scholarly journals Microbiological Air Monitoring and Long-Term Evaluations of Selected Urban Areas in the City of Tirana

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Erjon Troja ◽  
Luljeta Pinguli ◽  
Rozana Troja ◽  
Eltion Dhamo ◽  
Elena Muça
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Aspergillus Terreus ◽  
Viable Count ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Total Viable Count ◽  
National Program ◽  
Scientific Evaluation ◽  
Year 2000 ◽  
The City

The described experimental study, performed over the years, includes the quantitative and qualitative monitoring of the presence of microorganisms of air in outdoor and indoor environments of the Albanian Capital, Tirana, during a time when large demographic movements, accompanied by important urban interventions and infrastructural changes, have been part of our lives. A project, part of the National Program in Biotechnology (R & D—the year 2000), was the first support to obtain a database on microbiological air pollution in selected urban areas in Tirana and isolate and identify specific air microbial pollutants. The results obtained were an incentive to continue further with additional scientific evaluation monitoring research, which included the years 2011 to 2015 and then those of 2016–2020. Over the years, there has been a significant reduction in pollutant microbial loads (for selected outdoor areas of the center of Tirana, the total discovered loads decreased from values of the order 105–106, to currently about 102, for the same areas). A fluctuation in indoor microbial loads was observed in many cases. Additionally, a prominent presence of typical environmental fungi pollutants such as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus, as well as bacterial pollutants, cocci, and bacilli (typical Bacillus megatherium) was identified during a Total Viable Count (TVC) and other microbiological tests of identification.

Post-Disaster Urban Recovery Monitoring in Pisco After the 2007 Peru Earthquake Using Satellite Image

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1059-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoyo Hoshi ◽  
◽  
Osamu Murao ◽  
Kunihiko Yoshino ◽  
Fumio Yamazaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Visual Interpretation ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Recovery Processes ◽  
The City ◽  
Post Disaster

Pisco was the area most damaged by the 2007 Peru earthquake. The purpose of this research is to develop possibilities of using satellite imagery to monitor postdisaster urban recovery processes, focusing on the urban change in Pisco between 2007 and 2011. To this end, the authors carried out field surveys in the city in 2012 and 2013 and also examined previous surveys to determine that building reconstruction peaked between 2008 and 2009. After analyzing the five-year recovery process, the authors compared its reconstruction conditions by visual interpretation with those by image analysis using satellite image. An accuracy of 71.2% was achieved for the visual interpretation results in congested urban areas, and that for developed districts was about 60%. The result shows that satellite imagery can be a useful tool for monitoring and understanding post-disaster urban recovery processes in the areas in which conducting long-term field survey is difficult.

scholarly journals Integrasi Daya Tarik Wisata Kota Denpasar Bali

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-66
Author(s):  
I Gusti Bagus Rai Utama
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Shopping Malls ◽  
Traditional Markets ◽  
Multiple Components ◽  
City Tourism ◽  
Historical Monuments ◽  
Tourism Attractions ◽  
The City

The model of the development of an integrated city tourism urgently to be done for the short- term and long-term. Develop urban area is an attempt to increase revenue through taxes hotels, restaurants, and simultaneously increase the economic activity in urban areas. The good management of the city tourism will realize the satisfaction of all parties. Some of the cities in Indonesia deserves to be developed as a city tourism when viewed from multiple components as tourism attractions. These components are like: the town hall, roads that meaningful myth, historical monuments, culinary, college or university, shopping malls, traditional markets, squares, parks, museums, fairs, and other attractions. To be able to make it as a tourist product, the necessary integration related aspects comprising aspects of the attraction of the city, the transportation aspect, the aspect of main and supporting facilities, and institutional aspects such as the attributes of human resources, systems, and other related institutions. The city of Denpasar as as a business center of the activity in case the tourists both domestic and foreign tourists, require restructuring. Structuring urgent to do is structuring the local community business centers, the arrangement of lodges or hotels, and the area attractions management.

scholarly journals Short-term temperature variability in a tropical Andean city Manizales, Colombia

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-139
Author(s):  
Jeannette Zambrano Nájera ◽  
Victor Delgado ◽  
Jorge Julian Vélez Upegui
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Temperature Structure ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Temporal Complexity ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Available Information ◽  
The City

The climatic variability in the Tropical Andes area is high, both spatially and temporally, and its analysis must be carried out both in the short and long term depending on the available information. This type of spatial-temporal analysis provides tools for planning and environmental management in urban areas, given its high complexity. This investigation focuses on a diagnosis of the diurnal cycle and the analysis of the monthly temperature structure in 13 stations located in the city of Manizales, Caldas (Colombia). This applied research aims to understand the behavior of the temperature in a tropical Andes city in Colombia, where the spatial-temporal complexity of this variable improve the urban and hydrological planning strategies. Results correspond to what has been previously defined by other authors for the Andean zone: city temperature shows very stable patrons, yet important variations in temperature range across the city are appreciated during the day.

scholarly journals Physicochemical and microbial water quality of Sylhet city corporation, Bangladesh

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-37
Author(s):  
M Hoque ◽  
S Ahmed ◽  
MJ Alam ◽  
M Purkayastha ◽  
A Belal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Fecal Coliform ◽  
Viable Count ◽  
Total Alkalinity ◽  
Most Probable Number ◽  
Total Viable Count ◽  
Probable Number ◽  
Microbial Water Quality ◽  
The City

Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) of Bangladesh is supplying water to the Sylhet city dwellers through its distribution network. The quality of water is at risk to deteriorate during its flow through the distribution system and also due to probability of high elemental concentrations in groundwater. To identify such probable water contamination problems; water samples from 20 (out of 27) different wards of the city were analyzed in this study. The parameters analyzed were pH, turbidity, total alkalinity as Calcium carbonate CaCO3, total hardness, iron, manganese, arsenic, chloride, fluoride, MPN (Most Probable Number), total viable count (TVC), coliform and fecal coliform. The study revealed that all the physico-chemical parameters except alkalinity were in the permissible limit. All the samples were found to have total alkalinity as CaCO3 value higher than the WHO and Bangladesh Standards limit. But the water from treatment plant was found to have high turbidity and iron concentration. Analysis of microbial water quality parameters revealed that there was no coliform and fecal coliform contamination. But high value of MPN index and total viable count indicates that there were obvious contamination and chances of contamination by non-fecal pathogens. Finally, it is concluded and recommended that the water treatment facilities of SCC have to be improved, further investigation should be done to identify the non-fecal organisms and the cause of high total viable bacteria should be detected and corrected for the betterment of the city dwellers. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijns.v2i1.10881 International Journal of Natural Sciences (2012), 2(1): 33-37

scholarly journals Long-term urban traffic monitoring based on wireless multi-sensor network

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-208
Author(s):  
Wiktoria Loga-Księska ◽  
Justyna Sordyl ◽  
Artur Ryguła
Keyword(s):  
Sensor Network ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Traffic Monitoring ◽  
Traffic Volume ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
City Centre ◽  
The City

AbstractIncreasing the number of vehicles on the road network and the growing popularity of sustainable development of urban areas have resulted in the need for implementing efficient and cost-effective traffic measurement methods. From the perspective of traffic management, up-to-date information about vehicle density and access to historical data are the key components of traffic variability analyses. Rapid technological development based on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) has popularised the wireless sensor networks (WSN) application. The solution enables continuous monitoring of selected area using multiple wireless and low-cost sensors connected within a network. Those systems are dynamically evolving tools for solving an effective traffic management issues in city centres and urban environments. In the study, authors have performed a traffic variability and its dynamics analysis in a selected area using a multi-sensor network for traffic volume monitoring. The article presents the results of research conducted between years 2015 - 2018 throughout the city of Bielsko-Biala with the support of OnDynamic multimodal system. Within the context of the analyses, basic traffic parameters have been determined and variability trends have been identified on selected road sections. Long-term research indicated the minor variation in a number of vehicle detections and relatively stable traffic volume in the city centre during the analysis period.

scholarly journals Stress in the city: meta-analysis indicates no overall evidence for stress in urban vertebrates

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1936) ◽  
pp. 20201754
Author(s):  
Maider Iglesias-Carrasco ◽  
Upama Aich ◽  
Michael D. Jennions ◽  
Megan L. Head
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Detrimental Effect ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
The City

As cities continue to grow it is increasingly important to understand the long-term responses of wildlife to urban environments. There have been increased efforts to determine whether urbanization imposes chronic stress on wild animals, but empirical evidence is mixed. Here, we conduct a meta-analysis to test whether there is, on average, a detrimental effect of urbanization based on baseline and stress-induced glucocorticoid levels of wild vertebrates. We found no effect of urbanization on glucocorticoid levels, and none of sex, season, life stage, taxon, size of the city nor methodology accounted for variation in the observed effect sizes. At face value, our results suggest that urban areas are no more stressful for wildlife than rural or non-urban areas, but we offer a few reasons why this conclusion could be premature. We propose that refining methods of data collection will improve our understanding of how urbanization affects the health and survival of wildlife.

scholarly journals Mapping of Flood Zones in Urban Areas through a Hydro-climatic Approach: the Case of the City of Abha

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Allaoua Ansar ◽  
Azaiez Naima
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Statistical Processing ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Human Intervention ◽  
Local Stakeholders ◽  
The City

Flooding is a natural phenomenon of the hydrological cycle, but it has become an urban concern in many cities around the world. Due to human intervention on the functioning of hydrosystems through infrastructure, the channelling of watercourses, the redirection of the flow and the inevitable extension of the urban landscape, floods have become a growing urban hazard. Several cities are currently facing very frequent flash floods. These floods are of various types and several factors are at the origin of their manifestation, which leaves its understanding and prevention for local stakeholders a long-term process that requires a colossal amount of work among several multidisciplinary researchers. Without denying the scientific consensus on the role of climate change, currently floods are largely caused by the senseless and irresponsible behaviour of humans. Among the cities in Saudi Arabia facing the risk of flooding is the city of Abha located in the southwest of the country, the focus of this research. It is subject to recurrent and devastating floods caused by several factors. Controversial topography, dissected orography, aggressive rainfall, accelerated and unregulated urban growth, and irresponsible human intervention are all factors that aggravate this problem. The resolution of this problem, or at least the minimization of its consequences, requires a rigorous and carefully studied approach. The appropriate knowledge by local stakeholders must be reinforced by a methodological and cartographic assessment of this phenomenon in order to mitigate its consequences. The main objective of this work is to make cartographic and methodological contributions to acquire additional knowledge on the flood hazard in the city of Abha through a statistical processing of rainfall data for the period 1978-2018, a mapping of the factors intervening on the runoff and its various behaviors and finally a synthetic analysis.

scholarly journals MUCCnet: Munich Urban Carbon Column network

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 1111-1126
Author(s):  
Florian Dietrich ◽  
Jia Chen ◽  
Benno Voggenreiter ◽  
Patrick Aigner ◽  
Nico Nachtigall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Sensor Network ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Concentration Gradients ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
The City

Abstract. In order to mitigate climate change, it is crucial to understand urban greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions precisely, as more than two-thirds of the anthropogenic GHG emissions worldwide originate from cities. Nowadays, urban emission estimates are mainly based on bottom-up calculation approaches with high uncertainties. A reliable and long-term top-down measurement approach could reduce the uncertainty of these emission inventories significantly. We present the Munich Urban Carbon Column network (MUCCnet), the world's first urban sensor network, which has been permanently measuring GHGs, based on the principle of differential column measurements (DCMs), since summer 2019. These column measurements and column concentration differences are relatively insensitive to vertical redistribution of tracer masses and surface fluxes upwind of the city, making them a favorable input for an inversion framework and, therefore, a well-suited candidate for the quantification of GHG emissions. However, setting up such a stationary sensor network requires an automated measurement principle. We developed our own fully automated enclosure systems for measuring column-averaged CO2, CH4 and CO concentrations with a solar-tracking Fourier transform spectrometer (EM27/SUN) in a fully automated and long-term manner. This also includes software that starts and stops the measurements autonomously and can be used independently from the enclosure system. Furthermore, we demonstrate the novel applications of such a sensor network by presenting the measurement results of our five sensor systems that are deployed in and around Munich. These results include the seasonal cycle of CO2 since 2015, as well as concentration gradients between sites upwind and downwind of the city. Thanks to the automation, we were also able to continue taking measurements during the COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020. By correlating the CO2 column concentration gradients to the traffic amount, we demonstrate that our network is capable of detecting variations in urban emissions. The measurements from our unique sensor network will be combined with an inverse modeling framework that we are currently developing in order to monitor urban GHG emissions over years, identify unknown emission sources and assess how effective the current mitigation strategies are. In summary, our achievements in automating column measurements of GHGs will allow researchers all over the world to establish this approach for long-term greenhouse gas monitoring in urban areas.

scholarly journals Assessing Vehicle Emissions from a Multi-Lane to Turbo Roundabout Conversion Using a Microsimulation Tool

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4399
Author(s):  
Maksymilian Mądziel ◽  
Tiziana Campisi ◽  
Artur Jaworski ◽  
Hubert Kuszewski ◽  
Paweł Woś
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
User Characteristics ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
Road Congestion ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Sustainable Urban Mobility ◽  
Levels Of Service ◽  
The City

The development of urban strategies for the reduction of environmental impacts and decarbonization requires ongoing monitoring from the local scale and further deployment of actions to improve transport demand (user characteristics and modal choice) and supply (infrastructure and services). The analysis of pollution sources and the evaluation of possible scenarios are preliminary to the mitigation of impacts. In particular, the study of geometrical and functional characteristics of infrastructures through micro-simulation allows understanding of which schemes can support the reduction of emissions and guarantee high levels of service (LOS), reducing the problem of vehicular congestion in urban areas. The present work focuses on the small-scale analysis of vehicular traffic emissions at a multi-lane roundabout road intersection and the comparison of geometric schemes (current and design) and use with a turbo roundabout scheme as traffic volumes changes. These volumes have plummeted due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that the geometric-functional modification of the roundabout intersection from a multi-lane to a turbo-roundabout intersection allows a reduction of up to 30% of the emissions considering the current composition of the traffic fleet in the city of Rzeszow in Poland. The proposed comparative analysis methodology can contribute to the drafting of sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) proposing a set of investments for new road works and considering a number of scenarios with interventions that can be implemented in the medium and long term that can provide the incentive to reduce road congestion and vehicular emissions.

scholarly journals The Harris Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) in Urban Areas of Argentina: Arrival in Mar Del Plata City and Green Area Use in Buenos Aires City

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1023
Author(s):  
Lucas M. Leveau
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Urbanization Gradient ◽  
Green Area ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Area Use ◽  
Parabuteo Unicinctus ◽  
The City

Urbanization has a negative impact on raptor species diversity and abundance. However, some species can adapt to urban areas, and the process of city colonization by raptors has been documented scarcely in the Northern Hemisphere. Information about city colonization by raptors in the Southern Hemisphere is null, and studies about habitat use by raptors are scarce. The objectives of this study were: (1) to describe an event of Harris Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) arrival in Mar del Plata city, Argentina, and (2) to analyze its green area use in a recently colonized city, Buenos Aires. Long-term data collected during 2002–2019, along an urbanization gradient of Mar del Plata, was used to describe the city arrival by the Harris Hawk. Surveys of green areas in Buenos Aires were used to model the Harris Hawk occurrence in relation to green area size and isolation to other green spaces. The Harris Hawk arrival was observed during 2019, mainly in periurban areas of Mar del Plata, and at least three pairs were breeding. In Buenos Aires, the occurrence of the Harris Hawk in green areas was related to the proximity to other large green areas. The results obtained suggest the importance of green areas for raptor colonization in cities.

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