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Sample records for mexico city subsidence

  1. Subsidence Induced Faulting Hazard risk maps in Mexico City and Morelia, central Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabral-Cano, E.; Solano-Rojas, D.; Hernández-Espriu, J.; Cigna, F.; Wdowinski, S.; Osmanoglu, B.; Falorni, G.; Bohane, A.; Colombo, D.

    2012-12-01

    Subsidence and surface faulting have affected urban areas in Central Mexico for decades and the process has intensified as a consequence of urban sprawl and economic growth. This process causes substantial damages to the urban infrastructure and housing structures and in several cities it is becoming a major factor to be considered when planning urban development, land use zoning and hazard mitigation strategies in the next decades. Subsidence is usually associated with aggressive groundwater extraction rates and a general decrease of aquifer static level that promotes soil consolidation, deformation and ultimately, surface faulting. However, local stratigraphic and structural conditions also play an important role in the development and extension of faults. Despite its potential for damaging housing, and other urban infrastructure, the economic impact of this phenomena is poorly known, in part because detailed, city-wide subsidence induced faulting risk maps have not been published before. Nevertheless, modern remote sensing techniques are most suitable for this task. We present the results of a risk analysis for subsidence induced surface faulting in two cities in central Mexico: Morelia and Mexico City. Our analysis in Mexico City and Morelia is based on a risk matrix using the horizontal subsidence gradient from a Persistent Scatterer InSAR (Morelia) and SqueeSAR (Mexico City) analysis and 2010 census population distribution data from Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Defining subsidence induced surface faulting vulnerability within these urbanized areas is best determined using both magnitude and horizontal subsidence gradient. Our Morelia analysis (597,000 inhabitants with localized subsidence rates up to 80 mm/yr) shows that 7% of the urbanized area is under a high to very high risk level, and 14% of its population (11.7% and 2.3% respectively) lives within these areas. In the case of the Mexico City (15'490,000 inhabitants for the

  2. New information on regional subsidence and soil fracturing in Mexico City Valley

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    G. Auvinet

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, updated information about regional subsidence in Mexico City downtown area is presented. Data obtained by R. Gayol in 1891, are compared with information obtained recently from surveys using the reference points of Sistema de Aguas de la Ciudad de México (2008 and on the elevation of a cloud of points on the ground surface determined using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR technology. In addition, this paper provides an overview of recent data obtained from systematic studies focused on understanding soil fracturing associated with regional land subsidence and mapping of areas susceptible to cracking in Mexico City Valley.

  3. Differential subsidence in Mexico City and implications to its Collective Transport System (Metro).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solano Rojas, D. E.; Wdowinski, S.; Cabral-Cano, E.; Osmanoglu, B.

    2017-12-01

    Mexico City is one of the fastest subsiding metropolis in the world. At displacement rates ranging from 0 to -380 [mm/yr], the complex geological setting is subjected to differential subsidence, which has led to damage, operation interruptions, and accidents to the Collective Transport System, or Metro. The Metro plays a critical role in Mexico City, carrying more than four million passengers per day. However, no previous study has focused on the deformation monitoring along the 93 km of the Metro surface railways, mainly because of the limitations of the traditional geodetic techniques. In this study, we use high-resolution Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations to monitor land subsidence throughout the city and quantify differential subsidence along surface Metro lines. Our analysis is based on 34 TerraSAR-X StripMap scenes acquired from May 2011 to June 2013 and 36 COSMO-SkyMed Stripmap scenes acquired from June 2011 to June 2012. The data were processed using the StaMPS InSAR time series technique, obtaining point densities of up to 4827 points/km2. Our post-processing methodologies include the following two components: (1) Detection of differential subsidence along the metro lines by calculating subsidence gradients, and (2) Detection of apparent uplift—areas subsiding slower than their surroundings—by using spatial frequency filtering. The two analyses allow us to recognize four main consequences of differential subsidence in the Metro system: 1. Deflection in elevated railways, 2. Deflection in street-level railways, 3. Columns with decreased loading capacity, and 4. Apparent uplift affecting surrounding infrastructure. Our results aim at shortening the large gap between scientific geodetic studies and applicable engineering parameters that can be used by local authorities in the city for maintenance and new lines development.

  4. Time series analysis of Mexico City subsidence constrained by radar interferometry

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    Doin, Marie-Pierre; Lopez-Quiroz, Penelope; Yan, Yajing; Bascou, Pascale; Pinel, Virginie

    2010-05-01

    In Mexico City, subsidence rates reach up to 40 cm/yr mainly due to soil compaction led by the over exploitation of the Mexico Basin aquifer. The Mexico Valley, an endoreic basin surrounded by mountains, was in the past covered by large lakes. After the Spanish conquest, the lakes have almost completely disappeared, being progressively replaced by buildings of the current Mexican capital. The simplified hydrogeologic structure includes a superficial 50 to 300 m thick lacustrine aquitard overlying a thicker aquifer made of alluvial deposits. The aquitard layer plays a crucial role in the subsidence process due to the extremely high compressibility of its clay deposits separated by a less compressible sand layer where the biggest buildings of the city are anchored. The aquifer over-exploitation leads to a large scale 30m depression of its piezometric level, inducing water downwards flow in the clays, yielding compaction and subsidence. In order to quantitatively link subsidence to water pumping, the Mexico city subsidence needs to be mapped and analyzed through space and time. We map its spatial and temporal patterns by differential radar interferometry, using 38 ENVISAT images acquired between end of 2002 and beginning of 2007. We employ both a Permanent Scatterer (PS) and a small baseline (SBAS) approach. The main difficulty consists in the severe unwrapping problems mostly due to the high deformation rate. We develop a specific SBAS approach based on 71 differential interferograms with a perpendicular baseline smaller than 500 m and a temporal baseline smaller than 9 months, forming a redundant network linking all images: (1) To help the unwrapping step, we use the fact that the deformation shape is stable for similar time intervals during the studied period. As a result, a stack of the five best interferograms can be used to reduce the number of fringes in wrapped interferograms. (2) Based on the redundancy of the interferometric data base, we quantify the

  5. Mass movement processes triggered by land subsidence in Iztapalapa, the eastern part of Mexico City

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    M. González-Hernández

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Geological and structural conditions in the Basin of Mexico coupled with natural and anthropogenic factors, such as groundwater exploitation, provokes land subsidence and differential deformation. The study area is located in to the north of Iztapalapa, a municipality within Mexico City, in a site called "El Eden" with irregular topography. Where volcanic sequences overlie the lacustrine deposits of clays and silts and show displacements by the action of gravity. The displacement zone was delimited at the top of the slope by the formation of circular tensile fractures with stair -shaped geometries. At the base of the slope, compressive processes damaged housing, sidewalks and inclined light poles and trees. A NW-SE system of fractures was identified in which displacement velocities vary from a few millimeters to several centimeters per year. Which affects urban facilities. In this work a conceptual model of deformation is presented that integrates the geological and mechanical factors leading to landslide and land subsidence. A geophysical survey leads to evidence of how land subsidence processes increase the sliding slope.

  6. Magnitude and extent of land subsidence in central Mexico revealed by regional InSAR ALOS time-series survey

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    Chaussard, E.; Wdowinski, S.; Amelung, F.; Cabral-Cano, E.

    2013-05-01

    Massive groundwater extraction is very common in Mexico and is well known to result in land subsidence. However, most surveys dedicated to land subsidence focus on one single city, mainly Mexico City, and thus fail to provide a comprehensive picture of the problem. Here we use a space-based radar remote sensing technique, known as Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to detect land subsidence in the entire central Mexico area. We used data from the Japanese satellite ALOS, processed over 600 SAR images acquired between 2007-2011 and produced over 3000 interferograms to cover and area of 200,000 km2 in central Mexico. We identify land subsidence in twenty-one areas, including seventeen cities, namely from east to west, Puebla, Mexico city, Toluca de Lerdo, Queretaro, San Luis de la Paz, south of San Luis de la Paz, Celaya, south of Villa de Reyes, San Luis Potosi, west of Villa de Arista, Morelia, Salamanca, Irapuato, Silao, Leon, Aguascalientes, north of Aguascalientes, Zamora de Hidalgo, Guadalajara, Ahuacatlan, and Tepic. Subsidence rates of 30 cm/yr are observed in Mexico City, while in the other locations typical rates of 5-10 cm/yr are noticed. Regional surveys of this type are necessary for the development of hazard mitigation plans and efficient use of ground-based monitoring. We additionally correlate subsidence with land use, surface geology, and faults distribution and suggest that groundwater extraction for agricultural, urban, and industrial uses are the main causes of land subsidence. We also reveal that the limits of the subsiding areas often correlate with existing faults, motion on these faults being driven by water extraction rather than by tectonic activity. In all the subsiding locations we observe high ground velocity gradients emphasizing the significant risks associated with land subsidence in central Mexico. Averaged 2007-2011 ground velocity map from ALOS InSAR time-series in central Mexico, revealing land subsidence in 21

  7. The Subsidence Signature Due To Groundwater Extraction as Inferred from Remote Sensing Data in Mexico City

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    Patel, V.; Chen, J.

    2015-12-01

    Mexico City is facing a severe water shortage; current drought conditions in the city have led to an increase in the demand for groundwater, the pumping of which can cause significant land subsidence. In this study we explored what new information interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data collected by the TerraSAR-X satellite could bring to water resource managers in the city so that they can efficiently and sustainably allocate water resources. Previous work done over Mexico City indicates that InSAR can be used to detect deformation due to groundwater pumping. Cabral-Cano et al. (2008) processed InSAR data acquired from ERS between 1996-2000 and from ENVISAT between 2003-2005. They compared the deformation map to geology maps of the region with information obtained by seismic methods. They found that a spatial correlation between the land deformation and the presence of young lacustrine clay beds, which indicate that the subsidence was caused by fluid pressure loss in the aquitard. They also concluded that the subsidence, for the most part, had no seasonal variation and continues to occur at near-constant, high rates. TerraSAR-­X satellite data is known to be more sensitive to small deformations than the data from satellites used in previous studies in the region because of its frequent revisit cycle, short wavelength, and accurate orbital information. For this project, we derived long sequences of crustal deformation time series from TerraSAR-­X data between May 2011 and December 2012 using the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) method. The resulting time series was then compared to GPS data for calibration and validation. We observed a long-term deformation that was similar to those found in previous studies. The next step in our work is to determine whether the increased sensitivity of the TerraSAR-­X data allows us to detect a seasonal deformation pattern over the study area.

  8. Is There a Tectonic Component On The Subsidence Process In Morelia, Mexico?

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    Cabral-Cano, E.; Arciniega-Ceballos, A.; Diaz-Molina, O.; Garduno-Monroy, V.; Avila-Olivera, J.; Hernández-Madrigal, V.; Hernández-Quintero, E.

    2009-12-01

    Subsidence and faulting have affected cities in central Mexico for decades. This process causes substantial damages to the urban infrastructure, housing and large buildings, and is an important factor to be consider when planning urban development, land use zoning and hazard mitigation strategies. In Mexico, studies using InSAR and GPS based observations have shown that high subsidence areas are usually associated with the presence of thick lacustrine and fluvial deposits. In most cases the subsidence is closely associated with intense groundwater extraction that results in sediment consolidation. However, recent studies in the colonial city of Morelia in central Mexico show a different scenario, where groundwater extraction cannot solely explain the observed surface deformation. Our results indicate that a more complex interplay between sediment consolidation and tectonic forces is responsible for the subsidence and fault distribution within the city. The city of Morelia has experienced fault development recognized since the 80’s. This situation has led to the recognition of 9 NE-SW trending faults that cover most of its urbanized area. Displacement maps derived from differential InSAR analysis show that the La Colina fault is the highest subsiding area in Morelia with maximum annual rates over -35 mm/yr. However, lithological mapping and field reconnaissance clearly show basalts outcropping this area of high surface deformation. The subsurface characterization of the La Colina fault was carried out along 27 Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) sections and 6 seismic tomography profiles. Assuming a constant, linear past behavior of the subsidence as observed by InSAR techniques, and based on the interpretation of the fault dislocation imaged by the shallow GPR and seismic tomography, it is suggested that the La Colina fault may have been active for the past 220-340 years and clearly pre-dates the intense water well extraction from the past century. These conditions

  9. Development of an expert analysis tool based on an interactive subsidence hazard map for urban land use in the city of Celaya, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alloy, A.; Gonzalez Dominguez, F.; Nila Fonseca, A. L.; Ruangsirikulchai, A.; Gentle, J. N., Jr.; Cabral, E.; Pierce, S. A.

    2016-12-01

    Land Subsidence as a result of groundwater extraction in central Mexico's larger urban centers initiated in the 80's as a result of population and economic growth. The city of Celaya has undergone subsidence for a few decades and a consequence is the development of an active normal fault system that affects its urban infrastructure and residential areas. To facilitate its analysis and a land use decision-making process we created an online interactive map enabling users to easily obtain information associated with land subsidence. Geological and socioeconomic data of the city was collected, including fault location, population data, and other important infrastructure and structural data has been obtained from fieldwork as part of a study abroad interchange undergraduate course. The subsidence and associated faulting hazard map was created using an InSAR derived subsidence velocity map and population data from INEGI to identify hazard zones using a subsidence gradient spatial analysis approach based on a subsidence gradient and population risk matrix. This interactive map provides a simple perspective of different vulnerable urban elements. As an accessible visualization tool, it will enhance communication between scientific and socio-economic disciplines. Our project also lays the groundwork for a future expert analysis system with an open source and easily accessible Python coded, SQLite database driven website which archives fault and subsidence data along with visual damage documentation to civil structures. This database takes field notes and provides an entry form for uniform datasets, which are used to generate a JSON. Such a database is useful because it allows geoscientists to have a centralized repository and access to their observations over time. Because of the widespread presence of the subsidence phenomena throughout cities in central Mexico, the spatial analysis has been automated using the open source software R. Raster, rgeos, shapefiles, and rgdal

  10. Application of InSAR and Gravimetry for Land Subsidence Hazard Zoning in Aguascalientes, Mexico

    OpenAIRE

    Pacheco-Martínez, Jesús; Cabral-Cano, Enrique; Wdowinski, Shimon; Hernández-Marín, Martín; Ortiz-Lozano, José; Zermeño-de-León, Mario

    2015-01-01

    In this work we present an application of InSAR and gravimetric surveys for risk management related to land subsidence and surface ground faulting generation. A subsidence velocity map derived from the 2007–2011 ALOS SAR imagery and a sediment thicknesses map obtained from the inversion of gravimetric data were integrated with a surface fault map to produce a subsidence hazard zoning in the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico. The resulting zoning is presented together with specific recommendation...

  11. Application of InSAR and Gravimetry for Land Subsidence Hazard Zoning in Aguascalientes, Mexico

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    Jesús Pacheco-Martínez

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this work we present an application of InSAR and gravimetric surveys for risk management related to land subsidence and surface ground faulting generation. A subsidence velocity map derived from the 2007–2011 ALOS SAR imagery and a sediment thicknesses map obtained from the inversion of gravimetric data were integrated with a surface fault map to produce a subsidence hazard zoning in the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico. The resulting zoning is presented together with specific recommendations about geotechnical studies needed for further evaluation of surface faulting in these hazard zones. The derived zoning map consists in four zones including null hazard (stable terrain without subsidence, low hazard (areas prone to subsidence, medium hazard (zones with subsidence and high hazard (zones with surface faulting. InSAR results displayed subsidence LOS velocities up to 10 cm/year and two subsidence areas unknown before this study. Gravimetric results revealed that the thicker sediment sequence is located toward north of Aguascalientes City reaching up to 600 m in thickness, which correspond to a high subsidence LOS velocity zone (up to 6 cm/year.

  12. An integrated assessment framework for land subsidence in delta cities

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    T. H. M. Bucx

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available In many delta cities land subsidence exceeds absolute sea level rise up to a factor of ten by excessive groundwater extraction related to rapid urbanization and population growth. Without change, parts of Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and numerous other delta (and coastal cities will sink below sea level. Increased flooding and also other widespread impacts of land subsidence result already in damage of billions of dollars per year. In order to gain insight in the complex, multi-sectoral aspects of subsidence, to raise awareness and to support decision making on appropriate adaptation strategies and measures, an Integrated Assessment Framework (IAF for subsidence is introduced, illustrated by several (delta case studies. Based on that a list of 10 generic key issues and possible solutions is presented in order to further develop and support a (generic approach how to deal with subsidence in current and future subsidence-prone areas. For exchange of experiences and knowledge development.on subsidence in deltas the Delta Alliance, a knowledge network of deltas worldwide, can be supportive.

  13. Shallow Faulting in Morelia, Mexico, Based on Seismic Tomography and Geodetically Detected Land Subsidence

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    Cabral-Cano, E.; Arciniega-Ceballos, A.; Vergara-Huerta, F.; Chaussard, E.; Wdowinski, S.; DeMets, C.; Salazar-Tlaczani, L.

    2013-12-01

    Subsidence has been a common occurrence in several cities in central Mexico for the past three decades. This process causes substantial damage to the urban infrastructure and housing in several cities and it is a major factor to be considered when planning urban development, land-use zoning and hazard mitigation strategies. Since the early 1980's the city of Morelia in Central Mexico has experienced subsidence associated with groundwater extraction in excess of natural recharge from rainfall. Previous works have focused on the detection and temporal evolution of the subsidence spatial distribution. The most recent InSAR analysis confirms the permanence of previously detected rapidly subsiding areas such as the Rio Grande Meander area and also defines 2 subsidence patches previously undetected in the newly developed suburban sectors west of Morelia at the Fraccionamiento Del Bosque along, south of Hwy. 15 and another patch located north of Morelia along Gabino Castañeda del Rio Ave. Because subsidence-induced, shallow faulting develops at high horizontal strain localization, newly developed a subsidence areas are particularly prone to faulting and fissuring. Shallow faulting increases groundwater vulnerability because it disrupts discharge hydraulic infrastructure and creates a direct path for transport of surface pollutants into the underlying aquifer. Other sectors in Morelia that have been experiencing subsidence for longer time have already developed well defined faults such as La Colina, Central Camionera, Torremolinos and La Paloma faults. Local construction codes in the vicinity of these faults define a very narrow swath along which housing construction is not allowed. In order to better characterize these fault systems and provide better criteria for future municipal construction codes we have surveyed the La Colina and Torremolinos fault systems in the western sector of Morelia using seismic tomographic techniques. Our results indicate that La Colina Fault

  14. Remotely-triggered Slip in Mexico City Induced by the September 2017 Mw=7.1 Puebla Earthquake.

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    Solano Rojas, D. E.; Havazli, E.; Cabral-Cano, E.; Wdowinski, S.

    2017-12-01

    Although the epicenter of the September 19th, 2017 Mw=7.1 Puebla earthquake is located 100 km from Mexico City, the earthquake caused severe destruction in the city, leading to life loss and property damage. Mexico City is built on a thick clay-rich sedimentary sequence and, hence, is susceptible to seismic acceleration during earthquakes. The sediment layer also causes land subsidence, at rates as high as 350 mm/yr, and surface faulting. The earthquake damage in the eastern part of the city, characterized by the collapse of several buildings, can be explained by seismic amplification. However, the damage in the southern part of the city, characterized by the collapse of small houses and surface faulting, requires a different explanation. We present here geodetic observations suggesting that the surface faulting in Mexico City triggered by the Puebla earthquake occurred in areas already experiencing differential displacements. Our study is based on Sentinel-1A satellite data from before and after the earthquake (September 17th and 29th, 2017). We process the data using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to produce a coseismic interferogram. We also identify phase discontinuities that can be interpreted as surface faulting using the phase gradient technique (Price and Sandwell, 1998). The results of our analysis reveal the locations and patterns of coseismic phase discontinuities, mainly in the piedmont of the Sierra de Santa Catarina, which agree with the location of earthquake's damage reported by official and unofficial sources (GCDMX, 2017; OSM, 2017). The observed phase discontinuities also agree well with the location of preexisting, subsidence-related faults identified during 10 years of field surveys (GCDMX, 2017) and coincide with differential displacements identified using a Fast Fourier Transform residual technique on high-resolution InSAR results from 2012 (Solano-Rojas et. al, 2017). We propose that the seismic energy released by the 2017

  15. Assessing the Land Subsidence Governance in Ningbo City: By a Close Study of the Building Collapse at the Strictly Protected Land Subsidence Area

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    Yu, Xia

    2016-04-01

    Ningbo is a coastal city in East China, its land subsidence problem was noticed in the 1960s. However, scientific management was insufficient at that time, so with the fast city development from the 1980s, groundwater was used by a large amount of small factories, and tall buildings were built on the land. It was in 2008, scientists predicted that if without doing anything to prevent the land from subsiding, the city will be covered by the East Sea in 2030. From then on, the local government implied several policies, such as shut down most of the groundwater pumping wells, set up a new authority to enhance the cooperation among different administration departments, and also set up a land subsidence monitoring center for the city. Recently, it is declared that a Stereo regulatory system of land subsidence governance has been achieved. However, in 2012, a 23-years old building in the city center collapsed. According to the City Planning 2009, this building is located just in the strictly protected land subsidence area. The experts, however, think that land subsidence is not the main reason, since there are many illegal changes to the building during the past 23 years. The aim of my research is to assess the land subsidence governance in Ningbo city. I studied the collapsed building, how it was built, what has changed after building, how the environment changed in this area, and how this area became the strictly protected land subsidence area, and what kind of protections have been made. Actually, during the case study I discuss the land subsidence governance design of Ningbo, and to see what practices and lessons we can learn from this case.

  16. Application of InSAR and gravimetric surveys for developing construction codes in zones of land subsidence induced by groundwater extraction: case study of Aguascalientes, Mexico

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    J. Pacheco-Martínez

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR has become a valuable tool for surface deformation monitoring, including land subsidence associated with groundwater extraction. Another useful tools for studying Earth's surface processes are geophysical methods such as Gravimetry. In this work we present the application of InSAR analysis and gravimetric surveying to generate valuable information for risk management related to land subsidence and surface faulting. Subsidence of the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico is presented as study case. Aguascalientes local governments have addressed land subsidence issues by including new requirements for new constructions projects in the State Urban Construction Code. Nevertheless, the resulting zoning proposed in the code is still subjective and not clearly defined. Our work based on gravimetric and InSAR surveys is aimed for improving the subsidence hazard zoning proposed in the State Urban Code in a more comprehensive way. The study includes a 2007–2011 ALOS InSAR time-series analysis of the Aguascalientes valley, an interpretation of the compete Bouguer gravimetric anomaly of the Aguascalientes urban area, and the application of time series and gravimetric anomaly maps for improve the subsidence hazard zoning of Aguascalientes City.

  17. Environmental and economic effects of subsidence: Category 4, Project 1. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Viets, V.F.; Vaughan, C.K.; Harding, R.C.

    1979-05-01

    A list of more than 70 subsidence areas was screened to select those areas which seemed to have the best potential for providing reliable data. The screening process is described in an appendix. Nine areas were selected for detailed case studies to collect all available data on the environmental and economic effects of the subsidence. Available information from the subsidence areas not selected as case studies was tabulated for each area and is included in an appendix. The nine case study areas are: Arizona; San Joaquin Valley, California; Baldwin Hills, California; Santa Clara Valley, California; Wilmington, California; Las Vegas Valley, Nevada; Houston-Galveston area, Texas; Mexico City, Mexico; and Wairakei, New Zealand. (MHR)

  18. Subsidence Induced Faulting Hazard Zonation Using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry and Horizontal Gradient Mapping in Mexican Urban Areas

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    Cabral-Cano, E.; Cigna, F.; Osmanoglu, B.; Dixon, T.; Wdowinski, S.

    2011-12-01

    Subsidence and faulting have affected Mexico city for more than a century and the process is becoming widespread throughout larger urban areas in central Mexico. This process causes substantial damages to the urban infrastructure and housing structures and will certainly become a major factor to be considered when planning urban development, land use zoning and hazard mitigation strategies in the next decades. Subsidence is usually associated with aggressive groundwater extraction rates and a general decrease of aquifer static level that promotes soil consolidation, deformation and ultimately, surface faulting. However, local stratigraphic and structural conditions also play an important role in the development and extension of faults. In all studied cases stratigraphy of the uppermost sediment strata and the structure of the underlying volcanic rocks impose a much different subsidence pattern which is most suitable for imaging through satellite geodetic techniques. We present examples from several cities in central Mexico: a) Mexico-Chalco. Very high rates of subsidence, up to 370 mm/yr are observed within this lacustrine environment surrounded by Pliocene-Quaternary volcanic structures. b) Aguascalientes where rates up to 90 mm/yr in the past decade are observed, is controlled by a stair stepped N-S trending graben that induces nucleation of faults along the edges of contrasting sediment package thicknesses. c) Morelia presents subsidence rates as high as 80 mm/yr. Differential deformation is observed across major basin-bounding E-W trending faults and with higher subsidence rates on their hanging walls, where the thickest sequences of compressible Quaternary sediments crop out. Our subsidence and faulting study in urban areas of central Mexico is based on a horizontal gradient analysis using displacement maps from Persistent Scatterer InSAR that allows definition of areas with high vulnerability to surface faulting. Correlation of the surface subsidence pattern

  19. September 1985 Mexico City, Mexico Images

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurred off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The damage was concentrated in a 25 square km area of Mexico City, 350 km from the epicenter....

  20. Ground subsidence and associated ground fracturing in urban areas: InSAR monitoring of active tectonic structures (Ciudad Guzman, Colima Graben - Mexico)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bignami, C.; Brunori, C.; Zucca, F.; Groppelli, G.; Norini, G.; Hernandez, N. D.; Stramondo, S.

    2013-12-01

    This study focuses on the observation of a creeping phenomenon that produces subsidence of the Zapotlan basin and ground fracturing in correspondence of the Ciudad Guzmàn (Jalisco - Mexico). The September 21, 2012, the Ciudad Guzmàn has been struck by a phenomenon of ground fracturing of about 1.5 km of length. This event caused the deformation of the roads and the damage of 30 houses, of which eight have been declared uninhabitable. The alignment of fractures is coincident with the escarpments produced in September 19, 1985, in the Ciudad Guzman urban area, when a strong earthquake, magnitude 8.1, struck the Mexican area, causing the deaths of at least 10,000 people and serious damage in Mexico City. In Ciudad Guzmán, about 60% of the buildings were destroyed, with about 50 loss of life. The city is located in the Zapotlan basin (northern Colima graben), a wide tectonic depression where the depth of the infilling sediments is about 1 km. This subsidence cannot be measured outside the urbanized area, but it can be considered as a deformation mechanism of the central part of the basin. In order to detect and mapping the spatio-temporal features of the processes that led to this event, we applied InSAR multi-temporal techniques to analyze a dataset of ENVISAT satellite SAR images, acquired in a time span between 2003-2010. InSAR techniques detect a subsidence of the north-western part of Ciudad Guzmàn of about 15 mm/yr in the time interval 2003-2010. The displacement occurred in September 21, 2012, was detected using two RadarSAT2 acquisitions (2012-03-22 and 2013-03-17). The explanation of surface movements based on interferometric results, ground data and geological field observations, allowed confirming surface effect due to the overexploitation of the aquifers and highlights a subsidence due to anthropogenic causes coupled to buried tectonic structures.

  1. Mapping Ground Subsidence Phenomena in Ho Chi Minh City through the Radar Interferometry Technique Using ALOS PALSAR Data

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    Dinh Ho Tong Minh

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The rapidly developing urbanization since the last decade of the 20th century has led to extensive groundwater extraction, resulting in subsidence in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Recent advances in multi-temporal spaceborne SAR interferometry, especially with a persistent scatters interferometry (PSI approach, has made this a robust remote sensing technique for measuring large-scale ground subsidence with millimetric accuracy. This work has presented an advanced PSI analysis, to provide an unprecedented spatial extent and continuous temporal coverage of the subsidence in Ho Chi Minh City from 2006 to 2010. The study shows that subsidence is most severe in the Holocene silt loam areas along the Sai Gon River and in the southwest of the city. The groundwater extraction resulting from urbanization and urban growth is mainly responsible for the subsidence. Subsidence in turn leads to more flooding and water nuisance. The correlation between the reference leveling velocity and the estimated PSI result is R2 = 0.88, and the root mean square error is 4.3 (mm/year, confirming their good agreement. From 2006 to 2010, the estimation of the average subsidence rate is -8.0 mm/year, with the maximum value up to -70 mm/year. After four years, in regions along Sai Gon River and in the southwest of the city, the land has sunk up to -12 cm. If not addressed, subsidence leads to the increase of inundation, both in frequency and spatial extent. Finally, regarding climate change, the effects of subsidence should be considered as appreciably greater than those resulting from rising sea level. It is essential to consider these two factors, because the city is inhabited by more than 7.5 million people, where subsidence directly impacts urban structures and infrastructure.

  2. Land Subsidence Monitoring by InSAR Time Series Technique Derived From ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 over Surabaya City, Indonesia

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    Aditiya, A.; Takeuchi, W.; Aoki, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia and the capital of East Java Province with rapid population and industrialization. The impact of urbanization in the big city can suffer potential disasters either nature or anthropogenic such as land subsidence and flood. The pattern of land subsidence need to be mapped for the purposes of planning and structuring the city as well as taking appropriate policy in anticipating and mitigating the impact. This research has used interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) technique and applied time series analysis to investigate land subsidence occured. The technique includes the process of focusing the SAR data, incorporating the precise orbit, generating interferogram and phase unwrapping using SNAPHU algorithms. The results showed land subsidence has been detected during 2014-2017 over Surabaya city area using ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 images data. These results reveal the subsidence has observed in several area in Surabaya in particular northern part reach up to ∼2 cm/year. The fastest subsidence occurs in highly populated areas suffer vulnerable to flooding and sea level rise impact. In urban areas we found a correlation between land subsidence with residential or industrial land use. It concludes that land subsidence is mainly caused by ground water consumption for industrial and residential use respectively.

  3. [Availability of condoms in Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández-Girón, C; Cruz-Valdez, A; Quiterio-Trenado, M; Avila-Burgos, L; Peruga, A; Hernández-Avila, M

    2001-12-01

    At the beginning of 1999, Mexico occupied third place, after USA and Brazil, in the number of accumulated cases of AIDS (38,390 notified cases) in America. More than 80% of the cases corresponded to men between 20 and 44 years old. The transmission by sexual route has increased in both sexes, the proportion of men infected by sexual contact increased from 85% in 1991 to 90% in 1998 and in women this proportion increased from 41% in 1991 to 57% in 1998. The ratio male/female of cases of AIDS has varied from 17:1 in 1983 to 6:1 in 1998. Condom use is considered an effective method for the prevention of the transmission of STI's/HIV and therefore the availability is of paramount importance to promote use with the finality of combating these diseases. A simple randomized sampling was done in 612 establishments that included: drugstore, bars and nightclubs, hotels and motels, self-service shops and health centers in Mexico City, where am cross sectional study was performed during June and July of 1995, to evaluate the availability of condoms considering three important items: a) percent per capita required to buy an annual endowment of 100 condoms in comparison with this same indicator reported in other countries; b) physical availability, on behalf of the Secretaría de Salud, Mexico City, that considers the volume of existing condoms to be utilized for a year by the public sector in this city; c) physical availability of condoms in different evaluated locations. In order to purchase an annual supply of condoms an individual needs the assign $500 (Pesos) which represents 2.3 to 2.6% of the annual GNP per capita for 1998 and 1997 respectively. The physical availability of condoms, on behalf of the Secretaría de Salud, Mexico City, was 94.9% in health centers. In drugstores, hotels and motels, self-service shops, bars and nightclubs the availability of condoms was 100%, 82.9%, 75% and 1.2%, respectively. It has been documented that the adequate use of condom is an

  4. 75 FR 28555 - Executive Green ICT & Energy Efficiency Trade Mission to Mexico City, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-21

    ... Trade Mission to Mexico City, Mexico AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce... Trade Mission to Mexico City from September 27-29, 2010. This Executive led mission will focus on... & Energy Efficiency conference will take place at the World Trade Center in Mexico City. Relevant issues on...

  5. LCA of road infrastructure in Mexico City.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rosales Carreon, Jesus

    2007-01-01

    Vehicular traffic is a major problem in metropolitan areas and Mexico City is no exception. Located in a pollutant-trapping valley, Mexico City (one of the largest cities in the world) is famous for its size, its history, and the warmth of its people. Nev

  6. Indoor radon measurements in Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Espinosa, G. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apartado Postal 20364, 01000 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)], E-mail: espinosa@fisica.unam.mx; Golzarri, J.I. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apartado Postal 20364, 01000 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Bogard, J. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6480 (United States); Gaso, I. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Apartado Postal 18-1027, 11801 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Ponciano, G. [Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Mena, M.; Segovia, N. [Instituto de Geofisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    2008-08-15

    Mexico City is one of the most populated cities in the world with almost 22 million inhabitants, located at an altitude of 2200 m. The old city was founded on an ancient lake and the zone is known by its high seismicity; indoor radon determination is an important public health issue. In this paper the data of indoor radon levels in Mexico City, measured independently by two research groups, both using Nuclear Track Detector systems but different methodologies, are correlated. The measurements were done during similar exposure periods of time, at family houses from the political administrative regions of the city. The results indicate a correlation coefficient between the two sets of data of R=0.886. Most of the differences between the two sets of data are inherent to houses having extreme (very high or very low indoor radon) included in the statistics of each group. The total average indoor radon found in Mexico City considering the two methods was 87Bqm{sup -3}.

  7. Influence of solid waste and topography on urban floods: The case of Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zambrano, Luis; Pacheco-Muñoz, Rodrigo; Fernández, Tania

    2018-02-24

    Floods in cities are increasingly common as a consequence of multifactor watershed dynamics, including geomorphology, land-use changes and land subsidence. However, urban managers have focused on infrastructure to address floods by reducing blocked sewage infrastructure, without significant success. Using Mexico City as a case study, we generated a spatial flood risk model with geomorphology and anthropogenic variables. The results helped contrast the implications of different public policies in land use and waste disposal, and correlating them with flood hazards. Waste disposal was only related to small floods. 58% of the city has a high risk of experiencing small floods, and 24% of the city has a risk for large floods. Half of the population with the lowest income is located in the high-risk areas for large floods. These models are easy to build, generate fast results and are able to help to flood policies, by understanding flood interactions in urban areas within the watershed.

  8. Coastal city subsidence in Shenzhen (China), monitored using multi-frequency radar interferometry time-series techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Peng; Li, Yongsheng; Singleton, Andrew; Li, Qingquan; Zhang, Jingfa; Li, Zhenhong

    2014-05-01

    In just 26 years, the coastal city of Shenzhen (Southern China) has been transformed from a small fishing village to a modern city with a population exceeding 8.5 million people. Following its designation as a Special Economic Zone in the 1980s, the city became a test bed for China's economic reforms and currently leads many new practices in urban planning. The rapid economic development was matched by a sharp increase in the demand for usable land and consequently, extensive coastal reclamation has been undertaken by piling rock fragments from nearby hills onto the seabed. However, it has recently been reported that new apartments, offices and transport networks built on the reclaimed land have become unusable due to ground subsidence. The additional threat of coastal inundation from sea-level rise also requires serious consideration. InSAR time-series techniques (such as Persistent Scatterer and Small Baseline InSAR) are capable of detecting sub-centimetre elevation changes of the Earth's surface over large areas and at a density far exceeding the capabilities of a GPS network - particularly for such an urban environment as Shenzhen. This study uses numerous independent tracks of SAR data (two ENVISAT C-band tracks and two ALOS L-band tracks) to determine the surface movements between 2004 and 2013. Quantitative comparative analyses are carried out in the overlapping area between two adjacent tracks, and thus no ground data is required to validate InSAR results. The results show greatest subsidence in coastal areas with the areas of reclaimed land also predominantly undergoing subsidence. The combination of different ascending and descending tracks allows 2D velocity fields to be estimated and it will be important to determine whether the subsidence from the recently reclaimed land is consolidation or part of a longer-term trend. This ability to provide accurate measurements of ground stability for the city of Shenzhen will help focus investigations into areas of

  9. Subsidence Modeling of the Over-exploited Granular Aquifer System in Aguascalientes, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solano Rojas, D. E.; Pacheco, J.; Wdowinski, S.; Minderhoud, P. S. J.; Cabral-Cano, E.; Albino, F.

    2017-12-01

    The valley of Aguascalientes in central Mexico experiences subsidence rates of up to 100 [mm/yr] due to overexploitation of its aquifer system, as revealed from satellite-based geodetic observations. The spatial pattern of the subsidence over the valley is inhomogeneous and affected by shallow faulting. The understanding of the subsoil mechanics is still limited. A better understanding of the subsidence process in Aguascalientes is needed to provide insights for future subsidence in the valley. We present here a displacement-constrained finite-element subsidence model, based on the USGS MODFLOW software. The construction of our model relies on 3 main inputs: (1) groundwater level time series obtained from extraction wells' hydrographs, (2) subsurface lithostratigraphy interpreted from well drilling logs, and (3) hydrogeological parameters obtained from field pumping tests. The groundwater level measurements were converted to pore pressure in our model's layers, and used in Terzaghi's equation for calculating effective stress. We then used the effective stress along with the displacement obtained from geodetic observations to constrain and optimize five geo-mechanical parameters: compression ratio, reloading ratio, secondary compression index, over consolidation ratio, and consolidation coefficient. Finally, we use the NEN-Bjerrum linear stress model formulation for settlements to determine elastic and visco-plastic strain, accounting for the aquifer system units' aging effect. Preliminary results show higher compaction response in clay-saturated intervals (i.e. aquitards) of the aquifer system, as reflected in the spatial pattern of the surface deformation. The forecasted subsidence for our proposed scenarios show a much more pronounced deformation when we consider higher groundwater extraction regimes.

  10. Seismic fragility formulations for segmented buried pipeline systems including the impact of differential ground subsidence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pineda Porras, Omar Andrey [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Ordaz, Mario [UNAM, MEXICO CITY

    2009-01-01

    Though Differential Ground Subsidence (DGS) impacts the seismic response of segmented buried pipelines augmenting their vulnerability, fragility formulations to estimate repair rates under such condition are not available in the literature. Physical models to estimate pipeline seismic damage considering other cases of permanent ground subsidence (e.g. faulting, tectonic uplift, liquefaction, and landslides) have been extensively reported, not being the case of DGS. The refinement of the study of two important phenomena in Mexico City - the 1985 Michoacan earthquake scenario and the sinking of the city due to ground subsidence - has contributed to the analysis of the interrelation of pipeline damage, ground motion intensity, and DGS; from the analysis of the 48-inch pipeline network of the Mexico City's Water System, fragility formulations for segmented buried pipeline systems for two DGS levels are proposed. The novel parameter PGV{sup 2}/PGA, being PGV peak ground velocity and PGA peak ground acceleration, has been used as seismic parameter in these formulations, since it has shown better correlation to pipeline damage than PGV alone according to previous studies. By comparing the proposed fragilities, it is concluded that a change in the DGS level (from Low-Medium to High) could increase the pipeline repair rates (number of repairs per kilometer) by factors ranging from 1.3 to 2.0; being the higher the seismic intensity the lower the factor.

  11. Lighting the city. First poetic representations of Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudia Kerik

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The first impressions that caused the changes made in Mexico City in its process of transformation into a modern city were captured by its poets drawing attention to different aspects of life in the capital. While from the popular poetry the record of the entrance of the electricity in the public road was left, from the official poetry was tried to witness the new cosmopolitan status of the Mexico City in the Porfirian era, through the fashion and the customs that were revealed in one of the main streets of the city. Comparing these poems allows us to know the initial strategies of poetic figuration of urban space that will continue to develop along different paths throughout the twentieth century until we reach our days.

  12. Subsidence monitoring with geotechnical instruments in the Mexicali Valley, Baja California, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glowacka, E.; Sarychikhina, O.; Márquez Ramírez, V. H.; Robles, B.; Nava, F. A.; Farfán, F.; García Arthur, M. A.

    2015-11-01

    The Mexicali Valley (northwestern Mexico), situated in the southern part of the San Andreas fault system, is an area with high tectonic deformation, recent volcanism, and active seismicity. Since 1973, fluid extraction, from the 1500-3000 m depth range, at the Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field (CPGF), has influenced deformation in the Mexicali Valley area, accelerating the subsidence and causing slip along the traces of tectonic faults that limit the subsidence area. Detailed field mapping done since 1989 (González et al., 1998; Glowacka et al., 2005; Suárez-Vidal et al., 2008) in the vicinity of the CPGF shows that many subsidence induced fractures, fissures, collapse features, small grabens, and fresh scarps are related to the known tectonic faults. Subsidence and fault rupture are causing damage to infrastructure, such as roads, railroad tracks, irrigation channels, and agricultural fields. Since 1996, geotechnical instruments installed by CICESE (Centro de Investigación Ciéntifica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, B.C.) have operated in the Mexicali Valley, for continuous recording of deformation phenomena. Instruments are installed over or very close to the affected faults. To date, the network includes four crackmeters and eight tiltmeters; all instruments have sampling intervals in the 1 to 20 min range. Instrumental records typically show continuous creep, episodic slip events related mainly to the subsidence process, and coseismic slip discontinuities (Glowacka et al., 1999, 2005, 2010; Sarychikhina et al., 2015). The area has also been monitored by levelling surveys every few years and, since the 1990's by studies based on DInSAR data (Carnec and Fabriol, 1999; Hansen, 2001; Sarychikhina et al., 2011). In this work we use data from levelling, DInSAR, and geotechnical instruments records to compare the subsidence caused by anthropogenic activity and/or seismicity with slip recorded by geotechnical instruments, in an attempt to obtain more information

  13. Subsidence monitoring with geotechnical instruments in the Mexicali Valley, Baja California, Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Glowacka

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The Mexicali Valley (northwestern Mexico, situated in the southern part of the San Andreas fault system, is an area with high tectonic deformation, recent volcanism, and active seismicity. Since 1973, fluid extraction, from the 1500–3000 m depth range, at the Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field (CPGF, has influenced deformation in the Mexicali Valley area, accelerating the subsidence and causing slip along the traces of tectonic faults that limit the subsidence area. Detailed field mapping done since 1989 (González et al., 1998; Glowacka et al., 2005; Suárez-Vidal et al., 2008 in the vicinity of the CPGF shows that many subsidence induced fractures, fissures, collapse features, small grabens, and fresh scarps are related to the known tectonic faults. Subsidence and fault rupture are causing damage to infrastructure, such as roads, railroad tracks, irrigation channels, and agricultural fields. Since 1996, geotechnical instruments installed by CICESE (Centro de Investigación Ciéntifica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, B.C. have operated in the Mexicali Valley, for continuous recording of deformation phenomena. Instruments are installed over or very close to the affected faults. To date, the network includes four crackmeters and eight tiltmeters; all instruments have sampling intervals in the 1 to 20 min range. Instrumental records typically show continuous creep, episodic slip events related mainly to the subsidence process, and coseismic slip discontinuities (Glowacka et al., 1999, 2005, 2010; Sarychikhina et al., 2015. The area has also been monitored by levelling surveys every few years and, since the 1990's by studies based on DInSAR data (Carnec and Fabriol, 1999; Hansen, 2001; Sarychikhina et al., 2011. In this work we use data from levelling, DInSAR, and geotechnical instruments records to compare the subsidence caused by anthropogenic activity and/or seismicity with slip recorded by geotechnical instruments, in an attempt to obtain

  14. Establishing a Water Resources Resilience Baseline for Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behzadi, F.; Ray, P. A.

    2017-12-01

    There is a growing concern for the vulnerability of the Mexico City water system to shocks, and the capacity of the system to accommodate climate and demographic change. This study presents a coarse-resolution, lumped model of the water system of Mexico City as a whole, designed to identify system-wide imbalances, and opportunities for large-scale improvements in city-wide resilience through investments in water imports, exports, and storage. In order to investigate the impact of climate change in Mexico City, the annual and monthly trends of precipitation and temperature at 46 stations near or inside the Mexico City were analyzed. The statistical significance of the trends in rainfall and temperature, both over the entire period of record, and the more recent "climate-change-impacted period" (1970-2015), were determined using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test. Results show a statistically significant increasing trend in the annual mean precipitation, mean temperature, and annual maximum daily temperature. However, minimum daily temperature does not appear to be increasing, and might be decreasing. Water management in Mexico City faces particular challenges, where the winter dry season is warming more quickly than the wet summer season. A stress test of Mexico City water system is conducted to identify vulnerabilities to changes in exogenous factors (esp., climate, demographics, land use). Following on the stress test, the relative merits of adaptation options that might improve the system's resilience and sustainability will be assessed.

  15. Strong advocacy led to successful implementation of smokefree Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2011-01-01

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

  16. A Hazy Day in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002-01-01

    Mexico City has one of the world's most serious air pollution problems. The city is located atop a high plain at an altitude of 2200 meters, and is surrounded on three sides by mountains and snow-capped volcanoes. Since incident solar radiation does not vary significantly with season at tropical latitudes, photochemical smog is produced much of the year. In winter, air quality can worsen significantly when thermal inversions keep polluted air masses close to the surface.Atmospheric particulates (aerosols) are readily visible at oblique view angles, and differences in aerosol amount on two days are indicated by these images of central Mexico from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). The images at left and center are natural color views acquired by MISR's 70-degree forward-viewing camera on April 9 and December 5, 2001, respectively. Mexico City can be identified in the center panel by the large area of haze accumulation above image center. Two small brighter patches within the hazy area indicate low fog. In the left-hand panel, the city basin appears significantly clearer, but some haze remains apparent across the Sierra Madre mountains in the lower portion of the images. On the right is an elevation field corresponding to the December 5 view. Automated MISR stereoscopic retrievals reveal the clouds at lower right to be at very high altitudes, in contrast to the low-lying haze and fog near Mexico City. When the stereo retrieval determines that a location is not covered by clouds, digital terrain elevation data are displayed instead. High clouds appear as the orange and red areas, and mountainous areas appear light blue and green. The position of the clouds within the 70-degree image are slightly southward of their location in the elevation map as a consequence of geometric parallax.Major sources of air pollutants within the basin enclosing the Mexico City urban area include exhaust from 3.5 million vehicles, thousands of industries, and mineral dust

  17. Land subsidence, Ground Fissures and Buried Faults: InSAR Monitoring of Ciudad Guzmán (Jalisco, Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlo Alberto Brunori

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available We study land subsidence processes and the associated ground fissuring, affecting an active graben filled by thick unconsolidated deposits by means of InSAR techniques and fieldwork. On 21 September 2012, Ciudad Guzmán (Jalisco, Mexico was struck by ground fissures of about 1.5 km of length, causing the deformation of the roads and the propagation of fissures in adjacent buildings. The field survey showed that fissures alignment is coincident with the escarpments produced on 19 September 1985, when a strong earthquake with magnitude 8.1 struck central Mexico. In order to detect and map the spatio-temporal features of the processes that led to the 2012 ground fissures, we applied InSAR multi-temporal techniques to process ENVISAT-ASAR and RADARSAT-2 satellite SAR images acquired between 2003 and 2012. We detect up to 20 mm/year of subsidence of the northwestern part of Ciudad Guzmán. These incremental movements are consistent with the ground fissures observed in 2012. Based on interferometric results, field data and 2D numerical model, we suggest that ground deformations and fissuring are due to the presence of areal subsidence correlated with variable sediment thickness and differential compaction, partly driven by the exploitation of the aquifers and controlled by the distribution and position of buried faults.

  18. 3 CFR - Mexico City Policy and Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 3 The President 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Mexico City Policy and Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning Presidential Documents Other Presidential Documents Memorandum of January 23, 2009 Mexico... Mexico City Policy was in effect from 1985 until 1993, when it was rescinded by President Clinton...

  19. [The cholera epidemic of 1833 and mortality in Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velasco, M D

    1992-01-01

    The author examines the impact of the 1833 cholera epidemic in Mexico City, Mexico, on social, economic, and political aspects of life in that city. She finds that some five percent of the population died during the epidemic, and enumerates them by age and sex.

  20. A survey of 222Rn in drinking water in mexico city

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasquez-Lopez, C.; Zendejas-Leal, B. E.; Golzarri, J. I.; Espinosa, G.

    2011-01-01

    In Mexico City there are more than 22 millions of inhabitants (10 in the metropolitan area and 12 in the suburban zone) exposed to drinking water. The local epidemiological authorities recognised that exposure to radon contaminated drinking water is a potential health hazard, as has been considered worldwide. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a limit of 11.1 Bq l -1 for the radon level in drinking water. In Mexico a maximum contamination level of radon in drinking water has not yet even considered. In this work, a 222 Rn study of drinking water in Mexico City has revealed a range of concentrations from background level to 3.8 Bq l -1 . 222 Rn was calculated using a portable degassing system (AquaKIT) associated with an AlphaGUARD measuring system. Samples from 70 wells of the water system of the south of the Valley Basin of Mexico City and from houses of some other political administrative divisions of Mexico City were taken. (authors)

  1. Measurements of VOCs in Mexico City during the MILAGRO Campaign

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, A. K.; Beyersdorf, A. J.; Blake, N. J.; Meinardi, S.; Atlas, E.; Rowland, F.; Blake, D. R.

    2006-12-01

    During March of 2006 we participated in MILAGRO (Megacities Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations), a multi-platform campaign to measure pollutants in and in outflow from the Mexico City metropolitan area. As part of MILAGRO we collected whole air canister samples at two Mexico City ground sites: the Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, located in the city, northeast of the center, and the Universidad Technologica de Tecamac, a suburban site approximately 50 km northeast of the city center. Samples were also collected in various other locations throughout Mexico City. Over 300 whole air samples were collected and analyzed for a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including methane, carbon monoxide, nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) and halocarbons. Propane was the most abundant NMHC at both the urban and suburban locations, with mixing ratios frequently in excess of 10 parts per billion at both locations. This is likely the result of the widespread use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) of which propane is the major component. For most species, median mixing ratios at the urban sites were significantly greater than at the suburban site. Here we compare results from both urban and suburban locations and also examine the influence of transport on the composition of outflow from Mexico City.

  2. Determination of Soft Lithology Causes The Land Subsidence in Coastal Semarang City by Resistivity Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widada, Sugeng; Saputra, Sidhi; Hariadi

    2018-02-01

    Semarang City is located in the northern coastal plain of Java which is geologically composed of alluvial deposits. The process of the sediment diagenesis has caused a land subsidence. On the other hand, the development of the industrial, service, education and housing sectors has increased the number of building significantly. The number of building makes the pressure of land surface increased, and finally, this also increased the rate of land subsidence. The drilling data indicates that not all layers of lithology are soft layers supporting the land subsidence. However, vertical distribution of the soft layer is still unclear. This study used Resistivity method to map out the soft zone layers of lithology. Schlumberger electrode configuration with sounding system method was selected to find a good vertical resolution and maximum depth. The results showed that the lithology layer with resistivity less than 3 ohm is a layer of clay and sandy clay that has the low bearing capacity so easily compressed by pressure load. A high land subsidence is happening in the thick soft layer. The thickness of that layer is smaller toward the direction of avoiding the beach. The improvement of the bearing capacity of this layer is expected to be a solution to the problem of land subsidence.

  3. Internal migration and occupational achievement in Mexico city

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julio Santiago Hernández

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this work is to analyze the effect of migration status on labor market insertion and occupational achievement. It is of interest to know whether the observed differences between people with a different migration status (from first-generation rural migrants to natives are due to their migratory condition per se or other sociodemographic variables associated with their status that could put migrants at disadvantage in the labor market of Mexico City. We elaborate on this by using data from the Survey on Inequality and Social Mobility in Mexico City, 2009. Unlike studies of major Mexican cities during the import substitution model, wich as sumed that upward occupational mobility rates benefited almost equally the born and raised in the city and the rural migrants our results suggest the opposite: that migrants do poorly, but not for the fact that they are migrants, but because they tend to have lower economic, cultural and social capital attributes in their families of origin due to certain factors that leave them unable to capitalize on their efforts to achieve an educational and occupational performance similar or superior to that of the natives. A suggestive finding is that, even after controlling for the disadvantageous social background, female rural migrants show a consistently unfavorable performance when compared to the native women of Mexico City.

  4. [Cholera in Mexico City during the nineteenth century].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marquez Morfin, L

    1992-01-01

    The author draws on epidemiological and historical records for this description of the demographic impact of the fatal cholera epidemics of 1833 and 1848-1850 on the population of Mexico City, Mexico. Consideration is given to political, economic, and social factors that influenced the spread of the disease.

  5. Physical Exposure to Seismic Hazards of Health Facilities in Mexico City, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, S. M.; Novelo Casanova, D.

    2010-12-01

    Although health facilities are essential infrastructure during disasters and emergencies, they are also usually highly vulnerable installations in the case of the occurrence of large and major earthquakes. Hospitals are one of the most complex critical facilities in modern cities and they are used as first response in emergency situations. The operability of a hospital must be maintained after the occurrence of a local strong earthquake in order to satisfy the need for medical care of the affected population. If a health facility is seriously damaged, it cannot fulfill its function when most is needed. In this case, hospitals become a casualty of the disaster. To identify the level of physical exposure of hospitals to seismic hazards in Mexico City, we analyzed their geographic location with respect to the seismic response of the different type of soils of the city from past earthquakes, mainly from the events that occurred on September 1985 (Ms= 8.0) and April 1989 (Ms= 6.9). Seismic wave amplification in this city is the result of the interaction of the incoming seismic waves with the soft and water saturated clay soils, on which a large part of Mexico City is built. The clay soils are remnants of the lake that existed in the Valley of Mexico and which has been drained gradually to accommodate the growing urban sprawl. Hospital facilities were converted from a simple database of names and locations into a map layer of resources. This resource layer was combined with other map layers showing areas of seismic microzonation in Mexico City. This overlay was then used to identify those hospitals that may be threatened by the occurrence of a large or major seismic event. We analyzed the public and private hospitals considered as main health facilities. Our results indicate that more than 50% of the hospitals are highly exposed to seismic hazards. Besides, in most of these health facilities we identified the lack of preventive measures and preparedness to reduce their

  6. 3D electric resistivity tomography (ERT) methodologies applied on selected heavily urbanized areas of the basin of Mexico to detect buried fractures and subsidence problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chavez Segura, R. E.; Cifuentes-Nava, G.; Tejero, A.; Hernandez, E.

    2012-12-01

    Urban development in modern cities require of a more integral knowledge of the subsurface, mainly on those areas, where human concentrations increase. Mexico City is one of such an example, where it constitutes one of the largest concentrations of human activities in the world. Most of the urban area is underlain by lacustrine sediments of the former lakes, and confined by important volcanic ranges. Such sediments offer poor foundation conditions for constructive purposes. Therefore, high risk areas have to be identified to prevent accidents and disastrous events. Geophysical techniques can be employed to understand the physical characteristics of the subsurface. Two examples are presented in this investigation. A residential complex named La Concordia is located towards the central portion of the basin that consists of six four storey buildings in an area of 33x80 m2. Finally, a block of small houses (50x50 m2) is found to the southern limit of the basin; close to the Chichinautzin range within the town of Tecomitl. Both zones suffer of strong damage in their structures due to fractures and subsidence within the subsoil. Therefore, Electric Resistivity Tomography (ERT) was carried out to characterize the subsoil beneath these urban complexes. A special array ('horse-shoe' geometry) 'L' employing Wenner-Schlumberger techniques, in addition to equatorial-dipole and minimum-coupling arrays were carried out to fully 'illuminate' beneath the constructions. Computed resistivity models for both examples depicted the buried fracture pattern affecting the urban complexes. Such patterns seem to extend beyond the limits of the surveyed areas, and are probably part of a more complex fracture system. It is very likely that fractures have been produced due to the poorly consolidated clays that cover most of the central part of the Valley of Mexico; the intense water extraction, that form 'voids' in the subsoil causing subsidence effects and finally the existence of regional

  7. Respiratory tract toxicity in rats exposed to Mexico City air.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moss, O R; Gross, E A; James, R A; Janszen, D B; Ross, P W; Roberts, K C; Howard, A M; Harkema, J R; Calderón-Garcidueñas, L; Morgan, K T

    2001-03-01

    The rat has been used extensively as a health sentinel, indicator, or monitor of environmental health hazards, but this model has not been directly validated against human exposures. Humans in Mexico City show upper respiratory tract lesions and evidence of pulmonary damage related to their environmental inhalation exposure. In this study, male and female F344 rats were exposed (23 hr/day) in Mexico City to local Mexico City air (MCA)* for up to seven weeks. Controls were maintained at the same location under filtered air. Prior to these exposures, several steps were taken. First, the nasal passages of normal male rats shipped from the United States and housed in Mexico City were examined for mycoplasma infection; no evidence of infection was found. In addition, a mobile exposure and monitoring system was assembled and, with an ozone (O3) exposure atmosphere, was tested along with supporting histopathology techniques and analysis of rat nasal and lung tissues. Last, the entire exposure model (equipment and animals) was transported to Mexico City and validated for a three-week period. During the seven-week study there were 18 one-hour intervals during which the average O3 concentration of MCA in the exposure chamber exceeded the US National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 0.120 ppm 03 (hourly average, not to be exceeded more than once per year). This prolonged exposure of healthy F344 rats to MCA containing episodically low to moderate concentrations of 03 (as well as other urban air pollutants) did not induce inflammatory or epithelial lesions in the nasal airways or lung as measured by qualitative histologic techniques or quantitative morphometric techniques. These findings agree with those of previous controlled O3 inhalation studies, but they are in contrast to reports indicating that O3-polluted MCA causes significant nasal mucosal injury in adults and children living in southwestern Mexico City. Taken together, these findings may suggest that human

  8. Structural Damage in Mexico City

    OpenAIRE

    Hall, John F.; Beck, James L.

    1986-01-01

    This paper describes the structural damage in Mexico City caused by the September 19, 1985 earthquake. Photographs which illustrate various features of structural behavior are included. One explanation is presented as to why buildings with fundamental periods of elastic vibration considerably below the predominant two‐second period of the ground motion were most vulnerable to damage.

  9. Geology of the region of Guadalajara, Mexico, and its relationships with processes of subsidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suarez-Plascencia, C.; Delgado-Argote, L. A.; Nuñez-Cornu, F. J.; Sanchez, J. J.

    2008-12-01

    The city of Guadalajara, Mexico, began an accelerated urban growth in early 1950. During a span of 25 years a large number of gullies were artificially filled, with the aim of incorporating new areas for urbanization, particularly in the areas north and west of the city. These gullies originally formed a complex dendritic-type system, whose evolution may be associated with faults or fracture zones whose current identification are only possible based on escarpments along the Canyon of the Rio Grande de Santiago (CRGS), north of Guadalajara. Reports of affectations documented in the 80's described subsidence in buildings and infrastructure, a process that has been continued during 2008. We present the results of work done in the CRGS, which is a tectonic erosive-depression with an average depth of 500 m and exhibits a sequence of volcanic and sedimentary deposits with rapid lateral facies changes. The stratigraphic column spans a 15 km-long section along the Matatlán-Arcediano road, and, from top to bottom contains: 1) Unconsolidated pumice and tuffs with an average thickness of 12 m; 2) basaltic lavas with average thickness of 60 m; 3) the San Gaspar ignimbrite; 4) fluvial- sedimentary deposits with a thickness of approximately 20 meters that include both sub-rounded and angular volcanic clasts, with sizes up to 0.15 m; 5) a thick sequence of ignimbrites and dacitic lavas. At a depth of 1200 m.a.s.l. in the town of Arcediano, the basal sequence is composed of dacites and andesites with interbedded pumice-rich ignimbrites with 10-20 m thickness. The Rio Grande de Santiago talweg to 1018 m.a.s.l. (apparently the base of the sequence) is formed by andesite lava. In the area of San Gaspar we identified oblique-normal left-lateral faults in lavas, with a strike 191° and a dip 89°. In the Colimilla dam, 1297 m.a.s.l., we observed normal faulting (strike 267° and dip 81°), with 20-30 m jumps with reference to a unit of tephra of 3-10 m thickness. The lavas in this

  10. A survey of ²²²Rn in drinking water in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vázquez-López, C; Zendejas-Leal, B E; Golzarri, J I; Espinosa, G

    2011-05-01

    In Mexico City there are more than 22 millions of inhabitants (10 in the metropolitan area and 12 in the suburban zone) exposed to drinking water. The local epidemiological authorities recognised that exposure to radon contaminated drinking water is a potential health hazard, as has been considered worldwide. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a limit of 11.1 Bq l(-1) for the radon level in drinking water. In Mexico a maximum contamination level of radon in drinking water has not yet even considered. In this work, a (222)Rn study of drinking water in Mexico City has revealed a range of concentrations from background level to 3.8 Bq l(-1). (222)Rn was calculated using a portable degassing system (AquaKIT) associated with an AlphaGUARD measuring system. Samples from 70 wells of the water system of the south of the Valley Basin of Mexico City and from houses of some other political administrative divisions of Mexico City were taken.

  11. [Obesity or overweight and metabolic syndrome in Mexico City teenagers].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardoso-Saldaña, Guillermo C; Yamamoto-Kimura, Liria; Medina-Urrutia, Aida; Posadas-Sánchez, Rosalinda; Caracas-Portilla, Nacú A; Posadas-Romero, Carlos

    2010-01-01

    aim: To know the metabolic syndrome and its components prevalence in Mexico City adolescents sample. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 772 men and 1078 women, 12 to 16 years old, from 8 randomly selected public junior high schools in Mexico City. Anthropometric variables, lipids, lipoproteins, Apo AI and B, glucose and insulin were determined. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 12.5%, 11.15% in men and 13.5% en women (p ns). The most frequently metabolic syndrome component found in México City adolescents was low HDL-C levels (38%), followed by hypertriglyceridemia (25.5%), hypertension (19.2%), central obesity (11.8%) and elevated fasting glucose (1.7). Except by the hypertriglyceridemia, higher in woman than in men, 28.2% vs. 21.6%, p metabolic syndrome components was similar between males and females. The high prevalence of biochemical and physiological factors of metabolic syndrome, associated with overweight and obesity in Mexico City adolescents, increases the risk of premature development of coronary atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus in this population.

  12. Mexico City Air Quality Research Initiative; Volume 5, Strategic evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1994-03-01

    Members of the Task HI (Strategic Evaluation) team were responsible for the development of a methodology to evaluate policies designed to alleviate air pollution in Mexico City. This methodology utilizes information from various reports that examined ways to reduce pollutant emissions, results from models that calculate the improvement in air quality due to a reduction in pollutant emissions, and the opinions of experts as to the requirements and trade-offs that are involved in developing a program to address the air pollution problem in Mexico City. The methodology combines these data to produce comparisons between different approaches to improving Mexico City`s air quality. These comparisons take into account not only objective factors such as the air quality improvement or cost of the different approaches, but also subjective factors such as public acceptance or political attractiveness of the different approaches. The end result of the process is a ranking of the different approaches and, more importantly, the process provides insights into the implications of implementing a particular approach or policy.

  13. Analysis of aerosol samples in Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez, T.; Lartigue, J.; Zarazua, P.; Navarrete, M.; Ramirez, A.; Avila, P.

    2000-01-01

    Total solid particles and 9 metals potentially hazardous for health were determined in Mexico City dwellings by gravimetry and X-ray fluorescence techniques, respectively. Monitoring was performed in spring and winter, on districts covering center, northeast, southeast and southwest of the City. Results show that, in general, the average concentration of metallic contaminants have increased with time and, in the particular case of lead it is higher than the indicative WHO maximum level. The total solid particles figures are also above the U.S. norm of 75 μg.m -3 . Results obtained in samples taken in the same dwelling at different seasons show that lead was not present in a measurable concentration all the time. It seems to exist a correlation between the increase in lead and the increase in total solid particles whose distribution pattern in Mexico City follows wind directions. Another relevant correlation seems to exist between lead concentration and the rate of combustion of fuel in the transport system, which varies with the zone and the season. (author)

  14. Lidar Monitoring of Mexico City's Atmosphere During High Air Pollution Episodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quick, C. R., Jr.; Archuleta, F. L.; Hof, D. E.; Karl, R. R., Jr.; Tiee, J. J., Jr.; Eichinger, W. E.; Holtkamp, D. B.; Tellier, L.

    1992-01-01

    Over the last two decades, Mexico City, like many large industrial and populous urban areas, has developed a serious air pollution problem, especially during the winter months when there are frequent temperature inversions and weak winds. The deteriorating air quality is the result of several factors. The basin within which Mexico City lies in Mexico's center of political, administrative and economic activity, generating 34 percent of the gross domestic product and 42 percent of the industrial revenue, and supporting a population which is rapidly approaching the 20 million mark. The basin is surrounded by mountains on three sides which end up preventing rapid dispersal of pollutants. Emissions from the transportation fleet (more than 3 million vehicles) are one of the primary pollution sources, and most are uncontrolled. Catalytic converters are just now working their way into the fleet. The Mexico City Air Quality Research Initiative in an international collaboration project between the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Mexican Petroleum Institute are dedicated to the investigation of the air quality problem in Mexico City. The main objective of the project is to identify and assess the cost and benefits of major options being proposed to improve the air quality. The project is organized into three main activity areas: (1) modeling and simulation; (2) characterization and measurements; and (3) strategic evaluation.

  15. Libraries in the Mexico City Earthquake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Zamora, Rosa Maria Fernandez

    1990-01-01

    As a result of damage from the Mexico City earthquake of September 1985, some of the busiest public and special libraries had to be closed. A National Committee for the Reconstruction of Libraries was established, and international support was received through the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and other…

  16. The ground subsidence anomaly investigation around Ambala, India by InSAR and spatial analyses: Why and how the Ambala city behaves as the most significant subsidence region in the Northwest India?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, J.; Lin, S. Y.; Tsai, Y.; Singh, S.; Singh, T.

    2017-12-01

    A large ground deformation which may be caused by a significant groundwater depletion of the Northwest India Aquifer has been successfully observed throughout space geodesy techniques (Tsai et al, 2016). Employing advanced time-series ScanSAR InSAR analysis and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites data, it revealed 400-km wide huge ground deformation in and around Haryana. It was further notified that the Ambala city located in northern Haryana district shown the most significant ground subsidence with maximum cumulative deformation up to 0.2 meters within 3 years in contrast to the nearby cities such as Patiala and Chandigarh that did not present similar subsidence. In this study, we investigated the details of "Ambala Anomaly" employing advanced time-series InSAR and spatial analyses together with local geology and anthropogenic contexts and tried to identify the factors causing such a highly unique ground deformation pattern. To explore the pattern and trend of Ambala' subsidence, we integrated the time-series deformation results of both ascending L-band PALSAR-1 (Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar) from 2007/1 to 2011/1 and descending C-band ASAR (Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar) from 2008/9 to 2010/8 to process the 3D decomposition, expecting to reveal the asymmetric movement of the surface. In addition. The spatial analyses incorporating detected ground deformations and local economical/social factors were then applied for the interpretation of "Ambala Anomaly". The detailed interrelationship of driving factors of the "Ambala Anomaly" and the spatial pattern of corresponding ground subsidence will be further demonstrated. After all, we determined the uniqueness of Ambala subsidence possibly be driven by both anthropogenic behaviors including the rapid growth rate of population and constructing of industrial centers as well as the natural geological characteristics and sediment deposition.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2011-09-01

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

  18. Designing Freshwater Resilience for the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freeman, S.; Wi, S.; Brown, C.

    2017-12-01

    There are few places in the world where the water management challenges associated with global urbanization are as fully visible as in the Greater Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). MCMA has a population of 22 million of which only 82% have daily water provision and this figure is projected by local agencies to decrease drastically in the next decade due to population growth, infrastructure degradation and climate change. The city is served by a massive water delivery system, consisting of complex network of infrastructure in the surrounding basins that provides about 40% of the supply for MCMA and is characterized by increasing land use change and competition for water. The remaining 60% of MCMA's water is sourced internally from already depleted groundwater resources whose exploitation also results in significant subsidence throughout the city, further damaging already degraded infrastructure. Consequently, there is interest and need for investments that improve the performance of the freshwater delivery system, including local resources and connected basins, in the face of change and shocks that can be only partially anticipated. The quest for such resilience is a common theme in urban infrastructure design yet practical approaches for achieving it remain nascent. In this study, we use MCMA and the Cutzamala Water supply system to demonstrate a quantitative framework to evaluate investment strategies which seek resilience for the water supply system of MCMA. Multiobjective optimization and decisions under deep uncertainty approaches are used to evaluate the best performing investment portfolios across different resilience performance metrics which encompass social equity, environmental and economic objectives. This analysis shows dynamic system responses that result from different investment portfolios, elucidating difficult planning and management decisions around tradeoffs between allocations as well as performance metrics (e.g short period of total failure

  19. Regional subsidence modelling in Murcia city (SE Spain using 1-D vertical finite element analysis and 2-D interpolation of ground surface displacements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Tessitore

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Subsidence is a hazard that may have natural or anthropogenic origin causing important economic losses. The area of Murcia city (SE Spain has been affected by subsidence due to groundwater overexploitation since the year 1992. The main observed historical piezometric level declines occurred in the periods 1982–1984, 1992–1995 and 2004–2008 and showed a close correlation with the temporal evolution of ground displacements. Since 2008, the pressure recovery in the aquifer has led to an uplift of the ground surface that has been detected by the extensometers. In the present work an elastic hydro-mechanical finite element code has been used to compute the subsidence time series for 24 geotechnical boreholes, prescribing the measured groundwater table evolution. The achieved results have been compared with the displacements estimated through an advanced DInSAR technique and measured by the extensometers. These spatio-temporal comparisons have showed that, in spite of the limited geomechanical data available, the model has turned out to satisfactorily reproduce the subsidence phenomenon affecting Murcia City. The model will allow the prediction of future induced deformations and the consequences of any piezometric level variation in the study area.

  20. In-situ monitoring of deformation of clayey and volcanic sequences in the lacustrine plain of Iztapalapa, Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carreon-Freyre, D.; Cerca, M.; Barrientos, B.; Gutierrez, R.; Blancas, D.

    2012-12-01

    Major cities of Central Mexico with lowering of land elevation problems are located in inter-volcanic and fault bounded basins within the central Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB). The most representative and studied case of ground deformation is Mexico City, where the Iztapalapa Municipality presents the highest population density. This area is located over the geological contact between the "Sierra de Santa Catarina" volcanic range and a lacustrine plain. Filling of lacustrine basins includes silty and clayey sediments as well as pyroclastic deposits (coarse and fine grained) and volcanic rocks layers. We used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and MASW prospection to evaluate contrasts in the physical properties of fine grained soils and identify geometry of the deformational features and implemented a mechanical system for in situ monitoring in fractured sites. Deformational features in this basin reflect an interplay between the geological history (depositional conditions), load history, seismic activity, and faulting. Plastic mechanical behaviour predominates in these clayey sediments and differential deformation locally triggers brittle fracturing and/or subsidence of the surface. In this work we present the results of monitoring and characterization of ground deformation and fracturing in different sequences, our results show a dynamic interplay between the mechanisms of ground fracturing and the stress history of sedimentary sequences. Relating the mechanical behaviour of the studied sequences with variations of physical and geological properties should be taken into account to estimate land level lowering and risk of fracturing for urban development planning.

  1. 76 FR 58772 - Safety & Security Trade Mission; Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-22

    ... dinner at a local restaurant--group transportation will be provided. On February 1, participants will.... Group dinner at local restaurant (no host). February 1 Mexico City/Monterrey. Breakfast (no host... ability to meet certain conditions and to satisfy the selection criteria as outlined below. This mission...

  2. [The control of urban growth in Mexico City. Suppositions regarding poor planning].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguilar, A G; Olvera, G

    1991-01-01

    It is argued that mechanisms for planning land use and controlling urban expansion in Mexico City have failed to achieve their aims. Although in theory Mexico's urban planning process has recently attempted to go beyond purely physical aspects to include socioeconomic dimensions, it has in fact been inflexible and oriented to exclusively to technical and administrative aspects, to the detriment of social distribution goals. Planning instruments have not included important aspects such as specific mechanisms for altering employment structures or income levels or mechanisms for providing access to land or housing to the most disadvantaged groups. The urban planning process in Mexico City, instead of assuming a socially compensatory role in favor of disadvantaged groups, has maintained the status quo or discriminated in favor of the already advantaged. The spatial and technical orientation or urban planning in Mexico City does not leave room for a well-defined social policy. The population of the Mexico City metropolitan Zone increased from 3 million in 1950 to 18 million in 1985, while its total area increased from 11,750 hectares in 1940 to 125,000 in 1985. Transfer of population from the Federal District to the conurban municipios of the state of Mexico has been very significant since the 1970s. Around 20% of the total area of metropolitan Mexico City has been settled through illegal means, with communal and ejido lands accounting for a large share. Settlements on some 60% of lands in metroplitan Mexico City were illegal or irregular at some time. Low income housing is the cheapest form for the government because the frequently illegal status of settlers prevents them from making any demands for services or equipment for the 1st several years. Construction is undertaken and financed almost entirely by the settlers themselves, freeing the government of responsibility in regard to the constitutionally mandated right of all Mexicans to housing. The Urban Development

  3. The prehospital emergency care system in Mexico City: a system's performance evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peralta, Luis Mauricio Pinet

    2006-01-01

    Mexico City has one of the highest mortality rates in Mexico, with non-intentional injuries as a leading cause of death among persons 1-44 years of age. Emergency medical services (EMS) in Mexico can achieve high levels of efficiency by offering high quality medical care at a low cost through adequate system design. The objective of this study was to determine whether the prehospital EMS system in Mexico City meets the criteria standards established by the American Ambulance Association Guide for Contracting Emergency Medical Services (AAA Guide) for highly efficient EMS systems. This retrospective, descriptive study, evaluated the structure of Mexico City's EMS system and analyzed EMS response times, clinical capacity, economic efficiency, and customer satisfaction. These results were compared with the AAA guide, according to the soc ial, economic, and political context in Mexico. This paper describes the healthcare system structure in Mexico, followed by a description of the basic structure of EMS in Mexico City, and of each tenet described in the AAA guide. The p aper includesdata obtained from official documents and databases of government agencies, and operative and administrative data from public and private EMS providers. The quality of the data for response times (RT) were insufficient and widely varied among providers, with a minimum RT of 6.79 minutes (min) and a maximum RT of 61 min. Providers did not define RT clearly, and measured it with averages, which can hide potentially poor performance practices. Training institutions are not required to follow a standardized curriculum. Certifications are the responsibility of the individual training centers and have no government regulation. There was no evidence of active medical control involvement in direct patient care, and providers did not report that quality assurance programs were in place. There also are limited career advancement opportunities for EMS personnel. Small economies of scale may not allow

  4. The economic impact of Mexico City's smoke-free law.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López, Carlos Manuel Guerrero; Ruiz, Jorge Alberto Jiménez; Shigematsu, Luz Myriam Reynales; Waters, Hugh R

    2011-07-01

    To evaluate the economic impact of Mexico City's 2008 smoke-free law--The Non-Smokers' Health Protection Law on restaurants, bars and nightclubs. We used the Monthly Services Survey of businesses from January 2005 to April 2009--with revenues, employment and payments to employees as the principal outcomes. The results are estimated using a differences-in-differences regression model with fixed effects. The states of Jalisco, Nuevo León and México, where the law was not in effect, serve as a counterfactual comparison group. In restaurants, after accounting for observable factors and the fixed effects, there was a 24.8% increase in restaurants' revenue associated with the smoke-free law. This difference is not statistically significant but shows that, on average, restaurants did not suffer economically as a result of the law. Total wages increased by 28.2% and employment increased by 16.2%. In nightclubs, bars and taverns there was a decrease of 1.5% in revenues and an increase of 0.1% and 3.0%, respectively, in wages and employment. None of these effects are statistically significant in multivariate analysis. There is no statistically significant evidence that the Mexico City smoke-free law had a negative impact on restaurants' income, employees' wages and levels of employment. On the contrary, the results show a positive, though statistically non-significant, impact of the law on most of these outcomes. Mexico City's experience suggests that smoke-free laws in Mexico and elsewhere will not hurt economic productivity in the restaurant and bar industries.

  5. Containing a contagion : crime and homosexuality in post-revolutionary Mexico City

    OpenAIRE

    Cook, Stephen Sherrard

    2008-01-01

    Primarily based upon archival resources at the Archivo Histórico del Distrito Federal (AHDF) and the Archivo General de la Nación (AGN) in Mexico City, this thesis is a social and cultural history of the criminalization and punishment of homosexuality during the 1920s and 1930s in Mexico City. The bulk of the primary historical research is based upon two separate spheres of homosexual-related criminal cases, adult and juvenile homosexual 'criminal' cases. The Archivo Histórico houses adult cr...

  6. Groundwater-pumping optimization for land-subsidence control in Beijing plain, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Huanhuan; Andrews, Charles B.; Tian, Fang; Cao, Guoliang; Luo, Yong; Liu, Jiurong; Zheng, Chunmiao

    2018-01-01

    Beijing, in the North China plain, is one of the few megacities that uses groundwater as its main source of water supply. Groundwater accounts for about two-thirds of the city's water supply, and during the past 50 years the storage depletion from the unconsolidated aquifers underlying the city has been >10.4 billion m3. By 2010, groundwater pumping in the city had resulted in a cumulative subsidence of greater than 100 mm in an area of about 3,900 km2, with a maximum cumulative subsidence of >1,200 mm. This subsidence has caused significant social and economic losses in Beijing, including significant damage to underground utilities. This study was undertaken to evaluate various future pumping scenarios to assist in selecting an optimal pumping scenario to minimize overall subsidence, meet the requirements of the Beijing Land Subsidence Prevention Plan (BLSPP 2013-2020), and be consistent with continued sustainable economic development. A numerical groundwater and land-subsidence model was developed for the aquifer system of the Beijing plain to evaluate land subsidence rates under the possible future pumping scenarios. The optimal pumping scenario consistent with the evaluation constraints is a reduction in groundwater pumping from three major pumping centers by 100, 50 and 20%, respectively, while maintaining an annual pumping rate of 1.9 billion m3. This scenario's land-subsidence rates satisfy the BLSPP 2013-2020 and the pumping scenario is consistent with continued economic development. It is recommended that this pumping scenario be adopted for future land-subsidence management in Beijing.

  7. Groundwater-pumping optimization for land-subsidence control in Beijing plain, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Huanhuan; Andrews, Charles B.; Tian, Fang; Cao, Guoliang; Luo, Yong; Liu, Jiurong; Zheng, Chunmiao

    2018-06-01

    Beijing, in the North China plain, is one of the few megacities that uses groundwater as its main source of water supply. Groundwater accounts for about two-thirds of the city's water supply, and during the past 50 years the storage depletion from the unconsolidated aquifers underlying the city has been >10.4 billion m3. By 2010, groundwater pumping in the city had resulted in a cumulative subsidence of greater than 100 mm in an area of about 3,900 km2, with a maximum cumulative subsidence of >1,200 mm. This subsidence has caused significant social and economic losses in Beijing, including significant damage to underground utilities. This study was undertaken to evaluate various future pumping scenarios to assist in selecting an optimal pumping scenario to minimize overall subsidence, meet the requirements of the Beijing Land Subsidence Prevention Plan (BLSPP 2013-2020), and be consistent with continued sustainable economic development. A numerical groundwater and land-subsidence model was developed for the aquifer system of the Beijing plain to evaluate land subsidence rates under the possible future pumping scenarios. The optimal pumping scenario consistent with the evaluation constraints is a reduction in groundwater pumping from three major pumping centers by 100, 50 and 20%, respectively, while maintaining an annual pumping rate of 1.9 billion m3. This scenario's land-subsidence rates satisfy the BLSPP 2013-2020 and the pumping scenario is consistent with continued economic development. It is recommended that this pumping scenario be adopted for future land-subsidence management in Beijing.

  8. Urban air pollution, study of Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bauer, M [PUE-UNAM (Mexico); Guzman, F [Inst. Mexicano del Petroleo (Mexico); Navarro, B [Univ. Autonoma Metropolitana (Mexico)

    1996-12-01

    The Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (MAMC) is an outstanding case of a fast urban development with lagging, and thus insufficient, massive transportation facilities. This has given rise to a distorted transportation system that accounts for most of the air pollution problem of the city and constitutes a drag on economic development. In this paper, we first describe the MAMC geographical conditions, its growth in physical and economic terms, its transportation system, the ensuring air pollution problems together with some of the mitigation actions undertaken. Afterwards the results of a survey of the displacements of individuals within the city and the time spent on these are presented, to then draw some considerations on the negative economic impact it represents. (EG)

  9. Epidemiology of major depression in four cities in Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slone, Laurie B; Norris, Fran H; Murphy, Arthur D; Baker, Charlene K; Perilla, Julia L; Diaz, Dayna; Rodriguez, Francisco Gutiérrez; Gutiérrez Rodriguez, José de Jesús

    2006-01-01

    Analyses were conducted to estimate lifetime and current prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) for four representative cities of Mexico, to identify variables that influence the probability of MDD, and to further describe depression in Mexican culture. A multistage probability sampling design was used to draw a sample of 2,509 adults in four different regions of Mexico. MDD was assessed according to DSM-IV criteria by using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview collected by trained lay interviewers. The prevalence of MDD in these four cities averaged 12.8% for lifetime and 6.1% for the previous 12 months. MDD was highly comorbid with other mental disorders. Women were more likely to have lifetime MDD than were men. Being divorced, separated, or widowed (compared to married or never married) and having experienced childhood trauma were related to higher lifetime prevalence but not to current prevalence. In addition, age and education level were related to current 12-month MDD. Data on the profile of MDD in urban Mexico are provided. This research expands our understanding of MDD across cultures.

  10. The experience of strengthening subsidence of the soil under the existing building in the city of Rostov-on-Don

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prokopov Albert

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Described problem for multi-storey residential development in the city of Rostov-on-Don on collapsible soils. The analysis of the technical and technological peculiarities of solidification under conditions of maintained buildings. Examples of projects of consolidation subsidence of foundation soils of buildings in operation 50–70 years.

  11. Qualitative evidence on abortion stigma from Mexico City and five states in Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorhaindo, Annik M; Juárez-Ramírez, Clara; Díaz Olavarrieta, Claudia; Aldaz, Evelyn; Mejía Piñeros, María Consuelo; Garcia, Sandra

    2014-01-01

    Social manifestations of abortion stigma depend upon cultural, legal, and religious context. Abortion stigma in Mexico is under-researched. This study explored the sources, experiences, and consequences of stigma from the perspectives of women who had had an abortion, male partners, and members of the general population in different regional and legal contexts. We explored abortion stigma in Mexico City where abortion is legal in the first trimester and five states-Chihuahua, Chiapas, Jalisco, Oaxaca, and Yucatán-where abortion remains restricted. In each state, we conducted three focus groups-men ages 24-40 years (n = 36), women 25-40 years (n = 37), and young women ages 18-24 years (n = 27)-and four in-depth face-to-face interviews in total; two with women (n = 12) and two with the male partners of women who had had an abortion (n = 12). For 4 of the 12 women, this was their second abortion. This exploratory study suggests that abortion stigma was influenced by norms that placed a high value on motherhood and a conservative Catholic discourse. Some participants in this study described abortion as an "indelible mark" on a woman's identity and "divine punishment" as a consequence. Perspectives encountered in Mexico City often differed from the conservative postures in the states.

  12. An analysis of a low-energy, low-water use community in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bermudez Alcocer, Jose Luis

    This study investigated how to determine a potential scenario to reduce energy, water and transportation use in Mexico City by implementing low-energy, low-water use communities. The proposed mixed-use community has multi-family apartments and a small grocery store. The research included the analysis of: case studies, energy simulation, and hand calculations for water, transportation and cost analysis. The previous case studies reviewed include: communities in Mexico City, Mexico, Austin, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, New York City, New York and San Diego, California in terms of successful low-energy, low-water use projects. The analysis and comparison of these centers showed that the Multifamiliar Miguel Aleman is an excellent candidate to be examined for Mexico City. This technical potential study evaluated energy conserving measures such as low-energy appliances and efficient lighting that could be applied to the apartments in Mexico City to reduce energy-use. The use of the simulations and manual calculations showed that the application of the mixed-use concept was successful in reducing the energy and water use and the corresponding carbon footprint. Finally, this technical potential study showed taking people out of their cars as a result of the presence of the on-site grocery store, small recreation center and park on the ground floor also reduced their overall transportation energy-use. The improvement of the whole community (i.e., apartments plus grocery store) using energy-efficient measures provided a reduction of 70 percent of energy from the base-case. In addition a 69 percent reduction in water-use was achieved by using water-saving fixtures and greywater reuse technologies for the complex. The combination of high-efficiency automobiles and the presence of the on-site grocery store, small recreation center and park potentially reduced the transportation energy-use by 65 percent. The analysis showed an energy cost reduction of 82 percent reduction for

  13. Seismic Hazard Management in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wintergerst, L.

    2007-05-01

    Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world. More than 8.5 million residents and 4.5 million floating population are in the city itself, but with the surrounding suburbs the number of people that could be affected by natural and man-made hazards rises to approximately 20 million. The main risk to the city as a whole is a large magnitude earthquake. Since there is reason to prepare for a credible seismic scenario of Mw = 8.2, which would exceed the damages caused during the 1985 earthquake (Mw = 8.1), we founded the Metropolitan Geologic Service (MGS) in 1998. The MGS has developed geologic and seismic hazard maps for the city (http:www.proteccioncivil.df.gob.mx). The maps include three separate risk maps for low height (3 stories), medium height (10 stories) and tall buildings (10 stories). The maps were prepared by using the maximum horizontal accelerations documented during the 1985 earthquake, and wave propagation modeling for buildings of different resonant periods (T = 0.0, 1.0 and 2.0 sec). In all cases, the risk zones were adjusted to include documented damage during the 1957, 1979 and 1985 earthquakes. All three maps show a high risk zone in the north-central portion of the city, elongated in a N-S direction, which corresponds with a narrow graben where the thickness of alluvial sediments is particularly large, and where wave amplification is accentuated. Preparation of these maps, and others used for planning, has been facilitated by the ongoing elaboration of a Dynamic Geographical Information System, which is based on geo-scientific information, includes all types of risks, and incorporates vulnerability models. From the risk management standpoint, we have elaborated the Permanent Contingency Plan for Mexico City, which in its Earthquakes chapter includes plans for coordination and for organizing attention to the population in the event of a seismic disaster. This Permanent Plan follows the philosophy of Descartes' Method, has 11 processes (6

  14. [Scientific evidence on the legalization of abortion in Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gayón-Vera, Eduardo

    2010-03-01

    On April 24 2007, abortion before 12 weeks became legal in Mexico City. The arguments for this decision were: diminish the maternal morbidity and mortality, avoid a "severe health problem" and accomplish the women's physical, mental and social well being. To analyze the scientific evidences that support or reject this arguments. Retrospective study realized by bibliographic search of electronic data basis and Internet portals of interested groups. Mexico is considered by the World Health Organization, one of the countries in the world with low maternal mortality rates (abortion". In the hospitals of the Mexican Institute of Social Security, maternal deaths as consequence of induced abortions were, approximately, three every year. The evidences used as arguments in favor of abortion come from studies performed in Sub-Saharan African countries, which do not apply to Mexico. The scientific evidences show that induced abortion has important psychological sequels in women, a higher frequency of illegal drug abuse, alcoholism, child abuse, low birth weight in the following pregnancy, greater risk of subsequent miscarriage and greater mortality rate. There are no scientific evidences to support the arguments used for the legal approval of abortion in Mexico City.

  15. Space geodesy: subsidence and flooding in New Orleans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixon, Timothy H; Amelung, Falk; Ferretti, Alessandro; Novali, Fabrizio; Rocca, Fabio; Dokka, Roy; Sella, Giovanni; Kim, Sang-Wan; Wdowinski, Shimon; Whitman, Dean

    2006-06-01

    It has long been recognized that New Orleans is subsiding and is therefore susceptible to catastrophic flooding. Here we present a new subsidence map for the city, generated from space-based synthetic-aperture radar measurements, which reveals that parts of New Orleans underwent rapid subsidence in the three years before Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005. One such area is next to the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO) canal, where levees failed during the peak storm surge: the map indicates that this weakness could be explained by subsidence of a metre or more since their construction.

  16. Energy and the environment: the case of the Metropolitan area of Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bazan N, G.

    1992-01-01

    The inefficient use of energy by the different types of consumers of the Metropolitan area of Mexico City (ZMCM, this means, Mexico city and the municipalities of the Estado de Mexico, which constitute a single economic population unit), is one of the main causes for the production of polluting emissions into the atmosphere, specially of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. This originates a deterioration of the environment, which injures the health of the population. As a consequence, the private and public sectors have been forced to establish programs in order to improve the use of energy, as well as to preserve the environment. (Author)

  17. Long Term Subsidence Analysis and Soil Fracturing Zonation Based on InSAR Time Series Modelling in Northern Zona Metropolitana del Valle de Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriela Llanet Siles

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available In this study deformation processes in northern Zona Metropolitana del Valle de Mexico (ZMVM are evaluated by means of advanced multi-temporal interferometry. ERS and ENVISAT time series, covering approximately an 11-year period (between 1999 and 2010, were produced showing mainly linear subsidence behaviour for almost the entire area under study, but increasing rates that reach up to 285 mm/yr. Important non-linear deformation was identified in certain areas, presumably suggesting interaction between subsidence and other processes. Thus, a methodology for identification of probable fracturing zones based on discrimination and modelling of the non-linear (quadratic function component is presented. This component was mapped and temporal subsidence evolution profiles were constructed across areas where notable acceleration (maximum of 8 mm/yr2 or deceleration (maximum of −9 mm/yr2 is found. This methodology enables location of potential soil fractures that could impact relevant infrastructure such as the Tunel Emisor Oriente (TEO (along the structure rates exceed 200 mm/yr. Additionally, subsidence behaviour during wet and dry seasons is tackled in partially urbanized areas. This paper provides useful information for geological risk assessment in the area.

  18. Taking Control of Air Pollution in Mexico City

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

    Nancy Minogue

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

  19. Spatial Analysis of the Level of Exposure to Seismic Hazards of Health Facilities in Mexico City, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moran, S.; Novelo-Casanova, D. A.

    2011-12-01

    Although health facilities are essential infrastructure during disasters and emergencies, they are also usually highly vulnerable installations in the case of the occurrence of large and major earthquakes. Hospitals are one of the most complex critical facilities in modern cities and they are used as first response in emergency situations. The operability of a hospital must be maintained after the occurrence of a local strong earthquake in order to satisfy the need for medical care of the affected population. If a health facility is seriously damaged, it cannot fulfill its function when most is needed. In this case, hospitals become a casualty of the disaster. To identify the level of physical exposure of hospitals to seismic hazards in Mexico City, we analyzed their geographic location with respect to the seismic response of the different type of soils of the city from past earthquakes, mainly from the events that occurred on September 1985 (Ms= 8.0) and April 1989 (Ms= 6.9). Seismic wave amplification in this city is the result of the interaction of the incoming seismic waves with the soft and water saturated clay soils, on which a large part of Mexico City is built. The clay soils are remnants of the lake that existed in the Valley of Mexico and which has been drained gradually to accommodate the growing urban sprawl. Hospital facilities were converted from a simple database of names and locations into a map layer of resources. This resource layer was combined with other map layers showing areas of seismic microzonation in Mexico City. This overlay was then used to identify those hospitals that may be threatened by the occurrence of a large or major seismic event. We analyzed the public and private hospitals considered as main health facilities. Our results indicate that more than 50% of the hospitals are highly exposed to seismic hazards. Besides, in most of these health facilities we identified the lack of preventive measures and preparedness to reduce their

  20. Mexico City air quality: Progress of an international collaborative project to define air quality management options

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Streit, G.E.

    1992-01-01

    Mexico City, faces a severe air pollution problem due to a combination of circumstances. The city is in a high mountain basin at a subtropical latitude. The basin setting inhibits dispersion of pollution and contributes to frequent wintertime thermal inversions which further trap pollutants near the surface. The elevation and latitude combine to provide plentiful sunshine which, in comparison to more northern latitudes, is enhanced in the UV radiation which drives atmospheric photochemistry to produce secondary pollutants such as ozone. The Area Metropolitana de la Ciudad de Mexico AMCW is defined to include the 16 delegations of the Federal District (D.F.) and 17 highly urbanized municipalities in the State of Mexico which border the D.F. The 1990 census (XI Censo General de Poblacion y Vivienda de 1990) records that slightly over 15 million people live in the AMCM. There are numerous other nearby communities which are in the airshed region of Mexico City, but which are not included in the definition and population of the AMCM. The Mexico City Air Quality Research Initiative is one project that is examining the complex relationship between air pollution, economic growth, societal values, and air quality management policies. The project utilizes a systems approach including computer modeling, comprehensive measurement studies of Mexico City's air pollutants, environmental chemical reaction studies and socioeconomic analysis. Los Alamos National Laboratory (USA) and the Mexican Petroleum Institute are the designated lead institutions

  1. Aerosol Light Absorption and Scattering in Mexico City: Comparison With Las Vegas, NV, and Los Angeles, CA.

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2007-12-01

    Aerosol light scattering and absorption measurements were deployed in and near Mexico City in March 2006 as part of the Megacity Impacts on Regional and Global Environments (MIRAGE). The primary site in Mexico City was an urban site at Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (Mexican Oil Institute, denoted by IMP). Similar campaigns were held in Las Vegas, NV in January-February, 2003; and Los Angeles, CA at numerous sites during all seasons from 2003 through 2007. The IMP site gave in-situ characterization of the Mexico City plume under favorable wind conditions. The photoacoustic instrument (PAS) used at IMP operates at 532 nm, and conveniently allowed for characterization of gaseous absorption at this wavelength as well. Light scattering measurements are accomplished within the PAS by the reciprocal nephelometery method. In Mexico City the aerosol absorption coefficient typically varies between 20 and 180 Mm-1 during the course of the day and significant diurnal variation of the aerosol single scattering albedo was observed probably as a consequence of secondary aerosol formation. We will present 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 and compare with Las Vegas diurnal variation. Mexico City 'breaths' more during the course of the day than Las Vegas, Nevada in part because the latitude of Mexico City resulted in more direct solar radiation. Further insight on the meteorological connections and population dynamics will be discussed.

  2. Connecting Urbanization to Precipitation: the case of Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georgescu, Matei

    2017-04-01

    Considerable evidence exists illustrating the influence of urban environments on precipitation. We revisit this theme of significant interest to a broad spectrum of disciplines ranging from urban planning to engineering to urban numerical modeling and climate, by detailing the simulated effect of Mexico City's built environment on regional precipitation. Utilizing the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) system to determine spatiotemporal changes in near-surface air temperature, precipitation, and boundary layer conditions induced by the modern-day urban landscape relative to presettlement conditions, I mechanistically link the built environment-induced increase in air temperature to simulated increases in rainfall during the evening hours. This simulated increase in precipitation is in agreement with historical observations documenting observed rainfall increase. These results have important implications for understanding the meteorological conditions leading to the widespread and recurrent urban flooding that continues to plague the Mexico City Metropolitan Area.

  3. Analysis of the variation of the compressibility index (Cc of volcanic clays and its application to estimate subsidence in lacustrine areas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Carreón-Freyre

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available An analysis of the deformation conditions of lacustrine materials deposited at three sites in the volcanic valley of the Mexico City is presented. Currently geotechnical studies assume that compressibility of granular materials decreases in depth due to the lithostatic load. That means that the deeper the sample the more rigid is supposed to be, this assumption should be demonstrated by a decreased Compression Index (Cc in depth. Studies indicate that Mexico City clays exhibit brittle behaviour, and have high water content, low shear strength and variable Cc values. Furthermore, groundwater withdrawal below the city causes a differential decrease in pore pressure, which is related to the physical properties of granular materials (hydraulic conductivity, grain size distribution and conditions of formation. Our results show that Cc for fine grain materials (lacustrine can be vertically variable, particularly when soils and sediments are the product of different volcanic materials. Lateral and vertical variations in the distribution of the fluvio-lacustrine materials, especially in basins with recent volcanic activity, may be assessed by Cc index variations. These variations can also be related to differential deformation, nucleation and propagation of fractures and need to be considered when modelling land subsidence.

  4. [Migration expectations among nursing students in Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosales-Martínez, Yetzi; Nigenda, Gustavo; Galárraga, Omar; Ruiz-Larios, José Arturo

    2010-01-01

    To analyze the factors associated with the expectations to migrate abroad among nursing students in Mexico City. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a non-random sample of 420 students. A logistic regression model was estimated. A total of 69% of the informants expressed their intention to move abroad, to look for employment (65%) and/or to continue their studies (26%). Of those, 50% would choose Canada as their destination, followed by Spain and the United States. The variables associated with migration expectations were: age, income, having relatives abroad, and perception of poor labor conditions and low wages in Mexico. Results are consistent with international literature. Low wages, poor labor conditions and the limited possibilities for professional development in Mexico are factors that contribute to generate migration expectations among nursing students. Additionally, optimistic perceptions about the job market and the labor demand in more developed countries heighten expectations to migrate.

  5. Mexico City aerosol study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Falcon, Y.I.; Ramirez, C.R.

    1987-01-01

    A major task in the field of air pollution monitoring is the development of devices for determining the mass and composition of airborne particulate matter as a function of size - and time. The sample collection device must be designed giving consideration to the nature of the aerosol and to the effects of the aerosol on human health. It has been established that particles smaller than 3.5 μm in diameter can penetrate deeply into the human respiratory system, and that larger particles are trapped in the upper respiratory passages. For these reasons, it is desirable to use a dichotomous sampler to collect particles in two size ranges, rather than to collect total particulates on a single filter. The authors discuss a study in Mexico City using a dichotomous sampler

  6. The influence of aerosols on photochemical smog in Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Castro, T.; Mar, B. [UNAM, Mexico, Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera (Mexico); Madronich, S.; Rivale, S. [National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States); Muhlia, A. [UNAM, Mexico, Inst. de Geofysica (Mexico)

    2001-04-01

    Aerosols in the Mexico City atmosphere can have a non-negligible effect on the ultraviolet radiation field and hence on the formation of photochemical smog. We used estimates of aerosol optical depths from sun photometer observations in a detailed radiative transfer model, to calculate photolysis rate coefficients (J{sub NO2}) for the key reaction NO{sub 2}+h{nu}{yields}NO+O ({lambda}<430nm). The calculated values are in good agreement with previously published measurements of J{sub NO2} at two sites in Mexico City: Palacio de Mineria (19 degrees 25'59''N, 99 degrees 07'58''W, 2233masl), and IMP (19 degrees 28'48''N, 99 degrees 11'07''W, 2277masl) and in Tres Marias, a town near Mexico City (19 degrees 03'N, 99 degrees 14'W, 2810masl). In particular, the model reproduces very well the contrast between the two urban sites and the evidently much cleaner Tres Marias site. For the measurement days, reductions in surface J{sub NO2} by 10-30% could be attributed to the presence of aerosols, with considerable uncertainty due largely to lack of detailed data on aerosol optical properties at ultraviolet wavelengths (esp. the single scattering albedo). The potential impact of such large reductions in photolysis rates on surface ozone concentrations is illustrated with a simple zero-dimensional photochemical model. (Author)

  7. Pengaruh Land Subsidence terhadap Genangan Banjir dan Rob di Semarang Timur

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ratih Pujiastuti

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Inundation of flood and rob (flood due to high tides in Semarang City is increase wtithin area and depth. It be more seroius condition because of land subsisdence that happened in coastal area of Semarang City. This research is foccused on prediction and mapping of inundation flood and rob due to land subsidence effect in East Semarang, especially Tenggang Watershed and Sringin Watershed. On this research, data analysis including analysis of land subsidence, analysis of hydrological data, analysis of flood discharge with HEC-HMS, hydraulics analysis with HEC-RAS and then mapping the results of the flood inundation with Arc GIS. The inundation will be create with overlay the DEM of flood water level and DEM of topographic. According to the results of analysis is known that minimum land subsidence is 0 cm/year that happened in south area of Semarang and more higher ini north area with maximum land subsidence is 5.58 cm/year. On periode   2014-2031, the contribute of land subsidence to increase the inundation of flood and rob is 1.39%/year.

  8. Family Structure and Female Labour Supply in Mexico City

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gong, X.; van Soest, A.H.O.

    1997-01-01

    This paper investigates labour supply of the wives of the heads of households in Mexico City, with a focus on the impact of family structure. A static neoclassical structural model is used. We assume that each woman chooses her labour supply and corresponding income so that her utility is maximized,

  9. Taking control of air pollution in Mexico city | IDRC - International ...

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

    Earlier efforts to assess the costs of pollution in Mexico City had focused on ... a range of health benefits and “savings,” including people's willingness to pay for ... $15 billion of public and private investments in air quality improvement projects.

  10. [Beliefs about chili pepper consumption and health in Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Carrillo, L; Fernández-Ortega M, C; Costa-Dias, R; Franco-Marina, J; Alejandre-Badillo, T

    1995-01-01

    Eating chili peppers is a cultural tradition in Mexico. Controversial characteristics have been empirically associated to chili pepper consumption and human health. In this paper, the beliefs about the health impacts of chili pepper consumption in two independent groups of Mexico City residents are described. The results confirm, on the one hand, that there is a wide variety of health benefits and damages associated with chili pepper consumption, but on the other hand, that the levels of chili pepper consumption are not related to beliefs about its human health impact.

  11. {sup 14}C content in aerosols in Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gómez, V.; Solís, C.; Chávez, E.; Andrade, E.; Ortiz, M.E.; Huerta, A.; Aragón, J.; Rodríguez-Ceja, M. [Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 20-364, México, D.F. 01000 (Mexico); Martínez, M.A. [Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Mexico); Ortiz, E. [Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco, Av. San Pablo 180, C. P. 02200 México, D.F. (Mexico)

    2016-03-15

    {sup 14}C-AMS of total carbon was determined in aerosols (PM{sub 10} fraction), collected in Mexico City during two weeks from 21 November to 3 December 2012. Other tracers such as total carbon (TC), organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and trace element contents were also determined. F{sup 14}C values varied from 0.39 to 0.48 with an average of 0.43. These values are slightly lower than those previously obtained for PM{sub 2.5} in 2003 and 2006 and reflect a high contribution of fossil CO{sub 2} to the carbonaceous matter in aerosols from Mexico City. In contrast, from 2006 to 2012 PM{sub 10} increased; EC, Ca, Ti and Fe concentrations remained constant, while OC, TC and K concentrations decreased. The use of potassium as an indicator of biomass burning showed that this source was negligible during this campaign. Combined analytical approaches allowed us to distinguish temporal variations of anthropogenic and natural inputs to the F{sup 14}C.

  12. Simulated Climate Impacts of Mexico City's Historical Urban Expansion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benson-Lira, Valeria

    Urbanization, a direct consequence of land use and land cover change, is responsible for significant modification of local to regional scale climates. It is projected that the greatest urban growth of this century will occur in urban areas in the developing world. In addition, there is a significant research gap in emerging nations concerning this topic. Thus, this research focuses on the assessment of climate impacts related to urbanization on the largest metropolitan area in Latin America: Mexico City. Numerical simulations using a state-of-the-science regional climate model are utilized to address a trio of scientifically relevant questions with wide global applicability. The importance of an accurate representation of land use and land cover is first demonstrated through comparison of numerical simulations against observations. Second, the simulated effect of anthropogenic heating is quantified. Lastly, numerical simulations are performed using pre-historic scenarios of land use and land cover to examine and quantify the impact of Mexico City's urban expansion and changes in surface water features on its regional climate.

  13. Co-control of urban air pollutants and greenhouse gases in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, J Jason; Osnaya, Patricia; Laguna, Israel; Martínez, Julia; Fernández, Adrián

    2004-07-01

    This study addresses the synergies of mitigation measures to control urban air pollutant and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in developing integrated "co-control" strategies for Mexico City. First, existing studies of emissions reduction measures--PROAIRE (the air quality plan for Mexico City) and separate GHG studies--are used to construct a harmonized database of options. Second, linear programming (LP) is developed and applied as a decision-support tool to analyze least-cost strategies for meeting co-control targets for multiple pollutants. We estimate that implementing PROAIRE measures as planned will reduce 3.1% of the 2010 metropolitan CO2 emissions, in addition to substantial local air pollutant reductions. Applying the LP, PROAIRE emissions reductions can be met at a 20% lower cost, using only the PROAIRE measures, by adjusting investments toward the more cost-effective measures; lower net costs are possible by including cost-saving GHG mitigation measures, but with increased investment. When CO2 emission reduction targets are added to PROAIRE targets, the most cost-effective solutions use PROAIRE measures for the majority of local pollutant reductions, and GHG measures for additional CO2 control. Because of synergies, the integrated planning of urban-global co-control can be beneficial, but we estimate that for Mexico City these benefits are often small.

  14. Porcine circovirus type 2 antibody detection in backyard pigs from Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez-Mendoza, H; Martínez, C; Mercado, C; Castillo-Juárez, H; Hernández, J; Segalés, J

    2007-08-01

    PCV2 antibodies have been found in pigs from all continents. However, this finding has been mainly studied in domestic swine reared under intensive production conditions. Mexico City, with a human population over 19 million in 2005, has both urban and rural areas. The pig production in its rural area is based on small family backyard farms. Taking into account this rather unique form of rearing pigs, the objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence in backyard pigs from the rural area of Mexico City. A total of 695 backyard pig serum samples from 108 small family farms belonging to seven municipal areas were studied by immunoperoxidase monolayer assay technique. One hundred six out of the 108 family farms (98.14%) had at least one positive serum sample. On the other hand, 136 (19.57%), 264 (37.99%) and 248 (34.82%) pigs had low, intermediate and high titres to PCV2, respectively. Only 53 samples (7.63%) were negative for PCV2 antibodies. No apparent differences in antibody titre groups were observed among backyard pigs from the different municipal areas. In conclusion, the present study, the first one performed in this kind of extensively produced pigs, indicates that PCV2 is ubiquitous in backyard pigs from Mexico City.

  15. THE CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF SUBSIDENCE MONITORING BY D-INSAR AND THE CHANGE OF URBAN CONSTRUCTION LAND

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. J. Yang

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The change of urban construction land affect the subsidence directly or indirectly, the method of D-InSAR has centimeter level or even millimeter accuracy that can provide a reliable and accurate data for the research of correlation analysis of subsidence monitoring by D-InSAR and the change of urban construction land. This article takes Guiyang, Nanning city as example, using 3m level TerraSAR data to construct the Subsidence model by interferometric measurement, then compared with the Chinese national land use change remote sensing survey database at the same measure time to have a correlation analysis GIS research between subsidence and the change of urban construction land. The results shows that the integral correlation coefficient achieved 0.78 between subsidence and the change of urban construction land, the major construction area and the high density construction area are with severe land subsidence. In addition, the correlation coefficient increased from the main city to the suburbs, indicates that some of the main city causes permanent settlement and is difficult to recover. It also shows that some area subsidence caused by long-term mining or other natural factors has no strong correlation with the change of urban construction land, therefore, the results of D-InSAR subsidence monitoring have a reaction on urban construction planning, guiding urban planning to high stability, low settlement area.

  16. Urban-Rural Humidity Contrasts in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jáuregui, E.; Tejeda, A.

    1997-02-01

    Data from one pair of urban-suburban (Tacubaya and Airport) andone pair of urban-rural (School of Mines and Plan Texcoco) temperature and humidity measuring stations were used to illustrate specific humidity(q) contrasts in Mexico City. Results show a marked seasonal variation of q from around 7.9 g kg-1 during the dry months to 10 g kg-1 in the wet season (May-October) on both urban and suburban sites. The mean monthly contrasts for this pair of stations, albeit small, show that the city air is somewhat drier during the first half of the year. Comparison of urban and rural q on an hourly basis shows that although urban air is more humid at night the reverse is true during the afternoon. Areal distribution of q shows two centres of maximum humidity over the city at night and a corresponding minimum during the afternoon. On average the urban-rural contrasts in q were found to be somewhat smaller than the estimated uncertainty. The above results are in agreement with mid-latitude experience.

  17. NO2 and HCHO variability in Mexico City from MAX-DOAS measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grutter, M.; Friedrich, M. M.; Rivera, C. I.; Arellano, E. J.; Stremme, W.

    2015-12-01

    Atmospheric studies in large cities are of great relevance since pollution affects air quality and human health. A network of Multi Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometers (MAX-DOAS) has been established in strategic sites within the Mexico City metropolitan area. Four instruments are now in operation with the aim to study the variability and spatial distribution of key pollutants, providing results of O4, NO2 and HCHO slant column densities (SCD). A numerical code has been written to retrieve gas profiles of NO2 and HCHO using radiative transfer simulations. We present the first results of the variability of these trace gases which will bring new insight in the current knowledge of transport patterns, emissions as well as frequency and origin of extraordinary events. Results of the vertical column densities (VCD) valiability of NO2 and HCHO in Mexico City are presented. These studies are useful to validate current and future satellite observatopns such as OMI, TROPOMI and TEMPO.

  18. Factors Contributing to the Catastrophe in Mexico City During the Earthquake of September 19, 1985

    OpenAIRE

    Beck, James L.; Hall, John F.

    1986-01-01

    The extensive damage to high‐rise buildings in Mexico City during the September 19, 1985 earthquake is primarily due to the intensity of the ground shaking exceeding what was previously considered credible for the city by Mexican engineers. There were two major factors contributing to the catastrophe, resonance in the sediments of an ancient lake that once existed in the Valley of Mexico, and the long duration of shaking compared with other coastal earthquakes in the last 50 years. Both of th...

  19. NO2 DOAS measurements from ground and space: comparison of ground based measurements and OMI data in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivera, C.; Stremme, W.; Grutter, M.

    2012-04-01

    The combination of satellite data and ground based measurements can provide valuable information about atmospheric chemistry and air quality. In this work we present a comparison between measured ground based NO2 differential columns at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City, using the Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) technique and NO2 total columns measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) onboard the Aura satellite using the same measurement technique. From these data, distribution maps of average NO2 above the Mexico basin were constructed and hot spots inside the city could be identified. In addition, a clear footprint was detected from the Tula industrial area, ~50 km northwest of Mexico City, where a refinery, a power plant and other industries are located. A less defined footprint was identified in the Cuernavaca basin, South of Mexico City, and the nearby cities of Toluca and Puebla do not present strong enhancements in the NO2 total columns. With this study we expect to cross-validate space and ground measurements and provide useful information for future studies.

  20. Traumatic Events and Suicide-Related Outcomes among Mexico City Adolescents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borges, Guilherme; Benjet, Corina; Medina-Mora, Maria Elena; Orozco, Ricardo; Molnar, Beth E.; Nock, Matthew K.

    2008-01-01

    Background: We report the prevalence and associations between traumatic events and suicidal ideation, suicide plans and suicide attempts among Mexican adolescents. Methods: The data are from a representative multistage probability household survey of 3,005 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years residing in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area that was…

  1. Subsidence Monitoring in Seville (S Spain) Using Multi-Temporal InSAR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Armenteros, Antonio M.; Ruiz-Constan, Ana; Lamas-Fernandez, Francisco; Galindo-Zaldivar, Jesus; Sousa, Joaquim J.; Sanz de Galdeano, Carlos; Delgado, Manuel J.; Pedrera-Parias, Antonio; Martos-Rosillo, Sergio; Gil, Antonio J.; Caro-Cuenca, Miguel; Hanssen, Ramon F.

    2016-08-01

    Seville, with a metropolitan population of about 1.5 million, is the capital and largest city of Andalusia (S Spain). It is the 30th most populous municipality in the European Union and contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Seville harbour, located about 80 km from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain. The city is located on the plain of the Guadalquivir River. Using Multi-Temporal InSAR with ERS-1/2 and Envisat data a subsidence behavior is detected in the period 1992-2010. The geometry of the subsiding areas suggests that it should be conditioned by the fluvial dynamics of the Guadalquivir River and its tributaries. Facies distribution along the fluvial system (paleochannels, flood plains...), with different grain size and matrix proportion, may explain the relative subsidence between the different sectors.

  2. Inhalant drug use and street youth : Ethnographic insights from Mexico City

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gigengack, Roy; Preedy, Victor

    2016-01-01

    The inhalation of volatile substances with intentions of intoxication affects the lives of marginalized youths around the globe, but remains poorly understood. Based upon long-term ethnographic enquiry, this chapter describes the inhalant use of Mexico City's young street people from their

  3. Ozone, area social conditions, and mortality in Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Neill, M.S.; Loomis, Dana; Borja-Aburto, V.H.

    2004-01-01

    We investigated whether the association of daily mortality and ambient ozone differs by age and area social conditions of the region of residence using a time-series analysis. The study setting was metropolitan Mexico City, a high altitude city situated in a valley, with an estimated 20 million inhabitants, large socioeconomic gradients, and ozone levels frequently exceeding international standards. We stratified daily deaths by six census-derived socioeconomic indicators, based on characteristics of the county where decedents lived. We used Poisson regression to model the association between daily mortality and ozone levels (on the day of death and the previous day) in separate models, stratified by area socioeconomic level and age, and controlling for time trends and temperature. Ozone was positively associated with total mortality [0.65% increase per 10 ppb increment, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.02%, 1.28%] and for mortality among those over age 65 [1.39% increase per 10 ppb increment, 95% CI: 0.51%, 2.28%]. Associations between ozone and all-age mortality did not show any consistent patterns according to socioeconomic gradients. We conclude that elderly people are at higher risk for ozone-associated mortality. Though county-level social indicators in Mexico City were not strong markers of vulnerability to ozone-associated acute mortality in this analysis, complex associations between individual and area-level factors may exist that would require additional data and further analyses to elucidate

  4. Assessing air quality index awareness and use in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borbet, Timothy C; Gladson, Laura A; Cromar, Kevin R

    2018-04-23

    The Mexico City Metropolitan Area has an expansive urban population and a long history of air quality management challenges. Poor air quality has been associated with adverse pulmonary and cardiac health effects, particularly among susceptible populations with underlying disease. In addition to reducing pollution concentrations, risk communication efforts that inform behavior modification have the potential to reduce public health burdens associated with air pollution. This study investigates the utilization of Mexico's IMECA risk communication index to inform air pollution avoidance behavior among the general population living in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area. Individuals were selected via probability sampling and surveyed by phone about their air quality index knowledge, pollution concerns, and individual behaviors. The results indicated reasonably high awareness of the air quality index (53% of respondents), with greater awareness in urban areas, among older and more educated individuals, and for those who received air quality information from a healthcare provider. Additionally, behavior modification was less influenced by index reports as it was by personal perceptions of air quality, and there was no difference in behavior modification among susceptible and non-susceptible groups. Taken together, these results suggest there are opportunities to improve the public health impact of risk communication through an increased focus on susceptible populations and greater encouragement of public action in response to local air quality indices.

  5. [Exposure to fluorides from drinking water in the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trejo-Vázquez, R; Bonilla-Petriciolet, A

    2001-08-01

    Determine the fluoride content in all the wells that supply drinking water to the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico, in order to establish the population's degree of exposure. The fluoride content of the 126 wells that supply drinking water to the city of Aguascalientes was determined, using the SPADNS method, in accordance with two Mexican regulations, NMX-AA-77-1982 and NMX-014-SSAI-1993. Using that data, we created fluoride isopleth maps showing the distribution of fluoride concentrations in the water supplies for the city of Aguascalientes. We also estimated exposure doses for the city's inhabitants. The mean analysis uncertainty was 3.9%. Seventy-three wells had a fluoride concentration of" 1.5 mg/L, which was the maximum permissible value set by the Mexican standards then in effect. All the maximum exposure doses surpassed the minimum risk level set by Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the Department of Health and Human Services of the United States of America. In the children under 1 year of age, even the minimum does was slightly higher than the ATSDR risk level. From estimating the fluoride exposure doses caused by water consumption in the city of Aguascalientes and comparing those doses with ones from other states in Mexico, we concluded that the fluoride intake in Aguascalientes represents a potential risk for inhabitants' health. The fluoride content of the city's drinking water should be reduced to 0.69 mg/L.

  6. Emerging patterns of crack use in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdez, Avelardo; Kaplan, Charles; Nowotny, Kathryn M; Natera-Rey, Guillermina; Cepeda, Alice

    2015-08-01

    Recent studies in Mexico have documented a significant increase in crack cocaine use, indicating the potential for an emerging drug epidemic. Ethnographic observations and interviews were used describe the profiles and patterns of use among street-recruited crack users in Mexico City. The data came from an international research collaboration funded by the National Institutes of Health. A polythetic typology was developed based on five dimensions central to categorizing patterns of crack use behavior: frequency of use, duration of use, context, social networks, and social contracts. Four types of users were discovered applying these dimensions: dabblers, stable users, crack heads, and old heads. Although several similarities were documented between patterns of crack use in Mexico and those in the United States and Western Europe, several key aspects distinguished crack users in this population: (1) self-regulated use; (2) non-linear progression of crack; and (3) the influence of the dimensions pertaining to setting, social networks, and social contract as contributing to understanding of the previous two. Further, we provide a discussion of how specific contextual factors in Mexico may be giving rise to these emerging patterns. Compared to the U.S. and Europe, this study finds that the majority of crack users were able to self-regulate their use without major disruption to daily social functioning. As crack use spreads in Mexico and other Latin American countries, we need to recognize the importance of social context in developing more tailored health and social responses that are specific to these developing countries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Bacteriological quality of crops irrigated with wastewater in the Xochimilco plots, Mexico City, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosas, I; Báez, A; Coutiño, M

    1984-05-01

    Xochimilco county plots (Mexico City), one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the Valley of Mexico, produce a large portion of the fresh vegetables consumed in the city. These plots are generally irrigated with domestic wastewater, and for this reason, it was deemed important to examine and evaluate the bacteriological quality of the water, soil, and vegetables from these plots that are harvested and marketed. The soils were also examined for the classical parameters such as nitrates, ammonia, etc., and organic matter and texture. The crops selected for this study were radishes, spinach, lettuce, parsley, and celery because they are usually consumed raw. The highest bacterial counts were encountered in leafy vegetables, i.e., spinach (8,700 for total coliform and 2,400 for fecal coliform) and lettuce (37,000 for total coliform and 3,600 for fecal coliform). Statistically significant differences in bacterial counts between rinsed and unrinsed edible portions of the crops were observed even in rinsed vegetables, and high densities of fecal coliform were detected, indicating that their consumption represents a potential health hazard. The total coliform values found in irrigation water ranged from 4 X 10(4) to 29 X 10(4), and for fecal coliform the values ranged from 5 X 10(2) to 30 X 10(2).

  8. The Autumn of Death: The 1779 Demographic Crisis in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel Miño Grijalva

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available This article is a historical approach to the 1779 smallpox epidemic and its different manifestations both in public health and in Mexico City's demography. It introduces new statistical data which reveals, beyond testimonies, the epidemic's impact and consequences, both in schoolchildren and adults throughout the city's different parishes during September-November, 1779. Further, this research reveals an association between the epidemic and a food crisis through the effects of weather and low crops in 1778 and June, 1779.

  9. Data Acquisition for Land Subsidence Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Y.; Balke, K.

    2009-12-01

    For controlling land subsidence caused by groundwater over-exploitation, loading of engineered structures, mining and other anthropogenic activities in this fast changing world, a large variety of different data of various scales of concerning areas are needed for scientific study and administrative operational purposes. The economical, social and environmental impacts of anthropogenic land subsidence have long been recognized by many scientific institutions and management authorities based on results of monitoring and analysis at an interdisciplinary level. The land subsidence information systems composed of the surface and subsurface monitoring nets (monitoring and development wells, GPS stations and other facilities) and local data processing centers as a system management tool in Shanghai City was started with the use of GPS technology to monitor land subsidence in 1998. After years of experiences with a set of initiatives by adopting adequate countermeasures, the particular attention given to new improved methodologies to monitor and model the process of land subsidence in a simple and timely way, this is going to be promoted in the whole Yangtze River Delta region in China, where land subsidence expands in the entire region of urban cluster. The Delta land subsidence monitoring network construction aims to establish an efficient and coordinated water resource management system. The land subsidence monitoring network records "living history" of land subsidence, produces detailed scheduled reports and environmental impact statements. For the different areas with local factors and site characteristics, parallel packages need to be designed for predicting changes, land sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, especially for the risk analysis in the rapid growth of megacities and urban areas. In such cases, the new models with new types of local data and the new ways of data acquisition provide the best information for the decision makers for their mitigating

  10. Frequency of functional bowel disorders among healthy volunteers in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmulson, Max; Ortíz, Orianna; Santiago-Lomeli, Mariana; Gutiérrez-Reyes, Gabriela; Gutiérrez-Ruiz, María Concepción; Robles-Díaz, Guillermo; Morgan, Douglas

    2006-01-01

    The frequency of functional bowel disorders (FBD) in Mexico using the Rome II criteria is unknown. The Rome II Modular Questionnaire (RII-MQ) was translated into Spanish in coordination with the Rome Committee and their Latin American program. Volunteers were recruited by advertisement in Mexico City, and administered the RII-MQ. The study population consisted of 324 healthy volunteers, with a mean age of 35.7; 66% were female. The most prevalent disorders were heartburn 35%, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) 35%, functional bloating 21%, proctalgia fugax 21%, and functional constipation 19%. Based on gender, IBS-C was 4 times more frequent in females than males (19 vs. 4.6%) and functional bloating 3 times more frequent (10 vs. 3.7%). Differences according to occupation included a higher prevalence of ulcer-like dyspepsia (p = 0.04), IBS-C (p = 0.018) and proctalgia fugax (p = 0.034) among students. This is the first study to use RII-MQ to determine the prevalence of FBD in urban Mexico. The prevalence of IBS was significant and is related to a number of factors, including the stress of living in an overpopulated city. Selection bias is likely operative. A community-based study is warranted. Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel

  11. Typhus in Mexico City during the epoch of the Mexican Revolution, 1913-1916

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    América Molina del Villar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This article studies the impact of the 1915-1916 typhus epidemic in Mexico City, examining its origin and propagation and placing the epidemic in the context of the great social and political vulnerability that originated with the fall of Victoriano Huerta and the capture of the city by a variety of revolutionary forces. The article focuses on the demographic impact of the epidemic, connecting its repercussions with the unhealthy conditions then prevailing in the country's capital, which could largely be attributed to poverty and the interruption of many sanitary measures due to budgetary shortfalls, armed conflict and changes of government. The article draws on sources of information from the historical archives of the Health Secretariat and the Mexico City government, as well as contemporary press reports and the bulletins issued by the Superior Health Council. This article aims to contribute to the historiography of the period from the perspective of social and demographic history.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1994-06-01

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

  13. [Diabetes mellitus within low socioeconomic strata in Mexico City: a relevant problem].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avila-Curiel, Abelardo; Shamah-Levy, Teresa; Galindo-Gómez, Carlos; Cuevas-Nasu, Lucia; Moreno-Macias, Hortensia; Chávez-Villasana, Adolfo

    2007-01-01

    To evaluate the feeding and nutrition conditions and its relation with diabetes mellitus (DM-2) in adult population (> 30 years) a sample belonging to the low socioeconomic stratum of the Mexico City metropolitan area was studied. They were participants in the Second Feeding and Nutrition Survey in the Mexico City metropolitan area. (ENURBAL-2002). Information collected by the ENURBAL 2002 was used in order to evaluate the relationship between some risk factors and diabetes mellitus in adult population of low economical level. Logistical regression analysis was applied. A complete set of 1279 individuals with ages over 30 years was studied. The 9.9% (IC 95% 7.9, 12.4) had been previously diagnosed as diabetics and 3.9% (IC 95% 2.9, 5.4) were not been diagnosed but their glycemia reached diabetic levels. Total diabetes prevalence observed in this study was 13.8% (IC 95% 11.7, 16.3). People with good score on its knowledge about nutrition, as well as high total fat intake, are significant and positively associated with DM-2 (RM = 2.41, IC 95% 1.09, 5.35 and RM = 2.14 IC 95% 1.24, 3.69, respectively). Diabetes mellitus was highly prevalent among adult (> 30 years population) mainly on the lower socioeconomic stratum of Mexico City. This result is important to promote changes in life style that allow to prevent its appearance by modifying the obesigenic environment and changes in the feeding patterns.

  14. Incidence of leukemias in children from El Salvador and Mexico City between 1996 and 2000: Population-based data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernáldez-Ríos Roberto

    2005-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background There are very few studies that report the incidence of acute leukemias in children in Latin America. This work assesses the incidence of acute leukemias, between 1996 and 2000, in children from 0–14 years old who were attended at the Mexican Social Security Institute in Mexico City and in children from 0–11 years old in El Salvador. Methods Design: Population-based data. Hospitals: In San Salvador, El Salvador, Hospital Nacional de Niños "Benjamín Bloom", the only center in El Salvador which attends all children, younger than 12 years, with oncologic disease. The Pediatric Hospital and the General Hospital of the Mexican Social Security Institute in Mexico City, the only centers in Mexico City which attend all those children with acute leukemia who have a right to this service. Diagnosis: All patients were diagnosed by bone marrow smear and were divided into acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL, acute myeloid leukemia (AML, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML, and unspecified leukemias (UL. The annual incidence rate (AIR and average annual incidence rate (AAIR were calculated per million children. Cases were stratified by age and assigned to one of four age strata: 1 Results The number of cases was 375 and 238 in El Salvador and Mexico City, respectively. AAIRs in Mexico City were 44.9, 10.6, 2.5, 0.5, and 58.4 per million children for ALL, AML, CML, UL, and total leukemias, respectively. The AAIRs in El Salvador could not be calculated because the fourth age stratum in El Salvador included children only from 0–11 years old. The incidence rates for the Salvadoran group of 0–11 year olds were 34.2, 7.1, 0.6, 0.2, and 43.2 per million children for ALL, AML, CML, UL, and total leukemias, respectively. Conclusion Reported AIRs for each age group in El Salvador were similar to those from other American countries. The AAIR of ALL in Mexico City is one of the highest reported for North America.

  15. An indoor radon survey of the X-ray rooms of Mexico City hospitals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Juarez, Faustino [Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, Instituto Literario No. 100. Estado de Mexico, 50000, Mexico. Instituto de Geofisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito (Mexico); Reyes, Pedro G. [Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, Instituto Literario No. 100. Estado de Mexico, 50000 (Mexico); Espinosa, Guillermo [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito Exterior Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico D.F. Cp.04510 (Mexico)

    2013-07-03

    This paper presents the results of measurements of indoor radon concentrations in the X-ray rooms of a selection of hospitals in the metropolitan area of Mexico City. The metropolitan area of Mexico City is Mexico's largest metropolitan area by population; the number of patients requiring the use of X-rays is also the highest. An understanding of indoor radon concentrations in X-ray rooms is necessary for the estimation of the radiological risk to which patients, radiologists and medical technicians are exposed. The indoor radon concentrations were monitored for a period of six months using nuclear track detectors (NTD) consisting of a closed-end cup system with CR-39 (Lantrack Registered-Sign ) polycarbonate as detector material. The indoor radon concentrations were found to be between 75 and 170 Bq m{sup -3}, below the USEPA-recommended indoor radon action level for working places of 400 Bq m{sup -3}. It is hoped that the results of this study will contribute to the establishment of recommended action levels by the Mexican regulatory authorities responsible for nuclear safety.

  16. Human and remote sensing data to investigate the frontiers of urbanization in the south of Mexico City

    OpenAIRE

    Rodriguez Lopez, Juan Miguel; Heider, Katharina; Scheffran, J?rgen

    2016-01-01

    The data presented here were originally collected for the article “Frontiers of Urbanization: Identifying and Explaining Urbanization Hot Spots in the South of Mexico City Using Human and Remote Sensing” (Rodriguez et al. 2017) [4]. They were divided into three databases (remote sensing, human sensing, and census information), using a multi-method approach with the goal of analyzing the impact of urbanization on protected areas in southern Mexico City. The remote sensing database was prepared...

  17. Land Subsidence Prediction by Back Calculation Method and its Effects on Sewage Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Mohsen Toufigh

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Groundwater overdraft is one of the main reasons of land subsidence. Differential subsidence leads to earth fissures and damages to structures, roads, railroads, pipelines, irrigation canals, and sewage networks. In order to simulate land subsidence due to groundwater overdraft, a fully coupled finite element consolidation model was developed. Formulation of finite element was based on Biot three-dimensional consolidation theory. Land subsidence studies inRafsanjanCitywere conducted by collecting and analyzing data on geology, geophysics, hydrology, soil properties, and observed land subsidence. Due to lack of sufficient experimental data about different soil profiles, land subsidence monitoring and back calculation were used in several spots to obtain the necessary data for use in other places. A computer model was finally developed to predict the subsidence of the city and its effects on the sewage network were studied.

  18. Spatial and temporal variability of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. A. Thornhill

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available As part of the Megacities Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO study in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area in March 2006, we measured particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs and other gaseous species and particulate properties, including light absorbing carbon or effective black carbon (BC, at six locations throughout the city. The measurements were intended to support the following objectives: to describe spatial and temporal patterns in PAH concentrations, to gain insight into sources and transformations of PAHs and BC, and to quantify the relationships between PAHs and other pollutants. Total particulate PAHs at the Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo (T0 supersite located near downtown averaged 50 ng m−3, and aerosol active surface area averaged 80 mm2 m−3. PAHs were also measured on board the Aerodyne Mobile Laboratory, which visited six sites encompassing a mixture of different land uses and a range of ages of air parcels transported from the city core. A combination of analyses of time series, back trajectories, concentration fields, pollutant ratios, and correlation coefficients supports the concept of T0 as an urban source site, T1 as a receptor site with strong local sources, Pedregal and PEMEX as intermediate sites, Pico Tres Padres as a vertical receptor site, and Santa Ana as a downwind receptor site. Weak intersite correlations suggest that local sources are important and variable and that exposure to PAHs and BC cannot be represented by a single regional-scale value. The relationships between PAHs and other pollutants suggest that a variety of sources and ages of particles are present. Among carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx, and carbon dioxide, particulate PAHs are most strongly correlated with NOx. Mexico City's PAH/BC mass ratio of 0.01 is similar to that found on a freeway loop in the Los Angeles area and approximately 8–30

  19. Spatial and temporal variability of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thornhill, D. A.; de Foy, B.; Herndon, S. C.; Onasch, T. B.; Wood, E. C.; Zavala, M.; Molina, L. T.; Gaffney, J. S.; Marley, N. A.; Marr, L. C.

    2008-06-01

    As part of the Megacities Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) study in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area in March 2006, we measured particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other gaseous species and particulate properties, including light absorbing carbon or effective black carbon (BC), at six locations throughout the city. The measurements were intended to support the following objectives: to describe spatial and temporal patterns in PAH concentrations, to gain insight into sources and transformations of PAHs and BC, and to quantify the relationships between PAHs and other pollutants. Total particulate PAHs at the Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo (T0 supersite) located near downtown averaged 50 ng m-3, and aerosol active surface area averaged 80 mm2 m-3. PAHs were also measured on board the Aerodyne Mobile Laboratory, which visited six sites encompassing a mixture of different land uses and a range of ages of air parcels transported from the city core. A combination of analyses of time series, back trajectories, concentration fields, pollutant ratios, and correlation coefficients supports the concept of T0 as an urban source site, T1 as a receptor site with strong local sources, Pedregal and PEMEX as intermediate sites, Pico Tres Padres as a vertical receptor site, and Santa Ana as a downwind receptor site. Weak intersite correlations suggest that local sources are important and variable and that exposure to PAHs and BC cannot be represented by a single regional-scale value. The relationships between PAHs and other pollutants suggest that a variety of sources and ages of particles are present. Among carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and carbon dioxide, particulate PAHs are most strongly correlated with NOx. Mexico City's PAH/BC mass ratio of 0.01 is similar to that found on a freeway loop in the Los Angeles area and approximately 8 30 times higher than that found in other cities. Evidence also suggests that primary

  20. The interaction between land subsidence and urban development in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Yang

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The Yangtze River Delta and North China Plain are experiencing serious land subsidence development and are also the areas that have undergone the fastest urbanization. Rapid urban development inevitably requires more water resources. However, China is a country with small per capita water resources, nonuniform distribution of water resources, and over-exploitation of groundwater – all of which are critical factors contributing to the potential for a land subsidence disaster. In addition, land subsidence has brought about elevation loss, damaged buildings, decreased safety of rail transit projects, lowered land value, and other huge economic losses and potential safety hazards in China. In this paper, Beijing, a typical northern Chinese city deficient in water, is taken as an example to explore (a the problems of urban development, utilization of water resources, and land subsidence development; (b the harm and influence of land subsidence hazards on urban construction; and (c the relationship between urban development and land subsidence. Based on the results, the author has predicted the trend of urban development and land subsidence in Beijing and puts forward her viewpoints and suggestions.

  1. Seeing Water in Early Twentieth-Century Mexico City: Henry Wellge's Perspective Plan of the City and Valley of Mexico, D.F. 1906

    OpenAIRE

    Widdifield, Stacie G.; Banister, Jeffrey M.

    2015-01-01

    We examine Henry Wellge's 1906 chromolithograph, Perspective Plan of the City and Valley of Mexico, D.F., a panoramic view that organizes the capital and its lacustrine environs through close up and distant perspectives. The Plan depicts a landscape integrated by canals, rivers, and lakes, recording a pivotal moment before modern hydraulic infrastructure would remove surface water from view. We thus interrogate this image as a visual register of hydraulic-control ideals in vogue around 1900, ...

  2. Death in Mexico City in the Eighteenth Century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadine Béligand

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Mexico City, “capital, court, and head”, core of Catholic monarchy on Earth, becomes a model for analyzing attitudes towards death in different social groups: peninsulares and criollos, religious and lay citizens, mestizos, castizos, and Indians. The capital, subject to a variety of cultural influences, is also seen as a model city; in this sense, it is one of the Ilustrado's experimental  fields. In her analysis, the author  distinguishes  between death (and all its associated beliefs and rituals and the dead (corpses, rotting,  fear of the dead. Beliefs and rituals concerning  death barely changed from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries, but the issue of the dead was widely discussed during this last one. However, the expelling of the dead from the cities was a slow process that did not find a definite solution until the 1850s. Traditional, archaic, and baroque attitudes towards death survived in the hygienist policies, and the Ilustrados had to confront the Church, which ever since the sixteenth century had been imprinting in people's minds an image of the city's dead as a community of ancestors identified with the community of believers, thus actually articulating social and sacred practices.

  3. Mass movement processes associated with volcanic structures in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Víctor Carlos Valerio

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Mexico City, one of the most populated areas of the world, has been affected by various hazards of natural origin, such as subsidence and cracking of the soil, seismicity, floods and mass movement processes (MMPs. Owing to the lack of space on the plain, in recent years urban growth has been concentrated particularly on the slopes of the surrounding mountain ranges, and this has significantly modified the dynamics of the relief as well as the hydrogeological conditions. The specific character of natural susceptibility to mass movements is strongly dependent on the geological–structural and morphological characteristics of the volcanic bodies that form the mountainous relief. This natural susceptibility, combined with the characteristics of vulnerability of the society, creates risk conditions that can generate severe consequences for the population and the economy. Hence, based on an inventory of mass movement processes comprising 95 data points, the present study aimed to achieve a zoning of the areas susceptible to these processes, as well as to characterize the mechanisms of instability in the volcanic structures that form the relief of the area in question. The results of this work clearly show the role of the lithology, the mode of emplacement and the morpho–structural characteristics of the volcanic structures, in the types of mass movement processes. In addition, it identifies the diverse activities of anthropogenic origin that favour slope instability in the zone: deforestation and burning of rubbish, felling of timber on the slopes for building infrastructure and dwellings, leakages of water, vibrations of vehicles, rotating machinery and the use of explosives in mining works, overloading the heads of the slopes, disturbance of the geohydrological regime, generation of rubbish tips, terracing of the slopes for cultivation, inadequate building regulations, and the use of counterproductive or ineffectual stabilization measures.

  4. Formaldehyde Surface Distributions and Variability in the Mexico City Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Junkermann, W.; Mohr, C.; Steinbrecher, R.; Ruiz Suarez, L.

    2007-05-01

    Formaldehyde ambient air mole fractions were measured throughout the dry season in March at three different locations in the Mexico City basin. The continuously running instruments were operated at Tenago del Aire, a site located in the Chalco valley in the southern venting area of the basin, at the Intituto Mexicano del Petroleo (IMP) in the northern part of the city and about 30 km north of the city at the campus of the Universidad Tecnològica de Tecamac (UTTEC). The technique used is the Hantzsch technology with a time resolution of 2 minutes and a detection limit of 100 ppt. Daily maxima peaked at 35 ppb formaldehyde in the city and about 15 to 20 ppb at the other sites. During night formaldehyde levels dropped to about 5 ppb or less. It is evident that the observed spatial and temporal variability in near surface formaldehyde distributions is strongly affected by local and regional advection processes.

  5. A Tale of two Cities: Photoacoustic and Aethalometer Measurements Comparisons of Light Absorption in Mexico City and Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2007-05-01

    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; W. Arnott & G. Paredes), nephelometer scattering, and aetholemeter absorption instruments (N. Marley & J.Gaffney) were installed to measure at ground level the light absorption and scattering by aerosols at the urban site at Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (Mexican Oil Institute, denoted by IMP). This IMP site gave in-situ characterization of the Mexico City plume under favorable wind conditions. The PAS used at IMP operates at 532 nm, and conveniently allowed for characterization of gaseous absorption at this wavelength as well. Light scattering measurements are accomplished within the PAS by the reciprocal nephelometery method. In the urban site the aerosol absorption coefficient typically varies between 20 and 180 Mm-1 during the course of the day and significant diurnal variation of the aerosol single scattering albedo was observed. The Las Vegas, NV site was located at East Charleston Street on January-February, 2003. In east Las Vegas typical westerly winds carry the city plume across the site. Comparisons of PAS aerosol light absorption and aetholemeter absorption measurements at 521 nm at both Las Vegas NV and Mexico City sites will be presented. We will also 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 sites in relation to secondary aerosol formation.

  6. Land subsidence of coastal areas of Jiangsu Province, China: historical review and present situation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Q. Zhu

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Surface faults related to land subsidence have been observed in coastal cities, such as Nantong, Yancheng, and Lian Yungang, in Jiangsu Province (CAJS since the early 1970s. Nowadays, increases flooding and rising sea levels are attributed to subsidence caused by groundwater pumping. In this work we present a brief description of land subsidence in CAJS, we examine the mechanisms of land subsidence induced mainly by groundwater pumping and its evolution and economic implications as well as the implemented measures by the local government to prevent new damage.

  7. Land subsidence of coastal areas of Jiangsu Province, China: historical review and present situation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, J. Q.; Yang, Y.; Yu, J.; Gong, X. L.

    2015-11-01

    Surface faults related to land subsidence have been observed in coastal cities, such as Nantong, Yancheng, and Lian Yungang, in Jiangsu Province (CAJS) since the early 1970s. Nowadays, increases flooding and rising sea levels are attributed to subsidence caused by groundwater pumping. In this work we present a brief description of land subsidence in CAJS, we examine the mechanisms of land subsidence induced mainly by groundwater pumping and its evolution and economic implications as well as the implemented measures by the local government to prevent new damage.

  8. Using High-Resolution Satellite Aerosol Optical Depth To Estimate Daily PM2.5 Geographical Distribution in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Just, Allan C; Wright, Robert O; Schwartz, Joel; Coull, Brent A; Baccarelli, Andrea A; Tellez-Rojo, Martha María; Moody, Emily; Wang, Yujie; Lyapustin, Alexei; Kloog, Itai

    2015-07-21

    Recent advances in estimating fine particle (PM2.5) ambient concentrations use daily satellite measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) for spatially and temporally resolved exposure estimates. Mexico City is a dense megacity that differs from other previously modeled regions in several ways: it has bright land surfaces, a distinctive climatological cycle, and an elevated semi-enclosed air basin with a unique planetary boundary layer dynamic. We extend our previous satellite methodology to the Mexico City area, a region with higher PM2.5 than most U.S. and European urban areas. Using a novel 1 km resolution AOD product from the MODIS instrument, we constructed daily predictions across the greater Mexico City area for 2004-2014. We calibrated the association of AOD to PM2.5 daily using municipal ground monitors, land use, and meteorological features. Predictions used spatial and temporal smoothing to estimate AOD when satellite data were missing. Our model performed well, resulting in an out-of-sample cross-validation R(2) of 0.724. Cross-validated root-mean-squared prediction error (RMSPE) of the model was 5.55 μg/m(3). This novel model reconstructs long- and short-term spatially resolved exposure to PM2.5 for epidemiological studies in Mexico City.

  9. The impact of biogenic carbon emissions on aerosol absorption inMexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marley, N; Gaffney, J; Tackett, M J; Sturchio, N; Hearty, L; Martinez, N; Hardy, K D; Machany-Rivera, A; Guilderson, T P; MacMillan, A; Steelman, K

    2009-02-24

    In order to determine the wavelength dependence of atmospheric aerosol absorption in the Mexico City area, the absorption angstrom exponents (AAEs) were calculated from aerosol absorption measurements at seven wavelengths obtained with a seven-channel aethalometer during two field campaigns, the Mexico City Metropolitan Area study in April 2003 (MCMA 2003) and the Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations in March 2006 (MILAGRO). The AAEs varied from 0.76 to 1.56 in 2003 and from 0.54 to 1.52 in 2006. The AAE values determined in the afternoon were consistently higher than the corresponding morning values, suggesting the photochemical formation of absorbing secondary organic aerosols (SOA) in the afternoon. The AAE values were compared to stable and radiocarbon isotopic measurements of aerosol samples collected at the same time to determine the sources of the aerosol carbon. The fraction of modern carbon (fM) in the aerosol samples, as determined from {sup 14}C analysis, showed that 70% of the carbonaceous aerosols in Mexico City were from modern sources, indicating a significant impact from biomass burning during both field campaigns. The {sup 13}C/{sup 12}C ratios of the aerosol samples illustrate the significant impact of Yucatan forest fires (C-3 plants) in 2003 and local grass fires (C-4 plants) at site T1 in 2006. A direct comparison of the fM values, stable carbon isotope ratios, and calculated aerosol AAEs suggested that the wavelength dependence of the aerosol absorption was controlled by the biogenically derived aerosol components.

  10. Land subsidence threats and its management in the North Coast of Java

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarah, D.; Soebowo, E.

    2018-02-01

    Cities on the north coast of Java such as Jakarta, Semarang, Pekalongan, and Surabaya are vulnerable to environmental pressures such as sea level change and land subsidence. Land subsidence can be caused by natural and anthropogenic processes. Geologically, the north coastal plain of Java consists of unconsolidated Holocene alluvial deposit. The recent alluvial deposit is prone to compaction, and further aggravated by anthropogenic forces such as groundwater extraction and land development. Understanding the complex interaction of natural and manmade factors is essential to establish mitigation strategy. Although the impacts of land subsidence are widely felt, many do not realize that land subsidence is taking place. This paper presents a brief review of the land subsidence threats in the North coast of Java and proposes a recommendation for suitable management response.

  11. Metals in aerosols of the Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyes L, J.

    1998-01-01

    The general purpose and scope of this work was to have a data base that includes enough information about the heavy metals which are disseminated in the atmospheric air in Mexico City, like it is what refers to its elements, its concentration and its particle size. For this were collected samples through collectors types: of the filters unit and the cascade impactor. Through the PIXE analysis for filters and films it was identified the presence of 20 elements in the majority of samples studied of the four seasons during the years 1993-1994. The metals were classified in two groups: those of natural origin and those of anthropogenic origin. (Author)

  12. Determination of radon levels in Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pena G, P.

    1992-01-01

    The study of the determination of radon levels in the houses room in Mexico City is part of the project Emanometry of the radon. To carry out this study, the passive method was used, which consists of: thin film dosemeter of cellulose nitrate, container of the same one and spark accountant. The method is based on the mensurations of exhibition of the number of marks of alpha track is of the open type and it allows to average the radon activity along several weeks and it presents low concentrations. This study was carried out in 4 periods of exhibition of 3 months each one. (Author)

  13. The Uses of Informality : Urban Development and Social Distinction in Mexico City

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mueller, F.; Segura, R.

    “Urban informality” is a signifier that is disputed by real estate developers, politicians, and residents in undertaking strategies of social distinction and gaining particular political and economic benefits. Research in the western periphery of Mexico City distinguishes three cases of such use of

  14. Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus in Women from Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Guadalupe López Rivera

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among Mexican women. The goal of the present study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of HPV types in women from Mexico City. Methods. Our study was conducted in the Clinica de Especialidades de la Mujer de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, Mexico. Random samples were taken from 929 healthy women requesting a cervical Papanicolaou examination. Detection and genotyping of HPV were performed by multiplex PCR, with the HPV4A ACE Screening kit (Seegene. Results. 85 of nine hundred twenty-nine women (9.1% were infected with HPV. Of HPV-positive women, 99% and 1% had high- and low-risk HPV genotypes, respectively. The prevalence of the 16 high-risk (HR HPV types that were screened was 43% : 42% (18 were HPV positive and 14% (16 were HPV positive, which includes coinfection. Multiple infections with different viral genotypes were detected in 10% of the positive cases. Abnormal cervical cytological results were found in only 15.3% of HPV-positive women, while 84.7% had normal cytological results. Conclusions. We found a similar prevalence of HPV to previous studies in Mexico. The heterogeneity of the HPV genotype distribution in Mexico is evident in this study, which found a high frequency of HPV HR genotypes, the majority of which were HPV 18.

  15. Natural versus anthropogenic subsidence of Venice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tosi, Luigi; Teatini, Pietro; Strozzi, Tazio

    2013-09-26

    We detected land displacements of Venice by Persistent Scatterer Interferometry using ERS and ENVISAT C-band and TerraSAR-X and COSMO-SkyMed X-band acquisitions over the periods 1992-2010 and 2008-2011, respectively. By reason of the larger observation period, the C-band sensors was used to quantify the long-term movements, i.e. the subsidence component primarily ascribed to natural processes. The high resolution X-band satellites reveal a high effectiveness to monitor short-time movements as those induced by human activities. Interpolation of the two datasets and removal of the C-band from the X-band map allows discriminating between the natural and anthropogenic components of the subsidence. A certain variability characterizes the natural subsidence (0.9 ± 0.7 mm/yr), mainly because of the heterogeneous nature and age of the lagoon subsoil. The 2008 displacements show that man interventions are responsible for movements ranging from -10 to 2 mm/yr. These displacements are generally local and distributed along the margins of the city islands.

  16. Land Subsidence Caused by Groundwater Exploitation in Quetta Valley, Pakistan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Najeebullah Kakar

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Land subsidence is affecting several metropolitan cities in developing as well as developed countries around the world such as Nagoya (Japan, Shanghai (China, Venice (Italy and San Joaquin valley (United States. This phenomenon is attributed to natural as well as anthropogenic activities that include extensive groundwater withdrawals. Quetta is the largest city of Balochistan province in Pakistan. This valley is mostly dry and ground water is the major source for domestic and agricultural consumption. The unplanned use of ground water resources has led to the deterioration of water quality and quantity in the Quetta valley. Water shortage in the region was further aggravated by the drought during (1998-2004 that hit the area forcing people to migrate from rural to urban areas. Refugees from the war torn neighboring Afghanistan also contributed to rapid increase in population of Quetta valley that has increased from 0.26 million in 1975 to 3.0 million in 2016. The objective of this study was to measure the land subsidence in Quetta valley and identify the effects of groundwater withdrawals on land subsidence. To achieve this goal, data from five Global Positioning System (GPS stations were acquired and processed. Furthermore the groundwater decline data from 41 observation wells during 2010 to 2015 were calculated and compared with the land deformation. The results of this study revealed that the land of Quetta valley is subsiding from 30mm/y on the flanks to 120 mm/y in the central part. 1.5-5.0 m/y of groundwater level drop was recorded in the area where the rate of subsidence is highest. So the extensive groundwater withdrawals in Quetta valley is considered to be the driving force behind land subsidence.

  17. A Mexico City-Based Immersion Education Program: Training Mental Health Clinicians for Practice with Latino Communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Platt, Jason James

    2012-01-01

    This article describes the philosophical foundations and educational methods of a Spanish language and cultural immersion program based in Mexico City, Mexico. The program is designed to assist U.S. graduate students in marriage and family therapy and clinical psychology programs to improve clinical service delivery with Latino clients. Utilizing…

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2015-03-01

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

  19. Final Opportunity to Rehabilitate an Urban River as a Water Source for Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazari-Hiriart, Marisa; Pérez-Ortiz, Gustavo; Orta-Ledesma, María Teresa; Armas-Vargas, Felipe; Tapia, Marco A.; Solano-Ortiz, Rosa; Silva, Miguel A.; Yañez-Noguez, Isaura; López-Vidal, Yolanda; Díaz-Ávalos, Carlos

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the amount and quality of water in the Magdalena-Eslava river system and to propose alternatives for sustainable water use. The system is the last urban river in the vicinity of Mexico City that supplies surface water to the urban area. Historical flow data were analyzed (1973–2010), along with the physicochemical and bacteriological attributes, documenting the evolution of these variables over the course of five years (2008–2012) in both dry and rainy seasons. The analyses show that the flow regime has been significantly altered. The physicochemical variables show significant differences between the natural area, where the river originates, and the urban area, where the river receives untreated wastewater. Nutrient and conductivity concentrations in the river were equivalent to domestic wastewater. Fecal pollution indicators and various pathogens were present in elevated densities, demonstrating a threat to the population living near the river. Estimates of the value of the water lost as a result of mixing clean and contaminated water are presented. This urban river should be rehabilitated as a sustainability practice, and if possible, these efforts should be replicated in other areas. Because of the public health issues and in view of the population exposure where the river flows through the city, the river should be improved aesthetically and should be treated to allow its ecosystem services to recover. This river represents an iconic case for Mexico City because it connects the natural and urban areas in a socio-ecological system that can potentially provide clean water for human consumption. Contaminated water could be treated and reused for irrigation in one of the green areas of the city. Wastewater treatment plants and the operation of the existing purification plants are urgent priorities that could lead to better, more sustainable water use practices in Mexico City. PMID:25054805

  20. Final opportunity to rehabilitate an urban river as a water source for Mexico City.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marisa Mazari-Hiriart

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the amount and quality of water in the Magdalena-Eslava river system and to propose alternatives for sustainable water use. The system is the last urban river in the vicinity of Mexico City that supplies surface water to the urban area. Historical flow data were analyzed (1973-2010, along with the physicochemical and bacteriological attributes, documenting the evolution of these variables over the course of five years (2008-2012 in both dry and rainy seasons. The analyses show that the flow regime has been significantly altered. The physicochemical variables show significant differences between the natural area, where the river originates, and the urban area, where the river receives untreated wastewater. Nutrient and conductivity concentrations in the river were equivalent to domestic wastewater. Fecal pollution indicators and various pathogens were present in elevated densities, demonstrating a threat to the population living near the river. Estimates of the value of the water lost as a result of mixing clean and contaminated water are presented. This urban river should be rehabilitated as a sustainability practice, and if possible, these efforts should be replicated in other areas. Because of the public health issues and in view of the population exposure where the river flows through the city, the river should be improved aesthetically and should be treated to allow its ecosystem services to recover. This river represents an iconic case for Mexico City because it connects the natural and urban areas in a socio-ecological system that can potentially provide clean water for human consumption. Contaminated water could be treated and reused for irrigation in one of the green areas of the city. Wastewater treatment plants and the operation of the existing purification plants are urgent priorities that could lead to better, more sustainable water use practices in Mexico City.

  1. Final opportunity to rehabilitate an urban river as a water source for Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazari-Hiriart, Marisa; Pérez-Ortiz, Gustavo; Orta-Ledesma, María Teresa; Armas-Vargas, Felipe; Tapia, Marco A; Solano-Ortiz, Rosa; Silva, Miguel A; Yañez-Noguez, Isaura; López-Vidal, Yolanda; Díaz-Ávalos, Carlos

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the amount and quality of water in the Magdalena-Eslava river system and to propose alternatives for sustainable water use. The system is the last urban river in the vicinity of Mexico City that supplies surface water to the urban area. Historical flow data were analyzed (1973-2010), along with the physicochemical and bacteriological attributes, documenting the evolution of these variables over the course of five years (2008-2012) in both dry and rainy seasons. The analyses show that the flow regime has been significantly altered. The physicochemical variables show significant differences between the natural area, where the river originates, and the urban area, where the river receives untreated wastewater. Nutrient and conductivity concentrations in the river were equivalent to domestic wastewater. Fecal pollution indicators and various pathogens were present in elevated densities, demonstrating a threat to the population living near the river. Estimates of the value of the water lost as a result of mixing clean and contaminated water are presented. This urban river should be rehabilitated as a sustainability practice, and if possible, these efforts should be replicated in other areas. Because of the public health issues and in view of the population exposure where the river flows through the city, the river should be improved aesthetically and should be treated to allow its ecosystem services to recover. This river represents an iconic case for Mexico City because it connects the natural and urban areas in a socio-ecological system that can potentially provide clean water for human consumption. Contaminated water could be treated and reused for irrigation in one of the green areas of the city. Wastewater treatment plants and the operation of the existing purification plants are urgent priorities that could lead to better, more sustainable water use practices in Mexico City.

  2. On the Sound Environment of the City of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

    OpenAIRE

    Boullosa, R. R.; Alvarado Z., C.

    2011-01-01

    An exploration of the sound environment in the city of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, is presented. A series of interviews were held with 19 residents, of which 7 were undergraduate students, related to the perception of sound in or around places of different zones in the so-called "Viejo Vallarta" ("Old Vallarta"). The purpose was twofold, firstly, to explore the ideas people have relating to the sounds they hear in the city -and in general, the ideas they have relating to peace and tranq...

  3. Systemic Competitiveness of SMEs in Mexico City, Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Luisa Saavedra García

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to apply the model of systemic competitiveness, SMEs in Mexico City. Developing four levels of competitiveness: macro level (economic environment, meso level (regional environment, Level Goal (Environment Socioeconomic and micro Level (internal factors. Data collection was done through fieldwork and archival research. The main findings are among the major strengths of the economic environment: high level of gross domestic product, high labor productivity and fiscal autonomy, the main weaknesses: the unions and the unemployment rate; meanwhile stand between foreign investment opportunities between threats and insecurity, corruption and difficulty in business transactions. In the regional setting a positive and 1 perfect relationship between the number of economic units and per capita GDP was found. With regard to socio-cultural factors, presents lower levels of poverty and unemployment to the rest of the country. Finally, at the micro level, the competitiveness of SMEs is in direct relation to the size of the company and the industry sector shows higher competitiveness trade and services sectors.

  4. Assessment of water supply as an ecosystem service in a rural-urban watershed in southwestern Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jujnovsky, Julieta; González-Martínez, Teresa Margarita; Cantoral-Uriza, Enrique Arturo; Almeida-Leñero, Lucia

    2012-03-01

    Studies from the ecosystem services perspective can provide a useful framework because they allow us to fully examine the benefits that humans obtain from socio-ecological systems. Mexico City, the second largest city in the world, has faced severe problems related to water shortages, which have worsened due to increasing population. Demand for space has forced changes in land cover, including covering areas that are essential for groundwater recharge. The city has 880 km(2) of forest areas that are crucial for the water supply. The Magdalena River Watershed was chosen as a model because it is a well-preserved zone within Mexico City and it provides water for the population. The general aim of this study was to assess the ecosystem service of the water supply in the Magdalena River Watershed by determining its water balance (SWAT model) and the number of beneficiaries of the ecosystem services. The results showed that the watershed provides 18.4 hm(3) of water per year. Baseflow was dominant, with a contribution of 85%, while surface runoff only accounted for 15%. The zone provides drinking water to 78,476 inhabitants and could supply 153,203 potential beneficiaries. This work provides an example for understanding how ecosystem processes determine the provision of ecosystem services and benefits to the population in a rural-urban watershed in Mexico City.

  5. Sources and transformations of particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. C. Marr

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Understanding sources, concentrations, and transformations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs in the atmosphere is important because of their potent mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. The measurement of particle-bound PAHs by three different methods during the Mexico City Metropolitan Area field campaign in April 2003 presents a unique opportunity for characterization of these compounds and intercomparison of the methods. The three methods are (1 collection and analysis of bulk samples for time-integrated gas- and particle-phase speciation by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry; (2 aerosol photoionization for fast detection of PAHs on particles' surfaces; and (3 aerosol mass spectrometry for fast analysis of size and chemical composition. This research represents the first time aerosol mass spectrometry has been used to measure ambient PAH concentrations and the first time that fast, real-time methods have been used to quantify PAHs alongside traditional filter-based measurements in an extended field campaign. Speciated PAH measurements suggest that motor vehicles and garbage and wood burning are important sources in Mexico City. The diurnal concentration patterns captured by aerosol photoionization and aerosol mass spectrometry are generally consistent. Ambient concentrations of particle-phase PAHs typically peak at ~110 ng m-3 during the morning rush hour and rapidly decay due to changes in source activity patterns and dilution as the boundary layer rises, although surface-bound PAH concentrations decay faster. The more rapid decrease in surface versus bulk PAH concentrations during the late morning suggests that freshly emitted combustion-related particles are quickly coated by secondary aerosol material in Mexico City's atmosphere and may also be transformed by heterogeneous reactions.

  6. A scenario of human thermal comfort in Mexico City for 2CO{sub 2} conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jauregui, Ernesto [Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera de la UNAM, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Tejeda, Adalberto [Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz (Mexico)

    2001-07-01

    Applying the concept of effective temperature (ET), a scenario of human bioclimatic conditions for Mexico City is presented by using results from both GCM regional predictions for CO{sub 2} doubling and temperature trend projections from an urban station. Current and future bioclimatic maps for Mexico City and their conurbation are presented. Current environmental conditions will likely change toward a warmer atmosphere due to both the urbanization process and global greenhouse effect. The impact on the population will be more important during the warm season (March- May) when the bioclimate of the city will likely shift away from current neutrality to the next comfort scale category (ET 24-27 Celsius degrees) of warm conditions covering most of the capital city. [Spanish] A partir de la aplicacion del concepto de temperatura efectiva (ET) se presenta un escenario de las condiciones de bioclima humano para la Ciudad de Mexico y zona conurbada para la segunda mitad del proximo siglo. Se usaron resultados de predicciones regionales de modelos de circulacion general (GCM) para una duplicacion del CO{sub 2} y tambien las tendencias de temperatura de una estacion urbana. Se muestran mapas de las condiciones actuales y futuras de confort termico. La combinacion del efecto invernadero y la urbanizacion, muy probablemente impacten en la poblacion principalmente en la estacion calida (marzo a mayo), cuando se pase de la categoria de confort actual a la inmediata superior (ET 24-27 Celsius degrees) en la mayor parte de la capital del pais.

  7. The chemo and the mona : Inhalants, devotion and street youth in Mexico city

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gigengack, Roy

    This paper understands inhalant use - the deliberate inhalation of volatile solvents or glues with intentions of intoxication - as a socially and culturally constituted practice. It describes the inhalant use of young street people in Mexico City from their perspective ("the vicioso or inhalant

  8. The distribution of potential West Nile virus vectors, Culex pipiens pipiens and Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae), in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diaz-Badillo, Alvaro; Bolling, Bethany G; Perez-Ramirez, Gerardo; Moore, Chester G; Martinez-Munoz, Jorge P; Padilla-Viveros, America A; Camacho-Nuez, Minerva; Diaz-Perez, Alfonso; Beaty, Barry J; Munoz, Maria de Lourdes

    2011-05-09

    Culex spp. mosquitoes are considered to be the most important vectors of West Nile virus (WNV) detected in at least 34 species of mosquitoes in the United States. In North America, Culex pipiens pipiens, Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus, and Culex tarsalis are all competent vectors of WNV, which is considered to be enzootic in the United States and has also been detected in equines and birds in many states of Mexico and in humans in Nuevo Leon. There is potential for WNV to be introduced into Mexico City by various means including infected mosquitoes on airplanes, migrating birds, ground transportation and infected humans. Little is known of the geographic distribution of Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes and hybrids in Mexico City. Culex pipiens pipiens preferentially feed on avian hosts; Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus have historically been considered to prefer mammalian hosts; and hybrids of these two species could theoretically serve as bridge vectors to transmit WNV from avian hosts to humans and other mammalian hosts. In order to address the potential of WNV being introduced into Mexico City, we have determined the identity and spatial distribution of Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes and their hybrids. Mosquito larvae collected from 103 sites throughout Mexico City during 2004-2005 were identified as Culex, Culiseta or Ochlerotatus by morphological analysis. Within the genus Culex, specimens were further identified as Culex tarsalis or as belonging to the Culex pipiens complex. Members of the Culex pipiens complex were separated by measuring the ratio of the dorsal and ventral arms (DV/D ratio) of the male genitalia and also by using diagnostic primers designed for the Ace.2 gene. Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus was the most abundant form collected. Important WNV vectors species, Cx. p. pipiens, Cx. p. quinquefasciatus and Cx. tarsalis, are all present in Mexico City. Hybrids of Cx. p. pipiens and Cx. p. quinquefasciatus were also collected and identified. The

  9. The distribution of potential West Nile virus vectors, Culex pipiens pipiens and Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae, in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diaz-Perez Alfonso

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Culex spp. mosquitoes are considered to be the most important vectors of West Nile virus (WNV detected in at least 34 species of mosquitoes in the United States. In North America, Culex pipiens pipiens, Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus, and Culex tarsalis are all competent vectors of WNV, which is considered to be enzootic in the United States and has also been detected in equines and birds in many states of Mexico and in humans in Nuevo Leon. There is potential for WNV to be introduced into Mexico City by various means including infected mosquitoes on airplanes, migrating birds, ground transportation and infected humans. Little is known of the geographic distribution of Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes and hybrids in Mexico City. Culex pipiens pipiens preferentially feed on avian hosts; Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus have historically been considered to prefer mammalian hosts; and hybrids of these two species could theoretically serve as bridge vectors to transmit WNV from avian hosts to humans and other mammalian hosts. In order to address the potential of WNV being introduced into Mexico City, we have determined the identity and spatial distribution of Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes and their hybrids. Results Mosquito larvae collected from 103 sites throughout Mexico City during 2004-2005 were identified as Culex, Culiseta or Ochlerotatus by morphological analysis. Within the genus Culex, specimens were further identified as Culex tarsalis or as belonging to the Culex pipiens complex. Members of the Culex pipiens complex were separated by measuring the ratio of the dorsal and ventral arms (DV/D ratio of the male genitalia and also by using diagnostic primers designed for the Ace.2 gene. Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus was the most abundant form collected. Conclusions Important WNV vectors species, Cx. p. pipiens, Cx. p. quinquefasciatus and Cx. tarsalis, are all present in Mexico City. Hybrids of Cx. p. pipiens and Cx. p

  10. Asymmetric correlations in the ozone concentration dynamics of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meraz, M.; Alvarez-Ramirez, J.; Echeverria, J. C.

    2017-04-01

    Mexico City is a megalopolis with severe pollution problems caused by vehicles and industrial activity. This condition imposes important risks to human health and economic activity. Based on hourly-sampled data during the last decade, in a recent work (Meraz et al., 2015) we showed that the pollutant dynamics in Mexico City exhibits long-term and scale-dependent persistence effects resulting from the combination of pollutants generation by vehicles and removal by advection mechanisms. In this work, we analyzed the dynamics of ozone, a key component reflecting the degree of atmospheric contamination, to determine if its long-term correlations are asymmetric in relation to the actual concentration trend (increasing or decreasing). The analysis is conducted with detrended fluctuation analysis. The results showed that the average ozone dynamics is uncorrelated when the concentration is increasing. In contrast, the ozone dynamics shows long-term anti-persistence effects when the concentration is decreasing.

  11. Contribution of garbage burning to chloride and PM2.5 in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Bei

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The contribution of garbage burning (GB emissions to chloride and PM2.5 in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA has been investigated for the period of 24 to 29 March during the MILAGRO-2006 campaign using the WRF-CHEM model. When the MCMA 2006 official emission inventory without biomass burning is used in the simulations, the WRF-CHEM model significantly underestimates the observed particulate chloride in the urban and the suburban areas. The inclusion of GB emissions substantially improves the simulations of particulate chloride; GB contributes more than 60% of the observation, indicating that it is a major source of particulate chloride in Mexico City. GB yields up to 3 pbb HCl at the ground level in the city, which is mainly caused by the burning of polyvinyl chloride (PVC in the garbage. GB is also an important source of PM2.5, contributing about 3–30% simulated PM2.5 mass on average. More modeling work is needed to evaluate the GB contribution to hazardous air toxics, such as dioxin, which is found to be released at high level from PVC burning in laboratory experiments.

  12. Experiences of street harassment and associations with perceptions of social cohesion among women in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paola A Campos

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To document the frequency and forms of street harassment and examine the association between street harassment experiences and perceptions of social cohesion. Materials and methods. Baseline survey data collected among women seeking care in public health clinics in Mexico City were used for analysis. Results. Nearly two-thirds (62.8% of women reported experiencing some form of street harassment in the prior month; women with street harassment experiences reported significantly lower perceived social cohesion (b=-0.46; 95%CI:0.69,-0.22. Conclusions. Findings indicate reducing street harassment may have important implications for improving women’s perceived social cohesion and their safety in Mexico City.

  13. Preventing and controlling land subsidence in Shanghai -towards more integrated and effective land use and ground water governance in the Yangtze Delta

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Liping

    2016-04-01

    The Yangtze Delta, covers 210,700 square kilometers and with 156 million inhabitants (NRDC, 2010; The National Bureau of Statistics, 2011), is one of the areas most severely affected by land subsidence in China. Up to 2012, the area with cumulative subsidence above 200 mm in Yangtze Delta has been closed to 10,000 square kilometers. Shanghai, located at the estuary of the Yangtze River and with a population of 23 million, is the most densely populated city in Yangtze Delta (The National Bureau of Statistics, 2011). Since 1921, the recorded cumulative subsidence has been 200 to 300 mm in the central area of the city (Chai, Shen, Zhu, & Zhang, 2005). Excessive pumping of groundwater is considered to be the leading reason, accounts for nearly 70%, of the city's land subsidence, the weight of skyscrapers and global warming also play hefty roles (30%) (Springer, 2012). Research has shown that the main method to control land subsidence in Shanghai is to prevent groundwater from dropping (Chai, Shen, Zhu, & Zhang, 2005), the city has made great efforts in this regard since 1965 (the beginning of the so-called "control period"), for example, it has been recharging underground water through 121 wells with more than 60,000 tons every day since 2012 (Chinadaily, 2012). It is a huge burden considering the city has been suffering from a shortage of fresh water. In 2013, with the other two provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang in Yangtze Delta, Shanghai signed a delta cooperation agreement on the prevention and control of land subsidence and jointly issued a Prevention and Control Planning on Land Subsidence in Yangtze Delta (2014-2020), which aims to establish a long-effect mechanism in the delta scope. This research aims to analyze and assess the land and groundwater governance arrangements related to land subsidence in the Yangtze Delta in general and Shanghai in specific, in order to develop optimizing adaptation strategies and associated governance arrangements. It examines the

  14. Microscopic Characterization of Carbonaceous Aerosol Particle Aging in the Outflow from Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moffet, R. C.; Henn, T. R.; Tivanski, A. V.; Hopkins, R. J.; Desyaterik, Y.; Kilcoyne, A. L. D.; Tyliszczak, T.; Fast, J.; Barnard, J.; Shutthanandan, V.; Cliff, S.S.; Perry, K. D.; Laskin, A.; Gilles, M. K.

    2009-09-16

    This study was part of the Megacities Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) field campaign conducted in Mexico City Metropolitan Area during spring 2006. The physical and chemical transformations of particles aged in the outflow from Mexico City were investigated for the transport event of 22 March 2006. A detailed chemical analysis of individual particles was performed using a combination of complementary microscopy and micro-spectroscopy techniques. The applied techniques included scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) coupled with near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) and computer controlled scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (CCSEM/EDX). As the aerosol plume evolves from the city center, the organic mass per particle increases and the fraction of carbon-carbon double bonds (associated with elemental carbon) decreases. Organic functional groups enhanced with particle age include: carboxylic acids, alkyl groups, and oxygen bonded alkyl groups. At the city center (T0) the most prevalent aerosol type contained inorganic species (composed of sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and potassium) coated with organic material. At the T1 and T2 sites, located northeast of T0 (~;;29 km and ~;;65 km, respectively), the fraction of homogenously mixed organic particles increased in both size and number. These observations illustrate the evolution of the physical mixing state and organic bonding in individual particles in a photochemically active environment.

  15. Application of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system to ground subsidence hazard mapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Inhye; Choi, Jaewon; Jin Lee, Moung; Lee, Saro

    2012-11-01

    We constructed hazard maps of ground subsidence around abandoned underground coal mines (AUCMs) in Samcheok City, Korea, using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and a geographical information system (GIS). To evaluate the factors related to ground subsidence, a spatial database was constructed from topographic, geologic, mine tunnel, land use, and ground subsidence maps. An attribute database was also constructed from field investigations and reports on existing ground subsidence areas at the study site. Five major factors causing ground subsidence were extracted: (1) depth of drift; (2) distance from drift; (3) slope gradient; (4) geology; and (5) land use. The adaptive ANFIS model with different types of membership functions (MFs) was then applied for ground subsidence hazard mapping in the study area. Two ground subsidence hazard maps were prepared using the different MFs. Finally, the resulting ground subsidence hazard maps were validated using the ground subsidence test data which were not used for training the ANFIS. The validation results showed 95.12% accuracy using the generalized bell-shaped MF model and 94.94% accuracy using the Sigmoidal2 MF model. These accuracy results show that an ANFIS can be an effective tool in ground subsidence hazard mapping. Analysis of ground subsidence with the ANFIS model suggests that quantitative analysis of ground subsidence near AUCMs is possible.

  16. Saturday Driving Restrictions Fail to Improve Air Quality in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Lucas W.

    2017-02-01

    Policymakers around the world are turning to license-plate based driving restrictions in an effort to address urban air pollution. The format differs across cities, but most programs restrict driving once or twice a week during weekdays. This paper focuses on Mexico City, home to one of the oldest and best-known driving restriction policies. For almost two decades Mexico City’s driving restrictions applied during weekdays only. This changed recently, however, when the program was expanded to include Saturdays. This paper uses hourly data from pollution monitoring stations to measure the effect of the Saturday expansion on air quality. Overall, there is little evidence that the program expansion improved air quality. Across eight major pollutants, the program expansion had virtually no discernible effect on pollution levels. These disappointing results stand in sharp contrast to estimates made before the expansion which predicted a 15%+ decrease in vehicle emissions on Saturdays. To understand why the program has been less effective than expected, the paper then turns to evidence from subway, bus, and light rail ridership, finding no evidence that the expansion was successful in getting drivers to switch to lower-emitting forms of transportation.

  17. Rapid groundwater-related land subsidence in Yemen observed by multi-temporal InSAR

    KAUST Repository

    Abdullin, Ayrat

    2015-04-01

    Several basins in Yemen are suffering from a rapid drawdown of groundwater, which is the most important water source for agricultural irrigation, industry and domestic use. However, detailed geodetic measurements in the region have been lacking and the extent and magnitude of groundwater-related land subsidence has been poorly known. We used 13 ascending ALOS and 15 descending Envisat images to study land subsidence of several basins in Yemen, with a special focus on the Sana\\'a and Mabar basins. From multitemporal synthetic aperture radar interferometric analysis (persistent scatterers (PS) and small baseline subsets (SBAS)) we examined the spatio-temporal behavior of the subsidence induced by depletion of groundwater aquifer systems from November 2003 to February 2011. In the interferometric data processing, we carefully chose interferogram pairs to minimize spatial and temporal decorrelation, because of high subsidence rates and the type of land cover. Our results show that the spatial pattern of subsidence remained quite stable during the observation period in both the Sana\\'a and Mabar basins. In the Sana\\'a basin, the maximum subsidence rate exceeded 14 cm/year in the radar line-of-sight (LOS) direction between 2003 and 2008 in an agricultural area just north of Sana\\'a city, where water wells have been drying up according to the well data. The subsidence rate was lower in the urban areas, or approximately 1 cm/year, exhibiting annual variations. The main subsidence was found in the center and southern parts of the city, while deformation in the northern part is less obvious. For the Mabar basin, the subsidence rate exceeded 30 cm/year in the agricultural area north of the town of Mabar during 2007 - 2011. The southern part of the Mabar basin also experienced high subsidence rates, although somewhat lower than to the north. Excessive water pumping is the main cause of the ground subsidence and it has already led to extensive ground fracturing at the edge

  18. Rapid groundwater-related land subsidence in Yemen observed by multi-temporal InSAR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdullin, Ayrat; Xu, Wenbin; Kosmicki, Maximillian; Jonsson, Sigurjon

    2015-04-01

    Several basins in Yemen are suffering from a rapid drawdown of groundwater, which is the most important water source for agricultural irrigation, industry and domestic use. However, detailed geodetic measurements in the region have been lacking and the extent and magnitude of groundwater-related land subsidence has been poorly known. We used 13 ascending ALOS and 15 descending Envisat images to study land subsidence of several basins in Yemen, with a special focus on the Sana'a and Mabar basins. From multitemporal synthetic aperture radar interferometric analysis (persistent scatterers (PS) and small baseline subsets (SBAS)) we examined the spatio-temporal behavior of the subsidence induced by depletion of groundwater aquifer systems from November 2003 to February 2011. In the interferometric data processing, we carefully chose interferogram pairs to minimize spatial and temporal decorrelation, because of high subsidence rates and the type of land cover. Our results show that the spatial pattern of subsidence remained quite stable during the observation period in both the Sana'a and Mabar basins. In the Sana'a basin, the maximum subsidence rate exceeded 14 cm/year in the radar line-of-sight (LOS) direction between 2003 and 2008 in an agricultural area just north of Sana'a city, where water wells have been drying up according to the well data. The subsidence rate was lower in the urban areas, or approximately 1 cm/year, exhibiting annual variations. The main subsidence was found in the center and southern parts of the city, while deformation in the northern part is less obvious. For the Mabar basin, the subsidence rate exceeded 30 cm/year in the agricultural area north of the town of Mabar during 2007 - 2011. The southern part of the Mabar basin also experienced high subsidence rates, although somewhat lower than to the north. Excessive water pumping is the main cause of the ground subsidence and it has already led to extensive ground fracturing at the edge of some

  19. Childcare needs of female street vendors in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, P; Zetina, A; Tapia, M; Ortiz, C; Soto, I C

    1996-06-01

    This article reports on strategies developed by female street vendors (vendedoras ambulantes) in Mexico City to ensure the care of their young children in the absence of a specific and operational government policy to fulfil this need. The information concerning child care and health was gathered by a survey of 426 street traders selected by multi-stage random cluster sampling in four of the administrative districts (delegaciones politicas) of Mexico City during 1990. It was found that, as mothers of young children, street vendors most frequently looked after their children personally on the street or left them with other members of the family. Related factors were availability of alternative child care providers in the family, the age of the children and working conditions of the mother. Children who remained on the streets with their mothers suffered more frequently from gastro-intestinal diseases and accidents than the national average. The incidence of acute respiratory diseases, however, was similar in the cases of maternal care in the street and care by family members in another environment. Existing public health measures show a greater concern for the health of food consumers than that of workers in this area. Current public policy seeks to regulate street vending activities and to concentrate traders in ad hoc areas and facilities. Our research results document the need for actions that can contribute to an improvement in the care and health conditions of these young children.

  20. Determination of intensity functions for predicting subsidence from coal mining, potash mining, and groundwater withdrawal using the influence function technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Triplett, T; Yurchak, D [Twin Cities Research Center, Bureau of Mines, US Dept. of the Interior, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

    1997-12-31

    This paper presents research, conducted by the Bureau of Mines, on modifying the influence function method to predict subsidence. According to theory, this technique must incorporate an intensity function to represent the relative significance of the causes of subsidence. This paper shows that the inclusion of a reasonable intensity function increases the accuracy of the technique, then presents the required functions for case studies of longwall coal mining subsidence in Illinois, USA, potash mining subsidence in new Mexico, USA, and subsidence produced by ground water withdrawal in California, USA. Finally, the paper discusses a method to predict the resultant strain from a simply measured site constant and ground curvatures calculated by the technique. (orig.)

  1. Determination of intensity functions for predicting subsidence from coal mining, potash mining, and groundwater withdrawal using the influence function technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Triplett, T.; Yurchak, D. [Twin Cities Research Center, Bureau of Mines, US Dept. of the Interior, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

    1996-12-31

    This paper presents research, conducted by the Bureau of Mines, on modifying the influence function method to predict subsidence. According to theory, this technique must incorporate an intensity function to represent the relative significance of the causes of subsidence. This paper shows that the inclusion of a reasonable intensity function increases the accuracy of the technique, then presents the required functions for case studies of longwall coal mining subsidence in Illinois, USA, potash mining subsidence in new Mexico, USA, and subsidence produced by ground water withdrawal in California, USA. Finally, the paper discusses a method to predict the resultant strain from a simply measured site constant and ground curvatures calculated by the technique. (orig.)

  2. The heat spells of Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ernesto Jáuregui

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The warning of urban air has been documented to increase in intensity and area as cities grow (Oke, 1982. As the cities grow the so called “heat island” tends to increase the risk of more frequent heat waves as well as their impacts (IPCC, 2001. Threshold values to define a heat wave vary geographically. For the case of Mexico City located in a high inland valley in the tropics, values above 30° C (daily maximum observed for three or more consecutive days and 25° C or more as mean temperature have been adopted to define the phenomenon. These events occur at the end of the dry season during March to May when afternoon relative humidity is quite low (∼20% and thus reducing the stress. Maximum temperatute data from the Observatory of the National Meteorological Service were used. Results show that during the second half of the XXth century the frequency of heat waves as defined above has doubled from 6 events/decade to 16/decade in the 1990s with a marked increase in the last third of the last century when population of the city grew from 8.5 to 18.5 million (CONAPO, 2000. During this time the average urban/rural contrast grew considerably from about 6° C to 10° C (Jáuregui, 1986. While these heat waves may be considered as “mild”they receive attention from the media and prompt actions by the population to relieve the heat stress. Application of heat indices based on the human energy balance (PET and PMV result in moderate to strong heat stress during these events. Because climate change is expected to raise nighttime minimum temperatures more than daytime highs (as suggested by the IPCC, 2001 urban heat islands and their related heat waves are likely to be a significant health concern in days to come in large urban centers especially in the developing countries.

  3. The Chemo and the Mona: Inhalants, devotion and street youth in Mexico City

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gigengack, R.A.

    2014-01-01

    This paper understands inhalant use – the deliberate inhalation of volatile solvents or glues with intentions of intoxication – as a socially and culturally constituted practice. It describes the inhalant use of young street people in Mexico City from their perspective (“the vicioso or inhalant

  4. Coupled seismic modes and earthquake hazard in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lomnitz, C.

    2007-05-01

    Wave-to-wave coupling can arise when an acoustic pulse selects a Rayleigh mode of the same speed and both travel together swapping energy across an interface. A similar effect may cause severe damage at distances of several hundred kilometers when an Lg wavetrain incides upon a soft remote sedimentary waveguide, as in Mexico City. Energy at a single dominant frequency is then trapped in the waveguide. When the input power exceeds the damping losses, the trapped mode reverberates in the layer for up to five minutes, causing severe resonant damage to structures.

  5. Measurement of ambient aerosols in northern Mexico City by single particle mass spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. C. Moffet

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Continuous ambient measurements with aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS were made in an industrial/residential section in the northern part of Mexico City as part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area-2006 campaign (MCMA-2006. Results are presented for the period of 15–27 March 2006. The submicron size mode contained both fresh and aged biomass burning, aged organic carbon (OC mixed with nitrate and sulfate, elemental carbon (EC, nitrogen-organic carbon, industrial metal, and inorganic NaK inorganic particles. Overall, biomass burning and aged OC particle types comprised 40% and 31%, respectively, of the submicron mode. In contrast, the supermicron mode was dominated by inorganic NaK particle types (42% which represented a mixture of dry lake bed dust and industrial NaK emissions mixed with soot. Additionally, aluminosilicate dust, transition metals, OC, and biomass burning contributed to the supermicron particles. Early morning periods (2–6 a.m. showed high fractions of inorganic particles from industrial sources in the northeast, composed of internal mixtures of Pb, Zn, EC and Cl, representing up to 73% of the particles in the 0.2–3μm size range. A unique nitrogen-containing organic carbon (NOC particle type, peaking in the early morning hours, was hypothesized to be amines from local industrial emissions based on the time series profile and back trajectory analysis. A strong dependence on wind speed and direction was observed in the single particle types that were present during different times of the day. The early morning (3:30–10 a.m. showed the greatest contributions from industrial emissions. During mid to late mornings (7–11 a.m., weak northerly winds were observed along with the most highly aged particles. Stronger winds from the south picked up in the late morning (after 11 a.m., resulting in a decrease in the concentrations of the major aged particle types and an increase in the number fraction of fresh

  6. Winter Dew Harvest in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arias-Torres Jorge Ernesto

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This study presents experimental and theoretical results of winter dew harvest in México City in terms of condensation rate. A simplified theoretical model based on a steady-state energy balance on a radiator-condenser was fitted, as a function of the ambient temperature, the relative humidity and the wind velocity. A glass sheet and aluminum sheet white-painted were used as samples over the outdoor experiments. A good correlation was obtained between the theoretical and experimental data. The experimental results show that there was condensation in 68% of the winter nights on both condensers. The total winter condensed mass was 2977 g/m2 and 2888 g/m2 on the glass sheet and aluminum sheet white-painted, respectively. Thus, the condensed mass on the glass was only 3% higher than that on the painted surface. The maximum nightly dew harvests occurred during December, which linearly reduced from 50 g/m2 night to 22 g/m2 night as the winter months went by. The condensation occurred from 1:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., with maximum condensation rates between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. The dew harvest can provide a partial alternative to the winter water shortage in certain locations with similar climates to the winter in Mexico City, as long as pollution is not significant.

  7. MEASUREMENTS OF MICROTREMORS IN BUILDINGS IN MEXICO CITY AFTER THE SEPTEMBER 19,1985 MICHOACAN EARTHQUAKE

    OpenAIRE

    Tadao, MINAMI; Toshihide, KASHIMA; Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo; Building Research Institute, Ministry of Construction

    1990-01-01

    We had the opportunity to measure the microtremors of 46 buildings in Mexico City as members of the Technical Cooperation Mission that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) dispatched to work in Mexico from 19 October to 22 November 1985. Fourier analyses of the recorded microtremor data provided useful information about the dynamic properties of buildings damaged or undamaged by the 1985 Michoacan earthquake. The measured natural periods suggested that the rigidity of the undamag...

  8. Hepatitis C antibody prevalence among Mexico City prisoners injecting legal and illegal substances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silverman-Retana, Omar; Serván-Mori, Edson; McCoy, Sandra I; Larney, Sarah; Bautista-Arredondo, Sergio

    2017-12-01

    Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly prevalent among prisoners and this prevalence estimates reach 64% among prisoners who inject illicit drugs. Prisons are important sites for HCV transmission in the absence of access to sterile injecting equipment; hence, it can be transmitted between prisoners who share contaminated needles and syringes. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of risk factors for anti-HCV prevalence, with particular interest on injecting behavior, and to assess correlates of anti-HCV positivity among Mexico City prisoners. Cross-sectional study based on information -collected in three male and two female prisons in Mexico City during 2010-2011- about sexually transmitted infections, socio-demographics, criminal history, substance use, vitamin injection, tattooing, among others (n=3,910). Weighted multivariable adjusted logistic regression models were estimated to assess the overall and differential odds for anti-HCV due to injecting behavior. Overall prevalence of anti-HCV was 3.3%. This figure rose to 43.1% among prisoners with a history of illicit drug injection. Prisoners with history of vitamin injection showed a similar prevalence of anti-HCV (43.8%). After stratifying by substance injected, the adjusted odds ratio was 9.8 (95% CI: 4.0, 23.8) for illicit drug injection and 11.9 (95% CI: 5.8, 23.8) for illicit drug and vitamin injection. Based on data from the most populous prisons in Mexico City, this study showed that anti-HCV is highly prevalent among prisoners with history of injecting behavior. In this sense, injecting behavior per-se, independent of the substance used, is associated with increased odds of anti-HCV positivity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Urban guides: image and space invention in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Héctor Mendoza Vargas

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This article analyzes the urban guides of Mexico City from a wide time-lapse perspective, from the end ofthe eighteenth century to the nineteenth century and up to 1940, in order to detect major themes and the change of urban perception. In foreigner’s guide outlines, from 1792 to 1793, the Cathedral’s central position conferred strength to the maps inserted in such editions. It is worth noting the subliminal role of this document regarding urban perception, social behavior and the maintenance of religious devotion in the capital of New Spain. After Mexico’s independence these guides lacked novelty. During the years between 1842 and 1854, this editorial genre was reactivated in the Mexican capital. In those years the guides were included in an attempt to fulfill the increasing need for information about the city regarding political, judicial, ecclesiastical and military aspects including, as the main novelty, the continuously expansive commercial sector. While guide editions were modified in order to satisfy the consumption and preferences of the nascent urban bourgeoisie, both editors and authors detected novel concerns among readers, not only about commercial life but they also looked for pleasant and ludic experiences in the city.

  10. Atmospheric electric field effects of cosmic rays detected in Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzalez, L. X; Valdes-Galicia, J. F [Instituto de Geofisica, Universidad National Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico D.F(Mexico)

    2006-10-15

    We studied the possible effects of atmospheric electric fields, generated in thunderstorms, on the cosmic ray intensity detected at the Earth's surface by investigating the variations of the counting rates of the cosmic-ray nucleonic component, obtained from the neutron monitor installed in Mexico City, for thunderstorms during 1996 and 1997. These were years of minimum solar activity. We compare our experimental results with the general theory of cosmic ray meteorological effects by Dorman (1995). The observed intensity variation is about 0.2%. According to Dorman (1995), the effect should be between 0.27% and 0.81% on the counting rate of the neutron monitor when the atmospheric electric field intensities are around 100 to 300 Vcm-1.Our results show that either the electric field in Mexico City had less intensity than assumed by Dorman (1995), or the electric field is not uniform in time and height during the development of the thunderstorm. [Spanish] Estudiamos los posibles efectos de los campos electricos atmosfericos, generados en las tormentas electricas, sobre la intensidad de los rayos cosmicos detectados en la superficie terrestre, analizando las variaciones de las razones de conteo de la componente nucleonica de los rayos cosmicos, obtenidas por el monitor de neutrones instalado en la ciudad de Mexico, durante tormentas electricas ocurridas entre 1996 y 1997, anos del minimo solar. Comparamos nuestros resultados experimentales con la teoria general de los efectos meteorologicos en los rayos cosmicos, desarrollada por Dorman (1995). Se observo una variacion en la intensidad de alrededor de 0.2%. De acuerdo con Dorman (1995), el efecto puede estar entre 0.27 % y 0.81% en las razones de conteo del monitor de neutrones cuando las intensidades del campo electrico atmosferico se encuentran al rededor de 100 a 300 Vcm-1. Nuestros resultados muestran que los campos electricos en la ciudad de Mexico tuvieron menos intensidad que los campos electricos asumidos

  11. Biophysical, infrastructural and social heterogeneities explain spatial distribution of waterborne gastrointestinal disease burden in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baeza, Andrés; Estrada-Barón, Alejandra; Serrano-Candela, Fidel; Bojórquez, Luis A.; Eakin, Hallie; Escalante, Ana E.

    2018-06-01

    Due to unplanned growth, large extension and limited resources, most megacities in the developing world are vulnerable to hydrological hazards and infectious diseases caused by waterborne pathogens. Here we aim to elucidate the extent of the relation between the spatial heterogeneity of physical and socio-economic factors associated with hydrological hazards (flooding and scarcity) and the spatial distribution of gastrointestinal disease in Mexico City, a megacity with more than 8 million people. We applied spatial statistics and multivariate regression analyses to high resolution records of gastrointestinal diseases during two time frames (2007–2009 and 2010–2014). Results show a pattern of significant association between water flooding events and disease incidence in the city center (lowlands). We also found that in the periphery (highlands), higher incidence is generally associated with household infrastructure deficiency. Our findings suggest the need for integrated and spatially tailored interventions by public works and public health agencies, aimed to manage socio-hydrological vulnerability in Mexico City.

  12. Urban structure analysis of mega city Mexico City using multisensoral remote sensing data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taubenböck, H.; Esch, T.; Wurm, M.; Thiel, M.; Ullmann, T.; Roth, A.; Schmidt, M.; Mehl, H.; Dech, S.

    2008-10-01

    Mega city Mexico City is ranked the third largest urban agglomeration to date around the globe. The large extension as well as dynamic urban transformation and sprawl processes lead to a lack of up-to-date and area-wide data and information to measure, monitor, and understand the urban situation. This paper focuses on the capabilities of multisensoral remotely sensed data to provide a broad range of products derived from one scientific field - remote sensing - to support urban managing and planning. Therefore optical data sets from the Landsat and Quickbird sensors as well as radar data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and the TerraSAR-X sensor are utilised. Using the multi-sensoral data sets the analysis are scale-dependent. On the one hand change detection on city level utilising the derived urban footprints enables to monitor and to assess spatiotemporal urban transformation, areal dimension of urban sprawl, its direction, and the built-up density distribution over time. On the other hand, structural characteristics of an urban landscape - the alignment and types of buildings, streets and open spaces - provide insight in the very detailed physical pattern of urban morphology on higher scale. The results show high accuracies of the derived multi-scale products. The multi-scale analysis allows quantifying urban processes and thus leading to an assessment and interpretation of urban trends.

  13. 76 FR 29266 - Galvanized Steel Wire From China and Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-20

    ...)] Galvanized Steel Wire From China and Mexico Determinations On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the... reason of imports from China and Mexico of galvanized steel wire, provided for in subheading 7217.20.30... subsidized imports of galvanized steel wire from China and Mexico. Accordingly, effective March 31, 2011, the...

  14. Aerosol Light Absorption and Scattering at Four Sites in and Near Mexico City: Comparison with Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2007-05-01

    Four photoacoustic spectrometers (PAS) for aerosol light scattering and absorption measurements were deployed in and near Mexico City in March 2006 as part of the Megacity Impacts on Regional and Global Environments (MIRAGE). The four sites included: 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. A similar campaign was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA in January-February, 2003. 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 20 and 180 Mm-1 during the course of the day and significant diurnal variation of the aerosol single scattering albedo was observed probably as a consequence of secondary aerosol formation. Comparisons with TSI nephelometer scattering at the T0 site will be presented. We will present 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 and compare with Las Vegas diurnal variation. Mexico City 'breaths' more during the course of the day than Las Vegas, Nevada in part because the latitude of

  15. Natural hazards and urban policies in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    François Mancebo

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available L’agglomération de Mexico, à plus de 2 000 mètres d’altitude, adossée à la Sierra Madre et la Cordillère Volcanique est assise sur un site accueillant mais redoutable. Il s’agit d’un des endroits les plus exposés du globe, soumis à une combinaison de risques naturels, de risques technologiques souvent mal maîtrisés dus à des industries lourdes, de nuisances, de cumul des polluants et d’un épuisement des ressources locales utilisables, tout particulièrement les ressources en eau. Après le séisme dévastateur de 1985, les acteurs de l’aménagement de Mexico tentent d’intégrer risques et durabilité dans la définition de nouvelles politiques urbaines. Mais, si les risques sont bien identifiés et des réponses sont données, leur applicabilité est quasi-nulle. Une approche normative et n’incluant pas l’ensemble de l’agglomération, mais utilisant les périphéries pour améliorer la durabilité des centres (sorte de durabilité importée à l’échelle de la métropole explique cette situation. Comme dans le mythe de Sisyphe, acteurs locaux et nationaux tentent de faire remonter la pente au rocher du risque mais ce dernier finit toujours par redescendre ? C’est qu’en réalité le problème n’est pas le rocher. Le problème, c’est la pente, c’est-à-dire le substrat fait de représentations territoriales et d’usages de l’espace qui fondent la société mexicaine, sur laquelle roule le rocher.Mexico City is located at an altitude of over 2 000 metres where it occupies an attractive but hazardous site hemmed in by the Sierra Madre and volcanic mountain ranges.The site is one of the most disaster-prone locations in the world, threatened by a combination of natural hazards, poorly controlled technological hazards created by the city’s heavy industry, pollution – particularly air pollution and diminishing local resources, the most seriously threatened being water. Since the devastating earthquake

  16. Anthropogenic and geologic influences on subsidence in the vicinity of New Orleans, Louisiana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Cathleen E.; An, Karen; Blom, Ronald G.; Kent, Joshua D.; Ivins, Erik R.; Bekaert, David

    2016-05-01

    New measurements of ongoing subsidence of land proximal to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and including areas around the communities of Norco and Lutcher upriver along the Mississippi are reported. The rates of vertical motion are derived from interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) applied to Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) data acquired on 16 June 2009 and 2 July 2012. The subsidence trends are similar to those reported for 2002-2004 in parts of New Orleans where observations overlap, in particular in Michoud, the 9th Ward, and Chalmette, but are measured at much higher spatial resolution (6 m). The spatial associations of cumulative surface movements suggest that the most likely drivers of subsidence are groundwater withdrawal and surficial drainage/dewatering activities. High subsidence rates are observed localized around some major industrial facilities and can affect nearby flood control infrastructure. Substantial subsidence is observed to occur rapidly from shallow compaction in highly localized areas, which is why it could be missed in subsidence surveys relying on point measurements at limited locations.

  17. Overview of the 2006 MILAGRO Campaign in Mexico City: Transport and Transformation of Emissions from a Megacity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molina, L.; MILAGRO Science Team

    2009-04-01

    Megacities (metropolitan areas with population over 10 million) and large urban centers present a major challenge for the global environment. Population growth, increasing motorization and industrialization have resulted in a higher demand for energy, greater use of fossil fuels, and more emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. As a result, air pollution has become not only one of the central environmental problems of the century, but also presents serious consequences to human health and ecosystems and economic costs to society. MILAGRO (Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations) is the first international effort to study the impact of air pollutants generated and exported by megacity. The Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) - one of the largest megacities in the world - was selected as the initial case study for MILAGRO. The measurement phase consisted of a month-long series of carefully coordinated observations of the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere in and near Mexico City during March 2006, using a wide range of instruments at ground sites, on aircraft and satellites, complemented by meteorological forecasting and numerical simulations. Together, these research observations have provided the most comprehensive characterization of Mexico City's urban and regional air pollution that will take years to analyze and evaluate fully. Initial analysis of the data is focused on understanding meteorology, emissions, urban and regional photochemistry, aerosol evolution and radiative effects - spanning the urban to regional scale transition. Many interesting aspects of atmospheric chemistry in and near the MCMA are emerging and have already added significantly to our understanding of the chemical and physical properties of the city's reactive atmosphere and the regional impacts. The information can be useful for decision-makers in Mexico in developing air quality management strategies as well as provide insights to air pollution problems in

  18. 75 FR 21346 - Certain Magnesia Carbon Bricks From China and Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-23

    ...)] Certain Magnesia Carbon Bricks From China and Mexico AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission... of subsidized imports from China or less-than-fair-value imports from China or Mexico of certain... bricks from China and Mexico are being sold in the United States at less than fair value within the...

  19. From Reproductive Rights to Responsibilization: Fashioning Liberal Subjects in Mexico City's New Public Sector Abortion Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singer, Elyse Ona

    2017-12-01

    Building on medical anthropology literature that analyzes doctor-patient interactions as a charged site for the production of political subjectivities, I demonstrate how a central feature of Mexico City's new public sector abortion program involves "responsibilization." In accordance with entrenched Ministry of Health objectives, providers transmit a suite of values about personal responsibility and self-regulation through the use of birth control, hinging abortion rights to responsible reproductive subjectivity. Based on 18 months of ethnographic research across program clinics, including 75 interviews with patients and providers, I show how interrupción legal del embarazo protocols fashion "responsibilized" liberal subjects. I argue that the recent granting of abortion rights in Mexico City-ostensibly a new moment for the construction of women's citizenship-instead reflects and extends long-standing state agendas of "reproductive governance." My analysis of reproductive rights as the newest framing of ongoing population policies in Mexico adds to a critical anthropology of human rights and of liberal projects of governance. © 2016 by the American Anthropological Association.

  20. Current Land Subsidence in Tianjin, China Recorded by Three Continuous GPS stations (2010-2014)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, X.; Jing, Q.; Yan, B.; Yu, J.; Gan, W.; Wang, G.

    2014-12-01

    In the past two decades, Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies have been frequently applied to urban subsidence studies, both as a complement, and an alternative to conventional surveying methods. These studies have demonstrated that high-accuracy GPS techniques are an efficient tool in tracking long-term land subsidence. A great number of Continuously Operating Reference GPS Stations (CORS) have been installed in China during the past five years. Considerable land subsidence has been observed from CORS stations installed in several large cities. This study investigated GPS time series observed at three CORS in Tianjin: TJBD (2010-2014), TJBH (2010-2014), and TJWQ (2010-2014). Tianjin is one of the largest cities that is experiencing severe land subsidence problems in China. The observations at the three GPS sites indicate different subsidence rates. The average subsidence rate over four years are 0.2 cm/year at TJBD, 2 cm/year at TJBH, and 4.4 cm/year at TJWQ. The GPS station TJBD is located at Baodi, Tianjin. This area is the least economically developed and have the smallest population compared to the other two areas. Over 80% of water usage in Baodi is for agriculture and only less than 15% is from groundwater. The rapid subsidence at TJBH and TJWQ were caused by huge groundwater withdrawals associate with rapid urban and industrial developments in Binhai and Wuqing. Wuqing district, with a unique location advantage called "Corridor of Beijing and Tianjin", has been experiencing major urbanization. The population has reached 1,053,300 and the water usage has reached 350 million cubic meters in 2012. Over 25% of water usage is from groundwater. Significant annual and half-annual seasonal ground surface fluctuation has been observed from all three GPS stations. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the annual signal is 1.5 cm.

  1. Geographically Apart, Attitudinally Very Close: A Comparison of Attitudes toward Animals between Romania and Mexico City

    OpenAIRE

    Rusu, Alina Simona; Pop, Denisa; Turner, Dennis C.

    2017-01-01

    Among other regions, Romania and Mexico (particularly Mexico City) are often cited as problematic areas in surveys and reports on the growing population of stray animals in urban areas. The aim of our study was to adapt for Romanian and Spanish languages usage of an instrument that includes significant psychological and social dimensions of the attitudes toward animals (i.e., Attitudes toward Animals questionnaire [ATA]; Fehlbaum, Waiblinger, & Turner, 2010; Turner, 2010) and compare these at...

  2. Measurements of indoor radon and radon progeny in Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Y.S.; Rodriguez, G.P.

    1996-01-01

    Indoor radon has been a public concern associated with increased lung cancer risks. Radon decay products interact with indoor aerosols to form progeny with different size distributions, which may influence the lung dosimetry when the progeny are inhaled. Air pollution in Mexico City is a serious problems with high particulate concentrations, but there are few reports of indoor radon measurement. The purposes of this study were to measure the aerosol concentration, radon concentration, and radon activity size distribution in the living area of three houses in Mexico City. The radon concentration was monitored by a RGM-3 radon gas monitor (Eberline, Inc., Santa Fe, NM). A graded diffusion battery was used to determine the progeny concentration and activity size distribution. The concentration and size distribution of the indoor aerosols were monitored by a quartz, crystal microbalance cascade impactor. Our measurements showed high concentrations of indoor aerosols (20-180 gg m -3 ). However, the radon concentrations-were low ( -1 ), but showed a clear diurnal pattern with peak concentrations from 2-10 AM. The activity size distributions of radon progeny were trimodal, with peaks of 0.6 nm, 4-5 nm, and 100 rim. Most activities were associated with large particle sizes. Our results indicated that indoor radon concentration was not high, due in part to a relatively high air exchange with outdoor air. The high aerosol concentration may also play an important part in the activity size distribution of radon progeny

  3. Diabetes and hypertension care among male prisoners in Mexico City: exploring transition of care and the equivalence principle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silverman-Retana, Omar; Servan-Mori, Edson; Lopez-Ridaura, Ruy; Bautista-Arredondo, Sergio

    2016-07-01

    To document the performance of diabetes and hypertension care in two large male prisons in Mexico City. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional study carried out during July-September 2010, including 496 prisoners with hypertension or diabetes in Mexico City. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were used to assess process-of-care indicators and disease control status. Hypertension and diabetes prevalence were estimated on 2.1 and 1.4 %, respectively. Among prisoners with diabetes 22.7 % (n = 62) had hypertension as comorbidity. Low achievement of process-of-care indicators-follow-up visits, blood pressure and laboratory assessments-were observed during incarceration compared to the same prisoners in the year prior to incarceration. In contrast to nonimprisoned diabetes population from Mexico City and from the lowest quintile of socioeconomic status at the national level, prisoners with diabetes had the lowest performance on process-of-care indicators. Continuity of care for chronic diseases, coupled with the equivalence of care principle, should provide the basis for designing chronic disease health policy for prisoners, with the goal of consistent transition of care from community to prison and vice versa.

  4. Integration of InSAR and GIS in the Study of Surface Faults Caused by Subsidence-Creep-Fault Processes in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avila-Olivera, Jorge A.; Farina, Paolo; Garduno-Monroy, Victor H.

    2008-01-01

    In Celaya city, Subsidence-Creep-Fault Processes (SCFP) began to become visible at the beginning of the 1980s with the sprouting of the crackings that gave rise to the surface faults 'Oriente' and 'Poniente'. At the present time, the city is being affected by five surface faults that display a preferential NNW-SSE direction, parallel to the regional faulting system 'Taxco-San Miguel de Allende'. In order to study the SCFP in the city, the first step was to obtain a map of surface faults, by integrating in a GIS field survey and an urban city plan. The following step was to create a map of the current phreatic level decline in city with the information of deep wells and using the 'kriging' method in order to obtain a continuous surface. Finally the interferograms maps resulted of an InSAR analysis of 9 SAR images covering the time interval between July 12 of 2003 and May 27 of 2006 were integrated to a GIS. All the maps generated, show how the surface faults divide the city from North to South, in two zones that behave in a different way. The difference of the phreatic level decline between these two zones is 60 m; and the InSAR study revealed that the Western zone practically remains stable, while sinkings between the surface faults 'Oriente' and 'Universidad Pedagogica' are present, as well as in portions NE and SE of the city, all of these sinkings between 7 and 10 cm/year

  5. Integration of InSAR and GIS in the Study of Surface Faults Caused by Subsidence-Creep-Fault Processes in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avila-Olivera, Jorge A.; Farina, Paolo; Garduño-Monroy, Victor H.

    2008-05-01

    In Celaya city, Subsidence-Creep-Fault Processes (SCFP) began to become visible at the beginning of the 1980s with the sprouting of the crackings that gave rise to the surface faults "Oriente" and "Poniente". At the present time, the city is being affected by five surface faults that display a preferential NNW-SSE direction, parallel to the regional faulting system "Taxco-San Miguel de Allende". In order to study the SCFP in the city, the first step was to obtain a map of surface faults, by integrating in a GIS field survey and an urban city plan. The following step was to create a map of the current phreatic level decline in city with the information of deep wells and using the "kriging" method in order to obtain a continuous surface. Finally the interferograms maps resulted of an InSAR analysis of 9 SAR images covering the time interval between July 12 of 2003 and May 27 of 2006 were integrated to a GIS. All the maps generated, show how the surface faults divide the city from North to South, in two zones that behave in a different way. The difference of the phreatic level decline between these two zones is 60 m; and the InSAR study revealed that the Western zone practically remains stable, while sinkings between the surface faults "Oriente" and "Universidad Pedagógica" are present, as well as in portions NE and SE of the city, all of these sinkings between 7 and 10 cm/year.

  6. Shifting corporate geographies in global cities of the South: Mexico City and Johannesburg as case studie

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parnreiter, Christof

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Global city research links the expansion of advanced producer services in major cities to the internationalisation of real estate markets as well as to the spread of (mainly high-rise office complexes. This research, however, has based its findings mainly on cases of the Global North. This paper examines, based on Grant and Nijman’s (2002 suggestion that the “internal spatial organisation of gateway cities in the less-developed world” reflects “the city’s role in the global political economy”, which patterns occur in two metropoles of the Global South. In addition to this, the analysis focuses especially on the driving forces behind the changes in corporate geographies. The analysis is placed in Mexico City and Johannesburg and based on real estate market data (offices as well as background documents on urban development. The outcome shows that in these cities, local transformation processes of the real estate market and office space location are indeed considerably shaped by global market dynamics. However, the findings also indicate that there is no clear scale dependence of the territorial form. In order to comprehensively understand the changes in the corporate geographies therefore, it is necessary to direct more attention to local and national dynamics. The restructuring of the built environment in both cities can only be grasped fully by considering the particular role of local and national governments. This additional entry point to an understanding of shifting corporate geographies helps to put recent dynamics of global capitalism and politics of urban neoliberalism in perspective.

  7. Threat of land subsidence in and around Kolkata City and East ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    ile wetland to minimize the adverse environmental impacts of groundwater development. This study, for the first time, indicates the threat of possible land subsidence due to unrestricted groundwater abstraction in the EKW and also out- lines a groundwater management plan for sustain- able development of groundwater in ...

  8. Protocol for a prospective longitudinal study of risk factors for hypertension incidence in a Mexico City population: the Tlalpan 2020 cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colín-Ramírez, Eloisa; Rivera-Mancía, Susana; Infante-Vázquez, Oscar; Cartas-Rosado, Raúl; Vargas-Barrón, Jesús; Madero, Magdalena; Vallejo, Maite

    2017-07-31

    Systemic hypertension (HTN) is a common risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In Mexico, HTN prevalence has increased over time and is currently 31%. Nonetheless, information about the country's HTN incidence and its associated risk factors is scarce. Understanding this condition is a priority for identifying the scope of primary prevention. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of traditional and non-traditional risk factors on the incidence of HTN in a cohort of healthy Mexico City residents under biannual follow-up for 10 years. A prospective longitudinal study is proposed in which clinically healthy residents of Mexico City between 20 and 50 years old will be recruited; the participants will be evaluated every 2 years over a period of 10 years or until they develop HTN. Evaluations regarding sociodemographic, clinical, anthropometric, biochemical, diet, physical activity, stress, sleep quality, alcohol and tobacco consumption factors will be performed. The participants will be recruited from the 16 municipalities of Mexico City through promotional strategies aimed at the community and will be clinically evaluated at a tertiary care institution, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez (National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez), located in Mexico City, Mexico. Sample size estimated for this study is 3436, and the Cox proportional hazards model will be used to estimate HRs for the association between explanatory variables and HTN using both raw and adjusted data. This study was approved by the Institutional Bioethics Committee of the Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez (National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez) under number 13-802. Findings from this study will be disseminated through scientific papers and research conferences. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise

  9. [Social representation of AIDS among students of Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores-Palacios, Fátima; Leyva-Flores, René

    2003-01-01

    To analyze the social representation of AIDS in a group of high school students aged 16 to 23 years in Mexico City. A non-probabilistic, cross-sectional research was carried out in a public high school in Mexico City. Students of all grades were invited to participate in the study, which took place between 1999 and 2000. Forty-six students participated; 28% male and 72% female. This exploratory field study consisted of three phases, each to address one of three dimensions: cognitive using free association techniques, representational field using semi-structured interviews; and context attitude by means of two discussion groups. In the latter, the information was previously collected for discussion. The cognitive nucleus on AIDS included the association between sex, disease, and death. The representational field of AIDS is constructed around the transmission-prevention unit. Construct elements are virus, contagion, sex, protection, and condom. An ambivalent attitude was identified towards HIV prevention and transmission: "We are only half responsible". Situations such as "rape, blood transfusions, infected syringes" were prominent in the discussion group, deemed beyond their control to prevent transmission, thus explaining the group's ambivalent attitude towards prevention. The usefulness of condoms was associated with prevention of pregnancy rather than with prevention of sexually transmitted infections. The social representation of HIV/AIDS in young students conforms a multidimensional corpus where different elements of scientific order and common sense converge and interact, such as beliefs, myths, taboos, and fears. All of these contribute to construct the meaning of AIDS. The English version of this paper is available at:http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.

  10. Risk to a Changing Climate in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vargas, N. D.

    2016-12-01

    The issue of climate change has dominated the atmospheric sciences agenda in recent decades. The concern about an increase in climate related disasters, mainly in large population centers, has led to ask whether they are mainly due to changes in climate or in vulnerability.The Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) is an example of megalopolis under high climate risk, where floods, landslides, health problems, high air pollution events, socioeconomic droughts are becoming important environmental and social problems. As urbanization spreads and population increases exposure to natural hazards increases, and so the magnitude of risk to a changing climate and the negative impacts. Since the late nineteenth century, in the MCMA an average maximum temperature could be around 22°C, whereas today it is about 24.5ºC. That is, the increase in the average temperature in Mexico City is around 3°C in a hundred years. But there are areas where an increase in the average temperature is similar in only thirty years. The heating rate of the city can vary depending on the change in land use. Areas that conserve forested regions in the process of urbanization tend to warm less than areas where the transformation into concrete and cement is almost complete. Thus, the climate of the MCMA shows important changes mainly in relation to land use changes. Global warming and natural climate variability were also analyzed as possible forcing factors of the observed warming by comparing low frequency variations in local temperature and indices for natural forcing. The hydrological cycle of the MCMA has also changed with urbanization. The "bubble of hot air" over the urban area has more capacity to hold moisture now than before the UHI. However, the increased risk to floods, heat or drought appears to be related not only to more frequent intense climatic hazards induced by the urbanization effect. This process also induces increased vulnerability to a changing climate. The establishment of

  11. Effects of anthropogenic land-subsidence on river flood hazard: a case study in Ravenna, Italy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carisi, Francesca; Domeneghetti, Alessio; Castellarin, Attilio

    2015-04-01

    Can differential land-subsidence significantly alter the river flooding dynamics, and thus flood risk in flood prone areas? Many studies show how the lowering of the coastal areas is closely related to an increase in the flood-hazard due to more important tidal flooding and see level rise. On the contrary, the literature on the relationship between differential land-subsidence and possible alterations to riverine flood-hazard of inland areas is still sparse, while several areas characterized by significant land-subsidence rates during the second half of the 20th century experienced an intensification in both inundation magnitude and frequency. This study investigates the possible impact of a significant differential ground lowering on flood hazard in proximity of Ravenna, which is one of the oldest Italian cities, former capital of the Western Roman Empire, located a few kilometers from the Adriatic coast and about 60 km south of the Po River delta. The rate of land-subsidence in the area, naturally in the order of a few mm/year, dramatically increased up to 110 mm/year after World War II, primarily due to groundwater pumping and a number of deep onshore and offshore gas production platforms. The subsidence caused in the last century a cumulative drop larger than 1.5 m in the historical center of the city. Starting from these evidences and taking advantage of a recent digital elevation model of 10m resolution, we reconstructed the ground elevation in 1897 for an area of about 65 km2 around the city of Ravenna. We referred to these two digital elevation models (i.e. current topography and topographic reconstruction) and a 2D finite-element numerical model for the simulation of the inundation dynamics associated with several levee failure scenarios along embankment system of the river Montone. For each scenario and digital elevation model, the flood hazard is quantified in terms of water depth, speed and dynamics of the flooding front. The comparison enabled us to

  12. Exploratory study of particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in different environments of Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velasco, Erik; Siegmann, Philip; Siegmann, Hans C.

    2004-09-01

    Several studies regarding particulate matter in air pollution have been performed in Mexico City, but none have focused on environment exposure to particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAH), which are related to the occurrence of cardiopulmonary diseases and mortality. On this account, this study presents measurements of personal exposure to PPAH in different outdoor and indoor environments, as well as along roadways in Mexico City. The measurements were done with portable sensors based on photoelectric charging and diffusion charging to determine the PPAH concentrations and the joint active surface of all particles, respectively. The use of these two sensors in parallel is a useful tool to qualitatively identify the major sources and to describe the physical and chemical characteristics of the particles. The highest exposures were found in ambient air near traffic sources, mainly at sites with great influence of diesel vehicles, such as urban transfer bus stations. Roadway measurements showed that Mexican PPAH pollution levels are between those in large cities in Europe and USA. For indoor environments such as residences, shopping centers, restaurants and hospitality venues, it was found that secondhand smoke is the major contributor, however badly calibrated pilot stoves, inefficient ventilation and faulty air-conditioning systems can be additional sources of PPAH.

  13. Mercury Levels in Pregnant Women, Children, and Seafood from Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basu, Niladri; Tutino, Rebecca; Zhang, Zhenzhen; Cantonwine, David E.; Goodrich, Jaclyn M.; Somers, Emily C.; Rodriguez, Lauren; Schnaas, Lourdes; Solano, Maritsa; Mercado, Adriana; Peterson, Karen; Sánchez, Brisa N.; Hernández-Avila, Mauricio; Hu, Howard; Téllez-Rojo, Martha Maria

    2014-01-01

    Background Mercury is a global contaminant of concern though little is known about exposures in México. Objectives To characterize mercury levels in pregnant women, children, and commonly consumed seafood samples. Methods Use resources of the Early Life Exposures in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) birth cohorts to measure total mercury levels in archived samples from 348 pregnant women (blood from three trimesters and cord blood), 825 offspring (blood, hair, urine) and their mothers (hair), and 91 seafood and canned tuna samples from Mexico City. Results Maternal blood mercury levels correlated across three trimesters and averaged 3.4μg/L. Cord blood mercury averaged 4.7μg/L and correlated with maternal blood from trimester 3 (but not trimesters 1 and 2). In children, blood, hair and urine mercury levels correlated and averaged 1.8μg/L, 0.6μg/g, and 0.9μg/L, respectively. Hair mercury was 0.5μg/g in mothers and correlated with child's hair. Mean consumption of canned tuna, fresh fish, canned sardine, and shellfish was 3.1, 2.2, 0.5, and 1.0 times per month respectively in pregnant women. Mean mercury content in 7 of 23 seafood species and 5 of 9 canned tuna brands purchased exceeded the U.S. EPA guidance value of 0.3 μg/g. Conclusions Mercury exposures in pregnant women and children from Mexico City, via biomarker studies, are generally 3-5 times greater than values reported in population surveys from the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere. In particular, mercury levels in 29-39% of the maternal participants exceeded the biomonitoring guideline associated with the U.S. EPA reference dose for mercury. PMID:25262076

  14. Report of the second joint meeting of the Working Party on Assessment of Fish Resources and the Working Party on Stock Assessment of Shrimp and Lobster Resources, Mexico City, Mexico, 26-29 November 1979

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    1981-01-01

    The final formal report of the WECAFC Working Parties on Assessment of Fish Resources and on Stock Assessment of Shrimp and Lobster Resources, held in Mexico City, Mexico, 26-29 November 1979 is presented...

  15. Identification of elements in polutants of Mexico City's atmosphere, using the pixe analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaz-Godoy, R.V.

    1990-01-01

    A review of the fundamentals and actual state in Mexico of the pixe (particle induced X- ray emission) technique are done. Elemental identification in samples of Mexico City's atmosphere taken in two sites is performed using this technique. A 3 MeV proton beam is used to irradiate the samples. Factors (Bremsstrahlung and interference) that difficult the use of the technique are discussed. The sensitivity of the method is enhanced as a main characteristic. It is shown that tje pixe technique together with an appropriate sampling system can be used to study environmental aerosols. Identified elements are bromine, lead, copper, iron, zinc, titanium, vanadium, calcium, potassium, chlorine, sulfur and silicon. Temporal variations of these elements are discussed. (Author)

  16. The policy of the rights of the government of Mexico City

    OpenAIRE

    Enríquez, Lucía

    2017-01-01

    This text deals with the analysis of the policy of the rights of the government of Mexico City which took place during the last three administrations. This government is considered as an institution identified with the political left of the country since it bases its government strategy on two core pillars: the democratization of the government and the design of new redistributive policies, mainly the social policy. With these referents, an analysis is made with the most important political g...

  17. Imaging Land Subsidence Induced by Groundwater Extraction in Beijing (China Using Satellite Radar Interferometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mi Chen

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Beijing is one of the most water-stressed cities in the world. Due to over-exploitation of groundwater, the Beijing region has been suffering from land subsidence since 1935. In this study, the Small Baseline InSAR technique has been employed to process Envisat ASAR images acquired between 2003 and 2010 and TerraSAR-X stripmap images collected from 2010 to 2011 to investigate land subsidence in the Beijing region. The maximum subsidence is seen in the eastern part of Beijing with a rate greater than 100 mm/year. Comparisons between InSAR and GPS derived subsidence rates show an RMS difference of 2.94 mm/year with a mean of 2.41 ± 1.84 mm/year. In addition, a high correlation was observed between InSAR subsidence rate maps derived from two different datasets (i.e., Envisat and TerraSAR-X. These demonstrate once again that InSAR is a powerful tool for monitoring land subsidence. InSAR derived subsidence rate maps have allowed for a comprehensive spatio-temporal analysis to identify the main triggering factors of land subsidence. Some interesting relationships in terms of land subsidence were found with groundwater level, active faults, accumulated soft soil thickness and different aquifer types. Furthermore, a relationship with the distances to pumping wells was also recognized in this work.

  18. Metals in aerosols of the Mexico City; Metales en aerosoles de la Ciudad de Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reyes L, J. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Salazar, Estado de Mexico C.P. 52045 (Mexico)

    1998-07-01

    The general purpose and scope of this work was to have a data base that includes enough information about the heavy metals which are disseminated in the atmospheric air in Mexico City, like it is what refers to its elements, its concentration and its particle size. For this were collected samples through collectors types: of the filters unit and the cascade impactor. Through the PIXE analysis for filters and films it was identified the presence of 20 elements in the majority of samples studied of the four seasons during the years 1993-1994. The metals were classified in two groups: those of natural origin and those of anthropogenic origin. (Author)

  19. Low hanging fruit? Regulations and energy efficiency in subsidized multifamily housing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reina, Vincent J.; Kontokosta, Constantine

    2017-01-01

    The U.S. government has invested in multifamily housing through an array of subsidized housing programs. These programs provide a venue for understanding how regulations governing multifamily housing can affect an owner's incentive to make energy efficient investments, and a tenant's desire to reduce their energy consumption levels. This paper empirically tests the impact of subsidized housing regulations on the energy efficiency of multi-family housing for low-income households. We begin by constructing a unique database that integrates actual energy use with physical, socioeconomic, and regulatory characteristics of all large multifamily properties in New York City, focusing on whether a property receives a federal rental subsidy. We employ multivariate regression models to examine the factors that influence energy consumption in multi-family buildings and compare subsidized housing to market-rate housing, controlling for a range of building and household characteristics. We find that subsidized properties are associated with higher energy consumption than similar market-rate properties and, of the subsidized housing programs, Public Housing tends to consume the most energy. Our results suggest that despite the potential for retrofitting multifamily properties, and associated cost, energy, and carbon emissions savings, regulatory factors constrain investment and consumption decisions in the case of subsidized properties. Reducing energy use in subsidized housing, therefore, rests on modifying existing regulations. - Highlights: • Developed a framework for why regulations affect utility consumption incentives. • Created and employed a dataset of actual energy use for all large properties in NYC. • Found that subsidized properties are associated with higher utility consumption. • Find that Public Housing tends to consume the most energy of the subsidy programs. • Find that regulatory factors affect investment and consumption decisions.

  20. Serenity: Violence, Inequality, and Recovery on the Edge of Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Angela

    2015-12-01

    Over the last decade, there has been a sharp increase in drug addiction in Mexico, especially among the urban poor. During the same period, unregulated residential treatment centers for addiction, known as anexos, have proliferated throughout the country. These centers are utilized and run by marginalized populations and are widely known to engage in physical violence. Based on long-term ethnographic research in Mexico City, this article describes why anexos emerged, how they work, and what their prevalence and practices reveal about the nature of recovery in a context where poverty, drugs, and violence are existential realities. Drawing attention to the dynamic relationship between violence and recovery, pain, and healing, it complicates categories of violence and care that are presumed to have exclusive meaning, illuminating the divergent meanings of, and opportunities for, recovery, and how these are socially configured and sustained. © 2015 by the American Anthropological Association.

  1. Levels and source apportionment of volatile organic compounds in southwestern area of Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodolfo Sosa, E. [Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 04510, D.F. (Mexico); Humberto Bravo, A. [Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 04510, D.F. (Mexico)], E-mail: hbravo@servidor.unam.mx; Violeta Mugica, A. [Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Azcapotzalco, D.F. (Mexico); Pablo Sanchez, A. [Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 04510, D.F. (Mexico); Emma Bueno, L. [Centro Nacional de Investigacion y Capacitacion Ambiental, Instituto Nacional de Ecologia (Mexico); Krupa, Sagar [Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 (United States)

    2009-03-15

    Thirteen volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were quantified at three sites in southwestern Mexico City from July 2000 to February 2001. High concentrations of different VOCs were found at a Gasoline refueling station (GS), a Condominium area (CA), and at University Center for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS). The most abundant VOCs at CA and CAS were propane, n-butane, toluene, acetylene and pentane. In comparison, at GS the most abundant were toluene, pentane, propane, n-butane, and acetylene. Benzene, a known carcinogenic compound had average levels of 28, 35 and 250 ppbC at CAS, CA, and GS respectively. The main contributing sources of the measured VOCs at CA and CAS were the handling and management of LP (Liquid Propane) gas, vehicle exhaust, asphalt works, and use of solvents. At GS almost all of the VOCs came from vehicle exhaust and fuel evaporation, although components of LP gas were also present. Based on the overall results possible abatement strategies are discussed. - Volatile organic compounds were quantified in order to perform their source apportionment in southwestern area of Mexico City.

  2. Levels and source apportionment of volatile organic compounds in southwestern area of Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodolfo Sosa, E.; Humberto Bravo, A.; Violeta Mugica, A.; Pablo Sanchez, A.; Emma Bueno, L.; Krupa, Sagar

    2009-01-01

    Thirteen volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were quantified at three sites in southwestern Mexico City from July 2000 to February 2001. High concentrations of different VOCs were found at a Gasoline refueling station (GS), a Condominium area (CA), and at University Center for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS). The most abundant VOCs at CA and CAS were propane, n-butane, toluene, acetylene and pentane. In comparison, at GS the most abundant were toluene, pentane, propane, n-butane, and acetylene. Benzene, a known carcinogenic compound had average levels of 28, 35 and 250 ppbC at CAS, CA, and GS respectively. The main contributing sources of the measured VOCs at CA and CAS were the handling and management of LP (Liquid Propane) gas, vehicle exhaust, asphalt works, and use of solvents. At GS almost all of the VOCs came from vehicle exhaust and fuel evaporation, although components of LP gas were also present. Based on the overall results possible abatement strategies are discussed. - Volatile organic compounds were quantified in order to perform their source apportionment in southwestern area of Mexico City

  3. Corporative Trends in Urban Distribution of Goods in Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antun, J.P.

    2016-07-01

    The Logistics processes in urban-metropolitan distribution are constantly changing, both technological support and technical implementation in the processes themselves and in the management of these. It is necessary to monitor the substantive changes outlined in the metropolitan urban-physical distribution of goods, because they contribute to a better competitive position of companies in the market, and also to a better development of city life. It is a professional scientific and technical task that contributes, by its impact on {sup b}enchmarking{sup ,} the improvement of engineering practices in the professional community of executives in logistics and supply chains. Based on three extensive field research (ANTÚN, JP; LOZANO, A; HERNÁNDEZ, R; ALARCÓN, R et al 2007; ANTÚN, JP; LOZANO, A; MAGALLANES, R; ALARCÓN, R; GRANADOS, F 2009, ANTUN JP ALARCON R; 2014) on Logistics Distribution of Goods in Mexico City, this article presents and discusses major corporate trends on a set of key logistics processes, and bring examples from Case Studies. (Author)

  4. The deadly Morelos-Puebla, Mexico Intraslab Earthquake of 19 September 2017 (Mw7.1): Was the Earthquake Unexpected and Were the Ground Motions and Damage Pattern in Mexico City Abnormal?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perez-Campos, X.; Singh, S. K.; Arroyo, D.; Cruz-Atienza, V. M.; Ordaz, M.; Hjorleifsdottir, V.; Iglesias, A.

    2017-12-01

    On 19 September 2017, thirty two years after the 1985 Michoacan interplate earthquake (Mw8.0), the city was once again devastated but this time by a Mw7.1 intraslab earthquake. The 2017 earthquake was located near the border of the states of Morelos and Puebla (18.410N, -98.710E; H=57 km), to SSE of Mexico City, at a hypocentral distance of about 127 km. It caused great panic in Mexico City, collapse of 44 buildings, and severely damaged many others. More than 200 persons were killed in the city. It was the second most destructive earthquake in the history of Mexico City, next only to the 1985 earthquake. A strong-motion station at CU located on basalt lava flows on main campus UNAM has been in continuous operation since 1964. PGA of 59 gal at CU during the 2017 earthquake is the largest ever, two times greater than that recorded during the 1985 earthquake (29 gal). The 2017 earthquake raised questions that are critical in fathoming the seismic vulnerability of the city and in its reconstruction. Was such an intraslab earthquake (Mw 7 at a hypocentral distance of 127 km) unexpected? Were the recorded ground motions in the city unusually high for such an earthquake? Why did the damage pattern during the earthquake differ from that observed during the 1985 earthquake? The earthquake was the closest M>5 intraslab earthquake to Mexico City ever recorded. However, Mw 5.9 events have occurred in recent years in the vicinity of the 2017 earthquake (R 145 km). Three Mw≥6.9 earthquakes have occurred since 1964 in the distance range 184-225 km. Thus, Mw and R of the earthquake was not surprising. However, a comparison of Fourier acceleration spectra at CU of 10 intraslab earthquakes with largest PGA, reduced to a common distance of R=127 km, shows that the amplitudes of the 2017 events were abnormally high in 1-2s range. Spectra of intraslab events at CU are enriched at higher frequencies relative to interplate ones because of closer distance, greater depth and higher

  5. STRONG-MOTION OBSERVATION DEMONSTRATION OF THE LONG-PATH EFFECTS FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN TO MEXICO CITY

    OpenAIRE

    Masahiro, IIDA; Yoshinori, FURUMOTO; Hitoshi, TANIGUCHI; Carlos, GUTIERREZ; Earthquake Res. Inst., University of Tokyo; Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.; United Nations, Centre for Regional Development; National Disaster Prevention Center

    1997-01-01

    During the 1985 Michoacan earthquake (M=8.1), seismic waves were remarkably amplified in the lakebed zone of Mexico City, approximately 400 km from the epicenter, and the long duration of the lakebed seismograms was a great surprise. Many researchers thought that the origin of the long coda seen in the lakebed zone was surface waves caused by the deep Mexico basin and the soft surficial layers, but this explanation was not adequate. Another possible cause of the long coda is the long-distance...

  6. Implementation of a radiological safety management system in a hospital of Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez V, D.; Rivera M, T.; Velez D, V.

    2007-01-01

    Full text: The reflection of this work is based in some radiological accidents that its have happened in some hospital centers or of research. The over exposure of some people is due to the pursuit of the procedures, the lack of quality assurance of the equipment or the inappropriate actions of the technicians. In Mexico one has seen in several hospitals the lack of existence of a Quality Assurance Program to prevent the accidents, the execution of the same ones and those good practices and the lack of Safety Culture makes that the hospital radiological safety it is faulty. The objective of the present work is the implementation of a radiological safety management in a hospital of Mexico City. (Author)

  7. In depth analysis of the role of the mountain gap south of the Valley of Mexico on the air quality in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerardo Ruiz Suarez, Luis

    2010-05-01

    38 days of air quality observations in Tenango del Aire (TENAI), south of Mexico City during MILAGRO were analyzed. That site was managed by FQA-CCA-UNAM's team with a mobile laboratory equipped with standard air quality monitors: O3, NOx, NOy, CO, SO2 and surface meteorological parameters. Hosted additional instruments were: CH2O, column NO2 (DOAS), backscatter (Lidar) and pilot balloons. Also, an ultra light plane from IMK-IFU, equipped with O3, PM10, CN, Dew Point monitors flew around the Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl volcanoes and above of TENAI some days during MILAGRO. Atop of TENAI, the ultra light descended in spiral until near ground and ascended to resume its path. In addition to these measurements, UNAM team ran air quality numerical simulations using the Mesoscale Climate and Chemistry Model (MCCM) and an online coupled Wind Erosion Processor to MCCM we call WEPS-MCCM. The combined observations on the ground, the ultra light plane and the models results enabled us to carry out an in depth analysis of air quality in such important region south of Mexico City. Comparison were made with the episodes classification proposed by De Foy; Ozone North and South, Convection North and South, Cold Surge and South Venting to characterize dynamics in the Valley of Mexico. The aim was to define how well connected is TENAI with the air quality network in the MCMA. The influence of the mountain gap on ozone and PM10 levels in Mexico City is analyzed by episode type. Also, the impact of the mega city of Mexico on the nearby region to the south can be understood by observations in TENAI. More polluted episode types in TENAI are those called: Cold Surge, Ozone South and South Venting due to a wind shift occurring in early afternoon that brings back polluted air that was drained south during the morning and returns back to TENAI rich in aged air parcels. March 17 was chosen to show the integrated analysis of all variables observed and modeled (MCCM) in TENAI. In that day

  8. The possible influence of volcanic emissions on atmospheric aerosols in the city of Colima, Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miranda, Javier; Zepeda, Francisco; Galindo, Ignacio

    2004-01-01

    An elemental composition study of atmospheric aerosols from the City of Colima, in the Western Coast of Mexico, is presented. Samples of PM 15 -PM 2.5 and PM 2.5 were collected with Stacked Filter Units (SFU) of the Davis design, in urban and rural sites, the latter located between the City of Colima and the Volcan de Colima, an active volcano. Elemental analyses were carried out using Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). The gravimetric mass concentrations for the fine fraction were slightly higher in the urban site, while the mean concentrations in the coarse fraction were equal within the uncertainties. High Cl contents were determined in the coarse fraction, a fact also observed in emissions from the Volcan de Colima by other authors. In addition to average elemental concentrations, cluster analysis based on elemental contents was performed, with wind speed and direction data, showing that there is an industrial contributor to aerosols North of the urban area. Moreover, a contribution from the volcanic emissions was identified from the grouping of S, Cl, Cu, and Zn, elements associated to particles emitted by the Volcan de Colima. - Elemental analyses of PM 15 in the City of Colima, Mexico, were done to identify possible contributions from the Volcan de Colima, an active volcano

  9. Long term subsidence movements and behavior of subsidence-damaged structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahar, J.W.; Marino, G.G.

    1999-01-01

    Surface ground movement related to sag mine subsidence has been monitored above Illinois abandoned room and pillar coal workings for periods of more than 15 years. The long term movement related to a specific mine subsidence is typically small relative to the initial displacements but have caused crack and tilt damage in both repaired and unrepaired structures. Seasonal variations in ground surface elevations are superimposed on the downward movement related to mine subsidence. Thus it is necessary to measure long term subsidence movement at about the same time each year in order to minimize environmental factors. This paper presents long term monitoring data from five subsidence sags in central and southern Illinois. The abandoned coal mine workings are located at depths of 160 to 460 ft below the ground surface. measured residual mine subsidence ranges between 1.4 and 3.6 in. 4.4 to 15 years after mine failure. The magnitude of downward displacement is greater than settlement design values (1 in.) and are at rates (0.0004 to 0.0056 ft/month) that cause damage to structures. Most of the damage in unrepaired structures occurs along existing cracks and separations. In all five cases, the ground movements are continuing at residual rates. Sag subsidence movement in Illinois takes place for a minimum of five years after the damage is manifested at the ground surface. A classification of say development is provided based on the displacement-time data

  10. On Assessment and Estimation of Potential Losses due to Land Subsidence in Urban Areas of Indonesia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abidin, Hasanuddin Z.; Andreas, Heri; Gumilar, Irwan; Sidiq, Teguh P.

    2016-04-01

    Land subsidence is natural-anthropogenic hazard affecting several large urban areas in Indonesia, i.e. Jakarta, Bandung and Semarang. Geodetic based results from various techniques (e.g. Leveling, GPS and InSAR) show that land subsidence rates in all three cities generally have spatial and temporal variations, and their magnitude is in average about 5-10 cm/year. The impacts of subsidence in those cities can be seen in the field in various forms such as cracking of permanent constructions and roads, tilting of houses and buildings, 'sinking' of houses and buildings, changes in river canal and drain flow systems, wider expansion of coastal and/or inland flooding areas, and increased inland sea water intrusion. These impacts can be categorized into infrastructure, environmental, economic, and social impacts. The potential losses due to land subsidence in urban areas are actually quite significant. Related infrastructural, social and environmental costs due to direct and indirect impacts of land subsidence are economically quite significant, and can not be underestimated in sustainable urban development. The planning, development and maintenance costs of building and infrastructures in the affected areas are usually much higher than the normal situation. The collateral impact of coastal subsidence in Jakarta and Semarang, in the form of coastal flooding during high tides is also quite damaging. This repeated coastal flooding in several areas along the coast will deteriorate the structure and function of building and infrastructures, badly influences the quality of the living environment and life (e.g. health and sanitation condition), and also disrupts economic and social activities in the affected areas. As in the case of Bandung, inland subsidence also has a quite significant impact on inland flooding phenomena, since it will theoretically lead to expanded coverage and deeper water depth of flooded (inundated) areas. Since the direct and indirect impacts of

  11. Historical Evolution of the Hydrological Functioning of the Old Lake Xochimilco, Southern Mexico Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, T.; Ruvalcaba, A.

    2012-12-01

    The lacustrian area of Xochimilco is one of the remnants of the old system of lakes located in the Basin of Mexico. After the Spanish conquest, began a series of actions including hydraulic-works that have changed the original landscape of this region. This region had important springs that for more than 50 years supplied water to the Mexico City. Since 1960, the excessive exploitation of the aquifer and urban growth in the region exhausted the springs. Using historical information we were able to characterize the major phenomena that have substantially changed the hydrogeological functioning of the region, in some more than 100 years. Currently, the exploitation of extraction wells has caused a gradual decrease in their static level and the existing remnant of the old lake is maintained with treated water. Observable effects are presented. The topographic gradient has been modified occurs subsidence and fractures are visible besides a severe reduction in the lake area which has been reduced to 15% of its original extent.

  12. Teenagers’ access to contraception in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sofía Gómez-Inclán

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To study and understand the phenomenon of access to contraceptive methods in Mexican teenages, through the use of the Levesque model, which allows for the observation of both the system and the system and the user´s participation in the access process. Materials and methods. A qualitative study was conducted with focus groups technique in a middle and high school of Mexico City. Results. The perception of ability to access to health care is limited, teenagers do not know the mechanisms of care or supply of contraceptive methods. Prejudices of service providers provoke a negative reaction. The family is a source of information for adolescents to make decisions. Conclusions. The model allowed the assessment of access to contraceptive methods in teenagers. It were identified dif­ferent aspects that act as barriers to access and may inform health care providers about this population in their sexual and reproductive health.

  13. A Tale of Two Cities: San Diego (USA) and Tijuana (Mexico) El Niño Readiness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, C.; Kinoshita, A. M.; Nishikawa, T.; Briones-Gamboa, F.

    2016-12-01

    This research seeks to define the characteristics of an El Niño Ready City (ENRC) by comparing two neighboring cities, San Diego, United States and Tijuana, Mexico, with diverse management and social conditions, yet similar climatology. Notable El Niño years, 1982-83 and 1997-98, brought heavy precipitation and consequently significant flooding in southern California and northwest Mexico. Using the 2015-16 El Niño, we were able to investigate both Cities' historical and current preparation for hazardous events and identify lessons learned from previous events. Preparation activities include steps taken to prepare storm-related infrastructure, develop emergency protocols, establish communication and coordination efforts, and encourage public outreach and awareness. Literature, media searches, and interviews with local and regional agencies such as the San Diego Department of Transportation and Storm Water, San Diego Lifeguard Services and River Rescue Team, Tijuana State Civil Protection, and Mexican Meteorological Service Departments provided insight into the current and ongoing management for these urban Cities during the 2015-2016 El Niño. Both San Diego and Tijuana were cognizant of the 2015-2016 El Niño and anticipated above-average precipitation and had public agencies that were concerned with potential El Niño related impacts. Common challenges of inter-agency communication and coordination were noted for both Cities. By tracking the electronic media in Tijuana, we observed that local institutions respond proactively, but in a specific period of time. While, in the case of San Diego, the media analysis indicated a focus on El Niño related weather and its implications for the City as evidenced by the total number of articles related to weather across four decades. A challenge for both Cities will be to develop readiness capacities for long-term periods even if El Niño signals are weak or not present.

  14. Mexico City air quality research initiative. Volume IV. Characterization and measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mauzy, A. [ed.

    1994-04-01

    This volume describes the methods and the data gathered in an attempt to measure and characterize the meteorological factors and the concentration of different pollutants in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area. The main objective of this document was to provide input for the simulation models and to obtain information that could be used to test and improve the models` performance. Four field campaigns were conducted, as well as routine monitoring, in order to obtain a database of atmospheric dynamics and air pollution characteristics. Sections include Airborne measurements, Remote sensing measurements, and Traditional (in situ) measurements.

  15. A driving cycle for vehicle emissions estimation in the metropolitan area of Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schifter, I; Díaz, L; Rodríguez, R; López-Salinas, E

    2005-02-01

    A driving cycle derived from driving behavior and real traffic conditions in Mexico City (MC) is proposed. Data acquisition was carried out over diverse MC routes, representing travel under congested and uncongested conditions, using the chase-car approach. Thirteen different on-road patterns, including the four main access roads to MC, trips in both directions and different timetables, a total of 108 trips spanning 1044 km were evaluated in this study. The MC cycle lasts 1360 seconds with a distance of 8.8 km and average speed of 23.4 km h(-1). Both maximum speed (73.6 km h(-1)) and maximum acceleration (2.22 km h(-1)s(-1)) are lower than those of the new vehicles certification employed in Mexico ,FTP-75 cycle., that is, the MC cycle exhibits less cruising time and more transient events than the FTP cycle. A total of 30 light duty gasoline vehicles were classified into different technological groups and tested in an FTP-75 and MC driving cycles in order to compare their emission factors A potential concern is that in Mexico manufacturers design vehicles to meet the emission standards in the FTP, but emission levels increase significantly in a more representative cycle of present driving patterns in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (MAMC). The use of a more representative cycle during certification testing, would provide an incentive for vehicle manufacturers to design emissions control systems to remain effective during operation modes that are not currently represented in the official test procedures used in the certification process. Based on the results of the study, the use of MC cycle, which better represents current day driving patterns during testing of vehicle fleets in emissions laboratories, would improve the accuracy of emissions factors used in the MAMC emissions inventories.

  16. GROUND SUBSIDENCE MONITORING WITH MT-InSAR AND MECHANISM INVERSION OVER XI’AN, CHINA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. M. Peng

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The ancient Xi’an, China, has been suffering severe land subsidence and ground fissure hazards since the 1960s, which has affected the safety of Subways. Multi-sensor SAR data are conducted to monitor the latest complex ground deformation and its influence on subway line No.3 over Xi’an. Annual deformation rates have been retrieved to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution of ground subsidence in Xi’an city from 2013 to 2017. Meanwhile, the correlation between land subsidence and ground fissures are analyzed by retrieving the deformation differences in both sides of the fissures. Besides, the deformation along subway line No. 3 is analyzed, and the fast deformation section is quantitatively studied. Finally, a flat lying sill model with distributed contractions is implemented to model the InSAR deformation over YHZ subsidence center, which manifests that the ground deformation is mainly caused by groundwater withdrawal.

  17. [Prehospital emergency care in Mexico City: the opportunities of the healthcare system].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinet, Luis M

    2005-01-01

    Unintentional vehicle traffic injuries cause 1.2 million preventable deaths per year worldwide, mostly affecting the population in their productive years of life. In Mexico, unintentional vehicle traffic injuries are one of the main causes of death; in Mexico City they account for 8% of deaths. Prehospital systems are set up to provide hospital medical care to the population, by means of a complex network that includes transportation, communications, resources (material, financial and human), and public participation. These systems may be designed in a variety of ways, depending on availability, capacity and quality of resources, according to specific community needs, always abiding by laws and regulations. In Mexico, several institutions and organizations offer prehospital services without being overseen in terms of coordination, regulation and performance evaluation, despite the high rates of morbidity and mortality due to injuries and preventable conditions amenable to effective therapy during the prehospital period. Prehospital care may contribute to decrease the morbidity and mortality rates of injuries requiring prompt medical care. Emphasis is made on the importance of assessing the performance of prehospital care, as well as on identification of needs for future development.

  18. 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.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2010-09-01

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

  20. Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Silver City Quadrangle, New Mexico; Arizona

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1981-01-01

    Field and laboratory data are presented for 405 water samples and 736 sediment samples from the Silver City Quadrangle, New Mexico; Arizona. Uranium values have been reported by Los Alamos National Laboratory in Report GJBX-69(78). The samples were collected by Los Alamos National Laboratory; laboratory analysis and data reporting were performed by the Uranium Resource Evaluation Project at Oak Ridge, Tennessee

  1. Aerosol effects on the photochemistry in Mexico City during MCMA-2006/MILAGRO campaign

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Li

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available In the present study, the impact of aerosols on the photochemistry in Mexico City is evaluated using the WRF-CHEM model for the period from 24 to 29 March during the MCMA-2006/MILAGRO campaign. An aerosol radiative module has been developed with detailed consideration of aerosol size, composition, and mixing. The module has been coupled into the WRF-CHEM model to calculate the aerosol optical properties, including optical depth, single scattering albedo, and asymmetry factor. Calculated aerosol optical properties are in good agreement with the surface observations and aircraft and satellite measurements during daytime. In general, the photolysis rates are reduced due to the absorption by carbonaceous aerosols, particularly in the early morning and late afternoon hours with a long aerosol optical path. However, with the growth of aerosol particles and the decrease of the solar zenith angle around noontime, aerosols can slightly enhance photolysis rates when ultraviolet (UV radiation scattering dominates UV absorption by aerosols at the lower-most model layer. The changes in photolysis rates due to aerosols lead to about 2–17 % surface ozone reduction during daytime in the urban area in Mexico City with generally larger reductions during early morning hours near the city center, resulting in a decrease of OH level by about 9 %, as well as a decrease in the daytime concentrations of nitrate and secondary organic aerosols by 5–6 % on average. In addition, the rapid aging of black carbon aerosols and the enhanced absorption of UV radiation by organic aerosols contribute substantially to the reduction of photolysis rates.

  2. A Methodological Approach to the Study of Urban Memory: Narratives about Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martha de Alba

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available This article serves a dual purpose. On the one hand, I seek to understand social representations and the collective memory of a sample of older adults, resident in the metropolitan area of Mexico City. On the other hand, I wish to reflect on the methodology used to achieve that objective, placing special emphasis on the combination of two complementary techniques: Atlas.ti, a tool used to carry out a semantic analysis of the interviews, and Alceste, a program that makes it possible to observe a classification of the terms used by respondents based on a statistical analysis of co-occurrences. The article is structured in the following order. Firstly, I explain the theoretical presuppositions that sustain the study. Secondly, I look at the methodology used, the reasons why I decided to use the software in question, and the analysis strategies for the interviews. Finally, I present the results obtained, and close with a final discussion on the relevance of the general methodology of the study for analyzing urban memory. The results indicate different levels of analysis of extensive narratives about the past experience of a great city like Mexico City; from the individual level that allows Atlas.ti up to a collective level (gender differences, location or socioeconomic status that prioritizes Alceste. I discuss the limitations of these software tools to analyze experiences that have continuity in time and space, as well in the incorporation of space as a complex category of analysis. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1202276

  3. Preventing HIV Transmission Among Partners of HIV-Positive Male Sex Workers in Mexico City: A Modeling Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monteiro, João Filipe G; Marshall, Brandon D L; Escudero, Daniel; Sosa-Rubí, Sandra G; González, Andrea; Flanigan, Timothy; Operario, Don; Mayer, Kenneth H; Lurie, Mark N; Galárraga, Omar

    2015-09-01

    Mexico has a concentrated HIV epidemic, with male sex workers constituting a key affected population. We estimated annual HIV cumulative incidence among male sex workers' partners, and then compared incidence under three hypothetical intervention scenarios: improving condom use; and scaling up HIV treatment as prevention, considering current viral suppression rates (CVS, 60.7 %) or full viral suppression among those treated (FVS, 100 %). Clinical and behavioral data to inform model parameterization were derived from a sample (n = 79) of male sex workers recruited from street locations and Clínica Condesa, an HIV clinic in Mexico City. We estimated annual HIV incidence among male sex workers' partners to be 8.0 % (95 % CI: 7.3-8.7). Simulation models demonstrated that increasing condom use by 10 %, and scaling up HIV treatment initiation by 50 % (from baseline values) would decrease the male sex workers-attributable annual incidence to 5.2, 4.4 % (CVS) and 3.2 % (FVS), respectively. Scaling up the number of male sex workers on ART and implementing interventions to ensure adherence is urgently required to decrease HIV incidence among male sex workers' partners in Mexico City.

  4. Research of land reclamation and ecological restoration in the resource-exhausting city : a case study of Huaibei in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao, W.; Hu, Z.; Li, J.; Zhang, H.; Hu, J.; Zhang, P.

    2010-01-01

    Eco-city construction is a strong tool which could move a city from traditional industrial civilization to ecological civilization. The city of Huaibet, located in China, has 50 years of coal mining history, and has been listed as a national resource-exhausting city. The city's sustainable development and ecological restoration is encountering extreme challenges. This study used time-space evolution analysis of mining subsidence in order to study the situation of evolution and distribution of subsidence in the area in Huaibet. The purpose of the study was to provide strategic recommendations to assist Huaibei city transform from a resource-exhausting city to an eco-city. Specifically, the paper discussed the direction of eco-reconstruction in Huaibei such as rural eco-agriculture; wetland park or suburban park; and mine park. It also presented a time-space evolution analysis of mining subsidence in Huaibet including the subsidence status of the main city of Huaibet and intensive use of land evaluation and land use measures of the main city of Huaibei. Land reclamation and eco-reconstruction of Huaibet was also examined in the paper. It was concluded that based on land use of all aspects of the evaluation area and city's development plan, an integrated tourism with full use of subsidence land could be developed. 10 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs.

  5. Research of land reclamation and ecological restoration in the resource-exhausting city : a case study of Huaibei in China

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiao, W.; Hu, Z.; Li, J.; Zhang, H.; Hu, J.; Zhang, P. [China Univ. Of Mining and Technology, Beijing (China). Inst. of Land Reclamation and Ecological Reconstruction

    2010-07-01

    Eco-city construction is a strong tool which could move a city from traditional industrial civilization to ecological civilization. The city of Huaibet, located in China, has 50 years of coal mining history, and has been listed as a national resource-exhausting city. The city's sustainable development and ecological restoration is encountering extreme challenges. This study used time-space evolution analysis of mining subsidence in order to study the situation of evolution and distribution of subsidence in the area in Huaibet. The purpose of the study was to provide strategic recommendations to assist Huaibei city transform from a resource-exhausting city to an eco-city. Specifically, the paper discussed the direction of eco-reconstruction in Huaibei such as rural eco-agriculture; wetland park or suburban park; and mine park. It also presented a time-space evolution analysis of mining subsidence in Huaibet including the subsidence status of the main city of Huaibet and intensive use of land evaluation and land use measures of the main city of Huaibei. Land reclamation and eco-reconstruction of Huaibet was also examined in the paper. It was concluded that based on land use of all aspects of the evaluation area and city's development plan, an integrated tourism with full use of subsidence land could be developed. 10 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs.

  6. InSAR to support sustainable urbanization over compacting aquifers: The case of Toluca Valley, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castellazzi, Pascal; Garfias, Jaime; Martel, Richard; Brouard, Charles; Rivera, Alfonso

    2017-12-01

    This paper illustrates how InSAR alone can be used to delineate potential ground fractures related to aquifer system compaction. An InSAR-derived ground fracturing map of the Toluca Valley, Mexico, is produced and validated through a field campaign. The results are of great interest to support sustainable urbanization and show that InSAR processing of open-access Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the Sentinel-1 satellites can lead to reliable and cost-effective products directly usable by cities to help decision-making. The Toluca Valley Aquifer (TVA) sustains the water needs of two million inhabitants living within the valley, a growing industry, an intensively irrigated agricultural area, and 38% of the water needs of the megalopolis of Mexico City, located 40 km east of the valley. Ensuring water sustainability, infrastructure integrity, along with supporting the important economic and demographic growth of the region, is a major challenge for water managers and urban developers. This paper presents a long-term analysis of ground fracturing by interpreting 13 years of InSAR-derived ground displacement measurements. Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) and Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) techniques are applied over three SAR datasets totalling 93 acquisitions from Envisat, Radarsat-2, and Sentinel-1A satellites and covering the period from 2003 to 2016. From 2003 to 2016, groundwater level declines of up to 1.6 m/yr, land subsidence up to 77 mm/yr, and major infrastructure damages are observed. Groundwater level data show highly variable seasonal responses according to their connectivity to recharge areas. However, the trend of groundwater levels consistently range from -0.5 to -1.5 m/yr regardless of the well location and depth. By analysing the horizontal gradients of vertical land subsidence, we provide a potential ground fracture map to assist in future urban development planning in the Toluca Valley.

  7. Development of pollution reduction strategies for Mexico City: Estimating cost and ozone reduction effectiveness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thayer, G.R.; Hardie, R.W.; Barrera-Roldan, A.

    1993-01-01

    This reports on the collection and preparation of data (costs and air quality improvement) for the strategic evaluation portion of the Mexico City Air Quality Research Initiative (MARI). Reports written for the Mexico City government by various international organizations were used to identify proposed options along with estimates of cost and emission reductions. Information from appropriate options identified by SCAQMD for Southem California were also used in the analysis. A linear optimization method was used to select a group of options or a strategy to be evaluated by decision analysis. However, the reduction of ozone levels is not a linear function of the reduction of hydrocarbon and NO x emissions. Therefore, a more detailed analysis was required for ozone. An equation for a plane on an isopleth calculated with a trajectory model was obtained using two endpoints that bracket the expected total ozone precursor reductions plus the starting concentrations for hydrocarbons and NO x . The relationship between ozone levels and the hydrocarbon and NO x concentrations was assumed to lie on this plane. This relationship was used in the linear optimization program to select the options comprising a strategy

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2011-02-01

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

  9. Halting Land Subsidence in Tucson, Arizona: Examining the Poroelastic Response to Artificial Recharge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, M. M.; Shirzaei, M.; Argus, D. F.

    2017-12-01

    Overexploitation of groundwater results in stressed aquifer systems and surface deformation in the form of land subsidence. Differential land subsidence can lead to earth fissures, which threaten buildings and infrastructure. Therefore, careful water management is necessary to ensure aquifer resources are withdrawn and replenished at a sustainable yield to preserve supplies and minimize surface deformation. Tucson, Arizona is a semi-arid desert city that is reliant on a semi-confined alluvial aquifer system for much of the water supply. To understand the poroelastic response of the aquifer system over time, we analyze data from wells equipped with extensometers, InSAR time series, and GPS. From 1990-2005, compaction of fine-grained, aquitard material is measured up to 8.5 mm/yr at well sites equipped with extensometers. This induces permanent aquifer storage volume losses up to 4.1%. Yet, interferograms from Envisat and RadarSAT-2 C-band satellites, which yield multitemporal deformation maps at high resolution, reveal that subsidence remarkably slows by the late 2000s and nearly halts by 2015. We infer this deceleration corresponds to heightened artificial recharge efforts to bank Colorado River water delivered via canal. After groundwater levels recover, residual compaction continues for just a 6.6-year interval, which suggests a high value for vertical hydraulic conductivity up to 9.8 x10-4 m/day. Successful water management and conservation plans help the city preserve existing and replenish depleted groundwater reserves, decelerate land subsidence, and likely reduce the risks associated with earth fissuring.

  10. Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in captive mammals in three zoos in Mexico City, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarado-Esquivel, Cosme; Gayosso-Dominguez, Edgar Arturo; Villena, Isabelle; Dubey, J P

    2013-09-01

    Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were determined in 167 mammals in three zoos in Mexico City, Mexico, using the modified agglutination test (MAT). Overall, antibodies to T. gondii were found in 89 (53.3%) of the 167 animals tested. Antibodies were found in 35 of 43 wild Felidae: 2 of 2 bobcats (Lynx rufus); 4 of 4 cougars (Puma concolor); 10 of 13 jaguars (Panthera onca); 5 of 5 leopards (Panthera pardus); 7 of 7 lions (Panthera leo); 2 of 3 tigers (Panthera tigris); 2 of 3 ocelots (Leopardus pardalis); 2 of 2 Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae); lof 2 Jaguarundi (Herpailurus jagouaroundi); but not in 0 of 2 oncillas (Leopardus tigrinus). Such high seroprevalence in wild felids is of public health significance because of the potential of oocyst shedding. Four of 6 New World primates (2 of 2 Geoffroy's spider monkeys [Ateles geoffroyi], 1 of 3 Patas monkeys [Erythrocebus patas], and 1 of 1 white-headed capuchin [Cebus capucinus]) had high MAT titers of 3,200, suggesting recently acquired infection; these animals are highly susceptible to clinical toxoplasmosis. However, none of these animals were ill. Seropositivity to T. gondii was found for the first time in a number of species.

  11. Public policy performance for social development : solar energy approach to assess technological outcome in Mexico City Metropolitan Area

    OpenAIRE

    Arenas-Aquino, A.R.; Matsumoto-Kuwabara, Y.; Kleiche Dray, Mina

    2017-01-01

    Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) is the most populated urban area in the country. In 2010, MCMA required 14.8% of total energy domestic demand, but greenhouse gas emissions accounted for 7.7% of domestic emissions. Mexico has massive renewable energy potential that could be harnessed through solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. The problem to explore is the relationship between local and federal public strategies in MCMA and their stance on energy transition concern, social empowerment, ne...

  12. [Effects of air pollution on human health and their importance in Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vallejo, Maite; Jáuregui-Renaud, Kathrine; Hermosillo, Antonio G; Márquez, Manlio F; Cárdenas, Manuel

    2003-01-01

    The impact of air pollution on human health is a complicated problem. In this review, we describe the main health effects of exposure to ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead and particulate matter. Geographical characteristics of the metropolitan area of Mexico City that favor pollutant persistence with adverse effects on the population are described; the use of the Indice Metropolitano de la Calidad del Aire (IMECA), current norms, and present programs to diminish this problem are discussed. Evidence shows that through these actions, air quality has improved. However, some pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter, still exceed the standard. To further improve air quality in the city, existing programs should continue and multidisciplinary research, both basic and applied, is required.

  13. On the use of InSAR technology to assess land subsidence in Jakarta coastal flood plain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koudogbo, Fifame; Duro, Javier; Garcia Robles, Javier; Arnaud, Alain; Abidin, Hasanuddin Z.

    2014-05-01

    Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia and is home to approximately 10 million people on the coast of the Java Sea. It is situated on the northern coastal alluvial plane of Java which shares boundaries with West Java Province in the south and in the east, and with Banten Province in the west. The Capital District of Jakarta (DKI) sits in the lowest lying areas of the basin. Its topography varies, with the northern part just meters above current sea level and lying on a flood plain. Subsequently, this portion of the city frequently floods. The southern part of the city is hilly. Thirteen major rivers flow through Jakarta to the Java Sea. The Ciliwung River is the most significant river and divides the city West to East. In the last three decades, urban growing of Jakarta has been very fast in sectors as industry, trade, transportation, real estate, among others. This exponential development has caused several environmental issues; land subsidence is one of them. Subsidence in Jakarta has been known since the early part of the 20th century. It is mainly due to groundwater extraction, the fast development (construction load), soil natural consolidation and tectonics. Evidence of land subsidence exists through monitoring with GPS, level surveys and InSAR investigations. InSAR states for "Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar". Its principle is based on comparing the distance between the satellite and the ground in consecutive satellite passes over the same area on the Earth's surface. Radar satellites images record, with very high precision, the distance travelled by the radar signal that is emitted by the satellite is registered. When this distance is compared through time, InSAR technology can provide highly accurate ground deformation measurements. ALTAMIRA INFORMATION, company specialized in ground motion monitoring, has developed GlobalSARTM, which combines several processing techniques and algorithms based on InSAR technology, to achieve ground motion

  14. Sensitization to Casuarina equisetifolia and Pinus spp Pollen in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Aída Velasco-Medina

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Pollinosis studies at Mexico City have found a considerable amount of Casuarina equisetifolia and Pinus spp pollen, its sensitization frequency is unknown. In Mexico, some allergens are not considered related to asthma or allergic rhinitis, even though reports in other coun- tries have been demonstrated their relevance as aeroallergens. Objective: To estimate the frequency of sensitization to Casuarina eq- uisetifolia and Pinus spp pollen. Patients and method: A transversal, descriptive trial was done at Hos- pital General de Mexico. Previous informed consent 142 patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma, 3 to 55 years old, were included to the study. A complete clinical evaluation, laboratory tests and skin prick tests were performed. Results: We included 142 patients, 44 children (64% males and 98 adults (73% females. We found that 8 (18.18% children and 35 (35.7% adults had a positive skin prick test to Casuarina equisetifolia. None of the patients included in the study had a positive skin prick test to Pinus spp. Conclusions: Sensitization to Casuarina equisetifolia is as important as other pollens found in Mexico City. These results suggest that it should be included when skin prick tests are performed. Pinus spp pollen is considered an aeroallergen in European countries but we did not cor- roborate sensitization in our population.

  15. Organochlorine pesticides residues in bottled drinking water from Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz, Gilberto; Ortiz, Rutilio; Schettino, Beatriz; Vega, Salvador; Gutiérrez, Rey

    2009-06-01

    This work describes concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in bottled drinking water (BDW) in Mexico City. The results of 36 samples (1.5 and 19 L presentations, 18 samples, respectively) showed the presence of seven pesticides (HCH isomers, heptachlor, aldrin, and p,p'-DDE) in bottled water compared with the drinking water standards set by NOM-127-SSA1-1994, EPA, and World Health Organization. The concentrations of the majority of organochlorine pesticides were within drinking water standards (0.01 ng/mL) except for beta-HCH of BW 3, 5, and 6 samples with values of 0.121, 0.136, and 0.192 ng/mL, respectively. It is important monitoring drinking bottled water for protecting human health.

  16. Determination of radon levels in Mexico City; Determinacion de niveles de radon en la Ciudad de Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pena G, P

    1992-01-15

    The study of the determination of radon levels in the houses room in Mexico City is part of the project Emanometry of the radon. To carry out this study, the passive method was used, which consists of: thin film dosemeter of cellulose nitrate, container of the same one and spark accountant. The method is based on the mensurations of exhibition of the number of marks of alpha track is of the open type and it allows to average the radon activity along several weeks and it presents low concentrations. This study was carried out in 4 periods of exhibition of 3 months each one. (Author)

  17. The contribution of the International Atomic Energy Agency to peace and development. Address at the conference of the Diplomatic Academy at the Institute of 'Matias Romero', Mexico City, Mexico, 13 October 1999

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    ElBaradei, M.

    1999-01-01

    In his address at the Conference of the Diplomatic Academy at the Institute of 'Matias Romero' (Mexico City, Mexico, 13 October 1999), the Director General of the IAEA described the role of the IAEA and its contribution to peace and development, focussing in four areas: technology transfer, nuclear power and sustainable energy development, nuclear safety, and the Agency's verification system

  18. Cost of neurocysticercosis patients treated in two referral hospitals in Mexico City, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattarai, Rachana; Carabin, Hélène; Proaño, Jefferson V; Flores-Rivera, Jose; Corona, Teresa; Flisser, Ana; Budke, Christine M

    2015-08-01

    To estimate annual costs related to the diagnosis, treatment and productivity losses among patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC) receiving treatment at two referral hospitals, the Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia (INNN) and the Hospital de Especialidades of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (HE-IMSS), in Mexico City from July 2007 to August 2008. Information on presenting clinical manifestations, diagnostic tests, hospitalisations, surgical procedures and other treatments received by NCC outpatients was collected from medical charts, and supplemented by an individual questionnaire regarding productivity losses and out-of-pocket expenses related to NCC. The annual average per-patient direct costs were US$ 503 (95% CI: 414-592) and US$ 438 (95% CI: 322-571) for patients without a history of hospitalisation and/or surgery seen at the INNN and the HE-IMSS, respectively. These costs increased to US$ 2506 (95% CI: 1797-3215) and US$ 2170 (95% CI: 1303-3037), respectively, for patients with a history of hospitalisation and/or surgery. The average annual per-patient indirect costs were US$ 246 (95% CI: 165-324) and US$ 114 (95% CI: 51-178), respectively, using minimum salary wages for individuals not officially employed. The total annual cost for patients who had and had not been hospitalised and/or undergone a surgical procedure for the diagnosis or treatment of NCC corresponded to 212% and 41% of an annual minimum wage salary, respectively. The disease tends to affect rural socioeconomically disadvantaged populations and creates health disparities and significant economic losses in Mexico. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. [Itinerant physicians, the art of healing and doctors in national history (Mexico City, 1877-1911)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agostoni, Claudia

    2008-01-01

    The uncertainty and mistrust towards the presence and activities of academic medical practitioners in Mexico City during the Porfirio Díaz government (1877-1911) convinced these professionals that is was essential to create, strengthen and transmit a respectable, competent and homogeneous image of the profession. To this purpose they recovered, recreated and adapted the ethical maxims of the occidental medical culture to their professional work, and rescued eminent medical figures of Mexico's convulse nineteenth century from being lost in the oblivion of history. Their goal - as it will be expounded in the following pages - was to respond, oppose and neutralize the criticism and disbelief expressed by the public against their professional performance.

  20. 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.

  1. Characterization of Fine Particulate Matter (PM) and Secondary PM Precursor Gases in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molina, Luisa T.; Volkamer, Rainer; de Foy, Benjamin; Lei, Wenfang; Zavala, Miguel; Velasco, Erik; Molina; Mario J.

    2008-10-31

    This project was one of three collaborating grants funded by DOE/ASP to characterize the fine particulate matter (PM) and secondary PM precursors in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) during the MILAGRO Campaign. The overall effort of MCMA-2006, one of the four components, focused on i) examination of the primary emissions of fine particles and precursor gases leading to photochemical production of atmospheric oxidants and secondary aerosol particles; ii) measurement and analysis of secondary oxidants and secondary fine PM production, with particular emphasis on secondary organic aerosol (SOA), and iii) evaluation of the photochemical and meteorological processes characteristic of the Mexico City Basin. The collaborative teams pursued the goals through three main tasks: i) analyses of fine PM and secondary PM precursor gaseous species data taken during the MCMA-2002/2003 campaigns and preparation of publications; ii) planning of the MILAGRO Campaign and deployment of the instrument around the MCMA; and iii) analysis of MCMA-2006 data and publication preparation.

  2. Diversity-Based Characteristics of Mexican Children's Drawings: A Qualitative Analysis of Drawings Collected in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hass-Cohen, Noah; Chandler-Ziegler, Karina; Veeman, Thomas; Funk, Sterling

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of the diversity of characteristics in the drawings of children in Mexico City. The authors conducted a thematic analysis of 174 drawings from children ages 6 to 11 that revealed two main discrete themes: nature and stress. A personalized, supportive relationship with nature emerged as a…

  3. Beristain, Godoy, and the Virgin of Guadalupe. A Confrontation for Public Space in Mexico City in the Late Eighteenth Century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriel Torres Puga

    2002-07-01

    Full Text Available During the festivities of the virgin of Guadalupe in 1795, a group of criollos garnished a balcony in Mexico City in order to discredit the cathedral's canon, Mariano  Beristain.  The reason for this quarrel was the recent homage paid by Beristain to Spain's ministers' chief, Manuel  Godoy, who had been  accused of insulting religion and devotion to the virgin. The complaints filed with the Inquisition against  Beristain  afford the  possibility of observing some of informal channels of expression at a time when there was a tightening of the control over the press. Moreover, these complaints illustrate the fierce dispute over control of public opinion in Mexico City at the end of the eighteenth century.

  4. The Urban Tree as a Tool to Mitigate the Urban Heat Island in Mexico City: A Simple Phenomenological Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ballinas, Mónica; Barradas, Víctor L

    2016-01-01

    The urban heat island (UHI) is mainly a nocturnal phenomenon, but it also appears during the day in Mexico City. The UHI may affect human thermal comfort, which can influence human productivity and morbidity in the spring/summer period. A simple phenomenological model based on the energy balance was developed to generate theoretical support of UHI mitigation in Mexico City focused on the latent heat flux change by increasing tree coverage to reduce sensible heat flux and air temperature. Half-hourly data of the urban energy balance components were generated in a typical residential/commercial neighborhood of Mexico City and then parameterized using easily measured variables (air temperature, humidity, pressure, and visibility). Canopy conductance was estimated every hour in four tree species, and transpiration was estimated using sap flow technique and parameterized by the envelope function method. Averaged values of net radiation, energy storage, and sensible and latent heat flux were around 449, 224, 153, and 72 W m, respectively. Daily tree transpiration ranged from 3.64 to 4.35 Ld. To reduce air temperature by 1°C in the studied area, 63 large would be required per hectare, whereas to reduce the air temperature by 2°C only 24 large trees would be required. This study suggests increasing tree canopy cover in the city cannot mitigate UHI adequately but requires choosing the most appropriate tree species to solve this problem. It is imperative to include these types of studies in tree selection and urban development planning to adequately mitigate UHI. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  5. Rapid subsidence and stacked Gilbert-type fan deltas, Pliocene Loreto basin, Baja California Sur, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorsey, Rebecca J.; Umhoefer, Paul J.; Renne, Paul R.

    1995-08-01

    Pliocene nonmarine to marine sedimentary rocks exposed in the Loreto basin, Baja California Sur, provide a record of syntectonic subsidence and sedimentation in a transform-rift basin that developed along the western margin of the Gulf of California. A thick sequence of twelve Gilbert-type fan deltas, having a total measured thickness of about 615 m, accumulated near the fault-bounded southwestern margin of this basin. Based on stratal geometries and lithofacies associations, sedimentary rocks are divided into Gilbert-delta topset, foreset and bottomset strata, shell beds and background shallow-marine shelf deposits. Topset strata of each Gilbert-type delta cycle are capped by laterally persistent molluscan shell beds containing diverse assemblages of bivalves, pectens, oysters, gastropods and echinoids. These shell beds are interpreted to be condensed intervals that record sediment starvation during abandonment of the fan-delta plain. Delta abandonment may have been caused by large episodic faulting events, which submerged each pre-existing fan-delta plain, substantially slowed detrital input by drowning of alluvial feeder channels, and created new accommodation space for each new Gilbert-type fan delta. Alternatively, it is possible that delta-plain abandonment was caused by upstream avulsions and autocyclic lateral switching of fan-delta lobes during relatively uniform rates of slip along the basin-bounding fault. Two contrasting, plausible basin models are proposed for the Loreto basin: (1) asymmetric subsidence along a high-angle oblique-slip normal fault, producing a classic half-graben basin geometry with vertically stacked Gilbert-type fan deltas; or (2) lateral stacking and horizontal displacement of strata away from a relatively fixed depocenter due to fault movement in the releasing bend of a listric strike-slip fault. We favor the first model because field relations and simple geometric constraints suggest that most of the total measured section

  6. 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

  7. Towards a global land subsidence map

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Erkens, G.; Sutanudjaja, E. H.

    2015-01-01

    Land subsidence is a global problem, but a global land subsidence map is not available yet. Such map is crucial to raise global awareness of land subsidence, as land subsidence causes extensive damage (probably in the order of billions of dollars annually). With the global land subsidence map

  8. Simulation of Mexico City plumes during the MIRAGE-Mex field campaign using the WRF-Chem model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    X. Tie

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available The quantification of tropospheric O3 production in the downwind of the Mexico City plume is a major objective of the MIRAGE-Mex field campaign. We used a regional chemistry-transport model (WRF-Chem to predict the distribution of O3 and its precursors in Mexico City and the surrounding region during March 2006, and compared the model with in-situ aircraft measurements of O3, CO, VOCs, NOx, and NOy concentrations. The comparison shows that the model is capable of capturing the timing and location of the measured city plumes, and the calculated variability along the flights is generally consistent with the measured results, showing a rapid increase in O3 and its precursors when city plumes are detected. However, there are some notable differences between the calculated and measured values, suggesting that, during transport from the surface of the city to the outflow plume, ozone mixing ratios are underestimated by about 0–25% during different flights. The calculated O3-NOx, O3-CO, and O3-NOz correlations generally agree with the measured values, and the analyses of these correlations suggest that photochemical O3 production continues in the plume downwind of the city (aged plume, adding to the O3 already produced in the city and exported with the plume. The model is also used to quantify the contributions to OH reactivity from various compounds in the aged plume. This analysis suggests that oxygenated organics (OVOCs have the highest OH reactivity and play important roles for the O3 production in the aging plume. Furthermore, O3 production per NOx molecule consumed (O3 production efficiency is more efficient in the aged plume than in the young plume near the city. The major contributor to the high O3 production efficiency in the aged plume is the

  9. Natural versus anthropogenic subsidence of Venice: investigation of the present occurrence by PSI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tosi, Luigi; Strozzi, Tazio; Teatini, Pietro

    2014-05-01

    We detected land displacements of Venice by Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) using ERS and ENVISAT C-band and TerraSAR-X and COSMO-SkyMed X-band acquisitions over the periods 1992-2010 and 2008-2011, respectively. PSI provides the cumulative land displacements (natural plus anthropogenic) of the investigated area independently of the radar band. The natural subsidence rate depends on the reference period and, due to the present elevation of Venice with respect to the sea level, it is much more interesting for the city to evaluate the natural displacement over the last few decades, i.e. the present natural land subsidence, than that averaged over geological periods. Concerning anthropogenic land subsidence the contribution due to activities characterized by large scale and long term effects, e.g., that caused by groundwater withdrawals, ended a few decades ago. Today, the anthropogenic component of the land subsidence is only due to local, short-time interventions such as restoration works and inherent deformations of historical structures. By reason of the larger observation period, the C-band sensors were used to quantify the long-term movements, i.e. the subsidence component primarily ascribed to natural processes. The high resolution, short revisiting time X-band satellites reveal a high effectiveness to monitor short-time movements as those induced by human activities. The statistical analysis of the displacement distributions measured by PSI points out that the average rates, i.e. the natural component of the subsidence, are almost equal with the C-band and X-band satellites. Conversely, the standard deviation with X-band acquisitions (1.6 mm/yr) is characterized by a value significantly larger than that detected with C-band images (0.7 mm/yr). The larger X-band variability superposes to a background velocity similar to that given by ERS/ENVISAT. It is reasonable to assume that the difference between the movements provided by ERS/ENVISAT and Terra

  10. A tale of two epidemics: gender differences in socio-demographic characteristics and sexual behaviors among HIV positive individuals in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bautista-Arredondo, Sergio; Servan-Mori, Edson; Beynon, Fenella; González, Andrea; Volkow, Patricia

    2015-12-16

    To date, the HIV epidemic in Mexico has been concentrated mainly among men who have sex with men, butheterosexual transmission, particularly to women, is increasingly important. This study examine gender differences in socio-demographic characteristics and risk behaviors of HIV positive individuals in Mexico City. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey of 1,490 clinic patients (male:female ratio 8:1) with HIV inMexico City in 2010. We examined socio-demographic characteristics, risk behavior, and history of HIV infection.From multivariate non-linear probability (probit) models we calculated predicted probabilities by sex of several outcomes: marginalization, demographic and sexual risk behaviors. Significant differences were found between men and women. Multivariate models suggest that women had lower schooling levels; were less likely to have been employed in the past month and earn more than the minimal wage; more likely to have children, to have been sexually abused, to never have used condoms and to report having been infected by a stable partner. Additionally, women were less likely to report having a partner with a history of migration to the USA and to have engaged in transactional sex. Significant differences exist between men and women with HIV in Mexico City in terms of their socioeconomicand behavioral profiles, which translate into differences in terms of exposure to HIV infection. Women face social and economic vulnerability while men tend to have riskier sexual behavior. Gender issues must be approached in prevention and treatment efforts, using diverse methods to target those most vulnerable and at risk.

  11. The role of a peri-urban forest on air quality improvement in the Mexico City megalopolis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baumgardner, Darrel; Varela, Sebastian; Escobedo, Francisco J.; Chacalo, Alicia; Ochoa, Carlos

    2012-01-01

    Air quality improvement by a forested, peri-urban national park was quantified by combining the Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) and the Weather Research and Forecasting coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) models. We estimated the ecosystem-level annual pollution removal function of the park’s trees, shrub and grasses using pollution concentration data for carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O 3 ), and particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM 10 ), modeled meteorological and pollution variables, and measured forest structure data. Ecosystem-level O 3 and CO removal and formation were also analyzed for a representative month. Total annual air quality improvement of the park’s vegetation was approximately 0.02% for CO, 1% for O 3, and 2% for PM 10 , of the annual concentrations for these three pollutants. Results can be used to understand the air quality regulation ecosystem services of peri-urban forests and regional dynamics of air pollution emissions from major urban areas. - Highlights: ► Air quality regulation functions and ecosystem structure of a peri-urban forest in Mexico were quantified. ► Air pollution removal-formation dynamics were estimated using the UFORE and WRF-Chem models. ► Peri-urban forests positively contributed to air qualtiy improvement in Mexico City. ► Results can be used to quantify the ecosystem services of peri-urban forests. - Coupled models estimated air quality improvement and pollution removal-formation by peri-urban forest ecosystems in the Mexico City airshed.

  12. Employer Subsidized Meals and FAFH Consumption in Urban China

    OpenAIRE

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

    2015-01-01

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

  13. Analysis of Wedge-like Response in Mexico City during the September 19th, 2017 Puebla-Morelos Earthquake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baena-Rivera, M.; Sanchez-Sesma, F. J.; Ramirez-Guzman, L.

    2017-12-01

    The September 19th, 2017 Puebla-Morelos earthquake (Mw7.1) caused severe structural and nonstructural damage in Mexico City in the Transition and border of the Lake geotechnical zones. Previously recorded ground motion had not reached similar high intensities. The Transition zone surrounds the base of mountain ranges and is composed of alluvial sands and silts, limited by layers of hard soil of the Hill Zone and highly compressible clay deposits of the Lake Zone. These transition configurations are modeled as dipping layers where the soft sediments progressively thicken away from the edge.We present a preliminary analysis of 2D SH and P-SV dipping layer models with homogeneous and lateral variations that resemble the known structure of the basin. Our results show the emergence of surface waves in the edges, and the spread of the energy, broadening the frequency range as compared to 1D models. The latter is a plausible explanation of the frequency content in the recorded ground motion in sites of observed damage. Acknowledgments: Records used in this research are obtained, processed and maintained by the Seismic Instrumentation Unit of the Institute of Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. This Project was funded by the Secretaría de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SECITI) of Mexico City. Project SECITI/073/2016.

  14. Securing water for the cities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satterthwaite, D

    1993-01-01

    Many cities in developing countries have grown so much that they can no longer provide adequate, sustainable water. Over pumping in Dakar and Mexico City has forced those cities to obtain water from ever more distant sources. In Dakar, the result has been saltwater intrusion. Overpumping has caused Mexico City to sink, in some areas by as much as 9 m, resulting in serious damage to buildings and sewage and drainage pipes. Other cities facing similar water problems are coastal cities in Peru (e.g., Lima), La Rioja and Catamarca in Argentina, cities in Northern Mexico, and cities in dry areas of Africa. For some cities, the problem is not so much ever more distant water supplies but insufficient funds to expand supplies. Bangkok and Jakarta both face saltwater intrusion into their overdrawn aquifers. Even through agriculture is the dominant user of water in most countries, demand concentrated in a small area exhausts local and regional sources and pollutes rivers, lakes, and coasts with untreated human and industrial waste. Most cities in Africa and Asia do not have a sewerage system. Further, most cities do not have the drains to deal with storm water and external floodwater, causing frequent, seasonal flooding. The resulting stagnant water provides breeding grounds for insect vectors of diseases (e.g., malaria). The problems in most cities are a result of poor management, not lack of water. Reducing leaks in existing piped distribution systems from the usual 60% loss of water to leaks to 12% would increase the available water 2-fold. Another way to address water shortages would be commercial, industrial, and recreational use of minimally treated waste water, such as is the case in Madras and Mexico City. Political solutions are needed to resolve inadequate water supply and waste management.

  15. Coal mine subsidence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Darmody, R.G.; Hetzler, R.T.; Simmons, F.W.

    1992-01-01

    Longwall coal mining in southern Illinois occurs beneath some of the best agricultural land in the U.S. This region is characterized by highly productive, nearly level, and somewhat poorly drained soils. Subsidence from longwall mining causes changes in surface topography which alters surface and subsurface hydrology. These changes can adversely affect agricultural land by creating wet or ponded areas that can be deleterious to crop production. While most subsided areas show little impact from subsidence, some areas experience total crop failure. Coal companies are required by law to mitigate subsidence damage to cropland. The objective of this paper is to test the effectiveness of mitigation in restoring grain yields to their pre-mined levels. The research was conducted on sites selected to represent conventional mitigation techniques on the predominate soils in the area. Corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max.(L.) Merr] yields in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991 from mitigated areas were compared to yields from nearby undisturbed areas

  16. Towards Providing Solutions to the Air Quality Crisis in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area: Carbon Sequestration by Succulent Species in Green Roofs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collazo-Ortega, Margarita; Rosas, Ulises; Reyes-Santiago, Jerónimo

    2017-03-31

    In the first months of 2016, the Mexico City Metropolitan Area experienced the worst air pollution crisis in the last decade, prompting drastic short-term solutions by the Mexico City Government and neighboring States. In order to help further the search for long-term sustainable solutions, we felt obliged to immediately release the results of our research regarding the monitoring of carbon sequestration by green roofs. Large-scale naturation, such as the implementation of green roofs, provides a way to partially mitigate the increased carbon dioxide output in urban areas. Here, we quantified the carbon sequestration capabilities of two ornamental succulent plant species, Sedum dendroideum and Sedum rubrotinctum, which require low maintenance, and little or no irrigation. To obtain a detailed picture of these plants' carbon sequestration capabilities, we measured carbon uptake on the Sedum plants by quantifying carbon dioxide exchange and fixation as organic acids, during the day and across the year, on a green roof located in Southern Mexico City. The species displayed their typical CAM photosynthetic metabolism. Moreover, our quantification allowed us to conservatively estimate that a newly planted green roof of Sedum sequesters approximately 180,000,000 ppm of carbon dioxide per year in a green roof of 100 square meters in the short term. The patterns of CAM and carbon dioxide sequestration were highly robust to the fluctuations of temperature and precipitation between seasons, and therefore we speculate that carbon sequestration would be comparable in any given year of a newly planted green roof. Older green roof would require regular trimming to mantain their carbon sink properties, but their carbon sequestration capabilities remain to be quantified. Nevertheless, we propose that Sedum green roofs can be part of the long-term solutions to mitigate the air pollution crisis in the Mexico City Metropolitan area, and other "megacities" with marked seasonal drought.

  17. Obesity increases metabolic syndrome risk factors in school-aged children from an urban school in Mexico city.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perichart-Perera, Otilia; Balas-Nakash, Margie; Schiffman-Selechnik, Esther; Barbato-Dosal, Annarella; Vadillo-Ortega, Felipe

    2007-01-01

    To characterize the nutritional status of school-aged children from an urban public school in Mexico City, Mexico, and to assess the influence of obesity on health status in a subgroup of these children. Cross-sectional descriptive study. A nutrition screening was done for all children, including anthropometric (ie, weight, height, and waist circumference) and blood pressure assessment. In the subgroup of children, complementary dietary and biochemical assessment (ie, glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, insulin, albumin, hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels) was done. Children from an urban school in Mexico City (N=561) aged 6 to 13 years. The representative subgroup (n=88) was selected based on age (9 to 12 years) and weight status (ie, normal, overweight, or obese). Descriptive statistics, correlations, mean differences tests (analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U), and chi(2) tests (categorical variables) were done with SPSS version 13 (2005, SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL). In the whole school, overweight and obesity prevalence were 27.1% and 21.4%, respectively. High systolic blood pressure was seen in 8.4% of children and 6.2% of children had prehypertension. Higher hypertension risk was seen in children with body mass index > or =95th percentile and waist circumference > or =90th percentile (88 cm). Significantly higher waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, insulin resistance indexes, and triglyceride levels were found among the obese when compared with normal-weight children. Childhood obesity prevalence is high in Mexico and it is having an influence on children's health. It is urgent to design, implement, and evaluate specific childhood obesity prevention programs.

  18. Modelling ground rupture due to groundwater withdrawal: applications to test cases in China and Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franceschini, A.; Teatini, P.; Janna, C.; Ferronato, M.; Gambolati, G.; Ye, S.; Carreón-Freyre, D.

    2015-11-01

    The stress variation induced by aquifer overdraft in sedimentary basins with shallow bedrock may cause rupture in the form of pre-existing fault activation or earth fissure generation. The process is causing major detrimental effects on a many areas in China and Mexico. Ruptures yield discontinuity in both displacement and stress field that classic continuous finite element (FE) models cannot address. Interface finite elements (IE), typically used in contact mechanics, may be of great help and are implemented herein to simulate the fault geomechanical behaviour. Two main approaches, i.e. Penalty and Lagrangian, are developed to enforce the contact condition on the element interface. The incorporation of IE incorporation into a three-dimensional (3-D) FE geomechanical simulator shows that the Lagrangian approach is numerically more robust and stable than the Penalty, thus providing more reliable solutions. Furthermore, the use of a Newton-Raphson scheme to deal with the non-linear elasto-plastic fault behaviour allows for quadratic convergence. The FE - IE model is applied to investigate the likely ground rupture in realistic 3-D geologic settings. The case studies are representative of the City of Wuxi in the Jiangsu Province (China), and of the City of Queretaro, Mexico, where significant land subsidence has been accompanied by the generation of several earth fissures jeopardizing the stability and integrity of the overland structures and infrastructure.

  19. Film and social mobility: From Oaxaca to Mexico City with the Zúñiga's, father and son, 1920-1970

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary Kay Vaughan

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available If between 1940 and 1980 upward social mobility in Mexico City is owed to expanding opportunities for education and employment, the mass media also played a role. This essay focuses on the experiences with cinema of two men, José Zúñiga Heredia (1914-1985, a tailor who migrated from Oaxaca to Mexico City in 1939, and his son Pepe (b. 1937 who became a student, later a professor and director (1991-1993 of the Escuela de Pintura, Escultura, y Grabado La Esmeralda. I examine the role of Hollywood and Mexican film in the formation of their sensibilities, desires, aspirations, and notions of rights and dignity, and argue that cinema had an important role in the formation of a spirit of rebellion and a new masculine sensibility among male youth who entered higher education at the end of the 1950s.

  20. The Role of School in Educational Decisions during the Transition to High School Public Institutions in Mexico City context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Rodríguez Rocha

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This article analyzes the role of schools in educational choices in the transition to public high schools in Mexico City. Secondary schools have the potential to influence educational choices, through the development of certain educational functions. This influence comes in different ways, and is relatively independent of adscriptive characteristics and previous academic performance of students.  Schools serve i as agents contributing to decision making, facilitating continuity on educational trajectories ii or as instances that do not develop explicit actions aimed to link their students to any of the options offered in the post-secondary educational system. While some schools teaching resources are destined to accompany their students during their decision process, others lack of them, abandoning them in this crucial educational event. The article is based on data provided by an ethnographic study conducted in seven high schools in southern Mexico City between January and July 2012

  1. Lattice Wind Description and Characterization of Mexico City Local Wind Events in the 2001–2006 Period

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alejandro Salcido

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Urban transformation and expansion in Mexico City continuously affect its urban morphology, and therefore the modes of wind circulation inside it and their occurrence probabilities. Knowledge on these topics is an important issue for urban planning and for other urban studies, such as air quality assessment. In this paper, using a lattice wind model at a meso-β scale, we develop a simple description and characterization of Mexico City local wind events that occurred during the period 2001–2006, including an estimation of the occurrence probabilities. This region was modeled as a 2D lattice domain of identical cells, and wind conditions in each cell were described by four wind attributes: the horizontal velocity components, divergence, and vorticity. Models of one and four cells were applied to wind data furnished by the meteorological network of the city. Results include the following: Early morning: low intensity winds (75% from N, NW, W and SW (75%, convergent (93%, with a slight predominance of cyclonic vorticity (54%. Morning and early afternoon: winds from N, NE and E (72% with speeds from 0.5 to 3.5 m/s, slight prevailing of convergent winds (51%, and slight predominance of cyclonic vorticity (57%. Late afternoon and night: winds blowing from N, NW, and S (63% with speeds from 1.5 to 3.5 m/s (66%, convergent (90%, and cyclonic (72%.

  2. Regional Land Subsidence Analysis in Eastern Beijing Plain by InSAR Time Series and Wavelet Transforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingliang Gao

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Land subsidence is the disaster phenomenon of environmental geology with regionally surface altitude lowering caused by the natural or man-made factors. Beijing, the capital city of China, has suffered from land subsidence since the 1950s, and extreme groundwater extraction has led to subsidence rates of more than 100 mm/year. In this study, we employ two SAR datasets acquired by Envisat and TerraSAR-X satellites to investigate the surface deformation in Beijing Plain from 2003 to 2013 based on the multi-temporal InSAR technique. Furthermore, we also use observation wells to provide in situ hydraulic head levels to perform the evolution of land subsidence and spatial-temporal changes of groundwater level. Then, we analyze the accumulated displacement and hydraulic head level time series using continuous wavelet transform to separate periodic signal components. Finally, cross wavelet transform (XWT and wavelet transform coherence (WTC are implemented to analyze the relationship between the accumulated displacement and hydraulic head level time series. The results show that the subsidence centers in the northern Beijing Plain is spatially consistent with the groundwater drop funnels. According to the analysis of well based results located in different areas, the long-term groundwater exploitation in the northern subsidence area has led to the continuous decline of the water level, resulting in the inelastic and permanent compaction, while for the monitoring wells located outside the subsidence area, the subsidence time series show obvious elastic deformation characteristics (seasonal characteristics as the groundwater level changes. Moreover, according to the wavelet transformation, the land subsidence time series at monitoring well site lags several months behind the groundwater level change.

  3. Gravitational collapse and Neogene sediment transfer across the western margin of the Gulf of Mexico: Insights from numerical models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alzaga-Ruiz, H.; Granjeon, D.; Lopez, M.; Séranne, M.; Roure, F.

    2009-01-01

    The western margin of the Gulf of Mexico (Veracruz State, Mexico) displays an extensive Neogene gravitational system, whereby the Neogene siliciclastic sediments are detached from underlying Mesozoic carbonates along decollement surface in Oligocene underpressured clays. Rapidly subsiding

  4. On the Chemical Characterization of Organic Matter in Rain at Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montero-Martinez, G.; Andraca-Ayala, G. L.; Hernández-Nagay, D. P.; Mendoza-Trejo, A.; Rivera-Arellano, J.; Rosado-Abon, A.; Roy, P. D.

    2016-12-01

    The chemical composition of the aerosol plays a central role in atmospheric processes and has influence on the hydrological cycle. Clouds form through the nucleation of water vapor on certain atmospheric aerosol particles, called cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Also, precipitating particles scavenge some other aerosol particles on their way to the surface. Atmospheric particles are a mixture of organic and inorganic materials, both soluble and insoluble in water. Aerosol chemical characterization indicates a larger variety of compounds in urban areas respect to other regions. Thus, chemical composition of rainwater may represent an important aspect for estimating atmospheric air pollution. It has been recognized that organic species present in aerosol particles are important in the formation of cloud droplets. Therefore, the information about the organic compounds in precipitation samples may be helpful to understand their effects on the formation of clouds and rain, as well as their sources. Organic acids are ubiquitous components of aerosols and have been identified in precipitation water. In this work, preliminary results of the content of soluble organic (neutral and acidic) matter in rainwater samples collected in Mexico City during 2015 will be presented. The organic compounds content was performed by using an ionic chromatographic methodology with gradient elution; so the total amount was evaluated as the sum of four fractions: neutral/basic, mono-, bi-, and poly-acid compounds. The outcomes suggest that most of the amount of organic substances soluble in water is contained by the neutral/basic and mono-acid fractions. Regarding the total amount of water soluble organic compounds, the rain samples collected in Mexico City are in agreement with some others reported for large urban areas.

  5. Escherichia coli in settled-dust and air samples collected in residential environments in Mexico City.

    OpenAIRE

    Rosas, I; Salinas, E; Yela, A; Calva, E; Eslava, C; Cravioto, A

    1997-01-01

    Escherichia coli, an important indicator of the presence of fecal material, was isolated from indoor and outdoor environments in Mexico City. The heterogeneity of E. coli was represented by 89 serotypes, most of them coming from settled-dust indoor samples; 21% of them presented antibiotic multiresistance. The numbers of plasmids were higher among the antibiotic-resistant strains. The results of this study suggest that intestinal infections produced by environmental strains could be of more e...

  6. Vertical Profile Measurements of Volatile Organic Compounds in Southwest Mexico City with a semiautomatic sampling system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solano-Murillo, M.; Torres-Jardón, R.; Gutiérrez-López, W.; García-Espinosa, M.

    2017-12-01

    A prototype for the simultaneous sampling of VOC at different heights using a Tethered meteorological balloon was integrated and tested in a smog urban receptor site in southwest Mexico City. A selection of COV species measured at three different heights was used to estimate the chemical aging using the expression:Δt=[ln(ER1,2)-ln(VOC1/VOC2)]/[(K1-K2)[OH

  7. Characterization of fine particle components in Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saitoh, K.; Sera, K.; Perales, J.G.; Garcia, F.A.; Suzuki, H.

    1999-01-01

    Particulate matter (PM-3.9 and PM-15.8) samples were collected in the three zones at the Northeast, Southwest and Southeast suburbs of Mexico City, from July to August 1998, for one week for each sampling site. The concentrations of several elements in the PM-3.9 and PM-15.8 samples were determined by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). In the PM-3.9 samples, 21 elements were determined for each zone, and Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb are found to be the major elemental components. On the other hand, 22 elements including P were determined on the PM-15.8 samples, and the dominant elements were the same as in the PM-3.9. Factor analysis is applied to the 28 variables (14 elements for each PM-3.9 and PM-15.8 groups) and for 21 samples (seven days for three zones) in order to identify possible sources of the particles. The result of factor analysis allows to identify five major sources, being soil the major contributor. (author)

  8. Characterization of fine particle components in Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saitoh, K. [Akita Prefectural Institute of Environmental Science, Yabase-Shimoyabase, Akita (Japan); Sera, K. [Iwate Medical Univ., Cyclotron Research Center, Takizawa, Iwate (Japan); Perales, J.G.; Garcia, F.A. [Centro Nacional de Investigacion y Capacitacion Ambiental (CENICA), Av. Michoacan y la Purisima Col. Vicentina C.P. 09340 Mexico (Mexico); Suzuki, H. [Environmental Data Analysis Laboratory, System Design, Inc., Shinagawa, Tokyo (Japan)

    1999-07-01

    Particulate matter (PM-3.9 and PM-15.8) samples were collected in the three zones at the Northeast, Southwest and Southeast suburbs of Mexico City, from July to August 1998, for one week for each sampling site. The concentrations of several elements in the PM-3.9 and PM-15.8 samples were determined by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). In the PM-3.9 samples, 21 elements were determined for each zone, and Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb are found to be the major elemental components. On the other hand, 22 elements including P were determined on the PM-15.8 samples, and the dominant elements were the same as in the PM-3.9. Factor analysis is applied to the 28 variables (14 elements for each PM-3.9 and PM-15.8 groups) and for 21 samples (seven days for three zones) in order to identify possible sources of the particles. The result of factor analysis allows to identify five major sources, being soil the major contributor. (author)

  9. Microbiological determinations of some vegetables from the Xochimilco zone in Mexico City, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Gómez, Rolando; Chávez-Espinosa, José; Mejía-Chávez, Adriana; Duránde-Bazúa, Carmen

    2002-01-01

    Vegetables intake is widely recommended because of its high content of vitamins, minerals and fiber. However, the irrigation of these vegetables, using wastewaters that have received inadequate treatment often carries unseen microbial pollution that becomes a high risk potential for humans. In the present research, two of the most consumed fresh vegetables cultivated in Mexico City were analyzed, lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and Mexican coriander (Eryngium foetidum). These vegetables are commonly consumed raw. The vegetable choice and the disinfection's method were carried out by the application of two tests to two hundred people in an aleatory form. Similarly, vegetable sampling was carried out by means of a random sampling from the cultivated areas in a chosen "chinampa" (from Náhuatl or Aztec, chinamitl, bulrush or cattail stalks lattice for hydroponics cultivation). Vegetable samples were transferred, in dark plastic bags and in cool boxes at 4 +/- 1.5 degrees C, to the laboratory. Microbiological analysis for Salmonella typhi, mesophilic microorganisms, and fecal coliforms were done according to the "NOM-093SSA1-1994" (Mexico). Results obtained demonstrated that samples treated with the most preferred disinfectant, a colloidal silver based one, had a partial elimination of pathogenic microorganisms found in both vegetables lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and coriander (Eryngium foetidum) samples (mesophyllic microorganisms from 200,000 to 96,500 UFC/g and from 175,000 to 125,000 UFC/g and fecal coliforms from 75 to 0.43 NMP/g and from 150 to 2.10 NMP/g, respectively). Salmonella typhi for all samples gave a positive result. Therefore, it was recommended to the cultivators of the Xochimilco (Náhuatl or Aztec name that means "place where flowers bloom") zone, either stop using contaminated water for irrigation or to use more efficient methods in order to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms, such as diluted chlorine solutions made with commercial cotton clothing bleachers.

  10. The polycentric structure of local labour markets in Mexico City's Metropolitan Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José María Casado Izquierdo

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Commuting data at a district level and an algorithm designed to delineate self–contained areas show that Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA was organized in 2007 in twelve local labour market areas. Although six exployment subcenters were identified, the MCMA is still clearly dominated by its Central Business District (CBD, being located the remaining five subcenters close to the CBD. Assessment of this spatial structure is not a positive one: diminishing co–location, decrease in speed and increase in commuting time and distance. Nevertheless, the rising percentage of intra–district commuting is a positive sign, even if this trend is not uniform throughout the metropolitan area.

  11. Climate change and its impact on water infrastructure: the case of Alcala de Henares (Spain) and Mexico City (Mexico)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naranjo, M.; Tortajada, C.

    2012-04-01

    Climate change and its possible impacts on precipitation are still a matter of controversy due to lack of data as well as models which are considered reliable. Even though the science of climate change has advanced significantly in recent years, many uncertainties still prevail, ranging from reliable prediction of extreme river flow events to downscaling of rainfall to smaller planning areas. That is, present knowledge is still insufficient to understand and accurately predict how global changes, climate change one of them, may affect precipitation and streamflows over specific geographical units. In terms of planning and investment in urban areas, where more than 50 percent of the population live at present, freshwater supply and flood risk management have to be considered on long-term basis. This includes development of water infrastructure for drinking water supply and drainage as well as flood control which responds to the needs of the growing populations and their economies. Impacts of climate change are slow over time and take place over thousands of years. However, their study is relatively recent, mostly in terms of impacts on the hydrological cycle and therefore in terms of run-off. In the case of urban centres, the rationale is that governments will have to adapt the water infrastructure according to the expected changes and thus have to plan for them. For example, in the case of Mexico City, the way the drainage system was designed 100 years ago is very different from the way it would be done at present and the way it would be planned in about 50 years time. In the case of the city of Alcalá de Henares in the region of Madrid, the analysis of precipitations has shown a slight tendency towards a wet period from the decade of the 60´s. Due to this tendency, the calculations for the design of water infrastructures have remained virtually unchanged. In the case of this specific city, there is no indication that there will be dramatic or rapid changes in

  12. 75 FR 43939 - The Americas Business Trade Mission to Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-27

    ... Mexico AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice. Mission... will recruit and organize a multiple industry trade mission to Mexico City with an optional second stop... local business climate. In Mexico City, there will also be a networking reception for the delegation...

  13. Estimating the Impact of Urban Expansion on Land Subsidence Using Time Series of DMSP Night-Time Light Satellite Imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiao, S.; Yu, J.; Wang, Y.; Zhu, L.; Zhou, Q.

    2018-04-01

    In recent decades, urbanization has resulted a massive increase in the amount of infrastructure especially large buildings in large cities worldwide. There has been a noticeable expansion of entire cities both horizontally and vertically. One of the common consequences of urban expansion is the increase of ground loads, which may trigger land subsidence and can be a potential threat of public safety. Monitoring trends of urban expansion and land subsidence using remote sensing technology is needed to ensure safety along with urban planning and development. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Line scan System (DMSP/OLS) Night-Time Light (NTL) images have been used to study urbanization at a regional scale, proving the capability of recognizing urban expansion patterns. In the current study, a normalized illuminated urban area dome volume (IUADV) based on inter-calibrated DMSP/OLS NTL images is shown as a practical approach for estimating urban expansion of Beijing at a single period in time and over subsequent years. To estimate the impact of urban expansion on land subsidence, IUADV was correlated with land subsidence rates obtained using the Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterers (StaMPS) approach within the Persistent Scatterers InSAR (PSInSAR) methodology. Moderate correlations are observed between the urban expansion based on the DMSP/OLS NTL images and land subsidence. The correlation coefficients between the urban expansion of each year and land subsidence tends to gradually decrease over time (Coefficient of determination R = 0.80 - 0.64 from year 2005 to year 2010), while the urban expansion of two sequential years exhibit an opposite trend (R = 0.29 - 0.57 from year 2005 to year 2010) except for the two sequential years between 2007 and 2008 (R = 0.14).

  14. Qualitative Inquiry with Women in Poverty in Mexico City: Reflections on the Emotional Responses of a Research Team

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez-Salgado, Carolina

    2009-01-01

    While conducting a qualitative inquiry involving in-depth interviews on the perceptions of health risks within a group of profoundly poor urban families in the southern part of Mexico City, Martinez-Salgado and her interdisciplinary team of women interviewers got involved in emotionally complex situations with the women participants in the study.…

  15. Non-methane hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of Mexico City: Results of the 2012 ozone-season campaign

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaimes-Palomera, Mónica; Retama, Armando; Elias-Castro, Gabriel; Neria-Hernández, Angélica; Rivera-Hernández, Olivia; Velasco, Erik

    2016-05-01

    With the aim to strengthen the verification capabilities of the local air quality management, the air quality monitoring network of Mexico City has started the monitoring of selected non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs). Previous information on the NMHC characterization had been obtained through individual studies and comprehensive intensive field campaigns, in both cases restricted to sampling periods of short duration. This new initiative will address the NMHC pollution problem during longer monitoring periods and provide robust information to evaluate the effectiveness of new control measures. The article introduces the design of the monitoring network and presents results from the first campaign carried out during the first six months of 2012 covering the ozone-season (Mar-May). Using as reference data collected in 2003, results show reductions during the morning rush hour (6-9 h) in the mixing ratios of light alkanes associated with the consumption and distribution of liquefied petroleum gas and aromatic compounds related with the evaporation of fossil fuels and solvents, in contrast to olefins from vehicular traffic. The increase in mixing ratios of reactive olefins is of relevance to understand the moderate success in the ozone and fine aerosols abatement in recent years in comparison to other criteria pollutants. In the case of isoprene, the typical afternoon peak triggered by biogenic emissions was clearly observed for the first time within the city. The diurnal profiles of the monitored compounds are analyzed in terms of the energy balance throughout the day as a surrogate of the boundary layer evolution. Particular features of the diurnal profiles and correlation between individual NMHCs and carbon monoxide are used to investigate the influence of specific emission sources. The results discussed here highlight the importance of monitoring NMHCs to better understand the drivers and impacts of air pollution in large cities like Mexico City.

  16. Spanish Professionals in Mexico City: Narratives on Work and Labour Markets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristóbal Mendoza

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Using qualitative information, this paper studies the labour experiences of a group of skilled Spanish migrants in Mexico City. The paper identifies two types of migrants amongst the interviewed Spaniards: TNCs transferees and “migrants in the middle” (“those who are neither low-skilled migrants nor high-skilled migrants”; Conradson and Latham, 2005a. This somehow challenges assumptions about skilled workers, by showing the multiple work trajectories and experiences of highly qualified and educated workers. The article also stresses that the labour mobility of those in the middle is more horizontal and less conventional than the more typical career-path mobility of TNCs transferees. Furthermore, it is argued that labour mobility is not only related to educational background or performance in Mexico’s labour markets, but also to non-economic reasons (e.g. extensive use of social networks. Of special interest for this study are relations at the workplace as they represent a “contact zone” where “difference” is constantly encountered and negotiated (Yeoh and Willis, 2005b. For the interviewed Spaniards, workplace relations are substantially (and unexpectedly different from those in their home country. This causes tension and problems that may affect their intentions to remain in Mexico.

  17. [Food preferences and nutritional status in school-age children living in Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-García, Rocío; Reyes-Morales, Hortensia; González-Unzaga, Marco Aurelio

    Childhood is a basic period for the development of habits and their continuation during the course of life. The objective of this study was to identify food preferences and their variations according to the nutritional status in school-age children living in Mexico City. A cross-sectional study was carried out including 1465 school-age children attending eight public elementary schools in Mexico City. Children were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their preferences to 70 selected different foods. Anthropometric measurements were also carried out. Parents of the children provided sociodemographic information. For each food, the preference was evaluated using a Likert scale. Frequencies were calculated for the total sample and for different nutritional status levels. Median age of children was 9 years old. Forty-eight percent of the children were overweight or obese. The most preferred foods were fruits, pizzas, flavored milk, and French fries. The least preferred foods were vegetables, whole-grain cereals, fish, meat, and panela cheese. Plain water (72%) and sugar-sweetened beverages (71%) had a high level of preference. There was no preference variation according to nutritional status. Food preference patterns of school-age children are a risk for unhealthy food consumption as well as for the increase in obesity prevalence in this population. Interventions focused on the promotion of a healthy food environment are necessary, aimed at improving food preferences from early childhood. Copyright © 2014 Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

  18. Volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere of Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garzón, Jessica P.; Huertas, José I.; Magaña, Miguel; Huertas, María E.; Cárdenas, Beatriz; Watanabe, Takuro; Maeda, Tsuneaki; Wakamatsu, Shinji; Blanco, Salvador

    2015-10-01

    The Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) is one of the most polluted megacities in North America. Therefore, it is an excellent benchmark city to understand atmospheric chemistry and to implement pilot countermeasures. Air quality in the MCMA is not within acceptable levels, mainly due to high ground levels of ozone (O3). Tropospheric O3 is a secondary pollutant formed from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of nitrogen oxides and sunlight. To gain a better understanding of O3 formation in megacities, evaluate the effectiveness of already-implemented countermeasures, and identify new cost-effective alternatives to reduce tropospheric O3 concentrations, researchers and environmental authorities require updated concentrations for a broader range of VOCs. Moreover, in an effort to protect human health and the environment, it is important to understand which VOCs exceed reference safe values or most contribute to O3 formation, as well as to identify the most probable emission sources of those VOCs. In this work, 64 VOCs, including 36 toxic VOCs, were measured at four sites in the MCMA during 2011-2012. VOCs related to liquefied petroleum gas leakages exhibited the highest concentrations. Toxic VOCs with the highest average concentrations were acetone and ethanol. The toxic VOC benzene represented the highest risk to Mexican citizens, and toluene contributed the most to O3 formation. Correlation analysis indicated that the measured VOCs come from vehicular emissions and solvent-related industrial sources.

  19. Correlation of Secondary Organic Aerosol with Odd Oxygen in Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herndon, Scott C.; Onasch, Timothy B.; Wood, Ezra C.; Kroll, Jesse H.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Jayne, John T.; Zavala, Miguel A.; Knighton, W. Berk; Mazzoleni, Claudio; Dubey, Manvendra K.; Ulbrich, Ingrid M.; Jimenez, Jose L.; Seila, Robert; de Gouw, Joost A.; de Foy, B.; Fast, Jerome D.; Molina, Luisa T.; Kolb, C. E.; Worsnop, Douglas R.

    2008-08-05

    Data collected from a mountain location within the Mexico City limits are used to demonstrate a correlation between secondary organic aerosol and odd-oxygen (O3 + NO2). Positive matrix factorization techniques are employed to separate organic aerosol components: hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol; oxidized-organic aerosol; and biomass burning organic aerosol. The measured hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol is correlated with urban CO (8±1) µg m-3 ppmv-1. The measured oxidized-organic aerosol is associated with photochemical oxidation products and correlates with odd-oxygen with an apparent slope of (70-120) µg m-3 ppmv-1. The dependence of the oxidized-organic aerosol to odd-oxygen correlation on the nature of the gas-phase hydrocarbon profile is discussed.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamas, Marta

    2014-01-01

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

  1. Antibiotic of resistence profile of Salmonella spp. serotypes isolated from retail beef in Mexico City.

    OpenAIRE

    Nova Nayarit-Ballesteros; María Salud Rubio-Lozano; Enrique Delgado-Suárez; Danilo Méndez-Medina; Diego Braña-Varela; Oscar Rodas-Suárez

    2016-01-01

    Objective. To determine the serotype and antibiotic resistance profile of Salmonella spp. isolated from retail ground beef in Mexico City. Materials and methods. A total of 100 samples of ground beef were analyzed. The pathogen was isolated by conventional methods and confirmed by PCR (invA gene, 284 bp). The antibiotic resistance profile was determined by the Kirby-Bauer method while serotyping was performed according to the Kauffman-White scheme. Results. We isolated a total of 19 strains o...

  2. Fault Length Vs Fault Displacement Evaluation In The Case Of Cerro Prieto Pull-Apart Basin (Baja California, Mexico) Subsidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glowacka, E.; Sarychikhina, O.; Nava Pichardo, F. A.; Farfan, F.; Garcia Arthur, M. A.; Orozco, L.; Brassea, J.

    2013-05-01

    The Cerro Prieto pull-apart basin is located in the southern part of San Andreas Fault system, and is characterized by high seismicity, recent volcanism, tectonic deformation and hydrothermal activity (Lomnitz et al, 1970; Elders et al., 1984; Suárez-Vidal et al., 2008). Since the Cerro Prieto geothermal field production started, in 1973, significant subsidence increase was observed (Glowacka and Nava, 1996, Glowacka et al., 1999), and a relation between fluid extraction rate and subsidence rate has been suggested (op. cit.). Analysis of existing deformation data (Glowacka et al., 1999, 2005, Sarychikhina 2011) points to the fact that, although the extraction changes influence the subsidence rate, the tectonic faults control the spatial extent of the observed subsidence. Tectonic faults act as water barriers in the direction perpendicular to the fault, and/or separate regions with different compaction, and as effect the significant part of the subsidence is released as vertical displacement on the ground surface along fault rupture. These faults ruptures cause damages to roads and irrigation canals and water leakage. Since 1996, a network of geotechnical instruments has operated in the Mexicali Valley, for continuous recording of deformation phenomena. To date, the network (REDECVAM: Mexicali Valley Crustal Strain Measurement Array) includes two crackmeters and eight tiltmeters installed on, or very close to, the main faults; all instruments have sampling intervals in the 1 to 20 minutes range. Additionally, there are benchmarks for measuring vertical fault displacements for which readings are recorded every 3 months. Since the crackmeter measures vertical displacement on the fault at one place only, the question appears: can we use the crackmeter data to evaluate how long is the lenth of the fractured fault, and how quickly it grows, so we can know where we can expect fractures in the canals or roads? We used the Wells and Coppersmith (1994) relations between

  3. Source apportionment of fine organic aerosol in Mexico City during the MILAGRO experiment 2006

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. A. Stone

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Organic carbon (OC comprises a large fraction of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 in Mexico City. Daily and select 12-h PM2.5 samples were collected in urban and peripheral sites in Mexico City from 17–30 March 2006. Samples were analyzed for OC and elemental carbon (EC using thermal-optical filter-based methods. Real-time water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC was collected at the peripheral site. Organic compounds, particularly molecular markers, were quantified by soxhlet extraction with methanol and dichloromethane, derivitization, and gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GCMS. A chemical mass balance model (CMB based on molecular marker species was used to determine the relative contribution of major sources to ambient OC. Motor vehicles, including diesel and gasoline, consistently accounted for 49% of OC in the urban area and 32% on the periphery. The daily contribution of biomass burning to OC was highly variable, and ranged from 5–26% at the urban site and 7–39% at the peripheral site. The remaining OC unapportioned to primary sources showed a strong correlation with WSOC and was considered to be secondary in nature. Comparison of temporally resolved OC showed that contributions from primary aerosol sources during daylight hours were not significantly different from nighttime. This study provides quantitative understanding of the important sources of OC during the MILAGRO 2006 field campaign.

  4. Coverage and accessibility levels of health services in the metropolitan periphery of Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flor López

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is two fold: first, to analyze the spatial distribution of health services that different public institutions offer in the metropolitan peripheral municipalities of Mexico City; and second, give some reasons that explain that distribution. The analysis tries to demonstrate a lack of territorial approach in the construction of the social policy in the particular case of the health sector. The spatial range of health service, coverage and accessibility in the eastern part of the State of Mexico was calculate through variables much as number of doctors, nurses, beds and medical center, that the different public institution particularly IMSS, ISSSTE and ISSEMYM, offer. Results tend to show an unequal distribution of health resources either human or material, as well as a territorial disorden in their distribution with a high concentration in urban areas. Thus, analysis shows that space plays a fundamental role as a structuring factor in the application of health policies and in the planning of such services.

  5. Adaptive pathways and coupled infrastructure: seven centuries of adaptation to water risk and the production of vulnerability in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beth Tellman

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Infrastructure development is central to the processes that abate and produce vulnerabilities in cities. Urban actors, especially those with power and authority, perceive and interpret vulnerability and decide when and how to adapt. When city managers use infrastructure to reduce urban risk in the complex, interconnected city system, new fragilities are introduced because of inherent system feedbacks. We trace the interactions between system dynamics and decision-making processes over 700 years of Mexico City's adaptations to water risks, focusing on the decision cycles of public infrastructure providers (in this case, government authorities. We bring together two lenses in examining this history: robustness-vulnerability trade-offs to explain the evolution of systemic risk dynamics mediated by feedback control, and adaptation pathways to focus on the evolution of decision cycles that motivate significant infrastructure investments. Drawing from historical accounts, archeological evidence, and original research on water, engineering, and cultural history, we examine adaptation pathways of humans settlement, water supply, and flood risk. Mexico City's history reveals insights that expand the theory of coupled infrastructure and lessons salient to contemporary urban risk management: (1 adapting by spatially externalizing risks can backfire: as cities expand, such risks become endogenous; (2 over time, adaptation pathways initiated to address specific risks may begin to intersect, creating complex trade-offs in risk management; and (3 city authorities are agents of risk production: even in the face of new exogenous risks (climate change, acknowledging and managing risks produced endogenously may prove more adaptive. History demonstrates that the very best solutions today may present critical challenges for tomorrow, and that collectively people have far more agency in and influence over the complex systems we live in than is often acknowledged.

  6. Coal mine subsidence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahall, N.J.

    1991-05-01

    This paper examines the efficacy of the Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement's (OSMRE) efforts to implement the federally assisted coal mine subsidence insurance program. Coal mine subsidence, a gradual settling of the earth's surface above an underground mine, can damage nearby land and property. To help protect property owners from subsidence-related damage, the Congress passed legislation in 1984 authorizing OSMRE to make grants of up to $3 million to each state to help the states establish self-sustaining, state-administered insurance programs. Of the 21 eligible states, six Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wyoming applied for grants. This paper reviews the efforts of these six states to develop self-sustaining insurance programs and assessed OSMRE's oversight of those efforts

  7. An evaluation of the hybrid car technology for the Mexico Mega City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jazcilevich, Aron D.; Reynoso, Agustin Garcia; Grutter, Michel; Delgado, Javier; Ayala, Ulises Diego; Lastra, Manuel Suarez; Zuk, Miriam; Oropeza, Rogelio Gonzalez; Lents, Jim; Davis, Nicole

    The introduction of hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technology in the private car fleet of Mexico City is evaluated in terms of private costs, energy, public health and CO 2 emission benefits. In addition to constructing plausible scenarios for urban expansion, emission, car fleet, and fuel consumption for year 2026 and comparing them with a 2004 base case, a time series is built to obtain accumulated economic benefits. Experimental techniques were used to build a vehicle library for a car simulator that included a Prius 2002, chosen as the HEV technology representative for this work. The simulator is used to estimate the emissions and fuel consumption of the car fleet scenarios. In the context of an urban scenario for year 2026, a complex air quality model obtains the concentrations of criterion pollutants corresponding to these scenarios. Using a technology penetration model, the hybridized fleet starts unfolding in year 2009 reaching to 20% in 2026. In this year, the hybridized fleet resulted in reductions of about 10% of CO 2 emissions, and yielded reductions in daytime mean concentrations of up to 7% in ozone and 3.4% in PM 2.5 compared to the 2004 base case. These reductions are concentrated in the densely populated areas of Mexico City. By building a time series of costs and benefits it is shown that, depending on fuel prices and using a 5% return rate, positive accumulated benefits (CO 2 benefits + energy benefits + public health benefits - private costs) will start generating in year 2015 reaching between 2.8 and 4.5 billion US Dlls in 2026. Another modernized private fleet consisting exclusively of Tier I and II cars did not yield appreciable results, signaling that a change in private car technology towards HEV's is needed to obtain significant accumulated benefits.

  8. History of nonnative Monk Parakeets in Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobson, Elizabeth A; Smith-Vidaurre, Grace; Salinas-Melgoza, Alejandro

    2017-01-01

    Nonnative Monk Parakeets have been reported in increasing numbers across many cities in Mexico, and were formally classified as an invasive species in Mexico in late 2016. However, there has not been a large-scale attempt to determine how international pet trade and national and international governmental regulations have played a part in colonization, and when the species appeared in different areas. We describe the changes in regulations that led the international pet trade market to shift to Mexico, then used international trade data to determine how many parakeets were commercially imported each year and where those individuals originated. We also quantified the recent increases in Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) sightings in Mexico in both the scientific literature and in citizen science reports. We describe the timeline of increased reports to understand the history of nonnative Monk Parakeets in Mexico. As in other areas where the species has colonized, the main mode of transport is through the international pet trade. Over half a million Monk Parakeets were commercially imported to Mexico during 2000-2015, with the majority of importation (90%) occurring in 2008-2014, and almost all (98%) were imported from Uruguay. The earliest record of a free-flying Monk Parakeet was observed during 1994-1995 in Mexico City, but sightings of the parakeets did not become geographically widespread in either the scientific literature or citizen science databases until 2012-2015. By 2015, parakeets had been reported in 97 cities in Mexico. Mexico City has consistently seen steep increases in reporting since this species was first reported in Mexico. Here we find that both national and international legal regulations and health concerns drove a rise and fall in Monk Parakeet pet trade importations, shortly followed by widespread sightings of feral parakeets across Mexico. Further monitoring of introduced Monk Parakeet populations in Mexico is needed to understand the

  9. The traffic crisis and a tale of two cities: Traffic and air quality in Bangkok and Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pendakur, V.S.; Badami, M.G.

    1995-12-31

    This paper focuses on congestion management techniques, traffic congestion levels and air quality. By using data from Bangkok and Mexico City, it illustrates the need for drastic changes in transportation policy tools and techniques for congestion management and for improving environmental quality. New approaches to investment and regulatory policy analysis and implementation are suggested. This requires the inclusion of all costs and benefits (economic and ecological) in the policy matrix so that investment and regulatory policies act in unison. Megacities are dominant in social, political and economic terms. 30 to 60% of national GDP is typically produced in these cities. Their human and motor vehicle populations have been doubling every 15-20 and 6-10 years respectively. They also have the most severe traffic congestion and air quality problems. They have the nation`s highest incidence of poverty and absolute poverty. Large portions of their populations endure severely unhealthy housing and sanitation conditions. Following are important characteristics of urban transportation systems in the megacities: the city centres are heavily congested with motorized traffic; traffic crawl rates vary from 2 to 10 km/hr; car and motorcycle ownership are increasing at annual rates of 10-12% and 15-20% respectively; significant air pollution with no relief in sight; TDM strategies are primarily creating new supply of road capacity; fairly high transit trips with substantial transit investments; weak air pollution monitoring and enforcement; and fairly cheap fuel and high costs of vehicles.

  10. Frequency of isolation of Campylobacter from roasted chicken samples from Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quiñones-Ramírez, E I; Vázquez-Salinas, C; Rodas-Suárez, O R; Ramos-Flores, M O; Rodríguez-Montaño, R

    2000-01-01

    The presence of Campylobacter spp. was investigated in 100 samples of roasted chicken tacos sold in well-established commercial outlets and semisettled street stands in Mexico City. From 600 colonies displaying Campylobacter morphology only 123 isolates were positive. From these isolates, 51 (41%) were identified as C. jejuni, 23 (19%) as C. coli, and 49 (40%) as other species of this genus. All of the 27 positive samples came from one location where handling practices allowed cross-contamination of the cooked product. The results indicate that these ready-to-consume products are contaminated with these bacteria, representing a potential risk for consumers, especially in establishments lacking adequate sanitary measures to prevent cross-contamination.

  11. Between Practices, Institutions and Discourses: Child Labor in Mexico City (1920-1934

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susana Sosenski

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper reveals the social action of children in Mexico City once the armed period of the Revolution was over. it analyzes the different  forms of economic participation among Mexican children and shows the various public attitudes and policies towards them. Moreover, the essay presents a quantitative and qualitative approach to urban child labor and examines the different governmental attempts to institutionalize it in schools and reformatories. The children’s role as social actors is foregrounded by studying children and teenagers as individuals who participate in their own lives, in their families’ lives, in the economic life of the country, and in the construction of the Mexican State.

  12. SURVIVAL STRATEGIES OF MICROENTREPRENEURS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO CITY: INFLUENCE OF APPRECIATED LEARNING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arcelia López-Cabello

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The strategies of family reproduction are various ways in which families cope with the problems of everyday life, where the preservation of life and development of essential economic practices is ensured to optimize the material and non-material conditions of the family unit and of each of its members. Through in-depth interviews it was learned how some microentrepreneurs in Mexico City, have used their knowledge appreciated to implement various business generates economic resources to survive, but also have inherited the children. Technical and family secrets on how to make some product knowledge are transmitted from generation to generation, and part of the heritage of a family, becoming livelihood strategies.

  13. Blood lead levels in pregnant women of high and low socioeconomic status in Mexico City.

    OpenAIRE

    Farias, P; Borja-Aburto, V H; Rios, C; Hertz-Picciotto, I; Rojas-Lopez, M; Chavez-Ayala, R

    1996-01-01

    This study examined the determinants of blood lead (BPb) in 513 pregnant women in Mexico City: 311 from public hospital prenatal clinics, representing primarily women of low socioeconomic status (SES), and 202 from private hospitals, primarily women of high SES. Overall, BPb levels ranged from 1.38 to 29 micrograms/dl, with geometric means of 6.7 and 11.12 micrograms/dl for women from private and public hospitals, respectively. The crude geometric means difference obtained by t-test was 4.42 ...

  14. Aerosol climatology over the Mexico City basin: Characterization of optical properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carabali, Giovanni; Estévez, Héctor Raúl; Valdés-Barrón, Mauro; Bonifaz-Alfonzo, Roberto; Riveros-Rosas, David; Velasco-Herrera, Víctor Manuel; Vázquez-Gálvez, Felipe Adrián

    2017-09-01

    Climatology of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), Single Scattering Albedo (SSA), and aerosol particle-size distribution were analyzed using a 15-year (1999-2014) dataset from AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) observations over the Mexico City (MC) basin. The atmosphere over this site is dominated by two main aerosol types, represented by urban/industrial pollution and biomass-burning particles. Due to the specific meteorological conditions within the basin, seasons are usually classified into three as follows: Dry Winter (DW) (November-February); Dry Spring (DS) (March-April), and the RAiny season (RA) (May-October), which are mentioned throughout this article. Using a CIMEL sun photometer, we conducted continuous observations over the MC urban area from January 1999 to December 2014. Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), Ångström exponent (α440-870), Single Scattering Albedo (SSA), and aerosol particle-size distribution were derived from the observational data. The overall mean AOD500 during the 1999-2014 period was 0.34 ± 0.07. The monthly mean AOD reached a maximal value of 0.49 in May and a minimal value of 0.27 in February and March. The average α440-870 value for the period studied was 1.50 ± 0.16. The monthly average of α440-870 reached a minimal value of 1.32 in August and a maximal value of 1.61 in May. Average SSA at 440 nm was 0.89 throughout the observation period, indicating that aerosols over Mexico City are composed mainly of absorptive particles. Concentrations of fine- and coarse-mode aerosols over MC were highest in DS season compared with other seasons, especially for particles with radii measuring between 0.1 and 0.2 μm. Results from the Spectral De-convolution Algorithm (SDA) show that fine-mode aerosols dominated AOD variability in MC. In the final part of this article, we present a classification of aerosols in MC by using the graphical method proposed by Gobbi et al. (2007), which is based on the combined analysis of α and its spectral curvature

  15. [Family planning in a suburban development of Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutiérrez Avila, J H; González Cortés, A; González Cortés, A

    1982-01-01

    To study the prevalence of contraceptive use among women in reproductive age, 15-50, and living in urban slums, the female population of Colonia Ajusco was surveyed. Colonia Ajusco is situated south of Mexico City; 70% of its population comes from the interior of the country; there is no drinkable water and no sewage system; housing conditions and urban services are very poor. 606 women were investigated; 58% of them were below age 36, and 53.5% were parity 4 and over. 56.4% used contraception; of these 36.7% used the IUD, 23.1% the pill, and 16.7% had been sterilized. The contraceptive method used seemed to be strictly related to the type of medical services used; women using the IUD were mostly patients of the Social Security medical services, while women using the pill were mostly clients of private physicians. There was no association between age and the method used. 88.4% of women not using contraception did not have easy availability of medical services. The percentage of women using contraception, 56.4% seems high in relation to other Latin American countries, but it is very low in relation to the percentage of contraceptive users in more developed countries (93% in England). The use of the IUD as the method of choice can be explained by several factors: the massive national advertising campaign, low cost, ease of insertion, and no need for sustained motivation to use contraception. From all studies on contraceptive prevalence in Mexico it appears that women start to regulate their fertility after the 1st child, or even after the 4th child. Women below 20 still tend to resort to illegal abortion.

  16. Who is that masked person: the use of face masks on Mexico City public transportation during the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Condon, Bradly John; Sinha, Tapen

    2010-04-01

    This article examines three issues: (1) the use, over time, of facemasks in a public setting to prevent the spread of a respiratory disease for which the mortality rate is unknown; (2) the difference between the responses of male and female subjects in a public setting to unknown risks; and (3) the effectiveness of mandatory and voluntary public health measures in a public health emergency. The use of facemasks to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases in a public setting is controversial. At the height of the influenza epidemic in Mexico City in the spring of 2009, the federal government of Mexico recommended that passengers on public transport use facemasks to prevent contagion. The Mexico City government made the use of facemasks mandatory for bus and taxi drivers, but enforcement procedures differed for these two categories. Using an evidence-based approach, we collected data on the use of facemasks over a 2-week period. In the specific context of the Mexico City influenza outbreak, these data showed mask usage rates mimicked the course of the epidemic and gender difference in compliance rates among metro passengers. Moreover, there was not a significant difference in compliance with mandatory and voluntary public health measures where the effect of the mandatory measures was diminished by insufficiently severe penalties, the lack of market forces to create compliance incentives and sufficient political influence to diminish enforcement. Voluntary compliance was diminished by lack of trust in the government. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Investigation of the correlation between odd oxygen and secondary organic aerosol in Mexico City and Houston

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. C. Wood

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Many recent models underpredict secondary organic aerosol (SOA particulate matter (PM concentrations in polluted regions, indicating serious deficiencies in the models' chemical mechanisms and/or missing SOA precursors. Since tropospheric photochemical ozone production is much better understood, we investigate the correlation of odd-oxygen ([Ox]≡[O3]+[NO2] and the oxygenated component of organic aerosol (OOA, which is interpreted as a surrogate for SOA. OOA and Ox measured in Mexico City in 2006 and Houston in 2000 were well correlated in air masses where both species were formed on similar timescales (less than 8 h and not well correlated when their formation timescales or location differed greatly. When correlated, the ratio of these two species ranged from 30 μg m−3/ppm (STP in Houston during time periods affected by large petrochemical plant emissions to as high as 160 μg m−3/ppm in Mexico City, where typical values were near 120 μg m−3/ppm. On several days in Mexico City, the [OOA]/[Ox] ratio decreased by a factor of ~2 between 08:00 and 13:00 local time. This decrease is only partially attributable to evaporation of the least oxidized and most volatile components of OOA; differences in the diurnal emission trends and timescales for photochemical processing of SOA precursors compared to ozone precursors also likely contribute to the observed decrease. The extent of OOA oxidation increased with photochemical aging. Calculations of the ratio of the SOA formation rate to the Ox production rate using ambient VOC measurements and traditional laboratory SOA yields are lower than the observed [OOA]/[Ox] ratios by factors of 5 to 15, consistent with several other models' underestimates of SOA. Calculations of this ratio using emission factors for organic compounds from gasoline and diesel exhaust do not reproduce the observed

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-01-01

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

  19. The Zapatista Social Netwar in Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    on the Internet. 4From a statement by Subcommandante Marcos, March 4, 1994, as reported by the Academia Mexicana de Derechos Humanos , Special...Indigenas de Mexico, Mexico City: Comisiön Nacional de Derechos Humanos , 1995. Evan, William M., "An Organization-Set Model of Interorganizational...City: Comision Nacional de Dere- chos Humanos , 1995. Meisel, James, The Fall of the Republic: Military Revolt in France, Ann Arbor: University of

  20. Water management for a megacity: Mexico City Metropolitan Area.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tortajada, Cecilia; Castelán, Enrique

    2003-03-01

    The paper presents an overview of the present situation of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). The analysis indicates an urgent need to radically improve the current water supply and wastewater management practices, to become sustainable. The MCMA is one of the most rapidly growing urban centers of the world, with a population of about 21 million people, a very high rate of immigration and numerous illegal settlements. In order to meet the increasing water demand, successive governments have focused almost exclusively on supply management and engineering solutions, which have resulted in investments of hundreds of millions of USD and the construction of major infrastructure projects for interbasin water transfer. Environmental, economic and social policies associated with water management are mostly inadequate and insufficient, which is resulting in increasing deterioration in the environment, health and socioeconomic conditions of a population living in one of the largest urban agglomerations of the world. Surprisingly, however, no long-term strategies on demand-management, reuse, conservation, and improved water-management practices have been developed so far.

  1. Seasonal variations of rotifers from a high altitude urban shallow water body, La Cantera Oriente (Mexico City, Mexico)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutiérrez, Sergio González; Sarma, S. S. S.; Nandini, S.

    2017-11-01

    La Cantera Oriente is a shallow freshwater volcanic water body located at an altitude of 2 270 m above sea level in the Ecological Reserve of San Angel Pedregal of Mexico City (Mexico). In order to ensure the conservation of its biological heritage including zooplankton, the present work was undertaken to quantify the seasonal changes in the diversity and density of rotifers and the selected physico-chemical variables during 2013-2014. Qualitative analysis of the zooplankton samples yielded 68 rotifer species which represented 24 genera in 15 families. B rachionus calyciflorus Pallas, 1766, B. quadridentatus Hermann, 1783, Polyarthra vulgaris Carlin, 1943, Lecane closterocerca (Schmarda, 1859) and Keratella cochlearis (Gosse, 1851) were the most common species. Preston plots of species frequency-density revealed that as many as 30% of the rotifer taxa were dominant throughout the year. The species with high population densities were Brachionus quadridentatus, Lecane closterocerca, Keratella cochlearis, and Lepadella patella; their peak densities were 2 000, 1 000, 180 and 90 ind./L, all occurring in summer. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that Platyias quadricornis was related to the concentration of phosphates available in the environment and the conductivity, while B. quadridentatus was positively correlated with chlorophyll- a. The trophic status of the lake was eutrophic based on Chl- a content but oligotrophic with relation to the Brachionus: Trichocerca ratio.

  2. On the usefulness of atmospheric measurements for air quality evaluation in the context of recent urban meteorology findings in Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cruz Nunez, X.; Jazcilevich Diamant, A. [Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)]. E-mail: xochitl@atmosfera.unam.mx

    2007-10-15

    In many cities, the main tool used to assess pollution abatement policies is the air quality information obtained from local monitoring network. However, in the context of a complex meteorology and land use such as those prevailing in Mexico City, the point-wise character and lack of detailed chemistry of this information may confer conflictive or biased information. The approach to understand the problem could be not based on solid ground. It is not until the measurement effort is complemented with detailed meteorological and air quality modeling that proper use of the information can be assured. In order to provide an example of this assertion, the usefulness of measured air quality data is gauged in a simplified manner, constructing three dimensional graphs containing local emission concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NO{sub x}), volatile organic compounds (VOC) and maximum ozone (O{sub 3}) concentrations, that we call ozone isopleths, for three sites in Mexico City. Together with corresponding wind rose data, an interpretation of the air pollution transport in the Valley of Mexico using only measured data is attempted. This interpretation, based on measured information subject to local influences, is compared with recent air quality modeling results showing that when measured data is used in conjunction with air quality modeling a better interpretation of air pollution problem can be obtained. A correct strategy to study the air quality problem, especially in the case of Mexico City where complex meteorology and land use is present, should be that both endeavors, measuring and modeling, are pursued with equal vigor. [Spanish] En muchas ciudades la herramienta principal en la evaluacion de las politicas para el control de la contaminacion es la informacion de calidad del aire proveniente de las redes locales de mediciones. Sin embargo, en el contexto de una meteorologia compleja y el uso de suelo de la Ciudad de Mexico, el caracter puntual y la carencia de

  3. Frequency and risk factors associated with dry eye in patients attending a tertiary care ophthalmology center in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martinez JD

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Jaime D Martinez,1 Anat Galor,2,3 Nallely Ramos-Betancourt,1 Andrés Lisker-Cervantes,1 Francisco Beltrán,1 Jorge Ozorno-Zárate,1 Valeria Sánchez-Huerta,1 Marco-Antonio Torres-Vera,1 Everardo Hernández-Quintela1 1Cornea and External Diseases Service, Asociación Para Evitar la Ceguera en Mexico (Association to prevent blindness in Mexico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 3Cornea and External Diseases Division, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA Purpose: The purpose of this study was to ascertain the frequency and risk factors of dry eye (DE among patients attending a tertiary care ophthalmology center in Mexico.Methods: Approximately 338 consecutive new patients attending a tertiary care ophthalmology center in Mexico City underwent an ocular surface examination, which included tear film break-up time, fluorescein corneal staining, Schirmer’s test, and evaluation of meibum quality. Symptoms of DE were evaluated by the Ocular Surface Disease Index and Dry Eye Questionnaire-5. Information on demographics, exposures, past medical and ocular history, and medications was also collected.Results: The frequency of severe DE symptoms was found to be 43% based on the Ocular Surface Disease Index and 30% based on Dry Eye Questionnaire-5. Risk factors significantly associated with increased DE symptoms included dry mouth and gastrointestinal ulcer medications. With regard to signs, aqueous tear deficiency was a less-frequent finding (22% in our population than evaporative deficiency (94%. Risk factors associated with aqueous tear deficiency were dry mouth and diuretic use. No risk factors were associated with evaporative deficiency. Risk factors associated with meibomian gland dysfunction included old age, male sex, arthritis, and use of an antihypertensive. The only risk factor associated with corneal staining was dry

  4. The UNESCO-IHP Working Group on Land Subsidence: Four Decades of International Contributions to Hydrogeological Related Subsidence Research and Knowledge Exchange

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galloway, D. L.; Carreon-Freyre, D.; Teatini, P.; Ye, S.

    2015-12-01

    Subsidence is globally prevalent and because much of it is related to hydrological processes affected by human development of local land and water resources, "Land Subsidence" was included in the UNESCO programme of the International Hydrological Decade (IHD), 1965-1974 and an ad hoc working group on land subsidence was formed. In 1975 subsidence was retained under the framework of the UNESCO IHP (subproject 8.4: "Investigation of Land Subsidence due to Groundwater Exploitation"), and UNESCO IHP formerly codified the Working Group on Land Subsidence (WGLS). In 1984 the WGLS produced a comprehensive guidebook to serve scientists and engineers, confronting land subsidence problems, particularly in developing countries (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/$other/unesdoc/pdf/065167eo.pdf). During the IHD, UNESCO IHP convened the 1st International Symposium on Land Subsidence in 1969 in Tokyo, Japan. In collaboration with UNESCO IHP, IAHS, and other scientific organizations, the WGLS has convened eight more International Symposia on Land Subsidence in different countries in Asia, Europe and North America. The 9 published symposia proceedings constitute an important source of global subsidence research and case studies during the past 45 years, covering both anthropogenic and natural subsidence processes. Currently, the WGLS comprising 20 subsidence experts from 9 countries promotes and facilitates the international exchange of information regarding the design, implementation and evaluation of risk assessments and mitigation measures, the definition of water and land resource-management strategies that support sustainable development in areas vulnerable to subsidence (http://landsubsidence-unesco.org), and the assessment of related geological risks such as earth fissuring and fault activation (www.igcp641.org). The WGLS has become an important global leader in promoting subsidence awareness, scientific research and its application to subsidence monitoring, analysis and management.

  5. The Identification of Land Subsidance by Levelling Measurement and GPR Data at Tanjung Emas Harbour, Semarang

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Purnomo Raharjo

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Recently, the main problem in Semarang City is flood. This area has low relief that consists of coastal alluvial deposits, swamp and marine sediments. The coastline is characterized by muddy, sandy, and rocky coasts, and mangrove coast. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR records, show that subsurface geological condition of northern part of Semarang is coastal alluvial deposit and in the south is volcanic rocks. The aims of this this research is to determine land subsidence by levelling measurement in 2005 in Tanjung Emas Harbour area built on 1995. During ten years, there are various land subsidance in this area: in Coaster Street (21 – 41 cm, container wharf (62 – 94 cm, north breakwater (64 – 79 cm, west breakwater (74 – 140 cm, east groin (76 – 89 cm, and stacking area ( 77 – 109 cm. According to this research, it is concluded that one reason causes of flooding in this area is land subsidence.

  6. A comparative simple method for human bioclimatic conditions applied to seasonally hot/warm cities of Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tejeda Martinez, A. [Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz (Mexico); Garcia Cueto, O.R. [Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Mexicali, B.C. (Mexico)

    2002-01-01

    The climate of a region is an environmental resource with important implications for things such as thermal comfort, health and productivity of the population. In this work, the bioclimatic comfort was evaluated for seven seasonally warm/hot cities of Mexico by means of the following current indexes: Discomfort Index, Enthalpy Index and Heat Strain Index. Also, the periods during which it is necessary to use air conditioning in the studied cities were calculated from estimated global radiation and hourly data of temperature and relative humidity which made it possible to establish them with high precision. Finally, the useful of the Heat Strain Index is shown. It is a simple index needing available meteorological data to compare bioclimatic conditions of similar sites. [Spanish] El clima regional tiene implicaciones en el confort, la salud y la productividad de la poblacion. En este articulo se presentan las evaluaciones bioclimaticas comparativas de siete ciudades calidas de Mexico. Se aplicaron los indices bioclimaticos de disconfort, entalpia y esfuerzo frente al calor. Se calcularon los periodos para los cuales es necesario el uso de aire acondicionado, a partir de estimaciones de radiacion solar global y de temperatura y humedad horarias medias mensuales. Finalmente se muestra la utilidad y calidad del Indice de esfuerzo frente al calor, el cual requiere solo de datos climatologicos comunes para poder comparar condiciones bioclimaticas de sitios similares.

  7. Gender performativity, medicalization and health in transsexual women in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Arturo Granados Cosme

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association consider transsexuality a pathology and suggest sex-gender reassignment for the biopsychic adjustment of trans people. Through the discursive analysis of experience, this study describes the processes of medicalization and gender performativity in relation to the health of a group of trans women from Mexico City. For this purpose, a qualitative study was conducted in which 10 semi-structured interviews were carried out in 2015. As part of medicalization, the pathologization of transsexuality generated psychic suffering; on the other hand, sex-gender reassignment also entailed additional risks. It is possible to conclude that in trans women, violence and exclusion constitute the primary experiences explaining their foremost health problems. Therefore, it is suggested that it is necessary for discrimination be reduced and for advancements to be made in safer medical interventions.

  8. [Gender performativity, medicalization and health in transsexual women in Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cosme, José Arturo Granados; Ramírez, Pedro Alberto Hernández; Muñoz, Omar Alejandro Olvera

    2017-01-01

    The World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association consider transsexuality a pathology and suggest sex-gender reassignment for the biopsychic adjustment of trans people. Through the discursive analysis of experience, this study describes the processes of medicalization and gender performativity in relation to the health of a group of trans women from Mexico City. For this purpose, a qualitative study was conducted in which 10 semi-structured interviews were carried out in 2015. As part of medicalization, the pathologization of transsexuality generated psychic suffering; on the other hand, sex-gender reassignment also entailed additional risks. It is possible to conclude that in trans women, violence and exclusion constitute the primary experiences explaining their foremost health problems. Therefore, it is suggested that it is necessary for discrimination be reduced and for advancements to be made in safer medical interventions.

  9. Temporal variations in elemental concentrations of atmospheric aerosols in Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aldape U, F.

    1992-05-01

    Measurements are reported of elemental concentrations of airborne particulates in Mexico City and their time variation over a one-week period in the spring of 1988. Proton-induced X-ray emission analysis, PIXE, was used to analyse the atmospheric aerosols which were bombarded with 2.5 MeV protons from the 12 MV Tandem Van de Graaff accelerator at the National Institute of Nuclear Research, ININ. Variations in the elemental concentrations were observed over the time period studied. An intercomparison was made in the case of the element lead with PIXE results obtained at the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory, CNL, University of California for the same set of samples. Excellent agreement was obtained both for the time variation of the relative concentration and the absolute lead concentrations. These results give added confidence to the protocol adopted at ININ. (Author)

  10. Subsidence caused by an underground nuclear explosion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hakala, W W [Environmental Research Corp., Alexandria, VA (United States)

    1970-05-15

    An underground nuclear detonation creates a cavity, which may be followed by the formation of a rubble chimney and possibly by a surface subsidence crater. A knowledge of the mechanisms of surface and subsurface subsidence is valuable not only because of the potential engineering uses of the chimneys and craters that may form, but also for the prevention of surface damage. Some of the parameters that are of interest in the subsidence phenomenon are the height and volume of the chimney, the porosity of the chimney, the crater size (depth and radius) and shape, and the time required after detonation for formation of the chimney or crater. The influence of the properties of the subsidence medium on the geometry of the subsidence crater must be considered. The conditions under which partial or complete subsidence is prevented must also be studied. The applicability of the relations that have been developed for the flow of bulk solids for relatively small masses and low pressures to the subsidence problem associated with nuclear explosions is examined. Rational modifications are made to describe the subsidence problem. Sensitivity of the subsidence parameters to material properties and the prevailing geometry is shown. Comparison with observed results at the Nevada Test Site is made and the variations encountered are found to be within reasonable limits. The chimney size and subsidence crater dimensions are found to be a function of the bulking characteristics of the medium, the strength parameters, the dimensions of the subsurface cavity, and the depth of the cavity. The great influence of the strength parameters on the collapse times is shown. For a given medium, the prevention of subsidence is dependent on the cavity size. (author)

  11. Subsidence of the Laguna Salada Basin, northeastern Baja California, Mexico, inferred from Milankovitch climatic changes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Contreras, Juan; Martin-Barajas, Arturo [Departamento de Geologia, CICESE, Ensenada Baja California (Mexico); Herguera, Juan Carlos [Division de Oceanologia, CICESE, Ensenada Baja California (Mexico)

    2005-01-15

    Laguna Salada in northern Baja California, Mexico, is an active half-graben product of the trans-tensional tectonics of the Gulf of California. It is sensitive to changes in sediment supply from the Colorado River basin. We present a time series analysis of the upper 980 m of a gamma-ray log from a borehole drilled near the Laguna Salada fault. The power spectrum of the gammaray log resembles the spectrum of {delta}{sup 1}8{omicron} Pleistocene isotopic variations from ice cores and from the deep ocean, known to be strongly controlled by Milankovitch cycles. We correlate {delta}{sup 1}8{omicron} stages with silty and sandy intervals in the log. Downcore ages for the last 780 ky are constrained within {approx}10 kyr. We derive a simple time vs. depth calibration relation for the basin over this time interval. Estimated sedimentation rates at the drill site appear to be constant with a value of {approx}1.6 mm/yr. We propose that this subsidence rate is produced by the Laguna Salada fault. [Spanish] La cuenca de Laguna Salada en el norte de Baja California, Mexico, es un semigraben activo producto de la tectonica ranstensional del Golfo de California. Esta cuenca endorreica es sensible a cambios en sedimentacion por variaciones en el aporte e sedimentos de fuentes cercanas y distales transportados por arroyos de las sierras adyacentes y por el Rio Colorado. Esta cuenca es un sitio excepcional para explorar el uso de cambios climaticos ciclicos como herramienta de datacion y estimar tasas de sedimentacion y subsidencia en el area. Para demostrar esto se presenta un analisis de series de tiempo de un registro de rayos de gama de un pozo geotermico exploratorio perforado adyacente a la falla de Laguna Salada, la cual limita el margen oriental de la cuenca. Los resultados del analisis indican que el espectro de los primeros 980 m del registro de rayos gama tiene una alta coherencia con el espectro de registros isotopicos paleoclimaticos de {delta}{sup 1}8{omicron} del

  12. Basin of Mexico: A history of watershed mismanagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luis A. Bojorquez Tapia; Exequiel Ezcurra; Marisa Mazari-Hiriart; Salomon Diaz; Paola Gomez; Georgina Alcantar; Daniela Megarejo

    2000-01-01

    Mexico City Metropolitan Zone (MCMZ) is located within the Basin of Mexico. Because of its large population and demand for natural resources, several authors have questioned the viability of the city, especially in terms of water resources. These are reviewed at the regional and the local scales. It is concluded that a multi-basin management approach is necessary to...

  13. Association Between Depression and Elder Abuse and the Mediation of Social Support: A Cross-Sectional Study of Elder Females in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilar-Compte, Mireya; Giraldo-Rodríguez, Liliana; Ochoa-Laginas, Adriana; Gaitan-Rossi, Pablo

    2018-04-01

    We assessed the association between depression and elder abuse, and the mediation effect of social support among elder women in Mexico City. A total of 526 noninstitutionalized elder women, residing in Mexico City and attending public community centers were selected. Logistic regressions and structural equation models (SEM) were estimated. One fifth of the elderly women were at risk of depression, one third suffered some type of abuse in the past 12 months, and 82% reported low social support. Logistic models confirmed that depression was statistically associated with elder abuse and vice versa (odds ratio [OR] = 1.97 and 1.96, respectively). In both models, social support significantly reduced the association between these variables leading to study these associations through SEM. This approach highlighted that social support buffers the association between depression and elder abuse. Findings underline the relevance of programs and strategies targeted at increasing social support among urban older adults.

  14. Environmental effects of aquifer overexploitation: a case study in the highlands of Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esteller, Maria Vicenta; Diaz-Delgado, Carlos

    2002-02-01

    There are several environmental processes occurring under aquifer overexploitation conditions. These processes include groundwater table decline, subsidence, attenuation and drying of springs, decrease of river flow, and increased pollution vulnerability, among others processes. Some of these effects have been observed on the Upper Basin of the Lerma River. The Lerma River begins in the SE of the Valley of Toluca at 2,600 m asl, in the wetland known as Lagoons of Almoloya del Río. This wetland is made up of a group of lagoons, which are an important aquatic system from an environmental point of view. The water inflow of this wetland is a discharge of springs, which occur between the fractured volcanic material of the mountain range and granular volcanic-continental deposits of the Valley of Toluca aquifer. The intensive exploitation of the Valley of Toluca aquifer to supply urban and industrial water to Mexico City and Toluca began in 1950 and is responsible for a steady decline of piezometric levels of 1-3.5 m/yr. Other effects of this exploitation--the drying of the wetland, the decrease of river flow and the land subsidence--caused serious ecological and social impacts. The authorities declared this aquifer as overexploited in order to reduce the exploitation and preserve the availability of water resources in this important region.

  15. Sustainable passenger road transport scenarios to reduce fuel consumption, air pollutants and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chavez-Baeza, Carlos; Sheinbaum-Pardo, Claudia

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents passenger road transport scenarios that may assist the MCMA (Mexico City Metropolitan Area) in achieving lower emissions in both criteria air pollutants (CO, NO x , NMVOC (non-methane volatile organic compounds), and PM 10 ) and GHG (greenhouse gas) (CH 4 , N 2 O and CO 2 ), while also promoting better mobility and quality of life in this region. We developed a bottom-up model to estimate the historical trends of energy demand, criteria air pollutants and GHG emissions caused by passenger vehicles circulating in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) in order to construct a baseline scenario and two mitigation scenarios that project their impact to 2028. Mitigation scenario “eff” considers increasing fuel efficiencies and introducing new technologies for vehicle emission controls. Mitigation scenario “BRT” considers a modal shift from private car trips to a Bus Rapid Transport system. Our results show significant reductions in air pollutants and GHG emissions. Incentives and environmental regulations are needed to enable these scenarios. - Highlights: • More than 4.2 million passenger vehicles in the MCMA (Mexico City Metropolitan Area) that represent 61% of criteria pollutants and 44% of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions. • Emissions of CO, NO x and NMVOC (non-methane volatile organic compounds) in baseline scenario decrease with respect to its 2008 value because emission standards. • Emissions of PM 10 and GHG increase in baseline scenario. • Emissions of PM 10 and GHG decrease in eff + BRT scenario from year 2020. • Additional reductions are possible with better standards for diesel vehicles and other technologies

  16. Diagnosis and treatment of presumed STIs at Mexican pharmacies: survey results from a random sample of Mexico City pharmacy attendants

    OpenAIRE

    Turner, A; Ellertson, C; Thomas, S; Garcia, S

    2003-01-01

    Objectives: People in developing countries often seek medical advice for common ailments from pharmacies. As one example, pharmacists routinely diagnose and treat symptomatic sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We aimed to assess the quality of advice provided in Mexico City pharmacies by presenting hypothetical STI related syndromes and recording pharmacy attendants' suggested diagnoses and treatments.

  17. Parent Management Training-Oregon Model (PMTO™) in Mexico City: Integrating Cultural Adaptation Activities in an Implementation Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baumann, Ana A; Domenech Rodríguez, Melanie M; Amador, Nancy G; Forgatch, Marion S; Parra-Cardona, J Rubén

    2014-03-01

    This article describes the process of cultural adaptation at the start of the implementation of the Parent Management Training intervention-Oregon model (PMTO) in Mexico City. The implementation process was guided by the model, and the cultural adaptation of PMTO was theoretically guided by the cultural adaptation process (CAP) model. During the process of the adaptation, we uncovered the potential for the CAP to be embedded in the implementation process, taking into account broader training and economic challenges and opportunities. We discuss how cultural adaptation and implementation processes are inextricably linked and iterative and how maintaining a collaborative relationship with the treatment developer has guided our work and has helped expand our research efforts, and how building human capital to implement PMTO in Mexico supported the implementation efforts of PMTO in other places in the United States.

  18. Geospatial subsidence hazard modelling at Sterkfontein Caves ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The geo-hazard subsidence model includes historic subsidence occurrances, terrain (water flow) and water accumulation. Water accumulating on the surface will percolate and reduce the strength of the soil mass, possibly inducing subsidence. Areas for further geotechnical investigation are identified, demonstrating that a ...

  19. Correlating the subsidence pattern and land use in Bandung, Indonesia with both Sentinel-1/2 and ALOS-2 satellite images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Zheyuan; Ge, Linlin; Ng, Alex Hay-Man; Zhu, Qinggaozi; Yang, Xihua; Li, Liyuan

    2018-05-01

    Continuous research has been conducted in Bandung City, West Java province, Indonesia over the past two decades. Previous studies carried out in a regional-scale might be useful for estimating the correlation between land subsidence and groundwater extraction, but inadequate for local safety management as subsidence may vary over different areas with detailed characters. This study is focused primarily on subsidence phenomenon in local, patchy and village scales, respectively, with Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2 dataset acquired from September 2014 to July 2017. The Sentinel-1 derived horizontal movement map confirmed that the vertical displacement is dominant of the Line-of-Sight (LoS) subsidence. Moreover, both Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2 derived InSAR measurements were cross-validated with each other. In order to understand the subsidence in a more systematic way, six 10-cm subsidence zones have been selected known as Zone A-F. Further analyses conducted over multiple scales show that industrial usage of groundwater is not always the dominant factor that causes the land subsidence and indeed it does not always create large land subsidence either. Regions experiencing subsidence is due to a combined impact of a number of factors, e.g., residential, industrial or agricultural activities. The outcome of this work not only contributes to knowledge on efficient usage of the satellite-based monitoring networks, but also assists developing the best hazard mitigation plans. In the future work, as we cannot draw the conclusion which is the dominant factor within each sub-zone due to the lack of statistical data, e.g., the groundwater consumption rates per square kilometre for different land types, further datasets are still needed to examine the core factor.

  20. [Origins of institutional Pediatrics: Maternity and Childhood Hospital of Mexico City in the nineteenth century].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baeza Bacab, Manuel Antonio

    In June of 1866, the empress Carlota founded the Maternity House in the Department of Secret Births at the Hospice of the Poor. Upon the reinstatement of a republican government, Dr. Ramon Pacheco was appointed director of the Maternity House. Shortly after, in February of 1868, Dr. Luis Fernandez Gallardo established a pavilion for sick children in the Hospital of San Andres. After realizing this pavilion didn't have the adequate conditions to operate properly, and in the need of a children's hospital in Mexico City, Dr. Pacheco merged both institutions in April 2, 1869 -with the help of Ms. Luciana Arrazola- and founded the Maternity and Childhood Hospital, the first institution for the care of ill children in the independent Mexico. Ever since it was founded, Dr. Eduardo Liceaga was in charge of the children's health. Later, with the help of the presidents Juarez, Lerdo de Tejada and Díaz, he was able to consolidate the hospital in academic and health services aspects. This noble institution closed its doors on February 5, 1905, upon its incorporation to the General Hospital of Mexico, after 36 years of working for the welfare of Mexican children. Copyright © 2017 Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

  1. Guardians of health: the dimensions of elder caregiving among women in a Mexico City neighborhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendez-Luck, Carolyn A; Kennedy, David P; Wallace, Steven P

    2009-01-01

    Little is known about the family care of older adults in Mexico and the role of women in this process. To begin to fill this knowledge gap, this paper describes how a small sample of low-income women in one Mexico City neighborhood conceptualized the caregiver role and identified the forms of assistance they gave to their older relatives on a daily basis. A grounded theory approach was used to collect and analyze the data. Forty-one semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with female caregivers. The age of participants was between 19 and 83 years, and care recipients between 56 and 92 years. The relationship of caregiver to care recipient was wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, grand-daughter, sibling, and other relative. The mean length of time providing care was 5 years. Most participants were not employed outside the home, and the median monthly household income was 2000 pesos. We found that caregiving was a life-changing event, with 27 of 41 participants viewing themselves as guardians. Caregivers' emphasis was on care recipients' emotional needs in order to provide "the most precious gift" of "time and attention." Two forms of assistance were 'keeping company' and 'watching out' as safeguards against poor health or further decline in health. These findings increase the cultural understanding of caregiving in Mexico. Further research is needed to test the caregiving concepts identified in this study.

  2. A "Great Roads" Approach to Teaching Modern World History and Latin American Regional Survey Courses: A Veracruz to Mexico City Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, James Seay, Jr.; Sullivan-Gonzalez, Douglass

    2002-01-01

    Outlines an innovative way of teaching "World History Since 1500" at Samford University (Birmingham, Alabama) called the "great roads" approach, centered upon important roads in a country's history. Presents the "Veracruz to Mexico City corridor" case study used to teach a Latin American modern history course. (CMK)

  3. Multi-Gas analysis of ambient air using FTIR spectroscopy over Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grutter, Michel [Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    2003-01-01

    A Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer was used to analyze the composition of ambient air at a specific site in Mexico City metropolitan area. A continuous flow of air was passed through a multi-pass cell and the absorption spectra were collected over a period of two weeks. Quantitative analysis was performed by means of the classical-least square (CLS) method using synthetically generated spectra as references and calibration sources. Ambient levels of CO, CO{sup 2}, CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O are reported with a time resolution of five minutes for September 2001, showing interesting results in their diurnal patterns. Comments on the precision, detection limits and signal to noise of the instrument are included for the evaluation of this technique. Water concentrations were estimated and compared with those obtained with a relative humidity sensor. The technique of extractive FTIR for ambient trace gas monitoring was utilized in Mexico for the fist time and some potential applications are given. [Spanish] Se utilizo un espectrometro en el infrarrojo por transformadas de Fourier (FTIR) para analizar la composicion de aire ambiente en un sitio de la zona metropolitana de la Ciudad de Mexico. Para ello se introdujo un flujo constante de aire a una celda de gases de paso multiple y se colectaron los espectros durante un periodo de dos semanas. Para el analisis cuantitativo, se aplico el metodo clasico de minimos cuadrados (CLS) utilizando espectros sinteticos como referencias y fuentes de calibracion. Se observaron patrones interesantes en los niveles ambientales de CO, CO{sup 2}, CH{sub 4} y N{sub 2}O, los cuales son reportados con una resolucion temporal de cinco minutos para el mes de septiembre del 2001. En la evaluacion de esta tecnica se incluyen comentarios sobre la precision, los limites de deteccion, asi como de la relacion senal/ruido del instrumento. Se estimaron concentraciones de vapor de agua a traves de sus absorciones en el infrarrojo y se

  4. Meeting Report: Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers (ISSSTE on Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, Mexico City, Mexico, 3rd to 4th October 2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alvarado Ibarra Martha

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available From October 3 to 4, 2016, the fourth meeting of haematologists who belonged to the institute for social security and services for state workers (ISSSTE was held, the meeting was held in Mexico City, Mexico. Attending this working meeting, medical fellows of the specialty of Haematology and Paediatric Haematology, as well as attached doctors of both specialties that work in different hospitals in Mexico City and the rest of the country, the purpose of the attendees to this consensus was discuss, update, and homogenize the protocols of diagnostic and therapeutic approach in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia of all ages. All participants appreciated the opportunity to participate in one of the most important cooperation projects of the ISSSTE and to be able to offer updated treatment protocols to this population or, failing that, to send them a Medical Center that can provide hospital care as soon as possible. Physicians took advantage of this meeting for the scientific exchange, the discussion on projects in course and were planned the development of other consensuses being the closest the one of lymphomas. As in the previous consensuses that were published in a National magazine. The coordinator of this project raised to the attendees the possibility of a publication in magazines of greater prestige international since in countries like Mexico the cooperative work is not frequent and the group of haematologists belonging to ISSSTE are working towards this goal. This consensus was considered as a very well-organized platform to support the research of young fellows in the specialty to stimulate the team work in protocols of the different haematological pathologies and to inform the world the results achieved in a population of patients attended by the ISSSTE. In agreement with the main objective of this consensus on acute lymphoblastic leukaemia once finished and discussed throughout the haematological group, the coordinator for the

  5. Antibiotic of resistence profile of Salmonella spp. serotypes isolated from retail beef in Mexico City.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nova Nayarit-Ballesteros

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To determine the serotype and antibiotic resistance profile of Salmonella spp. isolated from retail ground beef in Mexico City. Materials and methods. A total of 100 samples of ground beef were analyzed. The pathogen was isolated by conventional methods and confirmed by PCR (invA gene, 284 bp. The antibiotic resistance profile was determined by the Kirby-Bauer method while serotyping was performed according to the Kauffman-White scheme. Results. We isolated a total of 19 strains of Lomita (6, Derby (4, Senftenberg (2, Javiana and Cannsttat (1 and undeter- mined (5 serotypes. The strains showed a high resistance rate to ampicillin (18/19, carbenicillin (16/19, tetracyclin (13/19, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (13/19. Multidrug resistance was observed in 14 isolates. Conclusions. Several Salmonella spp. serotypes of public health significance are circulating in ground beef sold in the major Mexican city. Some of these strains are multi-drug resistance.

  6. Enhanced land subsidence in Galveston Bay, Texas: Interaction between sediment accumulation rates and relative sea level rise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al Mukaimi, Mohammad E.; Dellapenna, Timothy M.; Williams, Joshua R.

    2018-07-01

    Galveston Bay is the second largest estuary along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast, with a watershed containing one of largest concentrations of petroleum and chemical industries globally, as well as Houston, the fifth largest metropolitan area in the USA. Throughout the last century, extensive groundwater extraction to support these industries and an expanding population has resulted in significantly enhanced land subsidence (0.6-3.0 cm yr-1). The highest subsidence rates observed in the bay are within the lower 15 km of the San Jacinto River/Houston Ship Channel region (SJR/HSC), with distal areas in East and West Galveston Bays having subsidence rates on the order of 0.2 cm yr-1. In order to investigate the impacts of subsidence on sedimentation, a series of 22 vibracores were collected throughout the bay, and 210Pb and 137Cs radioisotope geochronologies and grain size distributions were determined. Sediment accumulation rates are highest (1.9 ± 0.5 cm yr-1) in the SJR/HSC, and decrease (sedimentation rates are significantly (p sedimentation rates are lower (as much as 50%) than estimated RSLR, indicating a sediment accretionary deficit. In areas (e.g., Scott Bay) within the SJR/HSC, the bay has deepened by more than 1.5 m, suggesting that sediment accumulation cannot keep pace with RSLR. Ultimately, this has resulted in a loss of coastal wetlands and a conversion of marine habitats from relatively shallow to deeper water settings.

  7. Early radioisotope uses in Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Segovia, N.; Tejera, A.; Bulbulian, S.; Palma, F.

    1991-10-01

    Mexico is traditionally a mining country and the first information about the presence of uranium is related to mine exploitation. Around 1945 when uranium became economically important, a rumor had spread that large amounts of black ceramics from Oaxaca were being purchased and sent abroad because of its assumed high uranium content. It was only in 1949 when minerals containing thorium and uranium were declared by law as 'National Reserves'. In those years a radium emanation plant was installed at the 'Hospital General' in Mexico City with the main purpose of carrying out radon seed implantation in tumors. In the fifties a radium dial painting facility was operating in the city of Toluca some 70 km from Mexico City. In 1955, when the National Commission of Nuclear Energy (CNEN) was founded by a government decree, two main activities were in sight: a training program on 'Radioisotope Techniques and Nuclear Instrumentation' and the creation of specialized laboratories. In this paper a general description of these events and undertakings spanning the decades 1940 to 1970 is given. (Author)

  8. Early radioisotope uses in Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Segovia, N; Tejera, A; Bulbulian, S; Palma, F

    1991-10-15

    Mexico is traditionally a mining country and the first information about the presence of uranium is related to mine exploitation. Around 1945 when uranium became economically important, a rumor had spread that large amounts of black ceramics from Oaxaca were being purchased and sent abroad because of its assumed high uranium content. It was only in 1949 when minerals containing thorium and uranium were declared by law as 'National Reserves'. In those years a radium emanation plant was installed at the 'Hospital General' in Mexico City with the main purpose of carrying out radon seed implantation in tumors. In the fifties a radium dial painting facility was operating in the city of Toluca some 70 km from Mexico City. In 1955, when the National Commission of Nuclear Energy (CNEN) was founded by a government decree, two main activities were in sight: a training program on 'Radioisotope Techniques and Nuclear Instrumentation' and the creation of specialized laboratories. In this paper a general description of these events and undertakings spanning the decades 1940 to 1970 is given. (Author)

  9. [Abortion and physicians in training: the opinion of medical students in Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    González De León Aguirre D; Salinas Urbina AA

    1997-04-01

    This research project explores doctors' views regarding induced abortion. Abortion's penalization in Mexico greatly conditions its relevance as a social and public health problem. Physicians constitute a professional sector that can play an important role in reforming current laws on abortion. As a professional group, they have taken a conservative stance towards abortion. Their attitudes are to a great extent influenced by the medical training they receive. In this article we present results from a survey of 96 medical students from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Xochimilco, in Mexico City. Data were processed with the SPSS program. Simple frequencies show that students have limited knowledge concerning the legal status of abortion and that they tolerate it with restrictions and in limited situations. Women students apparently take a more conservative stance, but statistical analysis with the c-square test did not show significant differences by gender. The article poses the need to modify doctors' training in the reproductive health field, allowing future doctors to acquire a broader view of health problems related to sexuality and reproduction. In the long run, this should also promote a kind of comprehensive health care practice in medical services, thus responding more satisfactorily to women's needs.

  10. Solar Activity, Ultraviolet Radiation and Consequences in Birds in Mexico City, 2001- 2002

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdes, M.; Velasco, V.

    2008-12-01

    Anomalous behavior in commercial and pet birds in Mexico City was reported during 2002 by veterinarians at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. This was attributed to variations in the surrounding luminosity. The solar components, direct, diffuse, global, ultraviolet band A and B, as well as some meteorological parameters, temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation, were then analyzed at the Solar Radiation Laboratory. Although the total annual radiance of the previously mentioned radiation components did not show important changes, ultraviolet Band-B solar radiation did vary significantly. During 2001 the total annual irradiance , 61.05 Hjcm² to 58.32 Hjcm², was 1.6 standard deviations lower than one year later, in 2002 and increased above the mean total annual irradiance, to 65.75 Hjcm², 2.04 standard deviations, giving a total of 3.73 standard deviations for 2001-2002. Since these differences did not show up clearly in the other solar radiation components, daily extra-atmosphere irradiance was analyzed and used to calculate the total annual extra-atmosphere irradiance, which showed a descent for 2001. Our conclusions imply that Ultraviolet Band-B solar radiation is representative of solar activity and has an important impact on commercial activity related with birds.

  11. [Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome in Veracruz City, Mexico: a community-based survey].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valerio-Ureña, J; Vásquez-Fernández, F; Jiménez-Pineda, A; Cortázar-Benítez, L F; Azamar-Jácome, A A; Duarte-Velázquez, M E; Torres-Medina, V

    2010-01-01

    Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is recognized as the most frequent functional digestive disorder around the world. In Latin America and Mexico there are few studies in order to demonstrate its real prevalence in general population. To determine the prevalence of IBS in general population from Veracruz City Mexico, using the Rome II criteria. Using basic information given by bureau for planning urban services from Veracruz country, a 10% random population sample was obtained. Subjects between 16-80 years old were interviewed using a questionnaire based on Rome II criteria and a visual analogous scale in order to estimate the negative effect of IBS symptoms on daily activities. We interviewed 459 subjects with a median age of 31.2 +/- 13.6 years old detecting 78 subjects (16.9%) with IBS symptoms: 25 males and 53 females (gender prevalence of 11.3% and 22.1%, respectively). 28.2% of them had IBS with diarrhea, 50% had IBS with constipation and 21.8% alternating bowel movements, diarrhea and constipation. Negative effect of IBS symptoms on daily activities was significant. The prevalence of IBS in open population was 16.9% according to Rome II criteria, being higher in those older than 35 years old. Constipation was the predominant pattern. Further studies should evaluate associated factors of these findings.

  12. Monitoring of Surface Subsidence of the Mining Area Based on Sbas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Y.; Zhou, S.; Zang, D.; Lu, T.

    2018-05-01

    This paper has collected 7 scenes of L band PALSAR sensor radar data of a mine in FengCheng city, jiangxi province, using the Small-baseline Subset (SBAS) method to invert the surface subsidence of the mine. Baselines of interference less than 800m has been chosen to constitute short baseline differential interference atlas, using pixels whose average coherent coefficient was larger than or equal to 0.3 as like high coherent point target, using singular value decomposition (SVD) method to calculate deformation phase sequence based on these high coherent points, and the accumulation of settlements of study area of different period had been obtained, so as to reflect the ground surface settlement evolution of the settlement of the area. The results of the study has showed that: SBAS technology has overcome coherent problem of the traditionality D-InSAR technique, continuous deformation field of surface mining in time dimension of time could been obtained, characteristics of ground surface settlement of mining subsidence in different period has been displayed, so to improve the accuracy and reliability of the monitoring results.

  13. Aerosol composition and source apportionment in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area with PIXE/PESA/STIM and multivariate analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Johnson , K. S.; De Foy , B.; Zuberi , B.; Molina , L. T.; Molina , M. J.; Xie , Y.; Laskin , A.; Shutthanandan , V.

    2006-01-01

    Aerosols play an important role in the atmosphere but are poorly characterized, particularly in urban areas like the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). The chemical composition of urban particles must be known to assess their effects on the environment, and specific particulate emissions sources should be identified to establish effective pollution control standards. For these reasons, samples of particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) were collected dur...

  14. Using high-resolution satellite aerosol optical depth to estimate daily PM2.5 geographical distribution in Mexico City

    OpenAIRE

    Just, Allan C.; Wright, Robert O.; Schwartz, Joel; Coull, Brent A.; Baccarelli, Andrea A.; Tellez-Rojo, Martha María; Moody, Emily; Wang, Yujie; Lyapustin, Alexei; Kloog, Itai

    2015-01-01

    Recent advances in estimating fine particle (PM2.5) ambient concentrations use daily satellite measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) for spatially and temporally resolved exposure estimates. Mexico City is a dense megacity that differs from other previously modeled regions in several ways: it has bright land surfaces, a distinctive climatological cycle, and an elevated semi-enclosed air basin with a unique planetary boundary layer dynamic. We extend our previous satellite methodology to...

  15. September 2016 Bayou Choctaw Subsidence Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moriarty, Dylan Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Lord, Anna C. Snider [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-05-01

    Subsidence monitoring is a crucial component to understanding cavern integrity of salt storage caverns. This report looks at historical and current data at the Bayou Choctaw Strategic Petroleum Reserve Site. Data from the most recent land-based annual surveys, GPS, and tiltmeter indicate the subsidence rates across the site are approximately 0.0 ft./yr. Because of this, there is no evidence from the subsidence survey to suggest any of the DOE caverns have been structurally compromised.

  16. Fracture hydraulic conductivity in the Mexico City clayey aquitard: Field piezometer rising-head tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vargas, Carlos; Ortega-Guerrero, Adrián

    A regional lacustrine aquitard covers the main aquifer of the metropolitan area of Mexico City. The aquitard's hydraulic conductivity (K') is fundamental for evaluating the natural protection of the aquifer against a variety of contaminants present on the surface and its hydraulic response. This study analyzes the distribution and variation of K' in the plains of Chalco, Texcoco and Mexico City (three of the six former lakes that existed in the Basin of Mexico), on the basis of 225 field-permeability tests, in nests of existing piezometers located at depths of 2-85 m. Tests were interpreted using the Hvorslev method and some by the Bouwer-Rice method. Results indicate that the distribution of K' fits log-Gaussian regression models. Dominant frequencies for K' in the Chalco and Texcoco plains range between 1E-09 and 1E-08 m/s, with similar population means of 1.19E-09 and 1.7E-09 m/s, respectively, which are one to two orders of magnitude higher than the matrix conductivity. In the Mexico City Plain the population mean is near by one order of magnitude lower; K'=2.6E-10 m/s. The contrast between the measured K' and that of the matrix is attributed to the presence of fractures in the upper 25-40 m, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies on solute migration in the aquitard. Un imperméable régional d'origine lacustre recouvre le principal aquifère de la zone urbaine de la ville de Mexico. La conductivité hydraulique K' de cet imperméable est fondamentale pour évaluer la protection naturelle de l'aquifère, contre les différents contaminants présents en surface, et sa réponse hydraulique. Cette étude analyse et les variations de K' dans les plaines de Chalco, Texcoco et Mexico (trois des six anciens lacs qui existaient dans le Bassin de Mexico), sur la base de 225 essais de perméabilité sur le terrain, réalisés en grappes dans des piézomètres existants entre 2 et 85 m de profondeur. Les essais ont été interprétés avec la m

  17. Monitoring Subsidence in California with InSAR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farr, T. G.; Jones, C. E.; Liu, Z.; Neff, K. L.; Gurrola, E. M.; Manipon, G.

    2016-12-01

    Subsidence caused by groundwater pumping in the rich agricultural area of California's Central Valley has been a problem for decades. Over the last few years, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) observations from satellite and aircraft platforms have been used to produce maps of subsidence with cm accuracy. We are continuing work reported previously, using ESA's Sentinel-1 to extend our maps of subsidence in time and space, in order to eventually cover all of California. The amount of data to be processed has expanded exponentially in the course of our work and we are now transitioning to the use of the ARIA project at JPL to produce the time series. ARIA processing employs large Amazon cloud instances to process single or multiple frames each, scaling from one to many (20+) instances working in parallel to meet the demand (700 GB InSAR products within 3 hours). The data are stored in Amazon long-term storage and an http view of the products are available for users of the ARIA system to download the products. Higher resolution InSAR data were also acquired along the California Aqueduct by the NASA UAVSAR from 2013 - 2016. Using multiple scenes acquired by these systems, we are able to produce time series of subsidence at selected locations and transects showing how subsidence varies both spatially and temporally. The maps show that subsidence is continuing in areas with a history of subsidence and that the rates and areas affected have increased due to increased groundwater extraction during the extended western US drought. Our maps also identify and quantify new, localized areas of accelerated subsidence. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) funded this work to provide the background and an update on subsidence in the Central Valley to support future policy. Geographic Information System (GIS) files are being furnished to DWR for further analysis of the 4 dimensional subsidence time-series maps. Part of this work was carried out at the

  18. Regional and local land subsidence at the Venice coastland by TerraSAR-X PSI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Tosi

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Land subsidence occurred at the Venice coastland over the 2008–2011 period has been investigated by Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI using a stack of 90 TerraSAR-X stripmap images with a 3 m resolution and a 11-day revisiting time. The regular X-band SAR acquisitions over more than three years coupled with the very-high image resolution has significantly improved the monitoring of ground displacements at regional and local scales, e.g., the entire lagoon, especially the historical palaces, the MoSE large structures under construction at the lagoon inlets to disconnect the lagoon from the Adriatic Sea during high tides, and single small structures scattered within the lagoon environments. Our results show that subsidence is characterized by a certain variability at the regional scale with superimposed important local displacements. The movements range from a gentle uplift to subsidence rates of up to 35 mm yr−1. For instance, settlements of 30–35 mm yr−1 have been detected at the three lagoon inlets in correspondence of the MoSE works, and local sinking bowls up to 10 mm yr−1 connected with the construction of new large buildings or restoration works have been measured in the Venice and Chioggia historical centers. Focusing on the city of Venice, the mean subsidence of 1.1 ± 1.0 mm yr−1 confirms the general stability of the historical center.

  19. A Picture of Subsidized Households 2009

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Housing and Urban Development — Picture of Subsidized Households describes the nearly 5 million households living in HUD-subsidized housing in the United States for the year 2009. Picture 2009...

  20. A Picture of Subsidized Housholds 2008

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Housing and Urban Development — Picture of Subsidized Households describes the nearly 5 million households living in HUD-subsidized housing in the United States for the year 2008. Picture 2008...

  1. Impact of coal mining subsidence on farmland in eastern China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Z.; Hu, F.; Li, J.; Li, H.

    1997-01-01

    This paper discusses damage characteristics of farmland due to coal mining subsidence in eastern China. The landscape of the mining subsidence trough has been divided into three zones; central zone, trough margin zone an dinner-edge zone. Each zone had a specific characteristic of deformation. The water accumulation, prone (downward sloping) land and fissures are typical damage characteristics of the subsidence landscape in eastern China. Based on soils analysis at different positions of the subsidence trough, the impact of mining subsidence on soil properties was identified. The physical properties of soil sensitive to mining subsidence were bulk density, water content and hydraulic conductivity, and they showed worsening form the top to the centre of the subsidence trough. Except for soil electrical conductivity, the tested soil chemical properties were not so sensitive to mining subsidence. They may however change after subsidence. An accumulation of salt was found in both new and old subsidence areas and the old subsidence area had a higher salt content. The soil biomass C in newly subsided land showed a decreasing trend from the top to the centre of the subsidence trough, but no obvious trend was observed in the old subsidence areas. Based on the soil analysis of subsided land, soil erosion was identified as a serious problem, most severe in the middle of the prone land. 4 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

  2. An Integrated Approach for the Assessment of the Natural and Anthropogenic Controls on Land Subsidence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Othman, A.; Sultan, M.; Ahmed, M.; Alharbi, T.; Gebremichael, E.; Emil, M.

    2015-12-01

    Recent land subsidence incidences in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) resulted in loss in life and property. In this study, an integrated approach is adopted to accomplish the following: (1) map the spatial distribution of areas that are witnessing land subsidence, (2) quantify the rates of land subsidence, and (3) identify the factors causing the observed subsidence. A three-fold approach is applied: (1) use of interferometric techniques to assess the spatial distribution of land subsidence and to quantify the rates of subsidence, (2) generate a GIS database to encompass all relevant data and derived products, and (3) correlate findings from the radar exercise with relevant spatial and temporal datasets (e.g., remote sensing, geology, fluid extraction rates, distribution of urban areas, etc.). Three main areas were selected: (1) central and northern parts of the KSA, (2) areas surrounding the Ghawar oil/gas field, and (3) the Harrat Lunayyir volcanic field. Applications of two-pass, three-pass, and SBAS radar interferometric techniques over central KSA revealed the following: (1) subsidence rates of up to -15 mm/yr were detected; the spatial distribution of the subsided areas that were extracted using the various interferometric techniques are similar, (2) subsided areas correlated spatially with the distribution of: (a) areas with high groundwater extraction rates as evidenced from the analysis of field and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data, (b) agricultural plantations as evidenced from the analysis of field and temporal Landsat data, (c) urban areas (e.g., Buraydah City), (d) outcrops of carbonates and anhydrite formations (e.g., Khuff and Jilh formations), (3) subsidence could be related to more than one parameter. Similar research activities are underway in northern KSA and in areas surrounding the Ghawar oil/gas and the Harrat Lunayyir volcanic fields to assess the distribution and factors controlling land deformation in those areas.

  3. A study of indoor radon in greenhouses in Mexico City, Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guillermo Espinosa; Allan Chavarria; Jose-Ignacio Golzarri

    2013-01-01

    Enclosed spaces in contact with soil, the main source of radon, like greenhouses have potentially high radon ( 222 Rn) concentrations. Greenhouses are frequented by visitors and also are workplaces. The study of radon concentrations in greenhouses is, thus, a relevant concern for public health and environmental radiation authorities. For this study, the radon concentrations in 12 greenhouses in different locations within Mexico City were measured using nuclear track methodology. The detectors used for the study consisted of the well-known closed-end cup device, with CR-39 Lantrack R as detector material. The measurements were carried out over a period of one year, divided into four three-month sub-periods. The lowest and highest annual mean radon concentrations found in individual greenhouses were 17.0 and 45.1 Bq/m 3 , respectively. The annual mean averaged over all 12 greenhouses was 27.3 Bq/m 3 . No significant seasonal variation was observed. Using the highest annual mean radon concentration found in an individual greenhouse, and an equilibrium factor of 0.4, the effective dose from 222 Rn and its progenies was calculated to be 339.9 nSv/h. This corresponds to an annual dose rate of 679.8 μSv/y (0.057 WLM/y) for a worker spending 4 h a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year, inside the greenhouse. For a visitor spending 12 h a year inside the greenhouse the annual dose is 2.469 μSv/y. The study of indoor radon concentrations in closed buildings such as greenhouses, which are both workplaces and open to visitors, is an important public health consideration. (author)

  4. Air pollution problem in the Mexico City metropolitan zone: Photochemical pollution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alvarez, H.B.; Alvarez, P.S.; Echeverria, R.S.; Jardon, R.T. [Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera (Mexico). Seccion de Contaminacion Ambiental

    1997-12-31

    Mexico City Metropolitan Zone (MCMZ) represents an example of a megacity where the air pollution problem has reached an important evolution in a very short time, causing a risk in the health of a population of more than 20 million inhabitants. The atmospheric pollution problem in the MCMZ, began several decades ago, but it increased drastically in the middle of the 80`s. It is important to recognize that in the 60`s, 70`s and the first half of the 80`s the main pollutants were sulfur dioxide and total suspended particles. However since the second half of the 80`s until now, ozone is the most important air pollutant besides of the suspended particles (PM{sub 10}) and other toxic pollutants (1--8). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the evolution of the ozone atmospheric pollution problem in the MCMZ, as well as to analyze the results of several implemented air pollution control strategies.

  5. Implementation of a radiological safety management system in a hospital of Mexico City; Implementacion de un sistema de gestion de seguridad radiologica en un hospital de la Ciudad de Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martinez V, D.; Rivera M, T. [CICATA-IPN, 11500 Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Velez D, V. [INER, 14000 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

    2007-07-01

    Full text: The reflection of this work is based in some radiological accidents that its have happened in some hospital centers or of research. The over exposure of some people is due to the pursuit of the procedures, the lack of quality assurance of the equipment or the inappropriate actions of the technicians. In Mexico one has seen in several hospitals the lack of existence of a Quality Assurance Program to prevent the accidents, the execution of the same ones and those good practices and the lack of Safety Culture makes that the hospital radiological safety it is faulty. The objective of the present work is the implementation of a radiological safety management in a hospital of Mexico City. (Author)

  6. Health Reform in Mexico City, 2000-2006

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asa Cristina Laurell

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available With the goal of fully guaranteeing the constitutional right to health protection, Mexico City’s leftist administration (2000-2006 undertook a reform to provide health services to people without insurance. The reform had four components: free medicine and health services; the introduction of a new service model (MAS; the strengthening, expansion, and improvement of services, and legislation to ensure that the city government become guarantor of this constitutional right. The reform resulted in 95% of eligible families being enrolled in free care; expansion of health care infrastructure with the construction of five new health care centers and a 1/3 increase in the number of public hospital beds in impoverished and disadvantaged areas; increased access to and use of health services particularly by the poor and for expensive interventions; and the legal guarantee of the continuity of this policy. The implementation of this new policy was made possible through an 80% budget increase, improvements in efficiency, and a successful fight against corruption. The health impact of the reform was seen in decline of mortality rates in all age groups between 1997 and 2005 (22% for child mortality, 11% for economically active age groups, and 7.9% for retired age groups and by a 16% decline in AIDS related mortality between 2000 and 2005. This reform contrasts with the health care reform promoted by the right wing Federal government in the rest of the country; the latter was based on voluntary health insurance, cost-sharing by families, access to a limited package of services, and gradual enrollment of the population

  7. Aerosol composition and source apportionment in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area with PIXE/PESA/STIM and multivariate analysis

    OpenAIRE

    K. S. Johnson; B. de Foy; B. de Foy; B. Zuberi; B. Zuberi; L. T. Molina; L. T. Molina; M. J. Molina; M. J. Molina; Y. Xie; A. Laskin; V. Shutthanandan

    2006-01-01

    Aerosols play an important role in the atmosphere but are poorly characterized, particularly in urban areas like the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). The chemical composition of urban particles must be known to assess their effects on the environment, and specific particulate emissions sources should be identified to establish effective pollution control standards. For these reasons, samples of particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) were collected during the MCMA-2003 Field Campaign f...

  8. Cities at Play

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Magnussen, Rikke; Elming, Anna

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents a community-driven science gaming project where students in collaboration with urban planners and youth project workers in the City of Copenhagen used Minecreaft to redesign their neighbourhood to generate solutions to problems in their local area. The project involved 25...... administrated by the City of Copenhagen. Resources were allocated for one of these projects to recondition the subsidized housing for this area. A community-driven science gaming process was designed in which overall challenges for redesign, defined by urban planners, were given to the students to highlight...... for redesigning the neighbourhood in Minecraft and LEGO. These were presented to City of Copenhagen architects and urban planners as well as the head of the Department of Transport, Technology and Environment. Overall the study showed that tasks focused on solving local living problems through neighbourhood...

  9. Review: Regional land subsidence accompanying groundwater extraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galloway, Devin L.; Burbey, Thomas J.

    2011-01-01

    The extraction of groundwater can generate land subsidence by causing the compaction of susceptible aquifer systems, typically unconsolidated alluvial or basin-fill aquifer systems comprising aquifers and aquitards. Various ground-based and remotely sensed methods are used to measure and map subsidence. Many areas of subsidence caused by groundwater pumping have been identified and monitored, and corrective measures to slow or halt subsidence have been devised. Two principal means are used to mitigate subsidence caused by groundwater withdrawal—reduction of groundwater withdrawal, and artificial recharge. Analysis and simulation of aquifer-system compaction follow from the basic relations between head, stress, compressibility, and groundwater flow and are addressed primarily using two approaches—one based on conventional groundwater flow theory and one based on linear poroelasticity theory. Research and development to improve the assessment and analysis of aquifer-system compaction, the accompanying subsidence and potential ground ruptures are needed in the topic areas of the hydromechanical behavior of aquitards, the role of horizontal deformation, the application of differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry, and the regional-scale simulation of coupled groundwater flow and aquifer-system deformation to support resource management and hazard mitigation measures.

  10. Family Home Childcare Providers: A Comparison of Subsidized and Non-Subsidized Working Environments and Employee Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shriner, Michael; Schlee, Bethanne M.; Mullis, Ronald L.; Cornille, Thomas A.; Mullis, Ann K.

    2008-01-01

    Federal and State Governments provide childcare subsidies for low-income working families. This study compares the encountered issues and working environments of family home providers of subsidized and non-subsidized childcare. Questionnaires were distributed throughout a southeastern state in the United States to 548 family home childcare…

  11. Complete Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus larvae MEX14, Isolated from Honey Bee Larvae from the Xochimilco Quarter in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peréz de la Rosa, D; Pérez de la Rosa, J J; Cossio-Bayugar, R; Miranda-Miranda, E; Lozano, L; Bravo-Díaz, M A; Rocha-Martínez, M K; Sachman-Ruiz, B

    2015-08-27

    Paenibacillus larvae strain MEX14 is a facultative anaerobic endospore-forming bacterium that infects Apis mellifera larvae. Strain MEX14 was isolated from domestic bee larvae collected in a backyard in Mexico City. The estimated genome size was determined to be 4.18 Mb, and it harbors 4,806 protein coding genes (CDSs). Copyright © 2015 Peréz de la Rosa et al.

  12. Diabetes and Cause-Specific Mortality in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alegre-Díaz, Jesus; Herrington, William; López-Cervantes, Malaquías; Gnatiuc, Louisa; Ramirez, Raul; Hill, Michael; Baigent, Colin; McCarthy, Mark I; Lewington, Sarah; Collins, Rory; Whitlock, Gary; Tapia-Conyer, Roberto; Peto, Richard; Kuri-Morales, Pablo; Emberson, Jonathan R

    2016-11-17

    Most large, prospective studies of the effects of diabetes on mortality have focused on high-income countries where patients have access to reasonably good medical care and can receive treatments to establish and maintain good glycemic control. In those countries, diabetes less than doubles the rate of death from any cause. Few large, prospective studies have been conducted in middle-income countries where obesity and diabetes have become common and glycemic control may be poor. From 1998 through 2004, we recruited approximately 50,000 men and 100,000 women 35 years of age or older into a prospective study in Mexico City, Mexico. We recorded the presence or absence of previously diagnosed diabetes, obtained and stored blood samples, and tracked 12-year disease-specific deaths through January 1, 2014. We accepted diabetes as the underlying cause of death only for deaths that were due to acute diabetic crises. We estimated rate ratios for death among participants who had diabetes at recruitment versus those who did not have diabetes at recruitment; data from participants who had chronic diseases other than diabetes were excluded from the main analysis. At the time of recruitment, obesity was common and the prevalence of diabetes rose steeply with age (3% at 35 to 39 years of age and >20% by 60 years of age). Participants who had diabetes had poor glycemic control (mean [±SD] glycated hemoglobin level, 9.0±2.4%), and the rates of use of other vasoprotective medications were low (e.g., 30% of participants with diabetes were receiving antihypertensive medication at recruitment and 1% were receiving lipid-lowering medication). Previously diagnosed diabetes was associated with rate ratios for death from any cause of 5.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.0 to 6.0) at 35 to 59 years of age, 3.1 (95% CI, 2.9 to 3.3) at 60 to 74 years of age, and 1.9 (95% CI, 1.8 to 2.1) at 75 to 84 years of age. Between 35 and 74 years of age, the excess mortality associated with previously

  13. Black carbon network in Mexico. First Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrera, Valter; Peralta, Oscar; Granado, Karen; Ortinez, Abraham; Alvarez-Ospina, Harry; Espinoza, Maria de la Luz; Castro, Telma

    2017-04-01

    After the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change celebrated in Paris 2016, many countries should adopt some mechanisms in the next years to contribute to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and support sustainable development. Mexico Government has adopted an unconditional international commitment to carry out mitigation actions that would result in the reduction of 51% in black carbon (BC) emissions by year 2030. However, many BC emissions have been calculated by factor emissions. Since optical measurements of environmental BC concentrations can vary according the different components and their subsequence wavelength measure, it's important to obtain more accurate values. BC is formally defined as an ideally light-absorbing substance composed by carbon (Bond et al., 2013), and is the second main contributor (behind Carbon Dioxide; CO2) to positive radiative forcing (Ramanathan and Carmichael, 2008). Recently, BC has been used as an additional indicator in air quality management in some cities because is emitted from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuel and biomass burning in both anthropogenic and it is always emitted with other particles and gases, such as organic carbon (OC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Black Carbon, PM2.5 and pollutant gases were measured from January 2015 to December 2015 at three main cities in Mexico, and two other places to evaluate the BC concentration levels in the country. The urban background sites (Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, MXC-UB, GDL-UB, MTY-UB), a sub-urban background site (Juriquilla, Queretaro, JUR-SUB) and a regional background site (Altzomoni, ALT-RB). Results showed the relationship between BC and PM2.5 in the 3 large cities, with BC/PM2.5 ratios near 0.14 to 0.09 and a high BC-CO relationship in all the year in Mexico City, who showed that mobile sources are a common, at least in cities with a non-significant biomass burning emission related to agriculture or coal

  14. Comparison of lead levels in human permanent teeth from Strasbourg, Mexico City, and rural zones of Alsace

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frank, R.M.; Sargentini-Maier, M.L.; Turlot, J.C.; Leroy, M.J.

    1990-01-01

    A comparative study of the mean lead concentrations in enamel and dentin of human premolars and permanent molars was conducted by means of a systematic sampling procedure with energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis. In a first series of analyses, no significant statistical differences in mean lead concentrations at various levels of enamel and dentin were noted between young patients of Strasbourg and those of small villages of Alsace, nor between elderly patients living in these two locations, despite the fact that motor traffic was significantly lower in the rural zones. However, in both locations, a significantly higher concentration of lead was observed in enamel and dentin in relation to age. In a second series of analyses, the mean lead concentrations of both dental hard tissues of premolars and permanent molars of young individuals from Strasbourg, rural Alsace, and Mexico City were compared. Significantly higher mean lead concentrations were found in enamel and dentin samples from Mexico City. This was most evident for inner coronal dentin (5.7 and 6.1 times greater than in teeth of Strasbourg and rural zones of Alsace, respectively) and for pulpal root dentin (6.9 and 8.9 times greater than in teeth of Strasbourg and rural zones of Alsace). It is proposed that the higher lead concentrations are related to the higher lead content of motor gasoline and to more intense traffic conditions. The dental hard tissues appear to be of value for the study of environmental lead pollution

  15. Application of an extension of the MAI method to the Acapulco City, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Contreras, M.; Aguirre, J.

    2001-12-01

    The site effects and the source parameters, are inverted from a Fourier displacement spectra of seismograms that are corrected by geometrical spreading and regional attenuation valid for south center of Mexico(Ordaz and Singh, 1992). We used Genetic Algorithms (GA) to perform the non-linear inversion, like in the MAI method (Moya et al., 2000) . The GA have proved to produce better results than other traditional methods which are frequently trapped in a local minimum. GA is a method that mimics the evolution laws in living creatures. The best individuals reproduce and develop themselves with every generation. In our case each individual correspond to one source and the genes correspond to the source parameters. As in nature, the best source remain and are improved with each iteration. We assume that the site effect at each station are the same independently of the earthquake, because of that we can search for the combination of sources that can produce the smaller standard deviation of the estimated site effects from the different Fourier displacement earthquake spectra. Then we use the obtained site effects to generate a Fourier displacement spectra of an earthquake scenario. With this, we are able to compute the response spectra by means of random vibration theory (Reinoso et al., 1990). We apply this method to four stations located in the Acapulco City, Mexico, that recorded four earthquakes with epicenter located in the Guerrero Subduction Zone. The site effect estimated for one of the stations, called ACAZ, shows a good agreement with the estimated by Chávez-García et al. (1994) using spectral ratios between the ACAZ station and a rock reference site. Also we compare the response spectra from other earthquake, obtained by the former method and the response spectra computed using the acceleration record. We find an acceptable correlation between them. Chávez-García, J. Cuenca y M. Cárdenas (1994), "Estudio complementario de efectos de sitio en Acapulco

  16. Land Subsidence International Symposium held in Venice

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Third International Symposium on Land Subsidence was held March 18-25, 1984, in Venice, Italy. Sponsors were the Ground-Water Commission of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Italian National Research Council (CNR), the Italian Regions of Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, the Italian Municipalities of Venice, Ravenna, and Modena, the Venice Province, and the European Research Office. Cosponsors included the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (ISSMFE), and the Association of Geoscientists for International Development (AGID).Organized within the framework of UNESCO's International Hydrological Program, the symposium brought together over 200 international interdisciplinary specialists in the problems of land subsidence due to fluid and mineral withdrawal. Because man's continuing heavy development of groundwater, gas, oil, and minerals is changing the natural regime and thus causing more and more subsiding areas in the world, there had been sufficient new land subsidence occurrence, problems, research, and remedial measures since the 1976 Second International Symposium held in Anaheim, California, to develop a most interesting program of nearly 100 papers from about 30 countries. The program consisted of papers covering case histories of fluid and mineral withdrawal, engineering theory and analysis, karst “sink-hole”-type subsidence, subsidence due to dewatering of organic deposits or due to application of water (hydrocompaction), instrumentation, legal, socioeconomic, and environmental effects of land subsidence, and remedial works.

  17. The effect of composition, size, and solubility on acute pulmonary injury in rats following exposure to Mexico city ambient particulate matter samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snow, Samantha J; De Vizcaya-Ruiz, Andrea; Osornio-Vargas, Alvaro; Thomas, Ronald F; Schladweiler, Mette C; McGee, John; Kodavanti, Urmila P

    2014-01-01

    Particulate matter (PM)-associated metals can contribute to adverse cardiopulmonary effects following exposure to air pollution. The aim of this study was to investigate how variation in the composition and size of ambient PM collected from two distinct regions in Mexico City relates to toxicity differences. Male Wistar Kyoto rats (14 wk) were intratracheally instilled with chemically characterized PM10 and PM2.5 from the north and PM10 from the south of Mexico City (3 mg/kg). Both water-soluble and acid-leachable fractions contained several metals, with levels generally higher in PM10 South. The insoluble and total, but not soluble, fractions of all PM induced pulmonary damage that was indicated by significant increases in neutrophilic inflammation, and several lung injury biomarkers including total protein, albumin, lactate dehydrogenase activity, and γ-glutamyl transferase activity 24 and 72 h postexposure. PM10 North and PM2.5 North also significantly decreased levels of the antioxidant ascorbic acid. Elevation in lung mRNA biomarkers of inflammation (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α and macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-2), oxidative stress (heme oxygenase [HO]-1, lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor [LOX]-1, and inducibile nitric oxide synthase [iNOS]), and thrombosis (tissue factor [TF] and plasminogen activator inhibitor [PAI]-1), as well as reduced levels of fibrinolytic protein tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), further indicated pulmonary injury following PM exposure. These responses were more pronounced with PM10 South (PM10 South > PM10 North > PM2.5 North), which contained higher levels of redox-active transition metals that may have contributed to specific differences in selected lung gene markers. These findings provide evidence that surface chemistry of the PM core and not the water-soluble fraction played an important role in regulating in vivo pulmonary toxicity responses to Mexico City PM.

  18. Variability of the Mixed-Layer Height Over Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Franco, J. L.; Stremme, W.; Bezanilla, A.; Ruiz-Angulo, A.; Grutter, M.

    2018-06-01

    The diurnal and seasonal variability of the mixed-layer height in urban areas has implications for ground-level air pollution and the meteorological conditions. Measurements of the backscatter of light pulses with a commercial lidar system were performed for a continuous period of almost six years between 2011 and 2016 in the southern part of Mexico City. The profiles were temporally and vertically smoothed, clouds were filtered out, and the mixed-layer height was determined with an ad hoc treatment of both the filtered and unfiltered profiles. The results are in agreement when compared with values of mixed-layer height reconstructed from, (i) radiosonde data, and (ii) surface and vertical column densities of a trace gas. The daily maxima of the mean mixed-layer height reach values > 3 km above ground level in the months of March-April, and are clearly lower (behaviour, which is characterized together with the mixed-layer-height anomalies. A clear residual layer is evident from the backscattered signals recorded in days with specific atmospheric conditions, but also from the cloud-filtered mean diurnal profiles. The occasional presence of a residual layer results in an overestimation of the reported mixed-layer height during the night and early morning hours.

  19. Infrared Absorption by Atmospheric Aerosols in Mexico City during MILAGRO.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelley, K. L.; Mangu, A.; Gaffney, J. S.; Marley, N. A.

    2007-12-01

    Past research in our group using cylindrical internal reflectance spectroscopy has indicated that aqueous aerosols could contribute to the radiative warming as greenhouse species (1,2). Although aerosol radiative effects have been known for sometime and are considered one of the major uncertainties in climate change modeling, most of the studies have focused on the forcing due to scattering and absorption of radiation in the uv- visible region (3). Infrared spectral information also allows the confirmation of key functional groups that are responsible for enhanced absorption observations from secondary organics in the uv-visible region. This work extends our efforts to evaluate the infrared absorption by aerosols, particularly organics, that are now found to be a major fraction of urban and regional aerosols in the 0.1 to 1.0 micron size range and to help identify key types of organics that can contribute to aerosol absorption. During the MILAGRO campaign, quartz filter samples were taken at 12-hour intervals from 5 am to 5 pm (day) and from 5 pm to 5 am (night) during the month of March 2006. These samples were taken at the two super-sites, T-0 (Instituto Mexicano de Petroleo in Mexico City) and T-1 (Universidad Technologica de Tecamac, State of Mexico). The samples have been characterized for total carbon content (stable isotope mass spectroscopy) and natural radionuclide tracers, as well as for their UV-visible spectroscopic properties by using integrating sphere diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (Beckman DU with a Labsphere accessory). These same samples have been characterized in the mid and near infrared spectral ranges using diffuse reflection spectroscopy (Nicolet 6700 FTIR with a Smart Collector accessory). Aerosol samples were removed from the surfaces of the aerosol filters by using Si-Carb sampler. The samples clearly indicate the presence of carbonyl organic constituents and the spectra are quite similar to those observed for humic and fulvic acids

  20. Popular health education and propaganda in times of peace and war in Mexico city, 1890s-1920s.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agostoni, Claudia

    2006-01-01

    Health education and propaganda acquired importance during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Mexico City, as physicians, hygienists, and schoolteachers attempted to teach the principles of public health to a culturally and socially heterogeneous urban population.I explore the organization of the Popular Hygiene Exhibition of 1910 and the importance of health education before and after the armed phase of the Mexican Revolution, and why children and the indigenous populations became the main recipients of health education programs.

  1. Ensemble of ground subsidence hazard maps using fuzzy logic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Inhye; Lee, Jiyeong; Saro, Lee

    2014-06-01

    Hazard maps of ground subsidence around abandoned underground coal mines (AUCMs) in Samcheok, Korea, were constructed using fuzzy ensemble techniques and a geographical information system (GIS). To evaluate the factors related to ground subsidence, a spatial database was constructed from topographic, geologic, mine tunnel, land use, groundwater, and ground subsidence maps. Spatial data, topography, geology, and various ground-engineering data for the subsidence area were collected and compiled in a database for mapping ground-subsidence hazard (GSH). The subsidence area was randomly split 70/30 for training and validation of the models. The relationships between the detected ground-subsidence area and the factors were identified and quantified by frequency ratio (FR), logistic regression (LR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models. The relationships were used as factor ratings in the overlay analysis to create ground-subsidence hazard indexes and maps. The three GSH maps were then used as new input factors and integrated using fuzzy-ensemble methods to make better hazard maps. All of the hazard maps were validated by comparison with known subsidence areas that were not used directly in the analysis. As the result, the ensemble model was found to be more effective in terms of prediction accuracy than the individual model.

  2. The future of fuel cell in Mexico in the third millennium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez-Salgado, J.; Marín-Cruz, J.; Estrada-Martínez, A.

    The warming of the earth due to green house gas emission is mainly produced by CO 2. In Mexico City, 71% of the total harmful emissions is from internal combustion engines of car and buses. Benefits from the use of fuel cells (FCs) in transportation and stationary power generating sectors will achieve satisfactory air quality standards not only in Mexico City but also throughout the country. This paper suggests a scenario for FC technology penetration in Mexico. There are two potential markets for FCs: (i) FC transportation; and (ii) stationary power plant for electrical production. In Mexico City, 3.2 million vehicles are in circulation and represent 19.5% (16.3 million) of the country's total vehicles, and 9.02 million of natural gas users are a potential market for acquiring stationary power generation by FC systems.

  3. Social conflict in response to urban sprawl in rural areas: urban reconfiguration of the Mezquital valley as influence area of the megalopolis of Mexico City

    OpenAIRE

    Carrasco, Brisa; Cadena, Edel; Campos, Juan; Hinojosa, Raquel

    2016-01-01

    The urban sprawl of metropolitan areas involves complex processes of coexistence between urban and rural dynamics, the functional redefining of central urban areas and rural areas or urban-rural surrounding transition generates land conflicts. In this paper the context of Mexico City megalopolis and its expansion process, will be discussed in the new specialization of the central city to tertiary services and increasing the value of land, it has resulted in the expulsion of the industry and s...

  4. Emission and chemistry of organic carbon in the gas and aerosol phase at a sub-urban site near Mexico City in March 2006 during the MILAGRO study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. A. de Gouw

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Volatile organic compounds (VOCs and carbonaceous aerosol were measured at a sub-urban site near Mexico City in March of 2006 during the MILAGRO study (Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Objectives. Diurnal variations of hydrocarbons, elemental carbon (EC and hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA were dominated by a high peak in the early morning when local emissions accumulated in a shallow boundary layer, and a minimum in the afternoon when the emissions were diluted in a significantly expanded boundary layer and, in case of the reactive gases, removed by OH. In comparison, diurnal variations of species with secondary sources such as the aldehydes, ketones, oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC stayed relatively high in the afternoon indicating strong photochemical formation. Emission ratios of many hydrocarbon species relative to CO were higher in Mexico City than in the U.S., but we found similar emission ratios for most oxygenated VOCs and organic aerosol. Secondary formation of acetone may be more efficient in Mexico City than in the U.S., due to higher emissions of alkane precursors from the use of liquefied petroleum gas. Secondary formation of organic aerosol was similar between Mexico City and the U.S. Combining the data for all measured gas and aerosol species, we describe the budget of total observed organic carbon (TOOC, and find that the enhancement ratio of TOOC relative to CO is conserved between the early morning and mid afternoon despite large compositional changes. Finally, the influence of biomass burning is investigated using the measurements of acetonitrile, which was found to correlate with levoglucosan in the particle phase. Diurnal variations of acetonitrile indicate a contribution from local burning sources. Scatter plots of acetonitrile versus CO suggest that the contribution of biomass burning to the enhancement of most gas and aerosol species was not dominant and perhaps

  5. Emission and Chemistry of Organic Carbon in the Gas and Aerosol Phase at a Sub-Urban Site Near Mexico City in March 2006 During the MILAGRO Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    de Gouw, Joost A.; Welsh-Bon, Daniel; Warneke, Carsten; Kuster, W. C.; Alexander, M. L.; Baker, Angela K.; Beyersdorf, Andreas J.; Blake, D. R.; Canagaratna, Manjula R.; Celada, A. T.; Huey, L. G.; Junkermann, W.; Onasch, Timothy B.; Salcido, A.; Sjostedt, S. J.; Sullivan, Amy; Tanner, David J.; Vargas-Ortiz, Leroy; Weber, R. J.; Worsnop, Douglas R.; Yu, Xiao-Ying; Zaveri, Rahul A.

    2009-05-28

    Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbonaceous aerosol were measured at a sub-urban site near Mexico City in March of 2006 during the MILAGRO study (Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Objectives). Diurnal variations of hydrocarbons, elemental carbon (EC) and hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) were dominated by a high peak in the early morning when local emissions accumulated in a shallow boundary layer, and a minimum in the afternoon when the emissions were diluted in a significantly expanded boundary layer and, in case of the reactive gases, removed by OH. In comparison, diurnal variations of species with secondary sources such as the aldehydes, ketones, oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) stayed relatively high in the afternoon indicating strong photochemical formation. Emission ratios of many hydrocarbon species relative to CO were higher in Mexico City than in the U.S., but we found similar emission ratios for most oxygenated VOCs and organic aerosol. Secondary formation of acetone may be more efficient in Mexico City than in the U.S., due to higher emissions of alkane precursors from the use of liquefied petroleum gas. Secondary formation of organic aerosol was similar between Mexico City and the U.S. Combining the data for all measured gas and aerosol species, we describe the budget of total observed organic carbon (TOOC), and find that the enhancement ratio of TOOC relative to CO is conserved between the early morning and mid afternoon despite large compositional changes. Finally, the influence of biomass burning is investigated using the measurements of acetonitrile, which was found to correlate with levoglucosan in the particle phase. Diurnal variations of acetonitrile indicate a contribution from local burning sources. Scatter plots of acetonitrile versus CO suggest that the contribution of biomass burning to the enhancement of most gas and aerosol species was not dominant and perhaps not dissimilar

  6. How to deal with subsidence in the Dutch delta?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stouthamer, Esther; Erkens, Gilles

    2017-04-01

    In many deltas worldwide subsidence still is an underestimated problem, while the threat posed by land subsidence to low-lying urbanizing and urbanized deltas exceeds the threat of sea-level rise induced by climate change. Human-induced subsidence is driven by the extraction of hydrocarbons and groundwater, drainage of phreatic groundwater, and loading by buildings and infrastructure. The consequences of subsidence are increased flood risk and flood water depth, rising groundwater levels relative to the land surface, land loss, damage to buildings and infrastructure, and salinization of ground and surface water.. The Netherlands has a long history of subsidence. Large-scale drainage of the extensive peatlands in the western and northern parts of the Netherlands started approximately 1000 years ago as a result of rapid population growth. Subsidence is still ongoing due to (1) continuous drainage of the former peatland, which is now mainly in use as agricultural land and built-up area, (2) expansion of the built-up area and the infrastructural network, (3) salt mining and the extraction of gas in the northern Netherlands. Mitigating subsidence and its negative impacts requires understanding of the relative contribution of the drivers contributing to total subsidence, accurate predictions of land subsidence under different management scenarios, and its impacts. Such understanding enables the development of effective and sustainable management strategies. In the Netherlands, a lot of effort is put into water management aiming at amongst others the protection against floods and the ensuring agricultural activities, but a specific policy focusing on subsidence is lacking. The development of strategies to cope with subsidence is very challenging, because (1) the exact contribution of different drivers of subsidence to total subsidence is spatially different within the Netherlands, (2) there is no single problem owner, which makes it difficult to recognize this a common

  7. Concentration levels of radon in air, indoors and outdoors in houses of Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pena Garcia, P.

    1992-01-01

    Concentration levels of radon in air, indoors and outdoors have been obtained in houses from Mexico City, with the purpose of relating them with the local environment. Measurements were performed both outdoors and indoors in 60 unifamiliar houses. Track detectors, LR-115, Type II, were used in several detection arrangements during four recording periods with times of exposure of three months each, with the purpose of analyzing the fluctuations due to seasonal changes. Data were obtained about the construction materials were the detection systems were located in order to establish a correlation of radon levels with the climatic parameters and the construction materials. The results of radon concentrations both indoors or outdoors were lower than the international recommendations (148 Bq/m 3 ) (Author)

  8. Emissions inventory for the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Figueroa, V.H.P.; Renteria, J.S. [Secretaria de Medio Ambiente, Col. Tiacopac San Angel (Mexico); Hernandez, C.G. [Departamento del Distrito Federal, Col. Centro (Mexico)] [and others

    1996-12-31

    The emissions inventory bears a broad relationship to the energy balance, reflecting the dependence of the emissions with reference to the use of energy. Actually the consumption of gasoline and diesel fuel in the transport sector represents collectively, the greatest comparative expense of energy and the major contributor of the ozone precursor pollutants HC, NO{sub x} and CO, relative to the total volume of emissions in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). Also, the industrial sector introduces significant emissions of SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x} due to its energy consumption of fuel oils and natural gas. In contrast, the great majority of suspended particulate in the MCMA emanate from degradation processes of surface soil along the periphery of the urban zone. To the federal and local authorities charged with the design of strategies for prevention and control of atmospheric pollution, the emissions inventory is a strategic tool that reflects the relative intensity of the various emitters to the load capacity of the atmosphere. A comprehensive inventory was compiled for 1995, categorizing the emissions generated by four sectors: industry, services, transport and surface soils and vegetation, considering the following pollutants: TSP, SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, HC and CO. The combined pollutant emissions are 4,009,628 tons/year of which 3% are generated by the industry, 10% by the services sector, 75% by the transport sector, and 12% by surface soils and vegetation.

  9. Service use among Mexico City adolescents with suicidality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borges, Guilherme; Benjet, Corina; Medina-Mora, Maria Elena; Orozco, Ricardo; Familiar, Itziar; Nock, Matthew K.; Wang, Philip S.

    2009-01-01

    Background We report the lifetime and 12-month prevalence and associations of mental health treatment among Mexican adolescents with suicide-related outcomes (SROs; including ideation, plans, gestures and attempts). Methods A representative multistage probability household survey of 3005 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years residing in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area was carried out in 2005. Discrete time survival analyses were used to assess the relationships between SROs and receiving treatment for emotional, alcohol, or drug problems. Results The prevalence of lifetime service use among respondents with SROs was 35% for those with ideation only, 44% for those with ideation and plan, 49% for those with gesture and 50% for those with attempt; the prevalence of 12-month service use was 10%, 24%, 6% and 21%, respectively. Timing between onset of SRO and receiving treatment for emotional, alcohol, or drug problems showed that about 50% of adolescents will have contact with a service provider before developing any SRO. Healthcare professionals were the most likely to be consulted, followed by school-based programs. Limitations This survey was limited to adolescents living in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and the analyses used data on retrospectively reported ages of onset that are subject to recall errors. Conclusions Most suicidal adolescents do not receive treatment, and many adolescents develop their suicidality in spite of prior contacts with service providers. Interventions to increase treatment, prevention, and monitoring are sorely needed for this vulnerable population. PMID:19411113

  10. Surface albedo measurements in Mexico City metropolitan area

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Castro, T; Mar, B; Longoria, R; Ruiz Suarez, L. G [Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera, UNAM, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Morales, L [Instituto de Geografia, UNAM, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    2001-04-01

    Optical and thermal properties of soils are important input data for the meteorological and photochemical modules of air quality models. As development of these models increase on spatial resolution good albedo data become more important. In this paper measurements of surface albedo of UV (295-385 nm) and visible (450-550 nm) radiation are reported for different urban and rural surfaces in the vicinity of Mexico City. It was found for the downtown zone and average albedo value of 0.05 which is in very good agreement with reported values for urban surfaces. Our albedo values measured in UV region for grey cement and green grass are of 0.10 and 0.009, respectively, and quite similar to those found at the literature of 0.11 and 0.008 for those type of surfaces. [Spanish] Las propiedades opticas y termicas de suelos son datos importantes para los modulos meteorologicos y fotoquimicos de los modelos de calidad del aire. Conforme aumenta la resolucion espacial del modelo se vuelve mas importante contar con buenos datos de albedo. En este articulo se presentan mediciones de albedo superficial de radiacion Ultravioleta (295-385 nm) y visible (450-550 nm) para diferentes superficies urbanas. Los valores medidos de albedo en la region UV para cemento gris y pasto verde son de 0.10 y 0.009, respectivamente, y son muy similares a los reportados en la literatura, 0.11 y 0.008 para este tipo de superficies.

  11. Subsidence of Surtsey volcano, 1967-1991

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, J.G.; Jakobsson, S.; Holmjarn, J.

    1992-01-01

    The Surtsey marine volcano was built on the southern insular shelf of Iceland, along the seaward extension of the east volcanic zone, during episodic explosive and effusive activity from 1963 to 1967. A 1600-m-long, east-west line of 42 bench marks was established across the island shortly after volcanic activity stopped. From 1967 to 1991 a series of leveling surveys measured the relative elevation of the original bench marks, as well as additional bench marks installed in 1979, 1982 and 1985. Concurrent measurements were made of water levels in a pit dug on the north coast, in a drill hole, and along the coastline exposed to the open ocean. These surveys indicate that the dominant vertical movement of Surtsey is a general subsidence of about 1.1??0.3 m during the 24-year period of observations. The rate of subsidence decreased from 15-20 cm/year for 1967-1968 to 1-2 cm/year in 1991. Greatest subsidence is centered about the eastern vent area. Through 1970, subsidence was locally greatest where the lava plain is thinnest, adjacent to the flanks of the eastern tephra cone. From 1982 onward, the region closest to the hydrothermal zone, which is best developed in the vicinity of the eastern vent, began showing less subsidence relative to the rest of the surveyed bench marks. The general subsidence of the island probably results from compaction of the volcanic material comprising Surtsey, compaction of the sea-floor sediments underlying the island, and possibly downwarping of the lithosphere due to the laod of Surtsey. The more localized early downwarping near the eastern tephra cone is apparently due to greater compaction of tephra relative to lava. The later diminished local subsidence near the hydrothermal zone is probably due to a minor volume increase caused by hydrous alteration of glassy tephra. However, this volume increase is concentrated at depth beneath the bottom of the 176-m-deep cased drillhole. ?? 1992 Springer-Verlag.

  12. Land subsidence in the Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field, 1 Baja California, Mexico, from 1994 to 2005. An integrated analysis of DInSAR, levelingand geological data.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sarychikhina, O; Glowacka, E; Mellors, R; Vidal, F S

    2011-03-03

    Cerro Prieto is the oldest and largest Mexican geothermal field in operation and has been producing electricity since 1973. The large amount of geothermal fluids extracted to supply steam to the power plants has resulted in considerable deformation in and around the field. The deformation includes land subsidence and related ground fissuring and faulting. These phenomena have produced severe damages to infrastructure such as roads, irrigation canals and other facilities. In this paper, the technique of Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR) is applied using C-band ENVISAR ASAR data acquired between 2003 and 2006 to determine the extent and amount of land subsidence in the Mexicali Valley near Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field. The DInSAR results were compared with published data from precise leveling surveys (1994- 1997 and 1997-2006) and detailed geological information in order to improve the understanding of temporal and spatial distributions of anthropogenic subsidence in the Mexicali Valley. The leveling and DInSAR data were modeled to characterize the observed deformation in terms of fluid extraction. The results confirm that the tectonic faults control the spatial extent of the observed subsidence. These faults likely act as groundwater flow barriers for aquifers and reservoirs. The shape of the subsiding area coincides with the Cerro Prieto pull-apart basin. In addition, the spatial pattern of the subsidence as well as changes in rate are highly correlated with the development of the Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field.

  13. La ciudad de México a través de cuatro cuentos / Mexico City as seen through four short stories

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sofía Tierno Tejera

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available RESUMEN: Desde el siglo XIX hasta nuestros días, la ciudad se ha convertido en protagonista de innumerables relatos. A través de cuatro cuentos sobre la ciudad de México, que abarcan desde finales del siglo XIX hasta mediados del siglo XX, analizo cómo el crecimiento de la urbe ha ido acompasado con la transformación de los temas y de las técnicas narrativas de los relatos sobre esta gran metrópoli. ABSTRACT: From the nineteenth century to today, the city has become the leading character in countless narratives. Through four short stories about Mexico City, which were written between the end of the nineteenth century and the mid fifties, I analyse how the growth of the city has run parallel to the transformation of the themes and the narrative techniques in stories about this great metropolis.

  14. Consideration of the restoring plan in subsidence prone areas through the development of ground stability assessment techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Kwang-Soo; Kim, Im-Ho; Baek, Sang-Ho [Korea Institute of Geology Mining and Materials, Taejon (KR)] (and others)

    1999-12-01

    This report consists of 2 subjects. (1) Consideration of the restoring plan in subsidence prone areas through the development of ground stability assessment techniques : The number of mines at rest as well as closed have abruptly increased since the 1980's, which has caused subsidence problems around the mined areas. To protect such places from damage due to subsidence, it is necessary to develop the assessment techniques of ground stability and make restoration plan. To achieve this goal, the site investigation should have been conducted before the subsidence events occurred, but ground behaviors around the places where a vertical movement is expected and recognised in advance before the occurrence of the subsidence events. In this study ground stability analysis for the area surrounding the Moo-Geuk Mine, located close to a city, was conducted and the measurements were recorded. The objectives of the present study include, the development of a risk assessment technique for the subsidence using GIS tool, an evaluation of the numerical methods related to the site investigation and the ground stability analysis, the application of the numerical tools to the present problems. (2) Integration of coal mine data and use of remote sensing in investigation of coal mine area : This study attempt to integrate the previous geological and mining data to avoid confusions often occurred when accessing source data. And the investigation of underground mining place using remote sensing method is the other effort to assure the geographic locations of mining places as well as to find out unknown mining place. The sample region for examining the remote sensing method is the Chungnam coal field, which locates in the middle western part of South Korea. Detailed investigation was held on the Seongju area, locating north eastern part of the coal field. (author). 54 refs., tabs., figs.

  15. Using ground-based solar and lunar infrared spectroscopy to study the diurnal trend of carbon monoxide in the Mexico City boundary layer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Stremme

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Carbon monoxide (CO is an important pollutant in urban agglomerations. Quantifying the total burden of this pollutant in a megacity is challenging because not only its surface concentration but also its vertical dispersion present different behaviours and high variability. The diurnal trend of columnar CO in the boundary layer of Mexico City has been measured during various days with ground-based infrared absorption spectroscopy. Daytime CO total columns are retrieved from solar spectra and for the first time, nocturnal CO total columns using moonlight have been retrieved within a megacity. The measurements were taken at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM campus located in Mexico City (19.33° N, 99.18° W, 2260 m a.s.l. from October 2007 until February 2008 with a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer at 0.5 cm−1 resolution. The atmospheric CO background column was measured from the high altitude site Altzomoni (19.12° N, 98.65° W, 4010 m a.s.l. located 60 km southeast of Mexico City. The total CO column within the city presents large variations. Fresh CO emissions at the surface, the transport of cleaner or more polluted air masses within the field-of-view of the instrument and other processes contribute to this variability. The mean background value above the boundary mixing layer was found to be (8.4±0.5×1017 molecules/cm2, while inside the city, the late morning mean on weekdays and Sundays was found to be (2.73±0.41×1018 molecules/cm2 and (2.04±0.57×1018 molecules/cm2, respectively. Continuous CO column retrieval during the day and night (when available, in conjunction with surface CO measurements, allow for a reconstruction of the effective mixing layer height. The limitations from this simplified approach, as well as the potential of using continuous column measurements in order to derive top-down CO emissions from a large urban area

  16. [The clinico-epidemiological characteristics of cholera patients in Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilchis-Guizar, A E; Uribe-Márquez, S; Pérez-Sánchez, P L

    1999-01-01

    To compare the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of cholera patients and patients with diarrhea of different etiology (controls), treated at Mexican Institute of Social Security medical units in northeast Mexico City, from 1995 to 1998. Cross-sectional analytical study design. Data were collected using the official form "Immediate Notification of Cholera Cases" that each medical unit reports to the Coordination of Community Health. Statistical analysis consisted of comparisons of means and proportions between both groups. In 4,952 notifications, there were 588 cholera cases and 4,364 controls. The age range of cases was 39 to 51 years and 54% were females. During 1995 and 1997 (years with higher proportion of cases) patients with cholera had a greater frequency of watery evacuations than controls (97% vs. 73%), "rice water" appearance (31% vs. 13%), vomiting (72% vs. 63%), muscular spasms (49% vs. 26%), dehydration (83% vs. 71%), hypovolemic shock (10% vs. 1%) and death (0.85% vs. 0.25%). These differences were statistically significant. Cholera presents a biannual cyclic behavior; greater frequencies are associated with greater severity and complications. It is necessary to increase epidemiologic surveillance and medical efforts for opportune diagnosis and treatment.

  17. Ozone concentrations at a selected high-elevation forest site downwind Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres-JArdon, R.

    2013-05-01

    Torres-Jardón, R.*, Rosas-Pérez, I., Granada-Macías, L. M., Ruiz-Suárez, L. G. Centro de Ciencias de la Atmósfera, UNAM, México D. F. México * rtorres@unam.mx For many years, the vegetation of forest species such as Abies religiosa in natural parks located in the southwest mountains of Mexico City has attracted much attention since these parks have been experiencing a severe decline of unclear etiology. The high ozone levels in the area and the observed naked eye macroscopic, histological and cytological injuries on these species, strongly suggest an important contribution of tropospheric ozone to this deterioration process. Apart of historical short monitoring campaigns for measuring ozone levels in these mountains, it is known just a little is known about the present exposure levels at which the local vegetation is exposed. A continuous ozone analyzer has been in operation since 2011 at a high-elevation forest site (Parque Nacional Miguel Hidalgo, PNMH; 3110 m above mean sea level) located downwind of Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA), in order to characterize the local ozone diel amplitude and its seasonal trend, as well as the influence of MCMA on the local O3 concentrations. Hourly average ozone data in PNMH shows that in general, the diel of ozone concentrations in the forest site has a statistical significant correlation with the pattern of ozone levels observed in several monitoring sites (smog receptor sites) within the MCMA, although the high elevation O3 levels are relatively lower than those in the urban area (around 2200 m above mean sea level). It is possible that a part of the oxidants in the air masses are removed by sink deposition processes during the air mass transport across the hills. The diel amplitude of ozone concentrations is small in the cold season, increasing as the seasons advance to June. As in the city, the highest ozone concentrations occur in April or May and the lowest levels during the rainy season, which extends from

  18. Subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization in man-made strata around Tokyo bay, Japan: from geological survey on damaged part at the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazaoka, O.; Kameyama, S.; Shigeno, K.; Suzuki, Y.; Morisaki, M.; Kagawa, A.; Yoshida, T.; Kimura, M.; Sakai, Y.; Ogura, T.; Kusuda, T.; Furuno, K.

    2015-11-01

    Geological disaster by liquefaction-fluidization happened on southern part of the Quaternary Paleo-Kanto submarine basin at the 2011 Earthquake off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku. Liquefaction-fluidization phenomena occurred mainly in man-made strata over shaking 5+ intensity of Japan Meteorological Agency scale. Many subsided spots, 10-50 m width, 20-100 m length and less than 1 m depth, by liquefaction-fluidization distributed on reclaimed land around northern Tokyo bay. Large amount of sand and groundwater spouted out in the terrible subsided parts. But there are little subsidence and no jetted sand outside the terrible subsided part. Liquefaction-fluidization damaged part at the 1987 earthquake east off Chiba prefecture re-liquefied and fluidized in these parts at the 2011 great earthquake. The damaged area were more wide on the 2011 earthquake than the 1987 quake. Detailed classification maps of subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization on the 2011 grate earthquake were made by fieldwork in Chiba city around Tokyo bay. A mechanism of subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization in man-made strata was solved by geological survey with continuous large box cores on the ACE Liner and large relief peals of the cores at a typical subsided part.

  19. Acceso universal al Programa de VIH/SIDA de la Ciudad de México: resultados a seis años Universal access, six years results in the Mexico City HIV/AIDS Program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen Soler Claudín

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Analizar los resultados del Programa de Medicamentos Antirretrovirales Gratuitos del Programa de VIH/SIDA de la Ciudad de México (PVSCM en la población afectada del Distrito Federal. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se sistematizaron y analizaron datos de la Coordinación del PVSCM sobre atención médica, tratamiento antirretroviral (ARV y resultados de laboratorio especializado en un análisis retrospectivo del periodo 2001-2006, para evaluar su efecto en los pacientes atendidos. RESULTADOS. Se incluyen datos de 5 146 pacientes que recibieron tratamiento ARV. Al final del periodo, 74% de ellos permanecía vigente, 12.1% se perdió en el seguimiento y 13.9% había fallecido. CONCLUSIONES: En el Distrito Federal, durante el periodo evaluado se logró la ampliación de cobertura, eficacia en el tratamiento ARV e incremento de la sobrevida de los pacientes.OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of the Free Antiretroviral Medication Program of the Mexico City HIV/AIDS Program among the affected population in Mexico City. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of medical attention, antiretroviral treatment and specialized laboratory results data from 2001 to 2006 from patients who sought services from the Mexico City HIV/AIDS Program. RESULTS: Data from 5 146 patients who were undergoing ARV are presented. At the end of the period studied, 74% were current, 12.2% were not found for follow-up and 13.9% had died. CONCLUSIONS: During the period evaluated, wider coverage was achieved in Mexico City as well as increased efficiency in ARV treatment and increased patient survival.

  20. Cities, Towns, Villages with 1990 Census Population (GNIS)

    Data.gov (United States)

    Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — This data set contains points for 1600 populated places, cities and towns, in New Mexico. The points were generated from latitude and longitude coordinates contained...

  1. Incidence of leukemias in children from El Salvador and Mexico City between 1996 and 2000: Population-based data

    OpenAIRE

    Mejía-Aranguré, Juan Manuel; Bonilla, Miguel; Lorenzana, Rodolpho; Juárez-Ocaña, Servando; de Reyes, Gladys; Pérez-Saldivar, María Luisa; González-Miranda, Guadalupe; Bernáldez-Ríos, Roberto; Ortiz-Fernández, Antonio; Ortega-Alvarez, Manuel; Martínez-García, María del Carmen; Fajardo-Gutiérrez, Arturo

    2005-01-01

    Abstract Background There are very few studies that report the incidence of acute leukemias in children in Latin America. This work assesses the incidence of acute leukemias, between 1996 and 2000, in children from 0–14 years old who were attended at the Mexican Social Security Institute in Mexico City and in children from 0–11 years old in El Salvador. Methods Design: Population-based data. Hospitals: In San Salvador, El Salvador, Hospital Nacional de Niños "Benjamín Bloom", the only center ...

  2. Popular Health Education and Propaganda in Times of Peace and War in Mexico City, 1890s–1920s

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agostoni, Claudia

    2006-01-01

    Health education and propaganda acquired importance during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Mexico City, as physicians, hygienists, and schoolteachers attempted to teach the principles of public health to a culturally and socially heterogeneous urban population. I explore the organization of the Popular Hygiene Exhibition of 1910 and the importance of health education before and after the armed phase of the Mexican Revolution, and why children and the indigenous populations became the main recipients of health education programs. PMID:16322465

  3. Community Policing in Latin America: Lessons from Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus-Michael Müller

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Community policing programmes are widely perceived and promoted as an important solution for the pressing problems of insecurity in contemporary Latin American cities, and for improving citizen-police relationships. By drawing on the results of empirical fieldwork conducted in Mexico City, the article presents a critical analysis of the local community policing effort. The article demonstrates that this policing effort is overly determined by a local context, characterized by clientelism, political factionalism and police corruption, which therefore renders its contribution to a sustainable improvement of local accountability and police legitimacy unlikely. Against this background the article calls for more empirical studies on this topic and a greater sensitivity for the embeddedness of policing programmes within a wider political context.    Resumen: Colaboración ciudadana en América Latina: Lecciones de Ciudad de México  Los programas de colaboración ciudadana son ampliamente percibidos y presentados como una importante solución para los apremiantes problemas de inseguridad en las ciudades latinoamericanas de hoy, y para mejorar las relaciones entre la ciudadanía y la policía. Basándonos en los resultados de trabajo de campo realizado en Ciudad de México, en el presente artículo se ofrece un análisis crítico del programa local de policía comunitaria y se demuestra que está excesivamente determinado por un contexto local caracterizado por el clientelismo, las lealtades políticas y la corrupción policial. Por eso, el aporte del programa a un mejoramiento sustentable de la rendición de cuentas local y de legitimidad policial es improbable. Contra este telón de fondo, en el artículo se demandan más estudios empíricos sobre el tema y una mayor sensibilidad para la integración de los programas de policía comunitaria dentro de un contexto político más amplio.

  4. Blood lead levels in pregnant women of high and low socioeconomic status in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farias, P; Borja-Aburto, V H; Rios, C; Hertz-Picciotto, I; Rojas-Lopez, M; Chavez-Ayala, R

    1996-10-01

    This study examined the determinants of blood lead (BPb) in 513 pregnant women in Mexico City: 311 from public hospital prenatal clinics, representing primarily women of low socioeconomic status (SES), and 202 from private hospitals, primarily women of high SES. Overall, BPb levels ranged from 1.38 to 29 micrograms/dl, with geometric means of 6.7 and 11.12 micrograms/dl for women from private and public hospitals, respectively. The crude geometric means difference obtained by t-test was 4.42 (p Consumption of tortillas (corn bread rich in calcium) decreased BPb levels in the lower SES group, but the relationship was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Consumption of milk products significantly (p socioeconomic status.

  5. Determination of particle size and content of metals in the atmosphere of ZMCM (Metropolitan Zone of Mexico City)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aldape U, F.; Flores M, J.; Diaz, R.V.; Garcia G, R.

    1994-01-01

    Inside the breathable fraction of the atmosphere of Mexico City, the presence of metals in suspended particles, is determined and quantified. The detection was carry out simultaneously in three places of the city, using collectors of the type stacking filter unit (SFU) which allow the separation of particles according to its size. The SFU detectors allow the separation in two size: 'Gross' mass from 2.5 to 1.5 μm and 'fine' mass for particles smallest than 2.5 μm. The analysis of the samples was fulfilled by means of PIXE method. Samples were irradiated with a proton beam, and based in the X-ray spectra the elements were identified and quantified, which allow to establish the temporal behavior of the concentrations per element for gross mass and fine mass in each one of the places of sampling. (Author)

  6. The oxidative potential and biological effects induced by PM10 obtained in Mexico City and at a receptor site during the MILAGRO Campaign

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quintana, Raul; Serrano, Jesus; Gomez, Virginia; Foy, Benjamin de; Miranda, Javier; Garcia-Cuellar, Claudia; Vega, Elizabeth; Vazquez-Lopez, Ines; Molina, Luisa T.; Manzano-Leon, Natalia; Rosas, Irma; Osornio-Vargas, Alvaro R.

    2011-01-01

    As part of a field campaign that studied the impact of Mexico City pollution plume at the local, sub-regional and regional levels, we studied transport-related changes in PM 10 composition, oxidative potential and in vitro toxicological patterns (hemolysis, DNA degradation). We collected PM 10 in Mexico City (T 0 ) and at a suburban-receptor site (T 1 ), pooled according to two observed ventilation patterns (T 0 → T 1 influence and non-influence). T 0 samples contained more Cu, Zn, and carbon whereas; T 1 samples contained more of Al, Si, P, S, and K (p 4 -2 increased in T 1 during the influence periods. Oxidative potential correlated with Cu/Zn content (r = 0.74; p 1 PM 10 induced greater hemolysis and T 0 PM 10 induced greater DNA degradation. Influence/non-influence did not affect oxidative potential nor biological effects. Results indicate that ventilation patterns had little effect on intrinsic PM 10 composition and toxicological potential, which suggests a significant involvement of local sources. - Highlights: → Transport-related changes in PM 10 composition, oxidative potential and in vitro toxicity were studied. → Cu, Zn, and carbon levels were predominant in urban PM 10 ; receptor site PM 10 was rich in soil elements. → SO 4 -2 was the only component increased in PM 10 from the receptor during the influence periods. → PM 10 oxidative potential correlates with Cu/Zn content but not with studied biological effects. → Ventilation patterns had little effect on PM 10 composition and toxicity. - Mexico City ventilation patterns had little effect on the intrinsic PM 10 composition and toxicological potential, which suggests a significant involvement of local sources as opposed to downwind transport.

  7. Mexico City ozone concentrations as a function of readily-available meteorological parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, M.J.

    1994-01-01

    Daily maximum ozone concentrations measured at four sites within the Mexico City basin during the winter months are plotted as functions of different meteorological parameters that are routinely measured at surface stations. We found that ozone concentrations are most strongly correlated to the increase in daytime temperature and the maximum daytime wind speed. We also discovered that high ozone values at the sites in the southern end of the basin occur when winds come out of the northeast. In contrast, wind direction was found to be uncorrelated with high ozone values at the northern sites. From straightforward combinations of the meteorological variables, we derived some simple rules for estimating lower and upper bounds on the ozone concentration. Scatter in the data was too long to give significance to best-fit equations and statistics. Additionally, a small rawinsonde data set was used to investigate ozone's dependence on boundary-layer height and near-surface temperature gradient. Results were inconclusive, however, due to the small size of the data set

  8. Presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in bottled drinking water in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salinas, Rutilio Ortiz; Bermudez, Beatriz Schettino; Tolentino, Rey Gutiérrez; Gonzalez, Gilberto Díaz; Vega y León, Salvador

    2010-10-01

    This paper describes the concentrations of seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in bottled drinking water samples that were collected over 1 year from Mexico City in two sizes (1.5 and 19 L), using gas chromatography with an electron capture detector. PCBs 28 (0.018-0.042 μg/L), 52 (0.006-0.015 μg/L) and 101 (0.001-0.039 μg/L) were the most commonly found and were present in the majority of the samples. However, total concentrations of PCBs in bottled drinking water (0.035-0.039 μg/L) were below the maximum permissible level of 0.50 μg/L stated in Mexican regulations and probably do not represent a hazard to human health. PCBs were detectable in all samples and we recommend a monitoring program be established to better understand the quality of drinking bottled water over time; this may help in producing solutions for reducing the presence of organic contaminants.

  9. Georadar Archaeological Prospection at the Historical Center of the Merida City, Yucatan, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barba, L.; Ortiz, A.; Blancas, J.; Ligorred, J.

    2007-05-01

    This paper shows the results of the georadar archaeological prospection carried out by the Laboratorio de Prospección Arqueologica from the Instituto de Investigaciones Antropologicas (IIA) of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) verifing the archaeological and historical information recovered by the Departamento de Patrimonio Arqueologico y Natural del Municipio (DPANM) del Ayuntamiento de Merida en el Centro Histerico de la Ciudad de Merida under a joint project. The Historical Center of Merida has been classified as a "zone of high patrimonial value" after the topographic data and the historical documents recovered showed a long-term occupation, non interrupted since pre-Columbian times, when T Ho was the great capital of the northern region of the Maya area. For the rehabilitation program of the Historical Center of Merida has been a great priority to verify the existence of archaeological remains, pre-Columbian or colonial, under the present streets, gardens and plazas that could be damaged during the public infrastructure works. In order to prevent any damage to the patrimony a large georadar study was carried out pulling 200 and 400 MHz antennas of the GSSI SIR System 2 for 16500 m of the city streets, focusing in the areas where infrastructure works were imminent. After the analysis of the radar data it was possible to build up a map with the location of the most noticeable archaeological remains under the pavement of the streets that confirmed many of the topographic and documental proposed places. As a final result, by the first time a city government has available information to take present urban decisions, while preventing the damage to the archaeological patrimony of the same city.

  10. Evaluation of city logistics solutions with business model analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Quak, H.J.; Balm, S.H.; Posthumus, B.

    2014-01-01

    Small scale, local demonstrations of which the outcomes are considered to be only appropriate within a specific context occur quite often in the field of city logistics. Various local demonstrations usually show a solution’s technical and operational feasibility. These often subsidized

  11. 30 CFR 817.121 - Subsidence control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Subsidence control. 817.121 Section 817.121... ACTIVITIES § 817.121 Subsidence control. (a) Measures to prevent or minimize damage. (1) The permittee must... control plan prepared pursuant to § 784.20 of this chapter. (c) Repair of damage—(1) Repair of damage to...

  12. Air emissions scenarios from ethanol as a gasoline oxygenate in Mexico City Metropolitan Area

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia, Carlos A. [Posgrado en Ingenieria Energetica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Priv. Xochicalco s/n, Col. Centro, Apartado Postal 34, 62580 Temixco, Morelos (Mexico); Manzini, Fabio; Islas, Jorge [Centro de Investigacion en Energia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Priv. Xochicalco s/n, Col. Centro, Apartado Postal 34, 62580 Temixco, Morelos (Mexico)

    2010-12-15

    The Mexican Biofuel Introduction Program states that during year 2010 the three biggest Mexican cities will have a gasoline blending with 6% ethanol available for all gasoline on-road vehicle fleet. Also in 2010 Mexican government has programmed to start the substitution of Tier 1 - the adopted US emission standards - by Tier 2, which are more stringent emission standards for motor vehicles and gasoline sulfur control requirements. How will the air emissions in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) be modified by using this blending? Four scenarios up to year 2030 were constructed and simulated using the Long-Range Energy Alternatives Planning model. Beginning with a BAU or reference scenario, in this scenario the current available fuel is a blending composed by 5% methyl tertiary butyl ether and 95% gasoline (MTBE5). Then, three alternative scenarios that use ethanol as an oxygenate are considered, one with the already programmed E6 blending (6% anhydride ethanol, 94% gasoline), for the sake of comparison the E10 blending (10% anhydride ethanol, 90% gasoline), and the other alternative to compare, ETBE13.7 (13.7% ethyl tertiary butyl ether, 86.3% gasoline; where ETBE is an ether composed by 48% anhydride ethanol and 52% isobutene). Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}), total hydrocarbons (THC), benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and 1,3-butadiene were calculated using emission factors previously calculated using the adapted US-EPA computer model called MOBILE6-Mexico. Results show that Tier 1 and Tier 2 standards effectively lowers all emissions in all studied scenarios with the exception of PM10 and CO{sub 2} emissions. The alternative scenario E10 has the most total avoided emissions by weight but it is not the best when considering some individual pollutants. The greatest environmental benefit of ethanol in its final use as a gasoline oxygenate is for

  13. Contributors to ozone episodes in three US/Mexico border twin-cities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Chune; Fernando, H J S; Yang, Jie

    2009-09-01

    The Process Analysis tools of the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system together with back-trajectory analysis were used to assess potential contributors to ozone episodes that occurred during June 1-4, 2006, in three populated U.S.-Mexico border twin cities: San Diego/Tijuana, Imperial/Mexicali and El Paso/Ciudad Juárez. Validation of CMAQ output against surface ozone measurements indicates that the predictions are acceptable with regard to commonly recommended statistical standards and comparable to other reported studies. The mean normalized bias test (MNBT) and mean normalized gross error (MNGE) for hourly ozone fall well within the US EPA suggested range of +/-15% and 35%, respectively, except MNBT for El Paso. The MNBTs for maximum 8-h average ozone are larger than those for hourly ozone, but all the simulated maximum 8-h average ozone are within a factor of 2 of those measured in all three regions. The process and back-trajectory analyses indicate that the main sources of daytime ground-level ozone are the local photochemical production and regional transport. By integrating the effects of each process over the depth of the daytime planetary boundary layer (PBL), it is found that in the San Diego area (SD), chemistry and vertical advection contributed about 36%/48% and 64%/52% for June 2 and 3, respectively. This confirms the previous finding that high-altitude regional transport followed by fumigation contributes significantly to ozone in SD. The back-trajectory analysis shows that this ozone was mostly transported from the coastal area of southern California. For the episodes in Imperial Valley and El Paso, respectively, ozone was transported from the coastal areas of southern California and Mexico and from northern Texas and Oklahoma.

  14. First record of Hesperolabops nigriceps Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae) on Opuntia ficus-indica in Milpa Alta, Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palomares-Pérez, Martín; Rodríguez-Leyva, Esteban; Brailovsky, Harry; Ramírez-Alarcón, Samuel

    2010-01-01

    In recent years a species of Hesperolabops has become a problem as a pest of nopalitos, Opuntia ficus-indica, in Milpa Alta, in the south of Mexico City, which is the most important production region of this vegetable in the country. A survey of Hesperolabops in Milpa Alta has resulted in the first report of Hesperolabops nigriceps Reuter. This occurrence should be monitored and considered in future studies in order to avoid misidentification of Hesperolabops spp. Kirkaldy native populations there, and to avoid the confusion of the damage that may be caused on O. ficus-indica.

  15. Variability of the Mixed-Layer Height Over Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Franco, J. L.; Stremme, W.; Bezanilla, A.; Ruiz-Angulo, A.; Grutter, M.

    2018-02-01

    The diurnal and seasonal variability of the mixed-layer height in urban areas has implications for ground-level air pollution and the meteorological conditions. Measurements of the backscatter of light pulses with a commercial lidar system were performed for a continuous period of almost six years between 2011 and 2016 in the southern part of Mexico City. The profiles were temporally and vertically smoothed, clouds were filtered out, and the mixed-layer height was determined with an ad hoc treatment of both the filtered and unfiltered profiles. The results are in agreement when compared with values of mixed-layer height reconstructed from, (i) radiosonde data, and (ii) surface and vertical column densities of a trace gas. The daily maxima of the mean mixed-layer height reach values > 3 km above ground level in the months of March-April, and are clearly lower (pollution episodes and the height of the mixed layer. The growth rate of the convective mixed-layer height has a seasonal behaviour, which is characterized together with the mixed-layer-height anomalies. A clear residual layer is evident from the backscattered signals recorded in days with specific atmospheric conditions, but also from the cloud-filtered mean diurnal profiles. The occasional presence of a residual layer results in an overestimation of the reported mixed-layer height during the night and early morning hours.

  16. Photochemistry in the Atmospheres of Denver and Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cantrell, C. A.

    2016-12-01

    The composition of atmospheres in and downwind of urban centers has been the subject of study for decades. While early campaigns involved measurements exclusively from the ground, more recent studies have included airborne-based observations. Improved understanding has hinged critically on the development of instrumentation for better qualitifcation of pollutants, and measurement of previously unobserved species in the gas and particulate phases. Comprehensive, well-planned studies have, over time, led to more detailed understanding of chemical transformations and thus improved model representations and directions for further research. This presentation focuses on findings from two case studies of urban atmospheres, namely the MILAGRO study in the Mexico City metropolitan area and the FRAPPE study in the Denver metropolitan region. Both studies made use of extensive ground-based networks and multiple aircraft platforms. The data collected during these studies have been combined with numerical models to derive assessments of the evolution of atmospheric composition due to photochemistry, mixing, and surface processes. Here, analysis of MILAGRO data focuses on the evolution of outflow downwind of the urban region. In FRAPPE, the focus is the possible role of oil and gas exploration on urban air quality. These findings are used to assess the accuracy of current numerical models to reproduce observations, and to point toward areas possibly needing further study.

  17. Crisis, Xenophobia and Repatriation. The Spanish Immigrants in the City of Mexico, 1910-1936

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alicia GIL LÁZARO

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the influence of economic crisis in migrant groups. It starts with a reflection about the current situation, putting forward a comparative view with a study case in the past, that is, the circumstances around the Spanish immigrants in Mexico City at the time of Mexican Revolution until the crisis of the Great Depression (1910-1936. Three aspects are explored: first of all, the close relationship between the spreading of the economic crisis and the increase of restrains in migratory public policies in host countries. Secondly, the concomitant growth of xenophobic attitudes in native populations and, finally, the return to the homeland as one of the essential strategies developed by immigrants to confront the crisis drawing upon the social and associative networks of migration movements.

  18. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome did not increase in Mexico City between 1990-1992 and 1997-1999 despite more central obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorenzo, Carlos; Williams, Ken; Gonzalez-Villalpando, Clicerio; Haffner, Steven M

    2005-10-01

    Trends in the metabolic syndrome might follow trends in obesity. We examined this hypothesis in the Mexico City Diabetes Study (MCDS), a study that showed rising trends in obesity, and the effect of the metabolic syndrome on the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Designed as a population-based study, the MCDS enrolled subjects in 1990-1992 (n = 2,282). Follow-up visits were held in 1993-1995 (n = 1,764) and 1997-1999 (n = 1,754). We used the revised metabolic syndrome definition of the National Cholesterol Education Program and the Framingham equations to estimate the 10-year CHD risk. In men, the age-adjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 38.9% in 1990-1992, 43.4% in 1993-1995, and 39.9% in 1997-1999; in women, the prevalences were 65.4, 65.7, and 59.9%, respectively. The prevalence did not change in men (P = 0.349) between 1990-1992 and 1997-1999, but decreased in women (P metabolic syndrome nor CHD risk has increased in Mexico City. Lower blood pressure and triglyceride values appear to have counteracted increases in central obesity and fasting glucose.

  19. How to deal with subsidence in the Dutch delta?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stouthamer, E.; Erkens, G.

    2017-01-01

    In many deltas worldwide subsidence still is an underestimated problem, while the threat posed by land subsidence low-lying urbanizing and urbanized deltas exceeds the threat of sea-level rise induced by climate change. Human-induced subsidence is driven by the extraction of hydrocarbons and

  20. The effective subsidence capacity concept: How to assure that subsidence in the Wadden Sea remains within defined limits?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Waal, J.A. de; Roest,J.P.A.; Fokker, P.A.; Kroon, I.C.; Breunese, J.N.; Muntendam-Bos, A.G.; Oost, P.A.; Wirdum, G. van

    2012-01-01

    Subsidence caused by extraction of hydrocarbons and solution salt mining is a sensitive issue in the Netherlands. An extensive legal, technical and organisational framework is in place to ensure a high probability that such subsidence will stay within predefined limits. The key question is: how much

  1. A physical model of the Mexico City seismic response after the damaging M7.1 earthquake of September 19, 2017

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruz-Atienza, V. M.; Tago, J.; Villafuerte, C. D.; Chaljub, E.; Sanabria-Gómez, J. D.

    2017-12-01

    Built-up on top of ancient lake deposits, Mexico City experiences some of the largest seismic site effects in the world. The M7.1 intermediate-depth earthquake of September 19, 2017 (S19) collapsed 43 one-to-ten story buildings in the city close to the western edge of the lake-bed sediments, on top of the geotechnically-known transition zone. In this work we explore the physical reasons explaining such a damaging pattern and the long-lasting strong motion records well-documented from past events by means of new observations and high performance computational modeling. Besides the extreme amplification of seismic waves, duration of intense ground motion in the lake-bed lasts more than three times those recorded in hard-rock a few kilometers away. Different mechanisms contribute to the long lasting motions, such as the regional dispersion and multiple-scattering of the incoming wavefield all the way from the source. However, recent beamforming observations at hard-rock suggest that duration of the incoming field is significantly shorter than the strong shaking in the lake-bed. We show that despite the highly dissipative shallow deposits, seismic energy can propagate long distances in the deep structure of the valley, promoting also a large elongation of motion. Our simulations reveal that the seismic response of the basin is dominated by surface-waves overtones, and that this mechanism increases the duration of ground motion up to 280% and 500% of the incoming wavefield duration at 0.5 and 0.3 Hz, respectively. Furthermore, our results indicate that the damage pattern of the S19 earthquake is most likely due to the propagation of the fundamental mode in the transition zone of the basin. These conclusions contradicts what has been previously stated from observational and modeling investigations, where the basin itself has been discarded as a preponderant factor promoting long and devastating shaking in Mexico City. Reference: Cruz-Atienza, V. M., J. Tago, J. D

  2. Subsidence over AML and its causes - A case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, S.S.; Lin, P.M.; Hsiung, S.M.

    1988-01-01

    Subsidence over abandoned mined lands can be attributed to several causes. For purposes of compensation and liability and developing remedial measures, it is essential to identify the real causes. The detailed procedures for a subsidence investigation and the keys to identify and determine the causes and severity of the damages are illustrated and discussed through a case study in this paper. A subsidence check list has been developed for investigation purposes. The case discussed in this paper is a mining-related subsidence. The associated subsidence index was 60%. The damage to the dwelling was due to tension. The major damage was developed within two days. A crackmeter was installed on the exterior wall to monitor the house movement. An inclinometer casing and a Sondex casing were installed in a borehole to monitor the ground movement. The results of the geotechnical instrumentation are presented to illustrate the procedures developed for investigating the subsidence cases over the abandoned mine lands

  3. Coal mine subsidence and structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gray, R.E.

    1988-01-01

    Underground coal mining has occurred beneath 32 x 10 9 m 2 (8 million acres) of land in the United States and will eventually extend beneath 162 x 10 9 m 2 (40 million acres). Most of this mining has taken place and will take place in the eastern half of the United States. In areas of abandoned mines where total extraction was not achieved, roof collapse, crushing of coal pillars, or punching of coal pillars into softer mine floor or roof rock is now resulting in sinkhole or trough subsidence tens or even hundreds of years after mining. Difference in geology, in mining, and building construction practice between Europe and the United States preclude direct transfer of European subsidence engineering experience. Building damage cannot be related simply to tensile and compressive strains at the ground surface. Recognition of the subsidence damage role played by ground-structure interaction and by structural details is needed

  4. Pre-hospitalization, hospitalization, and post-hospitalization costs of patients with neurocysticercosis treated at the Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia (INNN in Mexico City, Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachana Bhattarai

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to estimate the direct costs associated with the diagnosis and treatment of neurocysticercosis (NCC during pre-hospitalization, hospitalization, and post-hospitalization periods for 108 NCC patients treated at the Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia (INNN in Mexico City, Mexico. Information on clinical manifestations, diagnostic tests, hospitalizations, surgical procedures, prescription medication, and other treatments was collected via medical chart reviews. Uncertain values for costs and frequency of treatments were imputed using bootstrap techniques. The average per-patient pre-hospitalization and hospitalization costs were US$ 257 (95% CI: 185 – 329 and US$ 2,576 (95% CI: 2,244 – 2,908, respectively. Post-hospitalization costs tended to decrease over time, with estimates for the first five years post-hospitalization of US$ 475 (95% CI: 423 – 527, US$ 228 (95% CI: 167 – 288, US$ 157 (95% CI: 111 – 202, US$ 150 (95% CI: 106 – 204, and US$ 91 (95% CI: 27 – 154, respectively. NCC results in a significant economic burden for patients requiring hospitalization, with this burden continuing years post-hospitalization.

  5. [Perception over smoke-free policies amongst bar and restaurant representatives in central Mexico].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Tonatiuh; Gimeno, David; Thrasher, James F; Reynales-Shigematsu, Luz Myriam; Amick, Benjamin C; Lazcano-Ponce, Eduardo; Hernández-Ávila, Mauricio

    2010-01-01

    To analyze the perceptions and appreciations over smoke-free environments of restaurant and bar managers from four cities in central Mexico. Managers from 219 restaurants and bars from Mexico City, Colima, Cuernavaca and Toluca were surveyed about smoke-free environments opinions and implementation. Simultaneously, environmental nicotine was monitored. The majority of surveyed managers considered public places should be smoke-free, although more than half were concerned with potential economic loses. Implementation of smoke-free environments was more frequent in Mexico City (85.4%) than in the other cities (15.3% overall), with consequently lower environmental nicotine concentrations. Managers acknowledge the need to create smoke-free environments. Concerns over economic negative effects derived from the prohibition could explain, at least partially, the rejection of this sector towards the implementation of this type of policy.

  6. Subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization in man-made strata around Tokyo bay, Japan: from geological survey on damaged part at the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. Kazaoka

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Geological disaster by liquefaction-fluidization happened on southern part of the Quaternary Paleo-Kanto submarine basin at the 2011 Earthquake off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku. Liquefaction-fluidization phenomena occurred mainly in man-made strata over shaking 5+ intensity of Japan Meteorological Agency scale. Many subsided spots, 10–50 m width, 20–100 m length and less than 1 m depth, by liquefaction-fluidization distributed on reclaimed land around northern Tokyo bay. Large amount of sand and groundwater spouted out in the terrible subsided parts. But there are little subsidence and no jetted sand outside the terrible subsided part. Liquefaction-fluidization damaged part at the 1987 earthquake east off Chiba prefecture re-liquefied and fluidized in these parts at the 2011 great earthquake. The damaged area were more wide on the 2011 earthquake than the 1987 quake. Detailed classification maps of subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization on the 2011 grate earthquake were made by fieldwork in Chiba city around Tokyo bay. A mechanism of subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization in man-made strata was solved by geological survey with continuous large box cores on the ACE Liner and large relief peals of the cores at a typical subsided part.

  7. Detection of Fracture Patterns Within the Southern Portion of a Residential Complex (Tepozanes), Los Reyes-La Paz County (Edo. de Mexico)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chavez, R. E.; Arango, C.; Tejero, A.; Cifuentes, G.; Hernandez, E.

    2008-12-01

    Most of the urban zone within the Valley of Mexico is built on top of the sediments of the ancient lakes of Chalco, Xochimilco, Mexico, Texcoco, Xaltocan and Zumpango. The sediments that cover this great valley are mainly composed by highly saturated clay-sandy materials; which offer a weak resistance to the constructions built on top. In addition, the increasing need of water supply for the population living in the valley (~22 million inhabitants) has weakened the main groundwater aquifers. This has lead to a differentiated subsidence and collapse of buildings, habitation units and roads. These effects put in a serious risk the inhabitants and the infrastructure of the city. As an example, we present a case of an area located in a densely populated zone, within a low-income residential complex denominated Tepozanes. This is located in the Los Reyes-La Paz County (Mexico State), towards the southeastern portion of the Valley of Mexico. The area is geologically limited by the Chimalhuacan Hill to the N, by the Santa Catarina volcanic range to the S. The previously mentioned effects are evident in the constructions of some buildings, where an exposed fracture is found in the NE-SW direction. This feature is affecting the structure of one of them in the residential complex, where the fracture runs underneath. A geophysical study was proposed to characterize the subsoil and to define the fracturing patterns in the zone. The electrical resistivity tomography (ETR) method employing the capacitive and galvanic modes was used to define the fracturing patters and the position at depth of the saturated layers, which might affect the Residential buildings. As a complement, GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) profiles were carried out on the same profiles to correlate the information obtained from the ETR capacitive method which has a better resolution in the shallower zone. The computed results show that the buildings foundations were set on top of a high resistivity layer (~1000

  8. The Displacement of the Possible: Popular Experience and Gentrification at Historic Center of Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vicente Moctezuma Mendoza

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper studies the displacement of popular sectors in the Historic Center of Mexico City as part of the gentrification process in this space. Particularly, it analyzes a form of displacement that the author defines as ‘the displacement in popular horizons of the possible’, and supposes a reinterpretation – from the characteristics of the gentrification processes in Latin America and the anthropologic fieldwork- of the definition of ‘exclusionary displacement’ proposed by Peter Marcuse. Displacement is analyzed through an ethnographic approach to some residential itineraries that account for popular sectors different rooting constructions during the second half of the twentieth century and the review of the permanence or disappearance of such conditions in the contemporary context.

  9. Review of subsidence and stabilization techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernando, D.A.

    1988-01-01

    In Britain the damage caused by underground coal mining operations approximates to about 100 million pounds Sterling per annum, most of the damage resulting from longwall mining operations. Causes of subsidence can be attributed to the following factors: (1) roof failure (2) pillar failure (3) floor movements. Currently, in Britain, the mining industry is undergoing a state of decline for economic reasons. Consequently, the number of old coal sites available for development schemes has increased. Therefore, the problems associated with subsidence can be segregated into two parts. The first being the mitigation of the effects of subsidence on structures on actively mined areas. The second being the stabilization and rehabilitation of ground over and around old mine sites for new development schemes. In the former case the stabilization techniques employed may be local or global, depending on the problems encountered in any particular area. In the latter case, generally, grouting techniques are employed. This paper aims to review the causes of subsidence and the techniques used to minimize its effect on structures. Also, more economic alternative methods of ground stabilization techniques are described and proposed, to be used in this area of ground engineering

  10. Characteristics of private abortion services in Mexico City after legalization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiavon, Raffaela; Collado, Maria Elena; Troncoso, Erika; Soto Sánchez, José Ezequiel; Zorrilla, Gabriela Otero; Palermo, Tia

    2010-11-01

    In 2007, first trimester abortion was legalized in Mexico City, and the public sector rapidly expanded its abortion services. In 2008, to obtain information on the effect of the law on private sector abortion services, we interviewed 135 physicians working in private clinics, located through an exhaustive search. A large majority of the clinics offered a range of reproductive health services, including abortions. Over 70% still used dilatation and curettage (D&C); less than a third offered vacuum aspiration or medical abortion. The average number of abortions per facility was only three per month; few reported more than 10 abortions monthly. More than 90% said they had been offering abortion services for less than 20 months. Many women are still accessing abortion services privately, despite the availability of free or low-cost services at public facilities. However, the continuing use of D&C, high fees (mean of $157-505), poor pain management practices, unnecessary use of ultrasound, general anaesthesia and overnight stays, indicate that private sector abortion services are expensive and far from optimal. Now that abortions are legal, these results highlight the need for private abortion providers to be trained in recommended abortion methods and quality of private abortion care improved. Copyright © 2010 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Vehicle fleet emissions of black carbon, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other pollutants measured by a mobile laboratory in Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Jiang

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Black carbon (BC and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs are of concern due to their effects on climate and health. The main goal of this research is to provide the first estimate of emissions of BC and particle-phase PAHs (PPAHs from motor vehicles in Mexico City. The emissions of other pollutants including carbon monoxide (CO, oxides of nitrogen (NOx, volatile organic compounds (VOCs, and particulate matter of diameter 2.5 μm and less (PM2.5 are also estimated. As a part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area field campaign in April 2003 (MCMA-2003, a mobile laboratory was driven throughout the city. The laboratory was equipped with a comprehensive suite of gas and particle analyzers, including an aethalometer that measured BC and a photoionization aerosol sensor that measured PPAHs. While driving through traffic, the mobile lab continuously sampled exhaust plumes from the vehicles around it. We have developed a method of automatically identifying exhaust plumes, which are then used as the basis for calculation of fleet-average emissions. In the approximately 75 h of on-road sampling during the field campaign, we have identified ~30 000 exhaust measurement points that represent a variety of vehicle types and driving conditions. The large sample provides a basis for estimating fleet-average emission factors and thus the emission inventory. Motor vehicles in the Mexico City area are estimated to emit 1700±200 metric tons BC, 57±6 tons PPAHs, 1 190 000±40 000 tons CO, 120 000±3000 tons NOx, 240 000±50 000 tons VOCs, and 4400±400 tons PM2.5 per year, not including cold start emissions. The estimates for CO, NOx, and PPAHs may be low by up to 10% due to the slower response time of analyzers used to measure these species. Compared to the government's official motor vehicle emission inventory for the year 2002, the estimates for CO, NOx, VOCs, and PM2.5 are 38% lower, 23% lower, 27% higher, and 25% higher, respectively. The

  12. 78 FR 42755 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-17

    ...: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold public hearings for Coastal... through Friday August 15, 2013 at ten locations throughout the Gulf of Mexico. The public hearings will...; Mobile, AL; Corpus Christi and Texas City, TX. Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council...

  13. Final report for "Characterization of Fine Particulate Matter (PM) and secondary PM Precursor Gases in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area"

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prof. Jose-Luis Jimenez

    2009-05-18

    The objectives of this funded project were (a) to further analyze the data collected by our group and collaborators in Mexico City during the MCMA-2003 field campaign, with the goal of further our understanding of aerosol sources and processes; and (b) to deploy several advanced instruments, including the newly developed high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and thermal-denuder (TD), during the MILAGRO/MAX-Mex/MCMA-2006 field campaign, and to analyze those data (together with the 2003 data) to provide additional insights on the formation and transformation of aerosols in the Mexico City area. These goals were addressed in collaboration with our project partners, MIT/Molina Center, and Aerodyne Research. Overall this project was very successful, resulting on 22+ journal papers including six “highly cited papers” and three papers that are the most cited in their respective journals (out of several thousand papers) since the year in which they were published. Multiple discoveries, such as the the underestimation of SOA in urban areas even for short photochemical ages, the demonstration that urban POA is of similar or higher volatility than urban SOA, and the first analysis of organic aerosol elemental composition in real-time have been recently published. Several dozen presentations at major US and international conferences and seminars also acknowledged this grant.

  14. A hybrid method for the estimation of ground motion in sedimentary basins: Quantitative modelling for Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faeh, D.; Suhadolc, P.; Mueller, S.; Panza, G.F.

    1994-04-01

    To estimate the ground motion in two-dimensional, laterally heterogeneous, anelastic media, a hybrid technique has been developed which combines modal summation and the finite difference method. In the calculation of the local wavefield due to a seismic event, both for small and large epicentral distances, it is possible to take into account the sources, path and local soil effects. As practical application we have simulated the ground motion in Mexico City caused by the Michoacan earthquake of September 19, 1985. By studying the one-dimensional response of the two sedimentary layers present in Mexico City, it is possible to explain the difference in amplitudes observed between records for receivers inside and outside the lake-bed zone. These simple models show that the sedimentary cover produces the concentration of high-frequency waves (0.2-0.5 Hz) on the horizontal components of motion. The large amplitude coda of ground motion observed inside the lake-bed zone, and the spectral ratios between signals observed inside and outside the lake-bed zone, can only be explained by two-dimensional models of the sedimentary basin. In such models, the ground motion is mainly controlled by the response of the uppermost clay layer. The synthetic signals explain the major characteristics (relative amplitudes, spectral ratios, and frequency content) of the observed ground motion. The large amplitude coda of the ground motion observed in the lake-bed zone can be explained as resonance effects and the excitation of local surface waves in the laterally heterogeneous clay layer. Also, for the 1985 Michoacan event, the energy contributions of the three subevents are important to explain the observed durations. (author). 39 refs, 15 figs, 1 tab

  15. Pollution effects on stone benches of the Eagle Warriors Precinct at the Major Temple, Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miranda, J.; Gallardo, M.L.; Grimaldi, D.M.; Roman-Berrelleza, J.A.; Ruvalcaba-Sil, J.L.; Ontalba Salamanca, M.A.; Morales, J.G.

    1999-01-01

    During Major Temple archaeological site excavations in Downtown Mexico City, the precinct of one of the most important Mexica military caste, the Eagle Warriors, was discovered. The ceremonial enclosure is composed of three rooms surrounded by paintings on 11 stone benches placed against the walls. Nowadays, these paintings and the stones present the effects of different deterioration processes produced by the underground water level, high humidity, and the presence of soil, water, and air pollutants. Ion beam analysis of samples from the benches and wall paintings was performed using PIXE and RBS techniques. Using enrichment factors of elements relative to iron concentrations, possible contamination by sulfur and chlorine salts was found, as well as airborne zinc scavenged by rain

  16. [Population dynamics, urban structure, and production of living space in the metropolitan zone of Mexico City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schteingart, M

    1989-01-01

    "In this article, an attempt is made to account for certain trends in the growth and distribution of the population, and in the structuring of living space in the metropolitan zone of Mexico City.... Among the important conclusions of this essay are those having to do with the huge growth of some political-administrative units and the relation of this phenomenon to the practices followed by private realtors, often articulated with the policies and programs set by the State's housing agencies, as well as those that associate urban growth and expansion with the development of habitational spaces within the so-called 'formal' and 'informal' housing sectors." Data are from Mexican censuses and other official sources. (SUMMARY IN ENG) excerpt

  17. The results of the Seismic Alert System of Mexico SASMEX, during the earthquakes of 7 and 19 of September 2017

    Science.gov (United States)

    Espinosa Aranda, J. M., Sr.; Cuellar Martinez, A.

    2017-12-01

    The Seismic Alert System of Mexico, SASMEX began in 1991, is integrated by the seismic alert system of Mexico City and the seismic alert system of Oaxaca. SASMEX has 97 seismic sensors which are distributed in the seismic regions of the Pacific coast and the South of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt of states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Puebla. The alert dissemination covers the cities of: Acapulco, Chilpancingo, Morelia, Puebla, Oaxaca, Toluca and Mexico City, reaching the earthquake warnings to more than 25 millions of people. SASMEX has detected correctly more than 5600 earthquakes and warned 156. Mexico City has different alert dissemination systems like several Radio and Tv commercial broadcasters, dedicated radio receivers, EAS-SAME-SARMEX radio receivers and more tha 6700 public loud speakers. The other cities have only some of those systems. The Mw 8.2 Chiapas earthquake on September 7, despite the epicentral distance far of the first seismic detections (more than 180 km) and the low amplitudes of the P waves, the earthquake warning time gave more than 90 seconds to Mexico City before the arrivals of S waves with minor damages to the city in contrast with high damages in towns in the coast. This earthquake offered an opportunity to show the developments and lacks to reduce the risk, such as the need to increase the seismic detection coverage and the earthquake warning dissemination in towns with high seismic vulnerability. The Mw 7.1 Morelos earthquake on September 19 caused thousands of damages and hundreds of deaths and injuries in Mexico City, this earthquake is the second with the most damages after the Mw 8.1 Michoacán earthquake of September 19 on 1985. The earthquake early warning gave 11 seconds after the arrivals of S waves, however the activation occurred few seconds after the P waves arrives to Mexico City, and due to the seismic focus was near to the city, the P waves were felt for the people. The Accelerographic Network

  18. Subsidence and carbon loss in drained tropical peatlands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Hooijer

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Conversion of tropical peatlands to agriculture leads to a release of carbon from previously stable, long-term storage, resulting in land subsidence that can be a surrogate measure of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. We present an analysis of recent large-scale subsidence monitoring studies in Acacia and oil palm plantations on peatland in SE Asia, and compare the findings with previous studies. Subsidence in the first 5 yr after drainage was found to be 142 cm, of which 75 cm occurred in the first year. After 5 yr, the subsidence rate in both plantation types, at average water table depths of 0.7 m, remained constant at around 5 cm yr−1. The results confirm that primary consolidation contributed substantially to total subsidence only in the first year after drainage, that secondary consolidation was negligible, and that the amount of compaction was also much reduced within 5 yr. Over 5 yr after drainage, 75 % of cumulative subsidence was caused by peat oxidation, and after 18 yr this was 92 %. The average rate of carbon loss over the first 5 yr was 178 t CO2eq ha−1 yr−1, which reduced to 73 t CO2eq ha−1 yr−1 over subsequent years, potentially resulting in an average loss of 100 t CO2eq ha−1 yr−1 over 25 yr. Part of the observed range in subsidence and carbon loss values is explained by differences in water table depth, but vegetation cover and other factors such as addition of fertilizers also influence peat oxidation. A relationship with groundwater table depth shows that subsidence and carbon loss are still considerable even at the highest water levels theoretically possible in plantations. This implies that improved plantation water management will reduce these impacts by 20 % at most, relative to current conditions, and that high rates of carbon loss and land subsidence are

  19. Primary and secondary contributions to aerosol light scattering and absorption in Mexico City during the MILAGRO 2006 campaign

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Paredes-Miranda

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available A photoacoustic spectrometer, a nephelometer, an aethalometer, and an aerosol mass spectrometer were used to measure at ground level real-time aerosol light absorption, scattering, and chemistry at an urban site located in North East Mexico City (Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Mexican Petroleum Institute, denoted by IMP, as part of the Megacity Impact on Regional and Global Environments field experiment, MILAGRO, in March 2006. Photoacoustic and reciprocal nephelometer measurements at 532 nm accomplished with a single instrument compare favorably with conventional measurements made with an aethalometer and a TSI nephelometer. The diurnally averaged single scattering albedo at 532 nm was found to vary from 0.60 to 0.85 with the peak value at midday and the minimum value at 07:00 a.m. local time, indicating that the Mexico City plume is likely to have a net warming effect on local climate. The peak value is associated with strong photochemical generation of secondary aerosol. It is estimated that the photochemical production of secondary aerosol (inorganic and organic is approximately 75% of the aerosol mass concentration and light scattering in association with the peak single scattering albedo. A strong correlation of aerosol scattering at 532 nm and total aerosol mass concentration was found, and an average mass scattering efficiency factor of 3.8 m2/g was determined. Comparisons of photoacoustic and aethalometer light absorption with oxygenated organic aerosol concentration (OOA indicate a very small systematic bias of the filter based measurement associated with OOA and the peak aerosol single scattering albedo.

  20. Primary and secondary contributions to aerosol light scattering and absorption in Mexico City during the MILAGRO 2006 campaign

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2009-06-01

    A photoacoustic spectrometer, a nephelometer, an aethalometer, and an aerosol mass spectrometer were used to measure at ground level real-time aerosol light absorption, scattering, and chemistry at an urban site located in North East Mexico City (Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Mexican Petroleum Institute, denoted by IMP), as part of the Megacity Impact on Regional and Global Environments field experiment, MILAGRO, in March 2006. Photoacoustic and reciprocal nephelometer measurements at 532 nm accomplished with a single instrument compare favorably with conventional measurements made with an aethalometer and a TSI nephelometer. The diurnally averaged single scattering albedo at 532 nm was found to vary from 0.60 to 0.85 with the peak value at midday and the minimum value at 07:00 a.m. local time, indicating that the Mexico City plume is likely to have a net warming effect on local climate. The peak value is associated with strong photochemical generation of secondary aerosol. It is estimated that the photochemical production of secondary aerosol (inorganic and organic) is approximately 75% of the aerosol mass concentration and light scattering in association with the peak single scattering albedo. A strong correlation of aerosol scattering at 532 nm and total aerosol mass concentration was found, and an average mass scattering efficiency factor of 3.8 m2/g was determined. Comparisons of photoacoustic and aethalometer light absorption with oxygenated organic aerosol concentration (OOA) indicate a very small systematic bias of the filter based measurement associated with OOA and the peak aerosol single scattering albedo.

  1. Potential of Holocene deltaic sequences for subsidence due to peat compaction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stouthamer, E.; van Asselen, S.

    2015-01-01

    Land subsidence is a major threat for the livability of deltas worldwide. Mitigation of the negative impacts of subsidence, like increasing flooding risk, requires an assessment of the potential of the deltas’ subsurfaces for subsidence. This enables the prediction of current and future subsidence

  2. Underground coal mine subsidence impacts on surface water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stump, D.E. Jr.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that subsidence from underground coal mining alters surface water discharge and availability. The magnitude and areal extent of these impacts are dependent on many factors, including the amount of subsidence, topography, geology, climate, surface water - ground water interactions, and fractures in the overburden. There alterations may have positive and/or negative impacts. One of the most significant surface water impacts occurred in July 1957 near West Pittston, Pennsylvania. Subsidence in the Knox Mine under the Coxton Yards of the Lehigh Valley Railroad allowed part of the discharge in the Susquehanna River to flow into the mine and create a crater 200 feet in diameter and 300 feet deep. Fourteen railroad gondola cars fell into the hole which was eventually filled with rock, sand, and gravel. Other surface water impacts from subsidence may include the loss of water to the ground water system, the gaining of water from the ground water system, the creation of flooded subsidence troughs, the increasing of impoundment storage capacity, the relocation of water sources (springs), and the alteration of surface drainage patterns

  3. Detecting and monitoring UCG subsidence with InSAR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mellors, R J; Foxall, W; Yang, X

    2012-03-23

    The use of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) to measure surface subsidence caused by Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is tested. InSAR is a remote sensing technique that uses Synthetic Aperture Radar images to make spatial images of surface deformation and may be deployed from satellite or an airplane. With current commercial satellite data, the technique works best in areas with little vegetation or farming activity. UCG subsidence is generally caused by roof collapse, which adversely affects UCG operations due to gas loss and is therefore important to monitor. Previous studies have demonstrated the usefulness of InSAR in measuring surface subsidence related to coal mining and surface deformation caused by a coal mining roof collapse in Crandall Canyon, Utah is imaged as a proof-of-concept. InSAR data is collected and processed over three known UCG operations including two pilot plants (Majuba, South Africa and Wulanchabu, China) and an operational plant (Angren, Uzbekistan). A clear f eature showing approximately 7 cm of subsidence is observed in the UCG field in Angren. Subsidence is not observed in the other two areas, which produce from deeper coal seams and processed a smaller volume. The results show that in some cases, InSAR is a useful tool to image UCG related subsidence. Data from newer satellites and improved algorithms will improve effectiveness.

  4. The San Luis Project: An Attempt to Decentralize Physics in Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Will, T. A.; Valladares, A. A.

    1976-01-01

    Described is a project being conducted by the Physics Institute of the University of San Luis Potori, Mexico, in order to avoid concentrating physics education and research activities in Mexico City. (SL)

  5. Breast cancer quality of life evaluation in Mexican Women at La Raza Hospital, Mexico City: A preliminary approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacobo Alejandro Gómez-Rico

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Jacobo Alejandro Gómez-Rico1, Marina Altagracia-Martínez1, Jaime Kravzov-Jinich1, Rosario Cárdenas-Elizalde1, Juan Carlos Hinojosa-Cruz2, Consuelo Rubio-Poo31Departments of Biological Systems and Healthcare, Biological and Health Sciences Division (DCBS, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana–Xochimilco (UAM-X, Xochimilco, Mexico; 2La Raza Hospital of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico; 3Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM, Faculty of Professional Studies, Zaragoza (FES-Zaragoza, MexicoAbstract: Breast cancer (BC is the second leading cause of death among Mexican women over 40 years of age. This study aimed to identify and examine the effects of cancer stage and surgical treatment on the quality of life (QOL of Mexican women with early stage breast cancer (ESBC treated with either modified radical mastectomy (MRM or breast conservative surgery (BCS, plus adjuvant chemotherapy. The QLQ-C30 and QLQ BR-23 questionnaires were used to assess QOL. Sociodemographic characteristics and clinical factors of 102 women with early BC were also evaluated; analysis of variance (ANOVA was performed and a statistical significance of p < 0.05 was assumed. Most women were of reproductive age. Meaningful differences in QOL as a result of surgical treatment, in women receiving BCS compared with those receiving MRM, were limited to body image. We conclude that MRM and BCS are essentially equivalent choices in terms of QOL, with the exception of the impact on body image. In general, women who received BCS had a better perceived QOL.Keywords: quality of life, breast cancer, Mexican women

  6. Survey of land subsidence – case study: The land subsidence ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    This is a new phenomenon and in this research the geometrical properties of the fissures of recharge ... by ground water, the creation of small sinkholes followed ... Figure 1. The location of artificial recharge plan in. Hamadan. The Gharechai River is a source of artificial .... land subsidence and shape the cracks and fissures.

  7. Patient characteristics and service trends following abortion legalization in Mexico City, 2007-10.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mondragón y Kalb, Manuel; Ahued Ortega, Armando; Morales Velazquez, Jorge; Díaz Olavarrieta, Claudia; Valencia Rodríguez, Jorge; Becker, Davida; García, Sandra G

    2011-09-01

    Legal abortion services have been available in public and private health facilities in Mexico City since April 2007 for pregnancies of up to 12 weeks gestation. As of January 2011, more than 50,000 procedures have been performed by Ministry of Health hospitals and clinics. We researched trends in service users' characteristics, types of procedures performed, post-procedure complications, repeat abortions, and postabortion uptake of contraception in 15 designated hospitals from April 2007 to March 2010. The trend in procedures has been toward more medication and manual vacuum aspiration abortions and fewer done through dilation and curettage. Percentages of post-procedure complications and repeat abortions remain low (2.3 and 0.9 percent, respectively). Uptake of postabortion contraception has increased over time; 85 percent of women selected a method in 2009-10, compared with 73 percent in 2007-08. Our findings indicate that the Ministry of Health's program provides safe services that contribute to the prevention of repeat unintended pregnancies.

  8. Street Laborers in Mexico City: Survival, Negotiation and Urban Poverty during the Revolution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario Barbosa Cruz

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available This work analyzes the survival strategies –based on negotiations with local and federal authorities– used by street laborers to face urban  poverty  in the Mexican capital during  the first three decades of the 20th  century. in general terms, I seek to describe how people who sought their sustenance in the streets, and who were not workers or craftsmen, managed to survive. By exploring their social relations,  I seek to foreground the increasing visibility of these actors in their interaction  with the authorities  during  that period, particularly with the employees of revolutionary governments. The paper, which is based on a more extensive research about street labor in Mexico City, turns to a number  of theoretical proposals  that consider reciprocal exchange networks as the base for survival during critical times such as the general supply crisis in the decade of the Revolution.

  9. An Approach to Litter Generation and Littering Practices in a Mexico City Neighborhood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cecilia E. Muñoz-Cadena

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Urban litter is generated by human societies everywhere. Some litter is recyclable waste. In this study, the acronym RMSW is used to refer to recyclable municipal solid waste generated in streets. Public attitude towards RMSW generation, generators’ perceptions, and quantification of RMSW in streets were examined in a Mexico City neighborhood, where litter presence causes major environmental problems affecting the population year after year. Interviews with neighborhood residents and item counts were carried out from 2010 to 2011. In all, 58% of interviewees reported generating RMSW at variable frequencies while 42% said they did not generate this kind of waste. Laziness, lack of vigilance by municipal authorities, no litter bins in streets, and imitation were the main causes identified by interviewees as reasons for littering. Potential litter generators may be of any age, educational level or income. Interviewees’ perception of RMSW generation was compared with item counts in the neighborhood studied.

  10. Adaptation and mitigation of land subsidence in Semarang

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreas, Heri; Abidin, Hasanuddin Z.; Gumilar, Irwan; Sidiq, Teguh Purnama; Yuwono, Bambang

    2017-07-01

    Land subsidence is not a new phenomenon for Semarang. Some report said the subsidence in Semarang probably is occurring for more than 100 years. Based on the leveling surveys conducted by the Centre of Environmental Geology from 1999 to 2003 it was found that relatively large subsidence was detected around Semarang Harbor, Pondok Hasanuddin, Bandar Harjo and around Semarang Tawang Railway station, with the rates ranging from 1 to 17 cm/year. Results derived from GPS show that land subsidence in Semarang has spatial and temporal variations. In general, subsidence rates in Semarang have an average rate of about 6 to 7 cm/year, with maximum rates that can go up to 14-19 cm/year at certain locations. The impact of land subsidence in Semarang can be seen in several forms, such as the wider expansion of (coastal) flooding areas "rob", cracking of buildings and infrastructure, and increased inland sea water intrusion. It also badly influences the quality and amenity of the living environment and life (e.g. health and sanitation condition) in the affected areas. In the case of Semarang, adaptation and mitigation are considered very important. We have been done some investigations to this area by field observations (mapping the flooded area, mapping the infrastructure problems, interviewing people and seeing the adaptations, conduct GPS measurement to see deformation, etc.), gather information from Government, from digital media, etc., and we noticed people increased their house, and the local goverment elevated the road and the bridge, etc. regulary over less decade periode as part of adaptation. We also noticed the Central Goverment built the dyke and pumping station. Our conclusions said that the adaptation only made temporaly since significant land subsidence keep coming and worsening by the sea level which is keep rising. Another conclusion, so far we have seen lack of mitigation program, monitoring or even inevective mitigation in Semarang related to this subsidence

  11. Heavy metals in urban road sediments of the city of Mexicali, Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meza T, L. M.; Quintero N, M.; Valdez S, B., E-mail: montserrat.meza@uabc.edu.mx [Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Facultad de Ingenieria, Unidad Mexicali, 21280 Mexicali, Baja California (Mexico)

    2014-07-01

    A chemical sediment characterization of urban streets in the city of Mexicali at Baja California, Mexico, was conducted to estimate the most important heavy metals along with PM{sub 10} and PM{sub 2.5} emission factors to evaluate the amount of particulate matter. Sampling was conducted from february to may 2008, following a random statistical design, in 60 sampling sites on a geo referenced map at UTM 11 North. Samples were identified and treated in the laboratory, after undergoing cracking, drying, sieving, and weighing to get less than 75 microns of sediment by using a dry method. Twelve representative samples were selected for chemical characterization using energy dispersive X-rays (EDX) and inductively coupled plasma (Icp). The most significant elements found were zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) with concentrations ranging from 1 to 15 mg/kg and 11 to 25 mg/kg, respectively, corresponding to the third classification from a reference set of a study by US EPA in 1981-1997. The clay type known as illite was identified in four specific samples. (author)

  12. Sweetened beverages intake, hyperuricemia and metabolic syndrome. The Mexico City Diabetes Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rubén López-Molina

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To determine prevalence of hyperuricemia and its relation with intake of sweetened beverages (SB and metabolic syndrome (MS in low income urban Mexican population. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional analysis of The Mexico City Diabetes Study, a prospective population-based investigation (1 173 participants was performed. We used logistic regression, adjusted by pertinent variables. We determined prevalence of hyperuricemia and explored associations of uric acid levels with MS and intake of SB. Results. Prevalence of hyperuricemia was 26.5 and 19.8% in males and females respectively. In an adjusted multivariate model, body mass index, waist circumference, and triglyceride were higher as uric acid quartiles increased (p menor que 0.005-0.001. The odds ratio for MS was 1.48 for 3rd uric acid quartile and 2.03 for 4th quartile. Higher consumption of SB was associated with higher uric acid levels (p menor que 0.001. Conclusion. Prevalence of hyperuricemia is high. Potential association with intake of SB, resulting in metabolic alterations should be considered.

  13. A representative survey of indoor radon in the sixteen regions in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Espinosa, G; Gammage, R B

    2003-01-01

    Mexico City, also called Federal District, covers an area of 1504 km(2), and has more than 8 million inhabitants. It is located more than 2200 m above sea level in a zone of high seismic activity, and founded on an ancient lake. At present it is one of the most crowded and contaminated cities in the world, with thermal inversions. Chemical contaminants and aerosol particles in the environmental air are high most of the year. Due to these geological, environmental and socioeconomic conditions, Federal District presents very peculiar characteristics, which are important for understanding the distribution and measurements of indoor radon concentration. In this work the results of 3 year (1998-2000) measurements of indoor radon levels in the Federal District are presented. For the detector distribution and measurements, the actual political administrative divisions of the Federal District, consisting of 16 very well defined zones, was used. Nuclear track detection methodology was selected for the measurement, with a passive device close-end-cup system with CR-39 (Lantrack) polycarbonate as the detection material, with one step chemical etching, following a very well established protocol developed at the Instituto de Física, UNAM. Calibration was carried out at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and verification at the Instituto de Física chamber. The results show that the arithmetical mean values of the indoor radon concentration for each region of the Federal District follow a non-homogenous distribution.

  14. A representative survey of indoor radon in the sixteen regions in Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Espinosa, G.; Gammage, R.B.

    2003-01-01

    Mexico City, also called Federal District, covers an area of 1504 km 2 , and has more than 8 million inhabitants. It is located more than 2200 m above sea level in a zone of high seismicactivity, and founded on an ancient lake. At present it is one of the most crowded and contaminated cities in the world with thermal inversions. Chemical contaminants and aerosol particles in the environmental air are high most of the year. Due to these geological, environmental and socioeconomic conditions, Federal District presents very peculiar characteristics, which are important for understanding the distribution and measurement zone of high seismic activity of indoor radon concentration. In this work the results of 3 year (1998-2000) measurements of indoor radon levels in the Federal District are presented. For the detector distribution and measurements, the actual political administrative divisions of the Federal District, consisting of 16 very well defined zones was used. Nuclear track detection methodology was selected for the measurement, with a passive device close-end-cup system with CR-39 (Lantrack(r)) polycarbonate as the detection material, with one step chemical etching, following a very well established protocol developed at the Instituto de Fisica, UNAM. Calibration was carried out at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and verification at the Instituto de Fisica chamber. The results show that the arithmetical mean values of the indoor radon concentration for each region of the Federal District follow a non-homogeneous distribution. (author)

  15. Sociodemographic differences among HIV-positive and HIV-negative recently pregnant women in Mexico City: A case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguilar-Zapata, Daniel; Piñeirúa-Menéndez, Alicia; Volkow-Fernández, Patricia; Rodríguez-Zulueta, Patricia; Ramos-Alamillo, Ubaldo; Cabrera-López, Teresita; Martin-Onraet, Alexandra

    2017-07-01

    National HIV preventive programs in Mexico focus on high-risk groups that do not consider women, apart from prenatal screening. Nonetheless, the epidemic in women is growing, and there is a need to better understand sociodemographic factors in women living with HIV (WLH). We performed a case-control study in Mexico City, including HIV+ and HIV- women with a recent pregnancy to compare their sociodemographic characteristics and describe the circumstances of diagnosis in HIV+ women, as well as prenatal screening frequency in both groups. Fifty cases and 102 controls were interviewed. HIV+ women were more frequently the only economic support of the family (20% vs 0%, P history of sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, history of violence, and civil status. Only 6% of controls were tested for HIV during prenatal follow-up. WLH in this study faced important social vulnerability. Targeting women living in these social contexts might increase early diagnosis and could tailor HIV prevention strategies. Prenatal coverage needs to be improved and should represent a national priority.

  16. Formation mechanism of land subsidence in the North China Plain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Haipeng; Cheng, Guoming

    2014-05-01

    Land subsidence is a progressive and gradual geological disaster, whose development is irreversible. Due to rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, land subsidence occurs commonly in the North China Plain, and has become the main environmental factor impacting sustainable economic and social development. This study presents a brief review on the current situation of land subsidence in the North China Plain. Then the hydrologic, hydrogeologic and anthropogenic conditions favorable for the formation of land subsidence are analyzed, indicating that the formation of land subsidence is mainly determined by local geological condition and enabling conditions, e.g. long-term excessive exploitation of groundwater and engineering construction. A correlation analysis was conducted in both the North China Plain and Cangzhou region, a typical area where severe land subsidence occurs, of the quantitative relationship between deep groundwater yield and the land subsidence. The analysis results indicate that the land subsidence volume accounts for 40% to 44% of deep water yield in the North China Plain, indirectly showing the proportion of released water from compressibility of the aquifer and the aquitard in deep groundwater yield. In Cangzhou region, this proportion was calculated as 58%, far greater than that of the North China Plain. This is induced by the local lithologic structure and recharge condition of deep groundwater in Cangzhou region. The analysis of soil samples in Cangzhou region shows that strong relations exist among different physical parameters, and good change laws of compression with depth and pressure are found for soil samples. The hydraulic conductivities of clay are six orders of magnitude greater than those of the aquifer, implying the strong hypothesis of land subsidence. This analysis provides data and scientific basis for further study on formation mechanism of land subsidence in Cangzhou region and objective evaluation of its

  17. Subsidence monitoring within the Athens Basin (Greece) using space radar interferometric techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parcharidis, I.; Lagios, E.; Sakkas, V.; Raucoules, D.; Feurer, D.; Mouelic, S. L.; King, C.; Carnec, C.; Novali, F.; Ferretti, A.; Capes, R.; Cooksley, G.

    2006-05-01

    The application of conventional SAR Interferometry (InSAR) together with the two techniques of sub-centimeteraccuracy, the Stacking and the Permanent Scatterers (PS) Interferometry, were used to study the ground deformation in the broader area of Athens for the period 1992 to 2002. Using the Stacking interfero-metricmethod, 55 ERS-1&2 SAR scenes, between 1992 and 2002, were acquired producing 264 differential interferograms. Among these only 60 were finally selected as fulfilling certain criteria. The co-seismic deforma-tionassociated with the Athens Earthquake (Mw = 5 9, September 7, 1999) was excluded from the analytical procedure in an attempt to present results of only aseismic character. In total ground subsidence results of about12 mm in the southern suburbs of Athens, but higher value of about 40 mm in the northern ones for the period 1992-2002. Based on the PS technique, a precise average annual deformation rate-map was generated for the period 1992-1999, ending just before the Athens earthquake event. Both circular and elongated-shape areas of subsidence are recognizable especially in the northern part of the Athens Basin (3-4 mm/yr), as well as at its southern part (1-3 mm/yr). In addition, a rate of 2-3 mm/yr is also yielded for some part of the Athens city center. Subsidence rates of 1-2 mm/yr are measured at the western part of the basin over an area of old mining activities, and around the newly built Syntagma Metro Station. The correlation of the observed deformation pat-ternswith respect to the spatial distribution of water pumping, older mining activities, metro line tunneling and other local geological parameters is examined and discussed.

  18. A Cross-Sectional Study of Prisoners in Mexico City Comparing Prevalence of Transmissible Infections and Chronic Diseases with That in the General Population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bautista-Arredondo, Sergio; González, Andrea; Servan-Mori, Edson; Beynon, Fenella; Juarez-Figueroa, Luis; Conde-Glez, Carlos J; Gras, Nathalie; Sierra-Madero, Juan; Lopez-Ridaura, Ruy; Volkow, Patricia; Bertozzi, Stefano M

    2015-01-01

    To describe patterns of transmissible infections, chronic illnesses, socio-demographic characteristics and risk behaviors in Mexico City prisons, including in comparison to the general population, to identify those currently needing healthcare and inform policy. A cross-sectional study among 17,000 prisoners at 4 Mexico City prisons (June to December 2010). Participation was voluntary, confidential and based on informed consent. Participants were tested for HIV, Hepatitis B & C, syphilis, hypertension, obesity, and, if at risk, glucose and cholesterol. A subset completed a questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics and risk behaviors. Positive results were delivered with counseling and treatment or referral. 76.8% (15,517/20,196) of men and 92.9% (1,779/1,914) of women participated. Complete data sets were available for 98.8%. The following prevalence data were established for transmissible infections: HIV 0.7%; syphilis: Anti-TP+/VDRL+ 2.0%; Hepatitis B: HBcAb 2.8%, HBsAg 0.15%; Anti-HCV 3.2%. Obesity: 9.5% men, 33.8% women. Compared with national age- and sex-matched data, the relative prevalence was greater for HIV and syphilis among women, HIV and Hepatitis C in men, and all infections in younger participants. Obesity prevalence was similar for women and lower among male participants. The prevalence of previously diagnosed diabetes and hypertension was lower. Questionnaire data (1,934 men, 520 women) demonstrated lower educational levels, increased smoking and substance use compared to national data. High levels of non-sterile tattooing, physical abuse and histories of sexual violence were found. The study identified that health screening is acceptable to Mexico City prisoners and feasible on a large-scale. It demonstrated higher prevalence of HIV and other infections compared to national data, though low rates compared to international data. Individual participants benefited from earlier diagnosis, treatment and support. The data collected will also

  19. A Cross-Sectional Study of Prisoners in Mexico City Comparing Prevalence of Transmissible Infections and Chronic Diseases with That in the General Population.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Bautista-Arredondo

    Full Text Available To describe patterns of transmissible infections, chronic illnesses, socio-demographic characteristics and risk behaviors in Mexico City prisons, including in comparison to the general population, to identify those currently needing healthcare and inform policy.A cross-sectional study among 17,000 prisoners at 4 Mexico City prisons (June to December 2010. Participation was voluntary, confidential and based on informed consent. Participants were tested for HIV, Hepatitis B & C, syphilis, hypertension, obesity, and, if at risk, glucose and cholesterol. A subset completed a questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics and risk behaviors. Positive results were delivered with counseling and treatment or referral.76.8% (15,517/20,196 of men and 92.9% (1,779/1,914 of women participated. Complete data sets were available for 98.8%. The following prevalence data were established for transmissible infections: HIV 0.7%; syphilis: Anti-TP+/VDRL+ 2.0%; Hepatitis B: HBcAb 2.8%, HBsAg 0.15%; Anti-HCV 3.2%. Obesity: 9.5% men, 33.8% women. Compared with national age- and sex-matched data, the relative prevalence was greater for HIV and syphilis among women, HIV and Hepatitis C in men, and all infections in younger participants. Obesity prevalence was similar for women and lower among male participants. The prevalence of previously diagnosed diabetes and hypertension was lower. Questionnaire data (1,934 men, 520 women demonstrated lower educational levels, increased smoking and substance use compared to national data. High levels of non-sterile tattooing, physical abuse and histories of sexual violence were found.The study identified that health screening is acceptable to Mexico City prisoners and feasible on a large-scale. It demonstrated higher prevalence of HIV and other infections compared to national data, though low rates compared to international data. Individual participants benefited from earlier diagnosis, treatment and support. The data collected

  20. Frequency of viruses associated with acute respiratory infections in children younger than five years of age at a locality of Mexico City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C Cabello

    2006-02-01

    Full Text Available A locality in the district of Tlalpan, Mexico City, was selected in order to identify the viral agents in children younger than 5 years of age with acute respiratory infection (ARI. A total of 300 children were randomly selected and were included in this study for a period of 13 months. During this period nasopharyngeal exudates were collected for the isolation of viral agents. Monoclonal fluorescent antibodies were used for viral identification after cell culture. Viral infection was detected in 65% of the specimens. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV was the most common virus agent detected. Children required an average of two consultations during the study period. Two high incidence peaks were observed, one during the summer and the other during winter; the most frequent viruses during these seasons were influenza A and RSV, respectively. The largest number of viruses was isolated in the group of children between 1 and 2 years of age and in the group between 4 and 5 years of age. This study demonstrated the presence of ARI and of different viruses in a period of 13 months, as well as the most frequent viruses in children younger than 5 years of age from a community of Mexico City.

  1. Land subsidence and caprock dolines caused by subsurface gypsum dissolution and the effect of subsidence on the fluvial system in the Upper Tigris Basin (between Bismil Batman, Turkey)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doğan, Uğur

    2005-11-01

    Karstification-based land subsidence was found in the Upper Tigris Basin with dimensions not seen anywhere else in Turkey. The area of land subsidence, where there are secondary and tertiary subsidence developments, reaches 140 km 2. Subsidence depth ranges between 40 and 70 m. The subsidence was formed as a result of subsurface gypsum dissolution in Lower Miocene formation. Although there are limestones together with gypsum and Eocene limestone below them in the area, a subsidence with such a large area is indicative of karstification in the gypsum. The stratigraphical cross-sections taken from the wells and the water analyses also verify this fact. The Lower Miocene gypsum, which shows confined aquifer features, was completely dissolved by the aggressive waters injected from the top and discharged through by Zellek Fault. This resulted in the development of subsidence and formation of caprock dolines on loosely textured Upper Miocene-Pliocene cover formations. The Tigris River runs through the subsidence area between Batman and Bismil. There are four terrace levels as T1 (40 m), T2 (30 m), T3 (10 m) and T4 (4-5 m) in the Tigris River valley. It was also found that there were some movements of the levels of the terraces in the valley by subsidence. The subsidence developed gradually throughout the Quaternary; however no terrace was formed purely because of subsidence.

  2. Subsidence from an artificial permafrost warming experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelvin, A.; Wagner, A. M.; Lindsey, N.; Dou, S.; Martin, E. R.; Ekblaw, I.; Ulrich, C.; James, S. R.; Freifeld, B. M.; Daley, T. M.; Saari, S.; Ajo Franklin, J. B.

    2017-12-01

    Using fiber optic sensing technologies (seismic, strain, and temperature) we installed a geophysical detection system to predict thaw subsidence in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. Approximately 5 km of fiber optic was buried in shallow trenches (20 cm depth), in an area with discontinuous permafrost, where the top of the permafrost is approximately 4 - 4.5m below the surface. The thaw subsidence was enforced by 122 60-Watt vertical heaters installed over a 140 m2 area where seismic, strain, and temperature were continuously monitored throughout the length of the fiber. Several vertical thermistor strings were also recording ground temperatures to a depth of 10 m in parallel to the fiber optic to verify the measurements collected from the fiber optic cable. GPS, Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM) Traditional and LiDAR (Light and Detection and Ranging) scanning were used to investigate the surface subsidence. The heaters were operating for approximately a three month period starting in August, 2016. During the heating process the soil temperatures at the heater element increased from 3.5 to 45 °C at a depth of 3 - 4 m. It took approximately 7 months for the temperature at the heater elements to recover to their initial temperature. The depth to the permafrost table was deepened by about 1 m during the heating process. By the end of the active heating, the surface had subsided approximately 8 cm in the heating section where permafrost was closest to the surface. This was conclusively confirmed with GPS, EDM, and LiDAR. An additional LiDAR survey was performed about seven months after the heaters were turned off (in May 2017). A total subsidence of approximately 20 cm was measured by the end of the passive heating process. This project successfully demonstrates that this is a viable approach for simulating both deep permafrost thaw and the resulting surface subsidence.

  3. Effect of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides on ozone formation in smog chambers exposed to solar irradiance of Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sandoval F, J; Marroquin de la R, O; Jaimes L, J. L; Zuniga L, V. A; Gonzalez O, E; Guzman Lopez-Figueroa, F [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    2001-01-01

    Outdoor smog chambers experiments were performed on air to determine the answer of maximum ozone levels, to changes in the initial hydrocarbons, HC, and nitrogen oxide NO{sub x}. These captive-air experiments under natural irradiation were carried out. Typically, eight chambers were filled with Mexico city air in the morning. In some of those chambers, the initial HC and/or Nox concentrations were varied by {+-}25% to {+-}50% by adding various combinations of a mixture of HC, clean air, or NO{sub x} (perturbed chambers). The O{sub 3} and NO{sub x} concentration in each chamber was monitored throughout the day to determine O{sub 3} (max). The initial HC and NO{sub x} concentration effects were determined by comparing the maximum ozone concentrations measured in the perturbed and unperturbed chambers. Ozone isopleths were constructed from the empirical model obtained of measurements of the eight chambers and plotted in a graph whose axe were the initial HC and NO{sub x} values. For the average initial conditions that were measured in Mexico City, it was found that the most efficient strategy to reduce the maximum concentration of O{sub 3} is the one that reduces NO{sub x}. [Spanish] Se realizaron experimentos de camaras de esmog con el aire de la ciudad de Mexico para determinar las respuestas de los niveles maximos de ozono a los cambios en las concentraciones iniciales de hidrocarburos, HC y oxido de nitrogeno, NO{sub x}. Por lo general, se llenaron 8 bolsas con aire matutino de la Ciudad de Mexico. En algunas camaras, las concentraciones iniciales fueron cambiadas de 25% a 50%, anadiendo varias concentraciones de una mezcla de HC, aire limpio y/o NO{sub x}. La concentracion de O{sub 3} y NO{sub x}, en cada camara, fueron monitoreadas a lo largo del dia para determinar el maximo de O{sub 3}. El efecto de los HC y el NO{sub x} fue determinado por comparacion del maximo de ozono formado en las camaras, que fueron perturbadas por adicion o reduccion de HC y/o Nox

  4. Evidence of increasing sedentarism in Mexico City during the last decade: Sitting time prevalence, trends, and associations with obesity and diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medina, Catalina; Tolentino-Mayo, Lizbeth; López-Ridaura, Ruy; Barquera, Simón

    2017-01-01

    Sedentary behaviors such as sitting time are associated with obesity and diabetes independently of total reported physical activity. This study aimed to describe the current sitting time/day prevalence and trends and to examine the association of sitting time with sociodemographic and clinical variables in Mexico City. Two cross-sectional representative surveys in Mexico City were used for this analysis (2006: n = 1148 and 2015: n = 1329). Sedentary behavior questions from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire included time spent sitting on a weekday in the last week or on a Wednesday. Sitting time /day was divided into deciles, and participants in the highest decile (≥ 420 minutes/day) were classified within the high sitting category; others were classified in the low sitting time category. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the associations of sitting time with sociodemographic and clinical indicators, controlling for confounders and testing for potential interactions. A total of 13.7% (2006) and 14.8% (2015) adults were classified in the highest sitting time category (≥ 420 minutes/day). There was a significant increase in the average sitting time/day between the surveys (216.0 minutes in 2006 vs. 233.3 minutes in 2015, p obesity (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.11, 5.09) and those with high glucose levels (survey finding) (OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.04, 5.25) were more likely to report sitting time in the highest category. Sitting time/day prevalence increased 8%, and average daily sitting minutes significantly increased by 8.2% (18 minutes) in the nine-year study period (2006-2015). Current public health policies should consider strategies not only for increasing physical activity levels, but also for reducing sitting time/day among the population as a measure to fight the growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes in Mexico.

  5. Land subsidence in Yunlin, Taiwan, due to Agricultural and Domestic Water Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, K.; Lin, P.; Lin, Z.

    2013-12-01

    Subsidence in a layered aquifer is caused by groundwater excess extraction and results in complicated problems in Taiwan. Commonly, responsibility to subsidence for agricultural and domestic water users is difficulty to identify due to the lack of quantitative evidences. An integrated model was proposed to analyze subsidence problem. The flow field utilizes analytical solution for pumping in a layered system from Neuman and Witherspoon (1969) to calculate the head drawdown variation. The subsidence estimation applies Terzaghi (1943) one-dimensional consolidation theory to calculate the deformation in each layer. The proposed model was applied to estimate land subsidence and drawdown variation at the Yuanchang Township of Yunlin County in Taiwan. Groundwater data for dry-season periods were used for calibration and validation. Seasonal effect in groundwater variation was first filtered out. Dry-season pumping effect on land subsidence was analyzed. The results show that multi-layer pumping contributes more in subsidence than single-layer pumping on the response of drawdown and land subsidence in aquifer 2 with a contribution of 97% total change at Yuanchang station. Pumping in aquifer 2 contributes more significant than pumping in aquifer 3 to cause change in drawdown and land subsidence in aquifer 2 with a contribution of 70% total change at Yuanchang station. Larger area of subsidence in Yuanchang Township was attributed pumping at aquifer 2 while pumping at aquifer 3 results in significant subsidence near the well field. The single-layer user contributes most area of subsidence but the multi-layer user generates more serious subsidence.

  6. Subsidence prediction in Estonia's oil shale mines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pastarus, J.R.; Toomik, A.

    2000-01-01

    This paper analysis the stability of the mining blocks in Estonian oil shale mines, where the room-and-pillar mining system is used. The pillars are arranged in a singular grid. The oil shale bed is embedded at the depth of 40-75 m. The processes in overburden rocks and pillars have caused the subsidence of the ground surface. The conditional thickness and sliding rectangle methods performed calculations. The results are presented by conditional thickness contours. Error does not exceed 4%. Model allows determining the parameters of spontaneous collapse of the pillars and surface subsidence. The surface subsidence parameters will be determined by conventional calculation scheme. Proposed method suits for stability analysis, failure prognosis and monitoring. 8 refs

  7. A study on the mechanism and prediction of mine subsidence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Byung-Chan; Moon, Hyun-Koo [Hanyang University, Seoul(Korea)

    2001-06-30

    The ground subsidence problem due to the increasing number of abandoned coal mines becomes serious. Recently, the sinkhole type subsidence occurred in many abandoned mines has raised an urgent stability question on the nearby railroads, bridges and buildings. But the study on the mechanism of discontinuous subsidence has not attracted much attention in the past. This study is mainly concerned with the mechanism and prediction of mine subsidence. Analyzed and presented in this study are the maximum possible height of roof caving for various shapes of caved zone using bulking factor approach, the critical depth of protective coal seam using the limit equilibrium method, and the factor of safety of stops using the limit equilibrium method with the friction angle and cohesion of rock. As prediction tools the influence function method and the probabilistic method are presented. An empirical equation is obtained from the subsidence data in Chulam and Chungsung areas and applied to Manhang coal mine. The probability of subsidence in Manhang area turned out to be high according to the subsidence frequency of 9.66. (author). 12 refs., 7 tabs., 21 figs.

  8. Dietary intake, lung function and airway inflammation in Mexico City school children exposed to air pollutants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Díaz-Sánchez David

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Air pollutant exposure has been associated with an increase in inflammatory markers and a decline in lung function in asthmatic children. Several studies suggest that dietary intake of fruits and vegetables might modify the adverse effect of air pollutants. Methods A total of 158 asthmatic children recruited at the Children's Hospital of Mexico and 50 non-asthmatic children were followed for 22 weeks. Pulmonary function was measured and nasal lavage collected and analyzed every 2 weeks. Dietary intake was evaluated using a 108-item food frequency questionnaire and a fruit and vegetable index (FVI and a Mediterranean diet index (MDI were constructed. The impact of these indices on lung function and interleukin-8 (IL-8 and their interaction with air pollutants were determined using mixed regression models with random intercept and random slope. Results FVI was inversely related to IL-8 levels in nasal lavage (p 1 (test for trend p 1 and FVC as was with MDI and ozone for FVC. No effect of diet was observed among healthy children. Conclusion Our results suggest that fruit and vegetable intake and close adherence to the Mediterranean diet have a beneficial effect on inflammatory response and lung function in asthmatic children living in Mexico City.

  9. 24 CFR 982.521 - Rent to owner in subsidized project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECTION 8 TENANT BASED ASSISTANCE: HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM Rent and Housing Assistance Payment § 982.521 Rent to owner in subsidized project. (a) Applicability to subsidized project. This section applies to a program tenancy in any of the following types of federally subsidized project...

  10. Protection of pipelines affected by surface subsidence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo, Y.; Peng, S.S.; Chen, H.J.

    1998-01-01

    Surface subsidence resulting from underground coal mining can cause problems for buried pipelines. A technique for assessing the level of stress on a subsidence-affected pipeline is introduced. The main contributors to the stress are identified, and mitigation techniques for reducing the stress are proposed. The proposed mitigation techniques were then successfully tested. 13 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs

  11. Problem definition study of subsidence caused by geopressured geothermal resource development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1980-12-01

    The environmental and socio-economic settings of four environmentally representative Gulf Coast geopressured geothermal fairways were inventoried. Subsidence predictions were prepared using feasible development scenarios for the four representative subsidence sites. Based on the results of the subsidence estimates, an assessment of the associated potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts was prepared. An inventory of mitigation measures was also compiled. Results of the subsidence estimates and impact assessments are presented, as well as conclusions as to what are the major uncertainties, problems, and issues concerning the future study of geopressured geothermal subsidence.

  12. PSInSAR Analysis in the Pisa Urban Area (Italy: A Case Study of Subsidence Related to Stratigraphical Factors and Urbanization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorenzo Solari

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Permanent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI has been used to detect and characterize the subsidence of the Pisa urban area, which extends for 33 km2 within the Arno coastal plain (Tuscany, Italy. Two SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar datasets, covering the time period from 1992 to 2010, were used to quantify the ground subsidence and its temporal evolution. A geotechnical borehole database was also used to make a correspondence with the detected displacements. Finally, the results of the SAR data analysis were contrasted with the urban development of the eastern part of the city in the time period from 1978 to 2013. ERS 1/2 (European Remote-Sensing Satellite and Envisat SAR data, processed with the PSInSAR (Permanent Scatterer InSAR algorithm, show that the investigated area is divided in two main sectors: the southwestern part, with null or very small subsidence rates (<2 mm/year, and the eastern portion which shows a general lowering with maximum deformation rates of 5 mm/year. This second area includes deformation rates higher than 15 mm/year, corresponding to small groups of buildings. The case studies in the eastern sector of the urban area have demonstrated the direct correlation between the age of construction of buildings and the registered subsidence rates, showing the importance of urbanization as an accelerating factor for the ground consolidation process.

  13. The role of feral mammals on wildlife infectious disease prevalence in two nature reserves within Mexico City limits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzán, Gerardo; Ceballos, Gerardo

    2005-09-01

    Wild and feral medium-sized mammals were live trapped at two natural protected areas within the Mexico City limits to determine antibody prevalence for the most common infectious diseases (rabies, toxoplasmosis, and canine parvovirus) in dogs and cats. Mammals were trapped during the dry (March-April) and rainy seasons (July-August) of 1996 and 1997. A total of 68 individuals were captured, representing 8 species: opossums (Didelphis virginiana), ringtails (Bassariscus astutus), spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis), weasels (Mustela frenata), rock squirrels (Spermophilus variegatus), Mexican gray squirrels (Sciurus aureogaster), feral cats (Felis catus), and feral dogs (Canis familiaris). There was marked seroprevalence for parvovirus (86.6%) and lower seroprevalences for both toxoplasma (23.9%) and rabies (17.9%). There were no significant prevalence differences among mammals in both protected areas, which were of contrasting size and isolation (i.e., small and isolated versus large and nonisolated). We suggest that high seroprevalence of these three infectious agents in wild mammals is a result of the high densities of feral dogs and cats in the two areas sampled. Feral dogs are able to maintain the infectious agents in these localities regardless of the protected area size and isolation. However, the native mammals of the small and isolated reserve are more vulnerable to infectious diseases because of small population size and genetic bottlenecks. Our results indicate that natural areas in and around Mexico City are a refugium for latent infectious agents, several of which are zoonotic. These findings suggest that conservation measures, such as eradication of feral mammals and vaccination programs, in the protected areas and surrounding areas could be beneficial.

  14. Relationship of blood and bone lead to menopause and bone mineral density among middle-age women in Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garrido Latorre, Francisco; Hernández-Avila, Mauricio; Tamayo Orozco, Juan; Albores Medina, Carlos A; Aro, Antonio; Palazuelos, Eduardo; Hu, Howard

    2003-04-01

    To describe the relationship of blood lead levels to menopause and bone lead levels, we conducted a cross-sectional study on 232 pre- or perimenopausal (PreM) and postmenopausal (PosM) women who participated in an osteoporosis-screening program in Mexico City during the first quarter of 1995. Information regarding reproductive characteristics and known risk factors for blood lead was obtained using a standard questionnaire by direct interview. The mean age of the population was 54.7 years (SD = 9.8), with a mean blood lead level of 9.2 microg/dL (SD = 4.7/dL) and a range from 2.1 to 32.1 microg/dL. After adjusting for age and bone lead levels, the mean blood lead level was 1.98 microg/dL higher in PosM women than in PreM women (p = 0.024). The increase in mean blood lead levels peaked during the second year of amenorrhea with a level (10.35 microg/dL) that was 3.51 microg/dL higher than that of PreM women. Other important predictors of blood lead levels were use of lead-glazed ceramics, schooling, trabecular bone lead, body mass index, time of living in Mexico City, and use of hormone replacement therapy. Bone density was not associated with blood lead levels. These results support the hypothesis that release of bone lead stores increases during menopause and constitutes an internal source of exposure possibly associated with health effects in women in menopause transition.

  15. Transportation energy use in Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sheinbaum, C.; Meyers, S.; Sathaye, J.

    1994-07-01

    This report presents data on passenger travel and freight transport and analysis of the consequent energy use in Mexico during the 1970--1971 period. We describe changes in modal shares for passenger travel and freight transport, and analyze trends in the energy intensity of different modes. We look in more detail at transportation patterns, energy use, and the related environmental problems in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area, and also discuss policies that have been implemented there to reduce emissions from vehicles.

  16. La subsidence dans le Viking Graben (mer du Nord septentrionale Subsidence in the Viking Graben (Northern Part of the North Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vially R.

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available L'utilisation des modèles numériques de calcul de la subsidence nécessite une bonne connaissance géologique de la zone étudiée. Seule une étude détaillée de stratigraphie sismique le long de profils régionaux passant par des forages permet de contraindre les différents paramètres servant au calcul de la subsidence. L'étude de la subsidence du Viking Graben a mis en évidence trois épisodes : - phase de distension permo-triasique (saalienne ? dont l'axe de subsidence est décalé vers l'est par rapport à l'axe actuel du Viking Graben; - phase de distension jurassique supérieur (cimmérienne qui crée les structures majeures de cette zone; - phase paléocène correspondant au contrecoup de l'ouverture plus à l'ouest de l'Atlantique Nord. Cette phase est surtout sensible à l'ouest de la zone étudiée. Les cartes de subsidence pour les différentes époques font apparaître l'influence du bati calédonien. Deux directions principales apparaissent, une NE-SW correspondant aux directions structurales visibles à terre en Ecosse et une NW-SE discrète qui sépare le Southern Viking Graben du Northern Viking Graben. Cette dernière direction pourrait se calquer sur la suture (au Silurien d'un diverticule de l'océan lapétus, la Tornquist Sea. The use of numerical models for computing subsidence requires a good geological understanding of the zone being examined. Detailed seismic stratigraphy along regional profiles going via boreholes is the only way to determine the different parameters required for computing subsidence. An investigation of the subsidence of the Viking Graben in the North Sea has revealed three episodes:(a The Permo-Triassic (Saalian ? distension phase during which the axis of subsidence lay to the east of the present axis of the Viking Graben. (b The later Jurassic (Kimmerian distension phase which created the major structures in this zone. (c The Paleocene phase corresponding to the backlash of the westward

  17. Elemental contents determination in two different zones of Mexico City on the 1987-88 and 1994-95 winters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaz G, R.V.

    1996-01-01

    During the 1987-1988 and 1994-1995 winters, there were taken samples of aerosols in Mexico City, in two different places, using an integral type of sampler which determines the total amount of suspended particulates; these samples were analyzed by the multi-element analysis technique called PIXE (Proton Induced X-ray Emission). One of the sites corresponds to the Alvaro Obregon area and the other to the Azcapotzalco area (a place near to the18 de Marzo Refinery). There were determined 16 elements, heavy metals, whose concentrations show differences for both sites and periods, standing out for this study the behavior of S, V and Pb. (Author)

  18. Climbing in the high volcanoes of central Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Secor, R. J.

    1984-01-01

    A chain of volcanoes extends across central Mexico along the 19th parallel, a line just south of Mexico City. The westernmost of these peaks is Nevado de Colima at 4,636 feet above sea level. A subsidiary summit of Nevado de Colima is Volcan de Colima, locally called Fuego (fire) it still emits sulphurous fumes and an occasional plume of smoke since its disastrous eruption in 1941. Parictuin, now dormant, was born in the fall of 1943 when a cornfield suddenly erupted. Within 18 months, the cone grew more than 1,700 feet. Nevado de Toluca is a 15,433-foot volcanic peak south of the city of Toluca. Just southeast of Mexico City are two high volcanoes that are permanently covered by snow: Iztaccihuatl (17,342 fet) and Popocatepetl (17,887 feet) Further east is the third highest mountain in North America: 18,700-foot Citlateptl, or El Pico de Orizaba. North of these high peaks are two volcanoes, 14, 436-foot La Malinche and Cofre de Perote at 14,048 feet. This range of mountains is known variously as the Cordillera de Anahuac, the Sierra Volcanica Transversal, or the Cordillera Neovolcanica. 

  19. Sea-level rise risks to coastal cities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicholls, Robert J.

    2017-04-01

    Understanding the consequence of sea-level rise for coastal cities has long lead times and huge political implications. Civilisation has emerged and developed during a period of several thousand years during which in geological terms sea level has been unusually stable. We have now moved out of this period and the challenge will be to develop a long-term proactive assessment approach to manage this challenge. In 2005 there were 136 coastal cities with a population exceeding one million people and a collective population of 400 million people. All these coastal cities are threatened by flooding from the sea to varying degrees and these risks are increasing due to growing exposure (people and assets), rising sea levels due to climate change, and in some cities, significant coastal subsidence due to human agency (drainage and groundwater withdrawals from susceptible soils). In these cities we wish to avoid major flood events, with associated damage and potentially deaths and ultimately decline of the cities. Flood risks grow with sea-level rise as it raises extreme sea levels. As sea levels continue to rise, protection will have to be progressively upgraded. Even with this, the magnitude of losses when flood events do occur would increase as coastal cities expand, and water depths and hence unit damage increase with sea-level rise/subsidence. This makes it critical to also prepare for larger coastal flood disasters than we experience today and raises questions on the limits to adaptation. There is not an extensive literature or significant empirical information on the limits to adaptation in coastal cities. These limits are not predictable in a formal sense - while the rise in mean sea level raises the likelihood of a catastrophic flood, extreme events are what cause damage and trigger a response, be it abandonment, a defence upgrade or something else. There are several types of potential limits that could be categorised into three broad types: • Physical

  20. November 2016 West Hackberry Subsidence Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moriarty, Dylan Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Lord, Anna C. Snider [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-02-01

    Subsidence monitoring is a critical component to understanding the cavern integrity of salt storage caverns. This report looks at historical and recent data from two of the three West Hackberry dome cavern operators. DOE SPR and LA Storage are coordinating subsidence surveys to create a comprehensive understanding of ground movement above the dome. Data from annual level and rod surveys, GPS, and tiltmeter data show the sites are experiencing typical ground movement. The highest subsidence rate is seen in the middle of the DOE SPR site at just under one inch per year with less ground movement around the edge of the site. A GPS and tiltmeter instrument in the northeast areas of the DOE SPR site has not seen any trend change since the devices were installed in 2013. Comparison between recent ground movement data and historical trends suggest that there is no reason to believe that any DOE SPR or LA Storage caverns have been structurally compromised.

  1. How large-scale subsidence affects stratocumulus transitions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. J. van der Dussen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Some climate modeling results suggest that the Hadley circulation might weaken in a future climate, causing a subsequent reduction in the large-scale subsidence velocity in the subtropics. In this study we analyze the cloud liquid water path (LWP budget from large-eddy simulation (LES results of three idealized stratocumulus transition cases, each with a different subsidence rate. As shown in previous studies a reduced subsidence is found to lead to a deeper stratocumulus-topped boundary layer, an enhanced cloud-top entrainment rate and a delay in the transition of stratocumulus clouds into shallow cumulus clouds during its equatorwards advection by the prevailing trade winds. The effect of a reduction of the subsidence rate can be summarized as follows. The initial deepening of the stratocumulus layer is partly counteracted by an enhanced absorption of solar radiation. After some hours the deepening of the boundary layer is accelerated by an enhancement of the entrainment rate. Because this is accompanied by a change in the cloud-base turbulent fluxes of moisture and heat, the net change in the LWP due to changes in the turbulent flux profiles is negligibly small.

  2. The oxidative potential and biological effects induced by PM{sub 10} obtained in Mexico City and at a receptor site during the MILAGRO Campaign

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quintana, Raul [Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, Mexico City (Mexico); Serrano, Jesus [Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City (Mexico); Gomez, Virginia [Instituto de Quimica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City (Mexico); Foy, Benjamin de [Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO (United States); Miranda, Javier [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City (Mexico); Garcia-Cuellar, Claudia [Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, Mexico City (Mexico); Vega, Elizabeth [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Mexico City (Mexico); Vazquez-Lopez, Ines [Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, Mexico City (Mexico); Molina, Luisa T. [Molina Center for Energy and the Environment, CA (United States); Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); Manzano-Leon, Natalia [Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, Mexico City (Mexico); Rosas, Irma [Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City (Mexico); Osornio-Vargas, Alvaro R., E-mail: osornio@ualberta.ca [Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, Mexico City (Mexico); Department of Paediatrics, University of Alberta, 1048 RTF, 8308 114 St, Edmonton, AB T6G 2V2 (Canada)

    2011-12-15

    As part of a field campaign that studied the impact of Mexico City pollution plume at the local, sub-regional and regional levels, we studied transport-related changes in PM{sub 10} composition, oxidative potential and in vitro toxicological patterns (hemolysis, DNA degradation). We collected PM{sub 10} in Mexico City (T{sub 0}) and at a suburban-receptor site (T{sub 1}), pooled according to two observed ventilation patterns (T{sub 0} {yields} T{sub 1} influence and non-influence). T{sub 0} samples contained more Cu, Zn, and carbon whereas; T{sub 1} samples contained more of Al, Si, P, S, and K (p < 0.05). Only SO{sub 4}{sup -2} increased in T{sub 1} during the influence periods. Oxidative potential correlated with Cu/Zn content (r = 0.74; p < 0.05) but not with biological effects. T{sub 1} PM{sub 10} induced greater hemolysis and T{sub 0} PM{sub 10} induced greater DNA degradation. Influence/non-influence did not affect oxidative potential nor biological effects. Results indicate that ventilation patterns had little effect on intrinsic PM{sub 10} composition and toxicological potential, which suggests a significant involvement of local sources. - Highlights: > Transport-related changes in PM{sub 10} composition, oxidative potential and in vitro toxicity were studied. > Cu, Zn, and carbon levels were predominant in urban PM{sub 10}; receptor site PM{sub 10} was rich in soil elements. > SO{sub 4}{sup -2} was the only component increased in PM{sub 10} from the receptor during the influence periods. > PM{sub 10} oxidative potential correlates with Cu/Zn content but not with studied biological effects. > Ventilation patterns had little effect on PM{sub 10} composition and toxicity. - Mexico City ventilation patterns had little effect on the intrinsic PM{sub 10} composition and toxicological potential, which suggests a significant involvement of local sources as opposed to downwind transport.

  3. Stress from an administrative perspective in public transport drivers in Mexico City: Minibus and metrobus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Lámbarry

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Stress is one of the occupational diseases that affect workers worldwide, affecting their own productivity and performance (as well as that of the organizations where they work, and even their physical and mental health. According to the International Labour Organization, Mexican workers suffer from stress the most all over the world, since theirs is one of the most stressful professions. With this in mind, the aim of this research is to study the work stress in bus rapid transit drivers and minibus in Mexico City. The method used is based on an exploratory statistical factorial analysis. It is concluded that the factors which a higher influence in the onset of stress are organizational, environmental (physical/individual, inherent to the position, extra organizational and individual. Although divergent among drivers, minibus drivers are the workers who suffer the most from stress.

  4. Hydrocarbons derived from petroleum in bottled drinking water from Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vega, Salvador; Gutiérrez, Rey; Ortiz, Rutilio; Schettino, Beatriz; Ramírez, Maria de Lourdes; Pérez, José Jesus

    2011-06-01

    This paper describes the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs) derived from petroleum in bottled drinking water samples that were collected over 1 year from Mexico City in two bottle sizes (1.5 and 19 L), all brought in supermarkets. The analysis was by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. -Concentrations of AHs (9.26-1.74 μg/L) were greater than PAHs (20.15-12.78 ng/L). Individual concentrations of PAHs such as fluoranthene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene and benzo(ghi)perylene were comparable with data reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Total concentrations of PAHs for all samples (BDW1: 12.78 μg/L, BDW2: 16.72 μg/L, BDW3: 14.62 μg/L, BDW4: 20.15 μg/L and BDW5: 13.23 ng/L) were below the maximum permissible European level of 100 ng/L; no regulations exist for AHs although their values were greater than PAHs (BDW1: 3.11 μg/L, BDW2: 8.45 μg/L, BDW3: 1.74 μg/L, BDW4: 4.75 μg/L and BDW5: 9.26 μg/L).

  5. Sixty Years of Mogollon Archaeeology: Papers From the Ninth Mogollon Conference, Silver City, New Mexico, 1996, by Stephanie M Whittlesey, SRI Press, Tucson, 1999

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen E. Nash

    2000-11-01

    Full Text Available "The diverse papers that were presented at the 1996 Mogollon Conference reveal the geographic, intellectual, and temporal scope of contemporary Mogollon archaeology, and almost nothing of the historical controversy surrounding the Mogollon culture concept" (Whittlesey 1999:vii. With these words, Stephanie M. Whittlesey makes it clear in the preface that Sixty Years of Mogollon Archaeology: Papers From the Ninth Mogollon Conference, Silver City, New Mexico, 1996 (SRl Press 2000 contains few papers on the history of Mogollon archaeology. It might therefore be more appropri­ately titled "Current Research in Mogollon Archaeology." The volume was apparently named to honor the sixtieth anniversary of Emil Haury's 1936 publication The Mogollon Culture of Southwestern New Mexico, which described the Mogollon for the first time.

  6. Quantitative analysis of the tectonic subsidence in the Potiguar Basin (NE Brazil)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopes, Juliana A. G.; de Castro, David L.; Bertotti, Giovanni

    2018-06-01

    The Potiguar Basin, located in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, evolved from a complex rifting process implemented during the Atlantic Ocean opening in the Jurassic/Cretaceous. Different driving mechanisms were responsible for the onset of an aborted onshore rift and an offshore rift that initiated crustal rupture and the formation of a continental transform margin. Therefore, we applied the backstripping method to quantify the tectonic subsidence during the rift and post-rift phases of Potiguar Basin formation and to analyze the spatial variation of subsidence during the two successive and distinct tectonic events responsible for the basin evolution. The parameters required to apply this methodology were extracted from 2D seismic lines and exploratory well data. The tectonic subsidence curves present periods with moderate subsidence rates (up to 300 m/My), which correspond to the evolution of the onshore Potiguar Rift (∼141 to 128 Ma). From 128-118 Ma, the tectonic subsidence curves show no subsidence in the onshore Potiguar Basin, whereas subsidence occurred at high rates (over 300 m/My) in the offshore rift. The post-rift phase began ca. 118 Ma (Aptian), when the tectonic subsidence drastically slowed to less than 35 m/My, probably related to thermal relaxation. The tectonic subsidence rates in the various sectors of the Potiguar Rift, during the different rift phases, indicate that more intense faulting occurred in the southern portion of the onshore rift, along the main border faults, and in the southeastern portion of the offshore rift. During the post-rift phase, the tectonic subsidence rates increased from the onshore portion towards the offshore portion until the continental slope. The highest rates of post-rift subsidence (up to 35 m/My) are concentrated in the central region of the offshore portion and may be related to lithospheric processes related to the continental crust rupture and oceanic seafloor spreading. The variation in subsidence rates and

  7. Acceptance of a vaccine against novel influenza A (H1N1) virus among health care workers in two major cities in Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esteves-Jaramillo, Alejandra; Omer, Saad B; Gonzalez-Diaz, Esteban; Salmon, Daniel A; Hixson, Brooke; Navarro, Francisco; Kawa-Karasik, Simon; Frew, Paula; Morfin-Otero, Rayo; Rodriguez-Noriega, Eduardo; Ramirez, Ylean; Rosas, Araceli; Acosta, Edgar; Varela-Badillo, Vianey; Del Rio, Carlos

    2009-11-01

    Further cases of novel influenza A (H1N1) outbreak are expected in the coming months. Vaccination has been proven to be essential to control a pandemic of influenza; therefore, considerable efforts and resources have been devoted to develop a vaccine against the influenza A (H1N1) virus. With the current availability of the vaccine, it will be important to immunize as many people as possible. However, previous data with seasonal influenza vaccines have shown that there are multiple barriers related to perceptions and attitudes of the population that influence vaccine use. The aim of the study was to evaluate the acceptance of a newly developed vaccine against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza A among healthcare workers (HCW) in Mexico. We conducted a cross-sectional study among HCW in three hospitals in the two largest cities in Mexico-Mexico City and Guadalajara-between June and September 2009. A total of 1097 HCW participated in the survey. Overall, 80% (n = 880) intended to accept the H1N1 pandemic vaccine and 71.6% (n = 786) reported they would recommend the vaccine to their patients. Doctors were more likely to accept and recommend the vaccine than nurses. HCWs who intend to be immunized will be more likely to do so if they know that the vaccine is safe and effective. Knowledge of the willingness to accept the vaccine can be used to plan strategies that will effectively respond to the needs of the population studied, reducing the health and economic impact of novel influenza A (H1N1) virus.

  8. Housing building with steel framing system in subsidence zones: Pertinence and Sustainability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Alfredo Hernádez Castillo

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The phenomenon of subsidence caused by the extraction of groundwater is a problem that occurs in different places around the world. Particularly in the Mexican Republic is a situation that affects several cities in at least eight states located in the central region. Given the particular nature of the subsoil that occurs in these regions affected, subsidence can generate cracks and fractures that are evident on the surface of the soil causing differential settlement affecting all types of construction causing considerable damage to the structural elements of the dwellings. The materials traditionally used for housing construction such as masonry and concrete among others, have stiffness characteristics that make them especially vulnerable to these effects. In contrast, steel is an excellent choice for use due to their structural characteristics, such as its high tensile strength, ductility, compressive good performance, high efficiency in weight — strength ratio, among other qualities. The cold formed thin-walled steel elements, are another type of very light profiles, although its use has been known for several decades, is in recent times that have extended their application, mainly in housing construction, and to a lesser scale commercial and industrial construction. The main advantage of this material is that it retains the mechanical properties of steel, but with a significant reduction in the weight of the items. The most common use of this type of profile is in the manufacture of structural frames as standard modules, the most common form it is assembly profile channel with rigid edge section and section profiles of single channel, with different dimensions and sizes. In full-scale testing and numerical simulation models, the system exhibits an excellent performance under differential displacements as those caused by subsidence, accepting considerable deformations without reaching the failure of structural elements. In the goodness of

  9. Robust processing of mining subsidence monitoring data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mingzhong, Wang; Guogang, Huang [Pingdingshan Mining Bureau (China); Yunjia, Wang; Guogangli, [China Univ. of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou (China)

    1997-12-31

    Since China began to do research on mining subsidence in 1950s, more than one thousand lines have been observed. Yet, monitoring data sometimes contain quite a lot of outliers because of the limit of observation and geological mining conditions. In China, nowdays, the method of processing mining subsidence monitoring data is based on the principle of the least square method. It is possible to produce lower accuracy, less reliability, or even errors. For reason given above, the authors, according to Chinese actual situation, have done some research work on the robust processing of mining subsidence monitoring data in respect of how to get prediction parameters. The authors have derived related formulas, designed some computational programmes, done a great quantity of actual calculation and simulation, and achieved good results. (orig.)

  10. Robust processing of mining subsidence monitoring data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Mingzhong; Huang Guogang [Pingdingshan Mining Bureau (China); Wang Yunjia; Guogangli [China Univ. of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou (China)

    1996-12-31

    Since China began to do research on mining subsidence in 1950s, more than one thousand lines have been observed. Yet, monitoring data sometimes contain quite a lot of outliers because of the limit of observation and geological mining conditions. In China, nowdays, the method of processing mining subsidence monitoring data is based on the principle of the least square method. It is possible to produce lower accuracy, less reliability, or even errors. For reason given above, the authors, according to Chinese actual situation, have done some research work on the robust processing of mining subsidence monitoring data in respect of how to get prediction parameters. The authors have derived related formulas, designed some computational programmes, done a great quantity of actual calculation and simulation, and achieved good results. (orig.)

  11. Mexico and Trilateral Air Defense, Is NORAD the Answer?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-02-20

    invading force in at Chapultepec Castle, or El Castillo . Defying a superior force, the heroic six embraced death by leaping from a cliff while wrapped in a...Museums in Mexico City sensationalize perceptions of US aggression. At the entrance to Mexico City’s Chapultepec Park is a daunting monument called Niños

  12. Simulations of organic aerosol concentrations in Mexico City using the WRF-CHEM model during the MCMA-2006/MILAGRO campaign

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Li

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Organic aerosol concentrations are simulated using the WRF-CHEM model in Mexico City during the period from 24 to 29 March in association with the MILAGRO-2006 campaign. Two approaches are employed to predict the variation and spatial distribution of the organic aerosol concentrations: (1 a traditional 2-product secondary organic aerosol (SOA model with non-volatile primary organic aerosols (POA; (2 a non-traditional SOA model including the volatility basis-set modeling method in which primary organic components are assumed to be semi-volatile and photochemically reactive and are distributed in logarithmically spaced volatility bins. The MCMA (Mexico City Metropolitan Area 2006 official emission inventory is used in simulations and the POA emissions are modified and distributed by volatility based on dilution experiments for the non-traditional SOA model. The model results are compared to the Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (AMS observations analyzed using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF technique at an urban background site (T0 and a suburban background site (T1 in Mexico City. The traditional SOA model frequently underestimates the observed POA concentrations during rush hours and overestimates the observations in the rest of the time in the city. The model also substantially underestimates the observed SOA concentrations, particularly during daytime, and only produces 21% and 25% of the observed SOA mass in the suburban and urban area, respectively. The non-traditional SOA model performs well in simulating the POA variation, but still overestimates during daytime in the urban area. The SOA simulations are significantly improved in the non-traditional SOA model compared to the traditional SOA model and the SOA production is increased by more than 100% in the city. However, the underestimation during daytime is still salient in the urban area and the non-traditional model also fails to reproduce the high level of SOA concentrations in the

  13. Irrigation water quality in southern Mexico City based on bacterial and heavy metal analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solis, C.; Sandoval, J.; Perez-Vega, H.; Mazari-Hiriart, M.

    2006-01-01

    Xochimilco is located in southern Mexico City and represents the reminiscence of the pre-Columbian farming system, the 'chinampa' agriculture. 'Chinampas' are island plots surrounded by a canal network. At present the area is densely urbanized and populated, with various contaminant sources contributing to the water quality degradation. The canal system is recharged by a combination of treated-untreated wastewater, and precipitation during the rainy season. Over 40 agricultural species, including vegetables, cereals and flowers, are produced in the 'chinampas'. In order to characterize the quality of Xochimilcos' water used for irrigation, spatial and temporal contaminant indicators such as microorganisms and heavy metals were investigated. Bacterial indicators (fecal coliforms, fecal enterococcus) were analyzed by standard analytical procedures, and heavy metals (such as Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb) were analyzed by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The more contaminated sites coincide with the heavily populated areas. Seasonal variation of contaminants was observed, with the higher bacterial counts and heavy metal concentrations reported during the rainy season

  14. Irrigation water quality in southern Mexico City based on bacterial and heavy metal analyses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solís, C.; Sandoval, J.; Pérez-Vega, H.; Mazari-Hiriart, M.

    2006-08-01

    Xochimilco is located in southern Mexico City and represents the reminiscence of the pre-Columbian farming system, the "chinampa" agriculture. "Chinampas" are island plots surrounded by a canal network. At present the area is densely urbanized and populated, with various contaminant sources contributing to the water quality degradation. The canal system is recharged by a combination of treated-untreated wastewater, and precipitation during the rainy season. Over 40 agricultural species, including vegetables, cereals and flowers, are produced in the "chinampas". In order to characterize the quality of Xochimilcos' water used for irrigation, spatial and temporal contaminant indicators such as microorganisms and heavy metals were investigated. Bacterial indicators (fecal coliforms, fecal enterococcus) were analyzed by standard analytical procedures, and heavy metals (such as Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb) were analyzed by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The more contaminated sites coincide with the heavily populated areas. Seasonal variation of contaminants was observed, with the higher bacterial counts and heavy metal concentrations reported during the rainy season.

  15. Early Outbreak of 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico Prior to Identification of pH1N1 Virus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsieh, Ying-Hen; Ma, Stefan; Velasco Hernandez, Jorge X.; Lee, Vernon J.; Lim, Wei Yen

    2011-01-01

    Background In the aftermath of the global spread of 2009 influenza A (pH1N1) virus, still very little is known of the early stages of the outbreak in Mexico during the early months of the year, before the virus was identified. Methodology/Main Findings We fit a simple mathematical model, the Richards model, to the number of excess laboratory-confirmed influenza cases in Mexico and Mexico City during the first 15 weeks in 2009 over the average influenza case number of the previous five baseline years of 2004-2008 during the same period to ascertain the turning point (or the peak incidence) of a wave of early influenza infections, and to estimate the transmissibility of the virus during these early months in terms of its basic reproduction number. The results indicate that there may have been an early epidemic in Mexico City as well as in all of Mexico during February/March. Based on excess influenza cases, the estimated basic reproduction number R0 for the early outbreak was 1.59 (0.55 to 2.62) for Mexico City during weeks 5–9, and 1.25 (0.76, 1.74) for all of Mexico during weeks 5–14. Conclusions We established the existence of an early epidemic in Mexico City and in all of Mexico during February/March utilizing the routine influenza surveillance data, although the location of seeding is unknown. Moreover, estimates of R0 as well as the time of peak incidence (the turning point) for Mexico City and all of Mexico indicate that the early epidemic in Mexico City in February/March had been more transmissible (larger R0) and peaked earlier than the rest of the country. Our conclusion lends support to the possibility that the virus could have already spread to other continents prior to the identification of the virus and the reporting of lab-confirmed pH1N1 cases in North America in April. PMID:21909366

  16. Update on subsidence at the Wairakei-Tauhara geothermal system, New Zealand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allis, Rick; Bromley, Chris; Currie, Steve

    2009-01-01

    The total subsidence at the Wairakei field as a result of 50 years of geothermal fluid extraction is 15 ± 0.5 m. Subsidence rates in the center of the subsidence bowl have decreased from over 450 mm/year during the 1970s to 80-90 mm/year during 2000-2007. The location of the bowl, adjacent to the original liquid outflow zone of the field, has not changed significantly. Subsidence at the Tauhara field due to Wairakei production was not as well documented in the early years but appeared later and has been less intense than at Wairakei. Total subsidence of 2.6 ± 0.5 m has also occurred close to the original liquid outflow zone of this field, and maximum subsidence rates in this area today are in the 80-100 mm/year range. In the western part of the Wairakei field, near the area of hot upflow, subsidence rates have approximately doubled during the last 20 years to 30-50 mm/year. This increase appears to be have been caused by declining pressure in the underlying steam zone in this area, which is tapped by some production wells. At Tauhara field, two areas of subsidence have developed since the 1990s with rates of 50-65 mm/year. Although less well-determined, this subsidence may also be caused by declining pressure in shallow steam zones. The cause of the main subsidence bowls in the Wairakei-Tauhara geothermal system is locally high-compressibility rocks within the Huka Falls Formation (HFF), which are predominantly lake sediments and an intervening layer of pumice breccia. At Wairakei, casing deformation suggests the greatest compaction is at 150-200 m depth. The cause of the large compressibility is inferred to be higher clay content in the HFF due to intense hydrothermal alteration close to the natural fluid discharge areas. Future subsidence is predicted to add an additional 2-4 m to the Wairakei bowl, and 1-2 m elsewhere, but these estimates depend on the assumed production-injection scenarios. (author)

  17. Public policy performance for social development: solar energy approach to assess technological outcome in Mexico City Metropolitan Area.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arenas-Aquino, Angel Raúl; Matsumoto-Kuwabara, Y; Kleiche-Dray, M

    2017-11-01

    Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) is the most populated urban area in the country. In 2010, MCMA required 14.8% of total energy domestic demand, but greenhouse gas emissions accounted for 7.7% of domestic emissions. Mexico has massive renewable energy potential that could be harnessed through solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. The problem to explore is the relationship between local and federal public strategies in MCMA and their stance on energy transition concern, social empowerment, new technology appropriation, and the will to boost social development and urban sustainability. A public policy typology was conducted through instruments of State intervention approach, based on political agenda articulation and environmental local interactions. Social equality is encouraged by means of forthright funding and in-kind support and energy policies focus on non-renewable energy subsidies and electric transmission infrastructure investment. There is a lack of vision for using PV technology as a guiding axis for marginalized population development. It is essential to promote economic and political rearrangement in order to level and structure environmental governance. It is essential to understand people's representation about their own needs along with renewable energy.

  18. Land subsidence caused by groundwater exploitation in Suzhou City, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chongxi; Pei, Shunping; Jiao, Jiu Jimmy

    2002-09-01

    Suzhou City, located at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in southeastern Jiangsu Province, is one of the few cities in China which suffer from severe ground settlement. A research project was carried out to investigate this problem. Geological and hydrogeological studies show that there is a multi-layered aquifer system with three distinct, soft mud layers of marine and lagoonal origins. An examination of historical records of groundwater extraction, water levels, and ground settlement shows that the ground subsidence is associated with the continuously increasing groundwater extraction in the deep, confined aquifer. It is believed that the consolidation of the soft mud layers, especially the third layer which is thick and close to the main pumped aquifer, contributes to the ground settlement. A three-dimensional finite difference numerical model representing the multi-layered aquifer system was developed to study the ground settlement in response to groundwater extraction. By calibrating the model with both the measured groundwater level and ground settlement, the aquifer parameters were estimated. The model outputs fit reasonably well with the observed results, which indicates that the numerical model can reproduce the dynamic processes of both groundwater flow and soil consolidation. The hydraulic conductivity of the third mud layer near the center of the ground settlement has been reduced by over 30% in the last 14 years. The gradual deterioration in the hydraulic conductivity of the mud may have significant adverse effect on the sustainable groundwater resource of the deep confined aquifer, since the recharge from the shallow aquifers through the mud layer is the only source of water to the deep aquifer. An analysis of the spatial distributions of groundwater drawdown and ground settlement shows that the area with maximum drawdown is not necessarily the area with maximum ground settlement due to the occurrence of the soft mud layer. A simple reallocation

  19. Subsidence in the holocene delta of The Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vonhögen, L.M.; Doornenbal, P.J.; Lange, G. de; Fokker, P.A.; Gunnink, J.L.

    2010-01-01

    The low-lying part of The Netherlands is very vulnerable in terms of surface subsidence due to peat oxidation and peat/clay compaction. To gain knowledge about this kind of subsidence and the factors driving it, a study was performed in which as many surface elevation data were collected as possible

  20. Old age pensions in Mexico: Toward universal coverage

    OpenAIRE

    Willmore, Larry

    2014-01-01

    This paper chronicles the rise of social pensions in Mexico. First it summarizes the pension system prior to introduction of social pensions. Next it describes how Mexico City, the federal government, and seventeen of Mexico’s 31 states initiated social pensions, a policy supported eventually by each of the three major political parties. It concludes with thoughts on what remains to be done.

  1. Subsidence and Fault Displacement Along the Long Point Fault Derived from Continuous GPS Observations (2012-2017)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsibanos, V.; Wang, G.

    2017-12-01

    The Long Point Fault located in Houston Texas is a complex system of normal faults which causes significant damage to urban infrastructure on both private and public property. This case study focuses on the 20-km long fault using high accuracy continuously operating global positioning satellite (GPS) stations to delineate fault movement over five years (2012 - 2017). The Long Point Fault is the longest active fault in the greater Houston area that damages roads, buried pipes, concrete structures and buildings and creates a financial burden for the city of Houston and the residents who live in close vicinity to the fault trace. In order to monitor fault displacement along the surface 11 permanent and continuously operating GPS stations were installed 6 on the hanging wall and 5 on the footwall. This study is an overview of the GPS observations from 2013 to 2017. GPS positions were processed with both relative (double differencing) and absolute Precise Point Positioning (PPP) techniques. The PPP solutions that are referred to IGS08 reference frame were transformed to the Stable Houston Reference Frame (SHRF16). Our results show no considerable horizontal displacements across the fault, but do show uneven vertical displacement attributed to regional subsidence in the range of (5 - 10 mm/yr). This subsidence can be associated to compaction of silty clays in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers whose water depths are approximately 50m and 80m below the land surface (bls). These levels are below the regional pre-consolidation head that is about 30 to 40m bls. Recent research indicates subsidence will continue to occur until the aquifer levels reach the pre-consolidation head. With further GPS observations both the Long Point Fault and regional land subsidence can be monitored providing important geological data to the Houston community.

  2. The Hour of Television: The Incursion of Television and Telenovelas into Mexico City Daily Life (1958-1966

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Camila Ramírez Bonilla

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Television and television genres have a life of their own. In the Mexican case, telenovelas can be seen as the first genre authentically conceived and created for television. Since their appearance in Mexico in June 1958 on Telesistema-Canal 4, they not only recapitulated the stereotypes, myths and moral concerns of society at that time, but also became part of the daily life of their spectators, still expectant neophytes. The first melodramas were an urban phenomenon and characterized the growth of the middle class. The genre’s audience was created by its appearance and viewers actively integrated what they saw on screen into their family life. Watching telenovelas was a primordially domestic act while simultaneously being a collective one, shared among many people. Understanding this genre as a product made to provide meaning and using an analysis that demands both the study of narrative content as well an analysis of the medium itself and its spectators, this article identifies the way in which the arrival of television (and telenovelas in particular made an impact on the daily life of television viewers in Mexico City. Did the arrival of television melodramas, between 1958 and 1966, introduce a new sense of the everyday in the viewing public? How did this new sense of everyday life express itself in space, time, routines, tastes and the collective imagination of viewers? This article is supported by the audiovisual content of the first television melodramas transmitted in Mexico, their reception in television magazines and the press in general, their accompanying advertising and the experiences of middle class individuals and families who were interviewed and surveyed on the subject.

  3. Subsidence Contours for South Louisiana; UTM 15N NAD83; LRA (2005); [subsidence_contours

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — The GIS data shapefile represents average subsidence contour intervals (0.02 cm/year over 10,000 years) for Coastal LA derived from the following: Kulp, M.A., 2000,...

  4. Ventilation potential during the emissions survey in Toluca Valley, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz Angulo, A.; Peralta, O.; Jurado, O. E.; Ortinez, A.; Grutter de la Mora, M.; Rivera, C.; Gutierrez, W.; Gonzalez, E.

    2017-12-01

    During the late-spring early-summer measurements of emissions and pollutants were carried out during a survey campaign at four different locations within the Toluca Valley. The current emissions inventory typically estimates the generation of pollutants based on pre-estimated values representing an entire sector function of their activities. However, those factors are not always based direct measurements. The emissions from the Toluca Valley are rather large and they could affect the air quality of Mexico City Valley. The air masses interchange between those two valleys is not very well understood; however, based on the measurements obtained during the 3 months campaign we looked carefully at the daily variability of the wind finding a clear signal for mountain-valley breeze. The ventilation coefficient is estimated and the correlations with the concentrations at the 4 locations and in a far away station in Mexico City are addressed in this work. Finally, we discuss the implication of the ventilation capacity in air quality for the system of Valleys that include Mexico City.

  5. Who presents past the gestational age limit for first trimester abortion in the public sector in Mexico City?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biani Saavedra-Avendano

    Full Text Available To identify socio-demographic factors associated with presenting for abortion services past the gestational age (GA limit (12 weeks, and thus not receiving services, in Mexico City's public sector first trimester abortion program.We used clinical data from four high volume sites in the Interrupción Legal de Embarazo (ILE program, 2007-2015. We used descriptive statistics to quantify the proportion of women who did not receive an abortion due to presenting past the gestational age limit. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify associations between women's characteristics and presenting past the GA limit and calculated predicted probabilities of late presentation for key characteristics.Our sample included 52,391 women, 8.10% (n = 4,246 of whom did not receive abortion services due to presenting past the GA limit. Adolescents (12-17 made up 8.69% of the total sample and 13.40% of those presenting past the GA limit (p = 40 years' old respectively. Women living in Mexico City and with higher levels of education had lower odds of presenting past the GA limit, and there was an educational gradient across all age groups. In the multivariable predicted probability models, adolescents at every level of education have significantly higher probabilities of not receiving an abortion due to presenting past the gestational age limit compared with adults (among women with a primary education: 11.75% adolescents vs. 9.02-4.26% across adult age groups.Our results suggest that continued efforts are needed to educate women, especially younger and less educated women, about early pregnancy recognition. In addition, all women need information about the availability of first trimester legal abortion to ensure timely access to abortion services.

  6. On the vertical distribution of pollutants in Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez Vidal, H. [Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco, Division Academica de Ciencias Basicas, Tabasco (Mexico); Raga, G. B. [Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera, UNAM, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    1998-04-01

    The problem of air pollution in Mexico City is studied through the analysis of a large dataset obtained by an instrumented aircraft during February 1991. These data constitute a unique set in Mexico and provide insight into the vertical structure of the boundary layer and the pollutant species which has not been previously discussed. The results obtained on the evolution and structure of the mixed layer indicate that its height rises from 100 meters during the morning (8 am) to over 2000 meters al 5 pm. results consistently show that the maximum in ozone concentration is not observed al the surface, but al about 700 m on average about it near midday. The peak, with an average concentration over the observational period of 167 ppb, appears to be a transient feature, with concentrations becoming more uniform with height in the afternoon. The vertical profiles of nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide indicate that concentrations are highest during the morning and steadily decrease with height, suggesting that sources for these species are located near the surface, as was expected. There appears to be no correlation between the amount of nitrogen oxides observed during the take-off and the ozone concentrations observed during landing (2-3 hours later). When the variables are normalized by the mixed layer height the results indicate that the ozone observed is fairly independent of the nitrogen oxide concentrations observed earlier. A reduced range of values of the ratio of ozone accumulated in the mixed layer and the layer height is consistently day found during the observational period. Aerosol particles near the surface show maximum concentration during the morning hours, but in contrast, during the course of the day, there is a marked increase in their concentrations at higher levels in the boundary layer suggesting that possibly gas to particle conversion is responsible for the observed increase. [Spanish] El problema de la contaminacion del aire en la Ciudad de

  7. Subsidence in tropical peatlands: Estimating CO2 fluxes from peatlands in Southeast Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoyt, A.; Harvey, C. F.; Seppalainen, S. S.; Chaussard, E.

    2017-12-01

    Tropical peatlands of Southeast Asia are an important global carbon stock. However, they are being rapidly deforested and drained. Peatland drainage facilitates peat decomposition, releases sequestered peat carbon to the atmosphere as CO2, and leads to subsidence of the peat surface. As a result, subsidence measurements can be used to monitor peatland carbon loss over time. Until now, subsidence measurements have been primarily limited to ground-based point measurements using subsidence poles. Here we demonstrate a powerful method to measure peatland subsidence rates across much larger areas than ever before. Using remotely sensed InSAR data, we map subsidence rates across thousands of square kilometers in Southeast Asia and validate our results against ground-based subsidence measurements. The method allows us to monitor subsidence in remote locations, providing unprecedented spatial information, and the first comprehensive survey of land uses such as degraded peatlands, burnt and open areas, shrub lands, and smallholder farmlands. Strong spatial patterns emerged, with the highest subsidence rates occurring at the centers of peat domes, where the peat is thickest and drainage depths are likely to be largest. Peatland subsidence rates were also strongly dependent on current and historical land use, with typical subsidence rates ranging from 2-4 cm/yr. Finally, we scaled up our results to calculate total annual emissions from peat decomposition in degraded peatlands.

  8. Abortion Legalization and Childbearing in Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutiérrez Vázquez, Edith Y; Parrado, Emilio A

    2016-06-01

    In 2007 abortion was legalized in the Federal District of Mexico, making it the largest jurisdiction in Latin America, outside of Cuba, to allow women to have abortions on request during the first trimester of pregnancy. While the implications of the law for women's health and maternal mortality have been investigated, its potential association with fertility behavior has yet to be assessed. We examine metropolitan-area differences in overall and parity-specific childbearing, as well as the age pattern of childbearing between 2000 and 2010 to identify the contribution of abortion legalization to fertility in Mexico. Our statistical specification applies difference-in-difference regression methods that control for concomitant changes in other socioeconomic predictors of fertility to assess the differential influence of the law across age groups. In addition, we account for prior fertility levels and change to better separate the effect of the law from preceding trends. Overall, the evidence suggests a systematic association between abortion legalization and fertility. The law appears to have contributed to lower fertility in Mexico City compared to other metropolitan areas and prior trends. The influence is mostly visible among women aged 20-34 in connection with the transition to first and second child, with limited impact on teenage fertility. There is some evidence that its effect might be diffusing to the Greater Mexico City Metropolitan area. © 2016 The Population Council, Inc.

  9. Social segregation of indigenous migrants in Mexico: An overview from Monterrey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arun Kumar Acharya

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In Mexico, rural to urban migration is a clearly noticeable phenomenon. During the last few years, there has been spontaneous growth in the migration of indigenous people towards the northern cities of Mexico, especially to Monterrey, in search of employment. Once the migrants arrive in this metropolis, they face difficulties adjusting and adapting to the city environment because of hidden discrimination. The main argument and hypothesis of this paper is that indigenous people isolate themselves and segregate themselves socially due to fear of (cultural and racial discrimination and violence. For this study, data were obtained from fieldwork carried out during 2009 and 2010 in Monterrey, Mexico, where we interviewed 350 indigenous people that had moved there from different parts of the country.

  10. Investigation of a subsidence event near Flushing, Ohio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ledney, C.M.; Hawk, J.L.

    1994-01-01

    An investigation was undertaken to determine the cause and extent of events which caused problems to a number of residences along State Route 149 near Flushing, Belmont County, Ohio. The events began in 1988 and continued through 1991 and affected nine homes. The type of problems occurring, as well as surface effects, compared to available mine maps of the area, indicated the problems were caused by subsidence from coal mining. The mining occurred in the Pittsburgh seam at a depth of between 180 and 220 feet. The mining beneath the site took place between 1975 and 1977 and was of the room and pillar type. A subsurface investigation was performed, along with ''down the hole'' video camera inspections to provide necessary subsurface information for analysis of the subsidence event. Factors of safety were calculated for pillars throughout the mine. Based on this analysis, it was determined that pillar failure caused the subsidence event. Once a determination was made as to the likely cause of the subsidence, the data was re-examined to determine the possible location of pillar failure, as well as the type and extent of subsidence. This analysis involved the use of RQD versus depth plots and the compilation of isopach maps of the mine overburden and the Sewickley Sandstone. The trend of the two maps suggested that a relationship existed between the sandstone thickness, the overburden and the surface expression of the subsidence. In order to determine this relationship, the two maps were combined into a second order map showing the mine overburden--Sewickley Sandstone thickness ratios. The combination was accomplished by computer matrix operations using the grid values of the two previous maps that were generated by kriging. It was concluded that the ratio of the Sewickley Sandstone thickness to the mine overburden had a tremendous effect on the amount of damage that occurred to specific residences

  11. The impact of liquefied petroleum gas usage on air quality in Mexico City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gasca, J.; Ortiz, E.; Castillo, H.; Jaimes, J.L.; Gonzalez, U.

    2004-01-01

    Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is the main fuel used in the residential sector of the Metropolitan Zone in the Valley of Mexico (MZVM). LPG represents 16% of the total fuel consumption in the MZVM and its demand increased 14% from 1986 to 1999. Propane and butanes, the main compounds of LPG, constituted 29% of all non-methane hydrocarbons found in the air of Mexico City. Some researchers have reported that LPG losses are a significant cause of high ozone concentration in MZVM. Three analyses are carried out in this work to estimate LPG's share of responsibility for MZVM pollution problems. First, the correlation between LPG consumption and three ozone pollution indicators was calculated for the period of 1986-1999. The non-significant correlation of these indicators with LPG consumption on a monthly basis suggests that LPG associated emissions are not the foremost cause of ozone formation. Second, a simulation model is applied to three LPG related emission control strategies to estimate the reduction in the maximum ozone concentration. The most noticeable effect was obtained when both hydrocarbon (HC) and oxides of nitrogen (NO x ) emissions associated with LPG use were totally reduced. The other two strategies, that only reduce HC emissions, had a minimum effect on the ozone concentration. Third, organic compounds consumption in air samples captured and irradiated in outdoor smog chambers is used to determine the chemical loss rate of LPG associated species and aromatics in the MZVM. The smog chamber results showed that 70% of propane and n-butane remain at the end of a 1-day irradiation, therefore they remain in the MZVM atmosphere for several days being the reason for the high concentration of these compounds. LPG associated compounds only account for 18% of ozone formed but aromatics contribute 35% to ozone in smog chamber. (Author)

  12. Assessment of the ozone-nitrogen oxide-volatile organic compound sensitivity of Mexico City through an indicator-based approach: measurements and numerical simulations comparison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres-Jardón, Ricardo; García-Reynoso, J Agustín; Jazcilevich, Arón; Ruiz-Suárez, L Gerardo; Keener, Tim C

    2009-10-01

    The ozone (O3) sensitivity to nitrogen oxides (NOx, or nitric oxide [NO] + nitrogen dioxide [NO2]) versus volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the Mexico City metropolitan area (MCMA) is a current issue of scientific controversy. To shed light on this issue, we compared measurements of the indicator species O3/NOy (where NOy represents the sum of NO + NO2 + nitric acid [HNO3] + peroxyacetyl nitrate [PAN] + others), NOy, and the semiempirically derived O3/NOz(surrogate) (where NOz(surrogate) is the derived surrogate NOz, and NOz represents NOx reaction products, or NOy - NOx) with results of numerical predictions reproducing the transition regimes between NOx and VOC sensitivities. Ambient air concentrations of O3, NOx, and NOy were measured from April 14 to 25, 2004 in one downwind receptor site of photochemically aged air masses within Mexico City. MCMA-derived transition values for an episode day occurring during the same monitoring period were obtained through a series of photochemical simulations using the Multiscale Climate and Chemistry Model (MCCM). The comparison between the measured indicator species and the simulated spatial distribution of the indicators O3/ NOy, O3/NOz(surrogate), and NOy in MCMA suggest that O3 in this megacity is likely VOC-sensitive. This is in opposition to past studies that, on the basis of the observed morning VOC/NOx ratios, have concluded that O3 in Mexico City is NOx-sensitive. Simulated MCMA-derived sensitive transition values for O3/NOy, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)/HNO3, and NOy were found to be in agreement with threshold criteria proposed for other regions in North America and Europe, although the transition crossover for O3/NOz and O3/HNO3 was not consistent with values reported elsewhere. An additional empirical evaluation of weekend/weekday differences in average maximum O3 concentrations and 6:00- to 9:00-a.m. NOx and NO levels registered at the same site in April 2004 indirectly confirmed the above results. A preliminary

  13. Land subsidence and hydrodynamic compaction of sedimentary basins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Kooi

    1998-01-01

    Full Text Available A one-dimensional model is used to investigate the relationship between land subsidence and compaction of basin sediments in response to sediment loading. Analysis of the model equations and numerical experiments demonstrate quasi-linear systems behaviour and show that rates of land subsidence due to compaction: (i can attain a significant fraction (>40% of the long-term sedimentation rate; (ii are hydrodynamically delayed with respect to sediment loading. The delay is controlled by a compaction response time τc that can reach values of 10-5-107 yr for thick shale sequences. Both the behaviour of single sediment layers and multiple-layer systems are analysed. Subsequently the model is applied to the coastal area of the Netherlands to illustrate that lateral variability in compaction-derived land subsidence in sedimentary basins largely reflects the spatial variability in both sediment loading and compaction response time. Typical rates of compaction-derived subsidence predicted by the model are of the order of 0.1 mm/yr but may reach values in excess of 1 mm/yr under favourable conditions.

  14. Influence the condition land subsidence and groundwater impact of Jakarta coastal area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, S.; Sumotarto, U.; Pramudito, H.

    2018-01-01

    Jakarta has been experiencing land subsidence for ten years due toerecting weight building and intensive extraction of groundwater for society drink water through ground water wells. Many groundwater extraction for drinkingwater has caused intensive scouring of land rock and further triggering land subsidence developed widely in coastal area of Jakarta. Measurement of the land subsidence has been performed by various experts and institutes. Between 1974 to 2010 subsidence has happened between 3 to 4.1 meters especially in Jakarta coastal area. Two major causes of the subsidence are identified. The first major cause is a result of erecting weight building such as hotels, appartments, and various human activities buildings. The second major cause is extracting ground water from aquifers bellow Jakarta land due to water deep wells down to the aquifer and traditional shallow water well of shallow or subsurface uncovered ground water. Weighter building and higher debit of water flow from deep water wells has fastened and deepened the land subsidence. Continuous measurement of land subsidence by means of geodetic as well as geophysical earth behaviour measurements need to be performed to monitor the rate, location as well as mapping of the land subsidence.

  15. Combined Use of C- and X-Band SAR Data for Subsidence Monitoring in an Urban Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorenzo Solari

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we present the detection and characterization of ground displacements in the urban area of Pisa (Central Italy using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR products. Thirty RADARSAT-2 and twenty-nine COSMO-SkyMed images have been analyzed with the Small BAseline Subset (SBAS algorithm, in order to quantify the ground subsidence and its temporal evolution in the three-year time interval from 2011 to 2014. A borehole database was reclassified in stratigraphical and geotechnical homogeneous units, providing the geological background needed for the local scale analysis of the recorded displacements. Moreover, the interferometric outputs were compared with the last 30 years’ urban evolution of selected parts of the city. Two deformation patterns were recorded by the InSAR data: very slow vertical movements within the defined stability threshold (±2.5 mm/yr and areas with subsidence rates down to −5 to −7 mm/yr, associated with high peak velocities (−15 to −20 mm/yr registered by single buildings or small groups of buildings. Some of these structures are used to demonstrate that the high subsidence rates are related to the recent urbanization, which is the trigger for the accelerated consolidation process of highly compressible layers. Finally, this urban area was a valuable test site for demonstrating the different results of the C- and X-band data processing, in terms of the density of points and the quality of the time series of deformation.

  16. Innovative repair of subsidence damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marino, G.G.

    1992-01-01

    In order to improve handling of subsidence damages the Illinois Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund supported the development of novel cost-effective methods of repair. The research in developing the repairs was directed towards the most common and costly damages that had been observed. As a result repair techniques were designed for structurally cracked foundations in the tension zone; structurally cracked foundations in the compression zone; and damaged or undamaged tilted foundations. When appropriate the postulated methods would result in: 1. significant cost savings (over conventional procedures); 2. a structural capacity greater than when the foundation was uncracked; and 3. an aesthetic appeal. All the postulated repair methodologies were laboratory and/or field tested. This paper will summarize the essentials of each technique developed and the test results

  17. A new Proposal to Mexico Valley Zonification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores-Estrella, H. C.; Yussim, S.; Lomnitz, C.

    2004-12-01

    The effects of the Michoacan earthquake (19th September, 1985, Mw 8.1) in Mexico City caused a significant change in the political, social and scientific history, as it was considered the worst seismic disaster ever lived in Mexico. Since then, numerous efforts have been made to understand and determine the parameters that caused the special features registered. One of these efforts had began on 1960 with the work by Marsal and Masari, who published the Mexico Valley seismological and geotechnical zonification (1969), based on gravimetric and shallow borehole data. In this work, we present a revision of the studies that proposed the zonification, a description of the valley geology, and basing on it we propose a new zonification for Mexico Valley.

  18. Malignant neoplasms of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses: a series of 256 patients in Mexico City and Monterrey. Is air pollution the missing link?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calderón-Garcidueñas, L; Delgado, R; Calderón-Garcidueñas, A; Meneses, A; Ruiz, L M; De La Garza, J; Acuna, H; Villarreal-Calderón, A; Raab-Traub, N; Devlin, R

    2000-04-01

    Air pollution is a serious health problem in major cities in Mexico. The concentrations of monitored criteria pollutants have been above the US National Ambient Air Quality Standards for the last decade. To determine whether the number of primary malignant nasal and paranasal neoplasms has increased, we surveyed 256 such cases admitted to a major adult oncology hospital located in metropolitan Mexico City (MMC) for the period from 1976-1997 and to a tertiary hospital in Monterrey, an industrial city, for the period from 1993-1998. The clinical histories and histopathologic material were reviewed, and a brief clinical summary was written for each case. In the MMC hospital the number of newly diagnosed nasal and paranasal neoplasms per year for the period from 1976-1986 averaged 5.1, whereas for the next 11 years it increased to 12.5. The maximal increase was observed in 1995-1997, with an average of 20.3 new cases per year (P = 0.0006). The predominant neoplasms in these series were non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, adenocarcinoma, Schneiderian carcinoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In the Monterrey hospital a 2-fold increase in the numbers of newly diagnosed nasal and paranasal neoplasms was recorded between 1993 and 1998. The predominant MMC neoplasm in this series, namely nasal T-cell/natural killer cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is potentially Epstein-Barr virus related. Nasal and paranasal malignant neoplasms are generally rare. Environmental causative factors include exposure in industries such as nickel refining, leather, and wood furniture manufacturing. Although epidemiologic studies have not addressed the relationship between outdoor air pollution and sinonasal malignant neoplasms, there is strong evidence for the nasal and paranasal carcinogenic effect of occupational aerosol complex chemical mixtures. General practitioners and ear, nose, and throat physicians working in highly polluted cities should be aware of the clinical

  19. Evidence of increasing sedentarism in Mexico City during the last decade: Sitting time prevalence, trends, and associations with obesity and diabetes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catalina Medina

    Full Text Available Sedentary behaviors such as sitting time are associated with obesity and diabetes independently of total reported physical activity. This study aimed to describe the current sitting time/day prevalence and trends and to examine the association of sitting time with sociodemographic and clinical variables in Mexico City.Two cross-sectional representative surveys in Mexico City were used for this analysis (2006: n = 1148 and 2015: n = 1329. Sedentary behavior questions from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire included time spent sitting on a weekday in the last week or on a Wednesday. Sitting time /day was divided into deciles, and participants in the highest decile (≥ 420 minutes/day were classified within the high sitting category; others were classified in the low sitting time category. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the associations of sitting time with sociodemographic and clinical indicators, controlling for confounders and testing for potential interactions.A total of 13.7% (2006 and 14.8% (2015 adults were classified in the highest sitting time category (≥ 420 minutes/day. There was a significant increase in the average sitting time/day between the surveys (216.0 minutes in 2006 vs. 233.3 minutes in 2015, p < 0.001. In 2015, men, those aged 20-49 years, those in low-intensity jobs, students, and those with a high socioeconomic level were more likely to be in the highest sitting time category. Participants with overweight/obesity (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.11, 5.09 and those with high glucose levels (survey finding (OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.04, 5.25 were more likely to report sitting time in the highest category.Sitting time/day prevalence increased 8%, and average daily sitting minutes significantly increased by 8.2% (18 minutes in the nine-year study period (2006-2015. Current public health policies should consider strategies not only for increasing physical activity levels, but also for reducing sitting

  20. Air Quality in Mexico City: Policies Implemented for its Improvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paramo, V.

    2007-12-01

    Ozone and suspended particles (PM) are two pollutants in the atmosphere of Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) that still exceed the recommended Mexican health standards. The other criteria pollutants very seldom exceed their corresponding standards. In 2006, the maximum ozone concentrations were above the health standard (0.11 ppm in 1 hour) during 59 percent of the days for an average of 2.2 hours and 130 points of the Air Quality Index (Índice Metropolitano de la Calidad del Aire - IMECA). In contrast, in 1991, 98 percent of the days exceeded the ozone health standard for an average of 6.6 hours and 200 IMECA points. With regards to PM10, in 2006, 80 percent of the sampled concentrations were below the health standard of 120 µg/m3 in 24 hours. However, the annual health standard of 50 µg/m3 is still exceeded. The air quality management in the MCMA is a difficult task due to several adverse factors. The main one is the large population that increased from nearly 15 million in 1992 to more than 18 million at present. As a result, the urban area grows in the adjoined municipalities of the State of Mexico. The vehicular fleet increases also to almost 4 million and the number of industrial facilities is at present 50,000. Consequently, the fuel consumption is very high. The daily energy consumption is estimated to be 44 million liters of equivalent of gasoline. Despite the fact that the air quality has improved in recent years, the related health standards are still exceeded and therefore it is necessary to continue applying the most cost-effective actions to improve the environment quality. Some actions that have contributed most to the reduction of pollutant emissions are the following: Continuous update of the inspection and maintenance program of the vehicular fleet; substitution of the catalytic converters at the end of their useful life; self-regulation of the diesel fleet; use of alternative fuels; update the No-Driving-Day program; establishment of more