2.5 and its major chemical components, formation mechanisms, and geographical origins in the two megacities, Chengdu (CD and Chongqing (CQ, in Sichuan Basin of southwest China, daily PM2.5 samples were collected simultaneously at one urban site in each city for four consecutive seasons from autumn 2014 to summer 2015. Annual mean concentrations of PM2.5 were 67.0 ± 43.4 and 70.9 ± 41.4 µg m−3 at CD and CQ, respectively. Secondary inorganic aerosol (SNA and organic matter (OM accounted for 41.1 and 26.1 % of PM2.5 mass at CD, and 37.4 and 29.6 % at CQ, respectively. Seasonal variations of PM2.5 and major chemical components were significant, usually with the highest mass concentration in winter and the lowest in summer. Daily PM2.5 concentration exceeded the national air quality standard on 30 % of the sampling days at both sites, and most of the pollution events were at the regional scale within the basin formed under stagnant meteorological conditions. The concentrations of carbonaceous components were higher at CQ than CD, likely partially caused by emissions from the large number of motorcycles and the spraying processes used during automobile production in CQ. Heterogeneous reactions probably played an important role in the formation of SO42−, while both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions contributed to the formation of NO3−. Geographical origins of emissions sources contributing to high PM2.5 masses at both sites were identified to be mainly distributed within the basin based on potential source contribution function (PSCF analysis.

Development and Evaluation of a Comprehensive Atmospheric Emission Inventory for Air Quality Modeling in the Megacity of Bogotá

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge E. Pachón

2018-02-01

Full Text Available We built an emission inventory (EI for the megacity of Bogotá, Colombia for 2012, which for the first time augments traditional industrial and mobile sources by including commercial sources, biogenic sources, and resuspended dust. We characterized the methodologies for estimating each source annually, and allocated the sources to hourly and 1 km2 spatial resolution for use as inputs for air quality modeling purposes. A resuspended particulate matter (RPM emission estimate was developed using the first measurements of road dust loadings and silt content for the city. Results show that mobile sources dominate emissions of CO2 (80%, CO (99%, VOC (68%, NOx (95%, and SO2 (85%. However, the newly estimated RPM comprises 90% of total PM10 emissions, which are at least onefold larger than the PM10 emissions from combustion processes. The 2012 EI was implemented in a chemical transport model (CTM in order to understand the pollutants’ fate and transport. Model evaluation was conducted against observations from the city’s air quality monitoring network in two different periods. Modeling results for O3 concentrations showed a good agreement, with mean fractional bias (MFB of +11%, and a mean fractional error (MFE of +35% with observations, but simulated PM10 concentrations were strongly biased high (MFB +57%, MFE +68%, which was likely due to RPM emissions being overestimated. NOx, CO, and SO2 were also biased high by the model, which was probably due to emissions not reflecting current fleet conditions. Future work aims to revise emission factors for mobile sources, which are the main sources of pollutants to the atmosphere.

The Dependence of Chimera States on Initial Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Yue-E; Li Hai-Hong

2015-01-01

A chimera state consisting of both coherent and incoherent groups is a fascinating spatial pattern in non-locally coupled identical oscillators. It is thought that random initial conditions hardly evolve to chimera states. In this work, we study the dependence of chimera states on initial conditions. We show that random initial conditions may lead to chimera states and the chance of realizing chimera states becomes increasing when the model parameters are moving away from the boundary of their stable regime. (paper)

Differentiating local and regional sources of Chinese urban air pollution based on the effect of the Spring Festival

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chuan; Huang, Xiao-Feng; Zhu, Qiao; Cao, Li-Ming; Zhang, Bin; He, Ling-Yan

2017-07-01

The emission of pollutants is extremely reduced during the annual Chinese Spring Festival (SF) in Shenzhen, China. During the SF, traffic flow drops by ˜ 50 % and the industrial plants are almost entirely shut down in Shenzhen. To characterize the variation in ambient air pollutants due to the Spring Festival effect, various gaseous and particulate pollutants were measured in real time in urban Shenzhen over three consecutive winters (2014-2016). The results indicate that the concentrations of NOx, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), black carbon (BC), primary organic aerosols, chloride, and nitrate in submicron aerosols decrease by 50-80 % during SF periods relative to non-Spring Festival periods, regardless of meteorological conditions. This decrease suggests that these pollutants are mostly emitted or secondarily formed from urban local emissions. The concentration variation in species mostly from regional or natural sources, however, is found to be much less, such as for bulk fine particulate matter (PM2. 5). More detailed analysis of the Spring Festival effect reveals an urgent need to reduce emissions of SO2 and VOCs on a regional scale rather than on an urban scale to reduce urban PM2. 5 in Shenzhen, which can also be useful as a reference for other megacities in China.

Superdiffusive transport and energy localization in disordered granular crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez, Alejandro J.; Kevrekidis, Panagiotis G.; Porter, Mason A.

2016-01-01

We study the spreading of initially localized excitations in one-dimensional disordered granular crystals. We thereby investigate localization phenomena in strongly nonlinear systems, which we demonstrate to be fundamentally different from localization in linear and weakly nonlinear systems. We conduct a thorough comparison of wave dynamics in chains with three different types of disorder: an uncorrelated (Anderson-like) disorder and two types of correlated disorders (which are produced by random dimer arrangements), and for two families of initial conditions: displacement perturbations and velocity perturbations. We find for strongly precompressed (i.e., weakly nonlinear) chains that the dynamics strongly depends on the initial condition. Furthermore, for displacement perturbations, the long-time asymptotic behavior of the second moment m ~ 2 has oscillations that depend on the type of disorder, with a complex trend that is markedly different from a power law and which is particularly evident for an Anderson-like disorder

Local Government Systems and Decentralization: Evidence from Pakistan’s Devolution Plan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Shakil Ahmad

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The discourse of governance and development practitioners continues to embrace community participation and community empowerment as an elementary means of building local capacity for poverty reduction, development and change at the local level. This article is a review of the decentralization initiatives of local government systems after the announcement of the devolution plan in Pakistan. It evaluates the initiatives’ participatory methods to ascertain the extent to which they have improved the process of community development at the local level. This article also measures the impact of community empowerment on the sustainability of community-driven projects implemented under the decentralization initiative through community-based organizations known as Citizen Community Boards (CCBs. Document analysis and literature review methodologies were employed to gain further insight into the decentralization phenomenon in Pakistan. The results describe human development, improvements in community empowerment and the sustainability of local projects; however, the sense of community has yet to be translated into shared benefits for rural communities. The fundamental goal of decentralization seems to be elusive because only power was transferred to the local level, whereas there is little support for community capacity building and community access to resources and the elites still control the electoral process. It is argued that community development initiatives in Pakistan require continuous support from local governments to boost local rural economies. Likewise, community-local government participatory development strategies can lead to strong local ownership and empowerment in rural communities.

New directions in New Zealand local government

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter McKinlay

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to provide a ‘work in progress’ report on some initiatives emerging from local government practice in New Zealand which should help us consider how we think about the role of local government in a world which is undergoing dramatic change. The starting point is work which the writer undertook with the support of Local Government New Zealand (the national association and a number of New Zealand councils considering the ‘proper role’ of local government. The context is an ongoing public debate driven substantially by the New Zealand business community from a perspective that this ‘proper role’ should be restricted to the delivery of local public goods, narrowly defined. This has included argument that local governments themselves should be structured substantially to promote the efficient delivery of services generally within the now well understood prescriptions of the ‘new public management’. One implication which the business sector in particular drew in looking at the workings of local government was that there should be economies of scale through further amalgamation of councils (the local government sector having been through a major amalgamation process in 1989 which eliminated a large number of special purpose authorities and reduced the number of territorial local authorities from more than 200 to 73. Debate continues, with the latest manifestation being the National Party led government's proposals for the restructuring of local government within the Auckland region, New Zealand's major metropolitan area. The initiatives discussed in this paper are partly a response, but more significantly a result of selected local authorities reflecting on the nature of their role, and the opportunities for being proactive in using their statutory privileges in ways that could produce benefits for their communities without any associated increase in the cost of local government itself.

Regional Photonics Initiative at the College of Lake County

Science.gov (United States)

Dulmes, Steven; Kellerhals, William

2017-01-01

The College of Lake County Regional Photonics Initiative project was motivated in part by the hiring of out-of-state technicians for local Photonics industry positions. Fifteen high paying employment opportunities during the recent recession could not be filled from the locally available workforce. Research on the current demand and future growth…

Nonlinear magnetohydrodynamics of edge localized mode precursors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Z. B., E-mail: guozhipku@gmail.com [State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing (China); WCI Center for Fusion Theory, NFRI, Gwahangno 113, Yusung-gu, Daejeon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of); Wang, Lu [SEEE, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074 (China); Wang, X. G. [State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing (China)

2015-02-15

A possible origin of edge-localized-mode (ELM) precursors based on nonlinear ideal peeling-ballooning mode is reported. Via nonlinear variational principle, a nonlinear evolution equation of the radial displacement is derived and solved, analytically. Besides an explosive growth in the initial nonlinear phase, it is found that the local displacement evolves into an oscillating state in the developed nonlinear phase. The nonlinear frequency of the ELM precursors scales as ω{sub pre}∼x{sup 1/3}ξ{sup ^}{sub ψ,in}{sup 2/3}n, with x position in radial direction, ξ{sup ^}{sub ψ,in} strength of initial perturbation, and n toroidal mode number.

Assessment of on-road transportation demand and CO2 emissions for determination of air quality impacts from the Megacity of São Paulo

Science.gov (United States)

Perez-Martinez, P. J.; Miranda, R. M.; Andrade, M. D. F.

2017-12-01

In this manuscript we assess the capability of using mobility surveys and a high-scale assignment and emission model to study climate change and air quality impacts related to on-road transportation in the Megacity of São Paulo (MSP). Initially, we estimate CO2 emissions of light and heavy vehicles (LVs and HVs) at a spatial scale of 500m and temporal scale of an hour, using transport demand modeling. The estimates are based on origin and destination trip pairs and the height of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). These estimates, performed for the years 2007 and 2012, depend also on intermediate variables as dilution rates (D) and surface particulate-matter concentrations (PM). Secondly, we assess the changes in CO2 vehicle emissions from the MRSP over the period 2007-2012 (4% year-1). Consequently, CO2 emission inventories merge trip-based surveys, traffic assignments and road network database with air pollution monitoring data. Despite the difference of the methodologies, we use a road link bottom up vehicle activity based approach, the assessed emissions agree with the State's Emission Inventory. This paper shows that the CO2 emissions from LDVs and HDVs in the MSP in 2007 and 2012 were 8,477 and 10,075 tCeq day-1 (58% LVs and 42% HVs), respectively. CO2 emissions from vehicles show spatial patterns consistent with passenger and freight transport trips and road network assignments. Temporal profiles (diurnal, weekly and monthly) were estimated using traffic counts and congestion surrogates. The profiles were compared with average road-site (Western of MSP) and background (Jaraguá Peak) CO2 measurements available for 2014. On-road measurements showed one peak associated to the morning peak hour of vehicles (437±45 ppm) and another night peak (435±49 ppm) related to the low PBL (313 m) and D (329 m2 h-1). From on-road measurements, background values (414±2 ppm) were subtracted to estimate excess CO2 (12±8 ppm) directly attributed to vehicles. The inventory

On the multiday haze in the Asian continental outflow: the important role of synoptic conditions combined with regional and local sources

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Jihoon; Kim, Jin Young; Youn, Daeok; Lee, Ji Yi; Kim, Hwajin; Lim, Yong Bin; Kim, Yumi; Cher Jin, Hyoun

2017-08-01

The air quality of the megacities in populated and industrialized regions like East Asia is affected by both local and regional emission sources. The combined effect of regional transport and local emissions on multiday haze was investigated through a synthetic analysis of PM2. 5 sampled at both an urban site in Seoul, South Korea and an upwind background site on Deokjeok Island over the Yellow Sea during a severe multiday haze episode in late February 2014. Inorganic components and carbonaceous species of daily PM2. 5 samples were measured, and gaseous pollutants, local meteorological factors, and synoptic meteorological conditions were also determined. A dominance of fine-mode particles (PM2. 5 / PM10 ˜ 0.8), a large secondary inorganic fraction (76 %), high OC / EC (> 7), and highly oxidized aerosols (oxygen-to-carbon ratio of ˜ 0.6 and organic-mass-to-carbon ratio of ˜ 1.9) under relatively warm, humid, and stagnant conditions characterize the multiday haze episode in Seoul; however, the early and late stages of the episode show different chemical compositions of PM2. 5. High concentrations of sulfate in both Seoul and the upwind background in the early stage suggest a significant regional influence on the onset of the multiday haze. At the same time, high concentrations of nitrate and organic compounds in Seoul, which are local and highly correlated with meteorological factors, suggest the contribution of local emissions and secondary formation under stagnant meteorological conditions to the haze. A slow eastward-moving high-pressure system from southern China to the East China Sea induces the regional transport of aerosols and potential gaseous precursors for secondary aerosols from the North China Plain in the early stage but provides stagnant conditions conducive to the accumulation and the local formation of aerosols in the late stage. A blocking ridge over Alaska that developed during the episode hinders the zonal propagation of synoptic-scale systems

Passive air sampling of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and emerging compounds in Kolkata megacity and rural mangrove wetland Sundarban in India: An approach to regional monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Pozo, Karla; Sarkar, Santosh Kumar; Estellano, Victor H; Mitra, Soumita; Audi, Ondrej; Kukucka, Petr; Přibylová, Petra; Klánová, Jana; Corsolini, Simonetta

2017-02-01

Polyurethane foam (PUF) disk passive air samplers were deployed concurrently at five sites across Kolkata megacity and the rural mangrove wetland of Sundarban (UNESCO World Heritage Site) between January-March in 2014. Samples were analyzed for hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltricholoroethanes (DDTs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Derived air concentrations (pg/m 3 ) for Kolkata ranged: for ∑α- and γ-HCH between 70 and 207 (114 ± 62), ∑ 6 DDTs: 127-216 (161 ± 36), ∑ 7 PCBs: 53-213 (141 ± 64), and ∑ 10 PBDEs: 0.30-23 (11 ± 9). Low values for all the studied POPs were recorded in the remote area of the Sundarban site (with the exception of DDTs: o,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDT), where ∑ 4 DDTs was 161 ± 36. In particular, the site of Ballygunge, located in the southern part of Kolkata, showed the highest level of all the metabolites/congeners of POPs, suggesting a potential hot spot of usage and emissions. From HCHs, α-/γ-HCH isomers ratio was low (0.67-1.96) indicating a possible sporadic source of lindane. γ-HCH dominated the HCH signal (at 3 sites) reflecting wide spread use of lindane both in Kolkata and the Sundarban region; however, isomeric composition in Kolkata also suggests potential technical HCHs use. Among DDT metabolites, both o,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDT shared the dominant percentages accounting for ∼26-46% of total DDTs followed by p,p'-DDE (∼12-19%). The PCB congener profile was dominated by tri- and tetra-Cl at the southern and eastern part of Kolkata. These results are one of the few contributions that reports air concentrations of POPs, concurrently, at urban and remote villages in India. These data are useful to assess atmospheric pollution levels and to motivate local and regional authorities to better understand the potential human exposure risk associated to urban areas in India. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping for Satellite Rendezvous and Proximity Operations

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) attempts to estimate a vehicle’s position and orientation (localization) and the location of an initially unknown number...

Eliciting and Applying Local Research Knowledge for Peacebuilding ...

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

gs

Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) are pleased to announce a jointly-funded research initiative Eliciting and Applying Local Research. Knowledge for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding. The research initiative seeks to increase the level of recognition and ...

IT benefits management in local government

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Kenneth Møller Porto; Nielsen, Peter Axel; Persson, John Stouby

2012-01-01

Information technology (IT) is increasingly presented as a driving force for service and efficiency improvement in local governments. However, achieving these goals in creating value from IT investments is a significant challenge for local government organizations. Practitioners and researchers...... have proposed numerous approaches to IT benefits management, but our knowledge of current practices and capabilities in local government IT management is still limited. Thus, in this paper we resent an investigation of what characterizes IT benefits management in local government in order to understand...... and improve current practices. Through a comparative case study of two Danish municipalities, we have analyzed the different characteristics of benefits management. Based on this analysis we propose an initial framework for understanding IT benefits management in local government....

Low technology tissue culture materials for initiation and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Low technology tissue culture materials for initiation and multiplication of banana plants. ... African Crop Science Journal ... locally available macronutrients, micronutrients, sugar, equipment and facility reduced the cost of consumable material

Complex organic pollutant mixtures originating from industrial and municipal emissions in surface waters of the megacity Jakarta-an example of a water pollution problem in emerging economies.

Science.gov (United States)

Dsikowitzky, Larissa; Hagemann, Lukas; Dwiyitno; Ariyani, Farida; Irianto, Hari Eko; Schwarzbauer, Jan

2017-12-01

During the last decades, the global industrial production partly shifted from industrialized nations to emerging and developing countries. In these upcoming economies, the newly developed industrial centers are generally located in densely populated areas, resulting in the discharge of often only partially treated industrial and municipal wastewaters into the surface waters. There is a huge gap of knowledge about the composition of the complex organic pollutant mixtures occurring in such heavily impacted areas. Therefore, we applied a non-target screening to comprehensively assess river pollution in a large industrial area located in the megacity Jakarta. More than 100 structurally diverse organic contaminants were identified, some of which were reported here for the first time as environmental contaminants. The concentrations of paper manufacturing chemicals in river water-for example, of the endocrine-disrupting compound bisphenol A (50-8000 ng L -1 )-were as high as in pure untreated paper industry wastewaters. The non-target screening approach is the adequate tool for the identification of water contaminants in the new global centers of industrial manufacturing-as the first crucial step towards the evaluation of as yet unrecognized environmental risks.

Compression of laminated composite beams with initial damage

Science.gov (United States)

Breivik, Nicole L.; Gurdal, Zafer; Griffin, O. H., Jr.

1993-01-01

The effect of isolated damage modes on the compressive strength and failure characteristics of laminated composite test specimens were evaluated experimentally and numerically. In addition to specimens without initial damage, specimens with three types of initial damage were considered: (1) specimens with short delaminations distributed evenly through the specimen thickness, (2) specimens with few long delaminations, and (3) specimens with local fiber damage in the surface plies under the three-point bend contact point. It was found that specimens with short multiple delamination experienced the greatest reduction in compression strength compared to the undamaged specimens. Single delaminations far from the specimen surface had little effect on the final compression strength, and moderate strength reduction was observed for specimens with localized surface ply damage.

Face Alignment via Regressing Local Binary Features.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Shaoqing; Cao, Xudong; Wei, Yichen; Sun, Jian

2016-03-01

This paper presents a highly efficient and accurate regression approach for face alignment. Our approach has two novel components: 1) a set of local binary features and 2) a locality principle for learning those features. The locality principle guides us to learn a set of highly discriminative local binary features for each facial landmark independently. The obtained local binary features are used to jointly learn a linear regression for the final output. This approach achieves the state-of-the-art results when tested on the most challenging benchmarks to date. Furthermore, because extracting and regressing local binary features are computationally very cheap, our system is much faster than previous methods. It achieves over 3000 frames per second (FPS) on a desktop or 300 FPS on a mobile phone for locating a few dozens of landmarks. We also study a key issue that is important but has received little attention in the previous research, which is the face detector used to initialize alignment. We investigate several face detectors and perform quantitative evaluation on how they affect alignment accuracy. We find that an alignment friendly detector can further greatly boost the accuracy of our alignment method, reducing the error up to 16% relatively. To facilitate practical usage of face detection/alignment methods, we also propose a convenient metric to measure how good a detector is for alignment initialization.

Local Support Mechanisms for Entrepreneurship: The Approach of Local Development and Innovation Institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katimertzopoulos, F.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The growth potential of SMEs entrepreneurship is examined at regional and local level, initially on a Global scale and then for the case of Greece. Additionally, the possibility of an economic development policy beyond the macroeconomic approach is examined, focusing on business growth and competitiveness in the light of meso and micro-economic policy approach. Design/methodology/approach: This research leads to the proposal of building knowledge mechanisms and direct and efficient systematic development and innovation at the local level, particularity during a time of economic crisis. The establishment of Institutes of Local Development and Innovation (ITAK is primarily geared towards promoting innovative entrepreneurship and extroversion of locally installed businesses. As part of the proposal for the establishment of ITAK, a questionnaire was developed - a tool to initially measure companies' opinions on the need for outside help in the macro, meso and micro environment, in order to demonstrate that ITAK local-level structures could be developed. Findings: The survey results were accrued via the analysis of questionnaires distributed to companies. The results of the questionnaires in the micro-environment in relation to those in the macro-environment shows a lower tendency to change business, which may be because managers perceive economics several times more in macroeconomic terms rather than in meso and micro economic (terms. Research limitations/implications: The restrictions of this particular research are the small sample of study of businesses in one country (Greece; this is because the approach of study, which is quantitative-qualitative, limits analysis to small data sets in the current phase. Originality/value: The results in the micro-environment, in relation to those at macro-environmental, shows a lower tendency to change business, something which may be because managers perceive economics several times more in

Seasonal and Interannual Trends in Largest Cholera Endemic Megacity: Water Sustainability - Climate - Health Challenges in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Science.gov (United States)

Akanda, Ali S.; Jutla, Antarpreet; Faruque, Abu S. G.; Huq, Anwar; Colwell, Rita R.

2014-05-01

The last three decades of surveillance data shows a drastic increase of cholera prevalence in the largest cholera-endemic city in the world - Dhaka, Bangladesh. Emerging megacities in the region, especially those located in coastal areas also remain vulnerable to large scale drivers of cholera outbreaks. However, there has not been any systematic study on linking long-term disease trends with related changes in natural or societal variables. Here, we analyze the 30-year dynamics of urban cholera prevalence in Dhaka with changes in climatic or anthropogenic forcings: regional hydrology, flooding, water usage, changes in distribution systems, population growth and density in urban settlements, as well as shifting climate patterns and frequency of natural disasters. An interesting change is observed in the seasonal trends of cholera prevalence; while an endemic upward trend is seen in the dry season, the post-monsoon trend is epidemic in nature. In addition, the trend in the pre-monsoon dry season is significantly stronger than the post-monsoon wet season; and thus spring is becoming the dominant cholera season of the year. Evidence points to growing urbanization and rising population in unplanned settlements along the city peripheries. The rapid pressure of growth has led to an unsustainable and potentially disastrous situation with negligible-to-poor water and sanitation systems compounded by changing climatic patterns and increasing number of extreme weather events. Growing water scarcity in the dry season and lack of sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure for urban settlements have increased endemicity of cholera outbreaks in spring, while record flood events and prolonged post-monsoon inundation have contributed to increased epidemic outbreaks in fall. We analyze our findings with the World Health Organization recommended guidelines and investigate large scale water sustainability challenges in the context of climatic and anthropogenic changes in the

CO2 emissions from a temperate drowned river valley estuary adjacent to an emerging megacity (Sydney Harbour)

Science.gov (United States)

Tanner, E. L.; Mulhearn, P. J.; Eyre, B. D.

2017-06-01

The Sydney Harbour Estuary is a large drowned river valley adjacent to Sydney, a large urban metropolis on track to become a megacity; estimated to reach a population of 10 million by 2100. Monthly underway surveys of surface water pCO2 were undertaken along the main channel and tributaries, from January to December 2013. pCO2 showed substantial spatio-temporal variability in the narrow high residence time upper and mid sections of the estuary, with values reaching a maximum of 5650 μatm in the upper reaches and as low as 173 μatm in the mid estuary section, dominated by respiration and photosynthesis respectively. The large lower estuary displayed less variability in pCO2 with values ranging from 343 to 544 μatm controlled mainly by tidal pumping and temperature. Air-water CO2 emissions reached a maximum of 181 mmol C m-2 d-1 during spring in the eutrophic upper estuary. After a summer high rainfall event nutrient-stimulated biological pumping promoted a large uptake of CO2 transitioning the Sydney Harbour Estuary into a CO2 sink with a maximum uptake of rate of -10.6 mmol C m-2 d-1 in the mid-section of the estuary. Annually the Sydney Harbour Estuary was heterotrophic and a weak source of CO2 with an air-water emission rate of 1.2-5 mmol C m-2 d-1 (0.4-1.8 mol C m-2 y-1) resulting in a total carbon emission of around 930 tonnes per annum. CO2 emissions (weighted m3 s-1 of discharge per km2 of estuary surface area) from Sydney Harbour were an order of magnitude lower than other temperate large tectonic deltas, lagoons and engineered systems of China, India, Taiwan and Europe but were similar to other natural drowned river valley systems in the USA. Discharge per unit area appears to be a good predictor of CO2 emissions from estuaries of a similar climate and geomorphic class.

Modes of Governing and Policy of Local and Regional Governments Supporting Local Low-Carbon Energy Initiatives; Exploring the Cases of the Dutch Regions of Overijssel and Fryslân

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beau Warbroek

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Recent scholarly attention shows increasing involvement of local low-carbon energy initiatives (LLCEIs in governance and policy, in particular in relation to innovations regarding low-carbon energy and energy efficiency. The future perspective of active citizenship in the production of locally generated low-carbon energy is largely dependent on the existing institutional and policy frameworks and settings. Subnational governments, in particular, can have a prominent role in this process by engaging in institutional adaptation and policy innovation. The central research question of this paper is: In what ways do local and regional governments innovate in governing to respond to the emergence of LLCEIs? The research question is answered by comparing two case studies: the Dutch regions of Overijssel and Fryslân. We have conceptualized a meta-governing approach of experimentation, characterizing the innovations in governing that emerge when governments respond to the emergence of LLCEIs. We specifically focus on two capacities that subnational governments can use to enhance their governing capacity vis-à-vis LLCEIs and which substantiate the experimental meta-governance mode: institutional adaptation and policy innovation. We then formulated hypotheses that specify the expected policy innovations and institutional adaptations employed vis-à-vis LLCEIs. Data collection involved in-depth interviews and use of secondary data. The results show that a balancing process of authoritative and enabling modes of governing particularly characterized the type of policy innovations that were developed and the institutional adaptations that took place. Both provinces govern LLCEIs at arm’s length and issue significant capacity-building strategies that vary in terms of their conditions. Municipalities, however, incline towards impromptu and opportunistic responses, some of them having lasting effects by patching up existing institutional settings, others

A New Role for Local Police in Radiological Security

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lee, Thomas

2007-01-01

.... Local police agencies have previously not had a formal role in radiological security. This thesis explores policy initiatives, based on community policing principles conducted at the local police level, which will enhance security at locations where radiological materials are kept.

Tackling Health Inequalities Locally

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Diderichsen, Finn; Scheele, Christian Elling; Little, Ingvild Gundersen

of this study. It is based on three sources: 1. Interviews with policymakers (administrators and politicians) within healthcare administrations, childhood/education, and labour market administrations from September 2014 to March 2015*. 2. Textual analysis of available policy documents from regions...... of translating small inequalities in wealth into small inequalities in health. Denmark, Norway and Sweden all have legislation that indifferent ways offers local governments key roles in public health. This is partly due to local governments’ responsibility for many policy areas of great relevance to health...... state model, including its health policy, as an area of Nordic collaboration (104). However, realising the principle of health (equity) in all policiesis no simple matter. The national authorities and local government federations in Denmark, Norway and Sweden have therefore initiated various activities...

Local understandings of conservation in southeastern Mexico and their implications for community-based conservation as an alternative paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes-Garcia, Victoria; Ruiz-Mallen, Isabel; Porter-Bolland, Luciana; Garcia-Frapolli, Eduardo; Ellis, Edward A; Mendez, Maria-Elena; Pritchard, Diana J; Sanchez-Gonzalez, María-Consuelo

2013-08-01

Since the 1990s national and international programs have aimed to legitimize local conservation initiatives that might provide an alternative to the formal systems of state-managed or otherwise externally driven protected areas. We used discourse analysis (130 semistructured interviews with key informants) and descriptive statistics (679 surveys) to compare local perceptions of and experiences with state-driven versus community-driven conservation initiatives. We conducted our research in 6 communities in southeastern Mexico. Formalization of local conservation initiatives did not seem to be based on local knowledge and practices. Although interviewees thought community-based initiatives generated less conflict than state-managed conservation initiatives, the community-based initiatives conformed to the biodiversity conservation paradigm that emphasizes restricted use of and access to resources. This restrictive approach to community-based conservation in Mexico, promoted through state and international conservation organizations, increased the area of protected land and had local support but was not built on locally relevant and multifunctional landscapes, a model that community-based conservation is assumed to advance. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Fractionation of airborne particulate-bound elements in haze-fog episode and associated health risks in a megacity of southeast China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Huiming; Wang, Qin'geng; Shao, Min; Wang, Jinhua; Wang, Cheng; Sun, Yixuan; Qian, Xin; Wu, Hongfei; Yang, Meng; Li, Fengying

2016-01-01

Haze caused by high particulate matter loadings is an important environmental issue. PM_2_._5 was collected in Nanjing, China, during a severe haze–fog event and clear periods. The particulate-bound elements were chemically fractionated using sequential extractions. The average PM_2_._5 concentration was 3.4 times higher during haze–fog (96–518 μg/m"3) than non-haze fog periods (49–142 μg/m"3). Nearly all elements showed significantly higher concentrations during haze–fog than non-haze fog periods. Zn, As, Pb, Cd, Mo and Cu were considered to have higher bioavailability and enrichment degree in the atmosphere. Highly bioavailable fractions of elements were associated with high temperatures. The integrated carcinogenic risk for two possible scenarios to individuals exposed to metals was higher than the accepted criterion of 10"−"6, whereas noncarcinogenic risk was lower than the safe level of 1. Residents of a city burdened with haze will incur health risks caused by exposure to airborne metals. - Highlights: • PM_2_._5 concentration was 3.4 times higher during haze-fog than non-haze fog days. • Nearly all metals had higher contents during haze-fog than non-haze fog days. • Zn, As, Pb, Cd, Mo and Cu had high bioavailability and enrichment level in PM_2_._5. • Highly bioavailable fractions of elements were associated with high temperatures. • Health risk was assessed combined with metal forms in haze-fog and non-haze fog days. - Fractionation of airborne particulate-bound metals and its contribution to health risks during haze-fog and non-haze fog periods were studied from a typical megacity of Southeast China.

Water Soluble Organic Nitrogen (WSON) in Ambient Fine Particles Over a Megacity in South China: Spatiotemporal Variations and Source Apportionment

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xu; Yu, Qingqing; Zhu, Ming; Tang, Mingjin; Li, Sheng; Yang, Weiqiang; Zhang, Yanli; Deng, Wei; Li, Guanghui; Yu, Yuegang; Huang, Zhonghui; Song, Wei; Ding, Xiang; Hu, Qihou; Li, Jun; Bi, Xinhui; Wang, Xinming

2017-12-01

Organic nitrogen aerosols are complex mixtures and important compositions in ambient fine particulate matters (PM2.5), yet their sources and spatiotemporal patterns are not well understood particularly in regions influenced by intensive human activities. In this study, filter-based ambient PM2.5 samples at four stations (one urban, two rural, plus one urban roadside) and PM samples from combustion sources (vehicle exhaust, ship emission, and biomass burning) were collected in the coastal megacity Guangzhou, south China, for determining water soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) along with other organic and inorganic species. The annual average WSON concentrations, as well as the ratios of WSON to water soluble total nitrogen, were all significantly higher at rural sites than urban sites. Average WSON concentrations at the four sites during the wet season were quite near each other, ranging from 0.41 to 0.49 μg/m3; however, they became 2 times higher at the rural sites than at the urban sites during the dry season. Five major sources for WSON were identified through positive matrix factorization analysis. Vehicle emission (29.3%), biomass burning (22.8%), and secondary formation (20.2%) were three dominant sources of WSON at the urban station, while vehicle emission (45.4%) and dust (28.6%) were two dominant sources at the urban roadside station. At the two rural sites biomass burning (51.1% and 34.1%, respectively) and secondary formation (17.8% and 30.5%, respectively) were dominant sources of WSON. Ship emission contributed 8-12% of WSON at the four sites. Natural vegetation seemed to have very minor contribution to WSON.

Local Recurrence After Complete Clinical Response and Watch and Wait in Rectal Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation: Impact of Salvage Therapy on Local Disease Control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Habr-Gama, Angelita, E-mail: gamange@uol.com.br [Angelita and Joaquim Gama Institute, São Paulo (Brazil); University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo (Brazil); Gama-Rodrigues, Joaquim [Angelita and Joaquim Gama Institute, São Paulo (Brazil); University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo (Brazil); São Julião, Guilherme P. [Angelita and Joaquim Gama Institute, São Paulo (Brazil); Colorectal Surgery Division, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo (Brazil); Proscurshim, Igor; Sabbagh, Charles; Lynn, Patricio B. [Angelita and Joaquim Gama Institute, São Paulo (Brazil); Perez, Rodrigo O. [Angelita and Joaquim Gama Institute, São Paulo (Brazil); Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, São Paulo Branch (Brazil)

2014-03-15

Purpose: To review the risk of local recurrence and impact of salvage therapy after Watch and Wait for rectal cancer with complete clinical response (cCR) after chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Methods and Materials: Patients with cT2-4N0-2M0 distal rectal cancer treated with CRT (50.4-54 Gy + 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy) and cCR at 8 weeks were included. Patients with cCR were enrolled in a strict follow-up program with no immediate surgery (Watch and Wait). Local recurrence-free survival was compared while taking into account Watch and Wait strategy alone and Watch and Wait plus salvage. Results: 90 of 183 patients experienced cCR at initial assessment after CRT (49%). When early tumor regrowths (up to and including the initial 12 months of follow-up) and late recurrences were considered together, 28 patients (31%) experienced local recurrence (median follow-up time, 60 months). Of those, 26 patients underwent salvage therapy, and 2 patients were not amenable to salvage. In 4 patients, local re-recurrence developed after Watch and Wait plus salvage. The overall salvage rate for local recurrence was 93%. Local recurrence-free survival at 5 years was 69% (all local recurrences) and 94% (after salvage procedures). Thirteen patients (14%) experienced systemic recurrence. The 5-year cancer-specific overall survival and disease-free survival for all patients (including all recurrences) were 91% and 68%, respectively. Conclusions: Local recurrence may develop in 31% of patients with initial cCR when early regrowths (≤12 months) and late recurrences are grouped together. More than half of these recurrences develop within 12 months of follow-up. Salvage therapy is possible in ≥90% of recurrences, leading to 94% local disease control, with 78% organ preservation.

Local Recurrence After Complete Clinical Response and Watch and Wait in Rectal Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation: Impact of Salvage Therapy on Local Disease Control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Habr-Gama, Angelita; Gama-Rodrigues, Joaquim; São Julião, Guilherme P.; Proscurshim, Igor; Sabbagh, Charles; Lynn, Patricio B.; Perez, Rodrigo O.

2014-01-01

Purpose: To review the risk of local recurrence and impact of salvage therapy after Watch and Wait for rectal cancer with complete clinical response (cCR) after chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Methods and Materials: Patients with cT2-4N0-2M0 distal rectal cancer treated with CRT (50.4-54 Gy + 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy) and cCR at 8 weeks were included. Patients with cCR were enrolled in a strict follow-up program with no immediate surgery (Watch and Wait). Local recurrence-free survival was compared while taking into account Watch and Wait strategy alone and Watch and Wait plus salvage. Results: 90 of 183 patients experienced cCR at initial assessment after CRT (49%). When early tumor regrowths (up to and including the initial 12 months of follow-up) and late recurrences were considered together, 28 patients (31%) experienced local recurrence (median follow-up time, 60 months). Of those, 26 patients underwent salvage therapy, and 2 patients were not amenable to salvage. In 4 patients, local re-recurrence developed after Watch and Wait plus salvage. The overall salvage rate for local recurrence was 93%. Local recurrence-free survival at 5 years was 69% (all local recurrences) and 94% (after salvage procedures). Thirteen patients (14%) experienced systemic recurrence. The 5-year cancer-specific overall survival and disease-free survival for all patients (including all recurrences) were 91% and 68%, respectively. Conclusions: Local recurrence may develop in 31% of patients with initial cCR when early regrowths (≤12 months) and late recurrences are grouped together. More than half of these recurrences develop within 12 months of follow-up. Salvage therapy is possible in ≥90% of recurrences, leading to 94% local disease control, with 78% organ preservation

How self-reliance is understood: viewpoints from one local ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

How self-reliance is understood: viewpoints from one local community in Malawi. ... model that resists dependence on external aid, empowers community development, and provides opportunities to sustain development activity through local initiative, can be employed to increase social capital leading to sustainable growth.

Evaluation of Cardiovascular Death, Attributed to CO Exposure in Tehran Megacity in During a Five-Year Period (2010-2014 by Using AirQ Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majid Kermani

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Air pollution in large cities is one of the main difficulties that have harmful effects on humans and the environment and cause various diseases including cardiovascular disease. So, present study with aim of Estimation of Cardiovascular Death, Attributed to CO Exposure in Tehran Megacity in during a five-year period (2010-2014 by using AirQ Model were performed. Materials and Methods: This Study was a descriptive–analytic at first, hourly data of pollutants were taken from the environmental protection agency Tehran and Air Quality Control Company and validated according to the WHO guidelines. Required statistical parameters calculated for health effect quantifying and finally processed data converted to input and requirements AirQ model data and health effects quantifying were performed using this model. The final results on deaths due to cardiovascular disease were presented in tables and graphs format. Results: Results showed annual average concentration of CO in Tehran in 2010-2014 are 49, 31, 11,12,21,76 mg/ m3 respectively. In addition, the number of cardiovascular deaths in 2011-2015 is 52,37,29,31,42 respectively Conclusion: According to the results, CO as well as other pollutants can adversely affect human health. Due to high levels of air pollution and its related health consequences, particularly cardiovascular disease, should take appropriate measures to reduce air pollution.

[Local food production for school feeding programmes in Spain].

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, Panmela; Martínez-Mián, Maria Asunción; Caballero, Pablo; Vives-Cases, Carmen; Davó-Blanes, Mari Carmen

To identify and characterize initiatives that promote the purchase of locally-sourced foods to supply schools and the school centres carrying out the initiatives. Exploratory, descriptive study based on secondary data and key informant reports. A search of governmental and non-governmental initiatives was carried out at the autonomous community level. Government initiatives were located through school feeding programmes in the different autonomous communities, their nutritional guides and representatives of the councils for education and agriculture. Non-governmental initiatives were found through their own websites and the snowball technique. Initiatives were analysed by their geographic distribution, organizational area (government vs. non-government), number of school centres carrying out the initiatives, management style and organic food purchase. A descriptive analysis of the data was carried out. 12 initiatives carried out by 318 schools (2.16% of all the schools with food service in Spain) were identified. Among these, 6 are governmental initiatives with a scope of 274 schools (1.86%), and 6 are non-governmental initiatives with a scope of 44 schools (0.30%). Most of these schools have a public management system in place (n=284). All the initiatives provide for the purchase of organic food. Local food purchase initiatives in Spain have a limited reach. However, the existence of a state directive could support and strengthen the development of such initiatives, given that school commitment is greater when initiatives are driven by the public sector. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Military Contingencies in Megacities and Sub megacities

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

are defined in terms of administrative bound- aries, at times in terms of functional boundaries, and at times they are defined in terms of ecological ...data, and discover what people actually do, thereby developing “previously 78 unimaginable insight into modern urban ecology .”138 Dixon has also noted...Military Ethics ,” in David Whetham and Bradley J. Strawser, eds., Responsibilities to Protect: Perspectives in Theory and Practice, Leiden, NL

Many-body localization of bosons in optical lattices

Science.gov (United States)

Sierant, Piotr; Zakrzewski, Jakub

2018-04-01

Many-body localization for a system of bosons trapped in a one-dimensional lattice is discussed. Two models that may be realized for cold atoms in optical lattices are considered. The model with a random on-site potential is compared with previously introduced random interactions model. While the origin and character of the disorder in both systems is different they show interesting similar properties. In particular, many-body localization appears for a sufficiently large disorder as verified by a time evolution of initial density wave states as well as using statistical properties of energy levels for small system sizes. Starting with different initial states, we observe that the localization properties are energy-dependent which reveals an inverted many-body localization edge in both systems (that finding is also verified by statistical analysis of energy spectrum). Moreover, we consider computationally challenging regime of transition between many body localized and extended phases where we observe a characteristic algebraic decay of density correlations which may be attributed to subdiffusion (and Griffiths-like regions) in the studied systems. Ergodicity breaking in the disordered Bose–Hubbard models is compared with the slowing-down of the time evolution of the clean system at large interactions.

A block matching-based registration algorithm for localization of locally advanced lung tumors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robertson, Scott P.; Weiss, Elisabeth; Hugo, Geoffrey D., E-mail: gdhugo@vcu.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298 (United States)

2014-04-15

Purpose: To implement and evaluate a block matching-based registration (BMR) algorithm for locally advanced lung tumor localization during image-guided radiotherapy. Methods: Small (1 cm{sup 3}), nonoverlapping image subvolumes (“blocks”) were automatically identified on the planning image to cover the tumor surface using a measure of the local intensity gradient. Blocks were independently and automatically registered to the on-treatment image using a rigid transform. To improve speed and robustness, registrations were performed iteratively from coarse to fine image resolution. At each resolution, all block displacements having a near-maximum similarity score were stored. From this list, a single displacement vector for each block was iteratively selected which maximized the consistency of displacement vectors across immediately neighboring blocks. These selected displacements were regularized using a median filter before proceeding to registrations at finer image resolutions. After evaluating all image resolutions, the global rigid transform of the on-treatment image was computed using a Procrustes analysis, providing the couch shift for patient setup correction. This algorithm was evaluated for 18 locally advanced lung cancer patients, each with 4–7 weekly on-treatment computed tomography scans having physician-delineated gross tumor volumes. Volume overlap (VO) and border displacement errors (BDE) were calculated relative to the nominal physician-identified targets to establish residual error after registration. Results: Implementation of multiresolution registration improved block matching accuracy by 39% compared to registration using only the full resolution images. By also considering multiple potential displacements per block, initial errors were reduced by 65%. Using the final implementation of the BMR algorithm, VO was significantly improved from 77% ± 21% (range: 0%–100%) in the initial bony alignment to 91% ± 8% (range: 56%–100%;p < 0

A block matching-based registration algorithm for localization of locally advanced lung tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robertson, Scott P.; Weiss, Elisabeth; Hugo, Geoffrey D.

2014-01-01

Purpose: To implement and evaluate a block matching-based registration (BMR) algorithm for locally advanced lung tumor localization during image-guided radiotherapy. Methods: Small (1 cm 3 ), nonoverlapping image subvolumes (“blocks”) were automatically identified on the planning image to cover the tumor surface using a measure of the local intensity gradient. Blocks were independently and automatically registered to the on-treatment image using a rigid transform. To improve speed and robustness, registrations were performed iteratively from coarse to fine image resolution. At each resolution, all block displacements having a near-maximum similarity score were stored. From this list, a single displacement vector for each block was iteratively selected which maximized the consistency of displacement vectors across immediately neighboring blocks. These selected displacements were regularized using a median filter before proceeding to registrations at finer image resolutions. After evaluating all image resolutions, the global rigid transform of the on-treatment image was computed using a Procrustes analysis, providing the couch shift for patient setup correction. This algorithm was evaluated for 18 locally advanced lung cancer patients, each with 4–7 weekly on-treatment computed tomography scans having physician-delineated gross tumor volumes. Volume overlap (VO) and border displacement errors (BDE) were calculated relative to the nominal physician-identified targets to establish residual error after registration. Results: Implementation of multiresolution registration improved block matching accuracy by 39% compared to registration using only the full resolution images. By also considering multiple potential displacements per block, initial errors were reduced by 65%. Using the final implementation of the BMR algorithm, VO was significantly improved from 77% ± 21% (range: 0%–100%) in the initial bony alignment to 91% ± 8% (range: 56%–100%;p < 0.001). Left

Letting Wood Rot: A Case Study on Local Perceptions of Global Conservation Initiatives (Boumba, Niger

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jocelyn Müller

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Although there is a pressing need for conservation in Africa and a push for such actions to be directed by the community, there is still much conflict both in academia and on the ground regarding the success and methods of community-based conservation. Employing key-informant interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation, we look at how one community has perceived the conservation actions in their village, Boumba, Niger, and the neighbouring national park, Park-W. This study examines local perceptions of the goals, priorities and methods of conservation in Park-W and the Boumba region. We demonstrate that while participants expressed positive alignment with perceived conservation goals, they did not agree with conservation priorities and felt strongly against the methods.  Reframing conservation discourse in the terms of sustainable-use or adaptive management may serve to help translate much of the conservation ethic to local realities. We argue that for local conservation to be culturally sustainable, programmers of conservation must engage the community on their own terms, and recognize the value of local perceptions.

Dampak Sosial Ekonomi dan Peran Pemerintah Daerah dalam Perkembangan Teknologi Pitalebar di Indonesia [Social Economy Impact and Local Government Initiative relating to Broadband Technology Development in Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wirianto Pradono

2016-12-01

initiatives done by the local governments to achieve public welfare through broadband internet utilization. The results show that broadband internet usage in Indonesia increases rapidly and is followed by positive growth in social and economy aspects. Yet, broadband technology has not been optimally utilized, especially for productive purposes. A number of strategic initiatives has been taken by local governments to encourage broadband internet usage in Indonesia. Nevertheless, the initiatives from local governments need to be intensified in order to increase social and economical growth through the equitable distribution of broadband internet usage in all over Indonesia.        

Local Decisions and Global Networks

Science.gov (United States)

King, David C.; Long, Cathryn J.

1976-01-01

Impact of economic and urban planning on the natural environment can be studied through local situations: California conservation students realized the detrimental effects of a seemingly beneficial dam project. Students were inspired to initiate community-state action to correct damage to wildlife, sanitation, and farming. (AV)

Adapting adaptation: the English eco-town initiative as governance process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Tomozeiu

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Climate change adaptation and mitigation have become key policy drivers in the UK under its Climate Change Act of 2008. At the same time, urbanization has been high on the agenda, given the pressing need for substantial additional housing, particularly in southeast England. These twin policy objectives were brought together in the UK government's 'eco-town' initiative for England launched in 2007, which has since resulted in four eco-town projects currently under development. We critically analyze the eco-town initiative's policy evolution and early planning phase from a multilevel governance perspective by focusing on the following two interrelated aspects: (1 the evolving governance structures and resulting dynamics arising from the development of the eco-town initiative at UK governmental level, and the subsequent partial devolution to local stakeholders, including local authorities and nongovernmental actors, under the new 'localism' agenda; and (2 the effect of these governance dynamics on the conceptual and practical approach to adaptation through the emerging eco-town projects. As such, we problematize the impact of multilevel governance relations, and competing governance strategies and leadership, on shaping eco-town and related adaptation strategies and practice.

Sustainable Agricultural Marketing Initiatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hakan Adanacıoğlu

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Sustainable marketing is a holistic approach that puts equal emphasis on environmental, social equity, and economic concerns in the development of marketing strategies. The purpose of the study is to examine and discuss the sustainable agricultural marketing initiatives practiced throughout the World and Turkey, and to put forth suggestions to further improve the performance of agricultural marketing initiatives in Turkey. Some of the sustainable agricultural marketing initiatives practiced around the world are carried out through civil organizations. Furthermore; some of these initiatives have also launched by farmers, consumers, food processors and retailers. The long-term strategies to increase these initiatives should be determined due to the fact that examples of successful sustainable agricultural marketing initiatives are inadequate and cannot be spread in Turkey. In this context, first of all, the supports provided by the government to improve agricultural marketing systems, such as EU funds for rural development should be compatible with the goals of sustainable marketing. For this purpose, it should be examined whether all proposed projects related to agricultural marketing meet the social, economic, and environmental principles of sustainable marketing. It is important that supporting organizations, especially civil society organisations, should take an active role for faster dissemination and adoption of sustainable agricultural marketing practices in Turkey. These organizations may provide technical assistance in preparing successful project proposals and training to farm groups. In addition, the other organizations, such as local administrations, producers' associations, cooperatives, can contribute to the success of sustainable agricultural marketing initiatives. The use of direct marketing strategies and vertical integration attempts in sustainable agricultural marketing initiatives that will likely be implemented in Turkey is

Community Participation and Benefits in REDD+: A Review of Initial Outcomes and Lessons

OpenAIRE

David J. Ganz; Jill Blockhus; Kathleen Lawlor; Erin Myers Madeira

2013-01-01

The advent of initiatives to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation and enhance forest carbon stocks (REDD+) in developing countries has raised much concern regarding impacts on local communities. To inform this debate, we analyze the initial outcomes of those REDD+ projects that systematically report on their socio-economic dimensions. To categorize and compare projects, we develop a participation and benefits framework that considers REDD+’s effects on local populations’ opport...

Dynamic localization in finite quantum dot superlattices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madureira, Justino R.; Schulz, Peter A.; Maialle, Marcelo Z.

2004-01-01

Full text: The dynamic properties of electrons and holes in low dimensional systems, driven by ac fields, reveal exciting emergent phenomena in the time span around the turn of the century. Such a rich scenario has been established by the concurrent development of powerful theoretical analysis tools, design and realization of high quality nano structured devices, as well as of tunable microwave and T Hz ac field sources. These striking developments made possible the exploration of the interaction of T Hz fields with condensed matter, leading even to biological tissue imaging. Therefore, a microscopic understanding of the T Hz field effects on designed nano structures constitute an important framework for further developments. A very interesting example in this context is the prediction of dynamic localization, which has been a subject of intense research in the past few years, from both theoretical and experimental point of views. The initial prediction states that, within a single band tight-binding approximation, an initially localized particle will return to its initial state following the periodical evolution of a driving pure sinusoidal field. This phenomenon can be simply visualized by the related collapse of the quasi energy mini bands, i.e., the localization of electronic states of a periodic unidimensional structure in real space driven by a field periodic in time. Such collapses occur whenever the field intensity/frequency ratio, eaF/(h/2π)ω, is a root of the zero-order Bessel function of the first kind. The quest for experimental signatures of dynamic localization is an involved task, since a variety of perturbations to an ideal situation is always present in real systems. The question that has to be answered is how the dynamic localization, related to the quasi-energy mini band collapses, may be identified in a context where concurring effects also tend to modify the quasi-energy spectra. For semiconductor superlattices, dynamic localization has been

Financing urban adaptation to climate change impacts mapping of existing initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eschalier, Claire; Leseur, Alexia; Archambault, Sabrina; Joubert, Marion; Larrue, Clement; Rossin, Nicolas; Salenson, Irene

2015-01-01

In June 2015, CDC Climat research, in partnership with AFD, published a mapping of the types of initiatives available for the financing of urban adaptation to climate change, offering additional options to more conventional sources of funding for climate change and sustainable development (national budget transfers, Official Development Aid, etc.). Based on the review of 27 main initiatives, the report shows a strong prevalence of initiatives supporting soft adaptation measures (strategy planning, capacity building, project design, technical assistance, etc). These are in a position to help support the development of a coherent portfolio of bankable projects. The mapping also reveals that local intermediaries (regional and local banks, national development funds, etc.) play a significant role in financing urban adaptation to climate change. Several key factor of success for the cities' access to these sources of funding are also identified, among which liaising with international development stakeholders (such as multilateral and bilateral donors) at the local level, and the identification of various co-benefits and synergies between the economic, environmental and climate impacts. (authors)

Urban shrinkage, local housing markets and the role of voluntary community organisations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Jacob Norvig

of that municipalities’ tax income drop and they therefore need to reduce or completely withdraw public services. The aim of the paper is to explore what options, if any, are available to local communities and local governments to counteract these detrimental economic, spatial and social developments? It is discussed...... why and how communities’ social capital enables voluntary initiatives to grow and if there are options available to local government to encourage and strengthen voluntary community-based organisations. Evidence from two case studies shows a number of successful initiatives by both municipalities...

Study of cyclic strain localization and fatigue crack initiation using FIB technique

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Man, Jiří; Vystavěl, T.; Weidner, A.; Kuběna, Ivo; Petrenec, Martin; Kruml, Tomáš; Polák, Jaroslav

2012-01-01

Roč. 39, JUN (2012), s. 44-53 ISSN 0142-1123 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP108/10/2371 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20410507 Keywords : fatigue crack initiation * persistent slip band * focused ion beam (FIB) Subject RIV: JL - Materials Fatigue, Friction Mechanics Impact factor: 1.976, year: 2012

Strong Anderson localization in cold atom quantum quenches

OpenAIRE

Micklitz, T.; Müller, C. A.; Altland, A.

2013-01-01

Signatures of strong Anderson localization in the momentum distribution of a cold atom cloud after a quantum quench are studied. We consider a quasi one-dimensional cloud initially prepared in a well defined momentum state, and expanding for some time in a disorder speckle potential. Anderson localization leads to a formation of a coherence peak in the \\emph{forward} scattering direction (as opposed to the common weak localization backscattering peak). We present a microscopic, and fully time...

A student-facilitated community-based support group initiative for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A student-facilitated community-based support group initiative for Mental Health ... was a collaborative partnership between a local University Psychology Department ... users, Rehabilitation, Primary Health Care, Social support, Stigmatisation ...

Local Alternative for Energy Supply : Performance Assessment of Integrated Community Energy Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koirala, B.P.; Chaves Avila, J.P.; Gomez, T.; Hakvoort, R.A.; Herder, P.M.

2016-01-01

Integrated community energy systems (ICESs) are emerging as a modern development to re-organize local energy systems allowing simultaneous integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) and engagement of local communities. Although local energy initiatives, such as ICESs are rapidly emerging due

Topology-optimized metasurfaces: impact of initial geometric layout.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jianji; Fan, Jonathan A

2017-08-15

Topology optimization is a powerful iterative inverse design technique in metasurface engineering and can transform an initial layout into a high-performance device. With this method, devices are optimized within a local design phase space, making the identification of suitable initial geometries essential. In this Letter, we examine the impact of initial geometric layout on the performance of large-angle (75 deg) topology-optimized metagrating deflectors. We find that when conventional metasurface designs based on dielectric nanoposts are used as initial layouts for topology optimization, the final devices have efficiencies around 65%. In contrast, when random initial layouts are used, the final devices have ultra-high efficiencies that can reach 94%. Our numerical experiments suggest that device topologies based on conventional metasurface designs may not be suitable to produce ultra-high-efficiency, large-angle metasurfaces. Rather, initial geometric layouts with non-trivial topologies and shapes are required.

Multidimensional Scaling Localization Algorithm in Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Dongyang

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Due to the localization algorithm in large-scale wireless sensor network exists shortcomings both in positioning accuracy and time complexity compared to traditional localization algorithm, this paper presents a fast multidimensional scaling location algorithm. By positioning algorithm for fast multidimensional scaling, fast mapping initialization, fast mapping and coordinate transform can get schematic coordinates of node, coordinates Initialize of MDS algorithm, an accurate estimate of the node coordinates and using the PRORUSTES to analysis alignment of the coordinate and final position coordinates of nodes etc. There are four steps, and the thesis gives specific implementation steps of the algorithm. Finally, compared with stochastic algorithms and classical MDS algorithm experiment, the thesis takes application of specific examples. Experimental results show that: the proposed localization algorithm has fast multidimensional scaling positioning accuracy in ensuring certain circumstances, but also greatly improves the speed of operation.

Think globally, act locally? Local climate change and energy policies in Sweden and the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collier, U.; Loefstedt, R.E.

1997-01-01

While climate change is obviously a global environmental problem, there is nevertheless potential for policy initiatives at the local level. Although the competences of local authorities vary between countries, they all have some responsibilities in the crucial areas of energy and transport policy. This paper examines local competences in Sweden and the UK and looks at the responses to the climate change issue by six local authorities, focussing on energy related developments. The points of departure are very different in the two countries. Swedish local authorities are much more independent than UK ones, especially through the ownership of local energy companies. Yet, UK local authorities are relatively active in the climate change domain, at least in terms of drawing up response strategies, which they see as an opportunity for reasserting their role, after a long period of erosion of their powers. Furthermore, there is more scope for action in the UK, as in Sweden many potential measures, especially in the energy efficiency field, have already been taken. However, in both countries climate change is only a relatively marginal area of local environmental policy making and the political will, as well as the financial resources, for more radical measures are often absent. (Author)

Education Policy and Family Values: A Critical Analysis of Initiatives from the Right

Science.gov (United States)

Kumashiro, Kevin K.

2009-01-01

This article analyzes current education policy initiatives from the political Right in the United States, focusing on initiatives at the federal level (standards and testing), the state level (funding), the local level (alternative certification), and the campus level (censorship). Each initiative has received wide bipartisan and public support,…

Strong Anderson localization in cold atom quantum quenches.

Science.gov (United States)

Micklitz, T; Müller, C A; Altland, A

2014-03-21

Signatures of Anderson localization in the momentum distribution of a cold atom cloud after a quantum quench are studied. We consider a quasi-one-dimensional cloud initially prepared in a well-defined momentum state, and expanding for some time in a disorder speckle potential. Quantum interference generates a peak in the forward scattering amplitude which, unlike the common weak localization backscattering peak, is a signature of strong Anderson localization. We present a nonperturbative, and fully time resolved description of the phenomenon, covering the entire diffusion-to-localization crossover. Our results should be observable by present day experiments.

New interaction paths in the energy landscape: the role of local energy initiatives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Boer, Jessica; Zuidema, Christian; Gugerell, Katharina

2018-01-01

Energy transition is an encompassing process which not only involves the energy system but also the landscape in which the energy system is embedded. Renewable energy is triggering new interactions with local landscapes in physical, socio-economic and institutional senses. We capture these

Hierarchical Leak Detection and Localization Method in Natural Gas Pipeline Monitoring Sensor Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Jiangwen; Yu, Yang; Wu, Yinfeng; Feng, Renjian; Yu, Ning

2012-01-01

In light of the problems of low recognition efficiency, high false rates and poor localization accuracy in traditional pipeline security detection technology, this paper proposes a type of hierarchical leak detection and localization method for use in natural gas pipeline monitoring sensor networks. In the signal preprocessing phase, original monitoring signals are dealt with by wavelet transform technology to extract the single mode signals as well as characteristic parameters. In the initial recognition phase, a multi-classifier model based on SVM is constructed and characteristic parameters are sent as input vectors to the multi-classifier for initial recognition. In the final decision phase, an improved evidence combination rule is designed to integrate initial recognition results for final decisions. Furthermore, a weighted average localization algorithm based on time difference of arrival is introduced for determining the leak point’s position. Experimental results illustrate that this hierarchical pipeline leak detection and localization method could effectively improve the accuracy of the leak point localization and reduce the undetected rate as well as false alarm rate. PMID:22368464

Hierarchical leak detection and localization method in natural gas pipeline monitoring sensor networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Jiangwen; Yu, Yang; Wu, Yinfeng; Feng, Renjian; Yu, Ning

2012-01-01

In light of the problems of low recognition efficiency, high false rates and poor localization accuracy in traditional pipeline security detection technology, this paper proposes a type of hierarchical leak detection and localization method for use in natural gas pipeline monitoring sensor networks. In the signal preprocessing phase, original monitoring signals are dealt with by wavelet transform technology to extract the single mode signals as well as characteristic parameters. In the initial recognition phase, a multi-classifier model based on SVM is constructed and characteristic parameters are sent as input vectors to the multi-classifier for initial recognition. In the final decision phase, an improved evidence combination rule is designed to integrate initial recognition results for final decisions. Furthermore, a weighted average localization algorithm based on time difference of arrival is introduced for determining the leak point's position. Experimental results illustrate that this hierarchical pipeline leak detection and localization method could effectively improve the accuracy of the leak point localization and reduce the undetected rate as well as false alarm rate.

Hierarchical Leak Detection and Localization Method in Natural Gas Pipeline Monitoring Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ning Yu

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In light of the problems of low recognition efficiency, high false rates and poor localization accuracy in traditional pipeline security detection technology, this paper proposes a type of hierarchical leak detection and localization method for use in natural gas pipeline monitoring sensor networks. In the signal preprocessing phase, original monitoring signals are dealt with by wavelet transform technology to extract the single mode signals as well as characteristic parameters. In the initial recognition phase, a multi-classifier model based on SVM is constructed and characteristic parameters are sent as input vectors to the multi-classifier for initial recognition. In the final decision phase, an improved evidence combination rule is designed to integrate initial recognition results for final decisions. Furthermore, a weighted average localization algorithm based on time difference of arrival is introduced for determining the leak point’s position. Experimental results illustrate that this hierarchical pipeline leak detection and localization method could effectively improve the accuracy of the leak point localization and reduce the undetected rate as well as false alarm rate.

Local strategies to prevent and treat osteoporosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Torstrick, F Brennan; Guldberg, Robert E

2014-03-01

Despite advances in systemic osteoporosis therapeutic outcomes, management of fragility fractures and implant fixation in osteoporotic bone remain difficult clinical challenges. Low initial bone density and a prolonged healing response can lead to fracture nonunion and aseptic implant loosening. Local treatment strategies could be used to prevent fracture, accelerate healing, and increase implant fixation by locally stimulating anabolic pathways or inhibiting catabolic pathways. Local strategies under investigation include direct drug release from injectable materials or implant surface coatings. Common locally delivered drugs include bisphosphonates, parathyroid hormone, and bone morphogenetic proteins, yet additional compounds targeting novel pathways in bone biology are also being actively explored. Mechanical stimulation via low intensity pulsed ultrasound, alone or in combination with drug therapy, may also prove effective to promote local bone healing and implant fixation within osteoporotic bone.

Locally manufactured wind power technology for sustainable rural electrification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leary, J.; While, A.; Howell, R.

2012-01-01

To date, the use of wind power for rural electrification has been limited. However the fact that micro-wind turbines can be manufactured using only basic workshop tools, techniques and materials, and therefore can be produced locally is often overlooked. Local manufacture has the potential to boost the local economy, build local capacity, reduce costs and produce resilient and flexible energy systems. However, locally manufactured technology must be seen as socially embedded due to the variety of local knowledge, skills, equipment and materials needed to construct and maintain such systems, as well as the organisational structures needed to ensure their long term sustainability. Evidence from successful initiatives suggests that stable institutional support from intermediaries such as the local/national government or NGOs is necessary to foster the development of a wind power industry based on local manufacture. The roles of these intermediaries include identifying and targeting windy areas with favourable environmental conditions, conducting research and development, collecting feedback from end users, creating supply chains for new parts and materials and developing relevant knowledge and skills. In this paper, three case studies of specific initiatives are analysed to draw out the social, economic and technical factors that could facilitate wider adoption of the technology. - Highlights: ► Local manufacture of wind turbines often overlooked for rural electrification. ► Flexible to adapt to local context and benefits local economy, capacity and supply chain. ► Development of technology discussed and 3 case studies of dissemination analysed. ► Critical factors: institutional support, system level planning, continuity of supply. ► Dissemination successful in Inner Mongolia; work continues elsewhere.

Salvage surgery for local failure of oral squamous cell carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omura, Ken; Harada, Hiroyuki; Shimamoto, Hiroaki

2003-01-01

Local failure rates following treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity have been reported to be in the range of 25%-48%. This study investigated the pattern of failure for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity and evaluated salvage surgery for local recurrent disease. The tumor files of 549 patients undergoing treatment for SCC of the oral cavity between 1980 and 2000 at Chiba Cancer Center Hospital were reviewed. Of 549 patients, 289 were initially treated with radiation therapy for their primary tumor, and 260 with surgery, either with or without radiation therapy. One hundred and sixty-one patients developed failures, yielding a failure rate of 29.3%. The site of recurrent tumor was local in 72 (13.1%) patients, regional in 89 (16.2%) patients, and distant in 5 (0.9%) patients. Local failure developed in 49 (17.0%) patients with radiation therapy and in 23 (8.8%) patients with surgery. Out of these 72 patients with local failure, 41 (56.9%) patients had salvage surgery for their disease. Twenty-five (73.5%) of the 34 patients initially treated with radiation therapy were salvaged with surgery, and 4 (57.1%) of the 7 patients initially treated with surgery were cured with further surgery. For the treatment of patients with local failure, the disease should be diagnosed more carefully than untreated disease. The disease that has recurred after radiation therapy may be more likely to be salvaged by surgery, however, the disease that has developed after surgery may have a limited indication for re-surgery. (author)

Direct Democracy in Local Politics in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svensson, Palle

2007-01-01

Elements of  direct democracy at the local level does exist in Denmark, but it is little known, because no formal rules regulate this aspect of political life, because results from popular initiatives and referendums are not recorded in official statistics, and because few systematic analyses have...... been published. This paper, accordingly, has an explorative nature and asks two basic questions: What is the current state of direct democracy at the local level in Denmark, and what are the prospects for a further development of direct democracy at the local level in Denmark? The paper is based...

Energy Transition Initiative: Islands Playbook (Book)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2015-01-01

The Island Energy Playbook (the Playbook) provides an action-oriented guide to successfully initiating, planning, and completing a transition to an energy system that primarily relies on local resources to eliminate a dependence on one or two imported fuels. It is intended to serve as a readily available framework that any community can adapt to organize its own energy transition effort.

Initial Studies on Alkaloids from Lombok Medicinal Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John B. Bremner

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Initial investigation of medicinal plants from Lombok has resulted in the collection of 100 plant species predicted to have antimicrobial, including antimalarial, properties according to local medicinal uses. These plants represent 49 families and 80 genera; 23% of the plants tested positively for alkaloids. Among the plants testing positive, five have been selected for further investigation involving structure elucidation and antimicrobial testing on the extracted alkaloids. Initial work on structural elucidation of some of the alkaloids is reported briefly.

A model of frontal polymerization using complex initiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. M. Goldfeder

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Frontal polymerization is a process in which a spatially localized reaction zone propagates into a monomer, converting it into a polymer. In the simplest case of free-radical polymerization, a mixture of monomer and initiator is placed in a test tube. A reaction is then initiated at one end of the tube. Over time, a self-sustained thermal wave, in which chemical conversion occurs, is produced. This phenomenon is possible because of the highly exothermic nature of the polymerization reactions.

The time frame of Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein-1 gene to disappear in nasopharyngeal swabs after initiation of primary radiotherapy is an independently significant prognostic factor predicting local control for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, S.-Y.; Chang, K.-P.; Hsieh, M.-S.; Ueng, S.-H.; Hao, S.-P.; Tseng, C.-K.; Pai, P.-C.; Chang, F.-T.; Tsai, M.-H.; Tsang, N.-M.

2005-01-01

Purpose: The presence of Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1) gene in nasopharyngeal swabs indicates the presence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) mucosal tumor cells. This study was undertaken to investigate whether the time taken for LMP-1 to disappear after initiation of primary radiotherapy (RT) was inversely associated with NPC local control. Methods and Materials: During July 1999 and October 2002, there were 127 nondisseminated NPC patients receiving serial examinations of nasopharyngeal swabbing with detection of LMP-1 during the RT course. The time for LMP-1 regression was defined as the number of days after initiation of RT for LMP-1 results to turn negative. The primary outcome was local control, which was represented by freedom from local recurrence. Results: The time for LMP-1 regression showed a statistically significant influence on NPC local control both univariately (p < 0.0001) and multivariately (p = 0.004). In multivariate analysis, the administration of chemotherapy conferred a significantly more favorable local control (p = 0.03). Advanced T status (≥ T2b), overall treatment time of external photon radiotherapy longer than 55 days, and older age showed trends toward being poor prognosticators. The time for LMP-1 regression was very heterogeneous. According to the quartiles of the time for LMP-1 regression, we defined the pattern of LMP-1 regression as late regression if it required 40 days or more. Kaplan-Meier plots indicated that the patients with late regression had a significantly worse local control than those with intermediate or early regression (p 0.0129). Conclusion: Among the potential prognostic factors examined in this study, the time for LMP-1 regression was the most independently significant factor that was inversely associated with NPC local control

On the multiday haze in the Asian continental outflow: the important role of synoptic conditions combined with regional and local sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Seo

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The air quality of the megacities in populated and industrialized regions like East Asia is affected by both local and regional emission sources. The combined effect of regional transport and local emissions on multiday haze was investigated through a synthetic analysis of PM2. 5 sampled at both an urban site in Seoul, South Korea and an upwind background site on Deokjeok Island over the Yellow Sea during a severe multiday haze episode in late February 2014. Inorganic components and carbonaceous species of daily PM2. 5 samples were measured, and gaseous pollutants, local meteorological factors, and synoptic meteorological conditions were also determined. A dominance of fine-mode particles (PM2. 5 ∕ PM10  ∼  0.8, a large secondary inorganic fraction (76 %, high OC ∕ EC (> 7, and highly oxidized aerosols (oxygen-to-carbon ratio of  ∼  0.6 and organic-mass-to-carbon ratio of  ∼  1.9 under relatively warm, humid, and stagnant conditions characterize the multiday haze episode in Seoul; however, the early and late stages of the episode show different chemical compositions of PM2. 5. High concentrations of sulfate in both Seoul and the upwind background in the early stage suggest a significant regional influence on the onset of the multiday haze. At the same time, high concentrations of nitrate and organic compounds in Seoul, which are local and highly correlated with meteorological factors, suggest the contribution of local emissions and secondary formation under stagnant meteorological conditions to the haze. A slow eastward-moving high-pressure system from southern China to the East China Sea induces the regional transport of aerosols and potential gaseous precursors for secondary aerosols from the North China Plain in the early stage but provides stagnant conditions conducive to the accumulation and the local formation of aerosols in the late stage. A blocking ridge over Alaska that developed during

Strain-rate effect on initial crush stress of irregular honeycomb under dynamic loading and its deformation mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Peng; Zheng, Zhijun; Liao, Shenfei; Yu, Jilin

2018-02-01

The seemingly contradictory understandings of the initial crush stress of cellular materials under dynamic loadings exist in the literature, and a comprehensive analysis of this issue is carried out with using direct information of local stress and strain. Local stress/strain calculation methods are applied to determine the initial crush stresses and the strain rates at initial crush from a cell-based finite element model of irregular honeycomb under dynamic loadings. The initial crush stress under constant-velocity compression is identical to the quasi-static one, but less than the one under direct impact, i.e. the initial crush stresses under different dynamic loadings could be very different even though there is no strain-rate effect of matrix material. A power-law relation between the initial crush stress and the strain rate is explored to describe the strain-rate effect on the initial crush stress of irregular honeycomb when the local strain rate exceeds a critical value, below which there is no strain-rate effect of irregular honeycomb. Deformation mechanisms of the initial crush behavior under dynamic loadings are also explored. The deformation modes of the initial crush region in the front of plastic compaction wave are different under different dynamic loadings.

European Lung Foundation: from local to global

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pippa Powell

2016-09-01

To show how patient- and public-focussed initiatives and activities can be adapted and modified to be effective in local, national and international settings, and to provide specific examples of these from the European Lung Foundation.

Smart border initiative: a Franco-German cross-border energy optimisation project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

Integrated and optimised local energy systems will play a key role in achieving the energy transition objectives set by France and Germany, in line with the Energy Union's goals, and contribute to ensuring a secure, affordable and climate-friendly energy supply in the EU. In order to capitalise on the French and German expertise and experiences in developing such systems and to continue strengthening the cross-border cooperation towards a fully integrated European energy market, both Governments have decided to launch a common initiative to identify and structure a cross-border energy optimisation project. Tilia and Dena have undertaken this mission to jointly develop the Smart Border Initiative (SBI). The SBI will, on the one hand, connect policies designed by France and Germany in order to support their cities and territories in their energy transition strategies and European market integration. It is currently a paradox that, though more balanced and resilient energy systems build up, bottom-up, at the local level, borders remain an obstacle to this local integration, in spite of the numerous complementarities observed in cross-border regions, and of their specific needs, in terms of smart mobility for example. The SBI project aims at enabling European neighbouring regions separated by a border to jointly build up optimised local energy systems, and jointly develop their local economies following an integrated, sustainable and low-carbon model. On the other hand, this showcase project will initiate a new stage in the EU electricity market integration, by completing high voltage interconnections with local, low voltage integration at DSO level, opening new optimisation possibilities in managing the electricity balance, and enabling DSOs to jointly overcome some of the current challenges, notably the increased share of renewable energy (RE) and ensuring Europe's security of supply

Venture Capital Initiative: Ohio's School Improvement Effort.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Soonhwa; Loadman, William E.

In 1994 the Ohio State Legislature established Venture Capital to support school restructuring. The Venture Capital school initiative is a concept borrowed from the business community in which the corporate entity provides risk capital to parts of the organization to stimulate creative ideas and to provide opportunities for local entities to try…

Large volume unresectable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: acute toxicity and initial outcome results with rapid arc

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fogliata Antonella

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To report acute toxicity, initial outcome results and planning therapeutic parameters in radiation treatment of advanced lung cancer (stage III with volumetric modulated arcs using RapidArc (RA. Methods Twenty-four consecutive patients were treated with RA. All showed locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer with stage IIIA-IIIB and with large volumes (GTV:299 ± 175 cm3, PTV:818 ± 206 cm3. Dose prescription was 66Gy in 33 fractions to mean PTV. Delivery was performed with two partial arcs with a 6 MV photon beam. Results From a dosimetric point of view, RA allowed us to respect most planning objectives on target volumes and organs at risk. In particular: for GTV D1% = 105.6 ± 1.7%, D99% = 96.7 ± 1.8%, D5%-D95% = 6.3 ± 1.4%; contra-lateral lung mean dose resulted in 13.7 ± 3.9Gy, for spinal cord D1% = 39.5 ± 4.0Gy, for heart V45Gy = 9.0 ± 7.0Gy, for esophagus D1% = 67.4 ± 2.2Gy. Delivery time was 133 ± 7s. At three months partial remission > 50% was observed in 56% of patients. Acute toxicities at 3 months showed 91% with grade 1 and 9% with grade 2 esophageal toxicity; 18% presented grade 1 and 9% with grade 2 pneumonia; no grade 3 acute toxicity was observed. The short follow-up does not allow assessment of local control and progression free survival. Conclusions RA proved to be a safe and advantageous treatment modality for NSCLC with large volumes. Long term observation of patients is needed to assess outcome and late toxicity.

Regional, State, and Local Initiatives in Nanotechnology: Report of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Workshop, April 1-3, 2009, Oklahoma City, OK

Science.gov (United States)

2009-04-01

nanotechnology to generate more student curiosity regarding STEM topics and STEM careers, nanotechnology could also turn out to be a significant...imperative to be proactive about disposal and recycling of nanomaterials and products containing nanomaterials. These initiatives, programs, and

Superdiffusive transport and energy localization in disordered granular crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez, Alejandro J.; Kevrekidis, P. G.; Porter, Mason A.

2016-02-01

We study the spreading of initially localized excitations in one-dimensional disordered granular crystals. We thereby investigate localization phenomena in strongly nonlinear systems, which we demonstrate to differ fundamentally from localization in linear and weakly nonlinear systems. We conduct a thorough comparison of wave dynamics in chains with three different types of disorder—an uncorrelated (Anderson-like) disorder and two types of correlated disorders (which are produced by random dimer arrangements)—and for two types of initial conditions (displacement excitations and velocity excitations). We find for strongly precompressed (i.e., weakly nonlinear) chains that the dynamics depend strongly on the type of initial condition. In particular, for displacement excitations, the long-time asymptotic behavior of the second moment m˜2 of the energy has oscillations that depend on the type of disorder, with a complex trend that differs markedly from a power law and which is particularly evident for an Anderson-like disorder. By contrast, for velocity excitations, we find that a standard scaling m˜2˜tγ (for some constant γ ) applies for all three types of disorder. For weakly precompressed (i.e., strongly nonlinear) chains, m˜2 and the inverse participation ratio P-1 satisfy scaling relations m˜2˜tγ and P-1˜t-η , and the dynamics is superdiffusive for all of the cases that we consider. Additionally, when precompression is strong, the inverse participation ratio decreases slowly (with η disorder, and the dynamics leads to a partial localization around the core and the leading edge of a propagating wave packet. For an Anderson-like disorder, displacement perturbations lead to localization of energy primarily in the core, and velocity perturbations cause the energy to be divided between the core and the leading edge. This localization phenomenon does not occur in the sonic-vacuum regime, which yields the surprising result that the energy is no longer

Local Governance and ICT Research Network for Africa | Page 2 ...

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

Local Governance and ICT Research Network for Africa (LOG-IN Africa) is an emergent pan-African network of researchers and research institutions from nine countries. LOG-IN Africa will assess the current state and outcome of electronic local governance initiatives in Africa, focusing on how information and ...

Extreme heat event projections for a coastal megacity

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, L. E.; Gonzalez, J.

2017-12-01

As summers become warmer, extreme heat events are expected to increase in intensity, frequency, and duration. Large urban centers may affect these projections by introducing feedbacks between the atmosphere and the built environment through processes involving anthropogenic heat, wind modification, radiation blocking, and others. General circulation models are often run with spatial resolutions in the order of 100 km, limiting their skill at resolving local scale processes and highly spatially varying features such as cities' heterogeneous landscape and mountain topography. This study employs climate simulations using the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model coupled with a modified multi-layer urban canopy and building energy model to downscale CESM1 at 1 km horizontal resolution across three time slices (2006-2010, 2075-2079, and 2095-2099) and two projections (RCP 4.5 and 8.5). New York City Metropolitan area, with a population of over 20 million and a complex urban canopy, is used as a case study. The urban canopy model of WRF was modified to include a drag coefficient as a function of the building plant area fraction and the introduction of evaporative cooling systems at building roofs to reject the anthropogenic heat from the buildings, with urban canopy parameters computed from the New York City Property Land-Use Tax-lot Output (PLUTO). Model performance is evaluated against the input model and historical records from airport stations, showing improvement in the statistical characteristics in the downscaled model output. Projection results are presented as spatially distributed anomalies in heat wave frequency, duration, and maximum intensity from the 2006-2010 benchmark period. Results show that local sea-breeze circulations mitigate heat wave impacts, following a positive gradient with increasing distance from the coastline. However, end of century RCP 8.5 projections show the possibility of reversal of this pattern, sea surface temperatures increase

Ambient levels and temporal variations of PM2.5 and PM10 at a residential site in the mega-city, Nanjing, in the western Yangtze River Delta, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Guo F; Yuan, Si Y; Xie, Yu N; Xia, Si J; Li, Li; Yao, Yu K; Qiao, Yue Z; Zhang, Jie; Zhao, Qiu Y; Ding, Ai J; Li, Bin; Wu, Hai S

2014-01-01

The deteriorating air quality in eastern China including the Yangtze River Delta is attracting growing public concern. In this study, we measured the ambient PM10 and fine PM2.5 in the mega-city, Nanjing at four different times. The 24-h average PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations were 0.033-0.234 and 0.042-0.328 mg/m(3), respectively. The daily PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were 2.9 (2.7-3.2, at 95% confidence interval) and 4.2 (3.8-4.6) times the WHO air quality guidelines of 0.025 mg/m(3) for PM2.5 and 0.050 mg/m(3) for PM10, respectively, which indicated serious air pollution in the city. There was no obvious weekend effect. The highest PM10 pollution occurred in the wintertime, with higher PM2.5 loadings in the winter and summer. PM2.5 was correlated significantly with PM10 and the average mass fraction of PM2.5 in PM10 was about 72.5%. This fraction varied during different sampling periods, with the lowest PM2.5 fraction in the spring but minor differences among the other three seasons.

Emerging localized food networks in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Mette Weinreich; Kristensen, Niels Heine

2012-01-01

, together with an analysis of how this has evolved and expanded. The challenges this rapid expansion puts on the internal network and organisation, and on the local food supplieres - the organic farmers - are elaborated in this paper. Also – from a rural sociology perspective – the interaction......One of the fastest growing food related social movements are citizen driven food networks. The Danish initiatives emerged in Copenhagen from an open culinary, social, environmental and organic oriented network. The theories and strategies of the original initiative is presented in this paper...

Highlight: Think Tank Initiative's 2015 Exchange in Istanbul | CRDI ...

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

15 avr. 2016 ... ... from think tanks has led to local, national, and global policy change. The initiative, Southern Voice on Post-MDG International Development ... 2015 Exchange, thanks to social reporting such as a dedicated blog space—with ...

Management through decentralisation and local economic development: A condition for sustainable urbanisation in Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel Innocents Edoun

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This paper is based on the premise that, urbanisation could be effective only if decentralisation policy is at the centre of development initiatives. In this way the paper argues, local authorities could utilize local resources to ignite local economic development (LED through for instance trade activities and investments.LED initiatives aim at empowering local stakeholders to utilise business enterprises, labour, capital and other local resources effectively to maximise local benefits in order to contribute to poverty reduction and the uplifting of citizens life conditions. The paper is divided into four major parts. The first part gives a background of the notion of decentralisation, urbanisation and local economic development. The second part provides an overview of the review of the related literature while the third part gives an account on how the above are inter-related. The fourth part provides the challenges faced by urbanisation in achieving local economic development and part five is presented as conclusion and recommendations.

Think Tank Initiative Phase 2: Strengthening Research Capacity ...

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

Public policies work best when local actors design and implement them. ... that can do the ongoing research and analysis needed to effect improvements over time. ... to enable think tanks to improve organizational performance, research quality, and ... New initiative to further global sustainable development goals in health.

Initial clinical experience with frameless radiosurgery for patients with intracranial metastases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamath, Reena; Ryken, Timothy C.; Meeks, Sanford L.; Pennington, Edward C.; Ritchie, Justine; Buatti, John M.

2005-01-01

Purpose: To review the initial clinical experience with frameless stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for treating intracranial metastatic disease. Methods and Materials: Sixty-four patients received frameless SRS for intracranial metastatic disease. Minimum follow-up was 6 months with none lost to follow-up. Patients had a median of 2 metastases and a maximum of 4. The median number of isocenters was 2 with median arcs of 10 and median dose of 17.5 Gy. Thirteen patients were treated for progressive/recurrent disease after surgical resection or whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). Fifty-one patients were treated with frameless SRS as an an adjunct to initial treatment. Of the total treated, 17 were treated with SRS alone, 20 were treated with WBRT plus SRS, 16 were treated with surgical resection plus SRS, and the remaining 11 were treated with surgical resection plus WBRT plus SRS. Results: With a median actuarial follow-up period of 8.2 months, ultimate local control was 88%. The median time to progression was 8.1 months. The median overall survival was 8.7 months. Of the 17 patients treated with SRS alone, 86% had ultimate local control with mean overall survival of 7.1 months. Of the 13 patients who received surgical resection plus SRS without WBRT as primary treatment, there was 85% ultimate local control with an overall survival of 10.3 months. Three patients treated with initial surgery alone had recurrence treated with SRS 2-3 months after resection. All these patients obtained local control and median survival was >10 months. Of the 13 patients who received WBRT followed by SRS as boost treatment, 92% had local control and mean overall survival was 7.3 months. Of 7 patients who received SRS after recurrence after WBRT, 100% had local control with median survival of 8.2 months. For 8 patients who received surgery followed by WBRT and SRS, local control was 50%; however, ultimate intracranial control was achieved in 7 of 8 patients with repeat SRS and surgical

Relationships between substrate, surface characteristics, and vegetation in an initial ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Biber, P.; Seifert, S.; Zaplata, M. K.; Schaaf, W.; Pretzsch, H.; Fischer, A.

2013-12-01

We investigated surface and vegetation dynamics in the artificial initial ecosystem "Chicken Creek" (Lusatia, Germany) in the years 2006-2011 across a wide spectrum of empirical data. We scrutinized three overarching hypotheses concerning (1) the relations between initial geomorphological and substrate characteristics with surface structure and terrain properties, (2) the effects of the latter on the occurrence of grouped plant species, and (3) vegetation density effects on terrain surface change. Our data comprise and conflate annual vegetation monitoring results, biennial terrestrial laser scans (starting in 2008), annual groundwater levels, and initially measured soil characteristics. The empirical evidence mostly confirms the hypotheses, revealing statistically significant relations for several goal variables: (1) the surface structure properties, local rill density, local relief energy and terrain surface height change; (2) the cover of different plant groups (annual, herbaceous, grass-like, woody, Fabaceae), and local vegetation height; and (3) terrain surface height change showed significant time-dependent relations with a variable that proxies local plant biomass. Additionally, period specific effects (like a calendar-year optimum effect for the occurrence of Fabaceae) were proven. Further and beyond the hypotheses, our findings on the spatiotemporal dynamics during the system's early development grasp processes which generally mark the transition from a geo-hydro-system towards a bio-geo-hydro system (weakening geomorphology effects on substrate surface dynamics, while vegetation effects intensify with time), where pure geomorphology or substrate feedbacks are changing into vegetation-substrate feedback processes.

Performance Analysis of Local Ensemble Kalman Filter

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Xin T.

2018-03-01

Ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is an important data assimilation method for high-dimensional geophysical systems. Efficient implementation of EnKF in practice often involves the localization technique, which updates each component using only information within a local radius. This paper rigorously analyzes the local EnKF (LEnKF) for linear systems and shows that the filter error can be dominated by the ensemble covariance, as long as (1) the sample size exceeds the logarithmic of state dimension and a constant that depends only on the local radius; (2) the forecast covariance matrix admits a stable localized structure. In particular, this indicates that with small system and observation noises, the filter error will be accurate in long time even if the initialization is not. The analysis also reveals an intrinsic inconsistency caused by the localization technique, and a stable localized structure is necessary to control this inconsistency. While this structure is usually taken for granted for the operation of LEnKF, it can also be rigorously proved for linear systems with sparse local observations and weak local interactions. These theoretical results are also validated by numerical implementation of LEnKF on a simple stochastic turbulence in two dynamical regimes.

Colleges and Communities: Increasing Local Capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, Fred D.

2001-01-01

Community colleges in Appalachia are helping boost local economies and expand educational opportunities through the national Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI). At the heart of RCCI is a nine-step strategic planning process in which a community group moves from vision to action. Kentucky's Southeast Community College has promoted…

A code for transcription initiation in mammalian genomes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frith, Martin C.; Valen, Eivind Dale; Krogh, Anders

2007-01-01

that initiation events are clustered on the chromosomes at multiple scales - clusters within clusters - indicating multiple regulatory processes. Within the smallest of such clusters, which can be interpreted as core promoters, the local DNA sequence predicts the relative transcription start usage of each...... of large- and small-scale effects: the selection of transcription start sites is largely governed by the local DNA sequence, whereas the transcriptional activity of a locus is regulated at a different level; it is affected by distal features or events such as enhancers and chromatin remodeling....

High temperature crack initiation in an austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laiarinandrasana, Lucien

1994-01-01

The study deals with crack initiation at 600 deg. C and 650 deg. C, on an austenitic stainless steel referenced by Z2 CND 17 12. The behaviour laws of the studied plate were updated in comparison with existing data. Forty tests were carried out on CT specimens, with continuous fatigue with load or displacement controlled, pure creep, pure relaxation, creep-fatigue and creep-relaxation loadings. The practical initiation definition corresponds to a small crack growth of about the grain size, monitored by electrical potential drop technique. The time necessary for the crack to initiate is predicted with fracture mechanics global and local approaches, with the help of microstructural observations and finite element results. An identification of a 'Paris' law' for continuous cyclic loading and of a unique correlation between the initiation time and C h * for creep tests was established. For the local approach, crack initiation by creep can be interpreted as the reaching of a critical damage level, by using a damage incremental rule. For creep-fatigue tests, crack growth rates at initiation are greater than those of Paris' law for continuous fatigue. A calculation of a transition time between elastic-plastic and creep domains shows that crack initiation can be interpreted whether by providing Paris' law with an acceleration term when the dwell period is less than the transition time, or by calculating a creep contribution which relies on C h * parameter when the dwell period and/or the initiation times are greater than the transition time. Creep relaxation tests present crack growth rates at initiation which are less than those for 'equivalent' creep-fatigue tests. These crack growth rates decrease when increasing hold time, but also when temperature decreases. Though, for hold times which are important enough and at lower temperature, there is no effect of the dwell period insofar as crack growth rate is equal to continuous fatigue

High FDG uptake areas on pre-radiotherapy PET/CT identify preferential sites of local relapse after chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced oesophageal cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calais, Jeremie; Lemarignier, Charles; Vera, Pierre [Henri Becquerel Cancer Center and Rouen University Hospital, Nuclear Medicine Department, Rouen (France); University of Rouen, QuantIF-LITIS (Equipe d' Accueil 4108-FR CNRS 3638), Faculty of Medicine, Rouen (France); Dubray, Bernard [University of Rouen, QuantIF-LITIS (Equipe d' Accueil 4108-FR CNRS 3638), Faculty of Medicine, Rouen (France); Centre Henri Becquerel and Rouen University Hospital, Department of Radiotherapy and Medical Physics, Rouen (France); Nkhali, Lamyaa; Thureau, Sebastien; Modzelewski, Romain; Gardin, Isabelle [Henri Becquerel Cancer Center and Rouen University Hospital, Nuclear Medicine Department, Rouen (France); University of Rouen, QuantIF-LITIS (Equipe d' Accueil 4108-FR CNRS 3638), Faculty of Medicine, Rouen (France); Centre Henri Becquerel and Rouen University Hospital, Department of Radiotherapy and Medical Physics, Rouen (France); Di Fiore, Frederic [Rouen University Hospital, Department of Gastroenterology, Rouen (France); Rouen University Hospital, Department of Oncology, Henri Becquerel Cancer Center, IRON, Rouen (France); Michel, Pierre [Rouen University Hospital, Department of Gastroenterology, Rouen (France)

2015-05-01

The high failure rates in the radiotherapy (RT) target volume suggest that patients with locally advanced oesophageal cancer (LAOC) would benefit from increased total RT doses. High 2-deoxy-2-[{sup 18}F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake (hotspot) on pre-RT FDG positron emission tomography (PET)/CT has been reported to identify intra-tumour sites at increased risk of relapse after RT in non-small cell lung cancer and in rectal cancer. Our aim was to confirm these observations in patients with LAOC and to determine the optimal maximum standardized uptake value (SUV{sub max}) threshold to delineate smaller RT target volumes that would facilitate RT dose escalation without impaired tolerance. The study included 98 consecutive patients with LAOC treated by chemoradiotherapy (CRT). All patients underwent FDG PET/CT at initial staging and during systematic follow-up in a single institution. FDG PET/CT acquisitions were coregistered on the initial CT scan. Various subvolumes within the initial tumour (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 % SUV{sub max} thresholds) and in the subsequent local recurrence (LR, 40 and 90 % SUV{sub max} thresholds) were pasted on the initial CT scan and compared[Dice, Jaccard, overlap fraction (OF), common volume/baseline volume, common volume/recurrent volume]. Thirty-five patients had LR. The initial metabolic tumour volume was significantly higher in LR tumours than in the locally controlled tumours (mean 25.4 vs 14.2 cc; p = 0.002). The subvolumes delineated on initial PET/CT with a 30-60 % SUV{sub max} threshold were in good agreement with the recurrent volume at 40 % SUV{sub max} (OF = 0.60-0.80). The subvolumes delineated on initial PET/CT with a 30-60 % SUV{sub max} threshold were in good to excellent agreement with the core volume (90 % SUV{sub max}) of the relapse (common volume/recurrent volume and OF indices 0.61-0.89). High FDG uptake on pretreatment PET/CT identifies tumour subvolumes that are at greater risk of recurrence after CRT in

Least squares approach for initial data recovery in dynamic data-driven applications simulations

KAUST Repository

Douglas, C.; Efendiev, Y.; Ewing, R.; Ginting, V.; Lazarov, R.; Cole, M.; Jones, G.

2010-01-01

In this paper, we consider the initial data recovery and the solution update based on the local measured data that are acquired during simulations. Each time new data is obtained, the initial condition, which is a representation of the solution at a

Interpeace: local solutions, lasting peace | IDRC - International ...

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

2010-10-27

Oct 27, 2010 ... With funding from IDRC, a UN pilot initiative, the War-torn Societies Project, sought durable, locally rooted solutions to the conflicts in four test countries: Somalia ... "The issues the projects were working on were defined by the ...

Filter-based measurement of light absorption by brown carbon in PM2.5 in a megacity in South China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Sheng; Zhu, Ming; Yang, Weiqiang; Tang, Mingjin; Huang, Xueliang; Yu, Yuegang; Fang, Hua; Yu, Xu; Yu, Qingqing; Fu, Xiaoxin; Song, Wei; Zhang, Yanli; Bi, Xinhui; Wang, Xinming

2018-08-15

Carbonaceous aerosols represent an important nexus between air pollution and climate change. Here we collected filter-based PM 2.5 samples during summer and autumn in 2015 at one urban and two rural sites in Guangzhou, a megacity in southern China, and got the light absorption by black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) resolved with a DRI Model 2015 multi-wavelength thermal/optical carbon analyzer apart from determining the organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) contents. On average BrC contributed 12-15% of the measured absorption at 405nm (LA 405 ) during summer and 15-19% during autumn with significant increase in the LA 405 by BrC at the rural sites. Carbonaceous aerosols, identified as total carbon (TC), yielded average mass absorption efficiency at 405nm (MAE 405 ) that were approximately 45% higher in autumn than in summer, an 83% increase was noted in the average MAE 405 for OC, compared with an increase of only 14% in the average MAE 405 for EC. The LA 405 by BrC showed a good correlation (p0.1) in autumn, implying greater secondary formation of BrC in summer. The correlations between levoglucosan (a marker of biomass burning) and the LA 405 by BrC were significant during autumn but insignificant during summer, suggesting that the observed increase in the LA 405 by BrC during autumn in rural areas was largely related to biomass burning. The measurements of light absorption at 550nm presented in this study indicated that the use of the IMPROVE algorithm with an MAE value of 10m 2 /g for EC to approximate light absorption may be appropriate in areas not strongly affected by fossil fuel combustion; however, this practice would underestimate the absorption of light by PM 2.5 in areas heavily affected by vehicle exhausts and coal burning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Constraints on rapidity-dependent initial conditions from charged-particle pseudorapidity densities and two-particle correlations

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Weiyao; Moreland, J. Scott; Bernhard, Jonah E.; Bass, Steffen A.

2017-10-01

We study the initial three-dimensional spatial configuration of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions using centrality and pseudorapidity-dependent measurements of the medium's charged particle density and two-particle correlations. A cumulant-generating function is first used to parametrize the rapidity dependence of local entropy deposition and extend arbitrary boost-invariant initial conditions to nonzero beam rapidities. The model is then compared to p +Pb and Pb + Pb charged-particle pseudorapidity densities and two-particle pseudorapidity correlations and systematically optimized using Bayesian parameter estimation to extract high-probability initial condition parameters. The optimized initial conditions are then compared to a number of experimental observables including the pseudorapidity-dependent anisotropic flows, event-plane decorrelations, and flow correlations. We find that the form of the initial local longitudinal entropy profile is well constrained by these experimental measurements.

Detecting measurement-induced relative-position localization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knott, P A; Sindt, J; Dunningham, J A

2013-01-01

The theory of decoherence explains how classicality emerges from an underlying quantum reality. An additional interpretation to this has been proposed in which scattering events induce the localization of relative observables (Rau et al 2003 Science 301 1081). An interesting consequence of this process is that it involves the build-up of certain robust entanglements between the observables being localized. To date the weakness of this interpretation has been the lack of a clear experimental signature that allows it to be tested. Here we provide a simple experimentally accessible scheme that enables just that. We also discuss a Bayesian technique that could, in principle, allow experiments to confirm the localization to any desired degree of accuracy and we present precision requirements that are achievable with current experiments. Finally, we extend the scheme from its initial one dimensional proof of principle to the more real world scenario of three dimensional localization. (paper)

Impact of regional special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) initiatives on county infrastructure.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-01

In response to fiscal constraints on transportation funding and the need to address transportation problems and create regional solutions, Georgia is proposing a 1% regional Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). To accommodate this initiat...

Modeling of plastic localization in aluminum and Al–Cu alloys under shock loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krasnikov, V.S.; Mayer, A.E.

2014-01-01

This paper focuses on the modeling of plastic deformation localization in pure aluminum and aluminum–copper alloys during the propagation of a plane shock wave. Modeling is carried out with the use of continual dislocation plasticity model in 2-D geometry. It is shown that the formation of localization bands occurs at an angle of 45° to the direction of propagation of the shock front. Effective initiators for plastic localization in pure aluminum are the perturbations of the initial dislocation density, in the alloys – perturbations of the dislocation density and the concentration of copper atoms. Perturbations of temperature field in a range of tens of kelvins are not so effective for plastic localization. In the alloy plastic localization intensity decreases with an increase of strain rate due to the thermally activated nature of the dislocation motion

Local content: worldwide trends and the Brazilian experience in the oil and gas sector; Conteudo local: tendencias mundiais e a experiencia brasileira no setor de oleo e gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pedrosa Junior, Oswaldo A.; Guimaraes, Paulo Buarque [Associacao Brasileira dos Produtores Independentes de Petroleo e Gas - ABPIP, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Fernandez y Fernandez, Eloi [Organizacao Nacional da Industria do Petroleo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2008-07-01

In recent years a trend on increasing requirements for local investments has been observed worldwide in the petroleum industry. Host countries expect to have increasing social and economical benefits from the development of the oil and gas industry. This expectation drives at a more comprehensive concept of local content to include commitment with social, industrial, and technological development. The Brazilian experience has shown a lot of emphasis on local industry development. Initiatives from governmental authorities and the private sector have been implemented to increase the local industry participation in the oil and gas projects. The current regulation focus on the full and fair opportunities for the local suppliers and the local content commitment established in the E and P concession agreements. A key issue on promoting local content initiatives is to assure that the competitiveness of the indigenous industry will be developed and preserved. The constraints on building up the local industry competitiveness will be addressed, focusing on the taxation overburden, lack of adequate local financing, and internal structural aspects affecting industrial productivity. In addition to this, the experiences on measuring local content for offshore construction and drilling are highlighted. Technology development and technical capability have been addressed by incentive programs for the O and G sector. Finally, the technology learning process and the regulatory requirements to invest in R and D programs conducted by Brazilian technological institutions are discussed. (author)

Analysis of the sources and dynamic processes leading to the increase of atmospheric CO2, black carbon and other trace species during recent urban pollution events in the Paris megacity region : a synergy of resources provided by the IPSL OCAPI platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Xueref-Remy, I.; Foret, G.; Beekmann, M.; Brégonzio-Rozier, L.; Favez, O.; Gros, V.; Moreau-Guigon, E.; Vogel, F. R.; Belviso, S.; Ghersi, V.; Dupont, J. C.; Bodichon, R.; Cailteau-Fischbach, C.; Baisnee, D.; Peinado, F.; Haeffelin, M.; DeCola, P.; Turnbull, J. C.; Chelin, P.; Te, Y. V.; Formenti, P.; Doussin, J. F.; Gratien, A.; Desboeufs, K. V.; Ramage, K.; Jeseck, P.; Delmotte, M.; Ramonet, M.; Michoud, V.; Ravetta, F.

2016-12-01

Nowadays, more than 50% of the global population leave in urban centers which activities generate large anthropogenic emissions of CO2 (more than 70% of fossil fuel CO2 comes from urbanized/industrialized areas) and reactive gases that endanger our climate, the health of human beings and surrounding ecosystems. The worst situations are encountered during urban pollution events that usually form under anticyclonic conditions. Analyzing the contribution of the local and regional sources of urban CO2 and co-emitted species vs the remote ones, as well as the nature of these sources and the dynamical processes that lead to the building of such events can provide interesting knowledge for helping urban policy makers to better identify the role of anthropogenic/biogenic sources on the urban air composition and to take proper decisions in matter of CO2 and pollutants sources mitigation. With 12 million of people, Paris (France) is the second megacity in Europe. In 2016, two pollution events occured in the Paris region during which the instrumental platform OCAPI (http://observations.ipsl.fr/composition-atmospherique-en-idf.html) from IPSL (Institut Pierre Simon Laplace) was mobilized in collaboration with air quality governing actors (AIRPARIF, INERIS) to collect a bunch of observations. Five sites located in the urban, peri-urban and rural areas of Paris were equiped with in-situ analyzers (CO2, CO, black carbon, 13CO2, COS) ; Fourier transform spectrometers for column measurements (XCO2, XCO, XCOS), particle filters (for aerosols size and content analysis) ; air samples (levoglucosan, 14CO2, VOCs) ; and Lidar profilers (boundary layer height ; wind profiles). These data, combined with a backtrajectories analysis, give information about the dynamical processes that lead to the formation of the pollution events and on the contribution of local, regional and remote sources. The analysis of the correlations between the trace species and of the isotopic content of carbon in

Physicochemical, nutritive and safety evaluation of local cereal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SARAH

2014-11-30

Nov 30, 2014 ... practices and good manufacturing processing should be considered. Such initiatives need to be carried amongst local cereal producers to help minimize food safety risk and ... potential for contamination and deterioration with.

Rock’n’Roll as a Local Musical Phenomenon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marija Ristivojević

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The paper considers the process of localization of a pop cultural and musical phenomenon – rock ’n’ roll. My basic premise is that rock ’n’ roll as a global music genre can be perceived as local, and hence represents a recognizable identification element for the local population. In this case the label r ’n’ r pertain to the phenomenon of Belgrade "new wave" music, which was popular during the 1980’s. Based on the analysis of narratives from relevant documentary films, it is my intention to find out whether "new wave" was initially perceived as a local phenomenon, and what the means of constructing this image are, as well as what it is that gives this phenomenon local legitimacy and credibility.

Citizen's initiatives and the representative system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guggenberger, B.; Kempf, U.

1978-01-01

This anthology containing contributions of 19 sociologists is a systematic investigation of the locality, the possibilities and the effective radius of citizen's initiatives under the functional conditions of the parliamentary - representative system. The intellectual and political surroundings, the sociologic context, the institutional, political and judical overall conditions as well as the consequences of this movement for the whole political system of the Federal Republic of Germany. (orig.) [de

Crack initiation and growth in welded structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assire, A.

2000-01-01

This work concerns the remaining life assessment of a structure containing initial defects of manufacturing. High temperature crack initiation and growth are studied for austenitic stainless steels, and defect assessment methods are improved in order to take into account welded structures. For these one, the probability to have a defect is significant. Two kinds of approaches are commonly used for defect assessment analysis. Fracture mechanics global approach with an energetic criterion, and local approach with a model taking into account the physical damage mechanism. For both approaches mechanical fields (stress and strain) have to be computed everywhere within the structure. Then, Finite Element computation is needed. The first part of the thesis concerns the identification of non linear kinematic and isotropic constitutive models. A pseudo-analytical method is proposed for a 'Two Inelastic Strain' model. This method provides a strategy of identification with a mechanical meaning, and this enables to associate each parameter to a physical phenomenon. Existing identifications are improved for cyclic plasticity and creep on a large range of stress levels. The second part concerns high temperature crack initiation and growth in welded structures. Finite Element analysis on plate and tube experimental configuration enable to understand the phenomenons of interaction between base metal and weld metal under mechanical and thermal loading. Concerning global approach, criteria based on C* parameter (Rice integral for visco-plasticity) are used. Finite Element computations underline the fact that for a defect located in the weld metal, C* values strongly depend on the base metal creep strain rate, because widespread visco-plasticity is located in both metals. A simplified method, based on the reference stress approach, is proposed and validated with Finite Element results. Creep crack growth simplified assessment is a quite good validation of the experimental results

Vers des mégapoles innovantes, vivables et prospères en Asie ...

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

CISASIA project workshop report "Towards Innovative, Liveable and Prosperous Asian Megacities", Ibis Hotel - Sathorn, Bangkok, Thailand, May 18-21, 2009. Téléchargez le PDF. Rapports. Final technical report : towards innovative, liveable and prosperous Asian megacities. Téléchargez le PDF. Rapports. City Innovation ...

Local and regional greenhouse gas management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleming, P.D.; Webber, P.H.

2004-01-01

This paper discusses the role of local government, working at both the local and regional level, to achieve substantial (greater than 20%) greenhouse gas emissions reductions. It identifies many different funding regimes and organisations supporting greenhouse gas emissions reductions and a lack of data with which to measure progress. The work in the East Midlands and in the City of Leicester are summarised and an evaluation of progress towards Leicester's target of 50% carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emission reduction by 2025 based on 1990 is presented. Leicester's initiatives to reduce carbon emissions for the domestic and non-domestic sectors between 1996 and 1999 are analysed. Progress has been made in reducing the rate of rise in energy demand in Leicester and where energy efficiency activities have been concentrated, savings of 20-30% have been obtained. Significant CO 2 savings are achievable at the local and regional level, but the streamlining of support mechanisms for local authorities and a clearer national framework to support implementation are needed to enable all, rather than a few, UK local authorities to make progress

Time scales of tunneling decay of a localized state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ban, Yue; Muga, J. G.; Sherman, E. Ya.; Buettiker, M.

2010-01-01

Motivated by recent time-domain experiments on ultrafast atom ionization, we analyze the transients and time scales that characterize, aside from the relatively long lifetime, the decay of a localized state by tunneling. While the tunneling starts immediately, some time is required for the outgoing flux to develop. This short-term behavior depends strongly on the initial state. For the initial state, tightly localized so that the initial transients are dominated by over-the-barrier motion, the time scale for flux propagation through the barrier is close to the Buettiker-Landauer traversal time. Then a quasistationary, slow-decay process follows, which sets ideal conditions for observing diffraction in time at longer times and distances. To define operationally a tunneling time at the barrier edge, we extrapolate backward the propagation of the wave packet that escaped from the potential. This extrapolated time is considerably longer than the time scale of the flux and density buildup at the barrier edge.

Evaluation of a cross-sector community initiative partnership: delivering a local sport program.

Science.gov (United States)

Kihl, Lisa A; Tainsky, Scott; Babiak, Kathy; Bang, Hyejin

2014-06-01

Corporate community initiatives (CCI) are often established via cross-sector partnerships with nonprofit agencies to address critical social problems. While there is a growing body of literature exploring the effectiveness and social impact of these partnerships, there is a limited evaluative research on the implementation and execution processes of CCIs. In this paper, we examined the implementation and operational processes in the delivery of a professional sport organization's CCI initiative using program theory evaluation. The findings showed discrepancies between the associate organization and the implementers regarding understanding and fulfilling responsibilities with performing certain aspects (maintaining accurate records and program marketing) of the service delivery protocol. Despite program stakeholders being satisfied overall with the program delivery, contradictions between program stakeholders' satisfaction in the quality of program delivery was found in critical components (marketing and communications) of the service delivery. We conclude that ongoing evaluations are necessary to pinpoint the catalyst of the discrepancies along with all partners valuing process evaluation in addition to outcome evaluation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatially Localized Chemical Patterns around an A + B → Oscillator Front.

Science.gov (United States)

Budroni, M A; Lemaigre, L; Escala, D M; Muñuzuri, A P; De Wit, A

2016-02-18

When two gels, each loaded with a different set of reactants A and B of an oscillatory reaction, are brought into contact, reaction-diffusion patterns such as waves or Turing patterns can develop in the reactive contact zone. The initial condition which separates the reactants at the beginning leads to a localization in space of the different dynamical regimes accessible to the chemical oscillator. We study here both numerically and experimentally the composite traveling structures resulting from the interaction between chemical fronts and localized waves in the case in which the reactants of such an A + B → oscillator system are those of the canonical Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) oscillating reaction. A transition between different dynamics is obtained by varying the initial concentration of the organic substrate of the BZ reactants, which is one of the parameters controlling the local excitability. We show that the dynamical regime (excitable or oscillatory) characterizing the BZ oscillator in the initial contact area is the key feature which determines the spatiotemporal evolution of the system. The experimental results are in qualitative agreement with the theoretical predictions.

Responding to Globalization and Urban Conflict: Human Rights City Initiatives

OpenAIRE

Jackie Smith

2018-01-01

Expanding globalization and urbanization have intensified the threats to human rights for many vulnerable groups and have restricted resources available to the primary guarantors of these rights—local authorities. Human rights cities initiatives are bottom-up efforts to advance human rights implementation in local contexts. They are emerging around the world in response to the global pressures on cities that intensify urban inequality and conflict. In this article I discuss how global changes...

Final Report: Multi-State Sharing Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Begoli, Edmon [ORNL; Boehmann, Brant [ORNL; DeNap, Frank A [ORNL

2012-04-01

In 2003 a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Justice created state and metropolitan intelligence fusion centers. These fusion centers were an effort to share law enforcement, disaster, and terrorism related information and intelligence between state and local jurisdictions and to share terrorism related intelligence between state and local law enforcement agencies and various federal entities. In 2006, DHS commissioned the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to establish and manage a groundbreaking program to assist local, state, and tribal leaders in developing the tools and methods required to anticipate and forestall terrorist events and to enhance disaster response. This program, called the Southeast Region Research Initiative (SERRI), combines science and technology with validated operational approaches to address regionally unique requirements and suggest regional solutions with the potential for national application. In 2009, SERRI sponsored the Multistate Sharing Initiative (MSSI) to assist state and metropolitan intelligence fusion centers with sharing information related to a wider variety of state interests than just terrorism. While these fusion centers have been effective at sharing data across organizations within their respective jurisdictions, their organizational structure makes bilateral communication with federal entities convenient and also allows information to be further disbursed to other local entities when appropriate. The MSSI-developed Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) sharing system allows state-to-state sharing of non-terrorism-related law enforcement and disaster information. Currently, the MSSI SAR system is deployed in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Carolina. About 1 year after implementation, cognizant fusion center personnel from each state were contacted to ascertain the status of their MSSI SAR systems. The overwhelming response from these individuals was that the MSSI

Gravity localization in sine-Gordon braneworlds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz, W.T.; Maluf, R.V.; Sousa, L.J.S.; Almeida, C.A.S.

2016-01-01

In this work we study two types of five-dimensional braneworld models given by sine-Gordon potentials. In both scenarios, the thick brane is generated by a real scalar field coupled to gravity. We focus our investigation on the localization of graviton field and the behaviour of the massive spectrum. In particular, we analyse the localization of massive modes by means of a relative probability method in a Quantum Mechanics context. Initially, considering a scalar field sine-Gordon potential, we find a localized state to the graviton at zero mode. However, when we consider a double sine-Gordon potential, the brane structure is changed allowing the existence of massive resonant states. The new results show how the existence of an internal structure can aid in the emergence of massive resonant modes on the brane.

Local climate activities in co-operation between municipality, civil society and science shop

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

The Science Shop at DTU co-operates with the local municipal administration and the local branch of an environmental NGO about climate change. The co-operation was initiated by a proposal to the Science Shop from the municipal administration. Since the Science Shop requests civil society...... involvement in projects it was proposed to involve the local branch of the environmental NGO. The starting point was topics developed by the administration and the NGO together and announced to students as part of the Science Shop project supply. The focus is climate impact of local activities and strategies...... are initiated and co-ordinated by a group with members from municipal administration, the local NGO and the Science Shop. All projects have involved student projects, but most projects have also contributed to ongoing research activities. The projects up till now have focused on the municipal food supply...

Localization of Waves in Fractals : Spatial Behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vries, Pedro de; Raedt, Hans De; Lagendijk, Ad

1989-01-01

Localization of a quantum particle on two-dimensional percolating networks is investigated numerically. Solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for particular initial wave packets we study the spatial behavior of eigenstates for two tight-binding models: the quantum percolation model and the

Diagonalization and Many-Body Localization for a Disordered Quantum Spin Chain

OpenAIRE

Imbrie, John Z

2016-01-01

We consider a weakly interacting quantum spin chain with random local interactions. We prove that many-body localization follows from a physically reasonable assumption that limits the extent of level attraction in the statistics of eigenvalues. In a KAM-style construction, a sequence of local unitary transformations is used to diagonalize the Hamiltonian by deforming the initial tensor product basis into a complete set of exact many-body eigenfunctions.

Bladder Preservation for Localized Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: The Survival Impact of Local Utilization Rates of Definitive Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kozak, Kevin R.; Hamidi, Maryam; Manning, Matthew; Moody, John S.

2012-01-01

Purpose: This study examines the management and outcomes of muscle-invasive bladder cancer in the United States. Methods and Materials: Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer diagnosed between 1988 and 2006 were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Patients were classified according to three mutually exclusive treatment categories based on the primary initial treatment: no local management, radiotherapy, or surgery. Overall survival was assessed with Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox models based on multiple factors including treatment utilization patterns. Results: The study population consisted of 26,851 patients. Age, sex, race, tumor grade, histology, and geographic location were associated with differences in treatment (all p < 0.01). Patients receiving definitive radiotherapy tended to be older and have less differentiated tumors than patients undergoing surgery (RT, median age 78 years old and 90.6% grade 3/4 tumors; surgery, median age 71 years old and 77.1% grade 3/4 tumors). No large shifts in treatment were seen over time, with most patients managed with surgical resection (86.3% for overall study population). Significant survival differences were observed according to initial treatment: median survival, 14 months with no definitive local treatment; 17 months with radiotherapy; and 43 months for surgery. On multivariate analysis, differences in local utilization rates of definitive radiotherapy did not demonstrate a significant effect on overall survival (hazard ratio, 1.002; 95% confidence interval, 0.999–1.005). Conclusions: Multiple factors influence the initial treatment strategy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, but definitive radiotherapy continues to be used infrequently. Although patients who undergo surgery fare better, a multivariable model that accounted for patient and tumor characteristics found no survival detriment to the utilization of definitive radiotherapy. These results support continued

Open science initiatives: challenges for public health promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

Holzmeyer, Cheryl

2018-03-07

While academic open access, open data and open science initiatives have proliferated in recent years, facilitating new research resources for health promotion, open initiatives are not one-size-fits-all. Health research particularly illustrates how open initiatives may serve various interests and ends. Open initiatives not only foster new pathways of research access; they also discipline research in new ways, especially when associated with new regimes of research use and peer review, while participating in innovation ecosystems that often perpetuate existing systemic biases toward commercial biomedicine. Currently, many open initiatives are more oriented toward biomedical research paradigms than paradigms associated with public health promotion, such as social determinants of health research. Moreover, open initiatives too often dovetail with, rather than challenge, neoliberal policy paradigms. Such initiatives are unlikely to transform existing health research landscapes and redress health inequities. In this context, attunement to social determinants of health research and community-based local knowledge is vital to orient open initiatives toward public health promotion and health equity. Such an approach calls for discourses, norms and innovation ecosystems that contest neoliberal policy frameworks and foster upstream interventions to promote health, beyond biomedical paradigms. This analysis highlights challenges and possibilities for leveraging open initiatives on behalf of a wider range of health research stakeholders, while emphasizing public health promotion, health equity and social justice as benchmarks of transformation.

Aerosol Absorption Measurements in MILAGRO.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaffney, J. S.; Marley, N. A.; Arnott, W. P.; Paredes-Miranda, L.; Barnard, J. C.

2007-12-01

During the month of March 2006, a number of instruments were used to determine the absorption characteristics of aerosols found in the Mexico City Megacity and nearby Valley of Mexico. These measurements were taken as part of the Department of Energy's Megacity Aerosol Experiment - Mexico City (MAX-Mex) that was carried out in collaboration with the Megacity Interactions: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) campaign. MILAGRO was a joint effort between the DOE, NSF, NASA, and Mexican agencies aimed at understanding the impacts of a megacity on the urban and regional scale. A super-site was operated at the Instituto Mexicano de Petroleo in Mexico City (designated T-0) and at the Universidad Technologica de Tecamac (designated T-1) that was located about 35 km to the north east of the T-0 site in the State of Mexico. A third site was located at a private rancho in the State of Hidalgo approximately another 35 km to the northeast (designated T-2). Aerosol absorption measurements were taken in real time using a number of instruments at the T-0 and T-1 sites. These included a seven wavelength aethalometer, a multi-angle absorption photometer (MAAP), and a photo-acoustic spectrometer. Aerosol absorption was also derived from spectral radiometers including a multi-filter rotating band spectral radiometer (MFRSR). The results clearly indicate that there is significant aerosol absorption by the aerosols in the Mexico City megacity region. The absorption can lead to single scattering albedo reduction leading to values below 0.5 under some circumstances. The absorption is also found to deviate from that expected for a "well-behaved" soot anticipated from diesel engine emissions, i.e. from a simple 1/lambda wavelength dependence for absorption. Indeed, enhanced absorption is seen in the region of 300-450 nm in many cases, particularly in the afternoon periods indicating that secondary organic aerosols are contributing to the aerosol absorption. This is likely due

Islands sinking; Land unter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zimmermann, Joerg-Rainer

2013-04-15

The urbanization is a global trend. Today, 22 of the 30megacities, each with more than 10 million inhabitants, are located in developing countries and emerging countries. These megacities consume the most electricity: About two-thirds of the global consumption of electricity and heat are consumed in megacities. At the same time, the prosperity is concentrated in monopolies: In the last 50 years, the per capita income of the urban population has increased by about 150 %. The productivity of urban areas increases. Thus, cities are of central importance to our culture. If global warming is not stopped, climate change hits them with full force.

Boundary-Layer Characteristics Over a Coastal Megacity

Science.gov (United States)

Melecio-Vazquez, D.; Ramamurthy, P.; Arend, M.; Moshary, F.; Gonzalez, J.

2017-12-01

Boundary-layer characteristics over New York City are analyzed for various local and synoptic conditions over several seasons. An array of vertical profilers, including a Doppler LiDAR, a micro-pulse LiDAR and a microwave radiometer are used to observe the structure and evolution of the boundary-layer. Additionally, an urbanized Weather Research and Forecasting (uWRF) model coupled to a high resolution landcover/land-use database is used to study the spatial variability in boundary layer characteristics. The summer daytime averaged potential temperature profile from the microwave radiometer shows the presence of a thermal internal boundary layer wherein a superadiabatic layer lies underneath a stable layer instead of a mixed-layer. Both the winter daytime and nighttime seasonal averages show that the atmosphere remains unstable near the surface and does not reach stable conditions during the nighttime. The mixing ratio seasonal averages show peaks in humidity near 200-m and 1100-m, above instrument level, which could result from sea breeze and anthropogenic sources. Ceilometer measurements show a high degree of variability in boundary layer height depending on wind direction. Comparison with uWRF results show that the model tends to overestimate convective efficiency for selected summer and winter cases and therefore shows a much deeper thermal boundary layer than the observed profiles. The model estimates a less humid atmosphere than seen in observations.

Study of localized corrosion in AA2024 aluminium alloy using electron tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, X.; Luo, C.; Hashimoto, T.; Hughes, A.E.; Thompson, G.E.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► SEM tomography of localized corrosion has been achieved. ► Nanotomography provides evidence that links microstructure and corrosion propagation path. ► IGC stemmed from localized corrosion associated with buried clusters of intermetallics. ► IGC started beneath the alloy surface and may emerge on the alloy surface. - Abstract: SEM based tomography of localized corrosion has been achieved using selective detection of backscattered electrons. The high resolution tomography provides direct evidence that links the surface appearance of corroded alloy, the alloy microstructure and the corrosion propagation path. Stable localized corrosion of AA2024-T351 aluminium alloy was initiated at locations where large clusters of S phase particles were buried beneath the surface. Propagating away from the initiation sites, corrosion developed preferentially along the grain boundary network. The grain boundary attack started beneath the alloy surface, proceeded along preferred grain boundaries and may emerge at the alloy surface.

Failure mode and fracture behavior evaluation of pipes with local wall thinning subjected to bending load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, Seok Hwan; Nam, Ki Woo; Kim, Seon Jin; Kim, Jin Hwan; Kim, Hyun Soo; Do, Jae Yoon

2003-01-01

Fracture behaviors of pipes with local wall thinning are very important for the integrity of nuclear power plant. In pipes of energy plants, sometimes, the local wall thinning may result from severe Erosion-Corrosion (E/C) damage. However, the effects of local wall thinning on strength and fracture behaviors of piping system were not well studied. In this paper, the monotonic bending tests were performed of full-scale carbon steel pipes with local wall thinning. A monotonic bending load was applied to straight pipe specimens by four-point loading at ambient temperature without internal pressure. From the tests, fracture behaviors and fracture strength of locally thinned pipe were manifested systematically. The observed failure modes were divided into four types; ovalization, crack initiation/growth after ovalization, local buckling and crack initiating/growth after local buckling. Also, the strength and the allowable limit of piping system with local wall thinning were evaluated

Aircraft-Based measurement of the physico-chemical evolution of atmospheric aerosols in the air pollution plume over a megacity and a remote area

Science.gov (United States)

Park, J. S.; Lee, T.; Park, T.; Lee, J. B.; Lim, Y. J.; Ahn, J.; Kim, J.; Park, S.; Collett, J. L., Jr.

2017-12-01

Aerosols influence climate change directly (scattering and absorption) and indirectly (cloud condensation nuclei), also adverse health effects. The Korean peninsula is a great place to study different sources of the aerosols: urban, rural and marine. In addition, Seoul is one of the large metropolitan areas in the world and has a variety of sources because half of the Korean population lives in Seoul, which comprises only 12% of the country's area. To understand the physico-chemical evolution of atmospheric aerosols in the air pollution plume over a megacity and a remote area, an Aerodyne High Resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was deployed on an airborne platform (NASA DC-8 and Beechcraft King Air) in June, 2015 and May-June, 2016 during MAPS-Seoul and KORUS-AQ campaigns, respectively, in Korea. The HR-ToF-AMS is capable of measuring non-refractory size resolved chemical composition of submicron particle (NR-PM1). NR-PM1 includes mass concentration of organics, nitrate, sulfate, and ammonium with 10 seconds time resolution. Organics was dominated species in aerosol during all of flights. Organics and nitrate were dominant around energy industrial complex near by Taean, South Korea. The presentation will provide an overview of the composition of NR-PM1 measured in air pollution plumes, and deliver detail information about width, depth and spatial distribution of the pollutant in the air pollution plumes. The results of this study will provide high temporal and spatial resolved details on the air pollution plumes, which are valuable input parameters of aerosol properties for the current air quality models.

Locally Linear Embedding of Local Orthogonal Least Squares Images for Face Recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Hafizhelmi Kamaru Zaman, Fadhlan

2018-03-01

Dimensionality reduction is very important in face recognition since it ensures that high-dimensionality data can be mapped to lower dimensional space without losing salient and integral facial information. Locally Linear Embedding (LLE) has been previously used to serve this purpose, however, the process of acquiring LLE features requires high computation and resources. To overcome this limitation, we propose a locally-applied Local Orthogonal Least Squares (LOLS) model can be used as initial feature extraction before the application of LLE. By construction of least squares regression under orthogonal constraints we can preserve more discriminant information in the local subspace of facial features while reducing the overall features into a more compact form that we called LOLS images. LLE can then be applied on the LOLS images to maps its representation into a global coordinate system of much lower dimensionality. Several experiments carried out using publicly available face datasets such as AR, ORL, YaleB, and FERET under Single Sample Per Person (SSPP) constraint demonstrates that our proposed method can reduce the time required to compute LLE features while delivering better accuracy when compared to when either LLE or OLS alone is used. Comparison against several other feature extraction methods and more recent feature-learning method such as state-of-the-art Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) also reveal the superiority of the proposed method under SSPP constraint.

Global peatland initiation driven by regionally asynchronous warming.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Paul J; Swindles, Graeme T; Valdes, Paul J; Ivanovic, Ruza F; Gregoire, Lauren J; Smith, Mark W; Tarasov, Lev; Haywood, Alan M; Bacon, Karen L

2018-05-08

Widespread establishment of peatlands since the Last Glacial Maximum represents the activation of a globally important carbon sink, but the drivers of peat initiation are unclear. The role of climate in peat initiation is particularly poorly understood. We used a general circulation model to simulate local changes in climate during the initiation of 1,097 peatlands around the world. We find that peat initiation in deglaciated landscapes in both hemispheres was driven primarily by warming growing seasons, likely through enhanced plant productivity, rather than by any increase in effective precipitation. In Western Siberia, which remained ice-free throughout the last glacial period, the initiation of the world's largest peatland complex was globally unique in that it was triggered by an increase in effective precipitation that inhibited soil respiration and allowed wetland plant communities to establish. Peat initiation in the tropics was only weakly related to climate change, and appears to have been driven primarily by nonclimatic mechanisms such as waterlogging due to tectonic subsidence. Our findings shed light on the genesis and Holocene climate space of one of the world's most carbon-dense ecosystem types, with implications for understanding trajectories of ecological change under changing future climates.

Local resource based approach to maintaining and preserving rural local access roads assets: Siyatentela institutional framework and governance case study discourses

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Chakwizira, J

2010-10-01

Full Text Available and other development agencies focusing on the use of appropriate technologies for civil construction be it in the road, transport, water, agriculture or environmental sectors (World Bank 2001; ILO, 2002; Clegg, 2003). The seminal study conducted... and contribution of local resource based approach to rural and community access roads requires a review of the labour based initiatives in the road, transport and infrastructure sub-sector. An apt statement that captures the essence of building local community...

Crack initiation at high temperature on an austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laiarinandrasana, L.

1994-01-01

The study deals with crack initiation at 600 degrees Celsius and 650 degrees Celsius, on an austenitic stainless steel referenced by Z2 CND 17 12. The behaviour laws of the studied plate were update in comparison with existing data. Forty tests were carried out on CT specimens, with continuous fatigue with load or displacement controlled, pure creep, pure relaxation, creep-fatigue and creep-relaxation loadings. The practical initiation definition corresponds to a small crack growth of about the grain size, monitored by electrical potential drop technique. The time necessary for the crack to initiate is predicted with fracture mechanics global and local approaches, with the helps of microstructural observations and finite elements results. An identification of a 'Paris'law' for continuous cyclic loading and of a unique correlation between the initiation time and C * k for creep tests was established. For the local approach, crack initiation by creep can be interpreted as the reaching of a critical damage level, by using a damage incremental rule. For creep-fatigue tests, crack growth rates at initiation are greater than those of Paris'law for continuous fatigue. A calculation of a transition time between elastic-plastic and creep domains shows that crack initiation can be interpreted whether by providing Paris'law with an acceleration term when the dwell period is less than the transition time, or by calculating a creep contribution which relies on C * k parameter when the dwell period and/or the initiation times are greater than the transition time. Creep relaxation tests present crack growth rates at initiation which are less than those for 'equivalent' creep-fatigue tests. These crack growth rates when increasing hold time, but also when temperature decreases. Though, for hold times which are important enough and at lower temperature, there is no effect of the dwell period insofar as crack growth rate is equal to continuous fatigue Paris law predicted ones

Buckling localization in a cylindrical panel under axial compression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo; Needleman, A.

2000-01-01

Localization of an initially periodic buckling pattern is investigated for an axially compressed elastic-plastic cylindrical panel of the type occurring between axial stiffeners on cylindrical shells. The phenomenon of buckling localization and its analogy with plastic flow localization in tensile...... test specimens is discussed in general. For the cylindrical panel, it is shown that buckling localization develops shortly after a maximum load has been attained, and this occurs for a purely elastic panel as well as for elastic-plastic panels. In a case where localization occurs after a load maximum......, but where subsequently the load starts to increase again, it is found that near the local load minimum, the buckling pattern switches back to a periodic type of pattern. The inelastic material behavior of the panel is described in terms of J(2) corner theory, which avoids the sometimes unrealistically high...

Tratamento cirúrgico do megacólon chagásico: retocolectomia abdominal com anastomose colorretal mecânica término-lateral

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Hyppolito da Silva

Full Text Available Trinta e cinco doentes portadores de megacólon chagásico foram operados pela técnica da retocolectomia abdominal com anastomose colorretal mecânica término-lateral durante o período de 1993 a 1997. Vinte (57,14% doentes eram do sexo feminino e 15 (42,85% do masculino. A idade variou de 27 a 76 anos, com média de 51 anos. A operação constou de ressecção do segmento dilatado, sepultamento do coto retal na altura da reflexão peritoneal com grampeador, dissecção do espaço retrorretal até o plano dos músculos elevadores e anastomose colorretal mecânica término-lateral posterior. Em quatro (11,42% doentes a anastomose foi anterior. Em três (8,57% doentes, o teste de escape da anastomose foi positivo, o que obrigou a complementação manual da sutura em dois (5,71 % e sutura e ostomia derivativa em um (2,85%. Ocorreram sete (20,00% complicações pós-operatórias precoces, sendo quatro consideradas relevantes (11,42% e quatro (11,42% complicações tardias. Houve um (2,85% óbito por complicação clínica. Os doentes submetidos a colostomia foram reoperados para fechamento da mesma sem intercorrências. A totalidade dos doentes apresenta hábito intestinal normal. Não houve referências a alterações gênito-urinárias, nem a incontinência fecal. A anastomose foi tocada ou visibilizada em todos os pacientes examinados, durante o seguimento ambulatorial. Não houve casos de fecaloma no coto retal. Embora os resultados iniciais sejam bastante satisfatórios, é necessário maior tempo de observação para se avaliar a possibilidade de recidiva.

The Vermont Bioenergy Initiative: Final Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Callahan, Chris [Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, Montpelier, VT (United States); Sawyer, Scott [Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, Montpelier, VT (United States); Kahler, Ellen [Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, Montpelier, VT (United States)

2016-11-30

The purpose of the Vermont Bioenergy Initiative (VBI) was to foster the development of sustainable, distributed, small-scale biodiesel and grass/mixed fiber industries in Vermont in order to produce bioenergy for local transportation, agricultural, and thermal applications, as a replacement for fossil fuel based energy. The VBI marked the first strategic effort to reduce Vermont’s dependency on petroleum through the development of homegrown alternatives.

Corrigendum to 'A novel model evaluation approach focusing on local and advected contributions to urban PM2.5 levels - application to Paris, France' published in Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 1483-1505, 2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petetin, H.; Beekmann, M.; Sciare, J.; Bressi, M.; Rosso, A.; Sanchez, O.; Ghersi, V.

2014-01-01

Complete text of publication follows: Due to an oversight in the production process, an essential word (overestimation) was left out of the abstract. The correct version of the abstract can be seen below. Aerosol simulations in chemistry transport models (CTMs) still suffer from numerous uncertainties, and diagnostic evaluations are required to point out major error sources. This paper presents an original approach to evaluate CTMs based on local and imported contributions in a large mega-city rather than urban background concentrations. The study is applied to the CHIMERE model in the Paris region (France) and considers the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and its main chemical constituents (elemental and organic carbon, nitrate, sulfate and ammonium), for which daily measurements are available during a whole year at various stations (PARTICULES project). Back-trajectory data are used to locate the upwind station, from which the concentration is identified as the import, the local production being deduced from the urban concentration by subtraction. Uncertainties on these contributions are quantified. Small biases in urban background PM2.5 simulations (bias of +16 %) hide significant error compensations between local and advected contributions, as well as in PM2.5 chemical compounds. In particular, winter time organic matter (OM) imports appear strongly underestimated while local OM and elemental carbon (EC) production is overestimated all along the year. Erroneous continental wood burning emissions and missing secondary organic aerosol (SOA) pathways may explain errors on advected OM, while the carbonaceous compounds overestimation is likely to be related to errors in emissions and dynamics. A statistically significant local formation of nitrate is also highlighted from observations, but missed by the model. Together with the overestimation of nitrate imports, it leads to a bias of +51% on the local PM2.5 contribution. Such an evaluation finally gives more

Establishing Local Reference Dose Values and Optimisation Strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connolly, P.; Moores, B.M.

2000-01-01

The revised EC Patient Directive 97/43 EURATOM introduces the concepts of clinical audit, diagnostic reference levels and optimisation of radiation protection in diagnostic radiology. The application of reference dose levels in practice involves the establishment of reference dose values as actual measurable operational quantities. These values should then form part of an ongoing optimisation and audit programme against which routine performance can be compared. The CEC Quality Criteria for Radiographic Images provides guidance reference dose values against which local performance can be compared. In many cases these values can be improved upon quite considerably. This paper presents the results of a local initiative in the North West of the UK aimed at establishing local reference dose values for a number of major hospital sites. The purpose of this initiative is to establish a foundation for both optimisation strategies and clinical audit as an ongoing and routine practice. The paper presents results from an ongoing trial involving patient dose measurements for several radiological examinations upon the sites. The results of an attempt to establish local reference dose values from measured dose values and to employ them in optimisation strategies are presented. In particular emphasis is placed on the routine quality control programmes necessary to underpin this strategy including the effective data management of results from such programmes and how they can be employed to optimisation practices. (author)

The New Jersey Nursing Initiative: building sustainable collaboration.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakewell-Sachs, Susan; Mertz, Lynn M; Egreczky, Dana; Ladden, Maryjoan

2011-01-01

The New Jersey Nursing Initiative was publically launched in 2009 as a 5-year, $22 million program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation. It was reauthorized in 2011 through 2016 for an additional $8.5 million. The initiative includes a faculty preparation program and strategic tracks of work focusing on building education capacity, increasing current faculty capacity, making nurse faculty a preferred career, leading policy initiatives, creating sustainable funding in support of nursing education, and ultimately, building local, regional, and statewide collaborative networks. The tagline, "So a Nurse will be there for You," emphasizes both the reality of an aging nursing workforce needing replacement and the expected health care transformation that will result in the need for new knowledge and skills in the future nursing workforce. The purpose of this article was to describe the New Jersey Nursing Initiative, emphasizing the partnerships that have resulted from the project to date. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Probabilistic Feature Map-Based Localization System Using a Monocular Camera

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyungjin Kim

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Image-based localization is one of the most widely researched localization techniques in the robotics and computer vision communities. As enormous image data sets are provided through the Internet, many studies on estimating a location with a pre-built image-based 3D map have been conducted. Most research groups use numerous image data sets that contain sufficient features. In contrast, this paper focuses on image-based localization in the case of insufficient images and features. A more accurate localization method is proposed based on a probabilistic map using 3D-to-2D matching correspondences between a map and a query image. The probabilistic feature map is generated in advance by probabilistic modeling of the sensor system as well as the uncertainties of camera poses. Using the conventional PnP algorithm, an initial camera pose is estimated on the probabilistic feature map. The proposed algorithm is optimized from the initial pose by minimizing Mahalanobis distance errors between features from the query image and the map to improve accuracy. To verify that the localization accuracy is improved, the proposed algorithm is compared with the conventional algorithm in a simulation and realenvironments

A Probabilistic Feature Map-Based Localization System Using a Monocular Camera.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyungjin; Lee, Donghwa; Oh, Taekjun; Choi, Hyun-Taek; Myung, Hyun

2015-08-31

Image-based localization is one of the most widely researched localization techniques in the robotics and computer vision communities. As enormous image data sets are provided through the Internet, many studies on estimating a location with a pre-built image-based 3D map have been conducted. Most research groups use numerous image data sets that contain sufficient features. In contrast, this paper focuses on image-based localization in the case of insufficient images and features. A more accurate localization method is proposed based on a probabilistic map using 3D-to-2D matching correspondences between a map and a query image. The probabilistic feature map is generated in advance by probabilistic modeling of the sensor system as well as the uncertainties of camera poses. Using the conventional PnP algorithm, an initial camera pose is estimated on the probabilistic feature map. The proposed algorithm is optimized from the initial pose by minimizing Mahalanobis distance errors between features from the query image and the map to improve accuracy. To verify that the localization accuracy is improved, the proposed algorithm is compared with the conventional algorithm in a simulation and realenvironments.

Localization of ORC1 During the Cell Cycle in Human Leukemia Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frederick D. Coffman

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The interaction of the origin recognition complex (ORC with replication origins is a critical parameter in eukaryotic replication initiation. In mammals the ORC remains bound except during mitosis, thus the localization of ORC complexes allows localization of origins. A monoclonal antibody that recognizes human ORC1 was used to localize ORC complexes in populations of human MOLT-4 cells separated by cell cycle position using centrifugal elutriation. ORC1 staining in cells in early G1 is diffuse and primarily peripheral. As the cells traverse G1, ORC1 accumulates and becomes more localized towards the center of the nucleus, however around the G1/S boundary the staining pattern changes and ORC1 appears peripheral. By mid to late S phase ORC1 immunofluorescence is again concentrated at the nuclear center. During anaphase, ORC1 staining is localized mainly in the pericentriolar regions. These findings suggest that concerted movements of origin DNA sequences in addition to the previously documented assembly and disassembly of protein complexes are an important aspect of replication initiation loci in eukaryotes.

Patient-initiated breast cancer screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chilcote, W.

1990-01-01

This paper reviews the results of a breast cancer screening program sponsored by organizations at workplace or community locations. A comprehensive mobile breast cancer screening program, including education, breast physical examination, and mammography, was provided to 89 local organizations at $50.00 per examination over an 18-month period. The examination was patient initiated, following the ACS screening guidelines. Estimates of eligible women were provided by each organization. A total of 5,030 women at 89 organizations were screened for breast cancer. Approximately 25,727 women were eligible

SunShot Initiative Fact Sheet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office

2015-04-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort launched in 2011 that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. The SunShot fact sheet outlines goals and successes of the program as it works with private companies, universities, non-profit organizations, state and local governments, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour, without incentives, by the year 2020.

Performative Actions in E-Adoption Processes: Strategic Efforts in a Local Government

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjelholt, Morten

2015-01-01

In this paper the concept of performative action is introduced to address how individuals can engage in IT adoption processes. The study investigates how local government employees adopt and localize ideas from a Danish National IT initiative called eDay3. Particularly the actions of a project...... and variance of the specific local government. Second, a feedback loop re-attaching the localized project to the national reform program in order to maintain and protect the newly formed local practices. The study concludes that individuals actively struggle for social positions in IT adoption processes...

Thermal, cardiac and adrenergic responses to repeated local cooling.

Science.gov (United States)

Janský, L; Matousková, E; Vávra, V; Vybíral, S; Janský, P; Jandová, D; Knízková, I; Kunc, P

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to ascertain whether repeated local cooling induces the same or different adaptational responses as repeated whole body cooling. Repeated cooling of the legs (immersion into 12 degrees C water up to the knees for 30 min, 20 times during 4 weeks = local cold adaptation - LCA) attenuated the initial increase in heart rate and blood pressure currently observed in control subjects immersed in cold water up to the knees. After LCA the initial skin temperature decrease tended to be lower, indicating reduced vasoconstriction. Heart rate and systolic blood pressure appeared to be generally lower during rest and during the time course of cooling in LCA humans, when compared to controls. All these changes seem to indicate attenuation of the sympathetic tone. In contrast, the sustained skin temperature in different areas of the body (finger, palm, forearm, thigh, chest) appeared to be generally lower in LCA subjects than in controls (except for temperatures on the forehead). Plasma levels of catecholamines (measured 20 and 40 min after the onset of cooling) were also not influenced by local cold adaptation. Locally cold adapted subjects, when exposed to whole body cold water immersion test, showed no change in the threshold temperature for induction of cold thermogenesis. This indicates that the hypothermic type of cold adaptation, typically occurring after systemic cold adaptation, does not appear after local cold adaptation of the intensity used. It is concluded that in humans the cold adaptation due to repeated local cooling of legs induces different physiological changes than systemic cold adaptation.

Gemini Observatory Takes its Local Communities on an Expanding Journey

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Janice; Michaud, Peter

2012-08-01

Currently in its 7th year (2011) Hawaii's annual Journey through the Universe (JttU) program is a flagship Gemini Observatory public education/outreach initiative involving a broad cross-section of the local Hawai'i Island astronomical community, the public, educators, businesses, local government officials, and thousands of local students. This paper describes the program, its history, planning, implementation, as well as the program's objectives and philosophy. The success of this program is documented here, as measured by continuous and expanding engagement of educators, the community, and the public, along with formal evaluation feedback and selected informal verbal testimony. The program's success also serves as justification for the planned adaptation of a version of the program in Chile in 2011 (adapted for Chilean educational and cultural differences). Finally, lessons learned are shared which have refined the program for Gemini's host communities but can also apply to any institution wishing to initiate a similar program.

Critical thresholds in flocking hydrodynamics with non-local alignment.

Science.gov (United States)

Tadmor, Eitan; Tan, Changhui

2014-11-13

We study the large-time behaviour of Eulerian systems augmented with non-local alignment. Such systems arise as hydrodynamic descriptions of agent-based models for self-organized dynamics, e.g. Cucker & Smale (2007 IEEE Trans. Autom. Control 52, 852-862. (doi:10.1109/TAC.2007.895842)) and Motsch & Tadmor (2011 J. Stat. Phys. 144, 923-947. (doi:10.1007/s10955-011-0285-9)) models. We prove that, in analogy with the agent-based models, the presence of non-local alignment enforces strong solutions to self-organize into a macroscopic flock. This then raises the question of existence of such strong solutions. We address this question in one- and two-dimensional set-ups, proving global regularity for subcritical initial data. Indeed, we show that there exist critical thresholds in the phase space of the initial configuration which dictate the global regularity versus a finite-time blow-up. In particular, we explore the regularity of non-local alignment in the presence of vacuum. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Local air quality management: some evidence of current practices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beattie, Clare; Newton, Alex; Longhurst, Jim [University of the West of England, Air Quality Research Group, Bristol (United Kingdom)

1998-12-01

The recent legislative changes, notably the Environment Act 1995 and resultant National Air Quality Strategy have brought new powers and obligations to local authorities to reach specified air quality standards and objectives. Initially this will involve local authorities carrying out a review and assessment of air quality in their locality by December 1999. This paper will outline a project currently being undertaken within the University of the West of England investigating how this legislation is being put into practice and present the results from a nation-wide questionnaire survey of environmental health officers. The study found that local authorities are still at an early stage of the process. It seems probable that one possible barrier to the implementation of Air Quality Management will be communication and cooperation within local authorities. (Author)

Initiation devices, initiation systems including initiation devices and related methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daniels, Michael A.; Condit, Reston A.; Rasmussen, Nikki; Wallace, Ronald S.

2018-04-10

Initiation devices may include at least one substrate, an initiation element positioned on a first side of the at least one substrate, and a spark gap electrically coupled to the initiation element and positioned on a second side of the at least one substrate. Initiation devices may include a plurality of substrates where at least one substrate of the plurality of substrates is electrically connected to at least one adjacent substrate of the plurality of substrates with at least one via extending through the at least one substrate. Initiation systems may include such initiation devices. Methods of igniting energetic materials include passing a current through a spark gap formed on at least one substrate of the initiation device, passing the current through at least one via formed through the at least one substrate, and passing the current through an explosive bridge wire of the initiation device.

The university as a factor of sustainable local development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ariel González Hernández

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A domestic reality where we find areas of high deprivation and poverty, we analyze the participation of the university, as manager of the local development, considering that it is generating knowledge, able to process from global to local and from the local to global. To ensure that local development is efficient, it is necessary to propose strategies between development actors and local public and private institutions, including the university human resources management and cognitive development can be local. This work aims to make a conceptual review of the theoretical or the endogenous local development and institutional functionalism, establish a relationship between requirements, development agents and college. In this sense, Boisier, 2001 suggests that endogenous development but an analysis model is an interpretation action-oriented public policy, in which local actors, through their decisions and initiatives mark the path of development. In this framework, the university as a generator and disseminator of knowledge, should define its role as manager of the local development, which would answer the third mission (García, 1999, that contemporary society has assigned.

THE FUNCTIONING OF THE BOARDS OF NORMATIVISM: ECONOMIC AND LEGAL AT LOCAL AUTHORITY LEVEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ADELIN UNGUREANU

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Public administration is an area with particularly social impact over all members of society. In the autonomous administrative authorities, local councils have important responsibilities in the organization of local community life. Within these councils several specialized committees operate and those that have the highest volume of activity are usually economic and legal committee. Their role is to filter out under a particular form, the specific procedure being the approval of local initiatives in the field of specific activity, namely economic and financial and legal. The effects of this operation need to be reflected in the adoption of decisions that meet not only the initiator's intentions, but also the point of view of local elected officials who are specialized in a particular area and reunited within the previous committees.

Report of Committee for JAEA Internationalization Initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-03-01

In global circumstances surrounding nuclear energy, the role expected to Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is becoming increasingly important. JAEA has been promoted an initiative for the international hub in order to increase the scientific competitiveness of Japan and make international contributions, by gathering excellent researchers from the entire world with the latest facilities. Also, JAEA established 'Committee for JAEA Internationalization Initiative', which will discuss issues such as environmental improvement for accepted foreigners, direction of efforts for internationalization initiative and strategies to improve current situation. This report mentions the results of the committee's discussion including current issues for the initiative and recommendations for their solution, as well as the issues to be discussed in order to enhance international awareness of JAEA staff. The following is the summary of the recommendations for the initiative: Set up local teams that focus on the situation of each site in order to provide detailed support for foreigners from diversified backgrounds. Develop systems for emergency situations to provide information for safety swiftly for foreigners and confirm their safety, in addition to preparing emergency goods. Prepare bilingual documents and systems that foreigners need to use for their work based on importance and frequency of use of such systems and documents. (author)

Fast accurate MEG source localization using a multilayer perceptron trained with real brain noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jun, Sung Chan; Pearlmutter, Barak A.; Nolte, Guido

2002-01-01

Iterative gradient methods such as Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) are in widespread use for source localization from electroencephalographic (EEG) and magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signals. Unfortunately, LM depends sensitively on the initial guess, necessitating repeated runs. This, combined with LM's high per-step cost, makes its computational burden quite high. To reduce this burden, we trained a multilayer perceptron (MLP) as a real-time localizer. We used an analytical model of quasistatic electromagnetic propagation through a spherical head to map randomly chosen dipoles to sensor activities according to the sensor geometry of a 4D Neuroimaging Neuromag-122 MEG system, and trained a MLP to invert this mapping in the absence of noise or in the presence of various sorts of noise such as white Gaussian noise, correlated noise, or real brain noise. A MLP structure was chosen to trade off computation and accuracy. This MLP was trained four times, with each type of noise. We measured the effects of initial guesses on LM performance, which motivated a hybrid MLP-start-LM method, in which the trained MLP initializes LM. We also compared the localization performance of LM, MLPs, and hybrid MLP-start-LMs for realistic brain signals. Trained MLPs are much faster than other methods, while the hybrid MLP-start-LMs are faster and more accurate than fixed-4-start-LM. In particular, the hybrid MLP-start-LM initialized by a MLP trained with the real brain noise dataset is 60 times faster and is comparable in accuracy to random-20-start-LM, and this hybrid system (localization error: 0.28 cm, computation time: 36 ms) shows almost as good performance as optimal-1-start-LM (localization error: 0.23 cm, computation time: 22 ms), which initializes LM with the correct dipole location. MLPs trained with noise perform better than the MLP trained without noise, and the MLP trained with real brain noise is almost as good an initial guesser for LM as the correct dipole location. (author) )