scholarly journals Map-A-Mole: Greenspace Area Influences the Presence and Abundance of the European Mole Talpa europaea in Urban Habitats

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1097
Author(s):  
Mark D.E. Fellowes ◽  
Kojo Acquaah-Harrison ◽  
Fabio Angeoletto ◽  
Jeater W.M.C. Santos ◽  
Deleon da Silva Leandro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Talpa Europaea ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
European Mole ◽  
Urban Greenspaces ◽  
Patch Boundary ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Playing Fields

The European mole Talpa europaea is common across much of Britain. It has a unique fossorial lifestyle, and evidence of its presence is readily identified through the presence of characteristic molehills. Although molehills are often a common sight in urban greenspaces, moles are remarkably understudied, with very few studies to date exploring the urban ecology of moles. Here, we investigate if factors such as greenspace (largely urban parks and playing fields) area, intensity of management, distance to nearest patch, amount of time the patch had been isolated from other green patches, and the amount of urbanization (constructed surfaces) surrounding the patch, influence the distribution and abundance of urban moles. Mole signs (hills and surface runs) were counted in all discrete urban greenspaces (excluding domestic gardens and one private golf course) within an 89.5 km2 area in the UK town of Reading. We found that 17 out of 59 surveyed sites contained moles, with their presence being recorded in greenspaces with a minimum patch area of approximately 0.1 km2 (10 ha). Where present, the abundance of mole territories in the greenspaces was associated with both the area of greenspace and degree of urbanization within 150 m of the patch boundary. While the former was not surprising, the latter outcome may be a consequence of sites with an increased risk of flooding being home to fewer moles, and the surrounding area is also less likely to be built upon. This case study highlights how choices made in designing urban green infrastructure will determine which species survive in urban areas long into the future.

scholarly journals Orthostatic hypotension: clinical review and case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 506-511
Author(s):  
Rachael Bailey ◽  
Gerri Mortimore
Keyword(s):  
Orthostatic Hypotension ◽  
Epileptic Seizures ◽  
Clinical History ◽  
Underlying Disease ◽  
Correct Treatment ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
Mortality Causes ◽  
The Uk

Transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) accounts for 3% of all attendance in emergency departments within the UK. More than 90% of TLOC presentations are due to epileptic seizures, psychogenic seizures or syncope. However, in England and Wales in 2002, it was estimated that 92 000 patients were incorrectly diagnosed with epilepsy, at an additional annual cost to the NHS of up to £189 million. This article will reflect on the case study of a 54-year-old female patient who presented with a possible TLOC, and had a background of long-term depression. Differential diagnoses will be discussed, but the article will focus on orthostatic hypotension. Being diagnosed with this condition is independently associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. Causes of orthostatic hypotension and the pathophysiology behind the condition will be discussed, highlighting the importance of obtaining an accurate clinical history. This is extremely pertinent if a patient collapses in an NHS setting and this is witnessed by nurses because they can contribute to the history of the type of collapse, to aid diagnosis and correct treatment. In addition, nurses have a valuable role to play in highlighting polypharmacy to doctors, and non-medical prescribers, as a contributing factor to orthostatic hypotension is polypharmacy. It is therefore important to accurately distinguish TLOC aetiology, not only to provide appropriate management, but to also identify patients at risk of morbidity/mortality related to underlying disease.

scholarly journals Mapping Ecosystem Services for Marine Planning: A UK Case Study

Resources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanouil Tyllianakis ◽  
Lenka Fronkova ◽  
Paulette Posen ◽  
Tiziana Luisetti ◽  
Stephen Mangi Chai
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Oxygen Depletion ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Marine Management ◽  
Mapping Tool ◽  
Ecosystem Services Mapping ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Marine Planning

This study presents an ecosystem-services-mapping tool that calculates the monetary value of several ecosystem services (ES) provided from an area comprising both MPAs (Marine Protected Areas) and non-managed areas. Findings in the UK South West Marine Management Organisation (MMO) Plan Area show that different MPAs yield high value estimates and that activities are grouped in certain areas, with the Severn Estuary and surrounding Site(s) of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) attracting the most recreational anglers, despite having lower water quality. This can be explained by increased nutrient levels, which enhance biological activity and yet do not cause oxygen depletion. The yearly value of the ecosystem service of carbon sequestration and storage in the area is estimated between £16 and £62 thousand. Proximity to large urban areas and shallow waters appear to be the most appealing factors for anglers, while proximity with France can be associated with the high fishing effort in the southwest of the study area. We show that the use of a tool integrating a willingness-to-pay function with high spatial resolution layers and associated monetary values can be used for short-term marine spatial planning and management.

scholarly journals ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE URBANIZATION OF THE NATIONAL THEATRE IN LONDON THROUGH CHANGE OF USE AND FUNCTIONS OF ARCHITECTURE

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
Danijela Rogina ◽  
◽  
Radivoje Dinulović ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Urban Forms ◽  
National Theatre ◽  
Sustainable Urbanization ◽  
Key Aspects

The human population is currently on the rise and most Europeans live in urban areas, leading to increased urbanization. The change comes with its challenges, as cities, architecture, and urban spaces need to become more fluid, multi-functional, and innovative. This paper examines whether a change of use of public spaces, and functions of architectural and urban forms, can be used as an element in the implementation of sustainable urbanization. The theoretical framework of this paper focuses on literature findings relating to identified key aspects such as innovative approaches in changes of use — recycling and upcycling, green infrastructure and financial aspects, concepts of “right of the place”, and public participation. These aspects are addressed on both theoretical and practical levels, with the National Theatre in London as a case study. Findings convey that the change of use of spaces can be utilized to achieve sustainable urbanization, together with the management of functions and uses of architectural and urban forms. However, further research is needed with various stakeholders to identify a solid and inherent database, as a foundation on which the most optimal urban spaces would emerge, by identifying new functions and uses of urban space and architecture.

The role of blue and green infrastructure in thermal sensation in public urban areas: A case study of summer days in four Czech cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 102683
Author(s):  
Michal Lehnert ◽  
Marek Brabec ◽  
Martin Jurek ◽  
Vladimír Tokar ◽  
Jan Geletič
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Thermal Sensation

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Green Infrastructure in an Agricultural Peri-Urban Area: A Case Study of Baisha District in Zhengzhou, China

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 801
Author(s):  
Hua Xia ◽  
Shidong Ge ◽  
Xinyu Zhang ◽  
Gunwoo Kim ◽  
Yakai Lei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Dynamic Assessment ◽  
Ecological Security ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Security Research

Quantifying the dynamics of green infrastructure (GI) in agricultural peri-urban areas is of great significance to the regional ecological security, food security, and the sustainable development of urban integration. Based on remote sensing images, this study aims to provide a spatiotemporal dynamic assessment of the GI in Baisha District from 2007 to 2018 to improve the layout of GI and planning policies from the perspective of ecological security and food security. Research methods include landscape pattern indices, spatial autocorrelations, and grid analyses in this case study. The results suggest that ensuring the dominant position of farmland is critical to maintaining the composition and connectivity of the overall GI. The recreation, inheritance of farming culture, and ecosystem service functions of farmland should be improved to meet the growing needs of urban residents. GI includes the farmland, greenspace, and wetland on both sides of the Jialu River that should be retained and restored as much as possible to protect natural ecological processes. Simultaneously, construction of important urban facilities and residential areas in flooded areas should be banned. A part of the evenly distributed large greenspace patches should be moved to both sides of the Jialu River to increase the agglomeration effect of GI. Optimization measures in this case study also offer a perspective for other agricultural peri-urban areas that have experienced similar urbanization.

scholarly journals The Role of Green Infrastructure in Enhancing Microclimate Conditions: A Case Study of a Low-Rise Neighborhood in Abu Dhabi

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4260
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Abu Ali ◽  
Khaled Alawadi ◽  
Asim Khanal
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Heat Islands ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Street Trees ◽  
Cooling Effects

Urban heat islands are characterized by the increased temperature in urban areas compared with the rural surroundings due to human-made interventions that replace natural lands with buildings and roads. This study focuses on the assessment and utilization of using local nature-based solutions such as trees, sensitive landscaping types and design strategies to enhance microclimate in neighborhood streets and the public realm in desert areas, taking Abu Dhabi as a case study. The research utilizes a design-based approach to propose landscaping and layouts of urban street trees in low-rise residential urban areas. In this study, two methods namely an on-site measurement using citizen science, and a numerical simulation model in the ENVI-met software are used. Site-measurements included the tree physical characteristics such as tree height, crown width (crown spread/diameter), and trunk height, and the use of technology (photography and the Fulcrum mobile application, Nikon Forestry pro Laser Rangefinder) and air temperature around trees. ENVI-met included four scenarios: 1—“no-vegetation”, 2—“grass-only”, 3—“existing conditions” and 4—“proposed landscape design”. Grass and three types of local street trees are used in the proposed scenarios including Ghaf, Poinciana, and Temple tree. In addition, a standard of 6 and 8 m spacing between each tree is applied to determine the effect of varying vegetation densities on the outdoor temperature. The combined results using citizen science and the model allowed the identification of particular urban tree species that show substantial cooling effects. This is the case of Poinciana trees, which decreased the air temperature up to 0.9 °C when spaced every six meters in pathways and open unshaded areas amongst alleys, improving the overall thermal conditions in neighborhoods of hot-arid landscapes.

scholarly journals National Green Infrastructure Facility – a specialised ‘living laboratory’ to assess the value of urban green infrastructure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Green ◽  
Ross Stirling ◽  
Claire Walsh ◽  
Eleanor Starkey ◽  
Alethea Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Surface Water Management ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Newcastle Upon Tyne

<p>Green Infrastructure (GI) offers multiple and integrated benefits to urban areas, including relieving pressure on ‘grey’ infrastructure systems by locally managing surface runoff within cities to reduce the risk of urban flooding. Although the use of GI has been shown to attenuate flooding, monitored and quantifiable data determining the effectiveness of GI is imperative for supporting widespread adoption of GI within cities and to provide an evidence-base to inform the design and maintenance procedures of such systems and ultimately influence key decision makers .</p><p>The National Green Infrastructure Facility (NGIF) based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, is a purpose-built, publicly accessible, ‘living laboratory’ and demonstration site established in 2017, funded by the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities. The NGIF explores how a wide range of green features such as trees, shrubs and soils can help reduce flooding in cities and make them more resilient and sustainable to future changes in climate and urban pressures. The facility hosts a number of novel GI features of varying scale, monitored with dense sensor networks to allow the in-situ measurement of key hydrological, climatic and biophysical variables (e.g. precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, water depth, runoff and outflow rates) which are able to provide quantified evidence of the hydrological performance of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). Such systems generate detailed insights into how SuDS and nature-based solutions can be used to improve surface water management, optimise geo-energy for building heating/cooling and how systems can be used for urban water treatment.</p><p>GI features across the NGIF include an experimental  and fully functional swale, providing protection to the area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in which the feature is located, 10 lysimeter bioretention cells, a series of rain-garden ‘ensembles’ and a monitored green roof system. All experimental features are subjected to prevalent environmental conditions and act as fully functional GI systems, but conditions can also be augmented and simulated to ensure that the GI features act as semi-controlled experimental systems to determine responses outside of the natural instrumented record. All environmental data is recorded at high temporal (< 5 minutes) and spatial resolution and is publicly accessible in real-time via the NGIF API.</p><p>This presentation provides an overview of the NGIF and discusses the current research activities taking place across the site. Data is presented from each of the GI systems to demonstrate and discuss their performance and responses during natural and simulated events, including extremes, and to assess their effectiveness in responding to localised changes in climate. Future research directions and collaborative opportunities are also highlighted.</p>

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