scholarly journals Using citizen-science reports to document range expansion of the introduced Chinese Water Dragon (Physignathus cocincinus) in Hong Kong

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-131
Author(s):  
Matthew Mo
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Natural Areas ◽  
Chinese Water ◽  
Males And Females

The first incursion of Chinese Water Gragons (Physignathus cocincinus) in Hong Kong occurred in October 2004 on Tsing Yi Island. This study identified a further 54 citizen-science reports of dragons in different locations of Hong Kong. Although there were no subsequent reports from Tsing Yi Island, there were recurring reports in five other locations. In Aberdeen, reports started in 2010, concentrating on the grounds of Ocean Park. There were also numerous reports from the Kam Shan Country Park since 2010, the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir since 2011, the Lion Rock Country Park since 2012, and the Sha Tin District since 2014. Dragons were mostly observed in natural areas, but also in urban areas. The highest number of sightings were reported in April. Combinations of males and females were identified in four of the locations with numerous reports, suggesting that these populations are self-sustaining.

Flood alleviation in a heavily urbanized area – Kai Tak Nullah, Hong Kong

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan K. L. Chan ◽  
Colin K. C. Wong ◽  
Robin H. N. Lee ◽  
Mike W. H. Cho
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Hydraulic Modelling ◽  
The Public ◽  
Design Considerations ◽  
Urbanized Area ◽  
Development Area ◽  
The Government ◽  
Exercise Design

The existing Kai Tak Nullah flows from Po Kong Village Road along Choi Hung Road and Tung Tau Estate into Kai Tak Development Area before discharging into the Victoria Harbour. Historically its upstream has been subject to flooding under storm conditions and this has had serious repercussions for the adjacent urban areas. A study has been commissioned by the Drainage Services Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), China to investigate the flood mechanisms and to provide flood alleviation measures by improving the capacity of the Kai Tak Nullah. In addition to flood alleviation, there is a strong public aspiration to rehabilitate the Kai Tak Nullah by a comparatively natural river design. Since the Kai Tak Nullah is located within a heavily urbanized area, traffic and environmental impacts are also highly concerned. The final flood alleviation scheme has thus had to strike a balance among the aforesaid factors with assistance from the hydraulic modelling utilizing InfoWorks Collection Systems (CS) software. This paper presents the public engagement exercise, design considerations, methodologies, and recommendations regarding the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Kai Tak Nullah.

scholarly journals Evaluating human–coyote encounters in an urban landscape using citizen science

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Drake ◽  
Shelli Dubay ◽  
Maximilian L Allen
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Human Observer ◽  
Public Outreach ◽  
The Public ◽  
Paved Road ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Human Wildlife Conflict

Abstract Coyotes are ubiquitous in habitats across North America, including in urban areas. Reviews of human–coyote encounters are limited in scope and analysis and predominantly document encounters that tend to be negative, such as human–wildlife conflict, rather than benign experiences. The objective of our study was to use citizen science reports of human–coyote interactions entered into iNaturalist to better understand the range of first person accounts of human–coyote encounters in Madison, WI. We report 398 citizen science accounts of human–coyote encounters in the Madison area between October 2015 and March 2018. Most human–coyote encounters occurred during coyote breeding season and half of all encounters occurred in moderate development land cover. Estimated level of coyote aggressiveness varied significantly, with 90% of citizen scientists scoring estimated coyote aggression as a 0 and 7% scoring estimated aggression as a 1 on a 0–5 scale (with 0 being calm and 5 being aggressive). Our best performing model explaining the estimated distance between the human observer and a coyote (our proxy for a human–coyote encounter) included the variables distance to nearest paved road, biological season of the year relative to coyote life history, and time of day/night. We demonstrate that human–coyote interactions are regularly more benign than negative, with almost all first-hand reported human–coyote encounters being benign. We encourage public outreach focusing on practices that can foster benign encounters when educating the public to facilitate human–coyote coexistence.

Dispersal patterns in a regional koala population in south-east Queensland

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 281 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Dique ◽  
Jim Thompson ◽  
Harriet J. Preece ◽  
Deidré L. de Villiers ◽  
Frank N. Carrick
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Dispersal Patterns ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
The Social ◽  
Straight Line Distance ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Natal Home

Koala dispersal was investigated as part of a detailed ecological study of a nationally significant koala population located 20 km south-east of Brisbane, Queensland. From 1996 to 2000, 195 koalas from three sites were captured and fitted with radio-collars. A total of 40 koalas (23 males and 17 females) dispersed from these sites. Most (93%) dispersing individuals were 20–36 months of age. Three adult females (more than 36 months old) dispersed and no adult males dispersed during the study. A significantly higher proportion of young males dispersed than females. Dispersal occurred between June and December, with most dispersal of males commencing in July and August and that of females commencing between September and November prior to, and early in, the annual breeding season. The mean straight-line distance between the natal and breeding home ranges for males and females was similar and was measured at 3.5 km (range 1.1–9.7 km) and 3.4 km (range 0.3–10.6 km) respectively. Dispersing males and females tended to successfully disperse south and west of their natal home ranges and were generally unable to successfully disperse to urban areas within the study area, as a high proportion of the mortality of dispersing koalas was associated with attacks by domestic dogs and with collisions with vehicles on roads. Information from other studies indicates that most young koalas disperse from their natal areas. It is likely that the social behaviour and mating systems of koala populations provide mechanisms for young koalas to disperse. The potential role of dispersal in the dynamics of regional koala populations is discussed.

Assessment of Stature from Hand Span - A Cross Sectional Descriptive Investigation among Undergraduate Medical Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 577-582
Author(s):  
Mani Kathapillai
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Span Length ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Hand Size ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Hand Length

BACKGROUND Hand size measurements are commonly used references when instruments are not available and still practiced in rural and even in urban areas of Tamil Nadu. Ancient literature evidences have adequate support for their usage. We wanted to correlate hand span length, hand breadth, and hand length with the stature of an individual. We also wanted to compare the level of correlation of hand span length between males and females. METHODS 214 students were recruited for this study as a convenient sample size. Male students were 122, females were 92. They were aged between 18 - 23 years of Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute. Hand span is the distance between tips of the casually extended pollex and minimus. RESULTS The results of Pearson’s correlations were moderately significant between height and the hand breadth (0.315), between height and weight (0.340), and between height and hand length (0.387). The extent of correlation was significant between height and the hand span (0.954) in case of males. In case of females, value of the correlation was also moderately significant between height and the hand breadth (0.619), between height and weight (0.392), between height and hand length (0.515) and between height and the hand span (0.973). CONCLUSIONS The stature was reliably estimated from the hand span length, and the same could be applied for the medicolegal, and forensic purposes. KEY WORDS Hand Span, Stature, Medico Legal, Anthropometry

scholarly journals Growth curve of Atlantoscia floridana (van Name) (Crustacea, Isopoda, Philosciidae) from a Brazilian Restinga Forest

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Beatriz Araujo ◽  
Georgina Bond-Buckup
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Growth Curve ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Growth Curves ◽  
Rio Grande ◽  
Rio Grande Do Sul ◽  
Differential Growth ◽  
Estimate Life Expectancy ◽  
Males And Females

The terrestrial isopod Atlantoscia floridana (van Name, 1940) occurs from the U.S.A. (Florida) to Brazil and Argentina. In the southernmost Brazilian State, Rio Grande do Sul, the species is recorded in many localities, in urban and in non-urban areas. The growth curve of Atlantoscia floridana based on field data is presented. The specimens were sampled from April, 2000 to October, 2001 at the Reserva Biológica do Lami (RBL), Rio Grande do Sul. Captured individuals were sexed and had their cephalothorax width measured, with the data analyzed with von Bertalanffy's model. The growth curves for males and females are described, respectively, by the equations: Wt = 1.303 [1 - e-0.00941 (t + 50.37)] and Wt = 1.682 [1 - e-0.00575 (t + 59.13)]. The curves showed differential growth between sexes, where females reach a higher Wµ with a slower growth rate. Based on the growth curves it was also possible to estimate life expectancy for males and females.

Gender-related online metalinguistic comments on Straattaal and Moroccan Flavored Dutch in the Moroccan heritage community in the Netherlands

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacomine Nortier
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Basic Question ◽  
Heritage Languages ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Overt Attention ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Linguistic Material

AbstractStraattaal (‘street language’) used by members of various ethnic groups contains linguistic material from English and several heritage languages with relatively many Sranan words. Moroccan Flavored Dutch (MFD) is Dutch with elements from Moroccan languages on the level of pronunciation, lexicon and/or grammar. Both Straattaal and MFD can be used by young Moroccan-Dutch. The basic question is: How is the use of MFD and Straattaal by Moroccan-Dutch females perceived within the Moroccan community in CMC? Data were collected by searching posts on social media. Male and female young Moroccan-Dutch comment negatively on Moroccan girls using Straattaal. However, MFD is used too, even by the same participants, receiving little overt attention. The use of and attitudes towards youth languages by females elsewhere sometimes differ from the Moroccan-Dutch context. Examples from Algeria, Indonesia and Hong Kong show that they are used by both females and men without overt negative connotations compared to Western Europe where they seem to be used predominantly by males. A possible explanation could be that there seems to be a gender restriction for varieties used as anti-languages (Halliday 1976), while youth varieties that mark socially upward mobility can be used by both males and females.

scholarly journals Exploring Annual Urban Expansions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area: Spatiotemporal Features and Driving Factors in 1986–2017

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 2615
Author(s):  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Le Yu ◽  
Xuecao Li ◽  
Chenchen Zhang ◽  
Tiezhu Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Driving Factors ◽  
Annual Growth ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Urban Dynamics ◽  
Bay Area

The Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China is one of the largest bay areas in the world. However, the spatiotemporal characteristics and driving mechanisms of urban expansions in this region are poorly understood. Here we used the annual remote sensing images, Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, and geographical detector method to characterize the spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion in the GBA and investigate their driving factors during 1986–2017 on regional and city scales. The results showed that: the GBA experienced an unprecedented urban expansion over the past 32 years. The total urban area expanded from 652.74 km2 to 8137.09 km2 from 1986 to 2017 (approximately 13 times). The annual growth rate during 1986–2017 was 8.20% and the annual growth rate from 1986 to 1990 was the highest (16.89%). Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan, and Shenzhen experienced the highest urban expansion rate, with the annual increase of urban areas in 51.51, 45.54, 36.76, and 23.26 km2 y−1, respectively, during 1986–2017. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), income, road length, and population were the most important driving factors of the urban expansions in the GBA. We also found the driving factors of the urban expansions varied with spatial and temporal scales, suggesting the general understanding from the regional level may not reveal detailed urban dynamics. Detailed urban management and planning policies should be made considering the spatial and internal heterogeneity. These findings can enhance the comprehensive understanding of this bay area and help policymakers to promote sustainable development in the future.

scholarly journals Evaluation of an Easy-to-Install, Low-Cost Dendrometer Band for Citizen-Science Tree Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-322
Author(s):  
Michael G Just ◽  
Steven D Frank
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Stem Growth ◽  
Growth Monitoring ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Highly Correlated

AbstractTree-stem growth is an important metric for evaluating many ecological and silvicultural research questions. However, answering these questions may require monitoring growth on many individual trees that span changing environments and geographies, which can incur significant costs. Recently, citizen science has been successfully employed as a cost-effective approach to collect data for large-scale projects that also increases scientific awareness. Still, citizen-science-led tree-growth monitoring requires the use of tools that are affordable, understandable, and accurate. Here, we compare an inexpensive, easy-to-install dendrometer band to two other bands that are more expensive with more complex installations. We installed a series of three dendrometers on 31 red maples (Acer rubrum) in two urban areas in the eastern United States. We found that the stem-growth measurements reported by these dendrometers were highly correlated and, thus, validate the utility of the inexpensive band.

Mitochondrial DNA variation within and among populations of the mosquito Aedes albopictus

Genome ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srinivas Kambhampati ◽  
Karamjit S. Rai
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Dna Variation ◽  
Restriction Fragment Polymorphism ◽  
Mtdna Polymorphism

A survey of restriction fragment polymorphism in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 17 populations of the mosquito Aedes albopictus was undertaken. The mtDNA size was estimated to be about 17.5 kbp. The level of polymorphism was low, with over 99% of the fragments being shared in common among the 17 populations. Three populations, Mauritius, Singapore, and Hong Kong, contained individuals with both the ancestral and novel mtDNA haplotypes. We conclude that the low level of mtDNA polymorphism in A. albopictus is a result of recent range expansion and that the mixture of haplotypes is a likely result of human-aided gene flow among populations.Key words: mitochondrial DNA, genetic variation, genetic structure, Aedes albopictus.

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