Calibration of a Methodology to Determine Pollutant Production in Urban Areas and its Application to Real Situations

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. R. Artusi ◽  
A. Cacozza ◽  
G. A. Danieli ◽  
F. Merenda ◽  
P. Muraca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Engine Speed ◽  
Electronic Noise ◽  
Driving Cycles ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Italian City ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Model Year ◽  
Real Traffic ◽  
Real City

Abstract The paper illustrates a first calibration of the Danieli-d’Elia method for pollutant production determination in urban areas, as described in previous articles, and its application to measured road conditions in a Southern Italian City. In order to perform the calibration, the method was applied to UDC + EUDC driving cycles, theoretically obtained for a given vehicle, both catalysed and non-catalysed. Model predictions were then compared to law requirements for the relative model-year, obtaining the calibration. Next, it was also necessary to devise a procedure to filter the data, which was often subject to heavy electronic noise, causing unrealistic values of the acceleration, and this was also performed and applied to the different sets of experimental data. Once this was obtained, the comparison to real city pollutant production in various traffic and elevation conditions was performed. Finally, on the assumption that in real traffic the individual car’s kinematic conditions are conditioned by the presence of other cars, the measured kinematic diagrams were extended to different car typologies by changing engine speed in the appropriate manner, and consequently the torque. This allows the experimental measurement to be extended to the entire fleet of cars, running on a certain street at a given time, also taking into account velocity distributions, as will be shown.

Collective Efficacy and Organizational Commitment in an Italian City Hall

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Borgogni ◽  
Silvia Dello Russo ◽  
Laura Petitta ◽  
Gary P. Latham
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
City Hall ◽  
Italian City ◽  
Public Sector Managers ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Level Group

Employees (N = 170) of a City Hall in Italy were administered a questionnaire measuring collective efficacy (CE), perceptions of context (PoC), and organizational commitment (OC). Two facets of collective efficacy were identified, namely group and organizational. Structural equation models revealed that perceptions of top management display a stronger relationship with organizational collective efficacy, whereas employees’ perceptions of their colleagues and their direct superior are related to collective efficacy at the group level. Group collective efficacy had a stronger relationship with affective organizational commitment than did organizational collective efficacy. The theoretical significance of this study is in showing that CE is two-dimensional rather than unidimensional. The practical significance of this finding is that the PoC model provides a framework that public sector managers can use to increase the efficacy of the organization as a whole as well as the individual groups that compose it.

Using Photovoice to understand physical and social living environment influence on adherence to diabetes

2021 ◽  
pp. 136345932110200
Author(s):  
Alice Scavarda ◽  
Giuseppe Costa ◽  
Franca Beccaria
Keyword(s):  
Blood Sugar ◽  
Diabetes Management ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Bonding Social Capital ◽  
Physical Context ◽  
Individual Traits ◽  
Italian City ◽  
The Individual

Within the past several years, a considerable body of research on adherence to diabetes regimen has emerged in public health. However, the focus of the vast majority of these studies has been on the individual traits and attitudes affecting adherence. Still little is known on the role of the social and physical context in supporting or hindering diabetes self-management, particularly from a qualitative standpoint. To address these limitations, this paper presents the findings of a Photovoice study on a sample of 10 type 2 diabetic older adults living in a deprived neighbourhood of an Italian city. The findings reveal that the possibility to engage in diet, exercise and blood sugar monitoring seems to be more affected by physical and social elements of the respondents’ environment than by the interviewees’ beliefs and attitudes. Both environmental barriers and social isolation emerge as barriers to lifestyle changes and self-care activities related to blood sugar monitoring. The predominance of bonding social capital, the scant level of trust and the negative perception of local health services result in a low level of social cohesion, a limited circulation of health information on diabetes management and, consequently, in poor health outcomes.

scholarly journals Cities, the Urban Green Environment, and Individual Subjective Well-Being: The Case of Milan, Italy

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Tavano Blessi ◽  
Enzo Grossi ◽  
Giovanni Pieretti ◽  
Guido Ferilli ◽  
Alessandra Landi
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Spatial Proximity ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Residential Proximity ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Areas ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
The Individual

This paper evaluates the independent effect of the spatial proximity of green urban areas upon the individual subjective well-being of the Milan population (Italy). The methodology is based on a survey undertaken in 2010 using a sample of 1,000 of Milan citizens. Univariate and multivariate analyses and GIS localization have been employed in order to rank the major individual well-being determinants and the relationship between citizens and urban green areas. Results show that the residential proximity of citizens to urban green areas seems to have little bearing on individual subjective well-being.

scholarly journals Urban–Rural Disparities in the Magnitude and Determinants of Stunting among Children under Five in Tanzania: Based on Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys 1991–2016

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5184
Author(s):  
Wenjun Zhu ◽  
Si Zhu ◽  
Bruno F. Sunguya ◽  
Jiayan Huang
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health Surveys ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Child Stunting ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
The Individual

Our study aims to examine the disparity of under-5 child stunting prevalence between urban and rural areas of Tanzania in the past three decades, and to explore factors affecting the rural–urban disparity. Secondary analyses of Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHS) data drawn from 1991–1992, 1996, 1999, 2004–2005, 2009–2010, and 2015–2016 surveys were conducted. Under-5 child stunting prevalence was calculated separately for rural and urban children and its decline trends were examined by chi-square tests. Descriptive analyses were used to present the individual-level, household-level, and societal-level characteristics of children, while multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine determinants of stunting in rural and urban areas, respectively. Additive interaction effects were estimated between residence and other covariates. The results showed that total stunting prevalence was declining in Tanzania, but urban–rural disparity has widened since the decline was slower in the rural area. No interaction effect existed between residence and other determinants, and the urban–rural disparity was mainly caused by the discrepancy of the individual-level and household-level factors between rural and urban households. As various types of determinants exist, multisector nutritional intervention strategies are required to address the child stunting problem. Meanwhile, the intervention should focus on targeting vulnerable children, rather than implementing different policies in rural and urban areas.

scholarly journals Automatic Extraction of Grasses and Individual Trees in Urban Areas Based on Airborne Hyperspectral and LiDAR Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 2725
Author(s):  
Qixia Man ◽  
Pinliang Dong ◽  
Xinming Yang ◽  
Quanyuan Wu ◽  
Rongqing Han
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Hyperspectral Data ◽  
Classification Method ◽  
Urban Vegetation ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Cloud Data ◽  
Random Forest Classification ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Trees

Urban vegetation extraction is very important for urban biodiversity assessment and protection. However, due to the diversity of vegetation types and vertical structure, it is still challenging to extract vertical information of urban vegetation accurately with single remotely sensed data. Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) can provide elevation information with high-precision, whereas hyperspectral data can provide abundant spectral information on ground objects. The complementary advantages of LiDAR and hyperspectral data could extract urban vegetation much more accurately. Therefore, a three-dimensional (3D) vegetation extraction workflow is proposed to extract urban grasses and trees at individual tree level in urban areas using airborne LiDAR and hyperspectral data. The specific steps are as follows: (1) airborne hyperspectral and LiDAR data were processed to extract spectral and elevation parameters, (2) random forest classification method and object-based classification method were used to extract the two-dimensional distribution map of urban vegetation, (3) individual tree segmentation was conducted on a canopy height model (CHM) and point cloud data separately to obtain three-dimensional characteristics of urban trees, and (4) the spatial distribution of urban vegetation and the individual tree delineation were assessed by validation samples and manual delineation results. The results showed that (1) both the random forest classification method and object-based classification method could extract urban vegetation accurately, with accuracies above 99%; (2) the watershed segmentation method based on the CHM could extract individual trees correctly, except for the small trees and the large tree groups; and (3) the individual tree segmentation based on point cloud data could delineate individual trees in three-dimensional space, which is much better than CHM segmentation as it can preserve the understory trees. All the results suggest that two- and three-dimensional urban vegetation extraction could play a significant role in spatial layout optimization and scientific management of urban vegetation.

scholarly journals A Study of the Understated Violence Within Social Contexts Against Adolescent Girls

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-41
Author(s):  
Shivangi Nigam ◽  
Niranjana Soperna
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Individual

Violence against women is linked to their disadvantaged position in the society. It is rooted in unequal power relationships between men and women in society and is a global problem which is not limited to a specific group of women in society. An adolescent girl’s life is often accustomed to the likelihood of violence, and acts of violence exert additional power over girls because the stigma of violence often attaches more to a girl than to the  perpetrator. The experience of violence is distressing at the individual emotional and physical level. The field of research and programmes for adolescent girls has traditionally focused on sexuality, reproductive health, and behaviour, neglecting the broader social issues that underpin adolescent girls’ human rights, overall development, health, and well-being. This paper is an endeavour to address the understated or disguised form of violence which the adolescent girls experience within the social contexts. The parameters exposed under this research had been ignored to a large extent when it comes to studying the dimension of violence under the social domain. Hence, the researchers attempted to explore this camouflaged form of violence and discovered some specific parameters such as: Diminished Self Worth and Esteem, Verbal Abuse, Menstruation Taboo and Social Rigidity, Negligence of Medical and Health Facilities and Complexion- A Prime Parameter for Judging Beauty. The study was conducted in the districts of Haryana (India) where personal interviews were taken from both urban and rural adolescent girls (aged 13 to 19 years) based on  a structured interview schedule. The results revealed that the adolescent girls, both in urban as well as rural areas were quite affected with the above mentioned issues. In urban areas, however, due to the higher literacy rate, which resulted in more rational thinking, the magnitude was comparatively smaller, but the difference was still negligible.  

scholarly journals Investigations of long-term trends in the ionosphere with world-wide ionosonde observations*

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 253-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bremer
Keyword(s):  
Data Series ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
Maximum Electron Density ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Density Values ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Experimental Values ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Global Mean

Abstract. Basing on model calculations by Roble and Dickinson (1989) for an increasing content of atmospheric greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere Rishbeth (1990) predicted a lowering of the ionospheric F2- and E-regions. Later Rishbeth and Roble (1992) also predicted characteristic longterm changes of the maximum electron density values of the ionospheric E-, F1-, and F2-layers. Long-term observations at more than 100 ionosonde stations have been analyzed to test these model predictions. In the E- and F1-layers the derived experimental results agree reasonably with the model trends (lowering of h'E and increase of ƒoE and ƒoF1, in the E-layer the experimental values are however markedly stronger than the model data). In the ionospheric F2-region the variability of the trends derived at the different individual stations for hmF2 as well as ƒoF2 values is too large to estimate reasonable global mean trends. The reason of the large differences between the individual trends is not quite clear. Strong dynamical effects may play an important role in the F2-region. But also inhomogeneous data series due to technical changes as well as changes in the evaluation algorithms used during the long observation periods may influence the trend analyses.

scholarly journals Hazard indicators of urban soil contamination with polycyclic hydrocarbons on the example of monitoring results of the RUDN campus

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-130
Author(s):  
Margarita M. Redina ◽  
Alexander P. Khaustov ◽  
Xiangkai Li ◽  
Zhandos D. Kenzhin ◽  
Polina Yu. Silaeva
Keyword(s):  
Soil Contamination ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Carcinogenic Risk ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Forest Park ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Functional Zones ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
The Individual

The characteristics of the hazard of urban soils pollution by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered: naphthalene (Naph), anthracene (An), phenanthrene (Phen), pyrene (Py), fluoranthene (Flu), chrysene (Chr), benzo(a)anthracene (BaA), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbFlu), benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkFlu), dibenzo[ah]antracene (DBa), benzo[ghi]perylene (Bghi), indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene). On the example of monitoring data on the RUDN University campus and the adjacent South-West Forest Park, modern approaches to assessing the hazard of pollution levels and the environmental risk of soil pollution are demonstrated: RQ indicators, total relative toxicity in comparison to BaP, carcinogenic risk, behavior of the representative PAHs. On the basis of a critical analysis of the pollution indicators, the optimal approaches to assessing the danger of the presence of polyarenes in the soils of urban areas are demonstrated. The leading sources of pollution (influence of vehicles) were identified. Different levels of environmental hazard of polyarene soil contamination in different functional zones of the analyzed territory are demonstrated: relatively clear territory in the middle zone of the park and a specific configuration of the pollution field on the rest of the territory. The necessity of developing ecosystem standards for urban natural complexes is justified, taking into account the individual characteristics of soils, the role of soil microbiota, the specificity of the use of the territory and the characteristics of pollution sources.

Follow-up of Children With Trait in a Rural Setting

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 876-877
Author(s):  
Herman Harris
Keyword(s):  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Hb S ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Limited Testing

The Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers were established in 1972 to test, educate, counsel, and research sickle cell anemia and related hemoglobinopathies. Standards and protocols for testing, education, and research were readily established because similar procedures and methods were already in operation at the institutions where the centers were located. The most difficult and still the most controversial program to provide is counseling. It became evident, early, that there is no universally accepted method for informing carriers of abnormal Hb S about their results. Centers located in large urban areas with a limited testing radius do not face the same problems as centers located in rural areas where the testing radius may cover an entire state or several states. Individual, or one-on-one, counseling of persons with trait results appears to be successful for urban centers where the individual may be called to the center and given information. But, in a rural setting, it is not feasible for the center to ask a person to travel 350 miles to be told he or she has nothing to worry about. And it is not cost-effective to send a caseworker 350 miles to say the same thing. It must, therefore, be concluded that each agency or center must adopt counseling methods that meet its specific needs. Each program must be flexible, imaginative, and creative and must successfully and accurately deliver information about being a carrier for the sickle gene or other hemoglobinopathy and its implication and significance for patients and their future offspring. To do this, we must first look at the problems facing us.

New Approaches to Regional Branding through Green Production and Utilization of Existing Natural Advantages

2015 ◽  
pp. 121-139
Author(s):  
Alexander Trukhachev
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Balanced Development ◽  
Alternative Employment ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Rural Economies ◽  
Green Production ◽  
Stavropol Region ◽  
The Individual

The chapter aims at the identification of existing natural, environmental, and rural resources that have worked together to promote the individual brand of Stavropol Region as a producer of green agricultural commodities and food, as well as a resort area, attractive by its unique environmental conditions. The perspectives of the development of green production are accessed in order to exploit existing regional resources in the long term, encourage local/regional producers and stimulate their economies, which is vital to quality of life in the countryside and a balanced development of rural and urban areas. Special attention is paid to the elaboration of possible ways to increase effectiveness of natural management as an approach to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of rural economies whilst at the same time opening up alternative employment opportunities for rural people.

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