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Urban Regions (urban + regions)
Selected AbstractsNeophyte species richness at the landscape scale under urban sprawl and climate warmingDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 6 2009Michael P. Nobis Abstract Aim, Land use and climate are two major components of global environmental change but our understanding of their simultaneous and interactive effects upon biodiversity is still limited. Here, we investigated the relationship between the species richness of neophytes, i.e. non-native vascular plants introduced after 1500 AD, and environmental covariates to draw implications for future dynamics under land-use and climate change. Location, Switzerland, Central Europe. Methods, The distribution of vascular plants was derived from a systematic national grid of 1 km2 quadrates (n = 456; Swiss Biodiversity Monitoring programme) including 1761 species, 122 of which were neophytes. Generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to correlate neophyte species richness with environmental covariates. The impact of land-use and climate change was thereafter evaluated by projections for the years 2020 and 2050 using scenarios of moderate and strong changes for climate warming (IPCC) and urban sprawl (NRP 54). Results, Mean annual temperature and the amount of urban areas explained neophyte species richness best, with a high predictive power of the corresponding model (cross-validated D2 = 0.816). Climate warming had a stronger impact on the potential increase in the mean neophyte species richness (up to 191% increase by 2050) than ongoing urban sprawl (up to 10% increase) independently from variable interactions and model extrapolations to non-analogue environments. Main conclusions, In contrast to other vascular plants, the prediction of neophyte species richness at the landscape scale in Switzerland requires few variables only, and regions of highest species richness of the two groups do not coincide. The neophyte species richness is basically driven by climatic (temperature) conditions, and urban areas additionally modulate small-scale differences upon this coarse-scale pattern. According to the projections climate warming will contribute to the future increase in neophyte species richness much more than ongoing urbanization, but the gain in new neophyte species will be highest in urban regions. [source] Integrated model framework for the evaluation of an SOFC/GT system as a centralized power sourceINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 1 2004Michihisa Koyama Abstract New power generation technologies are expected to reduce various environmental impacts of providing electricity to urban regions for some investment cost. Determining which power generation technologies are most suitable for meeting the demand of a particular region requires analysis of tradeoffs between costs and environmental impacts. Models simulating different power generation technologies can help quantify these tradeoffs. An Internet-based modelling infrastructure called DOME (distributed object-based modelling environment) provides a flexible mechanism to create integrated models from independent simulation models for different power generation technologies. As new technologies appear, corresponding simulation models can readily be added to the integrated model. DOME was used to combine a simulation model for hybrid SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell) and gas turbine system with a power generation capacity and dispatch optimization model. The integrated models were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the system as a centralized power source for meeting the power demand in Japan. Evaluation results indicate that a hybrid system using micro-tube SOFC may reduce CO2 emissions from power generation in Japan by about 50%. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Population-based study on the seroprevalence of hepatitis A, B, and C virus infection in Amsterdam, 2004,JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 12 2007G.G.G. Baaten Abstract In order to enhance screening and preventive strategies, this study investigated the seroprevalence of hepatitis A, B, and C in the general adult urban population and in subgroups. In 2004, sera from 1,364 adult residents of Amsterdam were tested for viral markers. Sociodemographic characteristics were collected using a standardized questionnaire. For hepatitis A, 57.0% was immune. Of first-generation immigrants from Turkey and Morocco, 100% was immune. Of all Western persons and second-generation non-Western immigrants, approximately half was still susceptible. For hepatitis B, 9.9% had antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) and 0.4% had hepatitis B surface antigen. Anti-HBc seroprevalences were highest among first-generation immigrants from Surinam, Morocco, and Turkey, and correlated with age at the time of immigration, and among men with a sexual preference for men. Seroprevalence among second-generation immigrants was comparable to Western persons. The seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus antibodies was 0.6%. In conclusion, a country with overall low endemicity for viral hepatitis can show higher endemicity in urban regions, indicating the need for differentiated regional studies and prevention strategies. More prevention efforts in cities like Amsterdam are warranted, particularly for hepatitis A and B among second-generation immigrants, for hepatitis B among men with a sexual preference for men, and for hepatitis C. Active case finding strategies are needed for both hepatitis B and C. J. Med. Virol. 79:1802,1810, 2007. © Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Classification and design of teledermatology practice: What dermatoses?JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 8 2009Which technology to apply? Abstract Dermatologists are mostly confined to urban regions and rural population is deprived of specialist care. Teledermatology Practice (TDP) is a solution to overcome this global problem. Tools for TDP includes video conference, store and forward, hybrid, mobile, satellite communication, integration model, nurse-led teledermatology, teledermatology focusing on difficult-to-manage cases, teledermoscopy, and teledermatopathology with combined applications. This article reviews the feasibility studies focusing teledermatology tools and analyses the possible options in designing TDP. Categorizing dermatoses for TDP depends on the purpose and types of technology. The dermatoses presenting from a remote geographic regions requires any of the following approaches (i) only TDP, (b) initial TDP followed by face-to-face, (iii) initial face-to-face followed by TDP and (iv) only face-to-face examination. The technology should suit the dermatoses, meet the purpose, be cost-effective and provide better management with follow-up care. We recommend store and forward as a basic TDP model as most dermatoses are diagnosed and follow-up care is delivered. Leprosy, pigmented skin lesions, leg ulcers, HIV and endemic dermatoses require screening and triage services using mobile teledermatology. Counselling and education require videoconference. Rural dermatology's camps require satellite communication mounted on a vehicle. Objective assessment (vitiligo and leg ulcer) after treatment requires integration model at a tertiary centre. Difficult-to-manage cases require second opinion using hybrid/store and forward TDP. Lower rural centre are provided with mobile/ store and forward teledermatology services. Selected or major community centre should be equipped with hybrid teledermatology and linked to a tertiary centre. This process helps healthcare administration to plan a TDP to cover all dermatoses, utilizing the available health care professional (HCP) and technology with minimum budget investment. Conflicts of interest None declared. [source] The changing geography of the Canadian manufacturing sector in metropolitan and rural regions, 1976,1997THE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 2 2003W. MARK BROWN This paper documents the changing geography of the Canadian manufacturing sector over a 22-year period (1976,1997). It does so by looking at the shifts in employment and differences in production worker wages across different levels of the rural/urban hierarchy,central cities, adjacent suburbs, medium and small cities and rural areas. The analysis demonstrates that the most dramatic shifts in manufacturing employment were from the central cities of large metropolitan regions to their suburbs. Paralleling trends in the United States, rural regions of Canada have increased their share of manufacturing employment. Rising rural employment shares were due to declining employment shares of small cities and, to a lesser degree, large urban regions. Increasing rural employment was particularly prominent in Quebec, where employment shifted away from the Montreal region. The changing fortunes of rural and urban areas were not the result of across-the-board shifts in manufacturing employment, but were the net outcome of differing locational patterns across industries. In contrast to the situation in the United States, wages in Canada do not consistently decline, moving down the rural/urban hierarchy from the largest cities to the most rural parts of the country. Only after controlling for the types of manufacturing industries found in rural and urban regions is it apparent that wages decline with the size of place. Cette dissertation documente la géographie changeante du secteur secondaire canadien sur une période de vingt-deux années (1976,1997). Pour cela, elle considère les migrations des emplois et les différences salariales entre les ouvriers à différents niveaux de la hiérarchie rurale/urbaine,centres urbains, leurs banlieues, villes petites et moyennes, et zones rurales. L'analyse démontre que dans le secteur secondaire, les migrations les plus prononcées des emplois ont été depuis les villes des grandes régions métropolitaines vers leurs banlieues. Reflétant les tendances observées aux États-Unis, les régions rurales du Canada ont augmenté leur part d'emplois de production. La part croissante des emplois ruraux était due au déclin de l'emploi dans les petites villes, et à un degré moindre, dans les grandes zones urbaines. L'augmentation de l'emploi rural a été particulièrement évidente au Québec, suite à un déplacement des emplois hors de la région de Montréal. Les fortunes changeantes des zones rurales et urbaines n'ont pas été le résultat de migrations uniformes de l'emploi dans le secteur secondaire. Elles sont plutôt dues aux différences de configurations géographiques entre les divers secteurs industriels. Par contraste avec les États-Unis, les salaires canadiens ne baissent pas progressivement selon la hiérarchie rurale/urbaine, des plus grandes villes aux régions les plus rurales du pays. C'est seulement après vérification des types d'industries implantées dans les régions rurales et urbaines que l'on peut mettre en évidence une baisse des salaires en fonction de la taille de l'agglomération. [source] MIGRATION, MEDICAL AID AND WELFARE*AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC PAPERS, Issue 4 2007WATARU KUREISHI This paper constructs a simple rural-urban migration model that explicitly incorporates the interactions between the individual's migration decision, the risk of incurring an infectious disease and unemployment. We show that providing a subsidy for health investment in urban regions in the form of medical aid does not improve individual welfare. This is because it induces further urban migration, increases the risk of infection and unemployment, and offsets completely the positive cost-reduction effect. [source] Fluid milk consumption in urban Qingdao, China,AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2008Junfei Bai This study relates the social-demographic characteristics of urban Chinese consumers to their consumption of fluid milk. A Tobit model is estimated drawing on individual consumer survey data collected in urban Qingdao in China in 2005. The major results of this study indicate that fluid milk consumption in urban Qingdao is much higher compared to China's national level. The effect of increased income on milk consumption is positive, as expected. The expansion of modern food retailers also appears to play a positive role by facilitating consumers' fluid milk consumption and influencing their food shopping patterns. The young and old consume significantly more fluid milk than the middle-aged. Health consciousness of the elderly and the openness of youth to new foods appear to be fuelling these consumption patterns. If the findings of this study apply to other urban regions in China, then as urbanisation continues so also will the trend of increasing fluid milk consumption in China. [source] Prevalence of insomnia in Poland , results of the National Health Interview SurveyACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA, Issue 2 2003A. Kiejna Background: Sleep disturbances are one of the most common underdiagnosed and undertreated health problems among the adult population. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of sleeping problems and their relation to sociodemographic characteristics in the Polish population, based on the results of the National Health Interview Survey carried out by the Central Statistical Office in 1996. Methods: A stratified sampling scheme, involving two steps, was used. Standardized prevalence ratios (SPRs and their 95% confidence intervals) were calculated. Assessment of sleep-related problems was based on six questions. A representative Polish sample (47 924 non-institutionalized, adult respondents) was interviewed. Results: Nearly one-fourth of Polish inhabitants suffered from insomnia. The percentage was significantly higher among women (28.1%) than among men (18.1%). The prevalence of insomnia increased with age and was highest in divorced respondents. Respondents of both sexes with higher educational levels suffered from insomnia less often than individuals with lower levels of education. The problem of insomnia applies in a similar degree to inhabitants of both rural and urban regions. About one-twentieth of inhabitants of Poland experienced recent sleep deterioration related to problems. It was associated positively with age, female gender and lower education. About 20% of the population get up not rested in the morning, women significantly more often than men, urban residents more often than rural ones. Conclusions: Sleep-related problems are common and the results are comparable with those from other countries. The findings have important implications, such as the necessity of better education of the public community about the identification and possibilities of treatment of sleep disturbance. [source] | ||||||||||||||||