scholarly journals Diversity of Listeria Species in Urban and Natural Environments

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (12) ◽  
pp. 4420-4433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Sauders ◽  
Jon Overdevest ◽  
Esther Fortes ◽  
Katy Windham ◽  
Ynte Schukken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Molecular Source ◽  
Listeria Seeligeri

ABSTRACTA total of 442Listeriaisolates, including 234Listeria seeligeri, 80L. monocytogenes, 74L. welshimeri, 50L. innocua, and 4L. marthiiisolates, were obtained from 1,805 soil, water, and other environmental samples collected over 2 years from four urban areas and four areas representing natural environments.Listeriaspp. showed similar prevalences in samples from natural (23.4%) and urban (22.3%) environments. WhileL. seeligeriandL. welshimeriwere significantly associated with natural environments (P≤ 0.0001),L. innocuaandL. monocytogeneswere significantly associated with urban environments (P≤ 0.0001). Sequencing ofsigBfor all isolates revealed 67 allelic types with a higher level of allelic diversity among isolates from urban environments. SomeListeriaspp. andsigBallelic types showed significant associations with specific urban and natural areas. Nearest-neighbor analyses also showed that certainListeriaspp. andsigBallelic types were spatially clustered within both natural and urban environments, and there was evidence that these species and allelic types persisted over time in specific areas. Our data show that members of the genusListerianot only are common in urban and natural environments but also show species- and subtype-specific associations with different environments and areas. This indicates thatListeriaspecies and subtypes within these species may show distinct ecological preferences, which suggests (i) that molecular source-tracking approaches can be developed forListeriaand (ii) that detection of someListeriaspecies may not be a good indicator forL. monocytogenes.

scholarly journals Mental Health & Resiliency: Designing Participatory Nature Dependent Environments and Communities for a Sustainable Future

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Beam ◽  
Nawari O. Nawari ◽  
Bill Tilson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Community Planning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Natural Environments

Sustainable design trends have historically wended down a road that supports the idea of densely populated urban planning as a strategy for mitigating sprawl. Creation of dense urban areas aims at the reduction of carbon emissions. However, studies show that densely populated areas often come with a panacea of mental health, resiliency, and quality of life ails for a community.The following research explores the possibility of combining densely populated design approaches with ancient community planning methods that encourage relationship building: close contact with natural environments and social interchange. Community planning that also creates a day to day contact with nature could be a crucial strategy for both sustaining healthy ecosystems and the development of sustainable communities. The potential for integrating dependence upon nature within built urban environments, as well as the possibility of positive place-making by harvesting nature dependent cultural and social assets in communities and neighborhoods, is, therefore, a wealthy area worthy of exploration.To explore these areas, mental health research on the effects of nature on the brain, as well as the three leading determinants of social, environmental and economic well-being, worldwide, and the founding cultures of these determinants were reviewed. Resilient indigenous groups and case studies of the happiest nation, of Norway and two leading environmentally sustainable and resilient countries, Costa Rica, Cuba, and New Mexico are examined. The paper provides recommendations for improving mental health and resilience by integrating strategies for nature and community needs in urban planning and built environments design.

scholarly journals Consistent signatures of urban adaptation in a native, urban invader ant Tapinoma sessile

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Joseph Blumenfeld ◽  
Pierre Andre Eyer ◽  
Anjel M Helms ◽  
Grzegorz Buczkowski ◽  
Edward L Vargo
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Urban Habitats ◽  
Tapinoma Sessile ◽  
The Social ◽  
Odorous House Ant ◽  
Single Nest

Biological invasions are becoming more prevalent due to the rise of global trade and expansion of urban areas. Ants are among the most prolific invaders, with many exhibiting a multi-queen colony structure, dispersal through budding and a lack of inter-nest aggression. Although these characteristics are generally associated with the invasions of exotic ants, they may also facilitate the spread of native ants into novel habitats (e.g., urban areas). Native to North American forests, the odorous house ant Tapinoma sessile has become abundant in urban environments throughout the United States. Forest-dwelling colonies typically have a small workforce, inhabit a single nest, and are headed by a single queen, whereas urban colonies tend to be several orders of magnitude larger, inhabit multiple nests and are headed by multiple queens. Here, we explore and compare the population genetic and breeding structure of T. sessile within and between urban and natural environments in several localities across its distribution range. We found the social structure of a colony to be a plastic trait in both habitats, although extreme polygyny (i.e., nests with multiple queens) was confined to urban habitats. Additionally, polydomous colonies (i.e., nests lacking genetic differentiation and behavioral antagonism) were only present in urban habitats, suggesting T. sessile can only achieve unicoloniality within urbanized areas. Finally, we identified strong differentiation between urban and natural populations in each locality and continent-wide, indicating cities may restrict gene flow and exert intense selection pressure. Overall, our study highlights urbanization's influence in charting the evolutionary course for species.

scholarly journals Enterococci in the Environment

2012 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli ◽  
Meredith B. Nevers ◽  
Asja Korajkic ◽  
Zachery R. Staley ◽  
Valerie J. Harwood
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Recreational Waters ◽  
Fecal Indicator ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sources And Sinks

SUMMARYEnterococci are common, commensal members of gut communities in mammals and birds, yet they are also opportunistic pathogens that cause millions of human and animal infections annually. Because they are shed in human and animal feces, are readily culturable, and predict human health risks from exposure to polluted recreational waters, they are used as surrogates for waterborne pathogens and as fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in research and in water quality testing throughout the world. Evidence from several decades of research demonstrates, however, that enterococci may be present in high densities in the absence of obvious fecal sources and that environmental reservoirs of these FIB are important sources and sinks, with the potential to impact water quality. This review focuses on the distribution and microbial ecology of enterococci in environmental (secondary) habitats, including the effect of environmental stressors; an outline of their known and apparent sources, sinks, and fluxes; and an overview of the use of enterococci as FIB. Finally, the significance of emerging methodologies, such as microbial source tracking (MST) and empirical predictive models, as tools in water quality monitoring is addressed. The mounting evidence for widespread extraenteric sources and reservoirs of enterococci demonstrates the versatility of the genusEnterococcusand argues for the necessity of a better understanding of their ecology in natural environments, as well as their roles as opportunistic pathogens and indicators of human pathogens.

scholarly journals Persistence of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki in Urban Environments following Spraying

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (22) ◽  
pp. 7954-7961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Van Cuyk ◽  
Alina Deshpande ◽  
Attelia Hollander ◽  
Nathan Duval ◽  
Lawrence Ticknor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Fairfax County ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Military Installation ◽  
Insight Into

ABSTRACTBacillus thuringiensissubsp.kurstakiis applied extensively in North America to control the gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar. SinceB. thuringiensissubsp.kurstakishares many physical and biological properties withBacillus anthracis, it is a reasonable surrogate for biodefense studies. A key question in biodefense is how long a biothreat agent will persist in the environment. There is some information in the literature on the persistence ofBacillus anthracisin laboratories and historical testing areas and forBacillus thuringiensisin agricultural settings, but there is no information on the persistence ofBacillusspp. in the type of environment that would be encountered in a city or on a military installation. Since it is not feasible to releaseB. anthracisin a developed area, the controlled release ofB. thuringiensissubsp.kurstakifor pest control was used to gain insight into the potential persistence ofBacillusspp. in outdoor urban environments. Persistence was evaluated in two locations: Fairfax County, VA, and Seattle, WA. Environmental samples were collected from multiple matrices and evaluated for the presence of viableB. thuringiensissubsp.kurstakiat times ranging from less than 1 day to 4 years after spraying. Real-time PCR and culture were used for analysis.B. thuringiensissubsp.kurstakiwas found to persist in urban environments for at least 4 years. It was most frequently detected in soils and less frequently detected in wipes, grass, foliage, and water. The collective results indicate that certain species ofBacillusmay persist for years following their dispersal in urban environments.

scholarly journals Bifidobacterial Diversity and the Development of New Microbial Source Tracking Indicators

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (10) ◽  
pp. 3518-3525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisenda Ballesté ◽  
Anicet R. Blanch
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Unknown Species ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Unidentified Species ◽  
Denaturant Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
The Media ◽  
Low Prevalence

ABSTRACTMany studies suggest a close relationship between species ofBifidobacteriumand their hosts. Thus, species such asB. adolescentisandB. thermacidophilumsubsp.porcinumhave been proposed as potential indicators of human and porcine fecal pollution. The diversity of bifidobacteria in wastewaters (human and animal) and slurries is analyzed using nested PCR followed by denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The sewage samples showed similar DGGE patterns. The predominant bands were recognized asB. adolescentis,B. longum, and two unidentified species related toB. adolescentis. A single band detected in poultry samples was identified asB. saeculare. Bifidobacterial diversity was higher within porcine and bovine samples. The main bands in porcine samples were identified asB. minimum, an unknown species, andB. thermophilum/B. thermacidophilumsubsp.porcinum. The latter species was also identified among the main bands in bovine samples together withB. pseudolongumandB. ruminantium. We then attempted to isolate the host-specific strains. DGGE bands were examined to develop specific probes to screen environmental samples by colony hybridization and further isolation of strains from positively hybridized colonies. Bifidobacterial strains that are host associated by DGGE bands to human and pig were successfully isolated from the environment:B. adolescentisfrom human sewage samples and the unidentified species related to pig from slurries and slaughterhouse wastewater. Neither the poultry-associatedB. saecularenor the ruminant-associatedB. pseudolongumcould be isolated with the current methodology, suggesting either a low prevalence in the samples or failure of the culture to grow in the media used.

scholarly journals Changes in the home range sizes of terrestrial vertebrates in response to urban disturbance: a meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate O’Donnell ◽  
Javier delBarco-Trillo
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Urban Populations ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽  
Spatial Movement

Abstract The unprecedented growth rate in human population and the increasing movement of people to urban areas is causing a rapid increase in urbanisation globally. Urban environments may restrict or affect the behaviour of many animal species. Importantly, urban populations may change their spatial movement, particularly decreasing their home ranges in response to habitat fragmentation, the presence of landscape barriers and the availability and density of resources. Several species-specific studies suggest that urban animals decrease their home ranges compared with their non-urban counterparts; however, it remained unclear whether this pattern is widespread across taxa or is instead restricted to specific taxonomic groups. Consequently, we conducted a meta-analysis, collecting 41 sets of data comparing home ranges in both natural and urban environments in 32 species of reptiles, birds and mammals. We calculated effect sizes as the difference in animal home range sizes between natural and urban environments. We found that the home ranges were smaller in urban environments compared with natural environments (mean effect size = −0.844), and we observed a similar result when considering birds and mammals separately. We also found that home range sizes were not significantly affected when disturbance in urban areas was minimal, which suggests that many species may be able to tolerate low levels of disturbance without changing their movement patterns. Our study thus indicates that increasing levels of urbanisation restrict the spatial movement of species across taxa; this information is relevant for ecological studies of further urban species as well as for the development of management strategies for urban populations.

scholarly journals Modelagem Bidimensional para a Verificação Hidráulica da Canalização de um Trecho do Rio Fragoso em Olinda (Pernambuco, Brasil)

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2963
Author(s):  
Gastão Cerquinha da Fonseca Neto ◽  
Marcos Antonio Barbosa da Silva Junior ◽  
Arivânia Bandeira Rodrigues ◽  
Alfredo Ribeiro Neto ◽  
Jaime Joaquim da Silva Pereira Cabral
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Hydrological Modeling ◽  
Hydraulic Modeling ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
Marginal Areas ◽  
The Government ◽  
Analysis System

O processo de densificação nas cidades provoca a perda de ambientes naturais, consequentemente reduz as áreas permeáveis, ampliando os fenômenos das inundações urbanas. As medidas mitigadoras geralmente envolvem elevados custos e nem sempre são confiáveis, devido às incertezas de projeto e variáveis naturais de difícil controle e quantificação, principalmente relacionadas às mudanças climáticas. Nesse cenário, a bacia do rio Fragoso, localizada em sua maior parte na cidade costeira de Olinda, registrou recentemente inundações que afetaram extensas áreas, provocando o poder público a realizar obras de canalização e alargamento da calha do rio. Assim, este trabalho objetiva avaliar a confiabilidade de medidas estruturais implementadas em ambientes urbanos costeiros e de baixa elevação, sujeitos às variações da maré. Para isso, foram utilizados os softwares: HEC-GeoHMS para processamento dos dados geoespaciais de topografia, com dados de alta resolução; HEC-HMS 4.2.1 para modelagem hidrológica; e HEC-RAS 5.0.3 para modelagem hidráulica bidimensional, com representação de manchas de inundação através da ferramenta RAS Mapper. Foi simulado o evento chuvoso de 30 de maio de 2016 para dois cenários: o atual, nas condições naturais do rio; e o futuro, com a obra de canalização concluída. Os resultados mostraram que a intervenção seria hidraulicamente satisfatória, permitiria o escoamento das vazões, conseguiria reduzir cerca de 42,32% das áreas urbanas inundadas, mas não evitaria o alagamento de áreas marginais que são naturalmente muito baixas. Bidimensional Modeling for the Hydraulic Verification of the Channeling of a Stretch of the Fragoso river in Olinda (Pernambuco, Brazil). A B S T R A C TThe densification process in cities causes the loss of natural environments, consequently reducing the permeable areas, increasing the phenomena of urban floods. Mitigation measures generally involve high costs and are not always reliable, due to uncertainties in the design and natural variables that are difficult to control and quantify, mainly related to climate change. In this scenario, the Fragoso River basin, located mostly in the coastal city of Olinda, recently registered floods that affected extensive areas, causing the government to carry out canalization and widening the river channel. Thus, this work aims to evaluate the reliability of structural measures implemented in coastal and low elevation urban environments, subject to tidal variations. For this, the following softwares were used: HEC-GeoHMS for processing geospatial topography data, with high resolution data; HEC-HMS 4.2.1 for hydrological modeling; and HEC-RAS 5.0.3 for two-dimensional hydraulic modeling, with representation of flood spots through the RAS Mapper tool. The rainy event of May 30, 2016 was simulated for two scenarios: the current one, in the natural conditions of the river; and the future, with the enlargement and channeling work designed. The results showed that the intervention would be hydraulically satisfactory, would allow the flow of flows, would reduce about 42.32% of the flooded urban areas, but would not prevent the flooding of marginal areas that are naturally very low.Keywords: flood; macrodrainage, Hydrologic Modeling System, River Analysis System.

Hydroponic Nutrient Control System Based on Internet of Things

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Herman Herman ◽  
Demi Adidrana ◽  
Nico Surantha ◽  
Suharjito Suharjito
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Mineral Water ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Total Dissolved Solids ◽  
K Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Turn On ◽  
Nutrient Film Technique ◽  
Planting Method

The human population significantly increases in crowded urban areas. It causes a reduction of available farming land. Therefore, a landless planting method is needed to supply the food for society. Hydroponics is one of the solutions for gardening methods without using soil. It uses nutrient-enriched mineral water as a nutrition solution for plant growth. Traditionally, hydroponic farming is conducted manually by monitoring the nutrition such as acidity or basicity (pH), the value of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Electrical Conductivity (EC), and nutrient temperature. In this research, the researchers propose a system that measures pH, TDS, and nutrient temperature values in the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) technique using a couple of sensors. The researchers use lettuce as an object of experiment and apply the k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) algorithm to predict the classification of nutrient conditions. The result of prediction is used to provide a command to the microcontroller to turn on or off the nutrition controller actuators simultaneously at a time. The experiment result shows that the proposed k-NN algorithm achieves 93.3% accuracy when it is k = 5.

Diversity of organisms

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip James
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
The Common ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Micro Organisms ◽  
Diversity Of Life

The focus of this chapter is an examination of the diversity of living organisms found within urban environments, both inside and outside buildings. The discussion commences with prions and viruses before moving on to consider micro-organisms, plants, and animals. Prions and viruses cause disease in plants and animals, including humans. Micro-organisms are ubiquitous and are found in great numbers throughout urban environments. New technologies are providing new insights into their diversity. Plants may be found inside buildings as well as in gardens and other green spaces. The final sections of the chapter offer a discussion of the diversity of animals that live in urban areas for part or all of their life cycle. Examples of the diversity of life in urban environments are presented throughout, including native and non-native species, those that are benign and deadly, and the common and the rare.

Using the private finance initiative for energy efficiency projects at the urban scale

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto De Marco ◽  
Giulio Mangano ◽  
Fania Valeria Michelucci ◽  
Giovanni Zenezini
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Light Emitting Diode ◽  
Project Finance ◽  
Private Finance Initiative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Light Emitting ◽  
Alternate Forms ◽  
Private Investors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to suggest the usage of the project finance (PF) scheme as a suitable mechanism to fund energy efficiency projects at the urban scale and present its advantages and adoption barriers. Design/methodology/approach – A case study is developed to renew the traffic lighting system of an Italian town via replacement of the old lamps with new light-emitting diode (LED) technology. Several partners are involved in the case project to construct a viable PF arrangement. Findings – The case study presents the viability of the proposed PF scheme that provides for acceptable financial returns and bankability. However, it also shows that the need for short concession periods may call for a public contribution to the initial funding to make the project more attractive to private investors. Practical implications – This case study is a useful guideline for governments and promoters to using the PF arrangement to fund energy efficiency investments in urban settings. It helps designing an appropriate PF scheme and understanding the advantages of PF to reduce risk and, consequently, increase the debt leverage and profitability of energy efficiency projects. Originality/value – This paper contributes to bridging the gap about the lack of works addressing the implementation of the PF mechanism in the energy efficiency sector in urban areas. The importance of this paper is also associated with the shortage of traditional public finance faced by many cities that forces to seek for alternate forms of financing.

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