Uncovering Urban Temporal Patterns from Geo-Tagged Photography.

Science.gov (United States)

Paldino, Silvia; Kondor, Dániel; Bojic, Iva; Sobolevsky, Stanislav; González, Marta C; Ratti, Carlo

2016-01-01

We live in a world where digital trails of different forms of human activities compose big urban data, allowing us to detect many aspects of how people experience the city in which they live or come to visit. In this study we propose to enhance urban planning by taking into a consideration individual preferences using information from an unconventional big data source: dataset of geo-tagged photographs that people take in cities which we then use as a measure of urban attractiveness. We discover and compare a temporal behavior of residents and visitors in ten most photographed cities in the world. Looking at the periodicity in urban attractiveness, the results show that the strongest periodic patterns for visitors are usually weekly or monthly. Moreover, by dividing cities into two groups based on which continent they belong to (i.e., North America or Europe), it can be concluded that unlike European cities, behavior of visitors in the US cities in general is similar to the behavior of their residents. Finally, we apply two indices, called "dilatation attractiveness index" and "dilatation index", to our dataset which tell us the spatial and temporal attractiveness pulsations in the city. The proposed methodology is not only important for urban planning, but also does support various business and public stakeholder decision processes, concentrated for example around the question how to attract more visitors to the city or estimate the impact of special events organized there.

Uncovering Urban Temporal Patterns from Geo-Tagged Photography

Science.gov (United States)

Paldino, Silvia; Kondor, Dániel; Sobolevsky, Stanislav; González, Marta C.; Ratti, Carlo

2016-01-01

We live in a world where digital trails of different forms of human activities compose big urban data, allowing us to detect many aspects of how people experience the city in which they live or come to visit. In this study we propose to enhance urban planning by taking into a consideration individual preferences using information from an unconventional big data source: dataset of geo-tagged photographs that people take in cities which we then use as a measure of urban attractiveness. We discover and compare a temporal behavior of residents and visitors in ten most photographed cities in the world. Looking at the periodicity in urban attractiveness, the results show that the strongest periodic patterns for visitors are usually weekly or monthly. Moreover, by dividing cities into two groups based on which continent they belong to (i.e., North America or Europe), it can be concluded that unlike European cities, behavior of visitors in the US cities in general is similar to the behavior of their residents. Finally, we apply two indices, called “dilatation attractiveness index” and “dilatation index”, to our dataset which tell us the spatial and temporal attractiveness pulsations in the city. The proposed methodology is not only important for urban planning, but also does support various business and public stakeholder decision processes, concentrated for example around the question how to attract more visitors to the city or estimate the impact of special events organized there. PMID:27935979

The ChArMEx database

Science.gov (United States)

Ferré, Helene; Belmahfoud, Nizar; Boichard, Jean-Luc; Brissebrat, Guillaume; Descloitres, Jacques; Fleury, Laurence; Focsa, Loredana; Henriot, Nicolas; Mastrorillo, Laurence; Mière, Arnaud; Vermeulen, Anne

2014-05-01

The Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) aims at a scientific assessment of the present and future state of the atmospheric environment in the Mediterranean Basin, and of its impacts on the regional climate, air quality, and marine biogeochemistry. The project includes long term monitoring of environmental parameters, intensive field campaigns, use of satellite data and modelling studies. Therefore ChARMEx scientists produce and need to access a wide diversity of data. In this context, the objective of the database task is to organize data management, distribution system and services, such as facilitating the exchange of information and stimulating the collaboration between researchers within the ChArMEx community, and beyond. The database relies on a strong collaboration between OMP and ICARE data centres and has been set up in the framework of the Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional And Locals Scales (MISTRALS) program data portal. All the data produced by or of interest for the ChArMEx community will be documented in the data catalogue and accessible through the database website: http://mistrals.sedoo.fr/ChArMEx. At present, the ChArMEx database contains about 75 datasets, including 50 in situ datasets (2012 and 2013 campaigns, Ersa background monitoring station), 25 model outputs (dust model intercomparison, MEDCORDEX scenarios), and a high resolution emission inventory over the Mediterranean. Many in situ datasets have been inserted in a relational database, in order to enable more accurate data selection and download of different datasets in a shared format. The database website offers different tools: - A registration procedure which enables any scientist to accept the data policy and apply for a user database account. - A data catalogue that complies with metadata international standards (ISO 19115-19139; INSPIRE European Directive; Global Change Master Directory Thesaurus). - Metadata forms to document

Geo-data Acquisition Through Mobile GIS and Digital Video: an Urban Disaster Management Perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montoya, L.

2003-01-01

For the management of urban disaster risk, periodic updating of building and lifeline geo- databases is crucial, particularly in developing countries where urbanisation rates are very high. However, collecting information on the characteristics of buildings and lifelines through full ground surveys

Towards an Automatic Framework for Urban Settlement Mapping from Satellite Images: Applications of Geo-referenced Social Media and One Class Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Zelang

2017-04-01

Currently, urban dwellers comprise more than half of the world's population and this percentage is still dramatically increasing. The explosive urban growth over the next two decades poses long-term profound impact on people as well as the environment. Accurate and up-to-date delineation of urban settlements plays a fundamental role in defining planning strategies and in supporting sustainable development of urban settlements. In order to provide adequate data about urban extents and land covers, classifying satellite data has become a common practice, usually with accurate enough results. Indeed, a number of supervised learning methods have proven effective in urban area classification, but they usually depend on a large amount of training samples, whose collection is a time and labor expensive task. This issue becomes particularly serious when classifying large areas at the regional/global level. As an alternative to manual ground truth collection, in this work we use geo-referenced social media data. Cities and densely populated areas are an extremely fertile land for the production of individual geo-referenced data (such as GPS and social network data). Training samples derived from geo-referenced social media have several advantages: they are easy to collect, usually they are freely exploitable; and, finally, data from social media are spatially available in many locations, and with no doubt in most urban areas around the world. Despite these advantages, the selection of training samples from social media meets two challenges: 1) there are many duplicated points; 2) method is required to automatically label them as "urban/non-urban". The objective of this research is to validate automatic sample selection from geo-referenced social media and its applicability in one class classification for urban extent mapping from satellite images. The findings in this study shed new light on social media applications in the field of remote sensing.

Validation of the actuator line/Navier Stokes technique using mexico measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shen, Wen Zhong; Zhu, Wei Jun; Sørensen, Jens Nørkær

2010-01-01

This paper concerns the contribution of DTU MEK in the international research collaboration project (MexNext) within the framework of IEA Annex 29 to validate aerodynamic models or CFD codes using the existing measurements made in the previous EU funded projectMEXICO (Model Experiments in Control......This paper concerns the contribution of DTU MEK in the international research collaboration project (MexNext) within the framework of IEA Annex 29 to validate aerodynamic models or CFD codes using the existing measurements made in the previous EU funded projectMEXICO (Model Experiments...... in Controlled Conditions). The Actuator Line/Navier Stokes (AL/NS) technique developed at DTU is validated against the detailed MEXICO measurements. The AL/NS computations without the DNW wind tunnel with speeds of 10m/s, 15m/s and 24m/s. Comparisons of blade loading between computations and measurements show...

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.

75 FR 82070 - Light-Walled Rectangular Pipe and Tube From China, Korea, and Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-29

...-Walled Rectangular Pipe and Tube From China, Korea, and Mexico AGENCY: United States International Trade... from China, Korea, and Mexico that were found to be sold at less than fair value. Nacional de Acero S... panel proceeding in Light-Walled Rectangular Pipe and Tube from Mexico, USA-MEX-1904-04, to file...

Urban Waters and the Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (New Mexico)

Science.gov (United States)

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (New Mexico) of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) reconnects urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and collaborating with community-led efforts.

Geo-hydrological risk management for civil protection purposes in the urban area of Genoa (Liguria, NW Italy)

Science.gov (United States)

Brandolini, P.; Cevasco, A.; Firpo, M.; Robbiano, A.; Sacchini, A.

2012-04-01

Over the past century the municipal area of Genoa has been affected by recurring flood events and several landslides that have caused severe damage to urbanized areas on both the coastal-fluvial plains and surrounding slopes, sometimes involving human casualties. The analysis of past events' annual distribution indicates that these phenomena have occurred with rising frequency in the last seventy years, following the main land use change due to the development of harbour, industrial, and residential areas, which has strongly impacted geomorphological processes. Consequently, in Genoa, civil protection activities are taking on an increasing importance for geo-hydrological risk mitigation. The current legislative framework assigns a key role in disaster prevention to municipalities, emergency plan development, as well as response action coordination in disaster situations. In view of the geomorphological and environmental complexity of the study area and referring to environmental laws, geo-hydrological risk mitigation strategies adopted by local administrators for civil protection purposes are presented as examples of current land/urban management related to geo-hydrological hazards. Adopted measures have proven to be effective on several levels (planning, management, structure, understanding, and publication) in different cases. Nevertheless, the last flooding event (4 November 2011) has shown that communication and public information concerning the perception of geo-hydrological hazard can be improved.

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.

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)

Poverty in Rural and Semi-Urban Mexico during 1992-2002

OpenAIRE

Verner, Dorte

2005-01-01

This paper analyzes poverty in rural and semi-urban areas of Mexico (localities with less than 2,500 and 15,000 inhabitants, respectively) and provides guidance on a social agenda and poverty alleviation strategy for rural Mexico. The analyses are based on INIGH and ENE data sets for 1992-2002. Monetary extreme poverty affected 42 percent of the rural dwellers in dispersed rural areas and 21 percent in semi-urban areas in 2002, slightly less than one decade earlier. Most of the rural poor liv...

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, NO_x, and NO_y 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-NO_x, O₃-CO, and O₃-NO_z 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 NO_x 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

[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

Validation of the actuator line method using near wake measurements of the MEXICO rotor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nilsson, Karl; Shen, Wen Zhong; Sørensen, Jens Nørkær

2015-01-01

The purpose of the present work is to validate the capability of the actuator line method to compute vortex structures in the near wake behind the MEXICO experimental wind turbine rotor. In the MEXICO project/MexNext Annex, particle image velocimetry measurements have made it possible to determine...

Analysis of the dispersion of air pollutants from a factory Asphalt in Nuevo Vallarta, Nay., Mex

Science.gov (United States)

Carrillo-Gonzalez, F. M.; Gaitán-Rodríguez, M.; Cornejo-López, V. M.; Morales-Hernández, J. C.

2013-12-01

An asphalt factory has operated intermittently near the urban area of Nuevo Vallarta on Banderas Bay, Nayarit, Mex. This factory has emissions that can affect the health of people living in the colonies nearest are Valle Dorado and San Vicente. The dispersion of emissions depends on the wind (sea breeze-land breeze) and the roof of the inversion, these phenomena determined by the density and temperature of the lower layers of the atmosphere. Asphalts are dark colored binder materials, formed by a complex non-volatile hydrocarbon chains and high molecular weight. Asphalts are produced from petroleum, but by a process of evaporation of the volatiles, leaving the asphalt alone. Therefore, the material emitted by the fireplace are mainly low molecular weight hydrocarbons known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The Emergency Response Guide 2008 developed by various agencies in Canada, U.S. and Mexico mentions that the hydrocarbon gas can have health effects. Animal studies have shown that PAHs can cause harmful effects to the skin, body fluids and some PAHs are carcinogenic. An analysis of the wind field, monthly and seasonal averages for the years 2010 and 2011, recorded in AWS administered by the CEMCO and other stations located near the study area.

A mex3 homolog is required for differentiation during planarian stem cell lineage development

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Shu Jun; Hallows, Stephanie E; Currie, Ko W; Xu, ChangJiang; Pearson, Bret J

2015-01-01

Neoblasts are adult stem cells (ASCs) in planarians that sustain cell replacement during homeostasis and regeneration of any missing tissue. While numerous studies have examined genes underlying neoblast pluripotency, molecular pathways driving postmitotic fates remain poorly defined. In this study, we used transcriptional profiling of irradiation-sensitive and irradiation-insensitive cell populations and RNA interference (RNAi) functional screening to uncover markers and regulators of postmitotic progeny. We identified 32 new markers distinguishing two main epithelial progenitor populations and a planarian homolog to the MEX3 RNA-binding protein (Smed-mex3-1) as a key regulator of lineage progression. mex3-1 was required for generating differentiated cells of multiple lineages, while restricting the size of the stem cell compartment. We also demonstrated the utility of using mex3-1(RNAi) animals to identify additional progenitor markers. These results identified mex3-1 as a cell fate regulator, broadly required for differentiation, and suggest that mex3-1 helps to mediate the balance between ASC self-renewal and commitment. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07025.001 PMID:26114597

Climate Change as Migration Driver from Rural and Urban Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Lori M.; Runfola, Daniel M.; Riosmena, Fernando

2015-01-01

Studies investigating migration as a response to climate variability have largely focused on rural locations to the exclusion of urban areas. This lack of urban focus is unfortunate given the sheer numbers of urban residents and continuing high levels of urbanization. To begin filling this empirical gap, this study investigates climate change impacts on U.S.-bound migration from rural and urban Mexico, 1986–1999. We employ geostatistical interpolation methods to construct two climate change indices, capturing warm and wet spell duration, based on daily temperature and precipitation readings for 214 weather stations across Mexico. In combination with detailed migration histories obtained from the Mexican Migration Project, we model the influence of climate change on household-level migration from 68 rural and 49 urban municipalities. Results from multilevel event-history models reveal that a temperature warming and excessive precipitation significantly increased international migration during the study period. However, climate change impacts on international migration is only observed for rural areas. Interactions reveal a causal pathway in which temperature (but not precipitation) influences migration patterns through employment in the agricultural sector. As such, climate-related international migration may decline with continued urbanization and the resulting reductions in direct dependence of households on rural agriculture. PMID:26692890

Climate Change as Migration Driver from Rural and Urban Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Nawrotzki, Raphael J; Hunter, Lori M; Runfola, Daniel M; Riosmena, Fernando

2015-11-01

Studies investigating migration as a response to climate variability have largely focused on rural locations to the exclusion of urban areas. This lack of urban focus is unfortunate given the sheer numbers of urban residents and continuing high levels of urbanization. To begin filling this empirical gap, this study investigates climate change impacts on U.S.-bound migration from rural and urban Mexico, 1986-1999. We employ geostatistical interpolation methods to construct two climate change indices, capturing warm and wet spell duration, based on daily temperature and precipitation readings for 214 weather stations across Mexico. In combination with detailed migration histories obtained from the Mexican Migration Project, we model the influence of climate change on household-level migration from 68 rural and 49 urban municipalities. Results from multilevel event-history models reveal that a temperature warming and excessive precipitation significantly increased international migration during the study period. However, climate change impacts on international migration is only observed for rural areas. Interactions reveal a causal pathway in which temperature (but not precipitation) influences migration patterns through employment in the agricultural sector. As such, climate-related international migration may decline with continued urbanization and the resulting reductions in direct dependence of households on rural agriculture.

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.

[Mortality in Mexico. Some considerations on rural-urban differentials].

Science.gov (United States)

Camposortega Cruz, S

1989-01-01

"In this essay, certain aspects related to rural-urban mortality differentials in Mexico are analyzed....[These include] the availability, advantages, and limitations of different sources of information and the disparity of levels and tendencies according to particular indicators of acceptable reliability, especially those deriving from recent demographic surveys conducted in Mexico. The findings confirm an inverse ratio between size of settlement and mortality, and reveal a widening of the differentials over time." (SUMMARY IN ENG) excerpt

Role of MexAB-OprM and MexXY-OprM efflux pumps and class 1 integrons in resistance to antibiotics in burn and Intensive Care Unit isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Goli, Hamid Reza; Nahaei, Mohammad Reza; Ahangarzadeh Rezaee, Mohammad; Hasani, Alka; Samadi Kafil, Hossein; Aghazadeh, Mohammad; Nikbakht, Mojtaba; Khalili, Younes

2017-10-06

The overexpression of efflux pumps and existence of class 1 integrons are the most important mechanisms that contribute to antimicrobial resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa especially in burn and Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The present study evaluated the role of MexAB-OprM and MexXY-OprM efflux pumps and class 1 integrons in resistance to antibiotics in burn and ICU isolates of P. aeruginosa. Fifteen burn and forty-two ICU isolates were obtained from four hospitals in Northwest Iran. The isolates were identified and evaluated by the disk diffusion and agar dilution methods for determining antibiotic resistances. The presence of class 1 integrons and associated resistance gene cassettes were detected by PCR and sequencing of the products. The expression levels of efflux pumps were evaluated by phenotypic and genotypic (Quantitative Real-time PCR) methods. The isolates were genotyped by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Typing (RAPD-PCR). All burn isolates were integron positive and Multi-drug resistant (MDR), while 78.5% and 69% of ICU isolates were found as MDR and integron positive, respectively. The aadB gene was the most prevalent gene cassette (63.6%) followed by aacA4 (47.7%). Thirty-nine (68.4%) and 43 (75.4%) isolates exhibited an overexpression of MexAB-OprM and MexXY-OprM. Among burn isolates, 80% and 86.6% of them were mexB and mexY overexpressed, while 64.2% and 71.4% of ICU isolates exhibited mexB and mexY overexpression, correspondingly. The isolates were genotyped as 24 different RAPD profiles and were grouped into 15 clusters. The data suggested that class 1 integron had a more significant role than efflux pumps in resistance to beta-lactams and aminoglycosides in burn and ICUs except for gentamicin in burn isolates. Based on our data, it is possible that efflux pumps were not the main cause of high-level resistance to antibiotics. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

DactyLoc : A minimally geo-referenced WiFi+GSM-fingerprint-based localization method for positioning in urban spaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cujia, Kristian; Wirz, Martin; Kjærgaard, Mikkel Baun

2012-01-01

Fingerprinting-based localization methods relying on WiFi and GSM information provide sufficient localization accuracy for many mobile phone applications. Most of the existing approaches require a training set consisting of geo-referenced fingerprints to build a reference database. We propose...... a collaborative, semi-supervised WiFi+GSM fingerprinting method where only a small fraction of all fingerprints needs to be geo-referenced. Our approach enables indexing of areas in the absence of GPS reception as often found in urban spaces and indoors without manual labeling of fingerprints. The method takes...

Submicron organic aerosol in Tijuana, Mexico, from local and Southern California sources during the CalMex campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Takahama, S.; Johnson, A.; Guzman Morales, J.; Russell, L. M.; Duran, R.; Rodriguez, G.; Zheng, J.; Zhang, R.; Toom-Sauntry, D.; Leaitch, W. R.

2013-05-01

The CalMex campaign was conducted from May 15 to June 30 of 2010 to study the properties and sources of air pollution in Tijuana, Mexico. In this study, submicron organic aerosol mass (OM) composition measured by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM), and X-ray spectromicroscopy are combined with statistical analysis and measurements of other atmospheric constituents. The average (±one standard deviation) OM concentration was 3.3 ± 1.7 μg m-3. A large source of submicron aerosol mass at this location was determined to be vehicular sources, which contributed approximately 40% to the submicron OM; largely during weekday mornings. The O/C ratio estimated from ACSM measurements was 0.64 ± 0.19; diurnal variations in this value and the more oxygenated fraction of OM as determined from Positive Matrix Factorization and classification analyses suggest the high degree of oxygenation originates from aged OM, rather than locally-produced secondary organic aerosol. A large contribution of this oxygenated aerosol to Tijuana from various source classes was observed; some fraction of this aerosol mass may be associated with non-refractory components, such as dust or BC. Backtrajectory simulations using the HYSPLIT model suggest that the mean wind vector consistently originated from the northwest region, over the Pacific Ocean and near the Southern California coast, which suggests that the origin of much of the oxygenated organic aerosol observed in Tijuana (as much as 60% of OM) may have been the Southern California Air Basin. The marine aerosol contribution to OM during the period was on average 23 ± 24%, though its contribution varied over synoptic rather than diurnal timescales. BB aerosol contributed 20 ± 20% of the OM during the campaign period, with notable BB events occurring during several weekend evenings.

Balancing urban and peri-urban exchange: water geography of rural livelihoods in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz-Caravantes, Rolando E

2012-01-01

The peri-urban area is the region where there is a more dynamic interaction between the urban and rural. The peri-urban area supplies natural resources, such as land for urban expansion and agricultural products to feed the urban population. In arid and semi-arid lands, such as northern Mexico, these areas may also be the source of water for the city's domestic demand. In addition, scholars argue that peri-urban residents may have a more advantageous geographical position for selling their labour and agricultural products in cities and, by doing so, sustaining their livelihoods. A considerable number of studies have examined the peri-urban to urban natural resources transfer in terms of land annexation, housing construction, and infrastructure issues; however, the study of the effects of the reallocation of peri-urban water resources to serve urban needs is critical as well because the livelihoods of peri-urban residents, such as those based on agriculture and livestock, depend on water availability. In the case of Hermosillo there is a tremendous pressure on the water resources of peri-urban small farm communities or ejidos because of urban demand. Based on interviews and structured surveys with producers and water managers, this paper examines how peri-urban livelihoods have been reshaped by the reallocation of the city's natural resources in many cases caused some ejido members or ejidatarios to lose livelihoods.

[Fertility in rural and urban areas of Mexico].

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia Y Garma, I O

1989-01-01

Data from 6 fertility surveys conducted in Mexico between 1969-87 were used to compare rural and urban fertility and to determine whether a significant level of contraceptive usage could be achieved in rural areas despite their lack of socioeconomic development. Age-specific marital fertility rates were calculated for the 4 national-level and 2 rural fertility surveys. The index of fertility control developed by Coale and Trussel was calculated for rural, urban, and all areas. The marital total fertility rate in rural areas declined from 10.6 in 1970 to 7.4 in 1982, a decline of 2.5% annually. From 1982-87 the annual rate of decline in rural fertility slowed to 1.6%, reaching 6.8 children in 1987. The urban marital total fertility rate declined from 7.72 in 1976 to 5.03 in 1987, while the marital total fertility rate for Mexico as a whole declined from 9.04 in 1976 to 5.85 in 1987. The indices of fertility control showed slowly increasing use of contraception in rural areas starting from the very low level of 1969. The urban index of fertility control showed some contraceptive use for all age groups in all surveys. The increases in contraceptive usage were considerable in rural areas from 1976-82 and much less marked in urban areas. From 1982-87 the inverse was observed and the fertility decline in urban areas was more marked. The condition of natural fertility found in rural areas in 1969 subsequently disappeared. Over time, fertility decline and use of contraception have intensified. Contraception is widely practiced in urban areas and is continuing to become more prevalent. The rural fertility decline in 1976-82 suggests that at least sometimes increases in fertility control are more important in rural areas than in urban areas. The theory of modernization, which holds that fertility decline in developed countries is attributable to factors associated with the process of modernization, thus comes into question. However, it is probable that a sustained fertility

Climate shocks and rural-urban migration in Mexico: Exploring nonlinearities and thresholds

Science.gov (United States)

Nawrotzki, Raphael J.; DeWaard, Jack; Bakhtsiyarava, Maryia; Ha, Jasmine Trang

2016-01-01

Adverse climatic conditions may differentially drive human migration patterns between rural and urban areas, with implications for changes in population composition and density, access to infrastructure and resources, and the delivery of essential goods and services. However, there is little empirical evidence to support this notion. In this study, we investigate the relationship between climate shocks and migration between rural and urban areas within Mexico. We combine individual records from the 2000 and 2010 Mexican censuses (n=683,518) with high-resolution climate data from Terra Populus that are linked to census data at the municipality level (n=2,321). We measure climate shocks as monthly deviation from a 30-year (1961-1990) long-term climate normal period, and uncover important nonlinearities using quadratic and cubic specifications. Satellite-based measures of urban extents allow us to classify migrant-sending and migrant-receiving municipalities as rural or urban to examine four internal migration patterns: rural-urban, rural-rural, urban-urban, and urban-rural. Among our key findings, results from multilevel models reveal that each additional drought month increases the odds of rural-urban migration by 3.6%. In contrast, the relationship between heat months and rural-urban migration is nonlinear. After a threshold of ~34 heat months is surpassed, the relationship between heat months and rural-urban migration becomes positive and progressively increases in strength. Policy and programmatic interventions may therefore reduce climate induced rural-urban migration in Mexico through rural climate change adaptation initiatives, while also assisting rural migrants in finding employment and housing in urban areas to offset population impacts. PMID:28435176

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.

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...

Stand-Alone Photovoltaic System Assessment in Warmer Urban Areas in Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto-Jesus Perea-Moreno

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to examine the possibility of using a stand-alone photovoltaic system (SAPVS for electricity generation in urban areas in Southern Mexico. In Mexico, an urban area is defined as an area where more than 2500 inhabitants live. Due to constant migration from the countryside to the cities, the number of inhabitants of urban localities has been increasing. Global horizontal irradiation (GHI data were recorded every 10 min during 2014–2016 in Coatzacoalcos in the state of Veracruz located on 18°08′09″ N and 94°27′48″ W. In this study, batteries represented 77% of the total cost, 12 PV panels of 310 W could export 5.41 MWh to the grid, and an inverter with an integrated controller and charger was selected, which decreased the initial cost. The city of Coatzacoalcos was chosen because the average annual temperature is 28°, with an average relative humidity of 75% and an average irradiance of 5.3 kWh/m2/day. An emission factor 0.505 tCO2/MWh of greenhouse gases (GHG were obtained, based on the power system, the reduction of net annual GHG would be 11 tCO2 and a financial revenue of 36.951 × 103 $/tCO2 would be obtained. Financial parameters such as a 36.3% Internal Rate Return (IRR and 3.4 years payback show the financial viability of this investment. SAPVSs in urban areas in Mexico could be a benefit as long as housing has a high consumption of electricity.

Urban planning and habitat III: indications of a necessary reform for Mexico

OpenAIRE

Juan Jose Gutierrez Chaparro

2018-01-01

Initiatives are being promoted to implement the New Urban Agenda in several cities around the world. This occurs about a year after the New Agenda was adopted in Habitat III. Accelerated urbanization and the aspiration to achieve a sustainable development are the common axes that coincide with Mexico, although our cities continue to grow well beyond any forecasting strategy. The Urban Development Plans in our country follow the same precepts as their predecessors, whose bases correspond to th...

A Mediterranean atmospheric observatory in Corsica within the framework of HyMEx, ChArMEx and MERMEx

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, D.

2009-04-01

Corsica is an island, located in the remote western Mediterranean Sea, regularly affected by intense meteorological events: windstorms, heavy precipitation, waves and coastal erosion, drought, forest fire, and lightning as a result of its topography. All these events are crucial for the economic activity of Corsica, which is mainly based on tourism, nautical activities, agriculture and farming. In spite of recent improvements in operational forecasting, numerical weather predictions regularly fail to reproduce the intensity and distribution of precipitation of heavy rainstorms at the mesoscale. Local weather forecasters still have difficulties in predicting such precipitation events, particularly over the sea close to complex topography. Corsica is also relevant for the study of most of intense precipitation cases affecting continental south eastern France and northern Italy, which are generally characterized by low level warm and wet fluxes from the south channelled not only by the continental orography but also by the Corsica-Sardinia island ridges. An upstream following of such heavy rainfall further south in the Mediterranean basin should allow a preconditioning phase study. Its geographical situation would allow Corsica to play the as yet unexploited role of a "sentry" for these events. In addition, Corsica is located near the most cyclogenetic area of the western Mediterranean basin. In addition and due to the presence of various aerosol types over the Mediterranean region, such as mineral dust particles (mostly transported from the Saharan-Libyan deserts), anthropogenic aerosols (due to urban and industrial activities along the Mediterranean coast), but also biomass burning from forest fires and marine aerosols, atmospheric particles are likely to have a significant impact on the regional climate and on the hydrological cycle over the Med. basin. In parallel and due to high deposition fluxes of desert dust and anthropogenic aerosols (which sources are close

Välis-Eesti meets tex-mex / Moonika Siimets

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Siimets, Moonika, 1980-

2012-01-01

Portreelugu Torontos väliseesti perekonnas sündinud ja paljudes riikides elanud ning kokana töötanud Kristina Luppist, kes sattus Tallinnasse elama seoses Nõukogude Eesti toidukultuurist magistritööd kirjutades. Tex-Mex toiduretseptid s.h Margarita ja Guacamole

Geo Uruguay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-06-01

This book is based on the Geo Uruguay project which consists on the analysis and diagnosis of the environmental impact in the human welfare. The main topics covered in the different chapters are: human welfare, geographical aspects, climate change, transport and energy, changes in land use, coastal features, biodiversity, industrial urbanization, waste and territorial ordering, energy offers like oil, wood, natural gas, coal and electricity

Geo-hydrological hazard and urban development in the Mediterranean area: an example from Genoa City (Italy)

Science.gov (United States)

Faccini, F.; Luino, F.; Sacchini, A.; Turconi, L.; De Graff, J. V.

2015-04-01

The Ligurian area has always suffered from significant geo-hydrological events causing casualties and serious damage. The atmospheric circulation in autumn and winter coupled with landform peculiarities are the main causes this hazard becoming a risk to human life, structures, and infrastructures. Genoa city and the surrounding metropolitan area are commonly subject to heavy rainfall that induces violent flash floods and many shallow landslides. The most recent rainfall events occurred on 9-10 October and 15 November 2014, again causing loss of human lives and widespread damage. A troubling trend since the beginning of the new century, is the recurrence of such events with greater frequency than in the past. The city of Genoa serves as a very interesting case-study for geo-hydrological risks. Cloudbursts of few hours seem to have a rainfall intensity basically greater than in the past; that causes increase of hydrometric levels of the watercourses that quickly reach alarming values close to the overflowing. This meteorological factor, added to growing urbanization of the valley floors and slopes located north of Genoa, has inevitably produced a general trend of increasing risk for the city. Urbanization is particularly notable for the narrowing process in all cross-sections of Genoa's watercourses, both in the main ones and in the secondary streams that flow directly into the Gulf of Genoa. The narrowing of the sections resulted from the increasing demand for new spaces owing to both industrial development (which started initially at the coastal areas of Genoa), and the growth of the Genoa population. The number of inhabitants grew from fewer than 200 000 at the beginning of the 19th century tool a peak of over 800 000 in the 1970s modifying the water balance of the basins and increasing the geo-hydrological risk in an unacceptable way. Among the important topics analyzed in this paper are: (i) the meteorological characteristics of these events, (ii) the changes in

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.

Bimodal Distribution of Risk for Childhood Obesity in Urban Baja California, Mexico

OpenAIRE

Wojcicki, Janet M.; Jimenez-Cruz, Arturo; Bacardi-Gascon, Montserrat; Schwartz, Norah; Heyman, Melvin B.

2012-01-01

In Mexico, higher socioeconomic status (SES) has been found to be associated with increased risk for obesity in children. Within developed urban areas, however, there may be increased risk among lower SES children. Students in grades 4–6 from five public schools in Tijuana and Tecate, Mexico, were interviewed and weight, height and waist circumference (WC) measurements were taken. Interviews consisted of questions on food frequency, food insecurity, acculturation, physical activity and lifest...

Mutation-Induced Population Shift in the MexR Conformational Ensemble Disengages DNA Binding: A Novel Mechanism for MarR Family Derepression.

Science.gov (United States)

Anandapadamanaban, Madhanagopal; Pilstål, Robert; Andresen, Cecilia; Trewhella, Jill; Moche, Martin; Wallner, Björn; Sunnerhagen, Maria

2016-08-02

MexR is a repressor of the MexAB-OprM multidrug efflux pump operon of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, where DNA-binding impairing mutations lead to multidrug resistance (MDR). Surprisingly, the crystal structure of an MDR-conferring MexR mutant R21W (2.19 Å) presented here is closely similar to wild-type MexR. However, our extended analysis, by molecular dynamics and small-angle X-ray scattering, reveals that the mutation stabilizes a ground state that is deficient of DNA binding and is shared by both mutant and wild-type MexR, whereas the DNA-binding state is only transiently reached by the more flexible wild-type MexR. This population shift in the conformational ensemble is effected by mutation-induced allosteric coupling of contact networks that are independent in the wild-type protein. We propose that the MexR-R21W mutant mimics derepression by small-molecule binding to MarR proteins, and that the described allosteric model based on population shifts may also apply to other MarR family members. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Generating a National Land Cover Dataset for Mexico at 30m Spatial Resolution in the Framework of the NALCMS Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Llamas, R. M.; Colditz, R. R.; Ressl, R.; Jurado Cruz, D. A.; Argumedo, J.; Victoria, A.; Meneses, C.

2017-12-01

The North American Land Change Monitoring System (NALCMS) is a tri-national initiative for mapping land cover across Mexico, United States and Canada, integrating efforts of institutions from the three countries. At the continental scale the group released land cover and change maps derived from MODIS image mosaics at 250m spatial resolution for 2005 and 2010. Current efforts are based on 30m Landsat images for 2010 ± 1 year. Each country uses its own mapping approach and sources for ancillary data, while ensuring that maps are produced in a coherent fashion across the continent. This paper presents the methodology and final land cover map of Mexico for the year 2010 that was later integrated into a continental map. The principal input for Mexico was the Monitoring Activity Data for Mexico (MAD-MEX) land cover map (version 4.3), derived from all available mostly cloud-free images for the year 2010. A total of 35 classes were regrouped to 15 classes of the NALCMS legend present in Mexico. Next, various issues of the automatically generated MAD-MEX land cover mosaic were corrected, such as: filling areas of no data due no cloud-free observation or gaps in Landsat 7 ETM+ images, filling inland water bodies which were left unclassified due to masking issues, relabeling isolated unclassified of falsely classified pixels, structural mislabeling due to data gaps, reclassifying areas of adjacent scenes with significant class disagreements and correcting obvious misclassifications, mostly of water and urban areas. In a second step minor missing areas and rare class snow and ice were digitized and a road network was added. A product such as NALCMS land cover map at 30m for North America is an unprecedented effort and will be without doubt an important source of information for many users around the world who need coherent land cover data over a continental domain as an input for a wide variety of environmental studies. The product release to the general public is expected

An overview of the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx)

Science.gov (United States)

Dulac, François

2014-05-01

The Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr) is a French initiative of the MISTRALS meta-programme (Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional And Locals Scales, http://www.mistrals-home.org). It federates a great number of national and international cooperative research actions aiming at a scientific assessment of the present and future state of the atmospheric environment in the Mediterranean Basin, and of its impacts on the regional climate, air quality, and marine biogeochemistry. The target is short-lived particulate and gaseous tropospheric trace species which are the cause of poor air quality events, have two-way interactions with climate, or impact the marine biogeochemistry, in a context of strong regional anthropogenic and climatic pressures. The six ChArMEx work packages include Emissions, Chemical processes and ageing, Transport processes and air quality, Aerosol-radiation-climate interactions, Deposition, and Present and future variability and trends. For several years, efforts have been deployed in several countries to develop (i) a network of relevant stations for atmospheric chemistry at background sites on islands and continental coasts around the basin and (ii) several intensive field campaigns including the operation of surface supersites and various instrumented mobile platforms (large and ultra-light aircraft, sounding and drifting balloons, ZeroCO2 sailboat). This presentation is an attempt to provide an overview of the various experimental, remote sensing and modelling efforts produced and to highlight major findings, by referencing more detailed ChArMEx presentations given in this conference and recently published or submitted papers. During the first phase of the project experimental efforts have been mainly concentrated on the western basin. Plans for the 2nd phase of ChArMEx, more dedicated towards the eastern basin, will also be given. In particular we plan to develop monitoring activities at

A Mediterranean atmospheric observatory in Corsica within the framework of HyMEx and ChArMEx

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, D.

2010-09-01

In the western Mediterranean basin, Corsica is at a strategic location for oceanographic and atmospheric studies in the framework of the Mediterranean projects HyMeX and ChArMEx. The development of a multi-site instrumented platform located on this island is the core of the project CORSiCA (Corsican Observatory for Research and Studies on Climate and Atmosphere-ocean environment). Several measurement sites are planned in various places in Corsica, but the main site gathering the largest panel of measurements will be located near Ersa at the northern tip of the island (Cap Corse). This area is relevant for many reasons: it is open to the Gulf of Genoa and is not impacted by local and regional anthropogenic inputs. In the close area of Ersa, five sites are particularly interesting: the Semaphore du Cap Corse belonging to the French Navy, the wind-mill farm on the mountain crest, two sites at Centuri and Tollare, and the Giraglia island. Contacts and partnerships have been established with local partners in Corsica: Departmental Centres of Météo-France (CDM 2B and CDM 2A), OEC (the Corsica environmental office, a regional agency co-funding the CORSiCA observatory), the University of Corsica, Qualitair Corse (the local air quality agency) and STARESO (Station de Recherches Sous-marines et Océanographiques, an oceanographic station located on the west coast of Corsica). CORSiCA will be operated for the HyMEx and ChArMEx Long Observation Period (LOP), Enhanced Observation Period (EOP) and Special Observation Periods (SOP). In addition, this observatory will also be of interest for the MERMEx experiment (Marine Ecosystems Response in the Mediterranean Experiment). Furthermore, it will be supported by the MOOSE network (Mediterranean Ocean Observing System on Environment) to maintain long-term observations of key atmospheric parameters on this site. In the present communication we will expose the scientific objectives and we will describe the type of instrumentation and

Change in Binge Eating and Binge Eating Disorder Associated with Migration from Mexico to the US

OpenAIRE

Swanson, Sonja A.; Saito, Naomi; Borges, Guilherme; Benjet, Corina; Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio; Medina-Mora, Maria Elena; Breslau, Joshua

2011-01-01

Exposure to Western popular culture is hypothesized to increase risk for eating disorders. This study tests this hypothesis with respect to the proposed diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder (BED) in an epidemiological sample of people of Mexican origin in Mexico and the US. Data come from the Mexico National Comorbidity Survey, National Comorbidity Survey Replication, and National Latino and Asian American Survey (N=2268). Diagnoses were assessed with the WMH-CIDI. Six groups were compared: Mex...

The urban and territorial planning during the last fifty years in mexico

OpenAIRE

Ortiz Macedo, Luis

2010-01-01

The urban and territorial planning in Mexico started late, and always federal, state and local governments haven’t been able to forecast the long term issues, but instead the long seventy years in which the governors were supported by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) started urban structures that were never finished by their successors. However, depending on successive Secretaries of State planning programs have been made relying on national and international specialists, but th...

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.

Sharing the load: Mex67-Mtr2 cofunctions with Los1 in primary tRNA nuclear export.

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Kunal; Majumder, Shubhra; Wan, Yao; Shah, Vijay; Wu, Jingyan; Huang, Hsiao-Yun; Hopper, Anita K

2017-11-01

Eukaryotic transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are exported from the nucleus, their site of synthesis, to the cytoplasm, their site of function for protein synthesis. The evolutionarily conserved β-importin family member Los1 (Exportin-t) has been the only exporter known to execute nuclear export of newly transcribed intron-containing pre-tRNAs. Interestingly, LOS1 is unessential in all tested organisms. As tRNA nuclear export is essential, we previously interrogated the budding yeast proteome to identify candidates that function in tRNA nuclear export. Here, we provide molecular, genetic, cytological, and biochemical evidence that the Mex67-Mtr2 (TAP-p15) heterodimer, best characterized for its essential role in mRNA nuclear export, cofunctions with Los1 in tRNA nuclear export. Inactivation of Mex67 or Mtr2 leads to rapid accumulation of end-matured unspliced tRNAs in the nucleus. Remarkably, merely fivefold overexpression of Mex67-Mtr2 can substitute for Los1 in los1 Δ cells. Moreover, in vivo coimmunoprecipitation assays with tagged Mex67 document that the Mex67 binds tRNAs. Our data also show that tRNA exporters surprisingly exhibit differential tRNA substrate preferences. The existence of multiple tRNA exporters, each with different tRNA preferences, may indicate that the proteome can be regulated by tRNA nuclear export. Thus, our data show that Mex67-Mtr2 functions in primary nuclear export for a subset of yeast tRNAs. © 2017 Chatterjee et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

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

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.

Landscape design or parameterization? Recent tendencies in geo-technologies for representing and planning urban territory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Clara Mourão Moura

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The text discusses the state-of-the-art of GIS Technologies in planning and management processes of urban and architectural spaces. It presents latest’s evolution in GIS methodology and applications, discussing how these resources have changed our way of representing and projecting territory. It discusses contemporaneous values, in interventions into urban spaces. The paper also presents legislation’s role in data registers and infrastructure, favoring wide employment of geoprocessing. It announces the arrival of new territorial representation logics, among which is azimuth visualization, considering mental maps, the employment of BIM (Building Information Modeling and the process of parameterization. It points out tendencies and values, such as being inter- operational, creating interpretative portraits for reality, producing simulated scenarios, investing in visualizing and involvement with communities, and fully employing geo-technologies, as aids for decision making. It defends that we are living a new paradigm on territorial planning: the Parametric Modeling of Territorial Occupation.

Summary of urban stormwater quality in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2003-12

Science.gov (United States)

Storms, Erik F.; Oelsner, Gretchen P.; Locke, Evan A.; Stevens, Michael R.; Romero, Orlando C.

2015-01-01

Urban stormwater in the Albuquerque metropolitan area was sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority, the New Mexico Department of Transportation, and the University of New Mexico. Stormwater was sampled from a network of monitoring stations from 2003 to 2012 by following regulatory requirements for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System stormwater permit. During this period, stormwater was sampled in the Albuquerque metropolitan area at outfalls from nine drainage basins with residential, industrial, commercial, agricultural, and undeveloped land uses. Stormwater samples were analyzed for selected physical and chemical characteristics, nutrients, major ions, metals, organic compounds, and bacteria.

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.

Impacts of using an ensemble Kalman filter on air quality simulations along the California-Mexico border region during Cal-Mex 2010 field campaign.

Science.gov (United States)

Bei, Naifang; Li, Guohui; Meng, Zhiyong; Weng, Yonghui; Zavala, Miguel; Molina, L T

2014-11-15

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of using an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) on air quality simulations in the California-Mexico border region on two days (May 30 and June 04, 2010) during Cal-Mex 2010. The uncertainties in ozone (O3) and aerosol simulations in the border area due to the meteorological initial uncertainties were examined through ensemble simulations. The ensemble spread of surface O3 averaged over the coastal region was less than 10ppb. The spreads in the nitrate and ammonium aerosols are substantial on both days, mostly caused by the large uncertainties in the surface temperature and humidity simulations. In general, the forecast initialized with the EnKF analysis (EnKF) improved the simulation of meteorological fields to some degree in the border region compared to the reference forecast initialized with NCEP analysis data (FCST) and the simulation with observation nudging (FDDA), which in turn leading to reasonable air quality simulations. The simulated surface O3 distributions by EnKF were consistently better than FCST and FDDA on both days. EnKF usually produced more reasonable simulations of nitrate and ammonium aerosols compared to the observations, but still have difficulties in improving the simulations of organic and sulfate aerosols. However, discrepancies between the EnKF simulations and the measurements were still considerably large, particularly for sulfate and organic aerosols, indicating that there are still ample rooms for improvement in the present data assimilation and/or the modeling systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

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.

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.

Multiple recombinants in two dengue virus, serotype-2 isolates from patients from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez-Ramirez, Gerardo; Diaz-Badillo, Alvaro; Camacho-Nuez, Minerva; Cisneros, Alejandro; Munoz, Maria de Lourdes

2009-12-15

Dengue (DEN) is a serious cause of mortality and morbidity in the world including Mexico, where the infection is endemic. One of the states with the highest rate of dengue cases is Oaxaca. The cause of DEN is a positive-sense RNA virus, the dengue virus (DENV) that evolves rapidly increasing its variability due to the absence of a repair mechanism that leads to approximately one mutational event per genome replication; which results in enhancement of viral adaptation, including the escape from host immune responses. Additionally, recombination may play a role in driving the evolution of DENV, which may potentially affect virulence and cause host tropism changes. Recombination in DENV has not been described in Mexican strains, neither has been described the relevance in virus evolution in an endemic state such as Oaxaca where the four serotypes of DENV are circulating. To study whether there are isolates from Oaxaca having recombination, we obtained the sequence of 6 different isolates of DENV-2 Asian/American genotype from the outbreak 2005-6, one clone of the C(91)-prM-E-NS1(2400) structural genes, and 10 clones of the E gene from the isolate MEX_OAX_1656_05. Evidence of recombination was found by using different methods along with two softwares: RDP3 and GARD. The Oaxaca MEX_OAX_1656_05 and MEX_OAX_1038_05 isolates sequenced in this study were recombinant viruses that incorporate the genome sequence from the Cosmopolitan genotype. Furthermore, the clone of the E gene namely MEX_OAX_165607_05 from this study was also recombinant, incorporating genome sequence from the American genotype. This is the first report of recombination in DENV-2 in Mexico. Given such a recombinant activity new genomic combinations were produced, this could play a significant role in the DENV evolution and must be considered as a potentially important mechanism generating genetic variation in this virus with serious implications for the vaccines and drugs formulation as occurs for other

Multiple recombinants in two dengue virus, serotype-2 isolates from patients from Oaxaca, Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cisneros Alejandro

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Dengue (DEN is a serious cause of mortality and morbidity in the world including Mexico, where the infection is endemic. One of the states with the highest rate of dengue cases is Oaxaca. The cause of DEN is a positive-sense RNA virus, the dengue virus (DENV that evolves rapidly increasing its variability due to the absence of a repair mechanism that leads to approximately one mutational event per genome replication; which results in enhancement of viral adaptation, including the escape from host immune responses. Additionally, recombination may play a role in driving the evolution of DENV, which may potentially affect virulence and cause host tropism changes. Recombination in DENV has not been described in Mexican strains, neither has been described the relevance in virus evolution in an endemic state such as Oaxaca where the four serotypes of DENV are circulating. Results To study whether there are isolates from Oaxaca having recombination, we obtained the sequence of 6 different isolates of DENV-2 Asian/American genotype from the outbreak 2005-6, one clone of the C(91-prM-E-NS1(2400 structural genes, and 10 clones of the E gene from the isolate MEX_OAX_1656_05. Evidence of recombination was found by using different methods along with two softwares: RDP3 and GARD. The Oaxaca MEX_OAX_1656_05 and MEX_OAX_1038_05 isolates sequenced in this study were recombinant viruses that incorporate the genome sequence from the Cosmopolitan genotype. Furthermore, the clone of the E gene namely MEX_OAX_165607_05 from this study was also recombinant, incorporating genome sequence from the American genotype. Conclusions This is the first report of recombination in DENV-2 in Mexico. Given such a recombinant activity new genomic combinations were produced, this could play a significant role in the DENV evolution and must be considered as a potentially important mechanism generating genetic variation in this virus with serious implications for

Urban guides: image and space invention in Mexico City

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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.

Mobility in the Urban Labor Market : A Panel Data Analysis for Mexico

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2000-01-01

We analyze mobility in urban Mexico between three labor market states: working in the formal sector, working in the informal sector, and not working. We use a dynamic multinomial logit panel data model with random effects, explaining the labor market state of each individual during each time period.

Educational and sex differentials in life expectancies and disability-free life expectancies in São Paulo, Brazil, and urban areas in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Beltrán-Sánchez, Hiram; Andrade, Flávia Cristina Drumond

2013-08-01

To estimate transition probabilities between disability states, total life expectancy, and the latter's decomposition into years spent disabled and disability-free by age, sex, and education among older adults in São Paulo, Brazil, and urban areas in Mexico. Applied a micro-simulation method (Interpolative Markov Chains) using longitudinal data. We found large between-country educational differences in incidence of and recovery from disability with higher rates in Mexico than in São Paulo, but no differences in mortality. Older adults in Mexico spent longer time being disability-free than in São Paulo for both levels of education. Males and females in São Paulo spent a larger fraction of their remaining life disabled at every age than their counterparts in urban areas in Mexico. There were educational differences in the prevalence of disability in São Paulo and urban areas in Mexico, and significant educational differences in disability incidence and recovery across sites.

Cervical cancer, a disease of poverty: mortality differences between urban and rural areas in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Palacio-Mejía, Lina Sofía; Rangel-Gómez, Gudelia; Hernández-Avila, Mauricio; Lazcano-Ponce, Eduardo

2003-01-01

To examine cervical cancer mortality rates in Mexican urban and rural communities, and their association with poverty-related factors, during 1990-2000. We analyzed data from national databases to obtain mortality trends and regional variations using a Poisson regression model based on location (urban-rural). During 1990-2000 a total of 48,761 cervical cancer (CC) deaths were reported in Mexico (1990 = 4,280 deaths/year; 2000 = 4,620 deaths/year). On average, 12 women died every 24 hours, with 0.76% yearly annual growth in CC deaths. Women living in rural areas had 3.07 higher CC mortality risks compared to women with urban residence. Comparison of state CC mortality rates (reference = Mexico City) found higher risk in states with lower socio-economic development (Chiapas, relative risk [RR] = 10.99; Nayarit, RR = 10.5). Predominantly rural states had higher CC mortality rates compared to Mexico City (lowest rural population). CC mortality is associated with poverty-related factors, including lack of formal education, unemployment, low socio-economic level, rural residence and insufficient access to healthcare. This indicates the need for eradication of regional differences in cancer detection. This paper is available too at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.

Forecasting urban growth across the United States-Mexico border

Science.gov (United States)

Norman, L.M.; Feller, M.; Phillip, Guertin D.

2009-01-01

The sister-city area of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, is known collectively as Ambos (both) Nogales. This area was historically one city and was administratively divided by the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. These arid-lands have limited and sensitive natural resources. Environmental planning can support sustainable development to accommodate the predicted influx of population. The objective of this research is to quantify the amount of predicted urban growth for the Ambos Nogales watershed to support future planning for sustainable development. Two modeling regimes are explored. Our goal is to identify possible growth patterns associated with the twin-city area as a whole and with the two cities modeled as separate entities. We analyzed the cross-border watershed using regression analysis from satellite images from 1975, 1983, 1996, and 2002 and created urban area classifications. We used these classifications as input to the urban growth model, SLEUTH, to simulate likely patterns of development and define projected conversion probabilities. Model results indicate that the two cities are undergoing very different patterns of change and identify locations of expected growth based on historical development. Growth in Nogales, Arizona is stagnant while the urban area in Nogales, Sonora is exploding. This paper demonstrates an application that portrays how future binational urban growth could develop and affect the environment. This research also provides locations of potential growth for use in city planning.

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.

South African oil dependency : geo-political, geo-economic and geo-strategic considerations

OpenAIRE

2012-01-01

Ph.D. There is little research undertaken on the economic assessment of oil security of supply from the dimensions of geo-politics, geo-economics and geo-strategy. This study seeks to bridge the gap by providing new analytical and empirical work that captures the impact of geo-politics, geo-economics and geo-strategy on oil supply, consumption and price. This study is the first to define, analyse and contextualise the South African oil security of supply from a geo-political, geo-economic ...

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...

What is the level of household gun ownership in urban Mexico? An estimate from the first Mexican survey on gun ownership 2017.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez Esparza, David; Hemenway, David

2017-12-20

Gun violence has increased in Mexico since the mid-2000s, but little is known about patterns of gun ownership. We examine the size and composition of the privately held urban firearm stock in Mexico, motivations for ownership, and attitudes about gun laws. To this end, a household telephone survey of 1361 adults living in nine Mexican cities was conducted in the summer of 2017. We find that few urban Mexican households contain guns. Most of those who report ownership possess one gun, having purchased it recently for self-defense. Few urban Mexican citizens plan to purchase a gun in the future. Respondents are more likely to believe that crime in Mexico would increase if guns were allowed in more places (ie, workplaces and motor vehicles). Evidence suggests urban Mexico has relative low rates of firearm ownership. Few city dwellers plan on obtaining a firearm in the near future. © 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 expressly granted.

Wind Energy Assessment for Small Urban Communities in the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico

OpenAIRE

Quetzalcoatl Hernandez-Escobedo

2016-01-01

Mexico needs to exploit its renewable resources and many studies have determined the great renewable potential it has using wind energy. However it is necessary to calculate the amount of this resource for small urban communities, which in this country lack essential services such as electricity. This study is focused in the Baja California Peninsula, using GIS as a tool to identify small urban zones with higher wind power. For this work data was analyzed from meteorological stations and reco...

Professionalism Mini-Evaluation Exercise in Finland: A preliminary investigation introducing the Finnish version of the P-MEX instrument.

Science.gov (United States)

Karukivi, Max; Kortekangas-Savolainen, Outi; Saxén, Ulla; Haapasalo-Pesu, Kirsi-Maria

2015-10-01

Teaching medical professionalism is increasingly acknowledged as an important aspect of medical education. The Professionalism Mini-Evaluation Exercise (P-MEX) is an assessment tool for evaluating medical professionalism, but no studies using it as a self-assessment instrument have been reported. This paper reports on a preliminary investigation of the Finnish version of the P-MEX instrument as an assessment and self-assessment measure. The sample in the present cross-sectional study comprised all 23 medical students and recent graduates (15 females and 8 males) participating in a summer school of psychiatry program in 2014. The two-month program combines clinical work with multifaceted teaching and intensive tutoring. At the end of the program, the participants' medical professionalism was assessed by the tutors and other members of the work community as well as the students themselves using the Finnish version of the P-MEX instrument. The P-MEX scores were compared, using the Friedman test. The mean values and SD for the P-MEX assessments were as follows: tutor assessment 3.26±0.21, work community assessment 3.32±0.26 and self-assessment 3.01±0.07. No significant gender differences were observed. The tutor and work community assessments were significantly correlated (r=0.573, p=0.040), but the self-assessment scores did not correlate with either of the other assessments. Overall, the students evaluated their skills significantly poorer in comparison to the other assessments. Although the small sample size limits the generalization of these preliminary results, the Finnish version of the P-MEX instrument appears to be a feasible measure of medical professionalism. The instrument can also be used as a self-assessment instrument, but subjective evaluations should be complemented with external assessments or feedback in order to take individual and cultural aspects into account.

Structural characterization of the principal mRNA-export factor Mex67–Mtr2 from Chaetomium thermophilum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aibara, Shintaro; Valkov, Eugene; Lamers, Meindert H. [MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH (United Kingdom); Dimitrova, Lyudmila; Hurt, Ed [Biochemie-Zentrum der Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 328, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Stewart, Murray, E-mail: ms@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk [MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH (United Kingdom)

2015-06-27

The crystal structures of the individual domains of the Mex67–Mtr2 complex from C. thermophilum have been determined and their arrangement in solution has been studied by SAXS. Members of the Mex67–Mtr2/NXF–NXT1 family are the principal mediators of the nuclear export of mRNA. Mex67/NXF1 has a modular structure based on four domains (RRM, LRR, NTF2-like and UBA) that are thought to be present across species, although the level of sequence conservation between organisms, especially in lower eukaryotes, is low. Here, the crystal structures of these domains from the thermophilic fungus Chaetomium thermophilum are presented together with small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and in vitro RNA-binding data that indicate that, not withstanding the limited sequence conservation between different NXF family members, the molecules retain similar structural and RNA-binding properties. Moreover, the resolution of crystal structures obtained with the C. thermophilum domains was often higher than that obtained previously and, when combined with solution and biochemical studies, provided insight into the structural organization, self-association and RNA-binding properties of Mex67–Mtr2 that facilitate mRNA nuclear export.

Structural characterization of the principal mRNA-export factor Mex67–Mtr2 from Chaetomium thermophilum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aibara, Shintaro; Valkov, Eugene; Lamers, Meindert H.; Dimitrova, Lyudmila; Hurt, Ed; Stewart, Murray

2015-01-01

The crystal structures of the individual domains of the Mex67–Mtr2 complex from C. thermophilum have been determined and their arrangement in solution has been studied by SAXS. Members of the Mex67–Mtr2/NXF–NXT1 family are the principal mediators of the nuclear export of mRNA. Mex67/NXF1 has a modular structure based on four domains (RRM, LRR, NTF2-like and UBA) that are thought to be present across species, although the level of sequence conservation between organisms, especially in lower eukaryotes, is low. Here, the crystal structures of these domains from the thermophilic fungus Chaetomium thermophilum are presented together with small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and in vitro RNA-binding data that indicate that, not withstanding the limited sequence conservation between different NXF family members, the molecules retain similar structural and RNA-binding properties. Moreover, the resolution of crystal structures obtained with the C. thermophilum domains was often higher than that obtained previously and, when combined with solution and biochemical studies, provided insight into the structural organization, self-association and RNA-binding properties of Mex67–Mtr2 that facilitate mRNA nuclear export

Characteristics of the NO-NO2-O3 system in different chemical regimes during the MIRAGE-Mex field campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Shon, Z.-H.; Madronich, S.; Song, S.-K.; Flocke, F. M.; Knapp, D. J.; Anderson, R. S.; Shetter, R. E.; Cantrell, C. A.; Hall, S. R.; Tie, X.

2008-12-01

The NO-NO2 system was analyzed in different chemical regimes/air masses based on observations of reactive nitrogen species and peroxy radicals made during the intensive field campaign MIRAGE-Mex (4 to 29 March 2006). The air masses were categorized into 5 groups based on combinations of macroscopic observations, geographical location, meteorological parameters, models, and observations of trace gases: boundary layer (labeled as "BL"), biomass burning ("BB"), free troposphere (continental, "FTCO" and marine, "FTMA"), and Tula industrial complex ("TIC"). In general, NO2/NO ratios in different air masses are near photostationary state. Analysis of this ratio can be useful for testing current understanding of tropospheric chemistry. The ozone production efficiency (OPE) for the 5 air mass categories ranged from 4.5 (TIC) to 8.5 (FTMA), consistent with photochemical aging of air masses exiting the Mexico City Metropolitan Area.

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)

Air Quality Deterioration of Urban Areas Caused by Wildfires in a Natural Reservoir Forest of Mexico

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Noel Carbajal

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Many regions of the world suffer loss of vegetation and reduced air quality due to wildfires. Studies on aerosol emissions by wildfires often discuss the negative effects of atmospheric contaminants from a regional or mesoscale perspective. The occurrence of wildfires reveals that a high percentage takes place close to large urban areas. Very high concentration of pollutants and PM10 particulate matter reach urban zones and millions of inhabitants. These events of high pollutant concentrations are seasonally recurrent. There are many large urban areas in the world that often undergo severe air deterioration due to wildfires smoke. We document the extreme impact of wildfire that occurs in the Protected Area of Flora and Fauna La Primavera located in neighborhood of Guadalajara, a large urban zone in Mexico. The simultaneous emissions of aerosols by 60 wildfires were simulated and compared with observed data. The plume generated by the wildfires reached large areas of the central part of Mexico. The principal characteristics of smog emissions (CO, NO2, and PM10 over the urban area were acceptably reproduced. Observed and modeled CO, PM10, and NO2 data indicated that aerosol plumes generated by the wildfires increased notably the concentrations over the metropolitan zone of Guadalajara.

Marginalization and health service coverage among indigenous, rural, and urban populations: a public health problem in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Roldán, José; Álvarez, Marsela; Carrasco, María; Guarneros, Noé; Ledesma, José; Cuchillo-Hilario, Mario; Chávez, Adolfo

2017-12-01

  Marginalization is a significant issue in Mexico, involving a lack of access to health services with differential impacts on Indigenous, rural and urban populations. The objective of this study was to understand Mexico’s public health problem across three population areas, Indigenous, rural and urban, in relation to degree of marginalization and health service coverage.   The sampling universe of the study consisted of 107 458 geographic locations in the country. The study was retrospective, comparative and confirmatory. The study applied analysis of variance, parametric and non-parametric, correlation and correspondence analyses.   Significant differences were identified between the Indigenous, rural and urban populations with respect to their level of marginalization and access to health services. The most affected area was Indigenous, followed by rural areas. The sector that was least affected was urban.   Although health coverage is highly concentrated in urban areas in Mexico, shortages are mostly concentrated in rural areas where Indigenous groups represent the extreme end of marginalization and access to medical coverage. Inadequate access to health services in the Indigenous and rural populations throws the gravity of the public health problem into relief.

Characteristics of the NO-NO2-O3 system in different chemical regimes during the MIRAGE-Mex field campaign

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. Tie

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The NO-NO2 system was analyzed in different chemical regimes/air masses based on observations of reactive nitrogen species and peroxy radicals made during the intensive field campaign MIRAGE-Mex (4 to 29 March 2006. The air masses were categorized into 5 groups based on combinations of macroscopic observations, geographical location, meteorological parameters, models, and observations of trace gases: boundary layer (labeled as "BL", biomass burning ("BB", free troposphere (continental, "FTCO" and marine, "FTMA", and Tula industrial complex ("TIC". In general, NO2/NO ratios in different air masses are near photostationary state. Analysis of this ratio can be useful for testing current understanding of tropospheric chemistry. The ozone production efficiency (OPE for the 5 air mass categories ranged from 4.5 (TIC to 8.5 (FTMA, consistent with photochemical aging of air masses exiting the Mexico City Metropolitan Area.

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

A Mediterranean atmospheric and oceanographic observatory in Corsica within the framework of HyMEx, ChArMEx and MERMEx

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, D.

2009-09-01

Corsica is an island located near the most cyclogenetic area of the western Mediterranean basin, south of the Gulf of Genoa. Corsica is regularly affected by intense meteorological events: windstorms, heavy precipitation, waves and coastal erosion, droughts, forest fires, and lightning. All these events are crucial for the economic activity of Corsica, which is mainly based on tourism, nautical activities, agriculture and farming. In spite of recent improvements in operational forecasting, numerical weather predictions regularly fail to reproduce the intensity and distribution of precipitation of heavy rainstorms at the mesoscale. Local weather forecasters still have difficulties in predicting such precipitation events, particularly over the sea close to complex topography. Corsica is also relevant for the study of most of intense precipitation cases affecting continental south eastern France and northern Italy: they are generally characterized by low level warm and moist air mass transport from the south, channelled not only by the continental orography but also by the Corsica-Sardinia islands ridge. In these situations, Corsica is located in the near upstream area of the flow finally generating the cyclogenesis and subsequent high impact weather over the Gulf of Genoa. Its geographical situation would allow Corsica to play the role of a "sentry", not yet exploited for these events. In addition and due to the presence of various aerosol types over the Mediterranean region, such as mineral dust particles (mostly transported from the Saharan desert), anthropogenic aerosols (due to urban and industrial activities mainly from its northern continental border), but also biomass burning aerosols from forest fires and marine aerosols, atmospheric particles are likely to have a significant impact on the regional climate and on the hydrological cycle over the Mediterranean basin. In parallel and due to high deposition fluxes of desert dust and anthropogenic aerosols (which

Identification of antibiotic resistant bacteria community and a GeoChip based study of resistome in urban watersheds.

Science.gov (United States)

Low, Adrian; Ng, Charmaine; He, Jianzhong

2016-12-01

Urban watersheds from point sources are potential reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, few studies have investigated urban watersheds of non-point sources. To understand the type of ARGs and bacteria that might carry such genes, we investigated two non-point source urban watersheds with different land-use profiles. Antibiotic resistance levels of two watersheds (R1, R3) were examined using heterotrophic plate counts (HPC) as a culturing method to obtain counts of bacteria resistant to seven antibiotics belonging to different classes (erythromycin, kanamycin, lincomycin, norfloxacin, sulfanilamide, tetracycline and trimethoprim). From the HPC study, 239 antibiotic resistant bacteria were characterized for resistance to more antibiotics. Furthermore, ARGs and antimicrobial biosynthesis genes were identified using GeoChip version 5.0 to elucidate the resistomes of surface waters in watersheds R1 and R3. The HPC study showed that water samples from R1 had significantly higher counts of bacteria resistant to erythromycin, kanamycin, norfloxacin, sulfanilamide, tetracycline and trimethoprim than those from R3 (Analysis of Similarity (ANOSIM), R = 0.557, p antibiotics tested, lincomycin and trimethoprim resistant bacteria are greater in abundances. The 239 antibiotic resistant isolates represent a subset of resistant bacterial populations, including bacteria not previously known for resistance. Majority of the isolates had resistance to ampicillin, vancomycin, lincomycin and trimethoprim. GeoChip revealed similar ARGs in both watersheds, but with significantly higher intensities for tetX and β-lactamase B genes in R1 than R3. The genes with the highest average normalized intensities in R1 and R3 were tetracycline (tet) and fosfomycin (fosA) resistance genes, respectively. The higher abundance of tetX genes in R1 is congruent with the higher abundance of tetracycline resistant HPC observed in R1 samples. Strong correlations (r ≥ 0.8) of efflux

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.

Georeferenced Population Datasets of Mexico (GEO-MEX): Raster Based GIS Coverage of Mexican Population

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Raster Based GIS Coverage of Mexican Population is a gridded coverage (1 x 1 km) of Mexican population. The data were converted from vector into raster. The...

CORSiCA Atmospheric Observatory: Intense activities in 2012 in the frame of HyMeX and ChArMEx

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, Dominique

2013-04-01

In the western Mediterranean basin, Corsica Island is at a strategic location for atmospheric studies in the framework of the Mediterranean projects HyMeX (Hydrological Mediterranean Experiment; http://www.hymex.org/) and ChArMEx (the Chemistry-Aerososl MEditerranean Experiment; http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) developped under the umbrella of the programme MISTRALS (Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional and Local Scales; http://www.mistrals-home.org). The development of a multi-sites instrumented platform located on this island is the core of the project CORSiCA (Corsican Observatory for Research and Studies on Climate and Atmosphere-ocean environment). CORSiCA is operated in the framework of the HyMEx and ChArMEx Long Observation Period (LOP), Enhanced Observation Period (EOP) and Special Observation Periods (SOP). In the present communication we will focus on the scientific objectives and describe the diversity of observations that have been performed by many institutes in Corsica in the frame of 2012 campaigns including HyMeX Special Observation Period 1 in autumn, ChArMEx pre-campaign and VESSAER in summer. Results from these campaigns will be illustrated and projects for future campaign activities and long-term monitoring in the framework of the CORSiCA Atmospheric Observatory will be presented (more details can be found in other more specific presentations). Acknowledgements are addressed to campaigns main sponsors: HyMeX: Météo-France, INSU, KIT; pre-ChArMEx: INSU, ADEME, CEA; VESSAER: FP7/Infrastructures/EUFAR, COST, Météo-France. The development of the CORSiCA platform is supported by Collectivité Territoriale de Corse (CPER) and EU FEDER funds.

Sex education and family planning services for young adults: alternative urban strategies in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Townsend, J W; Diaz de May, E; Sepúlveda, Y; Santos de Garza, Y; Rosenhouse, S

1987-01-01

In Mexico, youth face difficulties in obtaining reliable information on sex education and family planning through existing community programs. Two alternative strategies to provide these services are being tested in poor urban areas of Monterrey. In one experimental area, Integrated Youth Centers were established, which provide sex education and family planning services as well as counseling, academic tutoring, and recreational activities. In another area, trained young adults and community counselors work through informal networks to provide sex education and family planning information. Both utilization and the cost of these services are examined in the context of plans for expanding coverage in Mexico-U.S. border areas.

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)

Evaluation of a New Mexico Landrace and Two Commercial Chile (Capsicum annuum Cultivars under Four Furrow Irrigation Schedules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Israel Joukhadar

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Commercial and landrace chile (Capsicum annuum cultivars are cultivated under furrow irrigation systems in Northern New Mexico. Yield and physiological differences between commercial and landrace chile cultivars under furrow irrigation systems have not been evaluated. In 2011 and 2012 two commercial chiles, ‘Sandia’ and ‘NuMex Big Jim’, with one landrace chile, ‘Chimayo’, were evaluated under four irrigation schedules, with irrigation once every 7, 9, 11, and 13-days. These four schedules represent possible water availability for farmers in Northern New Mexico. In 2011 there were inconsistent yield patterns; fresh red chile yield of ‘Chimayo’ at the seven-day interval was 90% more than at the nine-day interval. ‘Sandia’ had 138% better yields at the seven- than at the nine-day interval. ‘Chimayo’ fresh green chile yields at the nine-day interval were 47% better than the seven-day interval. ‘NuMex Big Jim’ fresh green yields were 40% greater at the seven-day interval than the 13-day interval. In 2012 no yield components were statistically different for cultivars across irrigation intervals. This data shows commercial green and landrace chile cultivars can be furrow irrigated as water becomes available on 7, 9, 11, or 13-day intervals with no yield effect.

Translanguaging, TexMex, and Bilingual Pedagogy: Emergent Bilinguals Learning through the Vernacular

Science.gov (United States)

Sayer, Peter

2013-01-01

This article presents an ethnographic study of how bilingual teachers and children use their home language, TexMex, to mediate academic content and standard languages. From the premise that TESOL educators can benefit from a fuller understanding of students' linguistic repertoires, the study describes language practices in a second-grade classroom…

Water quality, discharge, and groundwater levels in the Palomas, Mesilla, and Hueco Basins in New Mexico and Texas from below Caballo Reservoir, New Mexico, to Fort Quitman, Texas, 1889-2013

Science.gov (United States)

McKean, Sarah E.; Matherne, Anne Marie; Thomas, Nicole

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Mexico Environment Department, compiled data from various sources to develop a dataset that can be used to conduct an assessment of the total dissolved solids in surface water and groundwater of the Palomas, Mesilla, and Hueco Basins in New Mexico and Texas, from below Caballo Reservoir, N. Mex., to Fort Quitman, Tex. Data include continuous surface-water discharge records at various locations on the Rio Grande; surface-water-quality data for the Rio Grande collected at selected locations in the Palomas, Mesilla, and Hueco Basins; groundwater levels and groundwater-quality data collected from selected wells in the Palomas and Mesilla Basins; and data from several seepage investigations conducted on the Rio Grande and selected drains in the Mesilla Basin.

Living with geo-resources and geo-hazards

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hangx, Suzanne|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/30483579X; Niemeijer, André|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/370832132

2015-01-01

Two of the key strategic topics on the European Committee’s Horizon2020 Roadmap revolve around geo-resources and geo-hazards, and their impact on societal and economic development. On the way towards a better policy for sustainable geo-resources production, such as oil, gas, geothermal energy and

Geo-information for sustainable urban development of Greater Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Science.gov (United States)

Günther, Andreas; Asaduzzaman, Atm; Bahls, Rebecca; Ludwig, Rüdiger; Ashraful Kamal, Mohammad; Nahar Faruqa, Nurun

2015-04-01

Greater Dhaka City (including Dhaka and five adjacent municipal areas) is one of the fastest developing urban regions in the world. Densely build-up areas in the developed metropolitan area of Dhaka City are subject to extensive restructuring as common six-storied buildings are replaced by higher and heavier constructions. Additional stories are built on existing houses, frequently exceeding the allowable bearing pressure on the subsoil as supported by the foundations. In turn, newly developing areas are projected in marshy areas modified by extensive, largely unengineered landfills. In many areas, these terrains bear unfavorable building ground conditions, and reliable geospatial information is a major prerequisite for risk-sensitive urban planning. Within a collaborative technical cooperation project between Bangladesh and Germany, BGR supports GSB in the provision of geo-information for the Capital Development authority (RAJUK). For general urban planning, RAJUK successively develops a detailed area plan (DAP) at scale 1 : 50000 for the whole Greater Dhaka City area. Geospatial information have not been considered in the present DAP. Within the project, GSB prepared a detailed geomorphologic map matching the DAP both in areal extent and scale. The geomorphological setting can be used as an important spatial proxy for the characterization of the subsurface since highly segmented, elevated terraces consisting of consolidated sandy Pliocene deposits overlain by stiff Plio-Pleistocene sediments are sharply bordered by low lying-areas. The floodplain and marsh areas are consisting of thick, mechanically weak Holocene fluvial sandy-silty sediments that are sometimes alternated by organic layers. A first expert-based engineering geological reclassification of the geomorphological map resulting in five building ground suitability classes is highly supported by the spatial analysis of extensive archive borehole information consisting of depth-continuous standard

A brief overview of the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx) database and campaign operation centre (ChOC)

Science.gov (United States)

Ferré, Hélène; Dulac, François; Belmahfoud, Nizar; Brissebrat, Guillaume; Cloché, Sophie; Descloitres, Jacques; Fleury, Laurence; Focsa, Loredana; Henriot, Nicolas; Ramage, Karim; Vermeulen, Anne

2016-04-01

Initiated in 2010 in the framework of the multidisciplinary research programme MISTRALS (Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional and Local Scales; http:www.mistrals-home.org), the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) aims at federating the scientific community for an updated assessment of the present and future state of the atmospheric environment in the Mediterranean Basin, and of its impacts on the regional climate, air quality, and marine biogeochemistry. The project combines mid- and long-term monitoring, intensive field campaigns, use of satellite data, and modelling studies. In this presentation we provide an overview of the campaign operation centre (http://choc.sedoo.fr/) and project database (http://mistrals.sedoo.fr/ChArMEx), at the end of the first experimental phase of the project that included a series of large campaigns based on airborne means (including balloons and various aircraft) and a network of surface stations. Those campaigns were performed mainly in the western Mediterranean basin in the summer of 2012, 2013 and 2014 with the help of the ChArMEx Operation Centre (ChOC), an open web site that has the objective to gather and display daily quick-looks from model forecasts and near-real time in situ and remote sensing observations of physical and chemical weather conditions relevant for the everyday campaign operation decisions. The ChOC is also useful for post campaign analyses and can be completed with a number of quick-looks of campaign results obtained later in order to offer an easy access to, and comprehensive view of all available data during the campaign period. The items included are selected according to the objectives and location of the given campaigns. The second experimental phase of ChArMEx from 2015 on is more focused on the eastern basin. In addition, the project operation centre is planned to be adapted for a joint MERMEX-ChArMEx oceanographic cruise (PEACETIME) for a study at

Geographical Simulation and Optimization System (GeoSOS and Its Application in the Analysis of Geographic National Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LI Xia

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Since the Chinese first survey on geographic national conditions has completed, an urgent need is to analyze these geographical data, such as mining of spatial distribution patterns, land use transition rules, development trends. The analysis is crucial for extracting the knowledge from these big data about geographic national conditions. The remote sensing interpretation data and land use/cover data generated by these geographic national conditions monitoring projects are the basic data sources for a variety of research and applications in terms of land use change detection, urban dynamic analysis, and urban/land use planning. The information can be used for assisting in the coordination of land resource use and decision making for urban and rural development, ecological environment protection and other issues that depends on spatial intelligent decisions. We proposed the theoretical framework of geographical simulation and optimization system (GeoSOS, which coupled geographic process simulation/prediction and spatial optimization, provides powerful theoretical support and practical tools for above researches. This paper develops the extension of GeoSOS software-GeoSOS for ArcGIS, which is an ArcGIS Add-In runs on ArcGIS platform for facilitating the above analyses. We take the urban expansion and ecological protection research in rapid urbanization area as an example, use the software to tackle a series of urbanization issues in the study area. The simulation results show that the predicted land development intensity of Guangdong Province will exceed the constraint index in 2020 according to the national development plan. However, the urbanization expansion based on the constraints of land development intensity and ecological protection can satisfy these constraints, and obtain a more compact landscape pattern. The analysis has shown that GeoSOS can be a useful tool for assisting in the analysis of geographic national conditions information

Reuse of wastewater in urban farming and urban planning ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ISHIOMA

status of wastewater reuse in urban farming in Katsina, an important urban area in the semi arid ... officially registered with the Katsina Urban Planning Authority. ..... crop production in the water-short Guanajuato river basin. Mexico. Res. Rep.

The Teamwork Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (T-MEX): a workplace-based assessment focusing on collaborative competencies in health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Olupeliyawa, Asela M; O'Sullivan, Anthony J; Hughes, Chris; Balasooriya, Chinthaka D

2014-02-01

Teamwork is an important and challenging area of learning during the transition from medical graduate to intern. This preliminary investigation examined the psychometric and logistic properties of the Teamwork Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (T-MEX) for the workplace-based assessment of key competencies in working with health care teams. The authors designed the T-MEX for direct observation and assessment of six collaborative behaviors in seven clinical situations important for teamwork, feedback, and reflection. In 2010, they tested it on University of New South Wales senior medical students during their last six-week clinical term to investigate its overall utility, including validity and reliability. Assessors rated students in different situations on the extent to which they met expectations for interns for each collaborative behavior. Both assessors and students rated the tool's usefulness and feasibility. Assessment forms for 88 observed encounters were submitted by 25 students. The T-MEX was suited to a broad range of collaborative clinical practice situations, as evidenced by the encounter types and the behaviors assessed by health care team members. The internal structure of the behavior ratings indicated construct validity. A generalizability study found that eight encounters were adequate for high-stakes measurement purposes. The mean times for observation and feedback and the participants' perceptions suggested usefulness for feedback and feasibility in busy clinical settings. Findings suggest that the T-MEX has good utility for assessing trainee competence in working with health care teams. It fills a gap within the suite of existing tools for workplace-based assessment of professional attributes.

Specific infant feeding practices do not consistently explain variation in anthropometry at age 1 year in urban United States, Mexico, and China cohorts.

Science.gov (United States)

Woo, Jessica G; Guerrero, M Lourdes; Ruiz-Palacios, Guillermo M; Peng, Yong-mei; Herbers, Patricia M; Yao, Wen; Ortega, Hilda; Davidson, Barbara S; McMahon, Robert J; Morrow, Ardythe L

2013-02-01

Infant feeding practices generally influence infant growth, but it is unclear how introduction of specific foods affects growth across global populations. We studied 3 urban populations in the Global Exploration of Human Milk study to determine the association between infant feeding and anthropometry at 1 y of age. Three hundred sixty-five breastfeeding mother-infant pairs (120 US, 120 China, and 125 Mexico) were recruited soon after the infant's birth. Enrollment required agreement to breastfeed ≥75% for at least 3 mo. Weekly, 24-h, food frequency data were conducted on infants for 1 y and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) duration and timing of specific complementary food introduction were calculated. Weight and length were measured at age 1 y and anthropometry Z-scores calculated using WHO standards. Cohorts in the 3 urban populations (Shanghai, China; Cincinnati, USA; and Mexico City, Mexico) differed by median EBF duration (5, 14, and 7 wk, respectively; P Mexico City infants (P < 0.001). Adjusting for nonfeeding covariates, the only feeding variable associated with anthropometry was EBF duration, which was modestly inversely associated with weight-for-age but not length-for-age or BMI Z-scores at 1 y. Although feeding variables differed by cohort, their impact on anthropometry differences was not consistent among cohorts. Overall, across these urban, international, breast-fed cohorts, differences in specific feeding practices did not explain the significant variation in anthropometry.

Sources and transport of black carbon at the California-Mexico border

Science.gov (United States)

Shores, Christopher A.; Klapmeyer, Michael E.; Quadros, Marina E.; Marr, Linsey C.

2013-05-01

At international border areas that suffer from poor air quality, assessment of pollutant sources and transport across the border is important for designing effective air quality management strategies. As part of the Cal-Mex 2010 field campaign at the US-Mexico border in San Diego and Tijuana, we measured black carbon (BC) concentrations at three locations in Mexico and one in the United States. The measurements were intended to support the following objectives: to characterize the spatial and temporal variability in BC, to estimate the BC emission inventory, to identify potential source areas of BC emissions, and to assess the cross-border transport of BC. Concentrations at Parque Morelos, the campaign's supersite, averaged 2.2 μg m-3 and reached a maximum value of 55.9 μg m-3 (1-min average). Sharp, regularly occurring peaks around midnight were suggestive of clandestine industrial activity. BC concentrations were more than two times higher, on average, in Tijuana compared to San Diego. BC and carbon monoxide (CO) were strongly correlated at the three sites in Mexico. The ΔBC/ΔCO ratio of 5.6 ± 0.5 μg m-3 ppm-1 in Tijuana, or 4.7 ± 0.5 μg m-3 ppm-1 when adjusted for seasonal temperature effects to represent an annual average, was comparable to that in other urban areas. Tijuana's emissions of BC were estimated to be 230-890 metric tons per year, 6-23% of those estimated for San Diego. Large uncertainties in this estimate stem mainly from uncertainties in the CO emission inventory, and the lower end of the estimate is more likely to be accurate. Patterns in concentrations and winds suggest that BC in Tijuana was usually of local origin. Under typical summertime conditions such as those observed during the study, transport from Tijuana into the US was common, crossing the border in a northeasterly direction, sometimes as far east as Imperial County at the eastern edge of California.

MEX04/058 supporting the license renewal of the LVNPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz, A.; Arganis, C.; Viais, J.; Mendoza, G.; Lucatero, M. A.; Contreras, A.

2010-10-01

Nuclear power plants in the United States are authorized to operate for 40 years. However, this 40-year period was chosen based on economic considerations and not on technological restrictions or safety aspects. In general, the operation of equipment, systems and components in a nuclear power plant is subject to rigorous maintenance and inspection monitoring under strict surveillance programs throughout their life. In fact, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, in December 2009, 59 nuclear power plants in the United States had already reached the 40 years of the original operating license and carried out their renewal process, extending their operation for up to 20 more years. These 59 nuclear power plants carried out their renewal process, basing their operation mainly on safety reviews that validated the good working order of systems, structures and components, meeting the technical specifications required, as well as complying with the specific safety provisions for prolonging the use of a operating license. The owner is responsible for showing the Regulatory Agency that it is capable of effectively managing the aging of the systems, structures and components,guaranteeing their good working order during the renewal period. In the specific case of Mexico, Unit 1 of the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant (LVNPP) has an original 30-year license, with almost 20 years of proper operation, for which, in order to request a license extension, it is necessary to begin management activities, which allow for constituting and submitting the license renewal application to the Regulatory Agency in order to continue its commercial operation. This paper presents some of most important activities carried out by Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares and LVNPP in the international project MEX04/058, related to Plant Life Management as a support of the beginning of plant license renewal process. (Author)

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.

Deployment Area Selection and Land Withdrawal/Acquisition. Chapter 4. M-X/MPS (M-X/Multiple Protective Shelter). Volume 1. Environmental Consequences to the Study Regions and Operating Base Vicinities.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-10-02

and proposed Class I areas of White Mountain, Pecos, Wheeler Peak, Salt Creek, and Capulin Mountain, New Mexico were reflected in higher ratings...of - (N. Mex.) Salt Creek Harding None Within 100 mi of - (N. Mex.) Capulin Mountains Lea 14-TSP, 11-SO ,None Within 100 mi of - (N. Mex.) Il-NO , 1...CO, 1#-HC Sat Creek Quay 3-TSP, 1-SO , 1-NO ,None Within 100 ml of Near city of Tucumcari (N. Mex.) I-CO, f’-HC x None Capulin Mountains Roosevelt 5

Upgrades to the Mars Initial Reference Ionosphere (MIRI) Model Due to Observations from MAVEN, MEX and MRO.

Science.gov (United States)

Narvaez, C.; Mendillo, M.; Trovato, J.

2017-12-01

A semi-empirical model of the maximum electron density (Nmax) of the martian ionosphere [MIRI-mark-1](1) was derived from an initial set radar observations by the MEX/MARSIS instrument. To extend the model to full electron density profiles, normalized shapes of Ne(h) from a theoretical model(2) were calibrated by MIRI's Nmax. Subsequent topside ionosphere observations from MAVEN indicated that topside shapes from MEX/MARSIS(3) offered improved morphology. The MEX topside shapes were then merged to the bottomside shapes from the theoretical model. Using a larger set of MEX/MARSIS observations (07/31/2005 - 05/24/2015), a new specification of Nmax as a function of solar zenith angle and solar flux is now used to calibrate the normalized Ne(h) profiles. The MIRI-mark-2 model includes the integral with height of Ne(h) to form total electron content (TEC) values. Validation of the MIRI TEC was accomplished using an independent set of TEC derived from the SHARAD(4) experiment on MRO. (1) M. Mendillo, A. Marusiak, P. Withers, D. Morgan and D. Gurnett, A New Semi-empirical Model of the Peak Electron Density of the Martian Ionosphere, Geophysical Research Letters, 40, 1-5, doi:10.1002/2013GL057631, 2013. (2) Mayyasi, M. and M. Mendillo (2015), Why the Viking descent probes found only one ionospheric layer at Mars, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 7359-7365, doi:10.1002/2015GL065575 (3) Němec, F., D. Morgan, D. Gurnett, and D. Andrews (2016), Empirical model of the Martian dayside ionosphere: Effects of crustal magnetic fields and solar ionizing flux at higher altitudes, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 121, 1760-1771, doi:10.1002/2015/A022060.(4) Campbell, B., and T. Watters (2016), Phase compensation of MARSIS subsurface sounding and estimation of ionospheric properties: New insights from SHARAD results, J.Geophys. Res. Planets, 121, 180-193, doi:10.1002/2015JE004917.

Characterization of tobacco geminiviruses in the Old and New World.

Science.gov (United States)

Paximadis, M; Idris, A M; Torres-Jerez, I; Villarreal, A; Rey, M E; Brown, J K

1999-01-01

Biological differences and molecular variability between six phenotypically distinct tobacco-infecting geminivirus isolates from southern Africa (Zimbabwe) and Mexico were investigated. Host range studies conducted with tobacco virus isolates ZIM H from Zimbabwe and MEX 15 and MEX 32 from Mexico indicated all had narrow host ranges restricted to the Solanaceae. Alignment of coat protein gene (CP) and common region (CR) sequences obtained by PCR, and phylogenetic analysis of the CP sequences indicated Zimbabwean isolates were distantly related to those from Mexico and that geographically proximal isolates shared their closest affinities with Old and New World geminiviruses, respectively. Zimbabwean isolates formed a distinct cluster of closely related variants (> 98% sequence identity) of the same species, while MEX 15 segregated independently from MEX 32, the former constituting a distinct species among New World geminiviruses, and the latter being a variant, Texas pepper virus-Chiapas isolate (TPV-CPS) with 95% sequence identity to TPV-TAM. Results collectively indicated a geographic basis for phylogenetic relationships rather than a specific affiliation with tobacco as a natural host. MEX 15 is provisionally described as a new begomovirus, tobacco apical stunt virus, TbASV, whose closest CP relative is cabbage leaf curl virus, and ZIM isolates are provisionally designated as tobacco leaf curl virus, TbLCV-ZIM, a new Eastern Hemisphere begomovirus, which has as its closest relative, chayote mosaic virus from Nigeria.

Development of Geo-Marketing

OpenAIRE

Tatiana Ozhereleva

2014-01-01

This article analyzes the state and development of geo-marketing. The author illustrates the multi-aspectedness of geo-marketing: applied technology and management technology. The article demonstrates that geo-marketing can be viewed as a reflection of the processes of co-evolution in society. The author brings to light the specifics of geo-marketing research and situational analysis in geo-marketing. The article describes applications of geo-marketing

Development of Geo-Marketing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiana Ozhereleva

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the state and development of geo-marketing. The author illustrates the multi-aspectedness of geo-marketing: applied technology and management technology. The article demonstrates that geo-marketing can be viewed as a reflection of the processes of co-evolution in society. The author brings to light the specifics of geo-marketing research and situational analysis in geo-marketing. The article describes applications of geo-marketing

Applying geo-spatial analysis in community needs assessment: Implications for planning and prioritizing based on data.

Science.gov (United States)

Baig, Kamran; Shaw-Ridley, Mary; Munoz, Oscar J

2016-10-01

Colonias are sub standardized and unincorporated areas located along the US-Mexico border, with severely lacking infrastructure. Residents have poor health and limited availability, accessibility and/or utilization of healthcare services in the region. Using 2006-2007 community needs assessment (CNA) surveys collected by the Center for Housing and Urban Development of Texas A&M University, 410 randomly selected surveys from Hidalgo County, Texas were analyzed. Descriptive and spatial analyses were performed and Odds ratio (OR) was calculated. Out of 410 surveys, 333 were geo-coded to identify areas most in need of dental and vision care. Two hospitals existed within 5 miles radius of the mean centers for the two areas. Distance to health care facility was not statistically predictive of the need of dental care OR=0.96 (95% CI=0.855-1.078, p value=0.492) and vision care OR=1.083 (95% CI=0.968-1.212, p value=0.164). Integrating spatial analysis and CNA enhances planning to improve service accessibility and utilization in underserved areas. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Specific Infant Feeding Practices Do Not Consistently Explain Variation in Anthropometry at Age 1 Year in Urban United States, Mexico, and China Cohorts12

Science.gov (United States)

Woo, Jessica G.; Guerrero, M. Lourdes; Ruiz-Palacios, Guillermo M.; Peng, Yong-mei; Herbers, Patricia M.; Yao, Wen; Ortega, Hilda; Davidson, Barbara S.; McMahon, Robert J.; Morrow, Ardythe L.

2013-01-01

Infant feeding practices generally influence infant growth, but it is unclear how introduction of specific foods affects growth across global populations. We studied 3 urban populations in the Global Exploration of Human Milk study to determine the association between infant feeding and anthropometry at 1 y of age. Three hundred sixty-five breastfeeding mother-infant pairs (120 US, 120 China, and 125 Mexico) were recruited soon after the infant’s birth. Enrollment required agreement to breastfeed ≥75% for at least 3 mo. Weekly, 24-h, food frequency data were conducted on infants for 1 y and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) duration and timing of specific complementary food introduction were calculated. Weight and length were measured at age 1 y and anthropometry Z-scores calculated using WHO standards. Cohorts in the 3 urban populations (Shanghai, China; Cincinnati, USA; and Mexico City, Mexico) differed by median EBF duration (5, 14, and 7 wk, respectively; P Mexico City infants (P < 0.001). Adjusting for nonfeeding covariates, the only feeding variable associated with anthropometry was EBF duration, which was modestly inversely associated with weight-for-age but not length-for-age or BMI Z-scores at 1 y. Although feeding variables differed by cohort, their impact on anthropometry differences was not consistent among cohorts. Overall, across these urban, international, breast-fed cohorts, differences in specific feeding practices did not explain the significant variation in anthropometry. PMID:23236024

Location Contexts of User Check-Ins to Model Urban Geo Life-Style Patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, Samiul; Ukkusuri, Satish V.

2015-01-01

Geo-location data from social media offers us information, in new ways, to understand people's attitudes and interests through their activity choices. In this paper, we explore the idea of inferring individual life-style patterns from activity-location choices revealed in social media. We present a model to understand life-style patterns using the contextual information (e. g. location categories) of user check-ins. Probabilistic topic models are developed to infer individual geo life-style patterns from two perspectives: i) to characterize the patterns of user interests to different types of places and ii) to characterize the patterns of user visits to different neighborhoods. The method is applied to a dataset of Foursquare check-ins of the users from New York City. The co-existence of several location contexts and the corresponding probabilities in a given pattern provide useful information about user interests and choices. It is found that geo life-style patterns have similar items—either nearby neighborhoods or similar location categories. The semantic and geographic proximity of the items in a pattern reflects the hidden regularity in user preferences and location choice behavior. PMID:25970430

What is Urban? A study of census and satellite-derived urban classes in the United States (1990-2010) with comparisons to India and Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Balk, D.; Leyk, S.; Jones, B.; Clark, A.; Montgomery, M.

2017-12-01

Geographers and demographers have contributed much to understanding urban population and urban place. Yet, we nevertheless remain ill-prepared to fully understand past urban processes and our urban future, and importantly, connect that knowledge to pressing concerns such as climate and environmental change. This is largely due to well-known data limitations and inherent inconsistencies in the urban definition across countries and over time and spatial scales, and because urban models and definitions arise out of disciplinary silos. This paper provides a new framework for urban inquiry in that it combines urban definitions used by the U.S. Census Bureau from 1990-2010 with newly available satellite-based (mostly Landsat) data on built-up area from the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL). We identify areas of agreement and disagreement, as well as the population distribution underlying various GHSL derived built-up land thresholds. Our analysis allows for a systematic means of discerning peri-urban areas from other types of urban development, as well as examines differences in these patterns at the national and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)-level. While we find overwhelming areas of agreement - about 70% of the census-designated urban population can be characterized as living on land that is at least 50% built-up - we also learn much of the significant heterogeneity in levels and patterns of growth between different MSAs. We further compare the US results with those for India and Mexico. This research unlocks the potential of such alternative measures for creating globally and temporally consistent proxies of urban land and may guide further research on consistent modeling of spatial demographic urban change, highly urgent for future work to distinguish between fine-scale levels of urban development and to forecast urban expansion.

EATING HABITS, DIETARY DIVERSITY AND APTITUDE FOR PRACTICING HORTICULTURE OF PERI-URBAN FAMILIES FROM CARDEL, VERACRUZ, MEXICO

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Marco Antonio Toral Juárez

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The urban and peri-urban families represent 75% of the Mexican population. The poverty and form of feed seem to be associated with obesity, degenerative diseases and malnutrition. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the eating habits and dietary diversity of Cardel city, Veracruz, Mexico peri-urban families and know the aptitude of families to practice horticulture at home. Dietary diversity was determined using the scoring method of staple foods. Eating habits and aptitude to practice horticulture were obtained by a survey type Likert scale. The 35% of the families presented good eating habits, 19% regular and 46% of households showed poor dietary habits. Dietary diversity was 29.4 ± 8.7 in primary foods. The Likert general index was 2.9 and represented an average availability to practice peri-urban horticulture. Food diversity of families peri-urban is a function of family economic capacity, in contrast, food habits and socioeconomic status are not associated and finally there were identified multiple factors that positively influence the willingness of the mother of family to practice horticulture.

Geo-spatial technologies in urban environments policy, practice, and pixels

CERN Document Server

Jensen, Ryan R; McLean, Daniel

2004-01-01

Using Geospatial Technologies in Urban Environments simultaneously fills two gaping vacuums in the scholarly literature on urban geography. The first is the clear and straightforward application of geospatial technologies to practical urban issues. By using remote sensing and statistical techniques (correlation-regression analysis, the expansion method, factor analysis, and analysis of variance), the - thors of these 12 chapters contribute significantly to our understanding of how geospatial methodologies enhance urban studies. For example, the GIS Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) has the largest m- bership of all the AAG specialty groups, followed by the Urban Geography S- cialty Group. Moreover, the Urban Geography Specialty Group has the largest number of cross-memberships with the GIS Specialty Group. This book advances this important geospatial and urban link. Second, the book fills a wide void in the urban-environment literature. Although the Annals of the Association of ...

Rush to the border? Market liberalization and urban- and rural-origin internal migration in Mexico.

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Villarreal, Andrés; Hamilton, Erin R

2012-09-01

In this study we examine the social and economic factors driving internal migration flows in Mexico. We pay particular attention to the effect that economic liberalization has had in encouraging migration to border cities. Our analysis of the origin and destination of migrants is carried out at a finer level of geographical detail than ever before. Microdata files from the 2000 population census allow us to distinguish urban- and rural-origin migrants to the largest 115 cities and metropolitan areas in the country. Our results indicate that economic liberalization, measured by the level of foreign investment and employment in the maquiladora export industry, strongly influences migrants' choice of destinations. However, economic liberalization fails to fully account for the attraction of the border, as do the higher emigration rates to the United States from border cities. Our analysis also reveals that migrants to the border region and to cities with high levels of foreign investment are younger, less educated and more likely to be men than migrants to other parts of Mexico. Rural migrants are significantly more likely to move to the border and to cities with high levels of foreign investment than urban migrants. The results of our study have important implication for other countries opening their economies to foreign investment and international trade. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

GEO-ECOLOGICAL PECULIARITIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION WITH OIL PRODUCTS EMITTED BY RAILROAD FACILITIES

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Senyushchenkova Irina Mikhaylovna

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Linear railroad facilities have been producing an adverse impact on the environment by polluting it with oil products for an extensive period of time. The authors of the article consider several mechanisms of contamination and the pattern of its spread into soils. Currently, areas that used to be unsuitable for development as urban lands for geological or environmental reasons are now being intensively developed. The study is exemplified by a city outstretched onto the complex terrain. Complex topography contemplates geological, tectonics-related, hydrological conditions, exogenous processes and anthropogenic factors. In this connection, the main purpose of the study is to analyze the geo-ecological factors that impact urban lands in complex geo-morphological conditions with a view to their functional use against minimal environmental risks to assure the most favorable conditions for humans. Towards this end, the authors have applied the following theoretical and practical methods of research, including a pilot study, namely (1 the geomorphological analysis of urban lands, (2 the monitoring and analysis of the anthropogenic impact produced onto various constituents of the environment, and (3 development of methods of functional use of urban lands in complex geomorphological conditions. The authors have monitored contaminated lands to develop their recommendations for their development in complex geomorphological conditions, namely: 1. Urban development planning should be performed with consideration for the geomorphological elements taken as a whole, as they are closely connected to one another. 2. Selection of methods of rehabilitation of urban lands must be preceded by the zoning of the territory based on its geological and environmental properties.

Geo-Neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dye, S.T.

2009-01-01

This paper briefly reviews recent developments in the field of geo-neutrinos. It describes current and future detection projects, discusses modeling projects, suggests an observational program, and visits geo-reactor hypotheses.

Geo-Neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dye, S.T. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2505 Correa Road, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822 (United States); College of Natural Sciences, Hawaii Pacific University, 45-045 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, Hawaii, 96744 (United States)

2009-03-15

This paper briefly reviews recent developments in the field of geo-neutrinos. It describes current and future detection projects, discusses modeling projects, suggests an observational program, and visits geo-reactor hypotheses.

Discussion on Sustainable Water Technologies for Peri-Urban Areas of Mexico City: Balancing Urbanization and Environmental Conservation

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Laura Essl

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Often centralized water supply, sanitation and solid waste services struggle to keep up with the rapid expansion of urban areas. The peri-urban areas are at the forefront of this expansion and it is here where decentralized technologies are increasingly being implemented. The introduction of decentralized technologies allows for the development of new opportunities that enable the recovery and reuse of resources in the form of water, nutrients and energy. This resource-oriented management of water, nutrients and energy requires a sustainable system aimed at low resource use and high recovery and reuse rates. Instead of investigating each sector separately, as has been traditionally done, this article proposes and discusses a concept that seeks to combine the in- and outflows of the different sectors, reusing water and other liberated resources where possible. This paper shows and demonstrates examples of different types of sustainable technologies that can be implemented in the peri-urban areas of Mexico City [rainwater harvesting, EcoSan and biofiltros (small constructed wetlands, and (vermi-composting]. An innovative participatory planning method, combining scenario development with a participatory planning workshop with key stakeholders, was applied and resulted in three concept scenarios. Specific technologies were then selected for each concept scenario that the technical feasibility and applicability was assessed. Following this, the resulting resource flows (nutrients, water and energy were determined and analyzed. The results show that decentralized technologies not only have the potential to deliver adequate water supply, sanitation and solid waste services in peri-urban areas and lessen environmental pollution, but also can recover significant amounts of resources thereby saving costs and providing valuable inputs in, for instance, the agricultural sector. Social acceptance of the technologies and institutional cooperation, however, is

Discussion on Sustainable Water Technologies for Peri-Urban Areas of Mexico City: Balancing Urbanization and Environmental Conservation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiemen A. Nanninga

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Often centralized water supply, sanitation and solid waste services struggle to keep up with the rapid expansion of urban areas. The peri-urban areas are at the forefront of this expansion and it is here where decentralized technologies are increasingly being implemented. The introduction of decentralized technologies allows for the development of new opportunities that enable the recovery and reuse of resources in the form of water, nutrients and energy. This resource-oriented management of water, nutrients and energy requires a sustainable system aimed at low resource use and high recovery and reuse rates. Instead of investigating each sector separately, as has been traditionally done, this article proposes and discusses a concept that seeks to combine the in- and outflows of the different sectors, reusing water and other liberated resources where possible. This paper shows and demonstrates examples of different types of sustainable technologies that can be implemented in the peri-urban areas of Mexico City [rainwater harvesting, EcoSan and biofiltros (small constructed wetlands, and (vermi-composting]. An innovative participatory planning method, combining scenario development with a participatory planning workshop with key stakeholders, was applied and resulted in three concept scenarios. Specific technologies were then selected for each concept scenario that the technical feasibility and applicability was assessed. Following this, the resulting resource flows (nutrients, water and energy were determined and analyzed. The results show that decentralized technologies not only have the potential to deliver adequate water supply, sanitation and solid waste services in peri-urban areas and lessen environmental pollution, but also can recover significant amounts of resources thereby saving costs and providing valuable inputs in, for instance, the agricultural sector. Social acceptance of the technologies and institutional cooperation

Urban bound migration and rural investment: the case of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Silvers, A L; Crosson, P

1983-02-01

The authors investigate an agriculturally based policy for improving rural incomes and for retarding the rural-urban migration flow. The production of agricultural goods is characterized by a production function in which output increases with increases in agricultural labor inputs, capital, public infrastructure, land, and technology. Differences among regions in agricultural technology will reflect regional differences in education, the institutionalized form of productive organization, and differences in access to technological information channeled through more technically advanced cities. To pick up the effect of out-migration changes in state agricultural labor supply and upon agricultural output, the state's agricultural out-migration rate is included together with the agricultural labor force. The gross migrant flow between 2 locations is hypothesized to depend upon a set of variables influencing the individual's perception of the economic rate of return to be gained by moving, a set of variables reflecting the individual's propensity to relocate, the labor displacement effects of investments, and the at risk population at 1 location available to migrate. It is also taken into account that individuals differ in their response to information about origin and destination wage differentials and that individuals may or may not perceive a new ecnomic gain from migration but may base the decision on other considerations. Results of a statistical analysis using data from the Mexican census of population for 1960 and 1970 are: 1) size of the rural labor force was negatively associated with agricultural wages, contrary to expectations; 2) small farmers have benefited from the expansion of irrigation in Mexico; and 3) higher urban wages attract migration, and higher growth rate of agricultural income retards rural-urban migration. With respect to the 1950-60 decade both agricultural income and rural out-migration impacts could have been substantial but both the impact

New Mexico Urban Areas - Current

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census MAF/TIGER database. The Census MAF/TIGER database...

Wind Energy Assessment for Small Urban Communities in the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico

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Quetzalcoatl Hernandez-Escobedo

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Mexico needs to exploit its renewable resources and many studies have determined the great renewable potential it has using wind energy. However it is necessary to calculate the amount of this resource for small urban communities, which in this country lack essential services such as electricity. This study is focused in the Baja California Peninsula, using GIS as a tool to identify small urban zones with higher wind power. For this work data was analyzed from meteorological stations and recorded every 10 min for two years (2012–2014. Weibull distribution, linear regression, kriging interpolation, power and energy output and useful hours were calculated for each station. It was found that the total energy generated is 38,603,666 kWh per year and the mean of useful hours is 5220 h per year for the whole Peninsula. Maps of Wind Power Density (WPD show a good power per square meter, GIS shows the areas with the most wind power where it can be used i.e., the state of Baja California wind power can generate electricity for 12% of those communities, meanwhile for Baja California Sur, the electric power generation could electrify almost 25% of the total of small urban communities.

Trace Gas Retrievals from the GeoTASO Aircraft Instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Nowlan, C. R.; Liu, X.; Leitch, J. W.; Liu, C.; Gonzalez Abad, G.; Chance, K.; Cole, J.; Delker, T.; Good, W. S.; Murcray, F.; Ruppert, L.; Soo, D.; Loughner, C.; Follette-Cook, M. B.; Janz, S. J.; Kowalewski, M. G.; Pickering, K. E.; Zoogman, P.; Al-Saadi, J. A.

2015-12-01

The Geostationary Trace gas and Aerosol Sensor Optimization (GeoTASO) instrument is a passive remote sensing instrument capable of making 2-D measurements of trace gases and aerosols from aircraft. The instrument measures backscattered UV and visible radiation, allowing the retrieval of trace gas amounts below the aircraft at horizontal resolutions on the order of 250 m x 250 m. GeoTASO was originally developed under NASA's Instrument Incubator Program as a test-bed instrument for the Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) decadal survey mission, and is now also part of risk reduction for the upcoming Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) and Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) geostationary satellite missions. We present spatially resolved observations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde and sulfur dioxide over urban areas and power plants from flights during the DISCOVER-AQ field campaigns in Texas and Colorado, as well as comparisons with observations made by ground-based Pandora spectrometers, in situ monitoring instruments and other aircraft instruments deployed during these campaigns. These measurements at various times of day are providing a very useful data set for testing and improving TEMPO and GEMS retrieval algorithms, as well as demonstrating prototype validation strategies.

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.

The Initiative to extend Medicare into Mexico: a case study in changing U.S. Health Care Policy

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Roberto A. Ibarra

2011-10-01

Full Text Available This study examines the geo-political activities of interest groups, governments and multinational corporations involved in an initiative to extend Medicare to U.S. retirees residing in Mexico.  If the initiative to change the current Medicare policy succeeds, the relocation of Medicare-eligible populations from the U.S. to Mexico is likely to increase; the U.S. is expected to gain cost-savings for taxpayers on Medicare; Mexico can develop senior-housing and options for long-term care it currently lacks; and foreign-led multinational corporations will increase their profits and dominance, fostering even more privatization in Mexico’s health care sector. By exploring new issues about retirement migration and health this study seeks to gain knowledge about the phenomena in a number of areas.  First, the retirement migration of North Americans to Latin America is an under-studied phenomenon in the fields of social gerontology, migration research, and health policy studies.  Second, the Medicare in Mexico initiative is even less well-known among health policy scholars than the retirement migration phenomenon into Mexico. Yet this initiative is inherently international in scope and involves a number of US-based institutions and interest groups actively promoting the project from within Mexico. Thus, the initiative has important geo-political and socio-economic implications for reforming health care systems in the U.S. and Mexico.

Multidisciplinary Geo-scientific Hazard Analyses: Istanbul Microzonation Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Kara, Sema; Baş, Mahmut; Kılıç, Osman; Tarih, Ahmet; Yahya Menteşe, Emin; Duran, Kemal

2017-04-01

Istanbul (Turkey) is located on the west edge of North Anatolia Fault and hence is an earthquake prone city with a population that exceeds 15 million people. In addition, the city is still growing as center of commerce, tourism and culture that increases the exposure more and more. During the last decade, although Istanbul grew faster than ever in its history, precautions against a possible earthquake have also increased steadily. The two big earthquakes (in Kocaeli and Duzce Provinces) occurred in 1999 alongside Istanbul and these events became the trigger events that accelerated the disaster risk reduction activities in Istanbul. Following a loss estimation study carried out by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2001 and Istanbul Earthquake Master Plan prepared by four major universities' researchers in 2003; it was evaluated that understanding and analyzing the geological structure in Istanbul was the main concern. Thereafter Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's Directorate of Earthquake and Ground Research (DEGRE) carried out two major geo-scientific studies called "microzonation studies" covering 650 km2 of Istanbul's urbanized areas between 2006 and 2009. The studies were called "microzonation" because the analysis resolution was as dense as 250m grids and included various assessments on hazards such as ground shaking, liquefaction, karstification, landslide, flooding, and surface faulting. After the evaluation of geological, geotechnical and geophysical measurements; Earthquake and Tsunami Hazard Maps for all Istanbul, slope, engineering geology, ground water level, faulting, ground shaking, inundation, shear wave velocity and soil classification maps for the project areas were obtained. In the end "Land Suitability Maps" are derived from the combination of inputs using multi-hazard approach. As a result, microzonation is tool for risk oriented urban planning; consisting of interdisciplinary multi-hazard risk analyses. The outputs of

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.

Fluid migration through geo-membrane seams and through the interface between geo-membrane and geo-synthetic clay liner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barroso, M.

2005-03-01

Composite liners are used to limit the contamination migration from landfills. Their successful performance is closely related with the geo-membrane as it provides the primary barrier to diffusive and advective transport of contaminants. Critical issues on the performance of the geo-membranes are the seams between geo-membrane panels and the inevitable defects resulting, for instance, from inadequate installation activities. In landfills, where high density polyethylene geo-membranes are usually used, seams are typically made by the thermal-hot dual wedge method. A literature review on quality control of the seams showed that, in situ, fluid-tightness of seams is evaluated in qualitative terms (pass/failure criteria), despite their importance to ensure appropriate performance of the geo-membranes as barriers. In addition, a synthesis of studies on geo-membrane defects indicated that defects varying in density from 0.7 to 15.3 per hectare can be found in landfills. Defects represent preferential flow paths for leachate. Various authors have developed analytical solutions and empirical equations for predicting the flow rate through composite liners due to defects in the geo-membrane. The validity of these methods for composite liners comprising a geo-membrane over a geo-synthetic clay liner (GCL) over a compacted clay liner (CCL) has never been studied from an experimental point of view. To address the problem of fluid migration through the geo-membrane seams, an attempt is made to provide a test method, herein termed as 'gas permeation pouch test', for assessing the quality of the thermal-hot dual wedge seams. This test consists of pressurizing the air channel formed by the double seam with a gas to a specific pressure and, then, measuring the decrease in pressure over time. From the pressure decrease, both the gas permeation coefficients, in steady state conditions, and the time constant, in unsteady state conditions, can be estimated. Experiments were carried out

Migration, Business Formation, and the Informal Economy in Urban Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Riosmena, Fernando

2013-01-01

Although the informal economy has grown rapidly in several developing nations, and migration and informality may be related to similar types of credit constraints and market failures, previous research has not systematically attempted to identify if migrant households are more likely to start informal and formal businesses alike and if this association varies across local contexts. We examine the relationship between prior U.S. migration and the creation of both formal and informal businesses in urban Mexico using several criteria to indirectly assess sector location. We use data from 56 communities from the Mexican Migration Project to estimate multilevel survival and nonmultilevel competing risk models predicting the likelihood of informal, formal, and no business formation. The recent return migration of the household head is strongly associated with informal business creation, particularly in economically dynamic areas. On the other hand, migrants are only marginally more likely to start formal businesses in highly economically dynamic sending areas. PMID:23721676

Characterization of atmospheric bioaerosols at 9 sites in Tijuana, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Hurtado, Lilia; Rodríguez, Guillermo; López, Jonathan; Castillo, J. E.; Molina, Luisa; Zavala, Miguel; Quintana, Penelope J. E.

2014-10-01

The atmosphere is not considered a habitat for microorganisms, but can exist in the atmosphere as bioaerosols. These microorganisms in the atmosphere have great environmental importance through their influence on physical processes such as ice nucleation and cloud droplet formation. Pathogenic airborne microorganisms may also have public health consequences. In this paper we analyze the microbial concentration in the air at three sites in Tijuana, Mexico border during the Cal-Mex 2010 air quality campaign and from nine sites over the following year. Samples were collected by impaction with the air analyzer Millipore M Air T, followed by incubation and counting as colony forming units (CFU) of viable colonies. Airborne microbial contamination average levels ranged from a low of 230 ± 130 CFU/m³ in the coastal reference site to an average of 40,100 ± 21,689 CFU/m³ in the Tijuana river valley. We found the highest microbial load in the summer and the lowest values in the winter. Potentially pathogenic bacteria were isolated from the samples, with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis being most common. This work is the first evaluation of bioaerosols in Tijuana, Mexico.

Geo-neutrino Observation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dye, S. T.; Alderman, M.; Batygov, M.; Learned, J. G.; Matsuno, S.; Mahoney, J. M.; Pakvasa, S.; Rosen, M.; Smith, S.; Varner, G.; McDonough, W. F.

2009-01-01

Observations of geo-neutrinos measure radiogenic heat production within the earth, providing information on the thermal history and dynamic processes of the mantle. Two detectors currently observe geo-neutrinos from underground locations. Other detection projects in various stages of development include a deep ocean observatory. This paper presents the current status of geo-neutrino observation and describes the scientific capabilities of the deep ocean observatory, with emphasis on geology and neutrino physics.

Urban in-betweenness: Rotterdam / Mexico City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moniek Driesse

2017-02-01

Full Text Available ‘Urban in-betweenness’ offers a short reflection on the way conflicts on a global scale are perceived on an individual level within the urban context and how this will have spatial repercussions. Conflict is considered as an origin of urban resistance and a possible opening for innovation and intervention at a micro scale. The essay is a call to design researchers to re-codify the shattered urban elements in order to make new meaningful connections.

Water use competition scenarios during the upcoming development of shale gas reserves across the Mexican Eagle Ford play Image already added

Science.gov (United States)

Arciniega, S.; Breña-Naranjo, J. A.; Hernaández Espriú, A.; Pedrozo-Acuña, A.

2017-12-01

Mexico has significant shale oil and gas resources mainly contained within the Mexican part of the Eagle Ford play (Mex-EF), in the Burgos Basin located in northern Mexico. Over the last years, concerns about the water use associated to shale gas development using hydraulic fracturing (HF) have been increasing in the United States and Canada. In Mexico, the recent approval of a new energy bill allows the exploration, development and production of shale gas reserves. However, several of the Mexican shale gas resources are located in water-limited environments, such as the Mex-EF. The lack of climate and hydrological gauging stations across this region constrains information about how much freshwater from surface and groundwater sources is available and whether its interannual water availability is sufficient to satisfy the water demand by other users (agricultural, urban) of the region This work projects the water availability across the Mex-EF and its water use derived from the expansion of unconventional gas developments over the next 15 years. Water availability is estimated using a water balance approach, where the irrigation's groundwater withdrawals time series were reconstructed using remote sensing products (vegetation index and hydrological outputs from LSMs) and validated with in situ observed water use at three different irrigation districts of the region. Water use for HF is inferred using type curves of gas production, flowback and produced (FP) water and curves of drilled wells per year from the US experience, mainly from the Texas-EF play. Scenarios that combine freshwater use and FP water use for HF are developed and the spatial distribution of HF well pads is projected using random samples with a range of wells' horizontal length. This proposed methodology can be applied in other shale formations of the world under water stress and it also helps to determine whether water scarcity can be a limiting factor for the shale gas industry over the next

Natural hazards and urban policies in Mexico City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

François Mancebo

2009-07-01

of 1985, Mexico’s planners have attempted to address the questions of hazards and sustainability in the city’s new urban development policies. But although the various hazards have been clearly identified and appropriate responses determined, the latter have remained for the most part unimplemented. A normative approach that does not take into account the entire metropolitan area but uses the peripheral zones to improve the sustainability of central areas (a kind of imported sustainability at the metropolitan scale explains this situation. Local and national players regularly attempt to address the many hazards to which the city is exposed but ultimately seem to make very little progress. Their situation is a little like that of Sisyphus trying to push his rock up the hill, but in this case it is not really the rock that is the problem but rather the slope. In other words, the real problem for Mexico City is the substrate composed of local representations and uses of space that underlie the very foundations of Mexican society – and on which the rock rolls.

Channel erosion in a rapidly urbanizing region of Tijuana, Mexico: Enlargement downstream of channel hardpoints

Science.gov (United States)

Taniguchi, Kristine; Biggs, Trent; Langendoen, Eddy; Castillo, Carlos; Gudiño, Napoleon; Yuan, Yongping; Liden, Douglas

2016-04-01

Urban-induced erosion in Tijuana, Mexico, has led to excessive sediment deposition in the Tijuana Estuary in the United States. Urban areas in developing countries, in contrast to developed countries, are characterized by much lower proportions of vegetation and impervious surfaces due to limited access to urban services such as road paving and landscaping, and larger proportions of exposed soils. In developing countries, traditional watershed scale variables such as impervious surfaces may not be good predictors of channel enlargement. In this research, we surveyed the stream channel network of an erodible tributary of the Tijuana River Watershed, Los Laureles Canyon, at 125 locations, including repeat surveys from 2008. Structure from Motion (SfM) and 3D photo-reconstruction techniques were used to create digital terrain models of stream reaches upstream and downstream of channel hardpoints. Channels are unstable downstream of hardpoints, with incision up to 2 meters and widening up to 12 meters. Coordinated channelization is essential to avoid piece-meal approaches that lead to channel degradation. Watershed impervious area is not a good predictor of channel erosion due to the overriding importance of hardpoints and likely to the high sediment supply from the unpaved roads which prevents channel erosion throughout the stream network.

A study of cooperative urban district geoexchange for heating and cooling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-06-20

Natural gas is the largest source for home heating in Canada. However, natural gas prices are sensitive to falling continental supplies, and the increased penetration of natural gas-fired electricity generation in areas of North America is placing additional pressure on continental sources and prices. This feasibility study examined the use of urban geo-exchange projects and community power developers (CPD) to increase the number of geo-exchange units installed by reducing high upfront costs while improving market infrastructure and consumer awareness and confidence. The CPD will provide community building and resource development services in order to facilitate cooperatively owned organization's to manage shared geothermal assets. An urban block in Toronto was used as a case study of a potential redevelopment site. The study showed that a shared geo-exchange system will increase the per residence installation costs. It was concluded that CPDs will play an important role in increasing geo-exchange penetration by addressing the lack of public awareness in renewable energy systems. 3 tabs., 5 figs.

A study of cooperative urban district geoexchange for heating and cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

Natural gas is the largest source for home heating in Canada. However, natural gas prices are sensitive to falling continental supplies, and the increased penetration of natural gas-fired electricity generation in areas of North America is placing additional pressure on continental sources and prices. This feasibility study examined the use of urban geo-exchange projects and community power developers (CPD) to increase the number of geo-exchange units installed by reducing high upfront costs while improving market infrastructure and consumer awareness and confidence. The CPD will provide community building and resource development services in order to facilitate cooperatively owned organization's to manage shared geothermal assets. An urban block in Toronto was used as a case study of a potential redevelopment site. The study showed that a shared geo-exchange system will increase the per residence installation costs. It was concluded that CPDs will play an important role in increasing geo-exchange penetration by addressing the lack of public awareness in renewable energy systems. 3 tabs., 5 figs.

GeoServer cookbook

CERN Document Server

Iacovella, Stefano

2014-01-01

This book is ideal for GIS experts, developers, and system administrators who have had a first glance at GeoServer and who are eager to explore all its features in order to configure professional map servers. Basic knowledge of GIS and GeoServer is required.

Geo-engineering experiments in two urban ponds to control eutrophication

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waaijen, G.; Oosterhout, J.F.X.; Douglas, G.C.; Lurling, M.F.L.L.W.

2016-01-01

Many urban ponds experience detrimental algal blooms as the result of eutrophication. During a two year field experiment, the efficacy of five in situ treatments to mitigate eutrophication effects in urban ponds was studied. The treatments targeted the sediment phosphorus release and were intended

Geostationary Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics Imager (GEO CEDI) for the GEO Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO CAPE) Mission. Concept Presentation

Science.gov (United States)

Janz, Scott; Smith, James C.; Mannino, Antonio

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the concepts of the Geostationary Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics Imager (GEO CEDI) which will be used on the GEO Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO CAPE) Mission. The primary science requirements require scans of the U.S. Coastal waters 3 times per day during the daylight hours. Included in the overview are presentations about the systems, the optics, the detectors, the mechanical systems, the electromechanical systems, the electrical design, the flight software, the thermal systems, and the contamination prevention requirements.

Urban Magnetism Through The Lens of Geo-tagged Photography

OpenAIRE

Paldino, Silvia; Bojic, Iva; Sobolevsky, Stanislav; Ratti, Carlo; Gonzalez, Marta C.

2015-01-01

There is an increasing trend of people leaving digital traces through social media. This reality opens new horizons for urban studies. With this kind of data, researchers and urban planners can detect many aspects of how people live in cities and can also suggest how to transform cities into more efficient and smarter places to live in. In particular, their digital trails can be used to investigate tastes of individuals, and what attracts them to live in a particular city or to spend their va...

Coordinated Field Campaigns in Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Mannino, Antonio; Novak, Michael; Tzortziou, Maria A.

2015-01-01

NASA's GEOstationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) mission concept recommended by the U.S. National Research Council (2007) focuses on measurements of atmospheric trace gases and aerosols and aquatic coastal ecology and biogeochemistry from geostationary orbit (35,786 km altitude). Two GEO-CAPE-sponsored multi-investigator ship-based field campaigns were conducted to coincide with the NASA Earth Venture Suborbital project DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality) field campaigns: (1) Chesapeake Bay in July 2011 and (2) northwestern Gulf of Mexico in September 2013. Goal: to evaluate whether GEO-CAPE coastal mission measurement and instrument requirements are optimized to address science objectives while minimizing ocean color satellite sensor complexity, size and cost - critical mission risk reduction activities. NASA continues to support science studies related to the analysis of data collected as part of these coordinated field campaigns and smaller efforts.

Exploiting Deep Matching and SAR Data for the Geo-Localization Accuracy Improvement of Optical Satellite Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nina Merkle

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Improving the geo-localization of optical satellite images is an important pre-processing step for many remote sensing tasks like monitoring by image time series or scene analysis after sudden events. These tasks require geo-referenced and precisely co-registered multi-sensor data. Images captured by the high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR satellite TerraSAR-X exhibit an absolute geo-location accuracy within a few decimeters. These images represent therefore a reliable source to improve the geo-location accuracy of optical images, which is in the order of tens of meters. In this paper, a deep learning-based approach for the geo-localization accuracy improvement of optical satellite images through SAR reference data is investigated. Image registration between SAR and optical images requires few, but accurate and reliable matching points. These are derived from a Siamese neural network. The network is trained using TerraSAR-X and PRISM image pairs covering greater urban areas spread over Europe, in order to learn the two-dimensional spatial shifts between optical and SAR image patches. Results confirm that accurate and reliable matching points can be generated with higher matching accuracy and precision with respect to state-of-the-art approaches.

The Mexican hydro-meteorological disasters and climate network (redesclim) as model on outreach decision makers on disaster public policy in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Welsh-Rodriguez, C. M.; Rodriguez-Estevez, J. M., Sr.; Romo-Aguilar, M. D. L.; Brito-Castillo, L.; Salinas-Prieto, A.; Gonzalez-Sosa, E.; Pérez-Campuzano, E.

2017-12-01

REDESCLIM was designed and develop in 2011 due to a public call from The Science and Technology Mexican Council (CONACYT); CONACYT lead the activities for its organization and development among the academic community. REDESCLIM was created to enhance the capacity of response to hydro-meteorological disasters and climate events through an integrative effort of researchers, technologists, entrepreneurs, politicians and society. Brief summary of our objectives: 1) Understand the causes of disasters, to reduce risks to society and ecosystems 2) Support research and interdisciplinary assessment of the physical processes in natural and social phenomena to improve understanding of causes and impacts 3) Strengths collaboration with academic, government, private and other interdisciplinary networks from Mexico and other countries 4) Build human capacity and promote the development of skills 5) Recommend strategies for climate hazard prevention, mitigation and response, especially for hazard with the greatest impacts in Mexico, such as hurricanes, floods, drought, wild fires and other extremes events. We provide a continues communication channel on members research results to provide scientific information that could be used for different proposes, specificaly for decision makers who are dealing with ecological and hydro meteorological problems that can result in disasters, and provide a services menu based on the members scientific projects, publications, teaching courses, in order to impact public policy as final result. http://www.redesclim.org.mx. So far we have some basic results: Fiver national meetings (participants from 35 countries around the world), 7 Workshops and seminars (virtual and in-person), Climatic data platforms ( http://clicom.mex.cicese.mx, http://clicom-mex.cicese.mx/malla, http://atlasclimatico.unam.mx/REDESCLIM2/ ), climate change scenarios for the general public at http://escenarios.inecc.gob.mx, 14 seed projects, one model to hurricane simulation

Environmental Assessment for Operations, Upgrades, and Consolidation at the Western Command Site, New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

Mexico Environmental Geo ra hie InformationS stem Source: NNSA AOWC Agent Operations Westem Command ER Environmental restoration NNSA National...8217)’ UU1’ Cll TONGA TE J)oputy Secretaey RE: Kirtland Air Force Dase~ Environmental Assessment for Operations, Upgrades and Consolidation at the Western

The gap in human resources to deliver the guaranteed package of prevention and health promotion services at urban and rural primary care facilities in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcalde-Rabanal, Jacqueline Elizabeth; Nigenda, Gustavo; Bärnighausen, Till; Velasco-Mondragón, Héctor Eduardo; Darney, Blair Grant

2017-08-03

The purpose of this study was to estimate the gap between the available and the ideal supply of human resources (physicians, nurses, and health promoters) to deliver the guaranteed package of prevention and health promotion services at urban and rural primary care facilities in Mexico. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study using a convenience sample. We selected 20 primary health facilities in urban and rural areas in 10 states of Mexico. We calculated the available and the ideal supply of human resources in these facilities using estimates of time available, used, and required to deliver health prevention and promotion services. We performed descriptive statistics and bivariate hypothesis testing using Wilcoxon and Friedman tests. Finally, we conducted a sensitivity analysis to test whether the non-normal distribution of our time variables biased estimation of available and ideal supply of human resources. The comparison between available and ideal supply for urban and rural primary health care facilities reveals a low supply of physicians. On average, primary health care facilities are lacking five physicians when they were estimated with time used and nine if they were estimated with time required (P human resources in primary health facilities.

Mexico and Central America.

Science.gov (United States)

Bronfman, M

1998-01-01

This article reviews the literature on migration and HIV/AIDS in Mexico and Central America, including Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Most migrants travel to the US through Mexico. US-Mexico trade agreements created opportunities for increased risk of HIV transmission. The research literature focuses on Mexico. Most countries, with the exception of Belize and Costa Rica, are sending countries. Human rights of migrants are violated in transit and at destination. Migration policies determine migration processes. The Mexican-born population in the US is about 3% of US population and 8% of Mexico's population. About 22% arrived during 1992-97, and about 500,000 are naturalized US citizens. An additional 11 million have a Mexican ethnic background. Mexican migrants are usually economically active men who had jobs before leaving and were urban people who settled in California, Texas, Illinois, and Arizona. Most Mexican migrants enter illegally. Many return to Mexico. The main paths of HIV transmission are homosexual, heterosexual, and IV-drug-injecting persons. Latino migrants frequently use prostitutes, adopt new sexual practices including anal penetration among men, greater diversity of sexual partners, and use of injectable drugs.

IMP Supersite vs Pico de Tres Padres: The first few hours of mixing and oxidation during the MCMA-2006/MILAGRO Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

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

2007-05-01

The Aerodyne Research, Inc. (ARI) mobile laboratory was deployed in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) for the full month of March 2006 to support the MCMA-2006/MAX-Mex/MILAGRO research project activities, in collaboration with other MCMA-2006 research groups (see information on MCMA-2006/MILAGRO posted at http:www.mce2.org). The ratios of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to combustion tracer species such as CO and CO2 are compared at one of the supersites (T0) and Pico de Tres Padres. T0 (located at the Mexican Petroleum Institute, IMP) is heavily influenced by various emission sources in the local area, predominantly roadway traffic. Pico de Tres Padres is an isolated, privately owned mountain located within the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). It rises 1000 m above the MCMA basin floor and is located about halfway between T0 and T1. The airmasses analyzed at Pico de Tres Padres seem to be mixed urban emissions absent of high frequency spikes of CO, NO or CO2. Relationships between VOCs, and combustion tracers will be used to gain a crude understanding of the initial photochemical processing of the urban emissions. How the initial photochemical processing of Mexico City's air may relate to secondary aerosol production is also explored.

GEOS. User Tutorials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, Pengchen [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Settgast, Randolph R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Johnson, Scott M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Walsh, Stuart D.C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Morris, Joseph P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Ryerson, Frederick J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2014-12-17

GEOS is a massively parallel, multi-physics simulation application utilizing high performance computing (HPC) to address subsurface reservoir stimulation activities with the goal of optimizing current operations and evaluating innovative stimulation methods. GEOS enables coupling of di erent solvers associated with the various physical processes occurring during reservoir stimulation in unique and sophisticated ways, adapted to various geologic settings, materials and stimulation methods. Developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as a part of a Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Strategic Initiative (SI) project, GEOS represents the culmination of a multi-year ongoing code development and improvement e ort that has leveraged existing code capabilities and sta expertise to design new computational geosciences software.

Haplotype and nucleotide variation in the exon 3-VNTR of the DRD4 gene from indigenous and urban populations of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Aguirre-Samudio, Ana Julia; Cruz-Fuentes, Carlos Sabás; González-Sobrino, Blanca Zoila; Gutiérrez-Pérez, Verónica; Medrano-González, Luis

2014-01-01

To describe the population structure of the 48-bp variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR), located in exon 3 of the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4), in 41 Tarahumara from northern Mexico, 20 Mixe from southern Mexico, and 169 people from Mexico City. Genotypes for the DRD4-VNTR were determined, from which 15 Tarahumara, eight Mixe, and 37 urban homozygous individuals were sequenced. Repeat-allele frequencies were compared with other world populations. The DRD4-VNTR variation in Mexico City appeared similar to the world mean. For the Mixe and Maya, DRD4-VNTR diversity appeared closer to South American groups whereas the Tarahumara were similar to North American groups. People from Mexico City and the Mixe exhibited attributes of a large and admixed population and an isolated population, respectively. The Tarahumara showed endogamy associated with a substructure as suggested by a preliminary regional differentiation. For the DRD4-VNTR and/or the adjacent 5'-173 bp sequence, the three populations exhibited negative Tajima's D. Two new VNTR haplotypes were discovered: one in Mexico City and another among the Tarahumara. A differentiation in the DRD4-VNTR of global relevance occurs between northern and southern populations of Mexico suggesting that the Mexican Trans-volcanic Belt has been a major frontier for human dispersion in the Americas. Ancient trespass of this barrier appears thus related to a major change in the population structure of the DRD4-VNTR. Distinctive and independent patterns of DRD4-VNTR diversity occur among the two Mexican indigenous populations by a still undefined combination of drift and selection. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

GeoGebra for Mathematical Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Hewson, Paul

2009-01-01

The GeoGebra software is attracting a lot of interest in the mathematical community, consequently there is a wide range of experience and resources to help use this application. This article briefly outlines how GeoGebra will be of great value in statistical education. The release of GeoGebra is an excellent example of the power of free software…

Saturation, energy consumption, CO{sub 2} emission and energy efficiency from urban and rural households appliances in Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosas-Flores, Jorge Alberto; Rosas-Flores, Dionicio [Division de Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria Coyoacan 04510, Mexico, DF (Mexico); Posgrado de Arquitectura, Facultad de Arquitectura, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria Coyoacan 04510, Mexico, DF (Mexico); Galvez, David Morillon [Posgrado de Arquitectura, Facultad de Arquitectura, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria Coyoacan 04510, Mexico, DF (Mexico); Instituto de Ingenieria, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad, Universitaria, Coyoacan 04510, Mexico, DF (Mexico)

2011-01-15

Energy usage and energy efficiency are of increasing concern in Mexico, electricity generation principally depends upon fossil fuels. On one hand, the stocks of these fuels have been confirmed to be critically limited. On the other hand, in process of electricity generation by means of these fuels, a number of poisonous by-products adversely affect the conservation of natural eco-system. This paper focuses on estimation of energy consumption, energy savings, reduction of emissions of CO{sub 2} for use of urban and rural household appliances in Mexico between 1996 and 2021. The analysis concentrates on six major energy end uses in the residential sector: refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, TV set, iron and heater. It is estimated that by 2021 there will be a cumulative saving of 22,605 GWh, as a result of the implementation of government programs on energy efficiency that represents a cumulative reduction of CO{sub 2} emissions of 15,087 Tg CO{sub 2}. It means that Mexico can reduce in 5650 MW the generation capacity of national electricity system, which is to avoid burning 40.35 MM barrels of oil. The findings can be useful to policy makers as well as household appliances users. (author)

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.

Urban solid waste generation and disposal in Mexico: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Buenrostro, O; Bocco, G; Bernache, G

2001-04-01

The adequate management of municipal solid waste in developing countries is difficult because of the scarcity of studies about their composition. This paper analyses the composition of urban solid waste (USW) in the city of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. Residential and non-residential waste sources were sampled, and a structured interview was made to evaluate the socioeconomic characteristics of the studied area. Also, to determine the seasonal patterns of solid waste generation and the efficiency level of the collection service, quantification of solid waste deposited in the dumping ground was measured. Our results show that the recorded amount of SW deposited in the municipal dumping-ground is less than the estimated amount of SW generated; for this reason, the former amount is not recommended as an unbiased indicator for planning public waste collection services. It is essential that dumping-grounds are permanently monitored and that the incoming waste be weighed in order to have a more efficient record of USW deposited in the dumping-ground per day; these data are fundamental for developing adequate managing strategies.

Maritime Geo-Fence Letter Report

Science.gov (United States)

2016-07-01

1 Classification | CG-926 RDC | author | audience | month year Maritime Geo-Fence Letter Report Authors: Irene Gonin and Gregory...Johnson   Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. July 2016 Report No. CG-D-10-16 Maritime Geo-Fence...United States Coast Guard Research & Development Center 1 Chelsea Street New London, CT 06320 Maritime Geo-Fence Letter Report 1

Spatial variability of soil carbon across Mexico and the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas, R.; Guevara, M.; Cruz Gaistardo, C.; Paz, F.; de Jong, B.; Etchevers, J.

2015-12-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is directly linked to soil quality, food security, and land use/global environmental change. We use publicly available information on SOC and couple it with digital elevation models and derived terrain attributes using a machine learning approach. We found a strong spatial dependency of SOC across the United States, but less spatial dependency of SOC across Mexico. Using High Performance Computing (HPC) we derived a 1 km resolution map of SOC across Mexico and the United States. We tested different machine learning methods (e.g., kernel based, tree based and/or Geo-statistics approaches) for computational efficiency and statistical accuracy. Using random forest combined with geo-statistics we were able to explain >70% of SOC variance for Mexico and >40% in the case of the United States via cross validation. These results compare with other published estimates of SOC at 1km resolution that only explain <30% of SOC variance across the world. Topographic attributes derived from digital elevation models are freely available globally at fine spatial resolution (<100 m), and this information allowed us to make predictions of SOC at fine scales. We further tested this approach using SOC information from the International Soil Carbon Network to predict SOC in other regions of the world. We conclude that this approach (using public information and open source platforms for data analysis) could be implemented to predict detailed explicit information of SOC across different spatial scales.

Geospatial analysis of land use and water interaction in the peri-urban area of Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua. A socio-environmental study in northern Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rolando Enrique Díaz Caravantes

2013-07-01

Full Text Available For decades, city growth has been considered only in terms of land availability. In cities of northern Mexico, usually located in arid or semi-arid regions, there is a high dependence on groundwater. For this reason, comprehensive planning urban must consider the peri-urban area not only in terms of soil, but also groundwater. Water transfer for urban use produces severe alterations to the natural environment as aquifer depletion and drastic changes in land use/cover. This paper presents a spatial analysis of land use and water in the peri-urban area of Ciudad Cuauhtémoc. Using geographic modeling and remote sensing we assessed the dynamics of land use/cover. The results indicate that land change processes occur in a context of high competition for water between different users. This process is not usually considered in studies measuring urban spatial expansion, but should be considered to fully understand the effects of urban growth in the territory.

Geo synthetic-reinforced Pavement systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zornberg, J. G.

2014-01-01

Geo synthetics have been used as reinforcement inclusions to improve pavement performance. while there are clear field evidence of the benefit of using geo synthetic reinforcements, the specific conditions or mechanisms that govern the reinforcement of pavements are, at best, unclear and have remained largely unmeasured. Significant research has been recently conducted with the objectives of: (i) determining the relevant properties of geo synthetics that contribute to the enhanced performance of pavement systems, (ii) developing appropriate analytical, laboratory and field methods capable of quantifying the pavement performance, and (iii) enabling the prediction of pavement performance as a function of the properties of the various types of geo synthetics. (Author)

Forecasting generation of urban solid waste in developing countries--a case study in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Buenrostro, O; Bocco, G; Vence, J

2001-01-01

Based on a study of the composition of urban solid waste (USW) and of socioeconomic variables in Morelia, Mexico, generation rates were estimated. In addition, the generation of residential solid waste (RSW) and nonresidential solid waste (NRSW) was forecasted by means of a multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis. For residential sources, the independent variables analyzed were monthly wages, persons per dwelling, age, and educational level of the heads of the household. For nonresidential sources, variables analyzed were number of employees, area of facilities, number of working days, and working hours per day. The forecasted values for residential waste were similar to those observed. This approach may be applied to areas in which available data are scarce, and in which there is an urgent need for the planning of adequate management of USW.

Gulf of Mexico Helicopter Offshore System Technologies Engineering Needs Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Koenke, Edmund J.; Carpenter, Elisabeth J.; Williams, Larry; Caiafa, Caesar

1999-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is conducting a research and development program to modernize the National Airspace System (NAS). The mission of NASA's Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) project is to develop advanced Air Traffic Management (ATM) concepts and decision support tools for eventual deployment and implementation by the FAA and the private sector. One major objective of the NASA AATT project is to understand and promote the needs of all user classes. The Gulf of Mexico (GoMex) airspace has unique needs. A large number of helicopters operate in this area with only limited surveillance and sometimes-severe environmental conditions. Thunderstorms are the most frequent weather hazard during the spring, summer, and fall. In winter, reduced hours of daylight, low ceilings, strong winds, and icing conditions may restrict operations. Hurricanes impose the most severe weather hazard. The hurricane season, from June through October, normally requires at least one mass evacuation of all offshore platforms.

Internet Geo-Location

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

INTERNET GEO-LOCATION DUKE UNIVERSITY DECEMBER 2017 FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED STINFO COPY AIR...REPORT TYPE FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) MAY 2014 – MAY 2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE INTERNET GEO-LOCATION 5a. CONTRACT...of SpeedTest servers that are used by end users to measure the speed of their Internet connection. The servers log the IP address and the location

The Socioeconomic Disparities in Intakes and Purchases of Less-Healthy Foods and Beverages Have Changed over Time in Urban Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Olmedo, Nancy; Popkin, Barry M; Taillie, Lindsey Smith

2018-01-01

To our knowledge, the association between diet and socioeconomic status (SES), using both purchase and intake data, in the Mexican population has not been examined, which is particularly important given the high prevalence of diet-related diseases in Mexico. Our objective was to examine the SES-diet relation using household food purchases and individual food intake data. We analyzed purchases of packaged food and beverages of 5240 households with the use of the 2012-2014 Nielsen Mexico Consumer Panel Service Dataset, representative of urban areas. Likewise, we examined 9672 individuals over 2 y with food and beverage intake information collected using a single 24-h recall as part of the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012. Multivariate linear regression models were conducted to predict per capita daily purchases and intakes of food and beverages classified as healthy and less healthy by SES, and adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Per capita daily purchases of healthy and less-healthy foods were, on average, 142% and 55% higher in high- than in low-SES households, respectively, from 2012 to 2014 (P foods in urban areas were, on average, 7% and 136% higher in high- than in low-SES groups (P beverages were, on average, 56% higher in high- than in low-SES households from 2012 to 2014 (P beverages were 27% and 17% higher in low- than in high-SES households in 2012 and 2014, respectively (P beverages was 33% higher in high- than in low-SES groups (P foods and healthy beverages. Lower-SES households had greater purchases of less-healthy beverages, but also had the largest reduction in these purchases from 2012 to 2014, which could be associated with the beverage tax implemented in Mexico in 2014. © 2018 American Society for Nutrition. All rights reserved.

[Employment and urban growth; an application of Czamanski's model to the Mexican case].

Science.gov (United States)

Verduzco Chavez, B

1991-01-01

The author applies the 1964 model developed by Stanislaw Czamanski, based on theories of urban growth and industrial localization, to the analysis of urban growth in Mexico. "The advantages of this model in its application as a support instrument in the process of urban planning when the information available is incomplete are...discussed...." Census data for 44 cities in Mexico are used. (SUMMARY IN ENG) excerpt

Nuclear physics for geo-neutrino studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiorentini, Gianni; Ianni, Aldo; Korga, George; Suvorov, Yury; Lissia, Marcello; Mantovani, Fabio; Miramonti, Lino; Oberauer, Lothar; Obolensky, Michel; Smirnov, Oleg

2010-01-01

Geo-neutrino studies are based on theoretical estimates of geo-neutrino spectra. We propose a method for a direct measurement of the energy distribution of antineutrinos from decays of long-lived radioactive isotopes. We present preliminary results for the geo-neutrinos from 214 Bi decay, a process that accounts for about one-half of the total geo-neutrino signal. The feeding probability of the lowest state of 214 Bi--the most important for geo-neutrino signal--is found to be p 0 =0.177±0.004 (stat) -0.001 +0.003 (sys), under the hypothesis of universal neutrino spectrum shape (UNSS). This value is consistent with the (indirect) estimate of the table of isotopes. We show that achievable larger statistics and reduction of systematics should allow for the testing of possible distortions of the neutrino spectrum from that predicted using the UNSS hypothesis. Implications on the geo-neutrino signal are discussed.

The Geo/Geo/1+1 Queueing System with Negative Customers

OpenAIRE

Ma, Zhanyou; Guo, Yalin; Wang, Pengcheng; Hou, Yumei

2013-01-01

We study a Geo/Geo/1+1 queueing system with geometrical arrivals of both positive and negative customers in which killing strategies considered are removal of customers at the head (RCH) and removal of customers at the end (RCE). Using quasi-birth-death (QBD) process and matrix-geometric solution method, we obtain the stationary distribution of the queue length, the average waiting time of a new arrival customer, and the probabilities of servers in busy or idle period, respectively. Finally, ...

ETHNICITY AND INCOME IMPACT ON BMI AND STATURE OF SCHOOL CHILDREN LIVING IN URBAN SOUTHERN MEXICO.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendez, Nina; Barrera-Pérez, The Late Mario; Palma-Solis, Marco; Zavala-Castro, Jorge; Dickinson, Federico; Azcorra, Hugo; Prelip, Michael

2016-03-01

Obesity affects quality of life and increases the risk of morbidity and mortality. Mexico, a middle-income country, has a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among urban children. Merida is the most populated and growing city in southern Mexico with a mixed Mayan and non-Maya population. Local urbanization and access to industrialized foods have impacted the eating habits and physical activity of children, increasing the risk of overweight and obesity. This study aimed to contribute to the existing literature on the global prevalence of overweight and obesity and examined the association of parental income, ethnicity and nutritional status with body mass index (BMI) and height in primary school children in Merida. The heights and weights of 3243 children aged 6-12 from sixteen randomly selected schools in the city were collected between April and December 2012. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine differences in the prevalence of BMI and height categories (based on WHO reference values) by ethnicity and income levels. Of the total students, 1648 (50.9%) were overweight or obese. Stunting was found in 227 children (7%), while 755 (23.3%) were defined as having short stature. Combined stunting and overweight/obesity was found in 301 students (9.3%) and twelve (0.4%) were classified as stunted and of low weight. Having two Mayan surnames was inversely associated with having adequate height (OR=0.69, pobese. Overweight, obesity and short stature were frequent among the studied children. A significant proportion of Meridan children could face an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and its associated negative economic and social outcomes unless healthier habits are adopted. Action is needed to reduce the prevalence of obesity among southern Mexican families of all ethnic groups, particularly those of lower income.

Geo-collaboration under stress

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Looije, R.; Brake, G.M. te; Neerincx, M.A.

2007-01-01

“Most of the science and decision making involved in geo-information is the product of collaborative teams. Current geospatial technologies are a limiting factor because they do not provide any direct support for group efforts. In this paper we present a method to enhance geo-collaboration by

[Brief introduction of geo-authentic herbs].

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Fei; Li, Jian; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Rui-Xian

2013-05-01

The science of geo-authentic herbs is a characteristic discipline of traditional Chinese medicine established during thousands of years of clinical practices. It has a long history under the guidance of profound theories of traditional Chinese medicine. The words of "geo-authentic product" were derived from an administrative division unit in the ancient times, which layed stress on the good quality of products in particular regions. In ancient records of traditional Chinese medicine, the words of "geo-authentic product" were first found in Concise Herbal Foundation Compilation of the Ming dynasty, and the words of "geo-authentic herbs" were first discovered in Peony Pavilion of the late Ming dynasty. After all, clinical effect is the fundamental evaluation standard of geo-authentic herbs.

Geo-portal as a planning instrument: supporting decision making and fostering market potential of Energy efficiency in buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Cuca, Branka; Brumana, Raffaella; Oreni, Daniela; Iannaccone, Giuliana; Sesana, Marta Maria

2014-03-01

Steady technological progress has led to a noticeable advancement in disciplines associated with Earth observation. This has enabled information transition regarding changing scenarios, both natural and urban, to occur in (almost) real time. In particular, the need for integration on a local scale with the wider territorial framework has occurred in analysis and monitoring of built environments over the last few decades. The progress of Geographic Information (GI) science has provided significant advancements when it comes to spatial analysis, while the almost free availability of the internet has ensured a fast and constant exchange of geo-information, even for everyday users' requirements. Due to its descriptive and semantic nature, geo-spatial information is capable of providing a complete overview of a certain phenomenon and of predicting the implications within the natural, social and economic context. However, in order to integrate geospatial data into decision making processes, it is necessary to provide a specific context, which is well supported by verified data. This paper investigates the potentials of geo-portals as planning instruments developed to share multi-temporal/multi-scale spatial data, responding to specific end-users' demands in the case of Energy efficiency in Buildings (EeB) across European countries. The case study regards the GeoCluster geo-portal and mapping tool (Project GE2O, FP7), built upon a GeoClustering methodology for mapping of indicators relevant for energy efficiency technologies in the construction sector.

[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

CONTEXT-BASED URBAN TERRAIN RECONSTRUCTION FROM UAV-VIDEOS FOR GEOINFORMATION APPLICATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Bulatov

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Urban terrain reconstruction has many applications in areas of civil engineering, urban planning, surveillance and defense research. Therefore the needs of covering ad-hoc demand and performing a close-range urban terrain reconstruction with miniaturized and relatively inexpensive sensor platforms are constantly growing. Using (miniaturized unmanned aerial vehicles, (MUAVs, represents one of the most attractive alternatives to conventional large-scale aerial imagery. We cover in this paper a four-step procedure of obtaining georeferenced 3D urban models from video sequences. The four steps of the procedure – orientation, dense reconstruction, urban terrain modeling and geo-referencing – are robust, straight-forward, and nearly fully-automatic. The two last steps – namely, urban terrain modeling from almost-nadir videos and co-registration of models 6ndash; represent the main contribution of this work and will therefore be covered with more detail. The essential substeps of the third step include digital terrain model (DTM extraction, segregation of buildings from vegetation, as well as instantiation of building and tree models. The last step is subdivided into quasi- intrasensorial registration of Euclidean reconstructions and intersensorial registration with a geo-referenced orthophoto. Finally, we present reconstruction results from a real data-set and outline ideas for future work.

SOIL Geo-Wiki: A tool for improving soil information

Science.gov (United States)

Skalský, Rastislav; Balkovic, Juraj; Fritz, Steffen; See, Linda; van der Velde, Marijn; Obersteiner, Michael

2014-05-01

Crowdsourcing is increasingly being used as a way of collecting data for scientific research, e.g. species identification, classification of galaxies and unravelling of protein structures. The WorldSoilProfiles.org database at ISRIC is a global collection of soil profiles, which have been 'crowdsourced' from experts. This system, however, requires contributors to have a priori knowledge about soils. Yet many soil parameters can be observed in the field without specific knowledge or equipment such as stone content, soil depth or color. By crowdsourcing this information over thousands of locations, the uncertainty in current soil datasets could be radically reduced, particularly in areas currently without information or where multiple interpretations are possible from different existing soil maps. Improved information on soils could benefit many research fields and applications. Better soil data could enhance assessments of soil ecosystem services (e.g. soil carbon storage) and facilitate improved process-based ecosystem modeling from local to global scales. Geo-Wiki is a crowdsourcing tool that was developed at IIASA for land cover validation using satellite imagery. Several branches are now available focused on specific aspects of land cover validation, e.g. validating cropland extent or urbanized areas. Geo-Wiki Pictures is a smart phone application for collecting land cover related information on the ground. The extension of Geo-Wiki to a mobile environment provides a tool for experts in land cover validation but is also a way of reaching the general public in the validation of land cover. Here we propose a Soil Geo-Wiki tool that builds on the existing functionality of the Geo-Wiki application, which will be largely designed for the collection and sharing of soil information. Two distinct applications are envisaged: an expert-oriented application mainly for scientific purposes, which will use soil science related language (e.g. WRB or any other global reference

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.

Catch-up Growth Followed by Stagnation: Mexico, 1950-2010

OpenAIRE

Timothy J. Kehoe; Felipe Meza

2011-01-01

In 1950 Mexico entered an economic takeoff and grew rapidly for more than 30 years. Growth stopped during the crises of 1982-1995, despite major reforms, including liberalization of foreign trade and investment. Since then growth has been modest. We analyze the economic history of Mexico 1877-2010. We conclude that the growth 1950-1981 was driven by urbanization, industrialization, and education and that Mexico would have grown even more rapidly if trade and investment had been liberalized so...

Urban Violence Reduction and Citizen Security in Brazil, Colombia ...

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

Urban Violence Reduction and Citizen Security in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and ... The work will be conducted in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and South Africa, which are ... Minister Bibeau announces appointments of IDRC's President and new ...

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

Pricing Analysis in Geo/Geo/1 Queueing System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Ma

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper studies the equilibrium behavior of customers and optimal pricing strategies of servers in a Geo/Geo/1 queueing system. Two common pricing mechanisms are considered. The first one is called ex-post payment (EPP scheme where the server collects tolls proportional to queue times, and the second one is called ex-ante payment (EAP scheme where the server charges a flat fee for the total service. The server sets the toll price to maximize its own profit. It is found that, under a customer’s choice equilibrium, the two toll mechanisms are equivalent from the economic point of view. Finally, we present several numerical experiments to investigate the effects of system parameters on the equilibrium customer joining rate and servers’ profits.

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.

Examples of landscape indicators for assessing environmental conditions and problems in urban and suburban areas

Science.gov (United States)

Martin-Duque, J. F.; Godfrey, A.; Diez, A.; Cleaves, E.; Pedraza, J.; Sanz, M.A.; Carrasco, R.M.; Bodoque, J.; Brebbia, C.A.; Martin-Duque, J.F.; Wadhwa, L.C.

2002-01-01

Geo-indicators can help to assess environmental conditions in city urban and suburban areas. Those indicators should be meaningful for understanding environmental changes. From examples of Spanish and American cities, geo-indicators for assessing environmental conditions and changes in urban and suburban areas are proposed. The paper explore two types of geo-indicators. The first type presents general information that can be used to indicate the presence of a broad array of geologic conditions, either favouring or limiting various kinds of uses of the land. The second type of geo-indicator is the one most commonly used, and as a group most easily understood; these are site and problem specific and they are generally used after a problem is identified. Among them, watershed processes, seismicity and physiographic diversity are explained in more detail. A second dimension that is considered when discussing geo-indicators is the issue of scale. Broad scale investigations, covering extensive areas are only efficient at cataloguing general conditions common to much of the area or some outstanding feature within the area. This type of information is best used for policy type decisions. Detailed scale investigations can provide information about local conditions, but are not efficient at cataloguing vast areas. Information gathered at the detailed level is necessary for project design and construction.

Urban effects on convective precipitation in Mexico city

Science.gov (United States)

Jauregui, Ernesto; Romales, Ernesto

This paper reports on urban-related convective precipitation anomalies in a tropical city. Wet season (May-October) rainfall for an urban site (Tacubaya) shows a significant trend for the period 1941-1985 suggesting an urban effect that has been increasing as the city grew. On the other hand, rainfall at a suburban (upwind) station apparently unaffected by urbanization, has remained unchanged. Analysis of historical records of hourly precipitation for an urban station shows that the frequency of intense (> 20 mm h -1) rain showers has increased in recent decades. Using a network of automatic rainfall stations, areal distribution of 24 h isoyets show a series of maxima within the urban perimeter which may be associated to the heat island phenomenon. Isochrones of the beginning of rain are used to estimate direction and speed of movement of the rain cloud cells. The daytime heat island seems to be associated with the intensification of rain showers.

Agglomeration Economies, Economic Growth and the New Economic Geography in Mexico

OpenAIRE

Alejandro Diaz-Bautista

2005-01-01

The present study of regional economic growth in Mexico is based on the new economic geography, where distance plays an important role in explaining urban regional economic growth. The results show that distance to the northern border of Mexico and labor migration between states of Mexico, after the passage of NAFTA are important factors that explain the regional state growth and agglomerations in Mexico between 1994 and 2000. The results also indicate that job growth and FDI are not signific...

The geo-genic radon potential map of the aspiring 'Buzau Land' Geo-park

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moldovan, M. C.; Burghele, B. D.; Roba, C. A.; Sferle, T. L.; Buterez, C.; Mitrofan, H.

2017-01-01

Mapping the geo-genic radon potential in Buzau County is part of a research project aiming to apply research for sustainable development and economic growth following the principles of geo-conservation in order to support the 'Buzau Land' UNESCO Geo-park initiative. The mapping of geo-genic radon will be used as an overview for planning purposes. The main geological formations of the studied area were identified as Cretaceous and Paleogene flysch, included in a thin-skinned nappes pile and consisting of alternating sandstones, marls, clays and, subordinately, conglomerates, all tightly folded or faulted. Significant variations in the concentration of radon were therefore determined in the ground. However, no high values were determined, the maximum measured activity concentration being 101.6 kBq m -3 . (authors)

Mexico | IDRC - International Development Research Centre

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

Developed with IDRC support, the mosquito control strategy became policy in Mexico, and it has ... 187 activities worth CA$27.8 million since 1974 ... improve economic growth in rural-urban territories; increase quality maternal health care for ...

Urbanization and Third World stability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bienen, H

1984-07-01

This essay reviews images of urbanization that have been held by academics and activists, including revolutionary leaders. It examines the methodology and findings of case studies in Nigeria, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Kenya, Turkey, Malaysia and other countries with the aim of determining how well suited are the data and theories for assessing the relationship between urbanization and political stability. The review examines the following topics: migration; political participaton and the urban poor; radical parties and urban violence; the over-urbanization thesis; class and ethnicity. It especially evaluates the role of so-called urban marginals in urban political life and concludes that the evidence is overwhelming that there is no widespread culture of poverty or culture of apathy among the urban poor in developing countries. 119 references.

Mexico Financial Sector Assessment Program : Housing Finance

OpenAIRE

World Bank Group; International Finance Corporation

2016-01-01

Housing needs are high in Mexico despite quantitative progress in the last 10 years.Global data hide mismatches between housing demand and supply. First, urban growth relied for a long time on a pattern of urban sprawl, with mass-scale developments of individual units were built outside cities where land is affordable, but far from jobs and services and with related high transportation cos...

User Defined Geo-referenced Information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Konstantas, Dimitri; Villalba, Alfredo; di Marzo Serugendo, Giovanna

2009-01-01

. In this paper we present two novel mobile and wireless collaborative services and concepts, the Hovering Information, a mobile, geo-referenced content information management system, and the QoS Information service, providing user observed end-to-end infrastructure geo-related QoS information....

GEOS-5 Chemistry Transport Model User's Guide

Science.gov (United States)

Kouatchou, J.; Molod, A.; Nielsen, J. E.; Auer, B.; Putman, W.; Clune, T.

2015-01-01

The Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) General Circulation Model (GCM) makes use of the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) to enable model configurations with many functions. One of the options of the GEOS-5 GCM is the GEOS-5 Chemistry Transport Model (GEOS-5 CTM), which is an offline simulation of chemistry and constituent transport driven by a specified meteorology and other model output fields. This document describes the basic components of the GEOS-5 CTM, and is a user's guide on to how to obtain and run simulations on the NCCS Discover platform. In addition, we provide information on how to change the model configuration input files to meet users' needs.

Catch-up Growth Followed by Stagnation: Mexico 1950–2008

OpenAIRE

Timothy Kehoe; Felipe Meza

2011-01-01

In 1950 Mexico entered an economic takeoff and grew rapidly for more than 30 years. Growth stopped during the crises of 1982-1995, despite major reforms, including liberalization of foreign trade and investment. Since then growth has been modest. We analyze the economic history of Mexico 1877-2010. We conclude that the growth 1950-1981 was driven by urbanization, industrialization, and education and that Mexico would have grown even more rapidly if trade and investment had been liberalized so...

Framework 'interstitial' oxygen in La10(GeO4)5-(GeO5)O2 apatite electrolyte

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pramana, S.S.; White, T.J.

2007-01-01

Oxygen conduction at low temperatures in apatites make these materials potentially useful as electrolytes in solid-oxide fuel cells, but our understanding of the defect structures enabling ion migration is incomplete. While conduction along [001] channels is dominant, considerable inter-tunnel mobility has been recognized. Using neutron powder diffraction of stoichiometric 'La 10 (GeO 4 ) 6 O 3 ', it has been shown that this compound is more correctly described as an La 10 (GeO 4 ) 5- (GeO 5 )O 2 apatite, in which high concentrations of interstitial oxygen reside within the channel walls. It is suggested that these framework interstitial O atoms provide a reservoir of ions that can migrate into the conducting channels of apatite, via a mechanism of inter-tunnel oxygen diffusion that transiently converts GeO 4 tetrahedra to GeO 5 distorted trigonal bipyramids. This structural modification is consistent with known crystal chemistry and may occur generally in oxide apatites. (orig.)

GEO portal

Data.gov (United States)

US Agency for International Development — The USAID GeoPortal is a new application that groups web-based capabilities for on-demand discovery of and access to geospatial content, services, expertise, and...

User Experience Design in Professional Map-Based Geo-Portals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bastian Zimmer

2013-10-01

Full Text Available We have recently been witnessing the growing establishment of map-centered web-based geo-portals on national, regional and local levels. However, a particular issue with these geo-portals is that each instance has been implemented in different ways in terms of design, usability, functionality, interaction possibilities, map size and symbologies. In this paper, we try to tackle these shortcomings by analyzing and formalizing the requirements for map-based geo-portals in a user experience based approach. First, we propose a holistic definition the term of a “geo-portal”. Then, we present our approach to user experience design for map-based geo-portals by defining the functional requirements of a geo-portal, by analyzing previous geo-portal developments, by distilling the results of our empirical user study to perform practically-oriented user requirements, and finally by establishing a set of user experience design guidelines for the creation of map-based geo-portals. These design guidelines have been extracted for each of the main components of a geo-portal, i.e., the map, the search dialogue, the presentation of the search results, symbologies, and other aspects. These guidelines shall constitute the basis for future geo-portal developments to achieve standardization in the user-experience design of map-based geo-portals.

GEO light imaging national testbed (GLINT) heliostat design and testing status

Science.gov (United States)

Thornton, Marcia A.; Oldenettel, Jerry R.; Hult, Dane W.; Koski, Katrina; Depue, Tracy; Cuellar, Edward L.; Balfour, Jim; Roof, Morey; Yarger, Fred W.; Newlin, Greg; Ramzel, Lee; Buchanan, Peter; Mariam, Fesseha G.; Scotese, Lee

2002-01-01

The GEO Light Imaging National Testbed (GLINT) will use three laser beams producing simultaneous interference fringes to illuminate satellites in geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO). The reflected returns will be recorded using a large 4,000 m2 'light bucket' receiver. This imaging methodology is termed Fourier Telescopy. A major component of the 'light bucket' will be an array of 40 - 80 heliostats. Each heliostat will have a mirrored surface area of 100 m2 mounted on a rigid truss structure which is supported by an A-frame. The truss structure attaches to the torque tube elevation drive and the A-frame structure rests on an azimuth ring that could provide nearly full coverage of the sky. The heliostat is designed to operate in 15 mph winds with jitter of less than 500 microradians peak-to- peak. One objective of the design was to minimize receiver cost to the maximum extent possible while maintaining GLINT system performance specifications. The mechanical structure weights approximately seven tons and is a simple fabricated steel framework. A prototype heliostat has been assembled at Stallion Range Center, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico and is being tested under a variety of weather and operational conditions. The preliminary results of that testing will be presented as well as some finite element model analyses that were performed to predict the performance of the structure.

[Changes in urban development: is the globalization era one of urban deconcentration?].

Science.gov (United States)

Rivera, S

1997-01-01

Urbanization patterns in Mexico during the past five decades clearly reflect trends in the country's capitalist development. Accelerated industrialization with protectionism; redistributive policies with unlimited expansion of public expenditures; industrial conversion attended by economic crisis and structural adjustment during the "lost decade" of the 1980s; and indiscriminate opening, currency instability, and anti-inflation measures in the stage of globalization represent four successive phases. This work argues that the commercial opening and application of a neoliberal model are likely to renew tendencies toward concentration of population and economic activity in a few metropolitan areas. There are indications that manufacturing is again tending to concentrate in the older industrial cities, especially Mexico City. The 1995 census suggests that, beginning in 1988, the metropolitan areas again began to attract population growth, after a cycle of outflow from the center city to the metropolitan periphery in the 1970s and 1980s. The trend toward deconcentration, thus, may not represent a linear and long-term tendency. Instead, fluctuations over time are intimately related to macroeconomic forces and regulatory mechanisms that influence the urban system. No consensus has been reached concerning the theoretical explanations of effects on regional or urban systems when international restrictions on commerce are eliminated. The neoclassical perspective predicts a homogenizing effect, assuming that key conditions are met, while a competing theory predicts that increasing competition will inevitably be met by increases in the scale of production. Incentives to focus production in a small number of places would lead to economic and demographic concentration in the urban centers or regions enjoying better infrastructure, more qualified labor forces, and more extensive markets for labor and consumption. A renewed cycle of locus in Mexico's largest metropolitan zones may

GIS, ENSURING ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY STUDY PARAMETERS URBANIZED AREAS OF THE CENTRAL BLACK EARTH REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Eprintsev

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A model of geo-information for geo-environmental studies , including the formation and maintenance of the GIS database ( for periodic ecological and geochemical studies ; database processing ( statistical data processing , holding current calculations , creating kartoosnovy GIS (creating "layers" of a vector map ; geocoding data ( data transformation ecogeochemical research kartoosnovy vector coordinate system , GIS mapping ( thematic maps , data analysis , design (development of priority actions to optimize the urban environment .

Geo-neutrino review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tolich, N.

2012-01-01

The principal source of energy for dynamic processes of the earth, such as plate tectonics is thought to come from the radioactive decays of 238 U, 232 Th, and 40 K within the earth. These decays produce electron-antineutrinos, so-called geo-neutrinos, the measurement of which near the earth's surface allows for a direct measure of the total radiogenic heat production in the earth. The KamLAND and Borexino experiments have both measured a geo-neutrino flux significantly greater than zero. As shown in these proceedings, more precise future measurements will significantly constrain earth composition models.

GEO600: status and plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willke, B

2007-01-01

The GEO600 gravitational wave detector located near Hannover in Germany is one of the four detectors of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC). For almost the entire year of 2006, GEO600 participated in the S5 science run of the LSC. Overall an equivalent of about 270 days of science data with an average peak sensitivity of better than 3 x 10 -22 Hz -1/2 have been acquired so far. In this paper, we describe the status of the GEO600 project during the period between January 2006 and February 2007. In addition, plans for the near-term and medium-term future are discussed

Why Geo-Humanities

Science.gov (United States)

Graells, Robert Casals i.; Sibilla, Anna; Bohle, Martin

2016-04-01

Anthropogenic global change is a composite process. It consists of societal processes (in the 'noosphere') and natural processes (in the 'bio-geosphere'). The 'noosphere' is the ensemble of social, cultural or political insights ('shared subjective mental concepts') of people. Understanding the composite of societal and natural processes ('human geo-biosphere intersections'), which shapes the features of anthropogenic global change, would benefit from a description that draws equally on natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. To that end it is suggested to develop a concept of 'geo-humanities': This essay presents some aspects of its scope, discussing "knowledge that is to manage", "intentions that are to shape", "choices that are to justify" and "complexity that is to handle". Managing knowledge: That people understand anthropogenic global change requires their insights into how 'human geosphere intersections' function. Insights are formed ('processed') in the noosphere by means of interactions between people. Understanding how 'human geosphere intersections' functions combines scientific, engineering and economic studies with studies of the dynamics of the noosphere. Shaping intentions: During the last century anthropogenic global change developed as the collateral outcome of humankind's accumulated actions. It is caused by the number of people, the patterns of their consumption of resources, and the alterations of their environments. Nowadays, anthropogenic global chance is either an intentional negligence or a conscious act. Justifying choices: Humanity has alternatives how to alter Earth at planetary scale consciously. For example, there is a choice to alter the geo-biosphere or to adjust the noosphere. Whatever the choice, it will depend on people's world-views, cultures and preferences. Thus beyond issues whether science and technology are 'sound' overarching societal issues are to tackle, such as: (i) how to appropriate and distribute natural

Bi-static Optical Observations of GEO Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Seitzer, Patrick; Barker, Edwin S.; Cowardin, Heather; Lederer, Susan M.; Buckalew, Brent

2014-01-01

A bi-static study of objects at Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) was conducted using two ground-based wide-field optical telescopes. The University of Michigan's 0.6-m MODEST (Michigan Orbital Debris Survey Telescope) located at the Cerro Tololo Inter- American Observatory in Chile was employed in a series of coordinated observations with the U.S. Naval Observatory's (USNO) 1.3-m telescope at the USNO Flagstaff Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA. The goals of this project are twofold: (1) Obtain optical distances to known and unknown objects at GEO from the difference in the observed topocentric position of objects measured with respect to a reference star frame. The distance can be derived directly from these measurements, and is independent of any orbital solution. The wide geographical separation of these two telescopes means that the parallax difference is larger than ten degrees, and (2) Compare optical photometry in similar filters of GEO objects taken during the same time period from the two sites. The object's illuminated surfaces presented different angles of reflected sunlight to the two telescopes.During a four hour period on the night.of 22 February 2014 (UT), coordinated observations were obtained for eight different GEO positions. Each coordinated observation sequence was started on the hour or half-hour, and was selected to ensure the same cataloged GEO object was available in the field of view of both telescopes during the thirty minute observing sequence. GEO objects were chosen to be both controlled and uncontrolled at a range of orbital inclinations, and the objects were not tracked. Instead both telescopes were operated with all drives off in GEO survey mode to discover un-cataloged objects at GEO. The initial results from this proof-of-concept observing run will be presented, with the intent of laying the foundation for future large-scale bi-static observing campaigns of the GEO regime.

The Case for GEO Hosted SSA Payloads

Science.gov (United States)

Welsch, C.; Armand, B.; Repp, M.; Robinson, A.

2014-09-01

Space situational awareness (SSA) in the geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) belt presents unique challenges, and given the national importance and high value of GEO satellites, is increasingly critical as space becomes more congested and contested. Space situational awareness capabilities can serve as an effective deterrent against potential adversaries if they provide accurate, timely, and persistent information and are resilient to the threat environment. This paper will demonstrate how simple optical SSA payloads hosted on GEO commercial and government satellites can complement the SSA mission and data provided by Space-Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) and the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP). GSSAP is built by Orbital Sciences Corporation and launched on July 28, 2014. Analysis performed for this paper will show how GEO hosted SSA payloads, working in combination with SBSS and GSSAP, can increase persistence and timely coverage of high value assets in the GEO belt. The potential to further increase GEO object identification and tracking accuracy by integrating SSA data from multiple sources across different viewing angles including GEO hosted SSA sources will be addressed. Hosting SSA payloads on GEO platforms also increases SSA mission architecture resiliency as the sensors are by distributed across multiple platforms including commercial platforms. This distributed architecture presents a challenging target for an adversary to attempt to degrade or disable. We will present a viable concept of operations to show how data from hosted SSA sensors could be integrated with SBSS and GSSAP data to present a comprehensive and more accurate data set to users. Lastly, we will present an acquisition approach using commercial practices and building on lessons learned from the Commercially Hosted Infra Red Payload CHIRP to demonstrate the affordability of GEO hosted SSA payloads.

Geo-engineering experiments in two urban ponds to control eutrophication.

Science.gov (United States)

Waajen, Guido; van Oosterhout, Frank; Douglas, Grant; Lürling, Miquel

2016-06-15

Many urban ponds experience detrimental algal blooms as the result of eutrophication. During a two year field experiment, the efficacy of five in situ treatments to mitigate eutrophication effects in urban ponds was studied. The treatments targeted the sediment phosphorus release and were intended to switch the ponds from a turbid phytoplankton-dominated state to a clear-water state with a low phytoplankton biomass. Two eutrophic urban ponds were each divided into six compartments (300-400 m(2); 210-700 m(3)). In each pond the following treatments were tested: dredging in combination with biomanipulation (involving fish biomass control and the introduction of macrophytes) with and without the addition of the flocculant polyaluminiumchloride, interception and reduction of sediment phosphorus release with lanthanum-modified bentonite (Phoslock(®)) in combination with biomanipulation with and without polyaluminiumchloride; biomanipulation alone; and a control. Trial results support the hypothesis that the combination of biomanipulation and measures targeting the sediment phosphorus release can be effective in reducing the phytoplankton biomass and establishing and maintaining a clear-water state, provided the external phosphorus loading is limited. During the experimental period dredging combined with biomanipulation showed mean chlorophyll-a concentrations of 5.3 and 6.2 μg L(-1), compared to 268.9 and 52.4 μg L(-1) in the control compartments. Lanthanum-modified bentonite can be an effective alternative to dredging and in combination with biomanipulation it showed mean chlorophyll-a concentrations of 5.9 and 7.6 μg L(-1). Biomanipulation alone did not establish a clear-water state or only during a limited period. As the two experimental sites differed in their reaction to the treatments, it is important to choose the most promising treatment depending on site specific characteristics. In recovering the water quality status of urban ponds, continuing

Use and Evaluation of 3D GeoWall Visualizations in Undergraduate Space Science Classes

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, N. E.; Hamed, K. M.; Lopez, R. E.; Mitchell, E. J.; Gray, C. L.; Corralez, D. S.; Robinson, C. A.; Soderlund, K. M.

2005-12-01

One persistent difficulty many astronomy students face is the lack of 3- dimensional mental model of the systems being studied, in particular the Sun-Earth-Moon system. Students without such a mental model can have a very hard time conceptualizing the geometric relationships that cause, for example, the cycle of lunar phases or the pattern of seasons. The GeoWall is a recently developed and affordable projection mechanism for three-dimensional stereo visualization which is becoming a popular tool in classrooms and research labs for use in geology classes, but as yet very little work has been done involving the GeoWall for astronomy classes. We present results from a large study involving over 1000 students of varied backgrounds: some students were tested at the University of Texas at El Paso, a large public university on the US-Mexico border and other students were from the Florida Institute of Technology, a small, private, technical school in Melbourne Florida. We wrote a lecture tutorial-style lab to go along with a GeoWall 3D visual of the Earth-Moon system and tested the students before and after with several diagnostics. Students were given pre and post tests using the Lunar Phase Concept Inventory (LPCI) as well as a separate evaluation written specifically for this project. We found the lab useful for both populations of students, but not equally effective for all. We discuss reactions from the students and their improvement, as well as whether the students are able to correctly assess the usefullness of the project for their own learning.

Topologically Consistent Models for Efficient Big Geo-Spatio Data Distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Jahn, M. W.; Bradley, P. E.; Doori, M. Al; Breunig, M.

2017-10-01

Geo-spatio-temporal topology models are likely to become a key concept to check the consistency of 3D (spatial space) and 4D (spatial + temporal space) models for emerging GIS applications such as subsurface reservoir modelling or the simulation of energy and water supply of mega or smart cities. Furthermore, the data management for complex models consisting of big geo-spatial data is a challenge for GIS and geo-database research. General challenges, concepts, and techniques of big geo-spatial data management are presented. In this paper we introduce a sound mathematical approach for a topologically consistent geo-spatio-temporal model based on the concept of the incidence graph. We redesign DB4GeO, our service-based geo-spatio-temporal database architecture, on the way to the parallel management of massive geo-spatial data. Approaches for a new geo-spatio-temporal and object model of DB4GeO meeting the requirements of big geo-spatial data are discussed in detail. Finally, a conclusion and outlook on our future research are given on the way to support the processing of geo-analytics and -simulations in a parallel and distributed system environment.

Urban-Rural Relations in the Central Region of Mexico: A Viewpoint from Tlaxcala

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rocío Rosales Ortega

2012-01-01

Full Text Available During the 90’s there was an important expansion of outsourcing industries all around the country and particularly on central region of Mexico, which enhanced an industrial diffusion that transformed the relation between rural an urban areas of the region. Labor and social practices around the textile industry on the region and particularly on the Tlaxcala state, enhanced the organization of a complex local-global network that was built on the context of the Nafta Agreement. Now a day, the local-global network around the textile industry has fall down due to the growing Chinese textile goods on the local and national market. The answer to this economic change has generated a wide range of changes among the different social actors that participated on the local-global network created by de textile industry during the golden years of the Nafta Agreement. Our research analyze the experience and strategies of a group of families from Tlaxcala, organized around the mixture of agricultural, manufacturing and service activities in order to reorganize the economic activities of their localities.

Policy Influence and Urban Slums in Latin America : Ecohealth ...

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

It will do so by funding an exploration of urban slums and human health in the region; a study of Ecohealth policy influence in Ecuador and Mexico; and an international ... Linking research to urban planning at the ICLEI World Congress 2018.

Remote sensing based approach for monitoring urban growth in Mexico city, Mexico: A case study

Science.gov (United States)

Obade, Vincent

The world is experiencing a rapid rate of urban expansion, largely contributed by the population growth. Other factors supporting urban growth include the improved efficiency in the transportation sector and increasing dependence on cars as a means of transport. The problems attributed to the urban growth include: depletion of energy resources, water and air pollution; loss of landscapes and wildlife, loss of agricultural land, inadequate social security and lack of employment or underemployment. Aerial photography is one of the popular techniques for analyzing, planning and minimizing urbanization related problems. However, with the advances in space technology, satellite remote sensing is increasingly being utilized in the analysis and planning of the urban environment. This article outlines the strengths and limitations of potential remote sensing techniques for monitoring urban growth. The selected methods include: Principal component analysis, Maximum likelihood classification and "decision tree". The results indicate that the "classification tree" approach is the most promising for monitoring urban change, given the improved accuracy and smooth transition between the various land cover classes

Environmental injustice along the US-Mexico border: residential proximity to industrial parks in Tijuana, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Grineski, Sara E.; Collins, Timothy W.; de Lourdes Romo Aguilar, María

2015-09-01

Research in the Global North (e.g., US, Europe) has revealed robust patterns of environmental injustice whereby low income and minority residents face exposure to industrial hazards in their neighborhoods. A small body of research suggests that patterns of environmental injustice may diverge between the Global North and South due to differing urban development trajectories. This study uses quantitative environmental justice methods to examine spatial relationships between residential socio-demographics and industrial parks in Tijuana, Baja California Norte, Mexico using 2010 census data for Tijuana’s 401 neighborhoods and municipality-provided locations of industrial parks in the city. Results of spatial lag regression models reveal that formal development is significantly associated with industrial park density, and it accounts for the significant effect of higher socioeconomic status (measured using mean education) on greater industrial density. Higher proportions of female-headed households are also significantly associated with industrial park density, while higher proportions of children and recent migrants are not. The formal development findings align with other studies in Mexico and point to the importance of urban development trajectories in shaping patterns of environmental injustice. The risks for female-headed households are novel in the Mexican context. One potential explanation is that women factory workers live near their places of employment. A second, albeit counterintuitive explanation, is the relative economic advantage experienced by female-headed households in Mexico.

The energy geo-policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duval, M.

2005-01-01

This analysis updates and develops the analysis of the energy geo-policy proposed by the French Review of geo-policy. In this framework the today policies of the different sate and geographical actors, as suppliers and consumers of petroleum energy, are examined. Then the author analyzes the political problems resulting from, this petroleum energy transfers by earth and sea and the problems resulting specifically from the nuclear energy. The last part brings the author own opinions. (A.L.B.)

Air quality modeling in the Valley of Mexico: meteorology, emissions and forecasting

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Reynoso, A.; Jazcilevich, A. D.; Diaz-Nigenda, E.; Vazquez-Morales, W.; Torres-Jardon, R.; Ruiz-Suarez, G.; Tatarko, J.; Bornstein, R.

2007-12-01

The Valley of Mexico presents important challenges for air quality modeling: complex terrain, a great variety of anthropogenic and natural emissions sources, and high altitude and low latitude increasing the amount of radiation flux. The modeling group at the CCA-UNAM is using and merging state of the art models to study the different aspects that influence the air quality phenomenon in the Valley of Mexico. The air quality model MCCM that uses MM5 as its meteorological input has been a valuable tool to study important features of the complex and intricate atmospheric flows on the valley, such as local confluences and vertical fumigation. Air quality modeling has allowed studying the interaction between the atmospheres of the valleys surrounding the Valley of Mexico, prompting the location of measurement stations during the MILAGRO campaign. These measurements confirmed the modeling results and expanded our knowledge of the transport of pollutants between the Valleys of Cuernavaca, Puebla and Mexico. The urban landscape of Mexico City complicates meteorological modeling. Urban-MM5, a model that explicitly takes into account the influence of buildings, houses, streets, parks and anthropogenic heat, is being implemented. Preliminary results of urban-MM5 on a small area of the city have been obtained. The current emissions inventory uses traffic database that includes hourly vehicular activity in more than 11,000 street segments, includes 23 area emissions categories, more than 1,000 industrial sources and biogenic emissions. To improve mobile sources emissions a system consisting of a traffic model and a car simulator is underway. This system will allow for high time and space resolution and takes into account motor stress due to different driving regimes. An important source of emissions in the Valley of Mexico is erosion dust. The erosion model WEPS has been integrated with MM5 and preliminary results showing dust episodes over Mexico City have been obtained. A

Cementation of nuclear graphite using geo-polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Girke, N.A.; Steinmetz, H.J.; Bukaemsky, A.; Bosbach, D.; Hermann, E.; Griebel, I.

2012-01-01

Geo-polymers are solid aluminosilicate materials usually formed by alkali hydroxide or alkali silicate activation of solid precursors such as coal fly ash, calcined clay and/or metallurgical slag. Today the primary application of geo-polymer technology is in the development of alternatives to Portland-based cements. Variations in the ratio of aluminium to silicon, and alkali to silicon or addition of structure support, produce geo-polymers with different physical and mechanical properties. These materials have an amorphous three-dimensional structure that gives geo-polymers certain properties, such as fire and acid resistance, low leach rate, which make them an ideal substitute for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in a wide range of applications especially in conditioning and storage of radioactive waste. Therefore investigations have been initiated about how and to which amount graphite as a hydrophobic material can be mixed with cement or concrete to form stable waste products and which concretes fulfill the specifications at best. As result geo-polymers have been identified as a promising matrix for graphite containing nuclear wastes. With geo-polymers both favorable properties in the cementation process and a high long time structural stability of the products can be achieved. (authors)

Tourism and territorial structure in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

OpenAIRE

Oswaldo Gallegos; Alvarado López López

2012-01-01

This paper deals with the issue of the territorial structure of tourism in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. To do this, the study is divided into two major parts: first, theoretical aspects, given support to our analysis, and a brief history of tourism in the Northern borderlands of Mexico are presented. Then, four basic components of the territorial structure of tourism in Ciudad Juarez are examined: natural and cultural attractions, urban land-use, communications network centred around the city and v...

Influences of geo-spatial location on pre-exposure prophylaxis use in South Africa: positioning microbicides for better product uptake.

Science.gov (United States)

Govender, Eliza M; Mansoor, Leila E; Abdool Karim, Quarraisha

2017-06-01

Young women bear a disproportionately high burden of HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa, prioritising pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can be an integral part of HIV prevention combination strategies. Women initiated HIV prevention technology options will require consistent adherence, an imperative for product effectiveness. With several PrEP clinical trials underway; exploring women's acceptability to advances in HIV prevention technologies can better facilitate demand creation for future PrEP roll out. This study utilised the opportunity of post-trial access to CAPRISA 008 women (trial) and non-trial women from three geo-spatial settings (urban, rural and peri-urban) to identify microbicide acceptability and how product associations of microbicides can influence future HIV prevention choices. Six participatory workshops using participatory action research with art-based activities and discussion groups were conducted in KwaZulu-Natal with 104 women from various geo-spatial locations and social status to understand microbicide acceptability and product associations. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study found that women's acceptability and product association of the tenofovir gel microbicide differed according to rural and urban areas. Most urban women identified confidence, sexiness and classiness as key associations that will encourage microbicide acceptability and use, while rural women identified respect, responsibility and confidence as the key product associations, with increased focus on the individual and collective family/community benefits of product acceptance and use. Urban-rural differences suggest a market segmentation that is contextualised to be locally responsive to promote HIV prevention technologies. Various sexual encounters further determined the types of HIV prevention technologies women would consider. In line with WHO's recommendation that PrEP should be an additional prevention choice for people at risk of HIV, this

Real-Time Integration of Geo-data in ORM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Balsters, Herman; Klaver, Chris; Huitema, George B.; Meersman, R; Dillon, T; Herrero, P

2010-01-01

Geographic information (geo-data; i.e., data with a spatial component.) is being used for civil, political, and commercial applications. Modeling geo-data can be involved due to its often very complex structure, hence placing high demands on the modeling language employed. Many geo-applications

Necesidades de salud en áreas urbanas marginadas de México Health needs in marginalized urban areas in Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hortensia Reyes-Morales

2009-04-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Evaluar las necesidades de salud de la población residente en áreas urbanas marginadas de México. MÉTODOS: Encuesta poblacional a familias residentes en colonias urbanas pobres de cinco regiones geográficas de México (Norte, Centro, Sur, Sureste y Ciudad de México, seleccionadas mediante un muestreo polietápico. Se realizaron entrevistas y mediciones antropométricas en sus domicilios a todos los integrantes de las familias seleccionadas y se analizaron las características de salud positiva, nutrición, salud reproductiva, daños a la salud y salud mental por grupos de análisis formados por edad y sexo. RESULTADOS: Participaron 24 707 personas. En los entrevistados se observó una baja escolaridad (6 años o menos y solo 46,8% tuvo cobertura de servicios de salud, ya fuera en instituciones públicas o privadas. De los niños, 19,8% presentaba desmedro y el sobrepeso predominó a partir de la adolescencia. En los adolescentes de 12 a 19 años, 15,7% tenía vida sexual activa, pero solo 57,7% de los hombres y 41,9% de las mujeres de ese grupo de edad usaban algún método anticonceptivo. De los adultos, 5,9% padecía diabetes y 11,5% hipertensión arterial. En la muestra de adolescentes, adultos y adultos mayores, el tabaquismo fue de 21,2%, el consumo de alcohol de 36,0%, el uso de drogas de 9,5% y la depresión de 20,2%. CONCLUSIONES: La vulnerabilidad sanitaria de las personas que viven en las áreas urbanas marginadas de México se manifiesta en la existencia de una población joven, con pocas redes de apoyo familiar y de servicios de salud, que sufre trastornos y enfermedades, como la desnutrición infantil, el alto riesgo reproductivo y las adicciones en adolescentes y adultos, producto del rezago en el desarrollo social. La prevalencia de enfermedades crónicas fue similar a la de la población mexicana no marginada.OBJECTIVE: To understand the health needs of the population living in Mexico's marginalized urban areas

Geo-communication and web-based infrastructure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brodersen, Lars; Nielsen, Anders

2005-01-01

The role of geo-information and the distribution of geo-information have changed dramatically since the introduction of web-services on the Internet. In the framework of web-services maps should be seen as an index to further geo-information. Maps are no longer an aim in themselves. In this context...... web-services perform the function as index-portals on the basis of geoinformation. The introduction of web-services as index-portals based on geoinformation has changed the conditions for both content and form of geocommunication. A high number of players and interactions (as well as a very high...... number of all kinds of information and combinations of these) characterize web-services, where maps are only a part of the whole. These new conditions demand new ways of modelling the processes leading to geo-communication. One new aspect is the fact that the service providers have become a part...

XAFS study of GeO sub 2 glass under pressure

CERN Document Server

Ohtaka, O; Fukui, H; Murai, K; Okube, M; Takebe, H; Katayama, Y; Utsumi, W

2002-01-01

Using a large-volume high-pressure apparatus, Li sub 2 O-4GeO sub 2 glass and pure GeO sub 2 gel have been compressed to 14 GPa at room temperature and their local structural changes have been investigated by an in situ XAFS (x-ray absorption fine-structure) method. On compression of Li sub 2 O-4GeO sub 2 glass, the Ge-O distance gradually becomes short below 7 GPa, showing the conventional compression of the GeO sub 4 tetrahedron. Abrupt increase in the Ge-O distance occurs between 8 and 10 GPa, which corresponds to the coordination number (CN) changing from 4 to 6. The CN change is completed at 10 GPa. On decompression, the reverse transition occurs gradually below 10 GPa. In contrast to the case for Li sub 2 O-4GeO sub 2 glass, the Ge-O distance in GeO sub 2 gel gradually increases over a pressure range from 2 to 12 GPa, indicating that continuous change in CN occurs. The Ge-O distance at 12 GPa is shorter than that of Li-4GeO sub 2 indicating that the change in CN is not completed even at this pressure. O...

A Novel Approach to Site Selection: Collaborative Multi-Criteria Decision Making through Geo-Social Network (Case Study: Public Parking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zeinab Neisani Samani

2018-03-01

Full Text Available There are many potential factors that are involved in the decision making process of site selection, which makes it a challenging issue. This paper addresses the collaborative decision making concept through a geo-social network to predict site selection for public parking in Tehran, Iran. The presented approach utilized the analytic hierarchy process (AHP as a multi-criteria decision method (MCDM for weighting the criteria, which was completed in two stages; once by 50 experts, and then by three different levels of users, including 50 experts, 25 urban managers, and 150 pubic citizens, with respect to the case study area. The fuzzy majority method aggregates the archived results of AHP to determine the preferred locations that are suitable for public parking. The proposed method was implemented using a telegram bot platform. Two main advantages of the collaborative decision making scenario for public urban site selection are the fair distribution of the selected locations and the high satisfaction of users, which increased from 65% to 85%. This study presents an application for site selection based on multi-criteria decision making in a geo-social network context.

The new Mediterranean background monitoring station of Ersa, Cape Corsica: A long term Observatory component of the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx)

Science.gov (United States)

Dulac, Francois

2013-04-01

The Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) is a French initiative supported by the MISTRALS program (Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional And Locals Scales, http://www.mistrals-home.org). It aims at a scientific assessment of the present and future state of the atmospheric environment in the Mediterranean Basin, and of its impacts on the regional climate, air quality, and marine biogeochemistry. The major stake is an understanding of the future of the Mediterranean region in a context of strong regional anthropogenic and climatic pressures. The target of ChArMEx is short-lived particulate and gaseous tropospheric trace species which are the cause of poor air quality events, have two-way interactions with climate, or impact the marine biogeochemistry. In order to fulfill these objectives, important efforts have been put in 2012 in order to implement the infrastructure and instrumentation for a fully equipped background monitoring station at Ersa, Cape Corsica, a key location at the crossroads of dusty southerly air masses and polluted outflows from the European continent. The observations at this station began in June 2012 (in the context of the EMEP / ACTRIS / PEGASOS / ChArMEx campaigns). A broad spectrum of aerosol properties is also measured at the station, from the chemical composition (off-line daily filter sampling in PM2.5/PM10, on-line Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor), ground optical properties (extinction/absorption/light scattering coeff. with 1-? CAPS PMex monitor, 7-? Aethalometer, 3-? Nephelometer), integrated and vertically resolved optical properties (4-? Cimel sunphotometer and LIDAR, respective), size distribution properties (N-AIS, SMPS, APS, and OPS instruments), mass (PM1/PM10 by TEOM/TEOM-FDMS), hygroscopicity (CCN), as well as total insoluble deposition. So far, real-time measurement of reactive gases (O3, CO, NO, NO2), and off-line VOC measurements (cylinders, cartridges) are also

GEOS Code Development Road Map - May, 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Scott [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Settgast, Randolph [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Fu, Pengcheng [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Antoun, Tarabay [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Ryerson, F. J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2013-05-03

GEOS is a massively parallel computational framework designed to enable HPC-based simulations of subsurface reservoir stimulation activities with the goal of optimizing current operations and evaluating innovative stimulation methods. GEOS will enable coupling of different solvers associated with the various physical processes occurring during reservoir stimulation in unique and sophisticated ways, adapted to various geologic settings, materials and stimulation methods. The overall architecture of the framework includes consistent data structures and will allow incorporation of additional physical and materials models as demanded by future applications. Along with predicting the initiation, propagation and reactivation of fractures, GEOS will also generate a seismic source term that can be linked with seismic wave propagation codes to generate synthetic microseismicity at surface and downhole arrays. Similarly, the output from GEOS can be linked with existing fluid/thermal transport codes. GEOS can also be linked with existing, non-intrusive uncertainty quantification schemes to constrain uncertainty in its predictions and sensitivity to the various parameters describing the reservoir and stimulation operations. We anticipate that an implicit-explicit 3D version of GEOS, including a preliminary seismic source model, will be available for parametric testing and validation against experimental and field data by Oct. 1, 2013.

Trace Gas Measurements from the GeoTASO and GCAS Airborne Instruments: An Instrument and Algorithm Test-Bed for Air Quality Observations from Geostationary Orbit

Science.gov (United States)

Nowlan, C. R.; Liu, X.; Janz, S. J.; Leitch, J. W.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Chance, K.; Cole, J.; Delker, T.; Follette-Cook, M. B.; Gonzalez Abad, G.; Good, W. S.; Kowalewski, M. G.; Loughner, C.; Pickering, K. E.; Ruppert, L.; Soo, D.; Szykman, J.; Valin, L.; Zoogman, P.

2016-12-01

The Geostationary Trace gas and Aerosol Sensor Optimization (GeoTASO) and the GEO-CAPE Airborne Simulator (GCAS) instruments are pushbroom sensors capable of making remote sensing measurements of air quality and ocean color. Originally developed as test-bed instruments for the Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) decadal survey, these instruments are now also part of risk reduction for the upcoming Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) and Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) geostationary satellite missions, and will provide validation capabilities after the satellite instruments are in orbit. GeoTASO and GCAS flew on two different aircraft in their first intensive air quality field campaigns during the DISCOVER-AQ missions over Texas in 2013 and Colorado in 2014. GeoTASO was also deployed in 2016 during the KORUS-AQ field campaign to make measurements of trace gases and aerosols over Korea. GeoTASO and GCAS collect spectra of backscattered solar radiation in the UV and visible that can be used to derive 2-D maps of trace gas columns below the aircraft at spatial resolutions on the order of 250 x 500 m. We present spatially resolved maps of trace gas retrievals of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde and sulfur dioxide over urban areas and power plants from flights during the field campaigns, and comparisons with data from ground-based spectrometers, in situ monitoring instruments, and satellites.

Alternative Policy Study: Environment and energy in Europe and Central Asia 1990-2010. Energy-related environmental impacts of policy scenarios GEO-2000 alternative policy study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vuuren DP van; Bakkes JA; United Nations Environment; MNV

2000-01-01

The GEO-2000 study into alternative policy options for Europe and Central Asia focuses on energy use as an important driver for environmental problems across the region. The problems analyzed are climate change, acidification, summer smog, urban air pollution and risks of reactor accidents

Kennisagenda Geo-informatie: GISsen met beleid

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dessing, N.; Lips, F.; Hoogenboom, J.; Vullings, L.A.E.

2009-01-01

LNV wil méér geo-informatie inzetten bij de ontwikkeling en uitvoering van beleid en beleidsnota’s ruimer voorzien van kaartmateriaal. Dit betekent dat geo-informatie vaker moet worden benut om lokale knelpunten, mogelijkheden en de gevolgen van alternatieve oplossingen inzichtelijk te maken. Om dit

Improved Hypoxia Modeling for Nutrient Control Decisions in the Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Habib, Shahid; Pickering, Ken; Tzortziou, Maria; Maninio, Antonio; Policelli, Fritz; Stehr, Jeff

2011-01-01

The Gulf of Mexico Modeling Framework is a suite of coupled models linking the deposition and transport of sediment and nutrients to subsequent bio-geo chemical processes and the resulting effect on concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the coastal waters of Louisiana and Texas. Here, we examine the potential benefits of using multiple NASA remote sensing data products within this Modeling Framework for increasing the accuracy of the models and their utility for nutrient control decisions in the Gulf of Mexico. Our approach is divided into three components: evaluation and improvement of (a) the precipitation input data (b) atmospheric constituent concentrations in EPA's air quality/deposition model and (c) the calculation of algal biomass, organic carbon and suspended solids within the water quality/eutrophication models of the framework.

Mapping the radioactive contamination in urban environments after nuclear emergencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, Jan Christian; Proehl, Gerhard; Woda, Clemens

2008-01-01

Full text: In the event of a nuclear emergency in an urban environment a reliable overview on the radioactive contamination is crucial for decision making. To assess the radiological situation both measurements of the gamma dose or dose rate (GDR) and results from urban dispersion and deposition models are used. Measurements may arrive from various sources like car-borne detectors or man-borne radiation-sensitive materials embedded in cell phones, flash memory devices or RFID chips. The measurements depend strongly on the detector environment. To account for this dependence each signal is multiplied by a location factor, which quantifies the deviation of the recorded signal from the hypothetical signal of a reference surface of infinitely extended lawn. Furthermore, the data originate from geo-referenced points or lines but do not provide full spatial information. We present here two approaches to produce maps of the reference GDR or surface contamination in urban areas, which are implemented in the Inhabited Areas Monitoring Module (IAMM) as part of the European decision support systems RODOS and ARGOS. Immediately after the accident, a few measurements are combined with the predictions of urban models using data assimilation. If enough measurements are available they are regionalised with geo-statistical interpolation algorithms like inverse distance weighting or kriging. Both approaches are demonstrated in hypothetical scenarios based on the explosion of a radioactive dispersion device. (author)

The Urban Enclave, a Spatio–Temporal Logic of the Urbanized Periphery: Effects on Residential Segregation and Urban Fragmentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guénola Capron

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The production of the metropolitan peripheries in Latin America has been characterized by the development of urban, residential and commercial enclaves. These enclaves encompass both large urban housing projects of social interest and subdivisions and gated communities for high–income populations. Both peripheries respond to very different social reasons but have a common spatial logic: the enclave, which deepens the isolation and social distance with its surroundings, generating segregation and fragmentation. We seek to rescue the social and spatial processes of ‘enclosing’ or ‘insularity’ in two cases: a gated community in the northeast — Zona Esmeralda— and a social housing urban complex in the east —San Buenaventura—, both bordering the metropolitan area of the Mexico Valley.

Imprementation of Vgi-Based Geoportal for Empowering Citizen's Geospatial Observatories Related to Urban Disaster Management

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sanghoon

2016-06-01

The volunteered geospatial information (VGI) will be efficient and cost-effective method for generating and sharing large disasterrelated geospatial data. The national mapping organizations have played the role of major geospatial collector have been moving toward the considering public participation data collecting method. Due to VGI can conduct to encourage public participation and empower citizens, mapping agency could make a partnership with members of the VGI community to help to provide well-structured geospatial data. In order to effectively be understood and sharing the public semantics, datasets and action model of the public participation GeoPortal, the implemented VGI-GeoPortal designated as the basis of ISO 19154, ISO 19101 and OGC Reference Model. The proof of concepts of VGI-GeoPortal has been implemented urban flooding use-case in Republic of Korea to collect from the public, and analyze disaster-related geospatial data including high-disaster potential information such as the location of poor drainage sewer, small signs of occurring landslide, flooding vulnerability of urban structure, and etc.

Alternative policy study. Environment and energy in Europe and Central Asia 1990-2010. Energy-related environmental impacts of policy scenarios. GEO 2000 alternative policy study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Vuuren, D.P.; Bakkes, J.A.

2000-01-01

The GEO-2000 study into alternative policy options for Europe and Central Asia focuses on energy use as an important driver for environmental problems across the region. The problems analyzed are climate change, acidification, summer smog, urban air pollution and risks of reactor accidents associated with nuclear power generation. The analysis includes the effects on biodiversity and population health. It considers the question of what can be achieved by moderate measures, and whether this will be enough. Similar Geo-2000 region-specific studies on alternative policies have been compiled other world regions. This report outliners the general methodology for these reports

Requirements elicitation for geo-information solutions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Robbi Sluter, Claudia; van Elzakker, Corné P.J.M.; Ivanova, Ivana

2017-01-01

Geo-information solutions can achieve a higher level of quality if they are developed in accordance with a user-centred design that requires definition of the user requirements in the first step of solution construction. We treat a geo-information solution as a system designed to support human-based

Geographical patterns of cholera in Mexico, 1991-1996.

Science.gov (United States)

Borroto, R J; Martinez-Piedra, R

2000-08-01

The seventh cholera pandemic has been ongoing in Mexico since 1991 and threatens to become endemic. This paper aims to determine the geographical pattern of cholera in Mexico to define areas at high risk of endemic cholera. Ecologic research was conducted based upon the cartography of disease incidence. The 32 Mexican states were grouped into five strata according to the value of the 1991-1996 cumulative incidence rate of cholera. Rate ratios were computed for strata of states classified by geographical situation, urbanization, and poverty level. Cholera incidence was 2.47 times higher in coastal states than in the interior (95% CI : 2.42-2.52). The disease was negatively associated with urbanization. Incidence in the least urbanized stratum was four times as high as in the most urban stratum (95% CI : 3.9-4.12). The poorest stratum showed the most remarkable incidence, i.e. 5.9 times higher than the rate in the least poor stratum (95% CI : 5.73-6.04). This ecologic research suggests that high poverty level, low urbanization, and southern location are the most important predictors of endemic cholera in Mexican states. It is hypothesized that the natural environment of the coastal plains in southern states may also play a significant role in cholera incidence. Poor communities residing in the southern, predominantly rural, coastal states should be prioritized when it comes to investing in safe water supply facilities, adequate excreta disposal systems and cholera surveillance.

Tourism and territorial structure in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oswaldo Gallegos

2012-02-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the issue of the territorial structure of tourism in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. To do this, the study is divided into two major parts: first, theoretical aspects, given support to our analysis, and a brief history of tourism in the Northern borderlands of Mexico are presented. Then, four basic components of the territorial structure of tourism in Ciudad Juarez are examined: natural and cultural attractions, urban land-use, communications network centred around the city and visitors and tourist flows.

GeoLab: A Geological Workstation for Future Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Cynthia; Calaway, Michael; Bell, Mary Sue; Li, Zheng; Tong, Shuo; Zhong, Ye; Dahiwala, Ravi

2014-01-01

The GeoLab glovebox was, until November 2012, fully integrated into NASA's Deep Space Habitat (DSH) Analog Testbed. The conceptual design for GeoLab came from several sources, including current research instruments (Microgravity Science Glovebox) used on the International Space Station, existing Astromaterials Curation Laboratory hardware and clean room procedures, and mission scenarios developed for earlier programs. GeoLab allowed NASA scientists to test science operations related to contained sample examination during simulated exploration missions. The team demonstrated science operations that enhance theThe GeoLab glovebox was, until November 2012, fully integrated into NASA's Deep Space Habitat (DSH) Analog Testbed. The conceptual design for GeoLab came from several sources, including current research instruments (Microgravity Science Glovebox) used on the International Space Station, existing Astromaterials Curation Laboratory hardware and clean room procedures, and mission scenarios developed for earlier programs. GeoLab allowed NASA scientists to test science operations related to contained sample examination during simulated exploration missions. The team demonstrated science operations that enhance the early scientific returns from future missions and ensure that the best samples are selected for Earth return. The facility was also designed to foster the development of instrument technology. Since 2009, when GeoLab design and construction began, the GeoLab team [a group of scientists from the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office within the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Directorate at JSC] has progressively developed and reconfigured the GeoLab hardware and software interfaces and developed test objectives, which were to 1) determine requirements and strategies for sample handling and prioritization for geological operations on other planetary surfaces, 2) assess the scientific contribution of selective in-situ sample

Integrated Geo Hazard Management System in Cloud Computing Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Hanifah, M. I. M.; Omar, R. C.; Khalid, N. H. N.; Ismail, A.; Mustapha, I. S.; Baharuddin, I. N. Z.; Roslan, R.; Zalam, W. M. Z.

2016-11-01

Geo hazard can result in reducing of environmental health and huge economic losses especially in mountainous area. In order to mitigate geo-hazard effectively, cloud computer technology are introduce for managing geo hazard database. Cloud computing technology and it services capable to provide stakeholder's with geo hazards information in near to real time for an effective environmental management and decision-making. UNITEN Integrated Geo Hazard Management System consist of the network management and operation to monitor geo-hazard disaster especially landslide in our study area at Kelantan River Basin and boundary between Hulu Kelantan and Hulu Terengganu. The system will provide easily manage flexible measuring system with data management operates autonomously and can be controlled by commands to collects and controls remotely by using “cloud” system computing. This paper aims to document the above relationship by identifying the special features and needs associated with effective geohazard database management using “cloud system”. This system later will use as part of the development activities and result in minimizing the frequency of the geo-hazard and risk at that research area.

Using GeoMapApp in the Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Goodwillie, A. M.

2017-12-01

The GeoMapApp tool has been updated with enhanced functionality that is useful in the classroom. Hosted as a service of the IEDA Facility at Columbia University, GeoMapApp (http://www.geomapapp.org) is a free resource that integrates a wide range of research-grade geoscience data in one intuitive map-based interface. It includes earthquake and volcano data, geological maps, plate tectonic data sets, and a high-resolution topography/bathymetry base map. Users can also import and analyse their own data files. Layering and transparency capabilities allow users to compare multiple data sets at once. The GeoMapApp interface presents data in its proper geospatial context, helping students more easily gain insight and understanding from the data. Simple tools for data manipulation allow students to analyse the data in different ways such as generating profiles and producing visualisations for reports. The new Save Session capability is designed to assist in the classroom: The educator saves a pre-loaded state of GeoMapApp. When shared with the class, the saved session file allows students to open GeoMapApp with exactly the same data sets loaded and the same display parameters chosen thus freeing up valuable time in which students can explore the data. In this presentation, activities related to plate tectonics will be highlighted. One activity helps students investigate plate boundaries by exploring earthquake and volcano locations. Another requires students to calculate the rate of seafloor spreading using crustal age data in various ocean basins. A third uses the GeoMapApp layering technique to explore the influence of geological forces in shaping the landscape. Educators report that using GeoMapApp in the classroom lowers the barriers to data accessibility for students; fosters an increased sense of data "ownership" - GeoMapApp presents the same data in the same tool used by researchers; allows engagement with authentic geoscience data; promotes STEM skills and

Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

1993-01-01

The background notes on Mexico provide text and recent statistical information on the geography, population, government, economy, and foreign relations, specifically the North American Free Trade Agreement with US. The 1992 population is estimated at 89 million of which 60% are mestizo (Indian-Spanish), 30% are American Indian, 9% are Caucasian, and 1% are other. 90% are Roman Catholic. There are 8 years of compulsory education. Infant mortality is 30/1000 live births. Life expectancy for males is 68 years and 76 years for females. The labor force is comprised of 30% in services, 24% in agriculture and fishing, 19% in manufacturing, 13% in commerce, 7% in construction, 4% in transportation and communication, and .4% in mining. There are 31 states and a federal district. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was $3200 in 1991. Military expenditures were .5% of GDP in 1991. The average inflation rate is 19%. Mexico City with 20 million is the largest urban center in the world. In recent years, the economy has been restructured with market oriented reforms; the result has been a growth of GDP of 3.6% in 1991 from 2% in 1987. Dependence on oil exports has decreased. There has been privatization and deregulation of state-owned companies. Subsidies to inefficient companies have been stopped. Tariff rates were reduced. The financial debt has been reduced and turned into a surplus of .8% in 1992. Mexico's foreign debt has been reduced from its high in 1987 of $107 billion. Agricultural reforms have been ongoing for 50 years. Land was redistributed, but standards of living and productivity have improved only slightly. Rural land tenure regulations have been changed, and other economic reforms are expected. Mexico engages in ad hoc international groups and is selective about membership in international organizations.

A GeoWall with Physics and Astronomy Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Dukes, Phillip; Bruton, Dan

2008-03-01

A GeoWall is a passive stereoscopic projection system that can be used by students, teachers, and researchers for visualization of the structure and dynamics of three-dimensional systems and data. The type of system described here adequately provides 3-D visualization in natural color for large or small groups of viewers. The name ``GeoWall'' derives from its initial development to visualize data in the geosciences.1 An early GeoWall system was developed by Paul Morin at the electronic visualization laboratory at the University of Minnesota and was applied in an introductory geology course in spring of 2001. Since that time, several stereoscopic media, which are applicable to introductory-level physics and astronomy classes, have been developed and released into the public domain. In addition to the GeoWall's application in the classroom, there is considerable value in its use as part of a general science outreach program. In this paper we briefly describe the theory of operation of stereoscopic projection and the basic necessary components of a GeoWall system. Then we briefly describe how we are using a GeoWall as an instructional tool for the classroom and informal astronomy education and in research. Finally, we list sources for several of the free software media in physics and astronomy available for use with a GeoWall system.

GEOS Atmospheric Model: Challenges at Exascale

Science.gov (United States)

Putman, William M.; Suarez, Max J.

2017-01-01

The Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model at NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) is used to simulate the multi-scale variability of the Earth's weather and climate, and is used primarily to assimilate conventional and satellite-based observations for weather forecasting and reanalysis. In addition, assimilations coupled to an ocean model are used for longer-term forecasting (e.g., El Nino) on seasonal to interannual times-scales. The GMAO's research activities, including system development, focus on numerous time and space scales, as detailed on the GMAO website, where they are tabbed under five major themes: Weather Analysis and Prediction; Seasonal-Decadal Analysis and Prediction; Reanalysis; Global Mesoscale Modeling, and Observing System Science. A brief description of the GEOS systems can also be found at the GMAO website. GEOS executes as a collection of earth system components connected through the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF). The ESMF layer is supplemented with the MAPL (Modeling, Analysis, and Prediction Layer) software toolkit developed at the GMAO, which facilitates the organization of the computational components into a hierarchical architecture. GEOS systems run in parallel using a horizontal decomposition of the Earth's sphere into processing elements (PEs). Communication between PEs is primarily through a message passing framework, using the message passing interface (MPI), and through explicit use of node-level shared memory access via the SHMEM (Symmetric Hierarchical Memory access) protocol. Production GEOS weather prediction systems currently run at 12.5-kilometer horizontal resolution with 72 vertical levels decomposed into PEs associated with 5,400 MPI processes. Research GEOS systems run at resolutions as fine as 1.5 kilometers globally using as many as 30,000 MPI processes. Looking forward, these systems can be expected to see a 2 times increase in horizontal resolution every two to three years, as well as

Albuquerque/Middle Rio Grande Urban Waters Viewer

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — These data have been compiled in support of the Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque Urban Waters Partnership for the region including Albuquerque, New Mexico.The Middle...

GeoVanet: A Routing Protocol for Query Processing in Vehicular Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thierry Delot

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET, cars can exchange information by using short-range wireless communications. Along with the opportunities offered by vehicular networks, a number of challenges also arise. In particular, most works so far have focused on a push model, where potentially useful data are pushed towards vehicles. The use of pull models, that would allow users to send queries to a set of cars in order to find the desired information, has not been studied in depth. The main challenge for pull models is the difficulty to route the different results towards the query originator in a highly dynamic network where the nodes move very quickly. To solve this issue, we propose GeoVanet, an anonymous and non-intrusive geographic routing protocol which ensures that the sender of a query can get a consistent answer. Our goal is to ensure that the user will be able to retrieve the query results within a bounded time. To prove the effectiveness of GeoVanet, an extensive experimental evaluation has been performed, that proves the interest of the proposal for both rural and urban areas. It shows that up to 80% of the available query results are delivered to the user.

Essential Means for Urban Computing: Specification of Web-Based Computing Platforms for Urban Planning, a Hitchhiker’s Guide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pirouz Nourian

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This article provides an overview of the specifications of web-based computing platforms for urban data analytics and computational urban planning practice. There are currently a variety of tools and platforms that can be used in urban computing practices, including scientific computing languages, interactive web languages, data sharing platforms and still many desktop computing environments, e.g., GIS software applications. We have reviewed a list of technologies considering their potential and applicability in urban planning and urban data analytics. This review is not only based on the technical factors such as capabilities of the programming languages but also the ease of developing and sharing complex data processing workflows. The arena of web-based computing platforms is currently under rapid development and is too volatile to be predictable; therefore, in this article we focus on the specification of the requirements and potentials from an urban planning point of view rather than speculating about the fate of computing platforms or programming languages. The article presents a list of promising computing technologies, a technical specification of the essential data models and operators for geo-spatial data processing, and mathematical models for an ideal urban computing platform.

IMPREMENTATION OF VGI-BASED GEOPORTAL FOR EMPOWERING CITIZEN’S GEOSPATIAL OBSERVATORIES RELATED TO URBAN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Lee

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The volunteered geospatial information (VGI will be efficient and cost-effective method for generating and sharing large disasterrelated geospatial data. The national mapping organizations have played the role of major geospatial collector have been moving toward the considering public participation data collecting method. Due to VGI can conduct to encourage public participation and empower citizens, mapping agency could make a partnership with members of the VGI community to help to provide well-structured geospatial data. In order to effectively be understood and sharing the public semantics, datasets and action model of the public participation GeoPortal, the implemented VGI-GeoPortal designated as the basis of ISO 19154, ISO 19101 and OGC Reference Model. The proof of concepts of VGI-GeoPortal has been implemented urban flooding use-case in Republic of Korea to collect from the public, and analyze disaster-related geospatial data including high-disaster potential information such as the location of poor drainage sewer, small signs of occurring landslide, flooding vulnerability of urban structure, and etc.

Discovery of accessible locations using region-based geo-social data

KAUST Repository

Wang, Yan

2018-03-17

Geo-social data plays a significant role in location discovery and recommendation. In this light, we propose and study a novel problem of discovering accessible locations in spatial networks using region-based geo-social data. Given a set Q of query regions, the top-k accessible location discovery query (k ALDQ) finds k locations that have the highest spatial-density correlations to Q. Both the spatial distances between locations and regions and the POI (point of interest) density within the regions are taken into account. We believe that this type of k ALDQ query can bring significant benefit to many applications such as travel planning, facility allocation, and urban planning. Three challenges exist in k ALDQ: (1) how to model the spatial-density correlation practically, (2) how to prune the search space effectively, and (3) how to schedule the searches from multiple query regions. To tackle the challenges and process k ALDQ effectively and efficiently, we first define a series of spatial and density metrics to model the spatial-density correlation. Then we propose a novel three-phase solution with a pair of upper and lower bounds of the spatial-density correlation and a heuristic scheduling strategy to schedule multiple query regions. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments on real and synthetic spatial data to demonstrate the performance of the developed solutions.

The Population of Optically Faint GEO Debris

Science.gov (United States)

Seitzer, Patrick; Barker, Ed; Buckalew, Brent; Burkhardt, Andrew; Cowardin, Heather; Frith, James; Gomez, Juan; Kaleida, Catherine; Lederer, Susan M.; Lee, Chris H.

2016-01-01

The 6.5-m Magellan telescope 'Walter Baade' at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile has been used for spot surveys of the GEO orbital regime to study the population of optically faint GEO debris. The goal is to estimate the size of the population of GEO debris at sizes much smaller than can be studied with 1-meter class telescopes. Despite the small size of the field of view of the Magellan instrument (diameter 0.5-degree), a significant population of objects fainter than R = 19th magnitude have been found with angular rates consistent with circular orbits at GEO. We compare the size of this population with the numbers of GEO objects found at brighter magnitudes by smaller telescopes. The observed detections have a wide range in characteristics starting with those appearing as short uniform streaks. But there are a substantial number of detections with variations in brightness, flashers, during the 5-second exposure. The duration of each of these flashes can be extremely brief: sometimes less than half a second. This is characteristic of a rapidly tumbling object with a quite variable projected size times albedo. If the albedo is of the order of 0.2, then the largest projected size of these objects is around 10-cm. The data in this paper was collected over the last several years using Magellan's IMACS camera in f/2 mode. The analysis shows the brightness bins for the observed GEO population as well as the periodicity of the flashers. All objects presented are correlated with the catalog: the focus of the paper will be on the uncorrelated, optically faint, objects. The goal of this project is to better characterize the faint debris population in GEO that access to a 6.5-m optical telescope in a superb site can provide.

All projects related to Mexico | Page 5 | IDRC - International ...

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

Home · What we do / Regions and countries / Mexico ... Caribbean (LAC) have serious deficiencies in water and sanitation provision. ... The daily commute of millions of people to their workplace is a major source of pollution in urban areas.

Paradigm shift from cartography to geo-communication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brodersen, Lars

2007-01-01

This paper argues that the domain of GIS, cartography, geo-information etc. is facing a paradigm shift. The implication of a paradigm shift is a complete and necessary re-definition of e.g. the philosophical foundation of the system, as well as with a major upgrade and readjustment of procedures......-information is actually not possible at all without having a usage (a project identity and a purpose) in mind. Objective and neutral geo-information does not exist. Therefore the overall philosophy of the geo-domain will be that it is a communication discipline....

Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being.

Science.gov (United States)

Kothencz, Gyula; Kolcsár, Ronald; Cabrera-Barona, Pablo; Szilassi, Péter

2017-07-12

Individual perceptions are essential when evaluating the well-being benefits from urban green spaces. This study predicted the influence of perceived green space characteristics in the city of Szeged, Hungary, on two well-being variables: the green space visitors' level of satisfaction and the self-reported quality of life. The applied logistic regression analysis used nine predictors: seven perceived green space characteristics from a questionnaire survey among visitors of five urban green spaces of Szeged; and the frequency of green space visitors' crowd-sourced recreational running paths and photographs picturing green space aesthetics. Results revealed that perceived green space characteristics with direct well-being benefits were strong predictors of both dependent variables. Perceived green space characteristics with indirect, yet fundamental, well-being benefits, namely, regulating ecosystem services had minor influence on the dependent variables. The crowd-sourced geo-tagged data predicted only the perceived quality of life contributions; but revealed spatial patterns of recreational green space use and aesthetics. This study recommends that regulating ecosystem services should be planned with a focus on residents' aesthetic and recreational needs. Further research on the combination of green space visitors´ perceptions and crowd-sourced geo-tagged data is suggested to promote planning for well-being and health benefits of urban green spaces.

Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gyula Kothencz

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Individual perceptions are essential when evaluating the well-being benefits from urban green spaces. This study predicted the influence of perceived green space characteristics in the city of Szeged, Hungary, on two well-being variables: the green space visitors’ level of satisfaction and the self-reported quality of life. The applied logistic regression analysis used nine predictors: seven perceived green space characteristics from a questionnaire survey among visitors of five urban green spaces of Szeged; and the frequency of green space visitors’ crowd-sourced recreational running paths and photographs picturing green space aesthetics. Results revealed that perceived green space characteristics with direct well-being benefits were strong predictors of both dependent variables. Perceived green space characteristics with indirect, yet fundamental, well-being benefits, namely, regulating ecosystem services had minor influence on the dependent variables. The crowd-sourced geo-tagged data predicted only the perceived quality of life contributions; but revealed spatial patterns of recreational green space use and aesthetics. This study recommends that regulating ecosystem services should be planned with a focus on residents’ aesthetic and recreational needs. Further research on the combination of green space visitors´ perceptions and crowd-sourced geo-tagged data is suggested to promote planning for well-being and health benefits of urban green spaces.

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

Social Determinants and Their Impact on Visual Impairment in Southern Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Jimenez-Corona, Aida; Jimenez-Corona, Maria E; Ponce-de-Leon, Samuel; Chavez-Rodriguez, Mariela; Graue-Hernandez, Enrique O

2015-01-01

Visual impairment in disadvantaged populations in Mexico has been scarcely reported. We compared the prevalence of visual impairment and its associated risk factors in populations in rural compared to urban areas of the Mexican southern state of Chiapas. In a population-based study, the prevalence of visual impairment in rural and urban areas of Comitan, Chiapas, was estimated. All eligible individuals aged ≥20 years living in rural areas were invited to participate; persons from urban areas were chosen randomly. Individuals were considered of indigenous (IND) origin either by self-report or if they spoke an IND language. Visual acuity (VA) and pinhole VA were measured using a tumbling E chart. VA was defined as normal (better than or equal to 20/60), moderate impairment (worse than 20/60 but better than or equal to 20/200), severe impairment (worse than 20/200 but better than or equal to 20/400), or blindness (worse than 20/400). Data on VA were obtained from 969 persons (610 rural, 359 urban) whose mean age was 43.3 years (standard deviation 15.6 years). Prevalence of moderate visual impairment was higher in rural (10.2%, 95% confidence interval, CI, 7.2-14.2%) than urban (3.9%, 95% CI 1.9-7.9%) areas (p visual impairment were older and less educated (both p visual impairment compared with urban persons. Unfavorable socioeconomic conditions were associated with higher prevalence of moderate visual impairment in rural compared with urban populations in Mexico.

Kennisagenda Geo-informatie: GISsen met beleid

OpenAIRE

Dessing, N.; Lips, F.; Hoogenboom, J.; Vullings, L.A.E.

2009-01-01

LNV wil méér geo-informatie inzetten bij de ontwikkeling en uitvoering van beleid en beleidsnota’s ruimer voorzien van kaartmateriaal. Dit betekent dat geo-informatie vaker moet worden benut om lokale knelpunten, mogelijkheden en de gevolgen van alternatieve oplossingen inzichtelijk te maken. Om dit te bereiken moet de beschikbaarheid van adequate data en gebruikersvriendelijke en nieuwe GIS-technieken aanmerkelijk verbeteren.

Geo-registration of Unprofessional and Weakly-related Image and Precision Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LIU Yingzhen

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The 3D geo-spatial model built by unprofessional and weakly-related image is a significant source of geo-spatial information. The unprofessional and weakly-related image cannot be useful geo-spatial information until be geo-registered with accurate geo-spatial orientation and location. In this paper, we present an automatic geo-registration using the coordination acquired by real-time GPS module. We calculate 2D and 3D spatial transformation parameters based on the spatial similarity between the image location in the geo-spatial coordination system and in the 3D reconstruction coordination system. Because of the poor precision of GPS information and especially the unstability of elevation measurement, we use RANSAC algorithm to get rid of outliers. In the experiment, we compare the geo-registered image positions to their differential GPS coordinates. The errors of translation, rotation and scaling are evaluated quantitively and the causes of bad result are analyzed. The experiment demonstrates that this geo-registration method can get a precise result with enough images.

Characterisation of irradiation effect on geo-polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chupin, Frederic

2015-01-01

This study aims to improve knowledge about the radiation effect on geo-polymer behavior in terms of dihydrogen release and general strength in order to consider them as an alternative to usual nuclear waste cementitious coating matrices. Using various characterization techniques (nitrogen adsorption, low temperature DSC, FTIR and 1 H NMR spectroscopy) and by means of simulation irradiations (gamma, heavy ions), it has been shown that all the water present in the geo-polymer could be radiolyzed and that there was a confinement effect on the water radiolysis under low LET irradiation, probably due to efficient energy transfers from the solid matrix to the interstitial solution. Three dihydrogen production rates have been identified with the absorbed dose, depending on the concentration of dissolved dioxygen and the dihydrogen accumulation in the geo-polymer matrix. The good mechanical strength of the geo-polymer has been shown up to 9 MGy under gamma irradiation and is due to its high stability under irradiation. This could be explained by the fast recombination of the defects observed by EPR spectroscopy. However, phase crystallization was revealed during irradiation with heavy ions, which may induce some weakening of the geo-polymer network under alpha irradiation. The overall results helped to understand the phenomenology in a waste package under storage conditions. (author) [fr

GeoPro: Technology to Enable Scientific Modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

C. Juan

2004-01-01

Development of the ground-water flow model for the Death Valley Regional Groundwater Flow System (DVRFS) required integration of numerous supporting hydrogeologic investigations. The results from recharge, discharge, hydraulic properties, water level, pumping, model boundaries, and geologic studies were integrated to develop the required conceptual and 3-D framework models, and the flow model itself. To support the complex modeling process and the needs of the multidisciplinary DVRFS team, a hardware and software system called GeoPro (Geoscience Knowledge Integration Protocol) was developed. A primary function of GeoPro is to manage the large volume of disparate data compiled for the 100,000-square-kilometer area of southern Nevada and California. The data are primarily from previous investigations and regional flow models developed for the Nevada Test Site and Yucca Mountain projects. GeoPro utilizes relational database technology (Microsoft SQL Server(trademark)) to store and manage these tabular point data, groundwater flow model ASCII data, 3-D hydrogeologic framework data, 2-D and 2.5-D GIS data, and text documents. Data management consists of versioning, tracking, and reporting data changes as multiple users access the centralized database. GeoPro also supports the modeling process by automating the routine data transformations required to integrate project software. This automation is also crucial to streamlining pre- and post-processing of model data during model calibration. Another function of GeoPro is to facilitate the dissemination and use of the model data and results through web-based documents by linking and allowing access to the underlying database and analysis tools. The intent is to convey to end-users the complex flow model product in a manner that is simple, flexible, and relevant to their needs. GeoPro is evolving from a prototype system to a production-level product. Currently the DVRFS pre- and post-processing modeling tools are being re

1944 Water Treaty Between Mexico and the United States: Present Situation and Future Potential

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anabel Sánchez

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Historically and culturally, water has always been considered to be a critical issue in Mexico- USA agenda. Along the 3 140-km border between Mexico and the United States, there is intense competition over the adequate availability of water. Water uses in urban border areas have continued to increase exponentially due to steadily increasing levels of population growth. Rapid industrialisation and urbanisation have resulted in more intensive patterns of water consumption and use. Agricultural water demands continue to be high. Mexico and the United States have established institutions and agreements to manage and protect rivers in the border region. The Treaty between Mexico and the United States for the Utilisation of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande was signed in 1944. With the turn of the century, the growing urban centers along the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo, where the river becomes the international boundary, started increasingly to depend on groundwater. This situation was not specifically addressed in the 1944 Treaty, especially as groundwater use at that time was not so significant.

The Key Driving Forces for Geo-Economic Relationships between China and ASEAN Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shufang Wang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available With the rise of China and the implementation of the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” strategy, research on geo-economics between China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries has become increasingly important. Current studies mainly focus on influencing factors, while there is little consideration about how these influencing factors act on geo-economic relationships. Therefore, this paper explores the key driving forces for geo-economic relationships between China and ASEAN countries by use of the structural equation modeling based on Partial Lease Squares. There are three main findings: (1 Economic factors have the greatest impact on geo-economic relationships and the total path effect is 0.778. Geo-location, geopolitics and geo-culture act on geo-economic relationships directly and indirectly. Their total path effects are 0.731, 0.645 and 0.513, respectively. (2 Indirect effects of geo-location, geopolitics and geo-culture impacting geo-economic relationships are far greater than direct effects. Geo-culture, in particular, has a vital mediating effect on geo-economic relationships. (3 Economic drivers promote geo-economic relationships through market, industrial policy, technical, network and benefit-sharing mechanisms. Political drivers improve geo-economic relationships through cooperation, negotiation, coordination and institutional mechanisms. Cultural drivers enhance geo-economic relationships through transmission mechanism. Location drivers facilitate geo-economic relationships through selection mechanism. We provide new insights on the geo-economic relationships through quantitative analysis and enrich the existing literature by revealing the key driving forces and mechanisms for geo-economic relationships.

A novel insight into beaconless geo-routing

KAUST Repository

Bader, Ahmed

2012-12-01

Beaconless geo-routing protocols have been traditionally analyzed assuming equal communication ranges for the data and control packets. This is not true in reality, since the communication range is in practice function of the packet length. As a consequence, a substantial discrepancy may exist between analytical and empirical results offered in beaconless geo-routing literature. Furthermore, performance of beaconless geo-routing protocols has typically considered using single-hop metrics only. End-to-end performance is considered in literature only occasionally and mainly in terms of simulation only. In this paper, we re-examine this class of protocols. We first incorporate practical packet detection models in order to capture the dependency of the communication range on the packet\\'s length. We then develop a detailed analytical framework for the end-to-end delay and energy performance of beaconless geo-routing protocols. Finally, we present two different application scenarios and study various tradeoffs in light of the framework developed. © 2012 IEEE.

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African Journals Online (AJOL)

Philemon Kaganda

prevention measures in Malawian households. Trop. Med. Parasitol. 45: 70-73. 3. Rodriguez AD, Penilla RP, Henry-Rodriguez M,. Hemingway J, Francisco Betanzos A, Hernandez-Avila. JE (2003): Knowledge and beliefs about malaria transmission and practices for vector control in southern Mexico. Salud Publica Mex.

URBANIZATION AND SPATIAL CHANGES IN DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS IN MONTERREY METROPOLITAN REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arun Kumar Acharya

2011-10-01

Full Text Available This paper tries to explore the process of urbanization and spatial changes in demographic features in the Monterrey Metropolitan Region (MMR, Mexico. This city is the third largest urban sector in Mexico which has around 4 million population. It is also the industrial and economic capital of the country. The present study found that rapid urbanization in the metropolitan region has a close association with process of industrialization. In population distribution and composition, study found that the metropolitan region had its “demographic transition” during the years seventies and currently the region is taking advantages of demographic bonus cohort, i.e. a higher concentration of population in economic active groups compare to children and old age population. However, this paper indentified a higher imbalance in metropolitan demographic scenario. On the one hand, there is di-populization in the city center region and in other there is a steady increment of population in peri-urban region.

Comparative Analysis of NOAA REFM and SNB3GEO Tools for the Forecast of the Fluxes of High-Energy Electrons at GEO

Science.gov (United States)

Balikhin, M. A.; Rodriguez, J. V.; Boynton, R. J.; Walker, S. N.; Aryan, Homayon; Sibeck, D. G.; Billings, S. A.

2016-01-01

Reliable forecasts of relativistic electrons at geostationary orbit (GEO) are important for the mitigation of their hazardous effects on spacecraft at GEO. For a number of years the Space Weather Prediction Center at NOAA has provided advanced online forecasts of the fluence of electrons with energy >2 MeV at GEO using the Relativistic Electron Forecast Model (REFM). The REFM forecasts are based on real-time solar wind speed observations at L1. The high reliability of this forecasting tool serves as a benchmark for the assessment of other forecasting tools. Since 2012 the Sheffield SNB3GEO model has been operating online, providing a 24 h ahead forecast of the same fluxes. In addition to solar wind speed, the SNB3GEO forecasts use solar wind density and interplanetary magnetic field B(sub z) observations at L1. The period of joint operation of both of these forecasts has been used to compare their accuracy. Daily averaged measurements of electron fluxes by GOES 13 have been used to estimate the prediction efficiency of both forecasting tools. To assess the reliability of both models to forecast infrequent events of very high fluxes, the Heidke skill score was employed. The results obtained indicate that SNB3GEO provides a more accurate 1 day ahead forecast when compared to REFM. It is shown that the correction methodology utilized by REFM potentially can improve the SNB3GEO forecast.

Comparative analysis of NOAA REFM and SNB3GEO tools for the forecast of the fluxes of high-energy electrons at GEO

Science.gov (United States)

Balikhin, M. A.; Rodriguez, J. V.; Boynton, R. J.; Walker, S. N.; Aryan, H.; Sibeck, D. G.; Billings, S. A.

2016-01-01

Reliable forecasts of relativistic electrons at geostationary orbit (GEO) are important for the mitigation of their hazardous effects on spacecraft at GEO. For a number of years the Space Weather Prediction Center at NOAA has provided advanced online forecasts of the fluence of electrons with energy >2 MeV at GEO using the Relativistic Electron Forecast Model (REFM). The REFM forecasts are based on real-time solar wind speed observations at L1. The high reliability of this forecasting tool serves as a benchmark for the assessment of other forecasting tools. Since 2012 the Sheffield SNB3GEO model has been operating online, providing a 24 h ahead forecast of the same fluxes. In addition to solar wind speed, the SNB3GEO forecasts use solar wind density and interplanetary magnetic field Bz observations at L1.The period of joint operation of both of these forecasts has been used to compare their accuracy. Daily averaged measurements of electron fluxes by GOES 13 have been used to estimate the prediction efficiency of both forecasting tools. To assess the reliability of both models to forecast infrequent events of very high fluxes, the Heidke skill score was employed. The results obtained indicate that SNB3GEO provides a more accurate 1 day ahead forecast when compared to REFM. It is shown that the correction methodology utilized by REFM potentially can improve the SNB3GEO forecast.

Characterization of urban solid waste in Chihuahua, Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez, Guadalupe; Meneses, Montserrat; Ballinas, Lourdes; Castells, Francesc

2008-01-01

The characterization of urban solid waste generation is fundamental for adequate decision making in the management strategy of urban solid waste in a city. The objective of this study is to characterize the waste generated in the households of Chihuahua city, and to compare the results obtained in areas of the city with three different socioeconomic levels. In order to identify the different socioeconomic trends in waste generation and characterization, 560 samples of solid waste were collected during 1 week from 80 households in Chihuahua and were hand sorted and classified into 15 weighted fractions. The average waste generation in Chihuahua calculated in this study was 0.676 kg per capita per day in April 2006. The main fractions were: organic (48%), paper (16%) and plastic (12%). Results show an increased waste generation associated with the socioeconomic level. The characterization in amount and composition of urban waste is the first step needed for the successful implementation of an integral waste management system

Characterization of urban solid waste in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez, Guadalupe; Meneses, Montserrat; Ballinas, Lourdes; Castells, Francesc

2008-12-01

The characterization of urban solid waste generation is fundamental for adequate decision making in the management strategy of urban solid waste in a city. The objective of this study is to characterize the waste generated in the households of Chihuahua city, and to compare the results obtained in areas of the city with three different socioeconomic levels. In order to identify the different socioeconomic trends in waste generation and characterization, 560 samples of solid waste were collected during 1 week from 80 households in Chihuahua and were hand sorted and classified into 15 weighted fractions. The average waste generation in Chihuahua calculated in this study was 0.676 kg per capita per day in April 2006. The main fractions were: organic (48%), paper (16%) and plastic (12%). Results show an increased waste generation associated with the socioeconomic level. The characterization in amount and composition of urban waste is the first step needed for the successful implementation of an integral waste management system.

Rheological behavior of alkali-activated metakaolin during geo-polymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poulesquen, A.; Frizon, F.; Lambertin, D.

2011-01-01

The dynamic rheological behavior of geo-polymers, inorganic materials synthesized by activation of an aluminosilicate source by an alkaline solution, is described. The pastes studied were mixtures of an activation solution (alkali + silica) and metakaolin. The influence of the activation solution (NaOH vs. KOH), the silica (Aerosil vs. Tixosil), and the temperature on the evolution of the elastic modulus (G') and viscous modulus (G') over time were studied in the linear viscoelastic range. The results show that the nature of the silica has little influence on the viscous and elastic moduli when the geo-polymer is activated by KOH, and that the setting time is faster with sodium hydroxide and at higher temperatures regardless of the geo-polymer. In addition, during geo-polymerization the stepwise variation of the modulus values indicates that the formation of the 3D network occurs in several steps. Moreover, geo-polymers activated by potassium hydroxide exhibit slower kinetics but the interactions between constituents are stronger, as the loss tangent (tanδ = G''/G') is lower. Finally, the maximum loss tangent, tanδ, was also used as a criterion to determine the temperature dependence of the geo-polymers synthesized. This criterion is a precursor of the transition to the glassy state. The activation energies could thus be determined for the geo-polymers synthesized with potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. (authors)

Chapter 4. Fayuca Hormiga: The Cross-border Trade of Used Clothing between the United States and Mexico

OpenAIRE

Gauthier, Mélissa

2017-01-01

Borders, regardless of their location, represent lucrative zones of exchange and trade, often illicit and clandestine. Along the US-Mexico border there is a lively trade taking second-hand clothing into Mexico through a complex system of smuggling, which is locally known as fayuca. Although used clothing is a restricted import in Mexico, it is sold everywhere in urban markets. This chapter details the “unauthorized” flow of used clothing across the US-Mexico border in light of ethnographic fi...

Sustainable fuelwood use in rural Mexico. Volume 1: Current patterns of resource use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masera, O.

1993-04-01

The present report summarizes the results of the first phase of a project of cooperation between the Mexican National Commission for Energy Conservation (CONAE) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) on sustainable biofuel use in rural Mexico. This first phase has been devoted to (i) conducting an in-depth review of the status of fuelwood use in rural and peri-urban areas of Mexico, (ii) providing improved estimates of biomass energy use, (iii) assessing the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of fuelwood use, and (iv) identifying preliminary potential lines of action to improve the patterns of biomass energy use in Mexico; in particular, identifying those interventions that, by improving living conditions for rural inhabitants, can result in global benefits (such as the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions). A comprehensive review of the existing documentation of biofuel use in rural and peri-urban Mexico was conducted. Reports from official, academic, and non-governmental organizations were gathered and analyzed. A computerized rural energy database was created by re-processing a national rural energy survey. Because of the paucity of information about biofuel use in small rural industries, most of the analysis is devoted to the household sector.

Modelling of Diffuse Failure and Fluidization in geo materials and Geo structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pastor, M.

2013-01-01

Failure of geo structures is caused by changes in effective stresses induced by external loads (earthquakes, for instance), change in the pore pressures (rain), in the geometry (erosion), or in materials properties (chemical attack, degradation, weathering). Landslides can by analysed as the failure of a geo structure, the slope. There exist many alternative classifications of landslides can be analyzed as the failure of a geo structure, the slope. There exist many alternative classifications of landslides, but we will consider here a simple classification into slides and flows. In the case of slides, the failure consists on the movement of a part of the slope with deformations which concentrate in a narrow zone, the failure surface. This can be idealized as localized failure, and it is typical of over consolidated or dense materials exhibiting softening. On the other hand, flows are made of fluidized materials, flowing in a fluid like manner. This mechanism of failure is known as diffuse failure, and has received much less attention by researchers. Modelling of diffuse failure of slopes is complex, because there appear difficulties in the mathematical, constitutive and numerical models, which have to account for a phase transition. This work deals with modeling, and we will present here some tools recently developed by the author and the group to which he belongs. (Author)

Classification of high resolution remote sensing image based on geo-ontology and conditional random fields

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Liang

2013-10-01

The availability of high spatial resolution remote sensing data provides new opportunities for urban land-cover classification. More geometric details can be observed in the high resolution remote sensing image, Also Ground objects in the high resolution remote sensing image have displayed rich texture, structure, shape and hierarchical semantic characters. More landscape elements are represented by a small group of pixels. Recently years, the an object-based remote sensing analysis methodology is widely accepted and applied in high resolution remote sensing image processing. The classification method based on Geo-ontology and conditional random fields is presented in this paper. The proposed method is made up of four blocks: (1) the hierarchical ground objects semantic framework is constructed based on geoontology; (2) segmentation by mean-shift algorithm, which image objects are generated. And the mean-shift method is to get boundary preserved and spectrally homogeneous over-segmentation regions ;(3) the relations between the hierarchical ground objects semantic and over-segmentation regions are defined based on conditional random fields framework ;(4) the hierarchical classification results are obtained based on geo-ontology and conditional random fields. Finally, high-resolution remote sensed image data -GeoEye, is used to testify the performance of the presented method. And the experimental results have shown the superiority of this method to the eCognition method both on the effectively and accuracy, which implies it is suitable for the classification of high resolution remote sensing image.

Social sensing of urban land use based on analysis of Twitter users' mobility patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Soliman, Aiman; Soltani, Kiumars; Yin, Junjun; Padmanabhan, Anand; Wang, Shaowen

2017-01-01

A number of recent studies showed that digital footprints around built environments, such as geo-located tweets, are promising data sources for characterizing urban land use. However, challenges for achieving this purpose exist due to the volume and unstructured nature of geo-located social media. Previous studies focused on analyzing Twitter data collectively resulting in coarse resolution maps of urban land use. We argue that the complex spatial structure of a large collection of tweets, when viewed through the lens of individual-level human mobility patterns, can be simplified to a series of key locations for each user, which could be used to characterize urban land use at a higher spatial resolution. Contingent issues that could affect our approach, such as Twitter users' biases and tendencies at locations where they tweet the most, were systematically investigated using 39 million geo-located Tweets and two independent datasets of the City of Chicago: 1) travel survey and 2) parcel-level land use map. Our results support that the majority of Twitter users show a preferential return, where their digital traces are clustered around a few key locations. However, we did not find a general relation among users between the ranks of locations for an individual-based on the density of tweets-and their land use types. On the contrary, temporal patterns of tweeting at key locations were found to be coherent among the majority of users and significantly associated with land use types of these locations. Furthermore, we used these temporal patterns to classify key locations into generic land use types with an overall classification accuracy of 0.78. The contribution of our research is twofold: a novel approach to resolving land use types at a higher resolution, and in-depth understanding of Twitter users' location-related and temporal biases, promising to benefit human mobility and urban studies in general.

Social sensing of urban land use based on analysis of Twitter users’ mobility patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Soltani, Kiumars; Yin, Junjun; Padmanabhan, Anand; Wang, Shaowen

2017-01-01

A number of recent studies showed that digital footprints around built environments, such as geo-located tweets, are promising data sources for characterizing urban land use. However, challenges for achieving this purpose exist due to the volume and unstructured nature of geo-located social media. Previous studies focused on analyzing Twitter data collectively resulting in coarse resolution maps of urban land use. We argue that the complex spatial structure of a large collection of tweets, when viewed through the lens of individual-level human mobility patterns, can be simplified to a series of key locations for each user, which could be used to characterize urban land use at a higher spatial resolution. Contingent issues that could affect our approach, such as Twitter users’ biases and tendencies at locations where they tweet the most, were systematically investigated using 39 million geo-located Tweets and two independent datasets of the City of Chicago: 1) travel survey and 2) parcel-level land use map. Our results support that the majority of Twitter users show a preferential return, where their digital traces are clustered around a few key locations. However, we did not find a general relation among users between the ranks of locations for an individual—based on the density of tweets—and their land use types. On the contrary, temporal patterns of tweeting at key locations were found to be coherent among the majority of users and significantly associated with land use types of these locations. Furthermore, we used these temporal patterns to classify key locations into generic land use types with an overall classification accuracy of 0.78. The contribution of our research is twofold: a novel approach to resolving land use types at a higher resolution, and in-depth understanding of Twitter users’ location-related and temporal biases, promising to benefit human mobility and urban studies in general. PMID:28723936

GeoForum MV 2012. GIS schafft Energie. Contributions of geo-information science to the energy turnaround; GeoForum MV 2012. GIS schafft Energie. Beitraege der Geoinformationswirtschaft zur Energiewende

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bill, Ralf [Rostock Univ. (Germany). Professur fuer Geodaesie und Geoinformatik; Flach, Guntram [Fraunhofer IGD, Rostock (Germany); Klammer, Ulf; Lerche, Tobias (eds.) [GeoMV e.V. Verein der Geoinformationswirtschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V., Rostock (Germany)

2012-07-01

Geo-information systems (GIS) have become indispensable in the development and implementation of concepts for enhanced use of renewable energy sources. Publications in geo-informatics so far have tended to focus on potential studies and regional planning aspects, but also on the establishment of land registers for energy sources and heat consumption. This year's GeoForum presented a comprehensive and concise picture of all these trends. Further subjects were discussed as well, i.e. 1. Logistics, eMobility and the development of individualised services in public transportation; 2. Geodata especially of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state and with a view to the power supply sector; 3. Basic technologies as current trends in INSPIRE with increasing data volumes and services will enhance their uses in the energy sector.

Water budget of the Calera Aquifer in Zacatecas, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

In the Calera Aquifer Region of the State of Zacatecas, Mexico, limited rainfall and low agricultural water use efficiency in combination with fast growing industrial and urban water demand are contributing to groundwater depletion at an unsustainable rate. Limited data and planning tools were avail...

GeoSciML and EarthResourceML Update, 2012

Science.gov (United States)

Richard, S. M.; Commissionthe Management; Application Inte, I.

2012-12-01

CGI Interoperability Working Group activities during 2012 include deployment of services using the GeoSciML-Portrayal schema, addition of new vocabularies to support properties added in version 3.0, improvements to server software for deploying services, introduction of EarthResourceML v.2 for mineral resources, and collaboration with the IUSS on a markup language for soils information. GeoSciML and EarthResourceML have been used as the basis for the INSPIRE Geology and Mineral Resources specifications respectively. GeoSciML-Portrayal is an OGC GML simple-feature application schema for presentation of geologic map unit, contact, and shear displacement structure (fault and ductile shear zone) descriptions in web map services. Use of standard vocabularies for geologic age and lithology enables map services using shared legends to achieve visual harmonization of maps provided by different services. New vocabularies have been added to the collection of CGI vocabularies provided to support interoperable GeoSciML services, and can be accessed through http://resource.geosciml.org. Concept URIs can be dereferenced to obtain SKOS rdf or html representations using the SISSVoc vocabulary service. New releases of the FOSS GeoServer application greatly improve support for complex XML feature schemas like GeoSciML, and the ArcGIS for INSPIRE extension implements similar complex feature support for ArcGIS Server. These improved server implementations greatly facilitate deploying GeoSciML services. EarthResourceML v2 adds features for information related to mining activities. SoilML provides an interchange format for soil material, soil profile, and terrain information. Work is underway to add GeoSciML to the portfolio of Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) specifications.

Preserving location and absence privacy in geo-social networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Freni, Dario; Vicente, Carmen Ruiz; Mascetti, Sergio

2010-01-01

accessible to multiple users. This renders it difficult for GeoSN users to control which information about them is available and to whom it is available. This paper addresses two privacy threats that occur in GeoSNs: location privacy and absence privacy. The former concerns the availability of information...... about the presence of users in specific locations at given times, while the latter concerns the availability of information about the absence of an individual from specific locations during given periods of time. The challenge addressed is that of supporting privacy while still enabling useful services....... The resulting geo-aware social networks (GeoSNs) pose privacy threats beyond those found in location-based services. Content published in a GeoSN is often associated with references to multiple users, without the publisher being aware of the privacy preferences of those users. Moreover, this content is often...

Geo-engineering: a curse or a blessing?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wissenburg, M.L.J.

2016-01-01

In recent years, geo-engineering has been suggested as a viable strategy in dealing with climate change, the main indicator of what has become known as ‘the Anthropocene’. In this paper, I investigate the effects of geo-engineering in terms of freedom – not the only but perhaps the most important

Communication of geo-scientific safety arguments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flavelle, P.; Goodwin, B.; Jensen, M.; Linden, R.; Mazurek, M.; Srivastave, M.; Strom, A.; Sudicky, E.; Voinis, S.

2007-01-01

Working Group B addressed the communication of geo-scientific safety arguments through a discussion of practical experience as it related to the methods, types of information and specific arguments found to best communicate geo-scientific concepts and notions of safety with broad audiences including, colleagues, authorities and regulators, political decision makers, academics, and the general public. The following questions were suggested by the programme committee of the AMIGO-2 workshop for discussion by Working Group B with respect to the communication of geo-scientific information and safety arguments: - What is the place of geo-scientific arguments in relation to quantitative and qualitative topics like scenario and FEPs (features, events, processes) assessment, simulated repository evolution, calculated dose or risk impacts, engineering tests of materials, etc., when presenting a safety case to different audiences and with respect to the various stages of the repository programme? (see section 3). - Would we be better off focusing messages to the public on time scales of a few hundred years or a few generations? (see section 4). - How do you handle the fact that geoscience interpretations seldom are unique and data often are open to various interpretations? (see section 5). - How do you handle expert controversy on a specific topic? (see section 6). (authors)

Instrumental Genesis in GeoGebra Based Board Game Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Misfeldt, Morten

2013-01-01

In this paper I address the use of digital tools (GeoGebra) in open ended design activities, with primary school children. I present results from the research and development project “Creative Digital Mathematics”, which aims to use the pupil’s development of mathematical board games as a vehicle...... in their work with GeoGebra and how they relate their work with GeoGebra and mathematics to fellow pupils and real life situations. The results show that pupils’ consider development of board games as meaningful mathematical activity, and that they develop skills with GeoGebra, furthermore the pupils considers...... potential use of their board game by classmates in their design activities....

Infant bottle propping among a low-income urban population in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Escamilla, R; Segura-Millán, S; Dewey, K G

1995-06-01

The prevalence of bottle propping (permitting an infant to drink from a bottle unattended) and the determinants of this practice at 1 week and 4 months of life were studied in a selected sample of urban women in Hermosillo, Mexico. The sample (n = 165) consisted of mothers planning to breast-feed who gave birth to healthy infants at one of two public hospitals. Data were obtained by interviewing women shortly before they were discharged from the hospital and at about 1 week and 4 months postpartum. Among those mothers giving liquid breast milk substitutes to their infants, the percentage practicing bottle propping increased from 27% at 1 week (n = 20/74) to 67% at 4 months (n = 87/130). Women who practiced bottle propping at 1 week were significantly more likely to continue this practice at 4 months. Bottle propping was significantly more common, both at 1 week and 4 months, among women who had completely weaned their infants than among those who were still combining breast and formula feeding. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that 1-week risk factors for bottle propping were low socioeconomic status, being a multiparous single mother, and being a young mother (< or = 18 years old) with a female infant, while 4-month risk factors were complete weaning, delivery in a "nursery" (versus a "rooming-in") hospital, and lack of support by the mother's partner for breast-feeding. While the possible health risks associated with early bottle propping have not been well defined, the extent of the practice observed in this study suggests that such risks deserve further investigation.

Migration magnet: The role of work experience in rural-urban wage differentials

OpenAIRE

Michaelsen, Maren; Haisken-DeNew, John

2015-01-01

This study uses the nationally representative Mexican Family Life Survey (MxFLS) to identify systematic differences in earnings returns to human capital endowments for formal and informal sector workers in rural and urban Mexico. Returns to experience are critical in explaining the large urban wage gap in a Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition and indeed drive pull migration from the rural informal sector to the urban informal sector, exacerbating urban population congestion in already over-crowded m...

Parental Empowerment in Mexico: Randomized Experiment of the "Apoyos a La Gestion Escolar (Age)" Program in Rural Primary Schools in Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Gertler, Paul; Patrinos, Harry Anthony; Rodriguez-Oreggia, Eduardo

2012-01-01

Previous evaluations from Mexico are limited. The urban school-based management program, Programa Escuelas de Calidad (PEC), was analyzed using panel data regression analysis and propensity score matching. Participation in PEC is found to lead to decreases in dropout, failure and repetition rates. An evaluation of the rural parental empowerment…

Urban Expansion: a Geo-Spatial Approach for Temporal Monitoring of Loss of Agricultural Land

Science.gov (United States)

Sumari, N. S.; Shao, Z.; Huang, M.; Sanga, C. A.; Van Genderen, J. L.

2017-09-01

This paper presents some preliminary results from research on monitoring the urban growth of Shenzhen in China. Agriculture is still the pillar of national economies in many countries including China. Thus, agriculture contributes to population growth. Population growth follows either exponential or logistic growth models. These models can be examined using a time-series of geospatial data, mainly historical earth observation imagery from satellites such as LANDSAT. Such multitemporal data may provide insights into settlement analysis as well as on population dynamics and hence, quantify the loss of agricultural land. In this study, LANDSAT data of ten dates, at approximately five yearly intervals from 1977 to 2017 were used. The remote sensing techniques used for analysis of data for 40 years were image selection, then followed by geometric and radiometric corrections and mosaicking. Also, classification, remote sensing image fusion, and change detection methods were used. This research extracted the information on the amount, direction, and speed of urbanization, and hence, the number of hectares of agricultural land lost due to urban expansion. Several specific elements were used in the descriptive model of landscape changes and population dynamics of the city of Shenzhen in China. These elements are: i) quantify the urban changes, from a small town (37.000 people in the early 1970's) to the megalopolis of around 20 million habitants today. ii) Examining the rate of urban extension on the loss of agricultural landscape and population growth. iii) The loss of food production was analysed against the economic growth in the region. iv) The aspects of loss of agricultural land, area of built-up urban land, and increase in population are studied quantitatively, by the temporal analysis of earth observation geospatial data. The experimental results from this study show that the proposed method is effective in determining loss of agricultural land in any city due to

Simulation of Telescope Detectivity for Geo Survey and Tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Richard, P.

2014-09-01

As the number of space debris on Earths Orbit increases steadily, the need to survey, track and catalogue them becomes of key importance. In this context, CNES has been using the TAROT Telescopes (Rapid Telescopes for Transient Objects owned and operated by CNRS) for several years to conduct studies about space surveillance and tracking. Today, two testbeds of services using the TAROT telescopes are running every night: one for GEO situational awareness and the second for debris tracking. Additionally to the CNES research activity on space surveillance and tracking domain, an operational collision avoidance service for LEO and GEO satellites is in place at CNES for several years. This service named CAESAR (Conjunction Analysis and Evaluation: Alerts and Recommendations) is used by CNES as well as by external customers. As the optical debris tracking testbed based on TAROT telescopes is the first step toward an operational provider of GEO measures that could be used by CAESAR, simulations have been done to help choosing the sites and types of telescopes that could be added in the GEO survey and debris tracking telescope network. One of the distinctive characteristics of the optical observation of space debris compared to traditional astronomic observation is the need to observe objects at low elevations. The two mains reasons for this are the need to observe the GEO belt from non-equatorial sites and the need to observe debris at longitudes far from the telescope longitude. This paper presents the results of simulations of the detectivity for GEO debris of various telescopes and sites, based on models of the GEO belt, the atmosphere and the instruments. One of the conclusions is that clever detection of faint streaks and spread sources by image processing is one of the major keys to improve the detection of debris on the GEO belt.

Dispersal and oviposition of laboratory-reared gravid females of Toxorhynchites moctezuma in an arid urban area of Sonora, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Macías-Duarte, Alberto; Alvarado-Castro, J Andrés; Dórame-Navarro, María E; Félix-Torres, A Amalia

2009-12-01

Dengue is a serious public health problem worldwide. Biological control of its vector, Aedes aegypti, remains a feasible option in light of increasing urbanization and insecticide resistance. We studied the dispersal and oviposition activity of Toxorhynchites moctezuma in a dengue-endemic urban area in SSonora, Mexico, to provide information about the potential of Toxorhynchites as a control agent for Ae. aegypti in arid areas. We released 210 and 100 laboratory-reared gravid females of Tx. moctezuma in 2 city blocks during the summer and fall of 1993. We set 3 1-liter containers and 1 car tire as sentinel traps at each of 10 backyards within each city block. Spatial and temporal patterns of dispersal and oviposition activity differed between city blocks and between releases. However, a Cox regression analysis showed no significant difference in the per-day probability of Tx. moctezuma oviposition events in sentinel traps between summer and fall releases. Per-day oviposition probability was nearly 5 times greater for sentineltraps that contained larvae of Ae. aegypti, suggesting a high specificity of the predator for its prey. The proportion of sentinel traps positive for Tx. moctezuma eggs did not increase substantially after the 8th day piost-release, reaching 66% and 23% for sentinel traps with and without Ae. aegypti larvae, respectively.

Using trace element content and lead isotopic composition to assess sources of PM in Tijuana, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Salcedo, D.; Castro, T.; Bernal, J. P.; Almanza-Veloz, V.; Zavala, M.; González-Castillo, E.; Saavedra, M. I.; Perez-Arvízu, O.; Díaz-Trujillo, G. C.; Molina, L. T.

2016-05-01

PM2.5 samples were collected at two urban sites (Parque Morelos (PQM) and CECyTE (CEC)) in Tijuana during the Cal-Mex campaign from May 24 to June 5, 2010. Concentration of trace elements (Mg, Al, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Cu, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, La, Ce, and Pb), and Pb isotopic composition were determined in order to study the sources of PM impacting each site. Other chemical analysis (gravimetric, elemental and organic carbon (EC/OC), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)), were also performed. Finally, back-trajectories were calculated to facilitate the interpretation of the chemical data. Trace elements results show that CEC is a receptor site affected by mixed regional sources: sea salt, mineral, urban, and industrial. On the other hand, PQM seems to be impacted mainly by local sources. In particular, Pb at CEC is of anthropogenic, as well as crustal origin. This conclusion is supported by the lead isotopic composition, whose values are consistent with a combination of lead extracted from US mines, and lead from bedrocks in the Mexican Sierras. Some of the time variability observed can be explained using the back-trajectories.

An Overview of the GEOS-5 Aerosol Reanalysis

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Arlindo; Colarco, Peter Richard; Damenov, Anton Spasov; Buchard-Marchant, Virginie; Randles, Cynthia A.; Gupta, Pawan

2011-01-01

GEOS-5 is the latest version of the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) earth system model. GEOS-5 contains components for atmospheric circulation and composition (including data assimilation), ocean circulation and biogeochemistry, and land surface processes. In addition to traditional meteorological parameters, GEOS-5 includes modules representing the atmospheric composition, most notably aerosols and tropospheric/stratospheric chemical constituents, taking explicit account of the impact of these constituents on the radiative processes of the atmosphere. MERRA is a NASA meteorological reanalysis for the satellite era (1979-present) using GEOS-5. This project focuses on historical analyses of the hydrological cycle on a broad range of weather and climate time scales. As a first step towards an integrated Earth System Analysis (IESA), the GMAO is extending MERRA with reanalyses for other components of the earth system: land, ocean, bio-geochemistry and atmospheric constituents. In this talk we will present results from the MERRA-driven aerosol reanalysis covering the Aqua period (2003-present). The assimilation of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) in GEOS-5 involves very careful cloud screening and homogenization of the observing system by means of a Neural Net scheme that translates MODIS radiances into AERONET calibrated AOD. These measurements are further quality controlled using an adaptive buddy check scheme, and assimilated using the Local Displacement Ensemble (LDE) methodology. For this reanalysis, GEOS-5 runs at a nominal 50km horizontal resolution with 72 vertical layers (top at approx. 8Skm). GEOS-5 is driven by daily biomass burning emissions derived from MODIS fire radiative power retrievals. We will present a summary of our efforts to validate such dataset. The GEOS-5 assimilated aerosol fields are first validated by comparison to independent in-situ measurements (AERONET and PM2.5 surface concentrations). In order to asses aerosol

Contributions of foreign, domestic and natural emissions to US ozone estimated using the path-integral method in CAMx nested within GEOS-Chem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Dunker

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The Goddard Earth Observing System global chemical transport (GEOS-Chem model was used at 2°  ×  2.5° resolution to simulate ozone formation for a base case representing year 2010 and a natural background case without worldwide anthropogenic emissions. These simulations provided boundary concentrations for base and natural background simulations with the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx on a North American domain (one-way nested at 12 km  ×  12 km resolution over March–September 2010. The predicted maximum daily average 8 h (MDA8 background ozone for the US is largest in the mountainous areas of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The background MDA8 ozone in some of these locations exceeds 60 ppb, when averaged over the 10 days with the largest base-case ozone (T10base average. The background ozone generally becomes both a larger fraction of the base-case ozone in the western US and a smaller fraction in the eastern US when proceeding from spring to summer to the T10base average. The ozone difference between the base and background cases represents the increment to ozone from all anthropogenic sources. The path-integral method was applied to allocate this anthropogenic ozone increment to US anthropogenic emissions, Canadian/Mexican anthropogenic emissions, and the anthropogenic components of the lateral and top boundary concentrations (BCs. Using the T10base average MDA8 ozone, the relative importance of the sources is generally US emissions  >  anthropogenic lateral BCs  >  Canadian/Mexican emissions  ≫  anthropogenic top BCs. Specifically, for 10 US urban areas, the source contributions were 12–53 ppb for US emissions, 3–9 ppb for lateral BCs, 0.2–3 ppb for Canadian/Mexican emissions, and  ≤  0.1 ppb for top BCs. The contributions of the lateral BCs are largest for the higher-elevation US sites in the Intermountain West and along the

Real Time Adaptive Stream-oriented Geo-data Filtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Golovkov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The cutting-edge engineering maintenance software systems of various objects are aimed at processing of geo-location data coming from the employees’ mobile devices in real time. To reduce the amount of transmitted data such systems, usually, use various filtration methods of geo-coordinates recorded directly on mobile devices.The paper identifies the reasons for errors of geo-data coming from different sources, and proposes an adaptive dynamic method to filter geo-location data. Compared with the static method previously described in the literature [1] the approach offers to align adaptively the filtering threshold with changing characteristics of coordinates from many sources of geo-location data.To evaluate the efficiency of the developed filter method have been involved about 400 thousand points, representing motion paths of different type (on foot, by car and high-speed train and parking (indoors, outdoors, near high-rise buildings to take data from different mobile devices. Analysis of results has shown that the benefits of the proposed method are the more precise location of long parking (up to 6 hours and coordinates when user is in motion, the capability to provide steam-oriented filtering of data from different sources that allows to use the approach in geo-information systems, providing continuous monitoring of the location in streamoriented data processing in real time. The disadvantage is a little bit more computational complexity and increasing amount of points of the final track as compared to other filtration techniques.In general, the developed approach enables a significant quality improvement of displayed paths of moving mobile objects.

Monitoring of urban growth in the state of Hidalgo using Landsat images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Cano Salinas

2017-03-01

Given this background, this paper is focused on the generation of geographic information for regional urban planning and the overall aim is to examine urban growth rate during the period 2000-2014 in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico and identify potential areas of expansion from Landsat images. The methodology was based on techniques of remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS. The inputs used were six Landsat scenes: three for 2000 year and three for 2014. Image processing was performed on ERDAS Imagine® 9.1 and the spatial analysis of urban coverage statewide on ArcGIS 10.0 by ESRI®. First, the radiometric correction was made and we obtained the urban polygons of the 2000 year through of supervised classification. The 2014 urban layer was digitized manually due to the spectral incompatibility between the bands of the Landsat sensor 5 and 7, and the Landsat sensor 8. Then, we build a road density map and the spatial relationship of the urban centers with the road influence area was evaluated. For the year 2000, 103 urban polygons were mapped, whilst for 2014 were identified ten polygons more with a mapped minimum area of 24 ha. The main results indicated that in the state has increased 72.3 km2 urban area from 2000 to 2014. This represents an average growth rate of 1.8% per year. The most widespread municipalities are located in the region of Valle del Mezquital, however, Mineral de la Reforma, Tetepango, Tizayuca and Pachuca showed growth rates of 183.44%, 102% 94% and 68.5% in fourteen years, respectively. According to the road map density, these municipalities are located in areas of greatest influence of infrastructure as the Arco Norte highway in the state. The above findings, lead us to conclude that the Mezquital Valley and the Basin of Mexico are potential areas of urban spreading and it is associated with road development in the Central Mexico.

The Accelerated Urbanization Process: A Threat to Soil Resources in Eastern China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiadan Li

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The eastern coastal region of China has been experiencing rapid urbanization which has imposed great challenges on soil resources, characterized by soil sealing and fragmented soil landscapes. Taking Zhejiang Province—a fairly economically-developed and highly-urbanized region in eastern China—as a case study, a practical framework that integrates remote sensing, GIS, soil quality assessment and landscape analysis was employed to track and analyze the rapid urbanization process and spatiotemporal dynamics of soil sealing and landscape change from 1990 to 2010. Meanwhile, this paper qualitatively explored the regional inequality and characteristics in soil sealing intensity among cities of different geo-zones in Zhejiang Province. Results showed that total area of 6420 km2 had been sealed during the past two decades for the entire study area, which represents 6.2% of the provincial area. Among these sealed soils, 68.6% are fertile soils located in flat plains, such as Paddy soils. Soil landscapes became more fragmented and dispersed in distribution, more irregular and complex in shape, and less dominant and diverse in soil type, as evidenced by the constant change of various spatial landscape metrics. What is more, different geo-zones exhibited significant differences in dynamics of soil sealing intensity, soil composition and soil landscape patterns. The permanent loss of valuable soil resource and increasing fragmented soil landscape patterns concomitant with rapid urbanization processes may inevitably bring about potential threats to regional soil resources and food security.

Calibration of GEO 600 for the S1 science run

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hewitson, M; Grote, H; Heinzel, G; Strain, K A; Ward, H; Weiland, U

2003-01-01

In 2002, the interferometric gravitational wave detector GEO 600 took part in a coincident science run (S1) with other detectors world-wide. When completed, GEO will employ a dual-recycling scheme which will allow its peak sensitivity to be tuned over a range of frequencies in the detection band. Still in the commissioning phase, GEO was operated as a power-recycled Michelson for the duration of S1. The accurate calibration of the sensitivity of GEO to gravitational waves is a critical step in preparing GEO data for exchange with other detectors forming a world-wide detector network. An online calibration scheme has been developed to perform real-time calibration of the power-recycled GEO detector. This scheme will later be extended to cover the more complex case of the dual-recycled interferometer in which multiple output signals will need to be combined to optimally recover a calibrated strain channel. This report presents an outline of the calibration scheme that was used during S1. Also presented are results of detector characterization work that arises naturally from the calibration work

Visualizing the data city social media as a source of knowledge for urban planning and management

CERN Document Server

Ciuccarelli, Paolo; Simeone, Luca

2014-01-01

This book investigates novel methods and technologies for the collection, analysis, and representation of real-time user-generated data at the urban scale in order to explore potential scenarios for more participatory design, planning, and management processes. For this purpose, the authors present a set of experiments conducted in collaboration with urban stakeholders at various levels (including citizens, city administrators, urban planners, local industries, and NGOs) in Milan and New York in 2012. It is examined whether geo-tagged and user-generated content can be of value in the creation

Characterization of ginger essential oil/palygorskite composite (GEO-PGS) and its anti-bacteria activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Hong; Wei, Qiaonian; Wang, Qing; Su, Anxiang; Xue, Mei; Liu, Qin; Hu, Qiuhui

2017-04-01

To explore a novel kind of anti-bacterial composite material having the excellent antibacterial ability, stability and specific-targeting capability, palygorskite (PGS) was used as the carrier of ginger essential oil (GEO) and a novel kind of composite GEO-PGS was prepared by ion exchange process. The characterization and the antibacterial activity of GEO-PGS was investigated in this study. Results of FTIR, XPS, XRD,TG analysis and SEM observation demonstrated the combination of GEO and PGS, GEO was absorbed on the surface of PGS, and the content of GEO in the composite was estimated to be 18.66%. Results of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) analysis, growth curve and Gram staining analysis of Staphylococci aureus and Escherichia coli exposed to GEO-PGS showed that GEO-PGS had much higher antibacterial activity than GEO, and GEO-PGS had the specific-targeting antibacterial capability. Moreover, GEO-PGS showed the characteristics of thermo-stability, acidity and alkalinity-resistance in exerting its anti-bacteria activity. In conclusion, the novel composite GEO-PGS combined the bacteria-absorbent activity of PGS and the antibacterial activity of GEO, suggesting the great potential application of GEO-PGS as the novel composite substance with high antibacterial activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Mobile, Collaborative Situated Knowledge Creation for Urban Planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelson Baloian

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Geo-collaboration is an emerging research area in computer sciences studying the way spatial, geographically referenced information and communication technologies can support collaborative activities. Scenarios in which information associated to its physical location are of paramount importance are often referred as Situated Knowledge Creation scenarios. To date there are few computer systems supporting knowledge creation that explicitly incorporate physical context as part of the knowledge being managed in mobile face-to-face scenarios. This work presents a collaborative software application supporting visually-geo-referenced knowledge creation in mobile working scenarios while the users are interacting face-to-face. The system allows to manage data information associated to specific physical locations for knowledge creation processes in the field, such as urban planning, identifying specific physical locations, territorial management, etc.; using Tablet-PCs and GPS in order to geo-reference data and information. It presents a model for developing mobile applications supporting situated knowledge creation in the field, introducing the requirements for such an application and the functionalities it should have in order to fulfill them. The paper also presents the results of utility and usability evaluations.

Geo-communication, web-services, and spatial data infrastructure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brodersen, Lars; Nielsen, Anders

2007-01-01

The introduction of web-services as index-portals based on geo-information has changed the conditions for both content and form of geo-communication. A high number of players and interactions as well as a very high number of all kinds of information and combinations of these caracterise web...... looks very complex, and it will get even more complex. Therefore, there is a strong need for theories and models that can describe this complex web in the SDI and geo-communication consisting of active components, passive components, users, and information in order to make it possible to handle...

Experiences in the TC IAEA MEX4/058 project: RCIC Ageing Management Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz, A.; Mendoza, G.; Viais, J.; Arganis, C.; Contreras, A.; Fernandez, G.; Medina, G.

2012-01-01

The present paper, describes the experiences in the Technical Cooperation Project with the IAEA MEX 4/058 related with the Licensed Renewal Process, according with 10 CFR 54, NEI-95-10, NUREG 1800 and NUREG 1801. A domestic data base using Microsoft ACCESS was made following the methodology suggest by 10 CFR 54, and the Reactor Core Isolation Cooling (RCIC) System was selected like a pilot system. The mechanical components within the scope of license renewal and their intended functions were selected and the components subject to Aging Management Review (AMR) were identified. Commodities groups of similar material, environment and intended function were used and the main Ageing Mechanisms were identified. The results were compared with the NUREG 1801 rev. 2 experiences and the possible AMP was addressed. In the case of Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant (LVNPP) U1, some of these programs are according with the Generic Aging Lesson Learned of NUREG 1801, while others AMP require modifications. It is important to mention that the application of this methodology will support activities related with long term operation in LVNPP. (author)

Geo textiles and related products used in the waterproofing of reservoirs. Situation in Morocco

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leiro Lopez, A.; Mateo Sanz, B.

2015-01-01

The aim of this paper is to describe the geo textiles, and products related to geo textiles, used for the building of water-storage reservoirs, which can be applicable to the construction of this kind of structures in Morocco. It presents different types of geo textiles and related products most commonly used in reservoirs, such as geo nets, geo grids, geo mats and geo composites, describing their characteristics and experimental methodology. Furthermore, and drawing on the Spanish Manual for Design, Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Reservoirs, emphasis is placed on the functions that geo synthetics can perform, such as protection and filter in the case of geo textiles, and drainage in the case of geo nets and draining composites. Finally, several works of this sort of structures located in Morocco are cited. (Author)

The ConnectinGEO Observation Inventory

Science.gov (United States)

Santoro, M.; Nativi, S.; Jirka, S.; McCallum, I.

2016-12-01

ConnectinGEO (Coordinating an Observation Network of Networks EnCompassing saTellite and IN-situ to fill the Gaps in European Observations) is an EU-funded project under the H2020 Framework Programme. The primary goal of the project is to link existing coordinated Earth Observation networks with science and technology (S&T) communities, the industry sector and the GEOSS and Copernicus stakeholders. An expected outcome of the project is a prioritized list of critical gaps within GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) in observations and models that translate observations into practice relevant knowledge. The project defines and utilizes a formalized methodology to create a set of observation requirements that will be related to information on available observations to identify key gaps. Gaps in the information provided by current observation systems as well as gaps in the systems themselves will be derived from five different threads. One of these threads consists in the analysis of the observations and measurements that are currently registered in GEO Discovery and Access Broker (DAB). To this aim, an Observation Inventory (OI) has been created and populated using the current metadata information harmonized by the DAB. This presentation describes the process defined to populate the ConnectinGEO OI and the resulting system architecture. In addition, it provides information on how to systematically access the OI for performing the gap analysis. Furthermore it demonstrates initial findings of the gap analysis, and shortcomings in the metadata that need attention. The research leading to these results benefited from funding by the European Union H2020 Framework Programme under grant agreement n. 641538 (ConnectinGEO).

GeoMEx: Geographic Information System (GIS) Prototype for Mars Express Data

Science.gov (United States)

Manaud, N.; Frigeri, A.; Ivanov, A. B.

2013-09-01

As of today almost a decade of observational data have been returned by the multidisciplinary instruments on-board the ESA's Mars Express spacecraft. All data are archived into the ESA's Planetary Science Archive (PSA), which is the central repository for all ESA's Solar System missions [1]. Data users can perform advanced queries and retrieve data from the PSA using graphical and map-based search interfaces, or via direct FTP download [2]. However the PSA still offers limited geometrical search and visualisation capabilities that are essential for scientists to identify their data of interest. A former study has shown [3] that this limitation is mostly due to the fact that (1) only a subset of the instruments observations geometry information has been modeled and ingested into the PSA, and (2) that the access to that information from GIS software is impossible without going through a cumbersome and undocumented process. With the increasing number of Mars GIS data sets available to the community [4], GIS software have become invaluable tools for researchers to capture, manage, visualise, and analyse data from various sources. Although Mars Express surface imaging data are natural candidates for use in a GIS environment, other non-imaging instruments data (subsurface, atmosphere, plasma) integration is being investigated [5]. The objective of this work is to develop a GIS prototype that will integrate all the Mars Express instruments observations geometry information into a spatial database that can be accessed from external GIS software using standard WMS and WFS protocols. We will firstly focus on the integration of surface and subsurface instruments data (HRSC, OMEGA, MARSIS). In addition to the geometry information, base and context maps of Mars derived from surface mapping instruments data will also be ingested into the system. The system back-end architecture will be implemented using open-source GIS frameworks: PostgreSQL/PostGIS for the database, and MapServer for the web publishing module. Interfaces with existing GIS front-end software (such as QGIS, GRASS, ArcView, or OpenLayers) will be investigated and tested in a second phase. This prototype is primarily intended to be used by the Mars Express instruments teams in support to their scientific investigations. It will also be used by the mission Archive Scientist in support to the data validation and PSA interface requirements definition tasks. Depending on its success, this prototype might be used in the future to demonstrate the benefit of a GIS component integration to ESA's planetary science operations planning systems.

Costo Utilidad de Colágena Polivinil-Pirrolidona en el Tratamiento de Osteartrosis de Rodilla en México.

Science.gov (United States)

Burbano-Levy, Ximena; Qf, Diana Cardona; Act, Elsa Palacios; Alba, Israel Rico; Qf, León Zapata

2014-12-01

To assess the cost-utility of collagen-polyvinyl pyrrolidone (collagen-PVP), a new drug developed and manufactured in Mexico, compared to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) in Mexico. A probabilistic Markov model with a lifetime horizon was designed to evaluate the costs and outcomes (QALYs) of collagen-PVP compared to NSAIDs in patients with OA. Data from randomized clinical trials conducted in México were obtained as input for probabilities. Utility values ​​were elicited from international publications and costs information and service utilization was obtained from official publications of the Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social - IMSS. Cost per quality-adjusted life-years was calculated by using the Mexican Healthcare payer perspective. A discount rate of 5% for both cost and outcomes was used. Sensitivity analyzes were performed with variations in the parameters of gender, age, and price of collagen-PVP. Patients treated with collagen-PVP showed a gain of 6.62 QALYs compared with 5.36 in patients with NSAIDs. The cost-utility ratio was higher in the NSAID group (MEX$ 170,010.76/QALY) compared to collagen-PVP (MEX $ 130,953.63/QALY). The incremental cost-utility ratio was MEX $ 35,194.16. This is the first economic evaluation of a new medication developed in Mexico and conducted partially with local data. The results of this study allow concluding that collagen-PVP is deemed as the dominant alternative compared with NSAIDs in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hybridization of Environmental Microbial Community Nucleic Acids by GeoChip.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Nostrand, Joy D; Yin, Huaqin; Wu, Liyou; Yuan, Tong; Zhou, Jizhong

2016-01-01

Functional gene arrays, like the GeoChip, allow for the study of tens of thousands of genes in a single assay. The GeoChip array (5.0) contains probes for genes involved in geochemical cycling (N, C, S, and P), metal homeostasis, stress response, organic contaminant degradation, antibiotic resistance, secondary metabolism, and virulence factors as well as genes specific for fungi, protists, and viruses. Here, we briefly describe GeoChip design strategies (gene selection and probe design) and discuss minimum quantity and quality requirements for nucleic acids. We then provide detailed protocols for amplification, labeling, and hybridization of samples to the GeoChip.

Spatial Data Infrastructure in the Perspective of Modern Geo-communication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brodersen, Lars; Nielsen, Anders

2006-01-01

-edge of communication-theories play important roles. The introduction of web-services as index-portals based on geo-information has changed the conditions for both content and form of geo-communication. A high number of players and interactions as well as a very high number of all kinds of information and combinations...... the increasing complexity. Modern web-based geo-communication and its infrastructure looks very complex, and it will get even more complex! Therefore there is a strong need for theories and models that can de-scribe this complex web in the SDI in the perspective of modern geo-communication....

Psychometric properties of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q and norms for rural and urban adolescent males and females in Mexico.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Penelo

Full Text Available AIMS: To contribute new evidence to the controversy about the factor structure of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q and to provide, for the first time, norms based on a large adolescent Mexican community sample, regarding sex and area of residence (urban/rural. METHODS: A total of 2928 schoolchildren (1544 females and 1384 males aged 11-18 were assessed with the EDE-Q and other disordered eating questionnaire measures. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis of the attitudinal items of the EDE-Q did not support the four theorized subscales, and a two-factor solution, Restraint and Eating-Shape-Weight concern, showed better fit than the other models examined (RMSEA = .054; measurement invariance for this two-factor model across sex and area of residence was found. Satisfactory internal consistency (ω ≥ .80 and two-week test-retest reliability (ICCa ≥ .84; κ ≥ .56, and evidence for convergent validity with external measures was obtained. The highest attitudinal EDE-Q scores were found for urban females and the lowest scores were found for rural males, whereas the occurrence of key eating disorder behavioural features and compensatory behaviours was similar in both areas of residence. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals satisfactory psychometric properties and provides population norms of the EDE-Q, which may help clinicians and researchers to interpret the EDE-Q scores of adolescents from urban and rural areas in Mexico.

Original sounding and drifting balloon-borne measurements in the western Mediterranean with the aerosol counter/sizer LOAC during summer ChArMEx campaigns, with a focus on desert dust events

Science.gov (United States)

Renard, Jean-Baptiste; Dulac, François; Vignelles, Damien; Jeannot, Matthieu; Verdier, Nicolas; Chazette, Patrick; Crenn, Vincent; Sciare, Jean; Totems, Julien; Durand, Pierre; Barret, Brice; Jambert, Corinne; Mallet, Marc; Menut, Laurent; Mailler, Sylvain; Basart, Sara; Baldasano, José Maria

2015-04-01

LOAC (Light Optical Aerosol Counter) is a new small optical particle counter/sizer of ~250 grams designed to fly under all kinds of balloons. The measurements are conducted at two scattering angles (12° and 60°), allowing the determination of the aerosol particle concentrations in 19 size classes within a diameter range of ~0.2-100 µm and some identification of the nature of particles dominating different size classes. Following laboratory calibration, the sensor particularly discriminates wet or liquid particles, mineral dust, soot carbon particles and salts. Comparisons with other in situ sensors at the surface and with remote sensing measurements on the vertical were performed to give confidence in measurements. The instrument has been operated at the surface, under all kinds of balloons up to more than 35 km in altitude, including tethered, sounding, open stratospheric and new boundary-layer pressurized drifting balloons (BLPB) from CNES, and was tested on board a small UAV. Operations encompass a variety of environments including the Arctic (Reykjavik, Island, and Kiruna, Sweden), Brazil (Sao Paolo), the western Mediterranean Basin, southwestern France, peri-urban (Ile de France) and urban areas (Paris and Vienna). Presented results are focused on the LOAC balloon-borne measurements performed in the western Mediterranean basin during MISTRALS/ChArMEx campaigns (Mediterranean Integrated Studies aT Regional And Local Scales/the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment; http://www.mistrals-hjome.org; http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr), with a focus on African dust events. Two test flights with a first version of LOAC under sounding balloons were first successfully performed in late June 2012 near Marseille during an intense dust event. In 2013, 19 LOAC flights have been performed under meteorological balloons and 12 under low altitude drifting balloons, most of them from Minorca Island (Spain) in June and early July and others from Levant Island (south of France

Web catalog of oceanographic data using GeoNetwork

Science.gov (United States)

Marinova, Veselka; Stefanov, Asen

2017-04-01

Most of the data collected, analyzed and used by Bulgarian oceanographic data center (BgODC) from scientific cruises, argo floats, ferry boxes and real time operating systems are spatially oriented and need to be displayed on the map. The challenge is to make spatial information more accessible to users, decision makers and scientists. In order to meet this challenge, BgODC concentrate its efforts on improving dynamic and standardized access to their geospatial data as well as those from various related organizations and institutions. BgODC currently is implementing a project to create a geospatial portal for distributing metadata and search, exchange and harvesting spatial data. There are many open source software solutions able to create such spatial data infrastructure (SDI). Finally, the GeoNetwork open source is chosen, as it is already widespread. This software is free, effective and "cheap" solution for implementing SDI at organization level. It is platform independent and runs under many operating systems. Filling of the catalog goes through these practical steps: • Managing and storing data reliably within MS SQL spatial data base; • Registration of maps and data of various formats and sources in GeoServer (most popular open source geospatial server embedded with GeoNetwork) ; • Filling added meta data and publishing geospatial data at the desktop of GeoNetwork. GeoServer and GeoNetwork are based on Java so they require installing of a servlet engine like Tomcat. The experience gained from the use of GeoNetwork Open Source confirms that the catalog meets the requirements for data management and is flexible enough to customize. Building the catalog facilitates sustainable data exchange between end users. The catalog is a big step towards implementation of the INSPIRE directive due to availability of many features necessary for producing "INSPIRE compliant" metadata records. The catalog now contains all available GIS data provided by BgODC for Internet

Incorporating future change into current conservation planning: Evaluating tidal saline wetland migration along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast under alternative sea-level rise and urbanization scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Enwright, Nicholas M.; Griffith, Kereen T.; Osland, Michael J.

2015-11-02

In this study, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, quantified the potential for landward migration of tidal saline wetlands along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast under alternative future sea-level rise and urbanization scenarios. Our analyses focused exclusively on tidal saline wetlands (that is, mangrove forests, salt marshes, and salt flats), and we combined these diverse tidal saline wetland ecosystems into a single grouping, “tidal saline wetland.” Collectively, our approach and findings can provide useful information for scientists and environmental planners working to develop future-focused adaptation strategies for conserving coastal landscapes and the ecosystem goods and services provided by tidal saline wetlands. The primary product of this work is a public dataset that identifies locations where landward migration of tidal saline wetlands is expected to occur under alternative future sea-level rise and urbanization scenarios. In addition to identifying areas where landward migration of tidal saline wetlands is possible because of the absence of barriers, these data also identify locations where landward migration of these wetlands could be prevented by barriers associated with current urbanization, future urbanization, and levees.

Regional assessment of North America: Urbanization trends, biodiversity patterns, and ecosystem services

Science.gov (United States)

McPhearson, Timon; Auch, Roger F.; Alberti, Marina

2013-01-01

North America contains some of the most urbanized landscapes in the world. In the United States (U.S.) and Canada, approximately 80 % of the population is urban, with Mexico slightly less (Kaiser Family Foundation 2013). Population growth combined with economic growth has fueled recent urban land expansion in North America. Between 1970 and 2000, urban land area expanded at a rate of 3.31 % (Seto et al. 2011) creating unique challenges for conserving biodiversity and maintaining regional and local ecosystem services.

GeoBus: sharing science research with schools

Science.gov (United States)

Roper, Kathryn; Robinson, Ruth; Moorhouse, Ben

2016-04-01

GeoBus (www.geobus.org.uk) is an educational outreach project that was developed in 2012 by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of St Andrews, and it is currently sponsored by industry, NERC, The Crown Estate, and the Scottish Government. The aims of GeoBus are to support the teaching of Earth Science in secondary (middle and high) schools by providing teaching support to schools that have little or no experience in teaching this subject. This is, in part, done through the sharing of new science research outcomes and the experiences of young researchers with school pupils to provide a bridge between industry, higher education institutions, research councils and schools. Since its launch, over 40,000 pupils will have been involved in experiential Earth science learning activities in 190 different schools (over 400 separate visits) across the length and breadth of Scotland: many of these schools are in remote and disadvantaged regions. A new GeoBus project is under development within the Department of Earth Sciences at UCL in London. A key aim of GeoBus is to incorporate new research into our workshops with the main challenge being the development of appropriate resources that incorporate the key learning aims and requirements of the science and geography curricula. GeoBus works closely with researchers, teachers and educational practitioners to tailor the research outcomes to the curricula as much as possible. Over the past four years, GeoBus has developed 17 workshops, 5 challenge events and extensive field trips and each of these activities are trialled and evaluated within the university, and adjustments are made before the activities are delivered in schools. Activities are continually reviewed and further developments are made in response to both teacher and pupil feedback. This critical reflection of the project's success and impact is important to insure a positive and significant contribution to the science learning in

A note on the optimal pricing strategy in the discrete-time Geo/Geo/1 queuing system with sojourn time-dependent reward

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doo Ho Lee

Full Text Available This work studies the optimal pricing strategy in a discrete-time Geo/Geo/1 queuing system under the sojourn time-dependent reward. We consider two types of pricing schemes. The first one is called the ex-post payment scheme where the server charges a price that is proportional to the time a customer spends in the system, and the second one is called ex-ante payment scheme where the server charges a flat price for all services. In each pricing scheme, a departing customer receives the reward that is inversely proportional to his/her sojourn time. The server should make the optimal pricing decisions in order to maximize its expected profits per time unit in each pricing scheme. This work also investigates customer's equilibrium joining or balking behavior under server's optimal pricing strategy. Numerical experiments are also conducted to validate our analysis. Keywords: Optimal pricing, Equilibrium behavior, Geo/Geo/1 queue, Sojourn time-dependent reward

Balancing geo-privacy and spatial patterns in epidemiological studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chien-Chou Chen

2017-11-01

Full Text Available To balance the protection of geo-privacy and the accuracy of spatial patterns, we developed a geo-spatial tool (GeoMasker intended to mask the residential locations of patients or cases in a geographic information system (GIS. To elucidate the effects of geo-masking parameters, we applied 2010 dengue epidemic data from Taiwan testing the tool’s performance in an empirical situation. The similarity of pre- and post-spatial patterns was measured by D statistics under a 95% confidence interval. In the empirical study, different magnitudes of anonymisation (estimated Kanonymity ≥10 and 100 were achieved and different degrees of agreement on the pre- and post-patterns were evaluated. The application is beneficial for public health workers and researchers when processing data with individuals’ spatial information.

Reply to Mas et al.: Comment on Gebhardt et al. MAD-MEX: Automatic Wall-to-Wall Land Cover Monitoring for the Mexican REDD-MRV Program Using All Landsat Data. Remote Sens. 2014, 6, 3923–3943

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Schmidt

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Mas, J.F. et al. have submitted a paper [1] for publication, which aims to respond to a paper published by Gebhardt et al. [2]. Mas, J.F. et al. had received a consultancy in 2013 to assess the quality of the early prototype products partly described in Gebhardt et al. in 2014. This consultancy, although a formal non-disclosure agreement had not been demanded, was awarded under the mutual understanding that the data handed over to Mas et al. constitute the early development phase of the program. Therefore, Mas et al. had been asked to give an assessment on the quality of the prototypes to obtain a proof of concept for the proposed workflow of MAD-Mex. It was clear that this assessment would suffer from limited availability of high quality training and validation data available in 2013. Mas et al. finally did not execute the consultancy due to the limited vector processing capacities in their lab. In October 2014, we sent the latest products, version 4.2 of the MAD-Mex products, including the more than 200,000 validation points gathered from independent expert interpreters of all Mexican ecosystems. Mas et al. did not respond to this transfer or to our request to collaborate in the quality control and assessment of MAD-Mex.

Towards the creation of a European Network of Earth Observation Networks within GEO. The ConnectinGEO project.

Science.gov (United States)

Masó, Joan; Serral, Ivette; Menard, Lionel; Wald, Lucien; Nativi, Stefano; Plag, Hans-Peter; Jules-Plag, Shelley; Nüst, Daniel; Jirka, Simon; Pearlman, Jay; De Maziere, Martine

2015-04-01

ConnectinGEO (Coordinating an Observation Network of Networks EnCompassing saTellite and IN-situ to fill the Gaps in European Observations" is a new H2020 Coordination and Support Action with the primary goal of linking existing Earth Observation networks with science and technology (S&T) communities, the industry sector, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), and Copernicus. ConnectinGEO aims to facilitate a broader and more accessible knowledge base to support the needs of GEO, its Societal Benefit Areas (SBAs) and the users of the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS). A broad range of subjects from climate, natural resources and raw materials, to the emerging UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be addressed. The project will generate a prioritized list of critical gaps within available observation data and models to translate observations into practice-relevant knowledge, based on stakeholder consultation and systematic analysis. Ultimately, it will increase coherency of European observation networks, increase the use of Earth observations for assessments and forecasts and inform the planning for future observation systems. ConnectinGEO will initiate a European Network of Earth Observation Networks (ENEON) that will encompass space-based, airborne and in-situ observations networks. ENEON will be composed by project partners representing thematic observation networks along with the GEOSS Science and Technology Stakeholder Network, GEO Communities of Practices, Copernicus services, Sentinel missions and in-situ support data representatives, representatives of the space-based, airborne and in-situ observations European networks (e.g. EPOS, EMSO and GROOM, etc), representatives of the industry sector and European and national funding agencies, in particular those participating in the future ERA-PlaNET. At the beginning, the ENEON will be created and managed by the project. Then the management will be transferred to the network itself to ensure

Pro iOS Geo building apps with location based services

CERN Document Server

Andreucci, Giacomo

2013-01-01

Deepen your app development skills with Pro iOS Geo. This book shows you how to use geolocation-based tools to enhance the iOS apps you develop. Author Giacomo Andreucci describes different ways to integrate geo services, depending on the kind of app you're looking to develop: a web app, a hybrid app, or a native app. You'll discover how to use the Google Maps API features to integrate powerful geo capabilities in your apps with a little effort. You'll learn how to: Design geographic features for your apps while respecting usability criteria Design touristic geo apps Use HTML5 and the Google M

Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) Sensitivity Analysis Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Meemong; Bowman, Kevin

2014-01-01

Geostationary Coastal and Air pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) is a NASA decadal survey mission to be designed to provide surface reflectance at high spectral, spatial, and temporal resolutions from a geostationary orbit necessary for studying regional-scale air quality issues and their impact on global atmospheric composition processes. GEO-CAPE's Atmospheric Science Questions explore the influence of both gases and particles on air quality, atmospheric composition, and climate. The objective of the GEO-CAPE Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) is to analyze the sensitivity of ozone to the global and regional NOx emissions and improve the science impact of GEO-CAPE with respect to the global air quality. The GEO-CAPE OSSE team at Jet propulsion Laboratory has developed a comprehensive OSSE framework that can perform adjoint-sensitivity analysis for a wide range of observation scenarios and measurement qualities. This report discusses the OSSE framework and presents the sensitivity analysis results obtained from the GEO-CAPE OSSE framework for seven observation scenarios and three instrument systems.

Leveraging of remote sensing and GIS on mapping in urban and regional planning applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noor, Norzailawati Mohd; Abdullah, Alias; Rosni, Nur Aulia

2014-01-01

While remote sensing applications represent a major though still underused source of urban data, the proposed combination between remote sensing and Geo-information System (GIS) in urban and regional planning is not fully explored. In order to measure changes in land use, the need of platform in monitoring, recording, and predicting the changes is necessary for planners and developers. In advance technology of mapping process, remote sensing and GIS as tools for urban planning are already recognised. But, due to lack of implementation and awareness about the benefits of these tools, these terms look unusual. Therefore, this paper reviews the history of remote sensing and GIS in urban applications, technical skills and the challenges, and future development of remote sensing and GIS especially for urban development particularly in developing countries

Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in asymptomatic family planning patients in rural New Mexico.

OpenAIRE

Bell, T A; Ebenezer, M R

1989-01-01

We tested 98 asymptomatic women seen in state-funded contraception clinics in rural New Mexico. A fluorescein-conjugated monoclonal antibody stain revealed Chlamydia trachomatis infection in 25% of asymptomatic unmarried women and 3% of married women (P = .03). Neisseria gonorrhoeae was detected in only one woman. As in urban clinics providing contraception, the prevalence of gonorrhea is rare in rural New Mexico, but chlamydial infections are common in young unmarried women.

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) through 2025

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Barbara; Cripe, Douglas

Ministers from the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Member governments, meeting in Geneva, Switzerland in January 2014, unanimously renewed the mandate of GEO through 2025. Through a Ministerial Declaration, they reconfirmed that GEO’s guiding principles of collaboration in leveraging national, regional and global investments and in developing and coordinating strategies to achieve full and open access to Earth observations data and information in order to support timely and knowledge-based decision-making - are catalysts for improving the quality of life of people around the world, advancing global sustainability, and preserving the planet and its biodiversity. GEO Ministers acknowledged and valued the contributions of GEO Member governments and invited all remaining Member States of the United Nations to consider joining GEO. The Ministers also encouraged all Members to strengthen national GEO arrangements, and - of particular interest to COSPAR - they highlighted the unique contributions of Participating Organizations. In this regard, ten more organizations saw their applications approved by Plenary and joined the ranks along with COSPAR to become a Participating Organization in GEO, bringing the current total to 77. Building on the efforts of a Post-2015 Working Group, in which COSPAR participated, Ministers provided additional guidance for GEO and the evolution of its Global Earth Observation System of System (GEOSS) through 2025. Five key areas of activities for the next decade include the following: 1.) Advocating for the value of Earth observations and the need to continue improving Earth observation worldwide; 2.) Urging the adoption and implementation of data sharing principles globally; 3.) Advancing the development of the GEOSS information system for the benefit of users; 4.) Developing a comprehensive interdisciplinary knowledge base defining and documenting observations needed for all disciplines and facilitate availability and accessibility of

File Specification for GEOS-5 FP (Forward Processing)

Science.gov (United States)

Lucchesi, R.

2013-01-01

The GEOS-5 FP Atmospheric Data Assimilation System (GEOS-5 ADAS) uses an analysis developed jointly with NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), which allows the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) to take advantage of the developments at NCEP and the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA). The GEOS-5 AGCM uses the finite-volume dynamics (Lin, 2004) integrated with various physics packages (e.g, Bacmeister et al., 2006), under the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) including the Catchment Land Surface Model (CLSM) (e.g., Koster et al., 2000). The GSI analysis is a three-dimensional variational (3DVar) analysis applied in grid-point space to facilitate the implementation of anisotropic, inhomogeneous covariances (e.g., Wu et al., 2002; Derber et al., 2003). The GSI implementation for GEOS-5 FP incorporates a set of recursive filters that produce approximately Gaussian smoothing kernels and isotropic correlation functions. The GEOS-5 ADAS is documented in Rienecker et al. (2008). More recent updates to the model are presented in Molod et al. (2011). The GEOS-5 system actively assimilates roughly 2 × 10(exp 6) observations for each analysis, including about 7.5 × 10(exp 5) AIRS radiance data. The input stream is roughly twice this volume, but because of the large volume, the data are thinned commensurate with the analysis grid to reduce the computational burden. Data are also rejected from the analysis through quality control procedures designed to detect, for example, the presence of cloud. To minimize the spurious periodic perturbations of the analysis, GEOS-5 FP uses the Incremental Analysis Update (IAU) technique developed by Bloom et al. (1996). More details of this procedure are given in Appendix A. The assimilation is performed at a horizontal resolution of 0.3125-degree longitude by 0.25- degree latitude and at 72 levels, extending to 0.01 hPa. All products are generated at the native resolution of the

Urban Multisensory Laboratory, AN Approach to Model Urban Space Human Perception

Science.gov (United States)

González, T.; Sol, D.; Saenz, J.; Clavijo, D.; García, H.

2017-09-01

An urban sensory lab (USL or LUS an acronym in Spanish) is a new and avant-garde approach for studying and analyzing a city. The construction of this approach allows the development of new methodologies to identify the emotional response of public space users. The laboratory combines qualitative analysis proposed by urbanists and quantitative measures managed by data analysis applications. USL is a new approach to go beyond the borders of urban knowledge. The design thinking strategy allows us to implement methods to understand the results provided by our technique. In this first approach, the interpretation is made by hand. However, our goal is to combine design thinking and machine learning in order to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data automatically. Now, the results are being used by students from the Urbanism and Architecture courses in order to get a better understanding of public spaces in Puebla, Mexico and its interaction with people.

Sustainability and urban environment: the case of the metropolitan zone of Mexico city; Sustentabilidad y medio ambiente urbano: el caso de la zona metropolitana de la ciudad de Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mar Juarez, Elizabeth; Melgar Paniagua, Eva Margarita; Tavera Sanchez, Lina [Programa de Investigacion en Medio Ambiente y Seguridad, Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (Mexico)

2004-06-15

In the next years, Mexico will face the following challenges: to maintain economic, social and urban rates of growth among others, higher than the demographic ones with the purpose of guaranteeing a better quality of life and mitigating gas discharges of green house effect without jeopardizing the development of the country. In an eminently urban country, these goals are made first in local form as it is the case of the metropolitan zone of the city of Mexico City (ZMCM), with different actions to mitigate the effects of the high development that this region has had. The objective is to try to modify the perception that one has had of it at the beginning of the 90's decade when it was denominated by Time magazine (January 1989) as the waiting room of an ecological Hiroshima and as urban gas chamber. The official answer conformed it: the creation of a Network of Atmospheric Monitoring, the implantation of programs like the Pro Air, the Today Does Not Circulate among others. Even with these actions in mind the objective does not glimpse clearly in the short term to reach a development with environmental sustainability. The work premise is to analyze different actions oriented to diminish in a 20% the emissions of polluting agents using clean and renewable energies such as natural gas and solar, among others, without trying to originate radical changes and that can be applied in other cities of the country. In parallel form one sets out to sustain these actions with the present environmental programs and to quantify the sustainability with three indicators (variation of polluting emissions, the level of fossil resources and costs to the health). The development of the investigation is based on the definition of a reference scenario (on the base of the present tendencies) and another alternative scenario having as analysis tool the computational platform denominated ENPEP (Energy and Power Evaluation Program) developed by National Argonne National Laboratory

The Distributed Geothermal Market Demand Model (dGeo): Documentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCabe, Kevin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Mooney, Meghan E [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sigrin, Benjamin O [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Gleason, Michael [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Liu, Xiaobing [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-11-06

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed the Distributed Geothermal Market Demand Model (dGeo) as a tool to explore the potential role of geothermal distributed energy resources (DERs) in meeting thermal energy demands in the United States. The dGeo model simulates the potential for deployment of geothermal DERs in the residential and commercial sectors of the continental United States for two specific technologies: ground-source heat pumps (GHP) and geothermal direct use (DU) for district heating. To quantify the opportunity space for these technologies, dGeo leverages a highly resolved geospatial database and robust bottom-up, agent-based modeling framework. This design is consistent with others in the family of Distributed Generation Market Demand models (dGen; Sigrin et al. 2016), including the Distributed Solar Market Demand (dSolar) and Distributed Wind Market Demand (dWind) models. dGeo is intended to serve as a long-term scenario-modeling tool. It has the capability to simulate the technical potential, economic potential, market potential, and technology deployment of GHP and DU through the year 2050 under a variety of user-defined input scenarios. Through these capabilities, dGeo can provide substantial analytical value to various stakeholders interested in exploring the effects of various techno-economic, macroeconomic, financial, and policy factors related to the opportunity for GHP and DU in the United States. This report documents the dGeo modeling design, methodology, assumptions, and capabilities.

Modeling Turkey National 2D Geo-Data Model as a CityGML Application Domain Extension in UML

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serpil Ates Aydar

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the generation of the 3D national geo-data model of Turkey, which is compatible with the international OGC CityGML Encoding Standard. We prepare an ADE named CityGML-TRKBIS that is produced by extending existing thematic modules of CityGML according to TRKBIS needs. All thematic data groups in TRKBIS geo-data model have been remodeled in order to generate the national large scale 3D geodata model for Turkey. Within the concept of reference model-driven framework for modelling CityGML ADEs in UML, the first step is conceptual mapping between CityGML and national information model. To test all stages of the framework for Urban GIS Turkey, Building data theme is mapped with CityGML-Building thematic model. All classes, attributes, code lists and code list values of the TRKBIS is tried to be mapped with related CityGML concept. New classes, attributes and code list values that will be added to CityGML Building model are determined based on this conceptual mapping. Finally the new model for CityGML-TRKBIS.BI is established in UML with subclassing of the related CityGML classes. This study provides new insights into 3D applications in Turkey. The generated 3D geo-data model for building thematic class will be used as a common exchange format that meets 2D, 2.5D and 3D implementation needs at national level.

Application of geo-information science methods in ecotourism exploitation

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Suocheng; Hou, Xiaoli

2004-11-01

Application of geo-information science methods in ecotourism development was discussed in the article. Since 1990s, geo-information science methods, which take the 3S (Geographic Information System, Global Positioning System, and Remote Sensing) as core techniques, has played an important role in resources reconnaissance, data management, environment monitoring, and regional planning. Geo-information science methods can easily analyze and convert geographic spatial data. The application of 3S methods is helpful to sustainable development in tourism. Various assignments are involved in the development of ecotourism, such as reconnaissance of ecotourism resources, drawing of tourism maps, dealing with mass data, and also tourism information inquire, employee management, quality management of products. The utilization of geo-information methods in ecotourism can make the development more efficient by promoting the sustainable development of tourism and the protection of eco-environment.

3D GEO-INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS FOR DISASTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Demir Ozbek

2016-06-01

Full Text Available A conceptual approach is proposed to define 3D geo-information requirement for different types of disasters. This approach includes components such as Disaster Type-Sector-Actor-Process-Activity-Task-Data. According to disaster types processes, activities, tasks, sectors, and responsible and operational actors are derived. Based on the tasks, the needed level of detail for 3D geo-information model is determined. The levels of detail are compliant with the 3D international standard CityGML. After a brief introduction on the disaster phases and geo-information requirement for actors to perform the tasks, the paper discusses the current situation of disaster and emergency management in Turkey and elaborates on components of conceptual approach. This paper discusses the 3D geo-information requirements for the tasks to be used in the framework of 3D geo-information model for Disaster and Emergency Management System in Turkey. The framework is demonstrated for an industrial fire case in Turkey.

Urban green space and obesity in older adults: Evidence from Ireland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seraphim Dempsey

2018-04-01

Full Text Available We examine the association between living in an urban area with more or less green space and the probability of being obese. This work involves the creation of a new dataset which combines geo-coded data at the individual level from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing with green space data from the European Urban Atlas 2012. We find evidence suggestive of a u-shaped relationship between green space in urban areas and obesity; those living in areas with the lowest and highest shares of green space within a 1.6 km buffer zone have a higher probability of being classified as obese (BMI ⩾30. The unexpected result that persons in areas with both the lowest and highest shares of green space have a higher probability of being obese than those in areas with intermediate shares, suggests that other characteristics of urban areas may be mediating this relationship. Keywords: Objective obesity measures, BMI, Green spaces, Urban green space

20世紀初期メキシコ・トルコ・中国における学校教育の役割 : デューイが見た革命的世界の学校・教育・文化

OpenAIRE

早川, 操; Hayakawa, Misao

2010-01-01

The aim of this paper is to clarify the insights of John Dewey on his observations and analyses of the social change and school education in Mexico, Turkey and China during the 1920's with reference to the impact of modernization upon these three countries. First, Dewey's impression of the Mexican society is explored in relation to his analysis of the influences of American capitalism upon business activities in Mexico. Also, his impressions of the newly-built schools and art education in Mex...

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

MyGeoHub: A Collaborative Geospatial Research and Education Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Kalyanam, R.; Zhao, L.; Biehl, L. L.; Song, C. X.; Merwade, V.; Villoria, N.

2017-12-01

Scientific research is increasingly collaborative and globally distributed; research groups now rely on web-based scientific tools and data management systems to simplify their day-to-day collaborative workflows. However, such tools often lack seamless interfaces, requiring researchers to contend with manual data transfers, annotation and sharing. MyGeoHub is a web platform that supports out-of-the-box, seamless workflows involving data ingestion, metadata extraction, analysis, sharing and publication. MyGeoHub is built on the HUBzero cyberinfrastructure platform and adds general-purpose software building blocks (GABBs), for geospatial data management, visualization and analysis. A data management building block iData, processes geospatial files, extracting metadata for keyword and map-based search while enabling quick previews. iData is pervasive, allowing access through a web interface, scientific tools on MyGeoHub or even mobile field devices via a data service API. GABBs includes a Python map library as well as map widgets that in a few lines of code, generate complete geospatial visualization web interfaces for scientific tools. GABBs also includes powerful tools that can be used with no programming effort. The GeoBuilder tool provides an intuitive wizard for importing multi-variable, geo-located time series data (typical of sensor readings, GPS trackers) to build visualizations supporting data filtering and plotting. MyGeoHub has been used in tutorials at scientific conferences and educational activities for K-12 students. MyGeoHub is also constantly evolving; the recent addition of Jupyter and R Shiny notebook environments enable reproducible, richly interactive geospatial analyses and applications ranging from simple pre-processing to published tools. MyGeoHub is not a monolithic geospatial science gateway, instead it supports diverse needs ranging from just a feature-rich data management system, to complex scientific tools and workflows.

Using the GeoFEST Faulted Region Simulation System

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Jay W.; Lyzenga, Gregory A.; Donnellan, Andrea; Judd, Michele A.; Norton, Charles D.; Baker, Teresa; Tisdale, Edwin R.; Li, Peggy

2004-01-01

GeoFEST (the Geophysical Finite Element Simulation Tool) simulates stress evolution, fault slip and plastic/elastic processes in realistic materials, and so is suitable for earthquake cycle studies in regions such as Southern California. Many new capabilities and means of access for GeoFEST are now supported. New abilities include MPI-based cluster parallel computing using automatic PYRAMID/Parmetis-based mesh partitioning, automatic mesh generation for layered media with rectangular faults, and results visualization that is integrated with remote sensing data. The parallel GeoFEST application has been successfully run on over a half-dozen computers, including Intel Xeon clusters, Itanium II and Altix machines, and the Apple G5 cluster. It is not separately optimized for different machines, but relies on good domain partitioning for load-balance and low communication, and careful writing of the parallel diagonally preconditioned conjugate gradient solver to keep communication overhead low. Demonstrated thousand-step solutions for over a million finite elements on 64 processors require under three hours, and scaling tests show high efficiency when using more than (order of) 4000 elements per processor. The source code and documentation for GeoFEST is available at no cost from Open Channel Foundation. In addition GeoFEST may be used through a browser-based portal environment available to approved users. That environment includes semi-automated geometry creation and mesh generation tools, GeoFEST, and RIVA-based visualization tools that include the ability to generate a flyover animation showing deformations and topography. Work is in progress to support simulation of a region with several faults using 16 million elements, using a strain energy metric to adapt the mesh to faithfully represent the solution in a region of widely varying strain.

Current Urban Areas for Hidalgo County, New Mexico, 2006se TIGER

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — The 2006 Second Edition TIGER/Line files are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census TIGER database. The geographic coverage...

Current Urban Areas for Luna County, New Mexico, 2006se TIGER

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — The 2006 Second Edition TIGER/Line files are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census TIGER database. The geographic coverage...

Current Urban Areas for Lincoln County, New Mexico, 2006se TIGER

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — The 2006 Second Edition TIGER/Line files are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census TIGER database. The geographic coverage...

Current Urban Areas for Cibola County, New Mexico, 2006se TIGER

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — The 2006 Second Edition TIGER/Line files are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census TIGER database. The geographic coverage...

Functional Limitations, Depression, and Cash Assistance are Associated with Food Insecurity among Older Urban Adults in Mexico City.

Science.gov (United States)

Vilar-Compte, Mireya; Martínez-Martínez, Oscar; Orta-Alemán, Dania; Perez-Escamilla, Rafael

2016-01-01

To examine factors associated with food insecurity among urban older adults (65 years and older). Three hundred and fifty two older adults attending community centers in a neighborhood of Mexico City were surveyed for food insecurity, functional impairments, health and mental health status, cash-transfer assistance, socio-demographic characteristics, social isolation, and the built food environment. Having at least primary education and receiving cash-transfers were significantly associated with a lower probability of being moderately-severely food insecure (OR=0.478 and 0.597, respectively). The probability of moderate-severe food insecurity was significantly higher among elderly at risk of depression (OR=2.843), those with at least one activity of daily living impaired (OR=2.177) and those with at least one instrumental activity of daily living impaired (OR=1.785). Higher educational attainment and cash-transfers may have a positive influence on reducing food insecurity. Depression and functional limitations may increase the likelihood of food insecurity among older adults.

GeoViQua: quality-aware geospatial data discovery and evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Bigagli, L.; Papeschi, F.; Mazzetti, P.; Nativi, S.

2012-04-01

GeoViQua (QUAlity aware VIsualization for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems) is a recently started FP7 project aiming at complementing the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) with rigorous data quality specifications and quality-aware capabilities, in order to improve reliability in scientific studies and policy decision-making. GeoViQua main scientific and technical objective is to enhance the GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) providing the user community with innovative quality-aware search and evaluation tools, which will be integrated in the GEO-Portal, as well as made available to other end-user interfaces. To this end, GeoViQua will promote the extension of the current standard metadata for geographic information with accurate and expressive quality indicators, also contributing to the definition of a quality label (GEOLabel). GeoViQua proposed solutions will be assessed in several pilot case studies covering the whole Earth Observation chain, from remote sensing acquisition to data processing, to applications in the main GEOSS Societal Benefit Areas. This work presents the preliminary results of GeoViQua Work Package 4 "Enhanced geo-search tools" (WP4), started in January 2012. Its major anticipated technical innovations are search and evaluation tools that communicate and exploit data quality information from the GCI. In particular, GeoViQua will investigate a graphical search interface featuring a coherent and meaningful aggregation of statistics and metadata summaries (e.g. in the form of tables, charts), thus enabling end users to leverage quality constraints for data discovery and evaluation. Preparatory work on WP4 requirements indicated that users need the "best" data for their purpose, implying a high degree of subjectivity in judgment. This suggests that the GeoViQua system should exploit a combination of provider-generated metadata (objective indicators such as summary statistics), system-generated metadata (contextual

Air quality and its integration within urban planning: Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elva Alicia Corona–Zambrano

2009-07-01

Full Text Available As a result of world wide urbanization and industrialization, urban air pollution shows a growing trend directly proportional to increasing demands on energy for domestic and industrial activities. From this point of view, cities along with their urban, functional and morphological structure are not being planned with pollution prevention or minimum environmental impacts in mind. This work has two purposes: first, it sets an assessment of air quality in Mexicali by analyzing O3, CO, SO2, NO2 and PM10 emissions in relation to urban structure. And second, the assessment of already implemented urban strategies aimed to minimize environmental impacts. This work also presents a scheme that incorporates air quality issues into town planning and urban management.

The United States' Next Generation of Atmospheric Composition and Coastal Ecosystem Measurements: NASA's Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Fishman, J.; Iraci, Laura T.; Al-Saddi, J.; Chance, K.; Chavez, F.; Chin, M.; Coble, P.; Davis, C.; DiGiacomo, P. M.; Edwards, D.;

An Internet-Based GIS Platform Providing Data for Visualization and Spatial Analysis of Urbanization in Major Asian and African Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Gong

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Rapid urbanization in developing countries has been observed to be relatively high in the last two decades, especially in the Asian and African regions. Although many researchers have made efforts to improve the understanding of the urbanization trends of various cities in Asia and Africa, the absence of platforms where local stakeholders can visualize and obtain processed urbanization data for their specific needs or analysis, still remains a gap. In this paper, we present an Internet-based GIS platform called MEGA-WEB. The Platform was developed in view of the urban planning and management challenges in developing countries of Asia and Africa due to the limited availability of data resources, effective tools, and proficiency in data analysis. MEGA-WEB provides online access, visualization, spatial analysis, and data sharing services following a mashup framework of the MEGA-WEB Geo Web Services (GWS, with the third-party map services using HTML5/JavaScript techniques. Through the integration of GIS, remote sensing, geo-modelling, and Internet GIS, several indicators for analyzing urbanization are provided in MEGA-WEB to give diverse perspectives on the urbanization of not only the physical land surface condition, but also the relationships of population, energy use, and the environment. The design, architecture, system functions, and uses of MEGA-WEB are discussed in the paper. The MEGA-WEB project is aimed at contributing to sustainable urban development in developing countries of Asia and Africa.

Strategies GeoCape Intelligent Observation Studies @ GSFC

Science.gov (United States)

Cappelaere, Pat; Frye, Stu; Moe, Karen; Mandl, Dan; LeMoigne, Jacqueline; Flatley, Tom; Geist, Alessandro

2015-01-01

This presentation provides information a summary of the tradeoff studies conducted for GeoCape by the GSFC team in terms of how to optimize GeoCape observation efficiency. Tradeoffs include total ground scheduling with simple priorities, ground scheduling with cloud forecast, ground scheduling with sub-area forecast, onboard scheduling with onboard cloud detection and smart onboard scheduling and onboard image processing. The tradeoffs considered optimzing cost, downlink bandwidth and total number of images acquired.

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.

Radiation resistance of GeO2-doped silica core optical fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, Shuichi; Nakahara, Motohiro; Omori, Yasuharu

1985-01-01

Effects of hlogen addition to silica glass on the loss in optical fibers are examined by using halogen-free, chlorine-containing and fluorine-containing GeO 2 -doped silica core optical fibers. Measurements are made for dependence of induced loss in these optical fibers on various factors such as wavelength and total dose of gamma radiation as well as GeO 2 content. Ultraviolet absorption spectra are also observed. In addition, effects of halogens added to pure silica fibers are considered on the basis of Raman spectra of three different optical fibers (pure, F-doped, and F- and GeO 2 -codoped silica core). Thus, it is concluded that (1) addition of halogens (F and Cl) serves to decrease GeO defects and Ge(3) defects in GeO 2 -doped silica optical fibers ; (2) addition of halogens suppresses the increase in loss in GeO 2 -doped silica optical fibers induced by gamma radiation ; and (3) there are close relations between the increase in loss induced by gamma radiation and defects originally existing in the fibers. Effects of halogens added to GeO 2 -doped and pure silica optical fibers can be explained on the basis of the latter relations. (Nogami, K.)

Results of Geoenvironmental Studies (2013-2014) Applied to a Monitoring Water Quality Network in Real Time in the Atoyac River (upstream) Puebla, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Espinosa, P. F.; Tavera, E. M.; Morales-Garcia, S. S.; Muñoz-Sevilla, N. P.

2014-12-01

Results of geoenvironment studies, referents to geochemistry, weathering, size, mineral composition, and metals contained in sediments and physicochemical parameters of water in urban rivers associated with dam are presented. Emphasis on the interpretation of these results, was detect environmental susceptibility areas associated at the water quality in Upper basin of Atoyac River, Puebla, Mexico. The environmental sub secretary of the state government of Puebla, Mexico has initiated actions to clean up the urban Atoyac River, with measurements of physicochemical parameters associated of the water quality in real-time monitoring and sampling network along the river. The results identified an important role in the rivers, not only to receive and transport the contaminants associated with sedimentological and geochemical conditions, but magnified the effects of pollutant discharges. A significant concentration of hazardous metals in sediments of the dam, reflecting the geo-environmental conditions of anthropogenic Valsequillo Dam induction was determined. For example, a moderately contaminated Pb contaminated extreme class, and Cu and Zn contaminated with moderate to heavy contaminated under geoenvironment class index. Large concentration of clay minerals with larger surface areas was found there in the study, the minerals are definitely the fittest in nature to accept on their surfaces constitution of metals, metalloids and other contaminants which were reflected in the Geoenvironmental index. The results of the studies performed here enable us to locate monitoring stations and sampling network to physicochemical parameters in real time, in the areas of higher contamination found in geoenvironmental studies Atoyac High River Basin. Similarly, we can elucidate the origin of pollutants and monitoring agents reflected in BOD5 (223 mg / l) and COD (610 mg / l), suspended solids totals (136 mg / l) and dissolved solids totals (840 mg / l), in others. Recent hydrometric

The Features of Geo-Ecological Assessment within the Geo-Eco-Socio-Economic Approach to the Development of Northern Territories

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksander Ivanovich Semyachkov

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In modern conditions, for the purpose of preservation a territory’s ecosystem at its involvement in economic circulation, it is necessary to carry out the anticipatory geo-ecological assessment for indicating the degree of resistance to hypothetical anthropogenic influence. The existing methodological approaches for performing the geo-ecological assessment are unified and can often be equally applied to various types of territories. A new methodical approach for geo-ecological assessment is brought forth in the article. It takes into account the specific character of the Ural region’s northern territories. The approach is based on the point assessment of territory, which is explained by its large area, moreover, the point assessment is proposed to carry out before the development of the territory. This approach makes possible to consider the specific features of the territory’s ecosystem, namely its ability for self-restoration and self-cleaning in the process of economic development and after it. It allows carrying out the choice of economic activity direction on the whole and satisfying the condition of the minimization of the damage from violation the territory’s ecosystem and preservation its resource potential. The research results can be utilized in the studies of experts and students working on the geo-ecological assessment of territory

Research on geo-ontology construction based on spatial affairs

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bin; Liu, Jiping; Shi, Lihong

2008-12-01

Geo-ontology, a kind of domain ontology, is used to make the knowledge, information and data of concerned geographical science in the abstract to form a series of single object or entity with common cognition. These single object or entity can compose a specific system in some certain way and can be disposed on conception and given specific definition at the same time. Ultimately, these above-mentioned worked results can be expressed in some manners of formalization. The main aim of constructing geo-ontology is to get the knowledge of the domain of geography, and provide the commonly approbatory vocabularies in the domain, as well as give the definite definition about these geographical vocabularies and mutual relations between them in the mode of formalization at different hiberarchy. Consequently, the modeling tool of conception model of describing geographic Information System at the hiberarchy of semantic meaning and knowledge can be provided to solve the semantic conception of information exchange in geographical space and make them possess the comparatively possible characters of accuracy, maturity and universality, etc. In fact, some experiments have been made to validate geo-ontology. During the course of studying, Geo-ontology oriented to flood can be described and constructed by making the method based on geo-spatial affairs to serve the governmental departments at all levels to deal with flood. Thereinto, intelligent retrieve and service based on geoontology of disaster are main functions known from the traditional manner by using keywords. For instance, the function of dealing with disaster information based on geo-ontology can be provided when a supposed flood happened in a certain city. The correlative officers can input some words, such as "city name, flood", which have been realized semantic label, to get the information they needed when they browse different websites. The information, including basic geographical information and flood distributing

Influence of inert fillers on shrinkage cracking of meta-kaolin geo-polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuenzel, C.; Boccaccini, A.R.

2012-01-01

Geo-polymers contain a network of tetrahedral coordinated aluminate and silicate, and are potential materials to immobilize/encapsulate nuclear wastes. They can exhibit shrinkage cracking when water is removed by drying, and in order to use geo-polymers for waste encapsulation this effect needs to be investigated and controlled. In this study, six different fillers were mixed with meta-kaolin and sodium silicate solution at high pH to form geo-polymers, and the influence of filler addition on mechanical properties has been determined. The fillers used were Fe 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , CaCO 3 , sand, glass and rubber and these do not react during geo-polymerisation reactions. Geo-polymers were prepared containing 30 weight percent of filler. The mechanical properties of the geo-polymers were influenced by the type of filler, with low density fillers increasing mortar viscosity. Geo-polymer samples containing fine filler particles exhibited shrinkage cracking on drying. This was not observed when coarser particles were added and these samples also had significantly improved mechanical properties. (authors)

Oxygen transport and GeO2 stability during thermal oxidation of Ge

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, S. R. M.; Rolim, G. K.; Soares, G. V.; Baumvol, I. J. R.; Krug, C.; Miotti, L.; Freire, F. L.; da Costa, M. E. H. M.; Radtke, C.

2012-05-01

Oxygen transport during thermal oxidation of Ge and desorption of the formed Ge oxide are investigated. Higher oxidation temperatures and lower oxygen pressures promote GeO desorption. An appreciable fraction of oxidized Ge desorbs during the growth of a GeO2 layer. The interplay between oxygen desorption and incorporation results in the exchange of O originally present in GeO2 by O from the gas phase throughout the oxide layer. This process is mediated by O vacancies generated at the GeO2/Ge interface. The formation of a substoichiometric oxide is shown to have direct relation with the GeO desorption.

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.

Recent processes of access to drinking water in the urban areas of Mexico: the case of study of the Conurbation Zone of Mérida, Yucatán

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauricio C. Domínguez Aguilar

2009-10-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the recent socioeconomic and politic processes that influence the access to the drinking water in the Conurbation Zone of Mérida, Yucatán, in Mexico. The paper analyzes how the current patterns of marginalization and social segregation in the region, in combination with the politic and economic interests related to the allocated processes of drinking water and the privatization of the urban land, have resulted in the current inequality access to drinking water. These inequalities reinforce the marginalization of the poor population.

Formulation of caesium based and caesium containing geo-polymers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berger, S.; Joussot-Dubien, C.; Frizon, F. [CEA Valrho, Dir. de l' Energie Nucleaire, DEN, Decontamination and Conditioning Department, DEN/DTCD/SPDE/L2ED, 30 - Marcoule (France)

2009-10-15

Cement encapsulation is widely used as a low- and intermediate level radioactive waste immobilisation process. Among these wastes, caesium ions are poorly immobilised by Portland cement based materials. This work consists of an experimental investigation into the ability of geo-polymers to effectively encapsulate this chemical species and to determine the impact of caesium incorporation on the geo-polymer properties. Geo-polymers were synthesised with several compositions based on the activation of metakaolin with an alkali hydroxide solution containing caesium. The setting time, mineralogy, porosity and mechanical properties of the samples were examined for one month. Leach tests were conducted during the same period to determine the immobilisation efficiency. The results depend to a large extent on the composition of the activation solution in terms of soluble silica content and alkali used. These parameters determine both the degree of condensation and the geo-polymer composition. (authors)

Formulation of caesium based and caesium containing geo-polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berger, S.; Joussot-Dubien, C.; Frizon, F.

2009-01-01

Cement encapsulation is widely used as a low- and intermediate level radioactive waste immobilisation process. Among these wastes, caesium ions are poorly immobilised by Portland cement based materials. This work consists of an experimental investigation into the ability of geo-polymers to effectively encapsulate this chemical species and to determine the impact of caesium incorporation on the geo-polymer properties. Geo-polymers were synthesised with several compositions based on the activation of metakaolin with an alkali hydroxide solution containing caesium. The setting time, mineralogy, porosity and mechanical properties of the samples were examined for one month. Leach tests were conducted during the same period to determine the immobilisation efficiency. The results depend to a large extent on the composition of the activation solution in terms of soluble silica content and alkali used. These parameters determine both the degree of condensation and the geo-polymer composition. (authors)

Characterization of Fine Particulate Matter (PM) and Secondary PM Precursor Gases in Mexico City

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dr. Charles E. Kolb

2008-03-31

This project was one of three collaborating grants designed to understand the atmospheric chemistry and aerosol particle microphysics impacting air quality in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) and its urban plume. The overall effort, titled MCMA- 2006, focused on: 1) the primary emissions of fine particles and precursor gases leading to photochemical production of atmospheric oxidants and secondary aerosol particles and 2) the measurement and analysis of secondary oxidants and secondary fine particular matter (PM) production, with particular emphasis on secondary organic aerosol (SOA). MCAM-2006 pursued it goals through three main activities: 1) performance and publication of detailed analyses of extensive MCMA trace gas and fine PM measurements made by the collaborating groups and others during earlier MCMA field campaigns in 2002 and 2003; 2) deployment and utilization of extensive real-time trace gas and fine PM instrumentation at urban and downwind MCMA sites in support of the MAX-Mex/MILAGRO field measurements in March, 2006; and, 3) analyses of the 2006 MCMA data sets leading to further publications that are based on new data as well as insights from analysis and publication of the 2002/2003 field data. Thirteen archival publications were coauthored with other MCMA-2003 participants. Documented findings included a significantly improved speciated emissions inventory from on-road vehicles, a greatly enhanced understanding of the sources and atmospheric loadings of volatile organic compounds, a unique analysis of the high fraction of ambient formaldehyde from primary emission sources, a much more extensive knowledge of the composition, size distributions and atmospheric mass loadings of both primary and secondary fine PM, including the fact that the rate of MCMA SOA production greatly exceeded that predicted by current atmospheric models, and evaluations of significant errors that can arise from standard air quality monitors for ozone and nitrogen

Analysis of CO in the tropical troposphere using Aura satellite data and the GEOS-Chem model: insights into transport characteristics of the GEOS meteorological products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junhua Liu

2010-12-01

Full Text Available We use the GEOS-Chem chemistry-transport model (CTM to interpret the spatial and temporal variations of tropical tropospheric CO observed by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS and the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES. In so doing, we diagnose and evaluate transport in the GEOS-4 and GEOS-5 assimilated meteorological fields that drive the model, with a particular focus on vertical mixing at the end of the dry season when convection moves over the source regions. The results indicate that over South America, deep convection in both GEOS-4 and GEOS-5 decays at too low an altitude early in the wet season, and the source of CO from isoprene in the model (MEGAN v2.1 is too large, causing a lag in the model's seasonal maximum of CO compared to MLS CO in the upper troposphere (UT. TES and MLS data reveal problems with excessive transport of CO to the eastern equatorial Pacific and lofting in the ITCZ in August and September, particularly in GEOS-4. Over southern Africa, GEOS-4 and GEOS-5 simulations match the phase of the observed CO variation from the lower troposphere (LT to the UT fairly well, although the magnitude of the seasonal maximum is underestimated considerably due to low emissions in the model. A sensitivity run with increased emissions leads to improved agreement with observed CO in the LT and middle troposphere (MT, but the amplitude of the seasonal variation is too high in the UT in GEOS-4. Difficulty in matching CO in the LT and UT implies there may be overly vigorous vertical mixing in GEOS-4 early in the wet season. Both simulations and observations show a time lag between the peak in fire emissions (July and August and in CO (September and October. We argue that it is caused by the prevailing subsidence in the LT until convection moves south in September, as well as the low sensitivity of TES data in the LT over the African Plateau. The MLS data suggest that too much CO has been transported from fires in northern Africa to the UT

The geo-reactor. A link between nuclear fission and geothermal energy?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Degueldre, Claude; Fiorina, Carlo

2013-01-01

Recent high-precision isotope analysis data suggests the potential occurrence of a geo-reactor. Specific gas isotopes that could have been generated by binary and ternary fissions were identified in volcano emanations or as soluble/associated species in crystalline rocks and semi-quantitatively evaluated as isotopic ratio or estimated amounts. Presently if it is evident that according to the actinide inventory on the Earth, local potential criticality of the geo-system may have been reached, several questions remain such as why, where and when did a geo-reactor be operational? Even if the hypothesis of a geo-reactor operation in the proto-Earth period should be acceptable, it could be difficult to anticipate that a geo-reactor is still operating today. This could be tested in the future by assessing and reconstructing the system by antineutrino detection and tomography through the Earth. The present paper focuses on the geo-reactor conditions including history, spatial extension and regimes. The discussion based on recent calculations involves investigations on the limits in term of fissile inventory, size and power, based on stratification through the gravitational field and the various features through the inner mantel, the boundary with the core, the external part and the inner-core. the reconstruction allows to formulating that from the history point of view there are possibilities that the geo-reactor reached criticality in a proto-Earth period as a thorium/uranium reactor triggered by an under-layer with heavier actinides. The geo-reactor should be a key component of geothermal energy sources. (author)

Geo synthetics in hydraulic and coastal engineering: Filters, revetments and sand filled structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezuijen, A.; Pilarczyk, K. W.

2014-01-01

The paper deals with 2 applications of geo textiles in coastal and hydraulic engineering: Geo textiles in filters and revetments; and geo textiles in sand filled structure. Geo textiles are often replacing granular filters. However, they have different properties than a granular filter. For the application of geo textiles in revetments, the consequences of the different properties will be shown: how permeability is influenced by a geo textile and what can be the consequences of the weight differences between granular and geo textile filters. In the other application, the filter properties of geo textiles are only secondary. In geo textile tubes and containers the geo textile is used as wrapping material to create large unties that will not erode during wave attach. the structures with geo textile tubes and containers serve as an alternative for rock based structures. The first of these structures were more or less constructed by trial and error, but research on the shape of the structures, the stability under wave attach and the durability of the used of the used material has given the possibility to use design tools for these structures. Recently also the morphological aspects of these structures have been investigated. This is of importance because regularly structures with geo textile tubes fail due to insufficient toe protection against the scour hole that that develops in front of the structure, leading to undermining of the structure. Recent research in the Dealt Flume of Deltares and the Large Wave Flume in Hannover has led to better understanding what mechanisms determine the stability under wave attach. It is shown that also the degree of filling is of importance and the position of the water level with respect to the tube has a large influence. (Author)

Design, Implementation and Applications of 3d Web-Services in DB4GEO

Science.gov (United States)

Breunig, M.; Kuper, P. V.; Dittrich, A.; Wild, P.; Butwilowski, E.; Al-Doori, M.

2013-09-01

The object-oriented database architecture DB4GeO was originally designed to support sub-surface applications in the geo-sciences. This is reflected in DB4GeO's geometric data model as well as in its import and export functions. Initially, these functions were designed for communication with 3D geological modeling and visualization tools such as GOCAD or MeshLab. However, it soon became clear that DB4GeO was suitable for a much wider range of applications. Therefore it is natural to move away from a standalone solution and to open the access to DB4GeO data by standardized OGC web-services. Though REST and OGC services seem incompatible at first sight, the implementation in DB4GeO shows that OGC-based implementation of web-services may use parts of the DB4GeO-REST implementation. Starting with initial solutions in the history of DB4GeO, this paper will introduce the design, adaptation (i.e. model transformation), and first steps in the implementation of OGC Web Feature (WFS) and Web Processing Services (WPS), as new interfaces to DB4GeO data and operations. Among its capabilities, DB4GeO can provide data in different data formats like GML, GOCAD, or DB3D XML through a WFS, as well as its ability to run operations like a 3D-to-2D service, or mesh-simplification (Progressive Meshes) through a WPS. We then demonstrate, an Android-based mobile 3D augmented reality viewer for DB4GeO that uses the Web Feature Service to visualize 3D geo-database query results. Finally, we explore future research work considering DB4GeO in the framework of the research group "Computer-Aided Collaborative Subway Track Planning in Multi-Scale 3D City and Building Models".

Geo-Enabled, Mobile Services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

2006-01-01

We are witnessing the emergence of a global infrastructure that enables the widespread deployment of geo-enabled, mobile services in practice. At the same time, the research community has also paid increasing attention to data management aspects of mobile services. This paper offers me...

Rosetta swing-by at Mars – an analysis of the ROMAP measurements in comparison with results of 3-D multi-ion hybrid simulations and MEX/ASPERA-3 data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Boesswetter

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The Rosetta spacecraft flew by Mars at a distance of 260 km on 25 February 2007 during a gravity assist manoeuvre. During the closest approach (CA the lander magnetometer ROMAP was switched on. The dataset taken during this swingby provides insight into the plasma environment around Mars: in addition to a pronounced bow shock crossing Rosetta recorded the signature of the pile up region of draped magnetic field. Also the Rosetta measurements showed signatures of crustal magnetic field anomalies which can be verified by results of a crustal magnetic field model. In order to understand the measured field morphology, multi-ion hybrid simulations were performed. Some of the input parameters for the simulations were obtained from Mars Express (MEX data which were contemporaneously collected during the Rosetta swingby. These simulations reproduces ROMAP magnetic field measurements and show that the interplanetary magnetic field pointed northward during the encounter. A spectral analysis shows upstream waves ahead of the bow shock and indicates the presence of the magnetic pile-up boundary (MPB. The multi-ion model reproduces the ion fluxes measured by MEX/ASPERA-3 and is in agreement with the measurements to within one order of magnitude.

Penn State geoPebble system: Design,Implementation, and Initial Results

Science.gov (United States)

Urbina, J. V.; Anandakrishnan, S.; Bilen, S. G.; Fleishman, A.; Burkett, P.

2014-12-01

The Penn State geoPebble system is a new network of wirelessly interconnected seismic and GPS sensor nodes with flexible architecture. This network will be used for studies of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, as well as to investigate mountain glaciers. The network will consist of ˜150 geoPebbles that can be deployed in a user-defined spatial geometry. We present our design methodology, which has enabled us to develop these state-of- the art sensors using commercial-off-the-shelf hardware combined with custom-designed hardware and software. Each geoPebble is a self- contained, wirelessly connected sensor for collecting seismic measurements and position information. Key elements of each node encompasses a three-component seismic recorder, which includes an amplifier, filter, and 24- bit analog-to-digital converter that can sample up to 10 kHz. Each unit also includes a microphone channel to record the ground-coupled airwave. The timing for each node is available from GPS measurements and a local precision oscillator that is conditioned by the GPS timing pulses. In addition, we record the carrier-phase measurement of the L1 GPS signal in order to determine location at sub-decimeter accuracy (relative to other geoPebbles within a few kilometers radius). Each geoPebble includes 16 GB of solid-state storage, wireless communications capability to a central supervisory unit, and auxiliary measurements capability (including tilt from accelerometers, absolute orientation from magnetometers and temperature). A novel aspect of the geoPebble is a wireless charging system for the internal battery (using inductive coupling techniques). The geoPebbles include all the sensors (geophones, GPS, microphone), communications (WiFi), and power (battery and charging) internally, so the geoPebble system can operate without any cabling connections (though we do provide an external connector so that different geophones can be used). We report initial field-deployment results and

Investigation Antiwear Properties of Lubricants with the Geo-Modifiers of Friction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Levanov

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The article describes the influence of the geo-modifiers of friction on the antiwear properties of lubricants. Geo-modifiers of friction are the fine powders of mineral materials. This work is directed on the investigation the influence of the geo-modifiers of friction in the form of the hard lubricant compositions, which based on a mineral serpentine, on the anti-wear properties of greases and gear oils. This composition is the fine powder serpentine with the addition of components such as chalk, borax, kaolin and talc. We compared the antiwear properties of the greases without geo-modifiers of friction and the antiwear properties of greases containing the geo-modifiers of friction from 0.5 % to 3 %. The Litol-24 and transmission oil TAD-17 was used for testihg. The four-ball machine of friction was used for tests accordance with GOST 9490-75. As geo-modifiers the serpentine was used, the fraction of which has a size from 0.87 microns to 2.2 microns. Such parameter as the wear scar diameter was used for evaluation of the antiwear properties of lubricants. As a result of tests it was established that the antiwear greases properties improved on 26-50 % depending on the concentration of the geo-modifiers of friction based on the pure serpentine.

Bimodal distribution of risk for childhood obesity in urban Baja California, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Wojcicki, Janet M; Jimenez-Cruz, Arturo; Bacardi-Gascon, Montserrat; Schwartz, Norah; Heyman, Melvin B

2012-08-01

In Mexico, higher socioeconomic status (SES) has been found to be associated with increased risk for obesity in children. Within developed urban areas, however, there may be increased risk among lower SES children. Students in grades 4-6 from five public schools in Tijuana and Tecate, Mexico, were interviewed and weight, height and waist circumference (WC) measurements were taken. Interviews consisted of questions on food frequency, food insecurity, acculturation, physical activity and lifestyle practices. Multivariate logistic models were used to assess risk factors for obesity (having a body mass index [BMI] ≥95th percentile) and abdominal obesity (a WC >90th percentile) using Stata 11.0. Five hundred and ninety students were enrolled; 43.7% were overweight or obese, and 24.3% were obese and 20.2% had abdominal obesity. Independent risk factors for obesity included watching TV in English (odds ratio [OR] 1.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-2.41) and perceived child food insecurity (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.05-2.36). Decreased risk for obesity was associated with female sex (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.43-0.96), as was regular multivitamin use (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.42-0.94). Risk obesity was also decreased with increased taco consumption (≥1×/week; OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.43-0.96). Independent risk factors for abdominal obesity included playing video games ≥1×/week (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.11-2.96) and older age group (10-11 years, OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.29-4.73 and ≥12 years, OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.09-4.49). Increased consumption of tacos was also associated with decreased risk for abdominal obesity (≥1×/week; OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.40-1.00). We found a bimodal distribution for risk of obesity and abdominal obesity in school aged children on the Mexican border with the United States. Increased risk for obesity and abdominal obesity were associated with factors indicative of lower and higher SES including watching TV in English, increased video game playing and perceived food insecurity

Implementation of a constant load method, for determination of crack growth velocities in MEX-03 system of National Institute of Nuclear Research; Implementacion de un metodo de carga constante, para la determinacion de velocidades de crecimiento de grieta en el sistema MEX-03 del ININ

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diaz S, A.; Fuentes C, P.; Merino C, F. [ININ, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)], e-mail: angeles.diaz@inin.gob.mx

2009-10-15

Whit the objective of to complete the existent techniques for susceptibility evaluation to phenomenon of stress corrosion cracking in laboratories of Applied Sciences Area of National Institute of Nuclear Research; was realized and documented the modification of a high pressure and temperature equipment, identified as MEX-03 to carry out the implementation of a growth and crack propagation assay, using a constant load method. The assay was realized to a specimen of stainless steel AISI 304l type CT of an inch, which was previously thermally sensitize, simulating the typical degradation of this materials type below operation conditions in a BWR. The MEX-03 system, consist from an annexed auto key to a load system which originally was controlled by displacement; therefore were carried out modifications to achieve the control by load. The realized adjustments allowed to maintain a constant load during all the experiment, and as much the temperature conditions (T = 288 C) as of pressure (P = 8 Mpa) were controlled during the assay realization. The steel was exposed to a conditioned ambient with hydrogen gas addition; simulating a well-known alternative chemistry as hydrogen water chemistry that is used to mitigate the phenomenon of stress corrosion cracking, main degradation mechanism of austenitic stainless steels. The continuation of the crack behavior was realized by means of electric potential fall technique and later was validated of visual form through the fractographic analysis of cracked surface. The modification and control of equipment for realization of this experiment is necessary, for what should be carried out new assays, whose results will allow to establish the effect of dynamic and static methods in velocity determination of crack growth to laboratory level; to be considered in the existent models of crack propagation in systems and components in operation. (Author)

Defective modernization and health in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Simonelli, J M

1987-01-01

This paper uses data gathered in a semi-arid, mountain region of the border state of Sonora, Mexico to illustrate that modernization and the importation of urban ideas and values can influence health status in unexpected ways. It traces the historic process of modernization in a rural municipio, relating this to social promises and economic cycles in Mexico. Modernization is seen to encompass life standard improvements and access to medical care; extension of road and transportation systems; and the widespread availability of information and education, as well as lifestyle changes required to incorporate these 'urban' influences. Reviewing the link between climate and health in arid lands, the paper notes that such modernization can be a well-meaning intrusion upon a set of cultural and social practices which had proved adaptive in dealing with climatic extremes. Initial modernization produces impressive declines in mortality and morbidity, as illustrated in an analysis of mortality figures and causes in relation to age cohorts and decades for the years 1955-1984. However, reductions in epidermic-related infant mortality are shown to be offset by increases in deaths due to trauma, chronic conditions and endemic disease. An analysis of morbidity for the year 1983-84 indicates that continuing high rates of infectious disease are related to conditions which result from increasingly defective modernization. To maintain technology, including water, electrical, and sewage systems, continual capital expenditure on both the public and private level is required. The economic crisis in Mexico is reducing available funds at a time when the community has adjusted its traditional lifestyle to incorporate technological improvements. In light of this, it is likely that inroads against infectious disease will not just continue to be stalemated, but could actually be reversed. This finding has implications for towns and villages on both sides of the Mexican-American border.

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.

Geometric validation of a mobile laser scanning system for urban applications

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Haiyan; Li, Jonathan; Yu, Yongtao; Liu, Yan

2016-03-01

Mobile laser scanning (MLS) technologies have been actively studied and implemented over the past decade, as their application fields are rapidly expanding and extending beyond conventional topographic mapping. Trimble's MX-8, as one of the MLS systems in the current market, generates rich survey-grade laser and image data for urban surveying. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether Trimble MX-8 MLS data satisfies the accuracy requirements of urban surveying. According to the formula of geo-referencing, accuracies of navigation solution and laser scanner determines the accuracy of the collected LiDAR point clouds. Two test sites were selected to test the performance of Trimble MX-8. Those extensive tests confirm that Trimble MX-8 offers a very promising tool to survey complex urban areas.

3D Mapping for Urban and Regional Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bodum, Lars

2002-01-01

The process of mapping in 3D for urban and regional planning purposes is not an uncomplicated matter. It involves both the construction of a new data-model and new routines for the geometric modeling of the physical objects. This is due to the fact that most of the documentation until now has been...... registered and georeferenced to the 2D plan. This paper will outline a new method for 3D mapping where new LIDAR (laser-scanning) technology and additional 2D maps with attributes will be combined to create a 3D map of an urban area. The 3D map will afterwards be used in a real-time simulation system (also...... known as Virtual Reality system) for urban and regional planning purposes. This initiative will be implemented in a specific geographic region (North Jutland County in Denmark) by a new research centre at Aalborg University called Centre for 3D GeoInformation. The key question for this research team...

No Safe Place: Environmental Hazards & Injustice along Mexico's Northern Border

Science.gov (United States)

Grineski, Sara E.; Collins, Timothy W.; Aguilar, Maria de Lourdes Romo; Aldouri, Raed

2010-01-01

This article examines spatial relationships between environmental hazards (i.e., pork feed lots, brick kilns, final assembly plants and a rail line) and markers of social marginality in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Juarez represents an opportunity for researchers to test for patterns of injustice in a recently urbanizing metropolis of the Global South.…

A fully distributed geo-routing scheme for wireless sensor networks

KAUST Repository

Bader, Ahmed

2013-12-01

When marrying randomized distributed space-time coding (RDSTC) to beaconless geo-routing, new performance horizons can be created. In order to reach those horizons, however, beaconless geo-routing protocols must evolve to operate in a fully distributed fashion. In this letter, we expose a technique to construct a fully distributed geo-routing scheme in conjunction with RDSTC. We then demonstrate the performance gains of this novel scheme by comparing it to one of the prominent classical schemes. © 2013 IEEE.

A fully distributed geo-routing scheme for wireless sensor networks

KAUST Repository

Bader, Ahmed; Abed-Meraim, Karim; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2013-01-01

When marrying randomized distributed space-time coding (RDSTC) to beaconless geo-routing, new performance horizons can be created. In order to reach those horizons, however, beaconless geo-routing protocols must evolve to operate in a fully distributed fashion. In this letter, we expose a technique to construct a fully distributed geo-routing scheme in conjunction with RDSTC. We then demonstrate the performance gains of this novel scheme by comparing it to one of the prominent classical schemes. © 2013 IEEE.

Specific Space Transportation Costs to GEO - Past, Present and Future

Science.gov (United States)

Koelle, Dietrich E.

2002-01-01

The largest share of space missions is going to the Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO); they have the highest commercial importance. The paper first shows the historic trend of specific transportation costs to GEO from 1963 to 2002. It started out with more than 500 000 /kg(2002-value) and has come down to 36 000 /kg. This reduction looks impressive, however, the reason is NOT improved technology or new techniques but solely the growth of GEO payloads`unit mass. The first GEO satellite in 1963 did have a mass of 36 kg mass (BoL) . This has grown to a weight of 1600 kg (average of all GEO satellites) in the year 2000. Mass in GEO after injection is used here instead of GTO mass since the GTO mass depends on the launch site latitude. The specific cost reduction is only due to the "law-of-scale", valid in the whole transportation business: the larger the payload, the lower the specific transportation cost. The paper shows the actual prices of launch services to GTO by the major launch vehicles. Finally the potential GEO transportation costs of future launch systems are evaluated. What is the potential reduction of specific transportation costs if reusable elements are introduced in future systems ? Examples show that cost reductions up to 75 % seem achievable - compared to actual costs - but only with launch systems optimized according to modern principles of cost engineering. 1. 53rd International Astronautical Congress, World Space Congress Houston 2. First Submission 3. Specific Space Transportation Costs to GEO - Past, Present and Future 4. KOELLE, D.E. 5. IAA.1.1 Launch Vehicles' Cost Engineering and Economic Competitiveness 6. D.E. Koelle; A.E. Goldstein 7. One overhead projector and screen 8. Word file attached 9. KOELLE I have approval to attend the Congress. I am not willing to present this paper at the IAC Public Outreach Program.

U.S.-Mexico Border Geographic Information System

Science.gov (United States)

Parcher, Jean W.

2008-01-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the development of extensive geodatabases have become invaluable tools for addressing a variety of contemporary societal issues and for making predictions about the future. The United States-Mexico Geographic Information System (USMX-GIS) is based on fundamental datasets that are produced and/or approved by the national geography agencies of each country, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Y Geografia (INEGI) of Mexico, and the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). The data are available at various scales to allow both regional and local analysis. The USGS and the INEGI have an extensive history of collaboration for transboundary mapping including exchanging digital technology and developing methods for harmonizing seamless national level geospatial datasets for binational environmental monitoring, urban growth analysis, and other scientific applications.

Managing and delivering of 3D geo data across institutions has a web based solution - intermediate results of the project GeoMol.

Science.gov (United States)

Gietzel, Jan; Schaeben, Helmut; Gabriel, Paul

2014-05-01

The increasing relevance of geological information for policy and economy at transnational level has recently been recognized by the European Commission, who has called for harmonized information related to reserves and resources in the EU Member States. GeoMol's transnational approach responds to that, providing consistent and seamless 3D geological information of the Alpine Foreland Basins based on harmonized data and agreed methodologies. However, until recently no adequate tool existed to ensure full interoperability among the involved GSOs and to distribute the multi-dimensional information of a transnational project facing diverse data policy, data base systems and software solutions. In recent years (open) standards describing 2D spatial data have been developed and implemented in different software systems including production environments for 2D spatial data (like regular 2D-GI-Systems). Easy yet secured access to the data is of upmost importance and thus priority for any spatial data infrastructure. To overcome limitations conditioned by highly sophisticated and platform dependent geo modeling software packages functionalities of a web portals can be utilized. Thus, combining a web portal with a "check-in-check-out" system allows distributed organized editing of data and models but requires standards for the exchange of 3D geological information to ensure interoperability. Another major concern is the management of large models and the ability of 3D tiling into spatially restricted models with refined resolution, especially when creating countrywide models . Using GST ("Geosciences in Space and Time") developed initially at TU Bergakademie Freiberg and continuously extended by the company GiGa infosystems, incorporating these key issues and based on an object-relational data model, it is possible to check out parts or whole models for edits and check in again after modification. GST is the core of GeoMol's web-based collaborative environment designed to

Thallium pollution in China: A geo-environmental perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Tangfu; Yang, Fei; Li, Shehong; Zheng, Baoshan; Ning, Zengping

2012-04-01

It is well known that thallium (Tl) is a non-essential and toxic metal to human health, but less is known about the geo-environmentally-induced Tl pollution and its associated health impacts. High concentrations of Tl that are primarily associated with the epithermal metallogenesis of sulfide minerals have the potential of producing Tl pollution in the environment, which has been recognized as an emerging pollutant in China. This paper aims to review the research progress in China on Tl pollution in terms of the source, mobility, transportation pathway, and health exposure of Tl and to address the environmental concerns on Tl pollution in a geo-environmental perspective. Tl associated with the epithermal metallogenesis of sulfide minerals has been documented to disperse readily and accumulate through the geo-environmental processes of soil enrichment, water transportation and food crop growth beyond a mineralized zone. The enrichments of Tl in local soil, water, and crops may result in Tl pollution and consequent adverse health effects, e.g. chronic Tl poisoning. Investigation of the baseline Tl in the geo-environment, proper land use and health-related environmental planning and regulation are critical to prevent the Tl pollution. Examination of the human urinary Tl concentration is a quick approach to identify exposure of Tl pollution to humans. The experiences of Tl pollution in China can provide important lessons for many other regions in the world with similar geo-environmental contexts because of the high mobility and toxicity of Tl. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strengthening Rural-Urban Interactions as a Contemporary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The world's population is increasing by around 85 million every year – the equivalent of another Egypt or Mexico, and by 2025 most of the growth is expected to be within urban areas of developing nations. This implies a continuous supply and dependence on raw materials and other infrastructural developments. This study ...

Geo synthetic-reinforced Pavement systems; Sistemas de pavimentos reforzados con geosinteticos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zornberg, J. G.

2014-02-01

Geo synthetics have been used as reinforcement inclusions to improve pavement performance. while there are clear field evidence of the benefit of using geo synthetic reinforcements, the specific conditions or mechanisms that govern the reinforcement of pavements are, at best, unclear and have remained largely unmeasured. Significant research has been recently conducted with the objectives of: (i) determining the relevant properties of geo synthetics that contribute to the enhanced performance of pavement systems, (ii) developing appropriate analytical, laboratory and field methods capable of quantifying the pavement performance, and (iii) enabling the prediction of pavement performance as a function of the properties of the various types of geo synthetics. (Author)

GEO Supersites Data Exploitation Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Lengert, W.; Popp, H.-J.; Gleyzes, J.-P.

2012-04-01

In the framework of the GEO Geohazard Supersite initiative, an international partnership of organizations and scientists involved in the monitoring and assessment of geohazards has been established. The mission is to advance the scientific understanding of geohazards by improving geohazard monitoring through the combination of in-situ and space-based data, and by facilitating the access to data relevant for geohazard research. The stakeholders are: (1) governmental organizations or research institutions responsible for the ground-based monitoring of earthquake and volcanic areas, (2) space agencies and satellite operators providing satellite data, (3) the global geohazard scientific community. The 10.000's of ESA's SAR products are accessible, since beginning 2008, using ESA's "Virtual Archive", a Cloud Computing assets, allowing the global community an utmost downloading performance of these high volume data sets for mass-market costs. In the GEO collaborative context, the management of ESA's "Virtual Archive" and the ordering of these large data sets is being performed by UNAVCO, who is also coordinating the data demand for the several hundreds of co-PIs. ESA is envisaging to provide scientists and developers access to a highly elastic operational e-infrastructure, providing interdisciplinary data on a large scale as well as tools ensuring innovation and a permanent evolution of the products. Consequently, this science environment will help in defining and testing new applications and technologies fostering innovation and new science findings. In Europe, the collaboration between EPOS, "European Plate Observatory System" lead by INGV, and ESA with support of DLR, ASI, and CNES are the main institutional stakeholders for the GEO Supersites contributing also to a unifying e-infrastructure. The overarching objective of the Geohazard Supersites is: "To implement a sustainable Global Earthquake Observation System and a Global Volcano Observation System as part of the

3D Geovisualization & Stylization to Manage Comprehensive and Participative Local Urban Plans

Science.gov (United States)

Brasebin, M.; Christophe, S.; Jacquinod, F.; Vinesse, A.; Mahon, H.

2016-10-01

3D geo-visualization is more and more used and appreciated to support public participation, and is generally used to present predesigned planned projects. Nevertheless, other participatory processes may benefit from such technology such as the elaboration of urban planning documents. In this article, we present one of the objectives of the PLU++ project: the design of a 3D geo-visualization system that eases the participation concerning local urban plans. Through a pluridisciplinary approach, it aims at covering the different aspects of such a system: the simulation of built configurations to represent regulation information, the efficient stylization of these objects to make people understand their meanings and the interaction between 3D simulation and stylization. The system aims at being adaptive according to the participation context and to the dynamic of the participation. It will offer the possibility to modify simulation results and the rendering styles of the 3D representations to support participation. The proposed 3D rendering styles will be used in a set of practical experiments in order to test and validate some hypothesis from past researches of the project members about 3D simulation, 3D semiotics and knowledge about uses.

A water-budget approach to estimating potential groundwater recharge from two domestic sewage disposal fields in eastern Bernalillo County, New Mexico, 2011-12

Science.gov (United States)

Crilley, Dianna M.; Collison, Jake W.

2015-08-04

Eastern Bernalillo County, New Mexico, is a historically rural area that in recent years has experienced an increase in population and in the construction of new housing units, most of which are not connected to a centralized wastewater treatment system. Increasing water use has raised concerns about the effect of development on the available groundwater resources in the area. During 2011–12, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Bernalillo County Public Works Natural Resource Services, used a water-budget approach to quantify the amount of potential groundwater recharge occurring from the domestic sewage (effluent) dosed to the sewage disposal field at two locations—sites A and B—in eastern Bernalillo County, N. Mex. The amount of effluent that is potentially available for groundwater recharge was determined as the mean daily volume of effluent dosed to the disposal field in excess of the mean daily volume of effluent loss from evapotranspiration from the disposal field.

ANALYSIS OF URBAN AND EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN DISADVANTAGED AREAS OF BEACH TOWN WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY; STUDY CASE PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto Reyes-González

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The objective of this research was to develop an analysis in two scales, the first scale identified as urban, in order to meet the socio-territorial urban immediate context of educational equipment. The second scale was to generate a comprehensive integral analysis of energy efficiency in the facilities of the Superior Technological Institute of Puerto Vallarta (ITSPV to generate some implementation scenarios of photovoltaic technology and energy management strategies, integrated in 3 technical solution proposals for implementation within the ITSPV territorial reserve. The impact of this project integrates five educational institutions, with an impact of approximately 30,000 people directly and indirectly, which share a mountain reserve land, in one of the areas with the highest degree of urban marginalization of the metropolitan area of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, which is identified as the second most important beach tourist center of Mexico. These 5 educational institutions cover regional education demand, which extends 2 states of the Mexican Republic: Jalisco and Nayarit, who share territorial limits. The implementation of photovoltaic systems is contemplated in 2 stages, the first stage is to meet the demand generated by illumination systems, air conditioning motors, equipment for the processing of raw materials, illumination through the generation of onsite energy for a building that works self-sufficiently and serve as a training- production center about energy and transformation of raw material for innovation in industrial and architectural design. The line of research is oriented to establish analysis within academia and industry on the impacts of design, construction, manufacturing, technology implementation, and use of energy in projects of industrial design, architecture and urban design.

Analysis of spatial mobility in subjects from a Dengue endemic urban locality in Morelos State, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Falcón-Lezama, Jorge Abelardo; Santos-Luna, René; Román-Pérez, Susana; Martínez-Vega, Ruth Aralí; Herrera-Valdez, Marco Arieli; Kuri-Morales, Ángel Fernando; Adams, Ben; Kuri-Morales, Pablo Antonio; López-Cervantes, Malaquías; Ramos-Castañeda, José

2017-01-01

Mathematical models and field data suggest that human mobility is an important driver for Dengue virus transmission. Nonetheless little is known on this matter due the lack of instruments for precise mobility quantification and study design difficulties. We carried out a cohort-nested, case-control study with 126 individuals (42 cases, 42 intradomestic controls and 42 population controls) with the goal of describing human mobility patterns of recently Dengue virus-infected subjects, and comparing them with those of non-infected subjects living in an urban endemic locality. Mobility was quantified using a GPS-data logger registering waypoints at 60-second intervals for a minimum of 15 natural days. Although absolute displacement was highly biased towards the intradomestic and peridomestic areas, occasional displacements exceeding a 100-Km radius from the center of the studied locality were recorded for all three study groups and individual displacements were recorded traveling across six states from central Mexico. Additionally, cases had a larger number of visits out of the municipality´s administrative limits when compared to intradomestic controls (cases: 10.4 versus intradomestic controls: 2.9, p = 0.0282). We were able to identify extradomestic places within and out of the locality that were independently visited by apparently non-related infected subjects, consistent with houses, working and leisure places. Results of this study show that human mobility in a small urban setting exceeded that considered by local health authority's administrative limits, and was different between recently infected and non-infected subjects living in the same household. These observations provide important insights about the role that human mobility may have in Dengue virus transmission and persistence across endemic geographic areas that need to be taken into account when planning preventive and control measures. Finally, these results are a valuable reference when setting the

Designing and implementing a Quality Broker: the GeoViQua experience

Science.gov (United States)

Papeschi, Fabrizio; Bigagli, Lorenzo; Masò, Joan; Nativi, Stefano

2014-05-01

GeoViQua (QUAlity aware VIsualisation for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems) is an FP7 project aiming at complementing the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) with rigorous data quality specifications and quality-aware capabilities, in order to improve reliability in scientific studies and policy decision-making. GeoViQua main scientific and technical objective is to enhance the GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) providing the user community with innovative quality-aware search and visualization tools, which will be integrated in the GEOPortal, as well as made available to other end-user interfaces. To this end, GeoViQua will promote the extension of the current standard metadata for geographic information with accurate and expressive quality indicators. Employing and extending several ISO standards such as 19115, 19157 and 19139, a common set of data quality indicators has been selected to be used within the project. The resulting work, in the form of a data model, is expressed in XML Schema Language and encoded in XML. Quality information can be stated both by data producers and by data users, actually resulting in two conceptually distinct data models, the Producer Quality model and the User Quality model (or User Feedback model). GeoViQua architecture is built on the brokering approach successfully experimented within the EuroGEOSS project and realized by the GEO DAB (Discovery and Access Broker) which is part of the GCI. The GEO DAB allows for harmonization and distribution in a transparent way for both users and data providers. This way, GeoViQua can effectively complement and extend the GEO DAB obtaining a Quality augmentation Broker (DAB-Q) which plays a central role in ensuring the consistency of the Producer and User quality models. The GeoViQua architecture also includes a Feedback Catalog, a particular service brokered by the DAB-Q which is dedicated to the storage and discovery of user feedbacks. A very important issue

Fluid migration through geo-membrane seams and through the interface between geo-membrane and geo-synthetic clay liner; Contribution a l'etude des transferts de masse au niveau des joints de geomembrane et a l'interface entre geomembrane et geosynthetique bentonitique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barroso, M

2005-03-15

Composite liners are used to limit the contamination migration from landfills. Their successful performance is closely related with the geo-membrane as it provides the primary barrier to diffusive and advective transport of contaminants. Critical issues on the performance of the geo-membranes are the seams between geo-membrane panels and the inevitable defects resulting, for instance, from inadequate installation activities. In landfills, where high density polyethylene geo-membranes are usually used, seams are typically made by the thermal-hot dual wedge method. A literature review on quality control of the seams showed that, in situ, fluid-tightness of seams is evaluated in qualitative terms (pass/failure criteria), despite their importance to ensure appropriate performance of the geo-membranes as barriers. In addition, a synthesis of studies on geo-membrane defects indicated that defects varying in density from 0.7 to 15.3 per hectare can be found in landfills. Defects represent preferential flow paths for leachate. Various authors have developed analytical solutions and empirical equations for predicting the flow rate through composite liners due to defects in the geo-membrane. The validity of these methods for composite liners comprising a geo-membrane over a geo-synthetic clay liner (GCL) over a compacted clay liner (CCL) has never been studied from an experimental point of view. To address the problem of fluid migration through the geo-membrane seams, an attempt is made to provide a test method, herein termed as 'gas permeation pouch test', for assessing the quality of the thermal-hot dual wedge seams. This test consists of pressurizing the air channel formed by the double seam with a gas to a specific pressure and, then, measuring the decrease in pressure over time. From the pressure decrease, both the gas permeation coefficients, in steady state conditions, and the time constant, in unsteady state conditions, can be estimated. Experiments were

The live service of video geo-information

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Wu; Zhang, Yongsheng; Yu, Ying; Zhao, Ling

2016-03-01

In disaster rescue, emergency response and other occasions, traditional aerial photogrammetry is difficult to meet real-time monitoring and dynamic tracking demands. To achieve the live service of video geo-information, a system is designed and realized—an unmanned helicopter equipped with video sensor, POS, and high-band radio. This paper briefly introduced the concept and design of the system. The workflow of video geo-information live service is listed. Related experiments and some products are shown. In the end, the conclusion and outlook is given.

The GEO Handbook on Biodiversity Observation Networks

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Walters, Michele

2017-01-01

Full Text Available across the planet. I congratulate GEO BON on creating this powerful mechanism and wish the GEO BON community great success in each of its future endeavours. Geneva, Switzerland Barbara J. Ryan Executive Director: Group on Earth Observations viii Foreword... of biodiversity data is the desired goal, it would be hard to achieve except via the mechanism of a network, simply because 6 R.J. Scholes et al. sampling and species identification is more cost-effective and situation-appropriate if conducted using local...

Description of the international scenarios and the renewable energies (Chapter 4 in 'A vision of year 2030 on the use of the renewable energies in Mexico'); Descripcion de los escenarios internacionales y las energias renovables (Capitulo 4 en 'Una vision al 2030 de la utilizacion de las energias renovables en Mexico')

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mulas del Pozo, Pablo [Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

2005-08-15

In this chapter, energy scenarios made by different organizations are described, the majority foreign, and they do not represent an official version of the Secretaria de Energia of the Mexican government. 1. The IEO-2004, Projections to year 2025 of the Energy Information Agency (EIA) of the Department of Energy of the USA (DOE, USA). - it describes the world-wide energy situation with historical information (1970-2000) and projections to the future (2001-2025); 2. The WOE-2004, Projections to year 2030 of the Agency International of Energy of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (AIE-OECD) - it describes the world-wide energy situation with historical information (1971-2002) and projections to the future (2002-2030); 3. The scenarios of Shell to year 2050; 4, Scenarios to year 2025 of the Agency International of Energy oriented to a sustainable future: it is a document published in the 2003, it contains the results of an exercise to develop three exploratory scenarios and a formative scenario/projections; 5. The study of the World-wide Council of Energy on the activators of the energy sector; 6. Other scenarios for Mexico are: Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation, GEO-Mexico and the Centro de Investigacion de Energia de la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. [Spanish] En este capitulo, se describen escenarios energeticos a largo plazo realizados por diferentes entidades, la mayoria extranjeras, y no representan una version oficial de la Secretaria de Energia del gobierno de Mexico. 1. El IEO-2004, Proyecciones al 2025 de la Energy Information Agency (EIA) del departamento de energia de los EUA (DOE, USA).- describe la situacion energetica mundial con informacion historica (1970-2000) y proyecciones a futuro (2001-2025); 2. El WOE-2004, Proyecciones al 2030 de la Agencia Internacional de Energia de la Organizacion para la Cooperacion y el Desarrollo Economico (AIE-OCDE).- describe la situacion energetica mundial con informacion historica

Variable-scale Geo-information

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijers, B.M.

2011-01-01

The use of geo-information is changing by the advent of new mobile devices, such as tablet-pc's that harness a lot of computing power. This type of information is more and more applied in mainstream digital consumer products, in a net-centric environment (i.e. dissemination takes place via the

Encapsulation of Mg-Zr alloy in metakaolin-based geo-polymer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rooses, Adrien; Steins, Prune; Dannoux-Papin, Adeline; Lambertin, David; Poulesquen, Arnaud; Frizon, Fabien

2013-01-01

Investigations were carried out to propose a suitable material for the encapsulation of Mg-Zr alloy wastes issued from fuel cladding of the first generation nuclear reactors. Stability over time, good mechanical properties and low gas production are the main requirements that embedding matrices must comply with in order to be suitable for long run storage. One of the main issues encapsulating Mg-Zr alloy in mineral binder is the hydrogen production related to Mg-Zr alloys corrosion and water radiolysis process. In this context, metakaolin geo-polymers offer an interesting outlook: corrosion densities of Mg-Zr alloys are significantly lower than in Portland cement. This work firstly presents the hydrogen production of Mg-Zr alloy embedded in geo-polymers prepared from different the activation solution (NaOH or KOH). The effect of addition of fluorine on the magnesium corrosion in geo-polymer has been investigated too. The results point out that sodium geo-polymer is a suitable binder for Mg-Zr alloy encapsulation with respect to magnesium corrosion resistance. Furthermore the presence of fluorine reduces significantly the hydrogen release. Then, the impact of fluorine on the geo-polymer network formation was studied by rheological, calorimetric and 19 F NMR measurements. No direct effect resulting from the addition of fluorine has been shown on the geo-polymer binder. Secondly, the formulation of the encapsulation matrix has been adjusted to fulfil the expected physical and mechanical properties. Observations, dimensional evolutions and compressive strengths demonstrated that addition of sand to the geo-polymer binder is efficient to meet the storage criteria. Consequently, a matrix formulation compatible with Mg-Zr alloy encapsulation has been proposed. Finally, irradiation tests have been carried out to assess the hydrogen radiolytic yield of the matrix under exposure to γ radiation. (authors)

GEO Optical Data Association with Concurrent Metric and Photometric Information

Science.gov (United States)

Dao, P.; Monet, D.

Data association in a congested area of the GEO belt with occasional visits by non-resident objects can be treated as a Multi-Target-Tracking (MTT) problem. For a stationary sensor surveilling the GEO belt, geosynchronous and near GEO objects are not completely motionless in the earth-fixed frame and can be observed as moving targets. In some clusters, metric or positional information is insufficiently accurate or up-to-date to associate the measurements. In the presence of measurements with uncertain origin, star tracks (residuals) and other sensor artifacts, heuristic techniques based on hard decision assignment do not perform adequately. In the MMT community, Bar-Shalom [2009 Bar-Shalom] was first in introducing the use of measurements to update the state of the target of interest in the tracking filter, e.g. Kalman filter. Following Bar-Shalom’s idea, we use the Probabilistic Data Association Filter (PDAF) but to make use of all information obtainable in the measurement of three-axis-stabilized GEO satellites, we combine photometric with metric measurements to update the filter. Therefore, our technique Concurrent Spatio- Temporal and Brightness (COSTB) has the stand-alone ability of associating a track with its identity –for resident objects. That is possible because the light curve of a stabilized GEO satellite changes minimally from night to night. We exercised COSTB on camera cadence data to associate measurements, correct mistags and detect non-residents in a simulated near real time cadence. Data on GEO clusters were used.

Archaeology, Geomorphology and Historic Surveys in Pools 13-14, Upper Mississippi River. Volume 1

Science.gov (United States)

1989-09-01

sold for $5, $10, or $50 an acre. Townsites were platted by the hundreds: In some embryo towns, corner lots sold for $500 in the morning might be sold...Mexico in the name of "Manifest Destiny " secures California and much of northern Mex ico for the United I States. 1848 California Gold Rush., Gold is

GeoCEGAS: natural gas distribution management system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribeiro, Lorena C.J. [Companhia de Gas do Ceara (CEGAS), Fortaleza, CE (Brazil); Targa, Fernando O. [Gestao Empresarial e Informatica Ltda. (GEMPI), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2009-07-01

This Technical Paper approach the conception, architecture, design, construction, and implementation of GeoCEGAS, a spatially enabled corporate management information system, oriented to store and provide Web access, to information associated with the natural gas distribution network, owned by CEGAS. This paper reports business processes, business entities and business intelligence approached on the project, as well as an overview of system architecture, applications, and technology used on the implementation of GeoCEGAS. Finally, is presented an introduction to the work methodology used, as well a synopsis of benefits achievements. (author)

Discovery of accessible locations using region-based geo-social data

KAUST Repository

Wang, Yan; Li, Jianmin; Zhong, Ying; Zhu, Shunzhi; Guo, Danhuai; Shang, Shuo

2018-01-01

Geo-social data plays a significant role in location discovery and recommendation. In this light, we propose and study a novel problem of discovering accessible locations in spatial networks using region-based geo-social data. Given a set Q of query

ExoGeoLab Pilot Project for Landers, Rovers and Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Foing, Bernard

2010-05-01

We have developed a pilot facility with a Robotic Test Bench (ExoGeoLab) and a Mobile Lab Habitat (ExoHab). They can be used to validate concepts and external instruments from partner institutes. The ExoGeoLab research incubator project, has started in the frame of a collaboration between ILEWG (International Lunar Exploration working Group http://sci.esa.int/ilewg), ESTEC, NASA and academic partners, supported by a design and control desk in the European Space Incubator (ESI), as well as infrastructure. ExoGeoLab includes a sequence of technology and research pilot project activities: - Data analysis and interpretation of remote sensing and in-situ data, and merging of multi-scale data sets - Procurement and integration of geophysical, geo-chemical and astrobiological breadboard instruments on a surface station and rovers - Integration of cameras, environment and solar sensors, Visible and near IR spectrometer, Raman spectrometer, sample handling, cooperative rovers - Delivery of a generic small planetary lander demonstrator (ExoGeoLab lander, Sept 2009) as a platform for multi-instruments tests - Research operations and exploitation of ExoGeoLab test bench for various conceptual configurations, and support for definition and design of science surface packages (Moon, Mars, NEOs, outer moons) - Field tests of lander, rovers and instruments in analogue sites (Utah MDRS 2009 & 2010, Eifel volcanic park in Sept 2009, and future campaigns). Co-authors, ILEWG ExoGeoLab & ExoHab Team: B.H. Foing(1,11)*#, C. Stoker(2,11)*, P. Ehrenfreund(10,11), L. Boche-Sauvan(1,11)*, L. Wendt(8)*, C. Gross(8, 11)*, C. Thiel(9)*, S. Peters(1,6)*, A. Borst(1,6)*, J. Zavaleta(2)*, P. Sarrazin(2)*, D. Blake(2), J. Page(1,4,11), V. Pletser(5,11)*, E. Monaghan(1)*, P. Mahapatra(1)#, A. Noroozi(3), P. Giannopoulos(1,11) , A. Calzada(1,6,11), R. Walker(7), T. Zegers(1, 15) #, G. Groemer(12)# , W. Stumptner(12)#, B. Foing(2,5), J. K. Blom(3)#, A. Perrin(14)#, M. Mikolajczak(14)#, S. Chevrier(14

A distributed charge storage with GeO2 nanodots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, T.C.; Yan, S.T.; Hsu, C.H.; Tang, M.T.; Lee, J.F.; Tai, Y.H.; Liu, P.T.; Sze, S.M.

2004-01-01

In this study, a distributed charge storage with GeO 2 nanodots is demonstrated. The mean size and aerial density of the nanodots embedded in SiO 2 are estimated to be about 5.5 nm and 4.3x10 11 cm -2 , respectively. The composition of the dots is also confirmed to be GeO 2 by x-ray absorption near-edge structure analyses. A significant memory effect is observed through the electrical measurements. Under the low voltage operation of 5 V, the memory window is estimated to ∼0.45 V. Also, a physical model is proposed to demonstrate the charge storage effect through the interfacial traps of GeO 2 nanodots

Towards Geo-spatial Hypermedia: Concepts and Prototype Implementation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grønbæk, Kaj; Vestergaard, Peter Posselt; Ørbæk, Peter

2002-01-01

This paper combines spatial hypermedia with techniques from Geographical Information Systems and location based services. We describe the Topos 3D Spatial Hypermedia system and how it has been developed to support geo-spatial hypermedia coupling hypermedia information to model representations...... of real world buildings and landscapes. The prototype experiments are primarily aimed at supporting architects and landscape architects in their work on site. Here it is useful to be able to superimpose and add different layers of information to, e.g. a landscape depending on the task being worked on. We...... and indirect navigation. Finally, we conclude with a number of research issues which are central to the future development of geo-spatial hypermedia, including design issues in combining metaphorical and literal hypermedia space, as well as a discussion of the role of spatial parsing in a geo-spatial context....

Study on geo-information modelling

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Klimešová, Dana

2006-01-01

Roč. 5, č. 5 (2006), s. 1108-1113 ISSN 1109-2777 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : control GIS * geo-information modelling * uncertainty * spatial temporal approach Web Services Subject RIV: BC - Control Systems Theory

Probe into geo-information science and information science in nuclear and geography science in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Bin

2001-01-01

In the past ten years a new science-Geo-Information Science, a branch of Geoscience, developed very fast, which has been valued and paid much attention to. Based on information science, the author analyzes the flow of material, energy, people and information and their relations, presents the place of Geo-Information Science in Geo-science and its content from Geo-Informatics, Geo-Information technology and the application of itself. Finally, the author discusses the main content and problem existed in Geo-Information Science involved in Nuclear and Geography Science

Fertility determinants in the oil region of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Pick, J B; Tellis, G L; Butler, E W

1989-01-01

This study analyzes fertility determinants in the oil region of Mexico, consisting of the states of Veracruz, Tabasco, and Campeche. Data are from the 1980 Mexican census and the unit of analysis is the municipio. The regression models, in which the dependent variables of children ever born and child-woman ratio are examined, reveal religious variables to be most significant, with greater fertility for non-Catholics and persons with no religion than for Catholics. Also of great importance are economic variables. Literacy and urbanization, both "classical" Mexican fertility variables, reduce fertility. There are major differences among three urban/rural and three indigenous language subsamples. Results are discussed vis-a-vis demographic theories and prior research.

The Urban Explosion. Draper Fund Report No. 10.

Science.gov (United States)

Camp, Sharon L., Ed.; And Others

This booklet contains reports presented by delegates from Mexico, Egypt, China, Bangladesh, Italy, the Philippines, Zaire, and Indonesia to the International Conference on Population and the Urban Future held in Rome, Italy, on September 1-4, 1980. An introductory statement by the Executive Director of the United Nations Fund for Population…

The standard-based open workflow system in GeoBrain (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Di, L.; Yu, G.; Zhao, P.; Deng, M.

2013-12-01

GeoBrain is an Earth science Web-service system developed and operated by the Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems, George Mason University. In GeoBrain, a standard-based open workflow system has been implemented to accommodate the automated processing of geospatial data through a set of complex geo-processing functions for advanced production generation. The GeoBrain models the complex geoprocessing at two levels, the conceptual and concrete. At the conceptual level, the workflows exist in the form of data and service types defined by ontologies. The workflows at conceptual level are called geo-processing models and cataloged in GeoBrain as virtual product types. A conceptual workflow is instantiated into a concrete, executable workflow when a user requests a product that matches a virtual product type. Both conceptual and concrete workflows are encoded in Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). A BPEL workflow engine, called BPELPower, has been implemented to execute the workflow for the product generation. A provenance capturing service has been implemented to generate the ISO 19115-compliant complete product provenance metadata before and after the workflow execution. The generation of provenance metadata before the workflow execution allows users to examine the usability of the final product before the lengthy and expensive execution takes place. The three modes of workflow executions defined in the ISO 19119, transparent, translucent, and opaque, are available in GeoBrain. A geoprocessing modeling portal has been developed to allow domain experts to develop geoprocessing models at the type level with the support of both data and service/processing ontologies. The geoprocessing models capture the knowledge of the domain experts and are become the operational offering of the products after a proper peer review of models is conducted. An automated workflow composition has been experimented successfully based on ontologies and artificial

Multi-User GeoGebra for Virtual Math Teams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerry Stahl

2010-05-01

Full Text Available The Math Forum is an online resource center for pre-algebra, algebra, geometry and pre-calculus. Its Virtual Math Teams (VMT service provides an integrated web-based environment for small teams to discuss mathematics. The VMT collaboration environment now includes the dynamic mathematics application, GeoGebra. It offers a multi-user version of GeoGebra, which can be used in concert with VMT’s chat, web browsers, curricula and wiki repository.

Global Remote Sensing Data Subdivision Organization Based on GeoSOT%全球遥感数据剖分组织的 GeoSOT 网格应用

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2014-01-01

At present, there are various data grids to organize data in different department data centers.In order to seek a remote sensing image data organization grid,which is compatible with the existing survey-ing and mapping data,a scheme of remote sensing data organization based on GeoSOT,geographical coordinate subdividing grid with one dimension integer coding on 2 n-tree,is proposed.it theoretically proves that GeoSOT has good isomorphism with National Topographic Map and other grids, such as Worldwind, Google Earth, Google Maps, Bing Maps and Mapworld, which makes GeoSOT gridinherit easily traditional surveying and mapping data and organize global remote sensing data.Under the premise of keeping the existing data organization,a virtual one global grid for global remote sensingdata organ-ization based on GeoSOT and a method of fast generating specification data products by GeoSOT cells aggregation are introduced.The test shows that it is very significantly to prove data integration efficiency with the virtual one global grid for global remote sensingdata organization based on GeoSOT.%针对目前不同部门按自身行业特点采用不同数据组织网格的问题，为寻求更适合于现有测绘数据组织体系兼容的遥感数据组织网格，提出基于GeoSOT网格的遥感数据组织方案，理论证明了Geo-SOT网格与国家地形图图幅和Worldwind、GoogleEarth、GoogleMaps、BingMaps、天地图等网格具有很好的同构性，有利于对传统测绘数据的继承。同时，在不改变现有数据组织体系的前提下，提出基于GeoSOT全球遥感数据“虚拟一张网”的数据组织模型和数据整合方法。通过试验证明，基于GeoSOT遥感影像“虚拟一张网”的数据组织可有效提高遥感数据整合效率。

GeoMod 2014 - Modelling in geoscience

Science.gov (United States)

Leever, Karen; Oncken, Onno

2016-08-01

GeoMod is a biennial conference to review and discuss latest developments in analogue and numerical modelling of lithospheric and mantle deformation. GeoMod2014 took place at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, Germany. Its focus was on rheology and deformation at a wide range of temporal and spatial scales: from earthquakes to long-term deformation, from micro-structures to orogens and subduction systems. It also addressed volcanotectonics and the interaction between tectonics and surface processes (Elger et al., 2014). The conference was followed by a 2-day short course on "Constitutive Laws: from Observation to Implementation in Models" and a 1-day hands-on tutorial on the ASPECT numerical modelling software.

Parametric instability in GEO 600 interferometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurkovsky, A.G.; Vyatchanin, S.P.

2007-01-01

We present analysis of undesirable effect of parametric instability in signal recycled GEO 600 interferometer. The basis for this effect is provided by excitation of additional (Stokes) optical mode, having frequency ω 1 , and mirror elastic mode, having frequency ω m , when the optical energy stored in the main FP cavity mode, having frequency ω 0 , exceeds a certain threshold and detuning Δ=ω 0 -ω 1 -ω m is small. We discuss the potential of observing parametric instability and its precursors in GEO 600 interferometer. This approach provides the best option to get familiar with this phenomenon, to develop experimental methods to depress it and to test the effectiveness of these methods in situ

The Urban Exploitation Platform - An instrument for the global provision of indicators related to sustainable cities and communities

Science.gov (United States)

Esch, Thomas; Asamer, Hubert; Hirner, Andreas; Marconcini, Mattia; Metz, Annekatrin; Uereyen, Soner; Zeidler, Julian; Boettcher, Martin; Permana, Hans; Boissier, Enguerran; Mathot, Emmanuel; Soukop, Tomas; Balhar, Jakub; Svaton, Vaclav; Kuchar, Stepan

2017-04-01

The Sentinel fleet will provide a so-far unique coverage with Earth Observation (EO) data and therewith new opportunities for the implementation of methodologies to generate innovative geo-information products and services supporting the SDG targets. It is here where the TEP Urban project is supposed to initiate a step change by providing an open and participatory platform that allows any interested user to easily exploit large-volume EO data pools, in particular those of the European Sentinel and the US Landsat missions, and derive thematic geo-information, metrics and indicators related to the status and development of the built environment. Key component of TEP Urban initiative is the implementation of a web-based platform (https://urban-tep.eo.esa.int) employing distributed high-level computing infrastructures and providing key functionalities for i) high-performance access to satellite imagery and other data sources such as statistics or topographic data, ii) state-of-the-art pre-processing, analysis, and visualization techniques, iii) customized development and dissemination of algorithms, products and services, and iv) networking and communication. This contribution introduces the main facts about the TEP Urban platform, including a description of the general objectives, the platform systems design and functionalities, and the available portfolio of products and services that can directly serve the global provision of indicators for SDG targets, in particular related to SDG 11.

Youth programmes in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez De Macias, G

1990-12-01

Research indicates that in-school adolescents in Mexico have their first sexual contact at the average age of 15.5 years. In 50% of cases, such contact is with a boyfriend or girlfriend, 28.1% with a fiance, and 18.3% with a prostitute. First sexual intercourse occurs with a spouse in only 1.3% of cases. Since only one in six young people in Mexico use a form of contraception, many unwanted pregnancies outside of marriage result. 450,000 births in 1989 were to mothers below 20 years old, with 15% of births annually being among teenage mothers. An estimated three million abortions occur annually in Mexico, and abortions are the fifth major cause of death at the national level. Teen pregnancy is decisively linked with poor living conditions and life expectancy, a relatively lower level of education, and rural residence. As for psychological and anthropological variables, most teens who become pregnant belong to large, unstable families with poor family communication, and are characterized as submissive, highly dependent, and of low self-esteem. Targeting students, workers, and other youths, the MEXFAM Youth Program selects and trains program coordinators over age 21 and volunteer promoters of both sexes aged 16-20 in urban/marginal communities. Promoters offer information to their peers and other youths in their local communities, distribute barrier contraceptives, and channel medical, psychological, and legal services to young people in need. Program procedure is described.

Current Urban Areas for Santa Fe County, New Mexico, 2006se TIGER

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — The 2006 Second Edition TIGER/Line files are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census TIGER database. The geographic coverage...

The German-Chinese research collaboration YANGTZE-GEO: Assessing the geo-risks in the Three Gorges Reservoir area

Science.gov (United States)

Schönbrodt, S.; Behrens, T.; Bieger, K.; Ehret, D.; Frei, M.; Hörmann, G.; Seeber, C.; Schleier, M.; Schmalz, B.; Fohrer, N.; Kaufmann, H.; King, L.; Rohn, J.; Subklew, G.; Xiang, W.

2012-04-01

The river impoundment by The Three Gorges Dam leads to resettlement and land reclamation on steep slopes. As a consequence, ecosystem changes such as soil erosion, mass movements, and diffuse sediment and matter fluxes are widely expected to increase rapidly. In order to assess and analyse those ecosystem changes, the German-Chinese joint research project YANGTZE-GEO was set up in 2008. Within the framework of YANGTZE-GEO five German universities (Tuebingen, Erlangen, Giessen, Kiel, Potsdam) conducted studies on soil erosion, mass movements, diffuse matter inputs, and land use change and vulnerability in close collaboration with Chinese scientists. The Chinese partners and institutions are according to their alphabetic order of hometown the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES; Beijing), the Standing Office of the State Council Three Gorges Project Construction Committee (Beijing), the National Climate Centre (NCC) of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA; Beijing), the Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing for Land and Resources (AES; Beijing), the Nanjing University, the CAS Institute of Soil Science (Nanjing), the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology at CAS (NIGLAS; Nanjing), the China University of Geosciences (CUG; Wuhan), the CAS Institute of Hydrobiology (Wuhan), and the China Three Gorges University (Yichang). The overall aim of YANGTZE-GEO is the development of a risk assessment and forecasting system to locate high risk areas using GIS-based erosion modelling, data mining tools for terrace condition analysis and landslide recognition, eco-hydrological modelling for diffuse matter inputs, and state-of-the-art remote sensing to assess the landscape's vulnerability. Furthermore, the project aims at the recommendation of sustainable land management systems. YANGTZE-GEO showed the relevance of such research and crucially contributes to the understanding of the dimension and dynamics of the ecological consequences of

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...

Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Semaan, Leslie

The text explores Mexico's history, geography, art, religion, and lifestyles in the context of its complex economy. The text focuses on Mexico's economy and reasons for its current situation. Part I of this teaching unit includes: Teacher Overview, Why Study Mexico, Mexico Fact Sheet, Map of Mexico, the Land and Climate, History, Government,…

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

Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Views about GeoGebra and Its Use

Science.gov (United States)

Horzum, Tugba; Ünlü, Melihan

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the views of pre-service Mathematics teachers' (PMTs) about GeoGebra and its use after being exposed to GeoGebra activities designing processes. This is a case study which was conducted with 36 PMTs. Three open-ended questions were used, after the completion of the 14-week process of GeoGebra training and…

Knowledge provides alternatives to a life of crime for urban youth ...

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

2016-08-08

Aug 8, 2016 ... Knowledge provides alternatives to a life of crime for urban youth ... related to public housing, education, and family planning also need reform. ... and civil society leaders in Mexico and Central America together to address ...

GeoNetwork powered GI-cat: a geoportal hybrid solution

Science.gov (United States)

Baldini, Alessio; Boldrini, Enrico; Santoro, Mattia; Mazzetti, Paolo

2010-05-01

To the aim of setting up a Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) the creation of a system for the metadata management and discovery plays a fundamental role. An effective solution is the use of a geoportal (e.g. FAO/ESA geoportal), that has the important benefit of being accessible from a web browser. With this work we present a solution based integrating two of the available frameworks: GeoNetwork and GI-cat. GeoNetwork is an opensource software designed to improve accessibility of a wide variety of data together with the associated ancillary information (metadata), at different scale and from multidisciplinary sources; data are organized and documented in a standard and consistent way. GeoNetwork implements both the Portal and Catalog components of a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) defined in the OGC Reference Architecture. It provides tools for managing and publishing metadata on spatial data and related services. GeoNetwork allows harvesting of various types of web data sources e.g. OGC Web Services (e.g. CSW, WCS, WMS). GI-cat is a distributed catalog based on a service-oriented framework of modular components and can be customized and tailored to support different deployment scenarios. It can federate a multiplicity of catalogs services, as well as inventory and access services in order to discover and access heterogeneous ESS resources. The federated resources are exposed by GI-cat through several standard catalog interfaces (e.g. OGC CSW AP ISO, OpenSearch, etc.) and by the GI-cat extended interface. Specific components implement mediation services for interfacing heterogeneous service providers, each of which exposes a specific standard specification; such components are called Accessors. These mediating components solve providers data modelmultiplicity by mapping them onto the GI-cat internal data model which implements the ISO 19115 Core profile. Accessors also implement the query protocol mapping; first they translate the query requests expressed

FID GEO: Digital transformation and Open Access in Germany's geoscience research community

Science.gov (United States)

Hübner, Andreas; Martinson, Guntars; Bertelmann, Roland; Elger, Kirsten; Pfurr, Norbert; Schüler, Mechthild

2017-04-01

The 'Specialized Information Service for Solid Earth Sciences' (FID GEO) supports Germany's geoscience research community in 1) electronic publishing of i) institutional and "grey" literature not released in publishing houses and ii) pre- and postprints of research articles 2) digitising geoscience literature and maps and 3) addressing the publication of research data associated with peer-reviewed research articles (data supplements). Established in 2016, FID GEO is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is run by the Göttingen State and University Library (SUB Göttingen) and the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. Here we present recent success stories and lessons learned. With regard to digitisation, FID GEO received a request from one of the most prestigious geoscience societies in Germany to digitise back-issues of its journals that are so far only available in print. Aims are to ensure long-term availability in Open Access and high visibility by DOI-referenced electronic publication via the FID GEO repository. While digitisation will be financed by FID GEO funds, major challenges are to identify the copyright holders (journals date back to 1924) and negotiate digitisation and publication rights. With respect to research data publishing, we present how we target scientists to integrate the publication of research data into their workflows and institutions to promote the topic. For the latter, we successfully take advantage of existing networks as entry points to the community, like the research network Geo.X in the Berlin-Brandenburg area, individual learned societies as well as their overarching structures DV Geo and GeoUnion. FID GEO promotes the Statement of Commitment of the Coalition for Publishing Data in the Earth and Space Sciences (COPDESS) as well as the FAIR Data Principles in presentations to the above-mentioned groups and institutions. Our aim is to eventually transfer the positive feedback from the geoscience community into

A Novel indole compound that inhibits Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth by targeting MreB is a substrate for MexAB-OprM.

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Gregory T; Doyle, Timothy B; Du, Qun; Duncan, Leonard; Mdluli, Khisimuzi E; Lynch, A Simon

2007-10-01

Drug efflux systems contribute to the intrinsic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to many antibiotics and biocides and hamper research focused on the discovery and development of new antimicrobial agents targeted against this important opportunistic pathogen. Using a P. aeruginosa PAO1 derivative bearing deletions of opmH, encoding an outer membrane channel for efflux substrates, and four efflux pumps belonging to the resistance nodulation/cell division class including mexAB-oprM, we identified a small-molecule indole-class compound (CBR-4830) that is inhibitory to growth of this efflux-compromised strain. Genetic studies established MexAB-OprM as the principal pump for CBR-4830 and revealed MreB, a prokaryotic actin homolog, as the proximal cellular target of CBR-4830. Additional studies establish MreB as an essential protein in P. aeruginosa, and efflux-compromised strains treated with CBR-4830 transition to coccoid shape, consistent with MreB inhibition or depletion. Resistance genetics further suggest that CBR-4830 interacts with the putative ATP-binding pocket in MreB and demonstrate significant cross-resistance with A22, a structurally unrelated compound that has been shown to promote rapid dispersion of MreB filaments in vivo. Interestingly, however, ATP-dependent polymerization of purified recombinant P. aeruginosa MreB is blocked in vitro in a dose-dependent manner by CBR-4830 but not by A22. Neither compound exhibits significant inhibitory activity against mutant forms of MreB protein that bear mutations identified in CBR-4830-resistant strains. Finally, employing the strains and reagents prepared and characterized during the course of these studies, we have begun to investigate the ability of analogues of CBR-4830 to inhibit the growth of both efflux-proficient and efflux-compromised P. aeruginosa through specific inhibition of MreB function.

GeoSpark SQL: An Effective Framework Enabling Spatial Queries on Spark

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhou Huang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In the era of big data, Internet-based geospatial information services such as various LBS apps are deployed everywhere, followed by an increasing number of queries against the massive spatial data. As a result, the traditional relational spatial database (e.g., PostgreSQL with PostGIS and Oracle Spatial cannot adapt well to the needs of large-scale spatial query processing. Spark is an emerging outstanding distributed computing framework in the Hadoop ecosystem. This paper aims to address the increasingly large-scale spatial query-processing requirement in the era of big data, and proposes an effective framework GeoSpark SQL, which enables spatial queries on Spark. On the one hand, GeoSpark SQL provides a convenient SQL interface; on the other hand, GeoSpark SQL achieves both efficient storage management and high-performance parallel computing through integrating Hive and Spark. In this study, the following key issues are discussed and addressed: (1 storage management methods under the GeoSpark SQL framework, (2 the spatial operator implementation approach in the Spark environment, and (3 spatial query optimization methods under Spark. Experimental evaluation is also performed and the results show that GeoSpark SQL is able to achieve real-time query processing. It should be noted that Spark is not a panacea. It is observed that the traditional spatial database PostGIS/PostgreSQL performs better than GeoSpark SQL in some query scenarios, especially for the spatial queries with high selectivity, such as the point query and the window query. In general, GeoSpark SQL performs better when dealing with compute-intensive spatial queries such as the kNN query and the spatial join query.

The Blue-gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus in the state of Guerrero, Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Epifanio Blancas-Calva

2017-10-01

Full Text Available We recorded the Blue-gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus on the southeastern coastal plain of the state of Guerrero, Mexico, in urban areas with cover of scattered trees of native and introduced species. The current range known for this taxon comprises lowlands of eastern Mexico, from south-central Nuevo Leon to the Yucatan peninsula, including eastern Oaxaca and the Pacific slope on the coastal plain of Chiapas. However, there are no published previous records of the species in Guerrero. Possibly T. episcopus is a species that has expanded its range in episodes of active dispersal.

The GEO-3 Scenarios 2002-2032. Quantification and Analysis of Environmental Impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakkes, J.; Potting, J.; Kemp-Benedict, E.; Raskin, P.; Masui, T.; Rana, A.; Nellemann, C.; Rothman, D.

2004-01-01

The four contrasting visions of the world's next three decades as presented in the third Global Environment Outlook (GEO-3) have many implications for policy - from hunger to climate change and from freshwater issues to biodiversity. The four scenarios analysed are Markets First, Policy First, Security First, Sustainability First. Presenting a deeper analysis than the original GEO-3 report, this Technical Report quantifies the impacts of the scenarios for all 19 GEO 'sub-regions', such as Eastern Africa and Central Europe. Regional impacts are discussed in the context of sustainable development. The report summary compares the impacts of the four scenarios across regions - and for the world as a whole - in the light of internationally agreed targets including those in the Millennium Declaration where applicable. It provides an account of the analytical methods, key assumptions, models and other tools, along with the approaches used in the analyses. Based on the methods and results, the report looks back on the process of producing the forward-looking analysis for GEO-3. Were all analytical centres on the same track? Did the approach adopted for GEO-3 contribute to the overall GEO objective of strengthening global-regional involvement and linkages?

Consumption patterns and household hazardous solid waste generation in an urban settlement in Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delgado Otoniel, Buenrostro; Liliana, Marquez-Benavides; Gaona Francelia, Pinette

2008-01-01

Mexico is currently facing a crisis in the waste management field. Some efforts have just commenced in urban and in rural settlements, e.g., conversion of open dumps into landfills, a relatively small composting culture, and implementation of source separation and plastic recycling strategies. Nonetheless, the high heterogeneity of components in the waste, many of these with hazardous properties, present the municipal collection services with serious problems, due to the risks to the health of the workers and to the impacts to the environment as a result of the inadequate disposition of these wastes. A generation study in the domestic sector was undertaken with the aim of finding out the composition and the generation rate of household hazardous waste (HHW) produced at residences. Simultaneously to the generation study, a socioeconomic survey was applied to determine the influence of income level on the production of HHW. Results from the solid waste generation analysis indicated that approximately 1.6% of the waste stream consists of HHW. Correspondingly, it was estimated that in Morelia, a total amount of 442 ton/day of domestic waste are produced, including 7.1 ton of HHW per day. Furthermore, the overall amount of HHW is not directly related to income level, although particular byproducts do correlate. However, an important difference was observed, as the brands and the presentation sizes of goods and products used in each socioeconomic stratum varied

Geo-communication and web-based geospatial infrastructure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brodersen, Lars; Nielsen, Anders

2005-01-01

The introduction of web-services as index-portals based on geoinformation has changed the conditions for both content and form of geocommunication. A high number of players and interactions (as well as a very high number of all kinds of information and combinations of these) characterize web-services......, where maps are only a part of the whole. These new conditions demand new ways of modelling the processes leading to geo-communication. One new aspect is the fact that the service providers have become a part of the geo-communication process with influence on the content. Another aspect...

Description of the international scenarios and the renewable energies (Chapter 4 in 'A vision of year 2030 on the use of the renewable energies in Mexico'); Descripcion de los escenarios internacionales y las energias renovables (Capitulo 4 en 'Una vision al 2030 de la utilizacion de las energias renovables en Mexico')

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mulas del Pozo, Pablo [Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

2005-08-15

In this chapter, energy scenarios made by different organizations are described, the majority foreign, and they do not represent an official version of the Secretaria de Energia of the Mexican government. 1. The IEO-2004, Projections to year 2025 of the Energy Information Agency (EIA) of the Department of Energy of the USA (DOE, USA). - it describes the world-wide energy situation with historical information (1970-2000) and projections to the future (2001-2025); 2. The WOE-2004, Projections to year 2030 of the Agency International of Energy of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (AIE-OECD) - it describes the world-wide energy situation with historical information (1971-2002) and projections to the future (2002-2030); 3. The scenarios of Shell to year 2050; 4, Scenarios to year 2025 of the Agency International of Energy oriented to a sustainable future: it is a document published in the 2003, it contains the results of an exercise to develop three exploratory scenarios and a formative scenario/projections; 5. The study of the World-wide Council of Energy on the activators of the energy sector; 6. Other scenarios for Mexico are: Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation, GEO-Mexico and the Centro de Investigacion de Energia de la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. [Spanish] En este capitulo, se describen escenarios energeticos a largo plazo realizados por diferentes entidades, la mayoria extranjeras, y no representan una version oficial de la Secretaria de Energia del gobierno de Mexico. 1. El IEO-2004, Proyecciones al 2025 de la Energy Information Agency (EIA) del departamento de energia de los EUA (DOE, USA).- describe la situacion energetica mundial con informacion historica (1970-2000) y proyecciones a futuro (2001-2025); 2. El WOE-2004, Proyecciones al 2030 de la Agencia Internacional de Energia de la Organizacion para la Cooperacion y el Desarrollo Economico (AIE-OCDE).- describe la situacion energetica mundial con informacion historica

The urban sprawl: an overview of USA, Mexico and Spain

OpenAIRE

Arellano Ramos, Blanca; Roca Cladera, Josep; Queraltó Ros, Pau

2010-01-01

It is a fact that the urban sprawl, known as the process of gradual spread out of urbanization has become a worldwide phenomenon. The growing consumption of land, as a result of the extension of highway networks, open up vast space of territory, which seems to have become an unstoppable cancer, and affects virtually all the contemporary metropolis. The expansion of the cities had its origin in the model of suburban life, which began with the generalized use of the automobile. A lifestyle base...

Geo-communication and information design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brodersen, Lars

2009-01-01

of processes, procedures, factors, relations etc., all forming parts of a theory on geo-communication and information design. How do we decide whether to transmit content A or content B to another person? We make a decision. Making decisions does not normally give rise to difficulties, although a great deal......This article is an abstract of the book 'Geo-communication and information design'. The work involved in the book was inspired by the author's sense of wonder that there were apparently no existing theories, models etc. capable of identifying and choosing the content of information in systematic...... of debate might occur during the decision-making process. But if the question is extended to include a demand for systematics and consciousness (control) in the procedure adopted, the whole issue becomes more complex. How do we decide to transmit content A or content B to another person on a systematic...

Adolescents get the picture in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

1999-11-01

The Mexican Family Planning Association (MEXFAM) started the Gente Joven program in 1986, targeting young people in the neediest urban and rural areas of Mexico to counteract the lack of sexual and reproductive health information and services for the youth. This lack of information has led to over half a million children being born to teenage mothers each year in Mexico. Studies also show that only 1 in 6 sexually active teenager uses some kind of protection against unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. To address this problem, the Gente Joven program disseminates adolescent sexual health information, produces IEC materials, provides adolescent health services and trains health and education professionals in human sexuality. As part of the program, audiovisual equipment was purchased and used since it has shown to be very effective in disseminating information. The purchase of audiovisual equipment for 36 MEXFAM clinics and centers would mean that field level staff would be able to carry out their duties more effectively.

Towards a framework for geospatial tangible user interfaces in collaborative urban planning

Science.gov (United States)

Maquil, Valérie; Leopold, Ulrich; De Sousa, Luís Moreira; Schwartz, Lou; Tobias, Eric

2018-03-01

The increasing complexity of urban planning projects today requires new approaches to better integrate stakeholders with different professional backgrounds throughout a city. Traditional tools used in urban planning are designed for experts and offer little opportunity for participation and collaborative design. This paper introduces the concept of geospatial tangible user interfaces (GTUI) and reports on the design and implementation as well as the usability of such a GTUI to support stakeholder participation in collaborative urban planning. The proposed system uses physical objects to interact with large digital maps and geospatial data projected onto a tabletop. It is implemented using a PostGIS database, a web map server providing OGC web services, the computer vision framework reacTIVision, a Java-based TUIO client, and GeoTools. We describe how a GTUI has be instantiated and evaluated within the scope of two case studies related to real world collaborative urban planning scenarios. Our results confirm the feasibility of our proposed GTUI solutions to (a) instantiate different urban planning scenarios, (b) support collaboration, and (c) ensure an acceptable usability.

Towards a framework for geospatial tangible user interfaces in collaborative urban planning

Science.gov (United States)

Maquil, Valérie; Leopold, Ulrich; De Sousa, Luís Moreira; Schwartz, Lou; Tobias, Eric

2018-04-01

The increasing complexity of urban planning projects today requires new approaches to better integrate stakeholders with different professional backgrounds throughout a city. Traditional tools used in urban planning are designed for experts and offer little opportunity for participation and collaborative design. This paper introduces the concept of geospatial tangible user interfaces (GTUI) and reports on the design and implementation as well as the usability of such a GTUI to support stakeholder participation in collaborative urban planning. The proposed system uses physical objects to interact with large digital maps and geospatial data projected onto a tabletop. It is implemented using a PostGIS database, a web map server providing OGC web services, the computer vision framework reacTIVision, a Java-based TUIO client, and GeoTools. We describe how a GTUI has be instantiated and evaluated within the scope of two case studies related to real world collaborative urban planning scenarios. Our results confirm the feasibility of our proposed GTUI solutions to (a) instantiate different urban planning scenarios, (b) support collaboration, and (c) ensure an acceptable usability.

GeoXp : An R Package for Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thibault Laurent

2012-04-01

Full Text Available We present GeoXp, an R package implementing interactive graphics for exploratory spatial data analysis. We use a data set concerning public schools of the French MidiPyrenees region to illustrate the use of these exploratory techniques based on the coupling between a statistical graph and a map. Besides elementary plots like boxplots,histograms or simple scatterplots, GeoXp also couples maps with Moran scatterplots, variogram clouds, Lorenz curves and other graphical tools. In order to make the most of the multidimensionality of the data, GeoXp includes dimension reduction techniques such as principal components analysis and cluster analysis whose results are also linked to the map.

Why new tools were developed for the 'GeoPortalNetwork : Liberty United" project

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vanmeulebrouk, B.; Van Swol, R.; Kuyper, M.; Bulens, J.; Zevenbergen, J.A.

2009-01-01

As part of the national innovation co-funding scheme “Space for Geo-information” the project “GeoPortal Network: Liberty United” ran from late 2005 till the end of 2008. Purpose of the project was to promote access to geo-spatial information via web services. To achieve this goal, a network of

[Prevalence of non-fatal road traffic injuries in Mexico: results from ENSANUT 2006].

Science.gov (United States)

Avila-Burgos, Leticia; Medina-Solís, Carlo E; Pérez-Núñez, Ricardo; Híjar-Medina, Martha; Aracena-Genao, Belkis; Hidalgo-Solórzano, Elisa; Palma-Coca, Oswaldo

2008-01-01

To determine non-fatal road traffic injuries (NFRTI) prevalence and its distribution in Mexico. Data from ENSANUT Survey 2006 were used. Using simple random sampling, one adult, one adolescent and one child were selected in each household, constituting a final sample of 94,197 representing an N of 102,886,482 people. The dependent variable was the prevalence of road traffic injuries (RTI) during the 12 months prior to the survey. The general accident prevalence was 6.0%; 16.7% corresponded to NFRTI. Men in the 20 to 44 age group living in urban areas and with high socioeconomic status had a higher RTI prevalence (p<0.05). Jalisco, Aguascalientes and Sonora were states with the highest prevalence of RTI, while Guerrero, Michoacan and Oaxaca were those with the lowest. NFRTI are frequent in Mexico and they are concentrated among men in productive ages in urban areas; they are associated with socioeconomic status at the individual level and with the state's development at the population level.

Synthesis of organic liquids/geo-polymer composites for the immobilization of nuclear wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cantarel, Vincent

2016-01-01

This work is included in the management of radioactive organic liquids research field. The process is based on an emulsification of organic liquid in an alkali silicate solution allowing the synthesis of a geo-polymer matrix. The first part of this work consists in carrying out a screening on different organic liquids. A model system representative of the various oils and a geo-polymer reference formulation are then defined. The second part deals with the structuration of the organic liquid/geo-polymer structuration, from the mixture of the reactants to the final material. It aims at determining the phenomena allowing the synthesis of a homogeneous composite. The last two parts aim at characterizing the composite by studying its structure (chemical structure, porosity of the geo-polymer and dispersion of the oil) and its properties with respect to the application to the immobilization of radioactive waste. Unlike calcium silicate-based cementitious matrices, the structure of the geo-polymer is not affected by the chemical nature of the organic liquids. Only acid oils inhibit or slow down the geo-polymerization reaction. In order to obtain a homogeneous material, the presence of surfactant molecules is necessary. The emulsion stabilization mechanism at the base of the process is relying on a synergy between the surfactant molecules and the aluminosilicate particles present in the geo-polymer paste. The kinetics (chemical and mechanical) of the geo-polymerization are not impacted by the presence of oil or surfactants. Only an increase in the viscoelastic moduli and the elastic character of the pastes can be observed. This difference in rheological behavior is mainly due to the presence of surfactant. The structure of the matrix is identical to that of a pure geo-polymer of the same formulation. The organic liquid is dispersed in spherical inclusions whose radius is between 5 and 15 μm. These droplets are separated from each other, and from the environment by the

Occurrence and amount of microplastic ingested by fishes in watersheds of the Gulf of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Melissa B; Bonner, Timothy H

2015-11-15

Ingestion of microplastics by fishes could be an emerging environmental crisis because of the proliferation of plastic pollution in aquatic environments. Microplastics in marine ecosystems are well documented, however only one study has reported percent occurrence of microplastics in freshwater fishes. The purpose of this study was to quantify the occurrences and types of microplastics ingested by fishes within several freshwater drainages of the Gulf of Mexico and an estuary of the Gulf of Mexico. Among 535 fishes examined in this study, 8% of the freshwater fishes and 10% of the marine fishes had microplastics in their gut tract. Percentage occurrence of microplastics ingested by fishes in non-urbanized streams (5%) was less than that of one of the urbanized streams (Neches River; 29%). Percent occurrence of microplastics by habitat (i.e., benthic, pelagic) and trophic guilds (herbivore/omnivore, invertivore, carnivore) were similar. Low but widespread occurrences among drainages, habitat guilds, and trophic guilds indicate proliferation of plastic pollution within watersheds of the Gulf of Mexico, but consequences to fish health are unknown at this time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

West Bank Gaza Geo-MIS System

Data.gov (United States)

US Agency for International Development — The Geo-MIS System is USAID/West Bank and Gaza's primary system for capturing and managing projectrelated information. Its purpose is to assist USAID and its...

Using GeoRePORT to report socio-economic potential for geothermal development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, Katherine R.; Levine, Aaron

2018-07-01

The Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Tool (GeoRePORT, http://en.openei.org/wiki/GeoRePORT) was developed for reporting resource grades and project readiness levels, providing the U.S. Department of Energy a consistent and comprehensible means of evaluating projects. The tool helps funding organizations (1) quantitatively identify barriers, (2) develop measureable goals, (3) objectively evaluate proposals, including contribution to goals, (4) monitor progress, and (5) report portfolio performance. GeoRePORT assesses three categories: geological, technical, and socio-economic. Here, we describe GeoRePORT, then focus on the socio-economic assessment and its applications for assessing deployment potential in the U.S. Socio-economic attributes include land access, permitting, transmission, and market.

Geo-ethical dimension of community's safety: rural and urban population vulnerability analysis methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Kostyuchenko, Yuriy; Movchan, Dmytro; Kopachevsky, Ivan; Yuschenko, Maxim

2016-04-01

Modern world based on relations more than on causalities, so communicative, socio-economic, and socio-cultural issues are important to understand nature of risks and to make correct, ethical decisions. Today major part of risk analysts declared new nature of modern risks. We faced coherent or systemic risks, realization of which leads to domino effect, unexpected growing of losses and fatalities. This type of risks originated by complicated nature of heterogeneous environment, close interconnection of engineering networks, and changing structure of society. Heterogeneous multi-agent environment generates systemic risks, which requires analyze multi-source data with sophisticated tools. Formal basis for analysis of this type of risks is developed during last 5-7 years. But issues of social fairness, ethics, and education require further development. One aspect of analysis of social issues of risk management is studied in this paper. Formal algorithm for quantitative analysis of multi-source data analysis is proposed. As it was demonstrated, using proposed methodological base and the algorithm, it is possible to obtain regularized spatial-temporal distribution of investigated parameters over whole observation period with rectified reliability and controlled uncertainty. The result of disaster data analysis demonstrates that about half of direct disaster damage might be caused by social factors: education, experience and social behaviour. Using data presented also possible to estimate quantitative parameters of the losses distributions: a relation between education, age, experience, and losses; as well as vulnerability (in terms of probable damage) toward financial status in current social density. It is demonstrated that on wide-scale range an education determines risk perception and so vulnerability of societies. But on the local level there are important heterogeneities. Land-use and urbanization structure influencing to vulnerability essentially. The way to

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

New Results from the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP)

Science.gov (United States)

Robock, A.; Kravitz, B.

2013-12-01

The Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) was designed to determine robust climate system model responses to Solar Radiation Management (SRM). While mitigation (reducing greenhouse gases emissions) is the most effective way of reducing future climate change, SRM (the deliberate modification of incoming solar radiation) has been proposed as a means of temporarily alleviating some of the effects of global warming. For society to make informed decisions as to whether SRM should ever be implemented, information is needed on the benefits, risks, and side effects, and GeoMIP seeks to aid in that endeavor. GeoMIP has organized four standardized climate model simulations involving reduction of insolation or increased amounts of stratospheric sulfate aerosols to counteract increasing greenhouse gases. Thirteen comprehensive atmosphere-ocean general circulation models have participated in the project so far. GeoMIP is a 'CMIP Coordinated Experiment' as part of the Climate Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) and has been endorsed by SPARC (Stratosphere-troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate). GeoMIP has held three international workshops and has produced a number of recent journal articles. GeoMIP has found that if increasing greenhouse gases could be counteracted with insolation reduction, the global average temperature could be kept constant, but global average precipitation would reduce, particularly in summer monsoon regions around the world. Temperature changes would also not be uniform. The tropics would cool, but high latitudes would warm, with continuing, but reduced sea ice and ice sheet melting. Temperature extremes would still increase, but not as much as without SRM. If SRM were halted all at once, there would be rapid temperature and precipitation increases at 5-10 times the rates from gradual global warming. SRM combined with CO2 fertilization would have small impacts on rice production in China, but would increase maize production

The Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Geo-Economic Relationships between China and ASEAN Countries: Competition or Cooperation?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shufang Wang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In the last 30 years, China’s economic power has experienced great changes and has brought about a profound impact on the world economy. This led us to ask a question: do changes in China’s economic power shift the geo-economic relationships between China and its neighboring countries? To answer this question, we researched the evolution of geo-economic relationships between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN countries. Using the Euclidean distance method, we explored the changes in these geo-economic relationships between China and ASEAN countries from 1980 to 2014. Our findings resulted in five conclusions: (1 Over time, geo-economic relationships between China and ASEAN countries remained relatively stable. (2 Geographically, the main geo-economic relationships between China and continental ASEAN countries were complementary, while the main geo-economic relationships between China and island ASEAN countries were competitive. (3 Geopolitics and geo-culture were attributed to the changes in geo-economic relationships. (4 The evolution of geo-economic relationships was characterized by path dependence. (5 Geo-economic relationships between China and ASEAN countries could be classified into four types: game type, with high cooperation and competition; complementary type, with high cooperation and low competition; fight type, with low cooperation and high competition; and loose type, with low cooperation and competition. Our findings contribute to improving the understanding of geo-economic relationships.

The GEO-3 Scenarios 2002-2032. Quantification and Analysis of Environmental Impacts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bakkes, J.; Potting, J. (eds.) [National Institute for Public Health and the Environment RIVM, Bilthoven (Netherlands); Henrichs, T. [Center for Environmental Systems Research CESR, University of Kassel, Kassel (Germany); Kemp-Benedict, E.; Raskin, P. [Stockholm Environment Institute SEI, Boston, MA (United States); Masui, T.; Rana, A. [National Institute for Environmental Studies NIES, Ibaraki (Japan); Nellemann, C. [United Nations Environment Programme UNEP, GRID Global and Regional Integrated Data centres Arendal, Lillehammer (Norway); Rothman, D. [International Centre for Integrative Studies ICIS, Maastricht University, Maastricht (Netherlands)

2004-07-01

The four contrasting visions of the world's next three decades as presented in the third Global Environment Outlook (GEO-3) have many implications for policy - from hunger to climate change and from freshwater issues to biodiversity. The four scenarios analysed are Markets First, Policy First, Security First, Sustainability First. Presenting a deeper analysis than the original GEO-3 report, this Technical Report quantifies the impacts of the scenarios for all 19 GEO 'sub-regions', such as Eastern Africa and Central Europe. Regional impacts are discussed in the context of sustainable development. The report summary compares the impacts of the four scenarios across regions - and for the world as a whole - in the light of internationally agreed targets including those in the Millennium Declaration where applicable. It provides an account of the analytical methods, key assumptions, models and other tools, along with the approaches used in the analyses. Based on the methods and results, the report looks back on the process of producing the forward-looking analysis for GEO-3. Were all analytical centres on the same track? Did the approach adopted for GEO-3 contribute to the overall GEO objective of strengthening global-regional involvement and linkages?.

Complex Functions with GeoGebra

Science.gov (United States)

Breda, Ana Maria D'azevedo; Dos Santos, José Manuel Dos Santos

2016-01-01

Complex functions, generally feature some interesting peculiarities, seen as extensions of real functions. The visualization of complex functions properties usually requires the simultaneous visualization of two-dimensional spaces. The multiple Windows of GeoGebra, combined with its ability of algebraic computation with complex numbers, allow the…

Geo-neutrinos and earth's interior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiorentini, Gianni; Lissia, Marcello; Mantovani, Fabio

2007-01-01

The deepest hole that has ever been dug is about 12 km deep. Geochemists analyze samples from the Earth's crust and from the top of the mantle. Seismology can reconstruct the density profile throughout all Earth, but not its composition. In this respect, our planet is mainly unexplored. Geo-neutrinos, the antineutrinos from the progenies of U, Th and 40 K decays in the Earth, bring to the surface information from the whole planet, concerning its content of natural radioactive elements. Their detection can shed light on the sources of the terrestrial heat flow, on the present composition, and on the origins of the Earth. Geo-neutrinos represent a new probe of our planet, which can be exploited as a consequence of two fundamental advances that occurred in the last few years: the development of extremely low background neutrino detectors and the progress on understanding neutrino propagation. We review the status and the prospects of the field

A Cloud Computing Workflow for Scalable Integration of Remote Sensing and Social Media Data in Urban Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Soliman, A.; Soltani, K.; Yin, J.; Subramaniam, B.; Liu, Y.; Padmanabhan, A.; Riteau, P.; Keahey, K.; Wang, S. W.

2015-12-01

Urban ecosystems are unique earth environments because both their physical and social components contribute to the overall dynamics of the system. Up-to-date, remote sensing data (e.g. optical and LiDAR) allowed researchers to monitor the development of impervious surfaces however, it was not adequate to detect associated social dynamics. Geo-located social media (e.g. Twitter) provides a data source to detect population dynamics and understand the interaction of people with their physical environment. Although, integrating social media with remote sensing data has been hindered by large volumes of data and the lack of models for integrating remote sensing products with unstructured social media data. In this research work, we leveraged the NSF chameleon cloud computing platform to provide virtual clusters and elastic auto-scaling of resources that are needed for the synthesis of landuse and geo-located Twitter data. In this context, data synthesis was used to address research questions related to population dynamics in major metropolitan areas. We provide an overview of a cloud computing workflow comprised of a set of coupled scalable synthesis modules for: a) preprocessing data, which includes storage and query of heterogeneous data streams, b) spatial data integration, which matches geo-located Twitter data with user defined landuse maps based on a conceptual model of human mobility and c) visualization of urban mobility patterns. Our results demonstrate the flexibility to connect data, synthesis methods and computing resources using cloud computing, which would be otherwise very difficult for untrained scientists to setup and control. Furthermore, we demonstrate the capabilities of CyberGIS-based workflow using the case study of comparing commuting distances across major US cities from 2013 through the present. We demonstrate how our workflow will support discoveries in urban ecological studies as well as linking human and physical dimensions in environmental

Modeling and direct sensitivity analysis of biogenic emissions impacts on regional ozone formation in the Mexico-U.S. border area.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Dominguez, A; Wilkinson, J G; Yang, Y J; Russell, A G

2000-01-01

A spatially and temporally resolved biogenic hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions inventory has been developed for a region along the Mexico-U.S. border area. Average daily biogenic non-methane organic gases (NMOG) emissions for the 1700 x 1000 km2 domain were estimated at 23,800 metric tons/day (62% from Mexico and 38% from the United States), and biogenic NOx was estimated at 1230 metric tons/day (54% from Mexico and 46% from the United States) for the July 18-20, 1993, ozone episode. The biogenic NMOG represented 74% of the total NMOG emissions, and biogenic NOx was 14% of the total NOx. The CIT photochemical airshed model was used to assess how biogenic emissions impact air quality. Predicted ground-level ozone increased by 5-10 ppb in most rural areas, 10-20 ppb near urban centers, and 20-30 ppb immediately downwind of the urban centers compared to simulations in which only anthropogenic emissions were used. A sensitivity analysis of predicted ozone concentration to emissions was performed using the decoupled direct method for three dimensional air quality models (DDM-3D). The highest positive sensitivity of ground-level ozone concentration to biogenic volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions (i.e., increasing biogenic VOC emissions results in increasing ozone concentrations) was predicted to be in locations with high NOx levels, (i.e., the urban areas). One urban center--Houston--was predicted to have a slight negative sensitivity to biogenic NO emissions (i.e., increasing biogenic NO emissions results in decreasing local ozone concentrations). The highest sensitivities of ozone concentrations to on-road mobile source VOC emissions, all positive, were mainly in the urban areas. The highest sensitivities of ozone concentrations to on-road mobile source NOx emissions were predicted in both urban (either positive or negative sensitivities) and rural (positive sensitivities) locations.

[Women with high fertility in Mexico: orientations for a population policy].

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, E

1989-01-01

The characteristics and correlates of high fertility women in Mexico were assessed for different age and residential groups with data from the National Demographic Survey of 1982. This survey included information on rural, urban and metropolitan Mexican women aged 15-49 years who had ever been in union. Rural areas were defined as those with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. Metropolitan areas were Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mexico City. High fertility was defined for the purpose of this study as at least 2 live births for women 15-19, 3 for women 20-24, 4 for those 25-29, 5 for those 30-34, 6 for those 35-39, and 7 for those 40-49. According to this definition about 40% of Mexican women are high fertility, with proportions ranging from about 1/3 of those 20-29 to half of those 35-49 years old. High fertility is about twice as common in women 15-19 in rural areas as in urban and metropolitan areas of Mexico. 10% of rural women aged 20-24 already have 5 children, compared to less than 1% of metropolitan women and under 3% of women in other urban areas. By age 45-49, 31% of rural women, 20% of other urban women, and 15% of metropolitan women have 10 or more children. 13% in all areas have 2 or 3. Large proportions of rural women in all age groups are high fertility, with the difference especially marked at young ages. The data on contraceptive usage indicate that high fertility women are among the increasing numbers of Mexican women attempting to control their family size. 10% of high fertility women in rural areas are sterilized and another 10% use oral contraceptives. Injectables and traditional methods share 3rd place. IUDs are almost nonexistent in rural areas. In urban and metropolitan zones about 1/4 of high fertility women have been sterilized. About 10% use pills. Traditional methods and IUDs are in 3rd place for urban women while injectables occupy 3rd place for metropolitan women. Except among women 30-34, about 70% of sterilizations in rural areas are in

Encoding of Geological knowledge in the GeoPiemonte Map Data Base

Science.gov (United States)

Piana, Fabrizio; Lombardo, Vincenzo; Mimmo, Dario; Barale, Luca; Irace, Andrea; Mulazzano, Elia

2017-04-01

In modern digital geological maps and geo-database, namely those devoted to interactive WebGIS services, there is the need to make explicit the geological assumptions in the process of the design and compilation of the Map Geodatabase. The Geodatabase of the Piemonte Geological Map, which consists of several thousands of Geologic Units and Geologic Structures, was designed in a way suitable for linking the knowledge of the geological domain at hand to more general levels of knowledge, represented in existing Earth Sciences ontologies and in a domain ontology (OntoGeonous), specifically designed for the project, though with a wide applicability in mind. The Geologic Units and Geologic Structures of the GeoPiemonte Map have been spatially correlated through the whole region, referring to a non-formal hierarchical scheme, which gives the parental relations between several orders of Geologic Units, putting them in relations with some main Geologic Events. The scheme reports the subdivisions we did on the Alps-Apennines orogenic belt (which constitutes the Piemonte geological framework) on which the architecture of the GeoDB relied. This contribution describes how the two different knowledge levels (specific domain vs. general knowledge) are assimilated within the GeoPiemonte informative system, providing relations between the contents of the geodatabase and the encoded concepts of the reference ontologies. Initiatives such as GeoScience Markup Language (GeoSciML 4.01, 2016 (1) and INSPIRE "Data Specification on Geology" (an operative simplification of GeoSciML, last version is 3.0, 2013) (2), as well as the recent terminological shepherding of the Geoscience Terminology Working Group (GTWG), provided us the authoritative standard geological source for knowledge encoding. Consistency and interoperability of geological data were thus sought, by classifying geologic features in an ontology-driven Data Model, while objects were described using GeoSciML controlled

East–West GEO Satellite Station-Keeping with Degraded Thruster Response

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stoian Borissov

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The higher harmonic terms of Earth’s gravitational potential slowly modify the nominal longitude of geostationary Earth orbit (GEO satellites, while the third-body presence (Moon and Sun mainly affects their latitude. For this reason, GEO satellites periodically need to perform station-keeping maneuvers, namely, east–west and north–south maneuvers to compensate for longitudinal and latitudinal variations, respectively. During the operational lifetime of GEO satellites, the thrusters’ response when commanded to perform these maneuvers slowly departs from the original nominal impulsive behavior. This paper addresses the practical problem of how to perform reliable east–west station-keeping maneuvers when thruster response is degraded. The need for contingency intervention from ground-based satellite operators is reduced by breaking apart the scheduled automatic station-keeping maneuvers into smaller maneuvers. Orbital alignment and attitude are tracked on-board during and in between sub-maneuvers, and any off nominal variations are corrected for with subsequent maneuvers. These corrections are particularly important near the end of the lifetime of GEO satellites, where thruster response is farthest from nominal performance.

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.

Camera Control and Geo-Registration for Video Sensor Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, James W.

With the use of large video networks, there is a need to coordinate and interpret the video imagery for decision support systems with the goal of reducing the cognitive and perceptual overload of human operators. We present computer vision strategies that enable efficient control and management of cameras to effectively monitor wide-coverage areas, and examine the framework within an actual multi-camera outdoor urban video surveillance network. First, we construct a robust and precise camera control model for commercial pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) video cameras. In addition to providing a complete functional control mapping for PTZ repositioning, the model can be used to generate wide-view spherical panoramic viewspaces for the cameras. Using the individual camera control models, we next individually map the spherical panoramic viewspace of each camera to a large aerial orthophotograph of the scene. The result provides a unified geo-referenced map representation to permit automatic (and manual) video control and exploitation of cameras in a coordinated manner. The combined framework provides new capabilities for video sensor networks that are of significance and benefit to the broad surveillance/security community.

An integrated risk sensing system for geo-structural safety

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

H.W. Huang; D.M. Zhang; B.M. Ayyub

2017-01-01

Over the last decades, geo-structures are experiencing a rapid development in China. The potential risks inherent in the huge amount of construction and asset operation projects in China were well managed in the major project, i.e. the project of Shanghai Yangtze tunnel in 2002. Since then, risk assessment of geo-structures has been gradually developed from a qualitative manner to a quantitative manner. However, the current practices of risk management have been paid considerable attention to the assessment, but little on risk control. As a result, the responses to risks occurrences after a comprehensive assessment are basically too late. In this paper, a smart system for risk sensing incorporating the wireless sensor network (WSN) on-site visualization techniques and the resilience-based repair strategy was proposed. The merit of this system is the real-time monitoring for geo-structural performance and dynamic pre-warning for safety of on-site workers. The sectional convergence, joint opening, and seepage of segmental lining of shield tunnel were monitored by the micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) based sensors. The light emitting diode (LED) coupling with the above WSN system was used to indicate different risk levels on site. By sensing the risks and telling the risks in real time, the geo-risks could be controlled and the safety of geo-structures could be assured to a certain degree. Finally, a resilience-based analysis model was proposed for designing the repair strategy by using the measured data from the WSN system. The application and efficiency of this system have been validated by two cases including Shanghai metro tunnel and underwater road tunnel.

Implementation of a constant load method, for determination of crack growth velocities in MEX-03 system of National Institute of Nuclear Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz S, A.; Fuentes C, P.; Merino C, F.

2009-10-01

Whit the objective of to complete the existent techniques for susceptibility evaluation to phenomenon of stress corrosion cracking in laboratories of Applied Sciences Area of National Institute of Nuclear Research; was realized and documented the modification of a high pressure and temperature equipment, identified as MEX-03 to carry out the implementation of a growth and crack propagation assay, using a constant load method. The assay was realized to a specimen of stainless steel AISI 304l type CT of an inch, which was previously thermally sensitize, simulating the typical degradation of this materials type below operation conditions in a BWR. The MEX-03 system, consist from an annexed auto key to a load system which originally was controlled by displacement; therefore were carried out modifications to achieve the control by load. The realized adjustments allowed to maintain a constant load during all the experiment, and as much the temperature conditions (T = 288 C) as of pressure (P = 8 Mpa) were controlled during the assay realization. The steel was exposed to a conditioned ambient with hydrogen gas addition; simulating a well-known alternative chemistry as hydrogen water chemistry that is used to mitigate the phenomenon of stress corrosion cracking, main degradation mechanism of austenitic stainless steels. The continuation of the crack behavior was realized by means of electric potential fall technique and later was validated of visual form through the fractographic analysis of cracked surface. The modification and control of equipment for realization of this experiment is necessary, for what should be carried out new assays, whose results will allow to establish the effect of dynamic and static methods in velocity determination of crack growth to laboratory level; to be considered in the existent models of crack propagation in systems and components in operation. (Author)

Following the south polar cap recession as viewed by OMEGA/MEX using automatic detection of H2O and CO2 ices.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, F.; Doute, S.; Schmitt, B.

In order to understand Mars' current climate it is necessary to detect, characterize and monitor CO2 and H2O at the surface (permanent and seasonal icy deposits) and in the atmosphere (vapor and clouds). Here we will focus on the South Seasonal Polar Cap (SSPC) whose recession was previously observed with different techniques : from earth in the visible range with HST [James 1996], or from MGS spacecraft with MOC images [Benson 2005], in the thermal IR range by the TES [Kieffer 2000], in the near infrared by OMEGA/MEX [Langevin submitted]. The time and space evolutions of the SSPC is a major annual climatic signal both at the global and the regional scales. In particular the measurement of the temporal and spatial distributions of CO2 constrains exchange processes between both surface and atmosphere. This exchange may involve preponderant species : H2O, CO2 and dust. In this work we will apply a new detection technique : "wavanglet" in order to follow the recession of the SSPC thanks to OMEGA/MEX observations. This method was especially developed in the goal to classify a huge dataset, such OMEGA ones. We propose to use "wavanglet" as a supervised automatic classification method that identifies spectral features and classifies the image in spectrally homogeneous units. Additionally we will evaluate quantitative detection limits of "wavanglet" based on synthetic dataset simulating OMEGA spectra in typical situation of the SSPC. This detection limit will be discussed in terms of abundance for H2O and CO2 ices in order to improve the interpretation of the classification. Finally we will present the recession of the SSPC using "wavanglet" and we will compare the results with those of earlier investigation. An interpretation of the similarities and disagreements between those maps will be done.

Sustainable Transport: BRT experiences from Mexico and India