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Accurate and reliable velocity information is crucial for kinematic positioning, as it not only characterizes the carrier state but also serves as constraint information for positioning. However, due to the influence of low-cost Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chips and complex environments, GNSS signals are prone to attenuation and interruptions. Consequently, frequent gross errors and cycle slips occur in observations, significantly degrading the velocity precision and reliability. To address this challenge, we have proposed a method combining Doppler and Time-Differenced Carrier Phase Velocity Estimation (D-TDCPVE). First, we assess the accuracy of both Doppler and carrier phase observations to determine the appropriate weight ratio for their combination. Second, we analyze the correlation between the two observation types and propose an adaptive parameter estimation strategy for estimating one or two clock bias variations to address their potential differences. Finally, we incorporate a combination of pre- and post-detection quality control measures along with additional cycle slip parameters to mitigate the impact of gross errors and cycle slips in complex environments. Experimental results conducted with three low-cost devices in urban environments demonstrate the superior performance of the D-TDCPVE method over both Doppler velocity estimation (DVE) and time-differenced carrier phase velocity estimation (TDCPVE). It enhances the success rate of velocity estimation by 3.3% to 20.1% compared to TDCPVE and improves velocity estimation accuracy by 16.1% to 60.9% compared to DVE. Moreover, the method does not necessitate the combination of dual-frequency observations, making it particularly valuable for cycle slip detection in scenarios involving mixed single- and dual-frequency observations, which is particularly useful in urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has proved a close relationship between environments and physiological as well as psychological responses. However, existing research based on neuroscience experiments demonstrated a clear dichotomy between natural and built environments in the selection of exposure settings. There is very limited research analyzing and comparing the effects of different urban environments on individual psychological health. In addition, most previous studies focus on effects of the general scenes and the influences of specific elements and components within different scenes are less examined. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of four typical urban scenes, six specific elements and twenty-two components on physiological indicators and psychological responses. The physiological indicators included electroencephalography (EEG) and electrodermal activity (EDA), while the psychological responses were assessed using the profile of mood states (POMS) scale and the perceived restorativeness scale (PRS). The analytical results showed that different urban environments tend to have significantly varied, and even opposite impacts on the residents' psychological well-being. Certain urban environments like historical districts can have even greater positive impact on residents' emotions than natural areas. The perceived restoration of the same elements and components varied according to the urban scenes. These findings can provide guidance for health-oriented spaces planning and designing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation of vegetation in urban environments, particularly grasslands, is a seldom-addressed yet highly relevant issue from both ecological and social perspectives. In this article, we open a discussion on the importance of urban and peri-urban grasslands, the challenges of conserving biodiversity in these areas, and the related socioecological issues. To support this discussion, we conducted surveys of plant diversity in five urban grasslands within the Metropolitan Region of Buenos Aires (RMBA), where socio-environmental organizations actively engage in conservation efforts. First, we explore the problems of grasslands, the definition of urban grasslands and their various interpretations in the literature, and society's perception and appreciation of these areas. We summarize the benefits that urban grasslands provide to society, including biodiversity conservation, recreation and environmental education. Next, we describe the specific characteristics of five RMBA grassland areas designated for conservation. In these areas, despite the fragmentation of the urban matrix and the presence of invasive exotic species, a significant proportion of native species typical of the Pampean grassland remains, which are valuable for conserving urban biodiversity. This highlights the ecological importance of these areas and the need to develop effective strategies for conserving and restoring urban grassland fragments. Finally, we examine the advantages and potential opportunities these fragments represent for the region and propose solutions to the identified challenges, such as implementing suitable management practices to reduce exotic species invasion and restore grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Urbanization-induced environmental changes affect the geographical distribution of natural plant species. This study focused on how polyploidization, a dynamic genome change, influences the survival and distribution of Commelina communis (Cc) and its subspecies C. communis f. ciliata (Ccfc), which have variable chromosome numbers (e.g. Cc, 2 n  = 88 for Cc; Ccfc, 2 n  = 46 for Ccfc). The aim was to investigate polyploidization effects on natural plant distribution in urban environments. Methods The geographical distribution across urban–rural gradients was investigated at a total of 218 sites in Japan. Stomata size and density were measured and compared between Cc and Ccfc. Flow cytometry determined genome size and polyploidy. Chromosome karyotyping was performed using the genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) method. Key Results Urban areas were exclusively dominated by Cc, while Cc and Ccfc coexisted in rural areas. Cc had larger and fewer stomata and a genome size more than twice that of Ccfc. GISH results indicated that Cc possesses Ccfc and another unknown genome, suggesting allopolyploidy. Conclusions Our results show that the ploidy difference affects the geographical distribution, stomata traits and genome size between two distinct taxa in the genus Commelina , C. communis as a neo-tetraploid and C. communis f. ciliata , the diploid. Cc is an allopolyploid and is therefore not only polyploidy but also has an additional genome that provides new sets of genes and alleles, contributing to Cc having enhanced survival potentials in urban environments compared with Ccfc. This is the first investigation to clarify the distribution difference related to urban environments, the difference in stomata traits and genome size, and to study chromosome composition in Commelina species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tyre-pavement friction significantly impacts traffic safety performance, yet integrating these topics is often overlooked in pavement engineering. This paper addresses this gap by utilising microscopic traffic simulation and surrogate measures of safety to assess vehicular conflicts severity in diverse urban scenarios and establish friction thresholds for practical implementation. A pre-construction materials selection approach is proposed, employing a predictive model for tyre-pavement friction. Findings reveal that combinations of fine-graded mixtures and low surface texture mineral aggregates can lead to increased conflict severity in urban environments. Furthermore, a post-construction texture assessment using 3D computer vision was applied for verifying compliance with friction thresholds for asphalt pavement surfaces. This study emphasises the potential for cost-effective integration of traffic simulation and safety analysis to an enhanced urban pavement design and evaluation. By incorporating safety-based tyre-pavement friction considerations, decision-making related to materials selection and friction conditions can be improved, leading to safer urban transportation networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We integrated GPS and accelerometer data to examine habitat selection and energy expenditure patterns across the diel cycle in Strix varia (Barred Owls), addressing a critical gap in wildlife research that often overlooks activity during the "inactive" phase. Owls in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, selected forests with tall canopies and open understories, particularly in affluent neighborhoods, supporting the "luxury effect" in urban biodiversity. Nocturnal home ranges were larger (31.8 ha) compared to diurnal home ranges (8.9 ha), indicating broader habitat use at night. The total area of preferred nocturnal habitat was 33% of the Baton Rouge study area, whereas preferred diurnal habitat comprised only 5%. Energy expenditure was inversely related to preference in nocturnal home ranges but increased with preference in diurnal home ranges. Our models were validated using independent data from Clemson, South Carolina, supporting the robustness of our analysis and revealing generalities in owl habitat selection across these regions. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of urban ecology, highlighting habitat components preferred by owls and possibly other forest-dwelling species. It emphasizes the difference in nocturnal and diurnal home range sizes, the scarcity of daytime refuges for S. varia in urban landscapes, and the variation in energy expenditure in preferred habitats. Our findings advocate for urban designs that accommodate wildlife activity throughout the day and night, and highlight the positive correlation between preferred owl habitat and affluent neighborhoods, underscoring the need for equitable distribution of green spaces to foster biodiversity across socioeconomic gradients. These insights will help develop strategies to enhance the ecological value of urban environments and the conservation of S. varia and associated forest-dwelling species in rapidly urbanizing areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Towns and cities produce large quantities of organic waste which is problematic for waste management structures. This work assesses contingency of new approaches to composting in the fight against the management of organic waste in urban areas. The research focuses on three key composting methods which include aerobic composting, anaerobic digestion and vermicomposting. Samples were obtained from the urban communities that practiced these measures for one year. It was revealed that aerobic composting if implemented lowers the quantity of organic waste through composting to sixty-five percent and attains the compost maturity index of 0.85 and simultaneously producing 40% less total greenhouse gasses compared to those produced when landfilling. Biogas from the anaerobic digestion with a methane content of 60% offers 1.2 kWh of energy per kilogram of the waste and results in a 70% minimisation in the waste. A survey of urban residents participating in these programs had a 70% satisfaction level, further proving that the community is willing to participate in sustainable waste management. This work also reveals that composting strategies are useful in addressing the increasing problems of urban organic waste while lessening the effects on the environment and encouraging the growth of innovations in urban agricultural practices. Further studies should be conducted to look at how these techniques can be incorporated into the city's physical network for better waste disposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How people think and feel about their neighborhood impacts the way they think of themselves and their futures. These linkages are especially important to understand in the case of urban‐residing young Black women. Researchers know very little about what contributes to young Black adults' urban neighborhood perceptions and often rely on "expert" definitions of markers of neighborhood quality. These definitions and subsequent explorations of residents' neighborhood assessment have not adequately considered intersecting oppressive systems that structure urban spaces both physically and socially. Further, within‐group diversity of young Black adults based on other social identities, such as gender and class, has gone underexplored in research on residents' neighborhood assessment. We used theory from Black feminist geography and sociology to guide our thematic analysis of interviews with young Black women (N = 9) regarding their urban neighborhood quality. We sought to explore the aspects or features of the neighborhood that young Black women discussed and how social identities may play a role in young Black women's descriptions of their urban neighborhoods. We argue three themes tell an overarching story of young Black women's urban spatial critical analysis: (1) outsiders' perceptions versus our realities, (2) gendered safety, and (3) visibility of young Black women. Young Black women's narratives highlighted communal aspects of neighborhood evaluation and attention to dominant narratives regarding marginalized groups and urban spaces. Highlights: Young Black women may have unique perspectives and experiences of urban space due to social identity.We locate young Black women's discussion of urban space within intersecting oppressive histories.We present themes about social identity, outsider perspectives, and visibility.Participants critiqued social institutions and illustrated resistance to hegemonic perspectives.Urban neighborhood research should attend to gender, social histories, and residents' experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work on the material culture of the eighteenth century has shown that light was more than a metaphor. The everyday social practise of the Enlightenment reposed on a contrast between light and dark. There was a growing emphasis on brightness in clothing and furnishings, and elite homes, social venues, fashionable shops, and even the main streets were more brightly lit. Fireworks displays became more frequent and more spectacular. Furthermore, in many Enlightenment practices, such as theater, Freemason lodges, salons, and coffeehouses, light was not simply a practical necessity, but was central to the meaning of the activity. However, this growing use of light (and of heating in the colder months) came with a dark side, for it greatly increased the risk of fire. It led to many blazes, especially in theaters but also in other public venues and in private homes. Fireworks caused explosions and dangerous fires. The danger was further increased by some of the consumer goods that accompanied elite social practices, including tallow and oils, furnishings, clothing, and sugar. They were all flammable, and many of them were dangerous to manufacture and to store. The material culture and sociability of Enlightenment thus created new fire risks, particularly in urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the effect of car traffic on airborne fungal communities. We investigated the environmental factors affecting the diversity and concentration of airborne fungi at high-traffic density junctions, in Tianjin, China. A total of 244 fungal strains belonging to 78 species and 45 genera of Ascomycota (78.69%) and Basidiomycota (21.31%) were isolated and identified using morphological and molecular analysis. Aspergillus was the species-richest genus, with 9 recorded species, followed by Alternaria and Cladosporium, both with 8 species. Coprinellus radians was the most abundant fungal species, with 31 isolated strains, followed by Alternaria alternata (26 strains), Cladosporium cladosporioides (21), Alternaria compacta (13), and Cladosporium tenuissimum (11). We found a higher diversity and concentration of airborne fungi in the analysed urban air environments when the road traffic was at its highest intensity. Higher level of car traffic resulted in higher concentrations of fungal particles in the air for various taxa, including Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium, which are known to cause respiratory allergies and infections. This result suggests that reducing vehicular traffic could be an effective measure to control airborne fungal exposure and microbial pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correct and robust ego-lane index estimation is crucial for autonomous driving in the absence of high-definition maps, especially in urban environments. Previous ego-lane index estimation approaches rely on feature extraction, which limits the robustness. To overcome these shortages, this study proposes a robust ego-lane index estimation framework upon only the original visual image. After optimization of the processing route, the raw image was randomly cropped in the height direction and then input into a double supervised LaneLoc network to obtain the index estimations and confidences. A post-process was also proposed to achieve the global ego-lane index from the estimated left and right indexes with the total lane number. To evaluate our proposed method, we manually annotated the ego-lane index of public datasets which can work as an ego-lane index estimation baseline for the first time. The proposed algorithm achieved 96.48/95.40% (precision/recall) on the CULane dataset and 99.45/99.49% (precision/recall) on the TuSimple dataset, demonstrating the effectiveness and efficiency of lane localization in diverse driving environments. The code and dataset annotation results will be exposed publicly on . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Angiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as the rat lungworm, is a metastrongyloid nematode found primarily not only in tropical and subtropical regions but also in temperate areas and considered the leading cause of eosinophilic meningitis in humans. Synanthropic rodents such as Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus are the most frequent definitive hosts of this parasite. Methods and Results: The presence of this parasite was detected in the pulmonary arteries of three specimens of R. norvegicus in the city of Buenos Aires representing the species' southernmost known record in natural hosts. Species confirmation was achieved through partial sequences of 18S and COI genes. By comparing the COI gene sequences with those available in GenBank through the construction of a haplotype network, we obtained that the analysed specimen presents high similarity with those reported in Japan and Southeast Asia. Conclusions: All infected rats were captured in an area surrounding a port with significant import and export activity, suggesting that A. cantonensis may have been introduced through commercial ships. Specifically, the parasite was detected in a neighbourhood with vulnerable socio‐economic conditions and in a nature reserve, which exhibit biotic and abiotic characteristics conducive to sustaining high‐density rat populations, scattered waste, areas of spontaneous vegetation, debris accumulation and flooded areas or lagoons offering suitable habitats for intermediate hosts such as snails. Thus, the close proximity of the port to these sites creates a favourable ecological context for the establishment of A. cantonensis. This study shows the need to conduct research to detect A. cantonensis in non‐endemic areas but with the characteristics that promote its arrival and development of its life cycle in order to implement control measures to prevent expansion of this parasite and its transmission to humans and other animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The symbiotic relationship between human beings and the environment has evolved in parallel, leaving its mark on the genetic structure of our species and the formulation of social statutes. This convergence is evident in the dynamics of modern life, the functional aspects, and the emotional anchors. Based on the postulates of environmental psychology and design proposals, this article presents a model called "restorative urbanism", stating that proximity to urban nature is a critical element in the composition and design of urban environments, fostering better perceptions of external habitability and improving individual and collective well-being in biopsychosocial terms through the environmental restoration process, achieving urban-environmental and psychological sustainability. The importance of the proposal lies in its ability to question how the morphological characteristics of the sociophysical space influence the quality of the socioenvironmental, physical, and emotional relationships with the surrounding environment, especially in the face of urban, environmental, and climatic contingencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the potential of transitioning public "green spaces" to optimise health benefiting urban ecological services in metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia. The research found strengths but also significant weaknesses. The major weaknesses observed were poor quality amenities and facilities within open spaces, low landscape complexity, poor maintenance and inadequate integration with the built form and pedestrian networks of the surrounding neighbourhoods. Previous research has shown that the weaknesses we observed are adversely affecting the health and wellbeing of many residents. In addition, our research shows there are far more strengths and fewer weaknesses in pre-1945 and high-income neighbourhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living at or near poverty can be isolating for individuals and their families. Using the ecological perspective with emphasis on transactions across systems, we examine the social and community capital of urban, low-income individuals to understand the broader terrain that shapes and is shaped by some of their choices, and suggest the implications that our findings might have for anti-poverty initiatives. Data are from interviews with 181 urban residents involved in a federally funded workforce development training, a particular type of social support programming that endeavors to increase the human capital of participants so that they can compete more effectively in the labor market. Findings indicate that respondents have small, homogenous networks, live in resource depleted communities, and have limited sources of social support. We frame this as being caught in "urban silos," in which transactions to more resource-robust systems are minimal to non-existent. While the development of one's human capital is essential, because of these silos, it may not be sufficient for moving an individual and their family out of poverty. Job training, and other anti-poverty initiatives, need to intentionally assist participants in network building so they can better access opportunity pathways that provide jobs and other economic and social resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Cities present a unique challenge for conservation. While overall native biodiversity is reduced, remnant habitats in the urban matrix can be important refugia for native and endemic species. This study reviews the rediscovery of 173 presumed nationally extinct plant taxa and discovery of 155 new native plant records, including 22 new to science and five endemics, in the botanically densely‐collected tropical city‐state of Singapore. The findings of this study indicate that plant rediscoveries and new discoveries are still possible in cities and urban areas with remaining fragments of original forest reserved for species protection, and investment in comprehensive botanical surveys and taxonomic research. Summary: The conservation of native species‐dominated forest fragments and investment into botanical surveys and taxonomic research have enabled the rediscovery of presumed nationally extinct plant taxa and discovery of new native plant records in the tropical city‐state of Singapore.We compared national plant checklists of 2009, 2022, and the national Red Data Book (third edition in press) to enumerate rediscovered and newly discovered native vascular plant taxa in the last 14 years. We examined if these were from taxonomic specialist redetermination of only pre‐existing specimens or newly collected from field surveys, and if they were from particular sites and vegetation types, disproportionately represented by certain life forms and families, and predominantly threatened.We documented 173 rediscoveries and 155 new records after 2009, including 22 new to science and five endemics. Most rediscoveries were newly collected from field surveys, but most new records resulted from redetermination of pre‐existing specimens. Native species‐dominated forest fragments were the most important sites for the first collection of new records or first re‐collection of rediscoveries. Trees and climbers were well‐represented among the rediscoveries and new records. Epiphytes were significantly under‐represented compared to their proportion in the presumed nationally extinct flora. Most rediscoveries and new records are nationally Critically Endangered but regionally and globally not assessed.Our findings indicate hope for the persistence of rare native plant species and opportunities for conservation in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioblitz phenomenon has recently branched into cities, presenting exciting opportunities for local governments to channel participants' efforts toward local issues. The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is one such initiative that has been quickly taken up by hundreds of municipalities worldwide. Despite high levels of participation, we still lack a framework for evaluating how the CNC contributes to local biodiversity knowledge and to inform local government practices. In the present article, we develop such a tool and present a case study that illustrates its applicability. We demonstrate that the collected records contributed to a better understanding of contemporary, local biodiversity patterns and provide a more realistic representation of understudied groups such as insects and fungi. Importantly, we show that the CNC presented local governments with a cost-effective tool to make informed, evidence-based management and policy decisions, improve education and engagement programs, foster cross-council collaborations, and support a stronger sense of environmental stewardship within the local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how outdoor environments affect mental health outcomes is vital in today's fast-paced and urbanized society. Recently, advancements in data-gathering technologies and deep learning have facilitated the study of the relationship between the outdoor environment and human perception. In a systematic review, we investigate how deep learning techniques can shed light on a better understanding of the influence of outdoor environments on human perceptions and emotions, with an emphasis on mental health outcomes. We have systematically reviewed 40 articles published in SCOPUS and the Web of Science databases which were the published papers between 2016 and 2023. The study presents and utilizes a novel topic modeling method to identify coherent keywords. By extracting the top words of each research topic, and identifying the current topics, we indicate that current studies are classified into three areas. The first topic was "Urban Perception and Environmental Factors" where the studies aimed to evaluate perceptions and mental health outcomes. Within this topic, the studies were divided based on human emotions, mood, stress, and urban features impacts. The second topic was titled "Data Analysis and Urban Imagery in Modeling" which focused on refining deep learning techniques, data collection methods, and participants' variability to understand human perceptions more accurately. The last topic was named "Greenery and visual exposure in urban spaces" which focused on the impact of the amount and the exposure of green features on mental health and perceptions. Upon reviewing the papers, this study provides a guide for subsequent research to enhance the view of using deep learning techniques to understand how urban environments influence mental health. It also provides various suggestions that should be taken into account when planning outdoor spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for high-precision positioning has risen substantially in modern urban settings. In that regard, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) offer several advantages such as global coverage, real-time capability, high accuracy, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness. The accuracy of GNSS-based positioning, however, suffers in urban environments due to signal blockage, reflection, and diffraction, which makes it difficult to fix ambiguities correctly within a real-time kinematic (RTK). To address this issue, this paper applies random sample consensus (RANSAC) to develop a novel single-epoch triple-frequency RTK positioning method. In our proposed method, the ambiguities of the extra-wide-lane, wide-lane, and original frequencies are resolved sequentially. RANSAC then detects and excludes incorrectly fixed ambiguities. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, two static experiments (cases 1 and 2) and one dynamic experiment (case 3) were conducted in representative urban areas. The findings demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms all comparative methods in positional availability, with comparable positional accuracy in terms of root-mean-square errors (RMSEs). In cases 1, 2, and 3, the proposed method achieves 3D RMSEs of 2.74, 4.29, and 20.35 cm, and the positional availabilities of 100%, 75.0%, and 73.1%, using a 10-degree mask angle (and a carrier-to-noise ratio (C/N0) threshold 35 dB-Hz). The corresponding RMSEs (positional availabilities) of comparative methods are from 1.51 to 4.04 cm (75.7 to 96.3%) in case 1, 4.19 to 7.78 cm (34.5 to 49.9%) in case 2, and 23.52 to 37.54 cm (15.4 to 33.9%) in case 3, respectively. Compared to these methods, the proposed method shows improvements of positional availabilities between 3.7 and 24.3 percentage points in case 1, between 25.1 and 40.5 percentage points in case 2, and between 39.2 and 57.7 percentage points in case 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the blood-feeding patterns of mosquitoes is essential for evaluating their potential as disease vectors, especially in urban areas where mosquitoes coexist with humans, domestic animals and wildlife. This study aimed to bridge a substantial gap in regional knowledge by identifying the blood meal sources of field-collected mosquitoes in domestic and open green environments from two urbanisations of temperate Argentina, the Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (AMBA) and Tandil, using molecular techniques. Female mosquitoes were collected from November 2019 to March 2020 and April–May 2021. A bipartite network analysis was performed for each environment and urbanisation. A total of 103 blood meals from Aedes (2 species) and Culex (7 species) were identified. Among these, five mammal and 18 bird species were recognised as hosts. Aedes mosquitoes exclusively fed on mammals, while Culex mosquitoes exhibited a broader host range including both birds and mammals. In AMBA, the open green environments were composed by more mosquito species than the domestic environments, while both presented similar numbers of vertebrate species. In contrast, in open green environments from Tandil only blood-fed Aedes albifasciatus were collected. For open green environments of AMBA and domestic environments of Tandil, results suggested some degree of host selection. For the three main vectors of diseases in the region, Aedes aegypti , Ae. albifasciatus and Culex pipiens molestus , we present the first molecular evidence of human blood meals in South America. Epidemiological significance of the present findings is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing global temperature has increased awareness of enhancing Outdoor Thermal Comfort (OTC). OTC has become a primary indicator for the effectiveness of urban environments, which directly affects inhabitants' health, comfort, and quality of life. Consequently, many thermal comfort indices were developed to quantify outdoor thermal comfort; among them was the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), which is one of the broadly used thermal indexes in evaluating OTC. As another axis of this awareness, several computer-aided design (CAD) software have worked on developing their techniques to increase the accuracy of their outdoor simulations and climate measurements. The paper concerns exploring the potential of the Ladybug as a tool for measuring UTCI through an algorithmic script designed with the Ladybug (ver. 1.6.0) in the Grasshopper interface within Rhinoceros 3D software. The script was applied to two urban neighbourhoods in different climate zones of Egypt, Cairo (an inland city and the capital of Egypt) and New Damietta (a coastal city on the Mediterranean Sea), to investigate its capabilities in simulating and measuring the UTCI of different climate zones in the extreme hot week of the year as an examination period. Results showed that the maximum UTCI value in the coastal neighbourhood decreased from 32.93°C to 31.64°C, while its minimum value decreased from 28.79°C to 27.28 °C compared to the inland neighbourhood. The maximum and minimum UTCI values, hourly data, and the percentages of UTCI heat stress categories for six test locations in each neighborhood were also calculated and compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban environmental aesthetics form a cornerstone in neoliberal development discourse in Mumbai, India. Formulated primarily on visual metrics, such as those of green lawns and modern architecture, these aesthetic sensibilities set up the horizon of what is seeable and sayable, serving to legitimize planning schemes while obscuring their social and environmental harms. This is evident in the city's elite Hiranandani Gardens township, a project heavily contested on legal, humanistic, and environmental grounds. Beginning from "waste," or spaces and perspectives that lack value in dominant discourses, I analyze how the production of developmentalist "value" relies on environmental aesthetics as well as the limits of such formulations. By way of three frames—empty buildings, an abandoned quarry, and remembered wilderness—I illustrate power structures that facilitate the conversion of waste into value, the contradictions and limits in dominant sustainability discourses, and the messy terrain of contestations that they face. The article contributes to critical development scholarship by emphasizing the significance of aesthetics in unveiling power relations entrained in the making of urban landscapes. I also extend creative engagements in geography by incorporating sensory engagements beyond the visual to interrupt dominant aesthetic sensibilities and open critical and creative ways of knowing urban nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated air temperatures in cities with potential negative effects on, e.g., residents are a major challenge for urban planning. Open green spaces on hills where at night air can cool and drain into residential areas are of great importance to ameliorate the heat load in urban areas. In the Ruhr Metropolitan Region in Germany, tailing piles from the former coal mining industry offer a previously neglected potential for cooling neighbourhoods. The genesis and drainage of cold air on tailing piles have not been extensively investigated so far. Tailing piles are often located in or nearby residential areas and are exposed as open spaces, where cold air can build up and drain into the surrounding neighbourhoods due to their slopes. In the present study, the genesis of cold air and the cold air drainage are empirically investigated using thermal infrared imagery and air temperature measurements during one night in 2019 at the Rungenberg tailing pile in Gelsenkirchen. Furthermore, the cooling effect on the adjacent residential area, Schüngelberg, was studied. The results indicate that cold air builds up at Rungenberg and drains into Schüngelberg. However, the cold air flow into the residential area was blocked by a brick wall located at the foot of the Rungenberg tailing pile. More awareness should be given to the cooling potential of tailing piles, and urban planners should improve this cooling potential by keeping tailing piles open and removing barriers located in the drainage pathways in order to alleviate urban heat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planning for age-friendly environments is an important issue, and occupational therapists and occupational scientists could contribute to planning such environments; however, knowledge of the potential roles of occupational therapists is limited. To explore the potential roles of occupational therapists in urban planning for age-friendly environments in Japan from the perspectives of occupational therapists and stakeholders. A Q-methodology study was conducted to gain viewpoints from occupational therapists and stakeholders regarding their roles in the urban planning of age-friendly environments for older people in Japan. Participants included eight occupational therapists and seven stakeholders who completed the Q-sorting process. Three viewpoints emerged which are interpreted as roles of occupational therapists: (1) Promote older people's participation in everyday activities in their communities, (2) Advocate for older people towards policy-making to reflect their occupational needs or perspectives, and (3) Arrange neighbourhood environments towards enhancing participation in occupation through adjustments to compensate for functional limitations. Results reveal the potential roles of occupational therapists in urban planning for age-friendly environments in Japan. These roles can be a guide in the continuing professional development of occupational therapists in the fields of urban planning for older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research delves into the nuanced dynamics of speech and language development disorders and academic achievement disorders, unveiling disparities across demographic, environmental, and age-related dimensions. A distinct urban-rural divide emerges, emphasizing the influence of environmental factors on prevalence rates. Individuals in urban settings face higher rates of disorders, necessitating tailored interventions acknowledging the unique challenges of urban environments. Conversely, rural populations demonstrate lower prevalence, urging policymakers to consider resource allocation and intervention strategies attuned to the specific needs of diverse locales. A crucial revelation is the heightened prevalence among individuals under 18 years old, underscoring the imperative for early intervention strategies. Early childhood programs and educational interventions prove pivotal, requiring customization to address the evolving needs of different age groups. Gender-specific considerations become evident, with males exhibiting a higher prevalence. Tailoring interventions to understand and address gender-specific factors is paramount for enhancing support systems and intervention effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Interventions essay presents 14 stories of, and positions on, urban climates in South Asia. We look analytically and linguistically from this region to engage the terms 'mahaul', 'mausam' and 'aab‐o‐hawa' as critical concepts to conceptualize climate in its political, social, historic, atmospheric, ecological, material, sensory and embodied registers. Gathered together, the stories scaffold a perspective on climate that connects concerns about broader structural conditions (mahaul); local and lived experiences in different temporal registers (mausam) and sociomaterial entanglements that demand new ways of knowing nature (aab‐o‐hawa). An expansive yet grounded conceptualization allows us to narrate individual cases and local climate stories in their multiplicity and difference, rather than through cumulative effects across much wider geographies. This essay on South Asian urban climates provides an analytical frame based on shared colonial history, and geographies connecting experiences of climate across fraught geopolitical borders. These diverse South Asian urbanisms provide evidence of a range of environmental vulnerabilities, while seeking possibilities in already existing climates—in the seas and airs that reorient the experience of land and atmosphere, in centering marginalized voices, in historical remnants to read contemporary urban change, in exploring planning agency grounded in local politics, and from the position of partial knowledge that being within urban climates entails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional objects are large and small physical entities installed in urban environments to offer specific functionalities to visitors, such as shops, escalators, and information kiosks. Instances of the novel notion are focal points of human activities and are significant in pedestrian movement. Pedestrian trajectory modelling in an urban scene is a challenging problem because of the complex patterns resulting from social interactions of the crowds and the diverse relation between pedestrians and functional objects. Many data-driven methods have been proposed to explain the complex movements in urban scenes. However, the methods considering functional objects in their formulation are rare. This study aims to reduce the knowledge gap by demonstrating the importance of pedestrian–object relations in the modelling task. The proposed modelling method, called pedestrian–object relation guided trajectory prediction (PORTP), uses a dual-layer architecture that includes a predictor of pedestrian–object relation and a series of relation-specific specialized pedestrian trajectory prediction models. The experiment findings indicate that the inclusion of pedestrian–object relation results in more accurate predictions. This study provides an empirical foundation for the novel notion and a strong baseline for future work on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shrubs comprise a very large proportion of the plant material used in public as well as private green spaces. Yet, there is currently a lack of quantitative assessments of stress tolerance in a large proportion of available species and cultivars of shrubs, thus complicating any design process involving shrubs. The aim of this study was to evaluate drought tolerance of many common and less traditional shrubs intended for public planting. Through this compilation, a first contribution (dataset) to species selection to obtain expected ecosystem services of shrubs is offered. As water stress is a major constraint for landscape plants in urban environments and is likely to increase in many regions under future climate scenarios, the quantitative drought tolerance of a species or genotype must be a fundamental consideration for plant selection for urban environments. In this study, we used water potential at the turgor loss point (ΨP0) as a key trait for evaluating drought tolerance of different species of shrubs. ΨP0 is a highly instructive trait because it represents a quantifiable measure of physiological drought tolerance. More negative ΨP0 values represent greater drought tolerance by allowing the leaf to maintain physiological function over a greater range of leaf water potentials. ΨP0 was estimated for a wide range of shrubs, representing a total of 44 genera and 120 species and cultivars. The mean ΨP0 value for all 120 shrub species and cultivars was -2.76 MPa, with the overall species ΨP0 value ranging from -1.48 MPa to -4.23 MPa. Intraspecific variation (variation between cultivars) was evaluated using five cultivars of Spiraea japonica and one wild collected genotype. Within this species, there was a range of ΨP0 values of 1.66 MPa, with S. japonica 'Little Princess' having the highest estimated drought tolerance (ΨP0 = -2.78) and the wild-type S. japonica having the lowest (ΨP0 = -4.44 MPa). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sewage odour strengthened the impacts of the sound sources on crowd. • The effect of odour on crowd speed and duration time was not interact with sounds. • The effect of music on crowd was stronger than the effect of sewage odour. Sewage odour is a common pollution odour source produced by urban water bodies and negatively impacts people's behaviour. This study aimed to explore whether sound could change this negative effect. Therefore, a behaviour-observation experiment was conducted in a typical urban waterfront park using the sewage odour as the source of the pollution smell and playing typical sound sources in urban environments (music and fan sounds) with and without odour. The results showed that for crowd paths, music could significantly attract a crowd, fan sound or sewage odour could keep the crowd away. Furthermore, when there was sewage odour, the effects of the trends of approaching or receding from the sound sources caused by the music and fan sounds, respectively, have been strengthened. Sound and odour had relatively independent impacts on the crowd speed and duration time, reflected in the fact that music significantly reduced the crowd speed whereas fan sound and sewage odour significantly improved it. Music significantly increased the crowd duration time, while fan sound and sewage odour significantly reduced it. On this basis, the independent effects of sound and odour were superimposed, and the positive effect of music was stronger than the negative effect of sewage odour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tight coupled integration of multi-GNSS PPP, MEMS-IMU, stereo vision and LiDAR. • The vehicular experiments in different GNSS availability conditions to verify the feasibility of our approach. • Sub-meter level positioning can be achieved in both half-open-sky and GNSS difficult environments. • The proposed method can provide high-precision, continuous and reliable navigation and positioning in urban environments. • Improving precision and reliability of position, velocity and attitude of PPP/INS. Nowadays, high-precision navigation is a fundamental prerequisite for autonomous driving technology. However, it is often difficult for a stand-alone sensor to meet the needs of high-precision navigation in complex scenarios. To address this problem, we propose a tightly coupled precise point positioning (PPP)/inertial navigation system (INS)/Vision/LiDAR integration method to achieve high-precision, continuous and reliable navigation in urban environments. The multi-GNSS carrier phase and pseudorange measurements, low-cost microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inertial measurement units (IMU) records, sparse visual landmarks and extracted LiDAR edge/planar features are directly fused at the observation level through a centralized Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). The vehicle experiments in different GNSS availability conditions were conducted to evaluate the proposed method. Results indicate that our proposed PPP/INS/Vision/LiDAR integration can maintain sub-meter level positioning in both GNSS half-open-sky and difficult environments, with improvements of (50.7%, 58.6%, 54.3%) and (46.2%, 55.0%, 58.8%) relative to PPP/INS/Vision and PPP/INS/LiDAR, respectively. Moreover, both visual and LiDAR information can significantly improve the velocity and attitude estimation performance, especially for the heading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban environments shape early childhood exposures, experiences, and health behaviors, including outdoor free play, influencing the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of young children. We examined evidence for urban or suburban built environment influences on outdoor free play in 0–6-year-olds, considering potential differences across gender, culture, and geography. We systematically searched seven literature databases for relevant qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies: of 5740 unique studies, 53 met inclusion criteria. We assessed methodological quality and thematically synthesized findings from included studies. Three broad themes, features of spaces for play, routes, and social factors intersected to influence the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of neighborhoods for young children's outdoor free play across diverse cultural and geographic contexts. Proximity to formal or informal space for play, protection from traffic, pedestrian environment, green and natural environments, and opportunity for social connection supported outdoor free play. Family and community social context influenced perceptions of and use of space; however, we did not find consistent, gendered differences in built environment correlates of outdoor free play. Across diverse contexts, playable neighborhoods for young children provided nearby space for play, engaging routes protected from traffic and facilitated frequent interaction between people, nature, and structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of Urban Social Identity seeks to understand how people identify and appropriate, build affections and memories associated with the places they travel. This research aims to reflect on this process by using the symbologies of the inclusion of residents of Therapeutic Residential Services in the cities they inhabit, in order to understand how they constitute their identifications. Fourteen participants answered the environmental autobiography technique combined with a semi-structured interview, analyzed in the light of thematic analysis. Cultural factors of the cities were unique, mediating the approximation of participants with the urban environment. Finally, logistics is highlighted as an essential choice for the structuring of the Service, as it favors or retracts autonomous incursions in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the acceleration of urbanization and promotion of the integrated strategy of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), the number of migrants in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) has increased dramatically. With "Healthy China 2030" presented, mental health of migrants is of great significant to China's New-type Urbanization. Additionally, with the profound reforms in society and economy, the measurement and action mechanism of migrants' mental health deserve in-depth exploration. Using the data collected from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) in 2016 for Guangzhou and Shenzhen and using the linear regression model, the study explored the effects of working environment, social interaction, and physical health on migrants' mental health. The second focus of this study was on the difference between migrants' mental health in Guangzhou and Shenzhen City through the empirical statistical results. Our empirical findings suggest that: 1) Migrants' mental health is significantly affected by working environment, social interaction, and physical health; among them, work satisfaction, lower work stress, community confidence, and self-rated health all have a positive impact on the mental health of migrants. Additionally, higher income is commonly associated with mental health. 2) For Guangzhou City, work stress, community confidence, self-rated health, drinking, exercise, and treatment have distinct impacts on the mental health of migrants. 3) For Shenzhen City, only work satisfaction, work stress, selfrated health, and treatment have distinct impacts on the mental health of migrants. In summary, this study used CLDS data from 609 migrants in 2016 to provide a more comprehensive picture of their working environment, social interaction, physical health, and mental health. Moreover, this study is a comparative analysis of migrants' mental health between Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which indicates that migrants' mental health in Guangzhou is mainly affected by work environment, social interaction, and physiological health; however, the work environment and physiological health play a significant role in migrants' mental health in Shenzhen. Based on the empirical findings, we call for further policymakers and practitioners to focus on both spatiality and heterogeneity in planning and governance. Municipal governments should consider the rationalization of land use and functional transformation to create harmonious social networks and promote migrants to better integrate into urban society. In addition, Guangzhou should increase and optimize leisure facilities and green space to strengthen the social interaction between migrants and locals, while it is of great importance to improve the working environment in Shenzhen and take measures to reduce migrants' working pressure by enhancing the safety and comfort of the working environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a hot topic in the GNSS community in recent years, PPP-RTK integrates the advantages of PPP and RTK, aiming to quickly realize centimeter-level single point positioning with ambiguity resolution. However, PPP-RTK still faces challenges in difficult urban environments. The performance of precise positioning will seriously deteriorate by the receptions of complex multipath and NLOS (non-light-of-sight) signals. The 3D-mapping-aiding (3DMA) method has been proven effective in urban navigation and positioning, such as detecting and excluding NLOS satellites. But the rough excluding strategy may cause more insufficient satellites. Thus, this study proposes a 3D-mapping-aided weighting algorithm to enhance the performance of PPP-RTK in complex urban environments. We modeled the 3DMA weighting function first by analyzing static GNSS data in various urban environments. Then, the proposed algorithm was applied to both static and kinematic positioning experiments. According to the results, the 3DMA weighting can be complementary to the classic C/N0 weighting: the 3DMA weighting can identify those poor measurements with high-C/N0 in urban environments while the C/N0 takes only a rough and preliminary diagnostic of the measurements. It could accelerate convergences and mitigate some outliers in slight and medium urban environments. In deep urban environments, it could achieve positioning availability of more than 90% with a horizontal precision of better than 20 cm, while the availability of traditional PPP-RTK without 3DMA may be less than 50%. The RMSs in horizontal components of the positioning errors after convergence are generally less than 10 cm while classic PPP-RTK reaches only the sub-meter level most of the time. We believe the 3DMA algorithm can benefit the precise GNSS positioning in urban canyons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outdoor environment offers an important platform for engaging older adults from a variety of social, cultural and ethnic orientations for the purpose of improving or maintaining their physical and mental health as well as facilitating their social and cultural connections. Using a multidisciplinary lens, this study looks at the requirements and potential of a more inclusive landscape design that acknowledges different modes of health, recovery and rehabilitation, drawing from both the past and the future and providing suggestions on how more efficient and culturally appropriate ways of maintaining health and social connectivity can be achieved in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soiling, the deposition of contaminants onto the front glass surface, is a significant challenge for photovoltaic (PV) performance. However, studies on this issue are minimal in urban scenarios despite the surging popularity of PVs. This research systematically measures the soiling losses in subtropical high-density urban environments. A hybrid method combining field exposure and in-lab characterization is proposed. Major soiling modes, temporal patterns of optical loss, and PV output loss are explored within continuous 108-day exposure. Due to the windy climate and low particle concentration, dust deposition and accumulation are insignificant. Meanwhile, abundant rainfall offers a good natural cleaning effect that can remove most dry deposits, including dull leaves, dust, etc. Rainwater residual after evaporation is a major soiling mode, but the optical loss is within 2%. Despite the favorable climate, bio-soiling, especially the bird dropping represents the most harmful soiling mode. The resulting contamination is stubborn, and even hefty rain cannot completely recover the soiling loss. A tiny residual can cause an optical and PV output loss of 2.5% and 15.5%, respectively. Finally, practical suggestions are provided to mitigate local soiling loss. These findings are essential for urban PV project planning and operation. • A hybrid method with merits of the field experiment and in-lab characterization. • Continuous exposure for 108 days on a downtown rooftop in Hong Kong. • Major soiling modes, temporal patterns of optical loss, and output loss. • Bird-dropping induces the most significant loss despite abundant rain wash. • Region-targeted mitigation suggestions to improve local PV performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic segmentation for accurate visual perception is a critical task in computer vision. In principle, the automatic classification of dynamic visual scenes using predefined object classes remains unresolved. The challenging problems of learning deep convolution neural networks, specifically ResNet-based DeepLabV3+ (the most recent version), are threefold. The problems arise due to (1) biased centric exploitations of filter masks, (2) lower representational power of residual networks due to identity shortcuts, and (3) a loss of spatial relationship by using per-pixel primitives. To solve these problems, we present a proficient approach based on DeepLabV3+, along with an added evaluation metric, namely, Unified DeepLabV3+ and S 3 c o r e , respectively. The presented unified version reduced the effect of biased exploitations via additional dilated convolution layers with customized dilation rates. We further tackled the problem of representational power by introducing non-linear group normalization shortcuts to solve the focused problem of semi-dark images. Meanwhile, to keep track of the spatial relationships in terms of the global and local contexts, geometrically bunched pixel cues were used. We accumulated all the proposed variants of DeepLabV3+ to propose Unified DeepLabV3+ for accurate visual decisions. Finally, the proposed S 3 c o r e evaluation metric was based on the weighted combination of three different accuracy measures, i.e., the pixel accuracy, IoU (intersection over union), and Mean BFScore, as robust identification criteria. Extensive experimental analysis performed over a CamVid dataset confirmed the applicability of the proposed solution for autonomous vehicles and robotics for outdoor settings. The experimental analysis showed that the proposed Unified DeepLabV3+ outperformed DeepLabV3+ by a margin of 3% in terms of the class-wise pixel accuracy, along with a higher S 3 c o r e , depicting the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the relationship between university and city from a spatial urban perspective. Focusing on the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA), cradle of important university institutions that increased from the 1990s, Communes 1, 4 and 8, which involve 56% of the universe, are studied in a descriptive and exploratory manner. of existing university facilities (considering the venues) within the famework of processes of urban transformation and renewal in the City. Through the documentary analysis technique and the elaboration of georeferencing maps, the characteristics, typologies, locations and relationship of the universities with the dynamics of their urban environments are investigated, producing evidence in a vacancy area about the key role that university facilities assume, in different stages, in the configuration and development of the urban areas where they are inserted and with the general urban structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amount of green is relatively low in most cities. Often, the cause of this situation is urban policy which favours developers. Far-reaching urbanization results in various environmental and social problems. In those circumstances, a need for the wider revitalization and reorganization of urban space becomes even more important and necessary. Our article is a review. It discusses the significance of community gardens in Poland due to people's limited access to private gardens and the growing development of housing estates in cities. In recent decades, cities have developed rapidly in Poland. However, this development was often uncontrolled because very compact building patterns were applied in new housing estates. As a result, in many places the urban tissue lacked common public space. Urban planners adopted a new approach to public goods, including green spaces, and reconsidered the development of cities. Common space was found to be fundamental for the development of the identity of individual neighbourhood groups and, consequently, for social changes. Community gardens are an example of changes introduced to the urban landscape as a consequence of considering common space significant. As a result, local residents can integrate and change their attitude to public space, which is perceived as part of the community. Users gain a sense of community, solidarity, and shared responsibility. The community garden becomes a reason for neighbourhood residents to integrate despite the fact that they may differ in their political views, background, and age. Community gardens are established in a similar way all over the world. However, there might be local differences in the legal system, people's mentality, and access to land. Community gardens are a new phenomenon in Poland. They are established mainly in big cities, e.g., in Warsaw, Kraków, and Poznań. Community gardens have numerous advantages. Their users are physically active, and they are thus at lower risk of chronic and non-infectious diseases. They grow vegetables and thus change their eating habits. In addition, community gardens reduce stress. Due to gardening, users feel better, broaden their social contacts, participate in cultural events, and enrich their diet. This article shows how the intensive development of housing estates in Poland affects the availability of green areas. The advantages of community gardens in Poland and other countries, methods of plant cultivation and how community gardens functioned during the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed. With this short review, we want to broaden the knowledge about community gardens as their development in Poland is different than in other countries and to encourage their establishment due to the decreasing amount of green space and dense urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Today, governments and administrations strive to minimise issues associated with Feral Pigeon (Columba livia var. domestica) colonies in urban areas, primarily in large city centres. Scientific evidence has demonstrated that control measures are ineffective in the long term, and colonies recover rapidly. Moreover, very few studies have been conducted in residential zones where colony densities are lower, but where Feral Pigeons generate the same issues. Our primary objective was to evaluate the contributions of the following factors to the recovery time of the Feral Pigeon colonies in residential zones: (1) the distance to the closest area where a separate colony of Feral Pigeons was present, i.e., a source area, and (2) the total or partial removal of the previously existing colony. The distance to the nearest uncontrolled colony of Feral Pigeons was the primary factor that contributed to the recovery time, which significantly increased with increasing distance to the source colonies. Our results highlight the relevance of identifying an effective management unit for the implementation of control programmes to reduce immigration rates and increase long-term effects. Today, governments and administrations strive to minimise issues associated with Feral Pigeon (Columba livia var. domestica) colonies in urban areas. Scientific evidence has demonstrated that control measures are ineffective in the long term, and colonies recover rapidly. Most scientific research has occurred under high-density circumstances, primarily in large city centres. Moreover, very few studies have been conducted in residential zones or suburban areas where colony densities are lower, but where Feral Pigeons generate the same issues. In this study, we analysed the recovery time of Feral Pigeon colonies in 11 buildings in low-density urban areas where control campaigns were previously conducted to reduce their abundance. Recovery times were highly variable among the buildings (50–3072 days). Distance to the nearest uncontrolled colony of Feral Pigeons, i.e., a source area, was the primary factor that contributed to recovery time, which significantly increased with increasing distance to source colonies. Thus, buildings closest to the Pigeons' source areas (<500 m) were recolonised more rapidly than were buildings that were >500 m away from source areas. Our findings highlight the relevance of identifying an effective management unit for the implementation of control programmes to reduce immigration rates and increase long-term effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to evaluate and calibrate data collected by low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors in different environments and using different aggregated temporal units (i.e., 5-s, 1-min, 10-min, 30 min intervals). We first collected PM concentrations (i.e., PM1, PM2.5, and PM10) data in five different environments (i.e., indoor and outdoor of an office building, a train platform and lobby of a subway station, and a seaside location) in Hong Kong, using five AirBeam2 sensors as the low-cost sensors and a TSI DustTrak DRX Aerosol Monitor 8533 as the reference sensor. By comparing the collected PM concentrations, we found high linearity and correlation between the data reported by the AirBeam2 sensors in different environments. Furthermore, the results suggest that the accuracy and bias of the PM data reported by the AirBeam2 sensors are affected by rainy weather and environments with high humidity and a high level of hygroscopic salts (i.e., a seaside location). In addition, increasing the aggregation level of the temporal units (i.e., from 5-s to 30 min intervals) increases the correlation between the PM concentrations obtained by the AirBeam2 sensors, while it does not significantly improve the accuracy and bias of the data. Lastly, our results indicate that using a machine learning model (i.e., random forest) for the calibration of PM concentrations collected on sunny days generates better results than those obtained with multiple linear models. These findings have important implications for researchers when designing environmental exposure studies based on low-cost PM sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rising urbanization, the presence of urban wildlife is becoming more common, increasing the need for wildlife‐friendly spaces in urban planning. Despite this, understanding is limited to how wildlife exploits urban environments and interacts with human populations, and this is vital to our ability to manage and conserve wildlife in urban habitats. Here, we investigate how two urban mammal species, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the European badger (Meles meles), exploit urban environments. Using intensive camera trap surveys, we assessed how habitat and human disturbance influenced the spatiotemporal activity of these species across south‐west London. Firstly, we found elevated activity levels of both species at boundaries and within built‐up areas, suggesting movement paths follow anthropogenic features. However, badgers were most active in woodland, indicating the importance of high cover habitats suitable for setts and foraging. Secondly, we found badger activity levels were negatively affected by human activity, whilst foxes were unaffected. Further investigation suggested foxes may adapt their activity patterns to avoid human disturbance, with badger activity patterns less plastic. Whilst the results of this study are useful for both the conservation and management of urban wildlife populations, these results also show potential factors which either facilitate or limit wildlife from fully exploiting urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging literature has documented heat‐related impacts on child health, yet few studies have evaluated the effects of heat among children of different age groups and comparing emergency department (ED) and hospitalisation risks. Objectives: To examine the differing associations between high ambient temperatures and risk of ED visits and hospitalisations among children by age group in New York City (NYC). Methods: We used New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) data on children aged 0–18 years admitted to NYC EDs (n = 2,252,550) and hospitals (n = 228,006) during the warm months (May‐September) between 2005 and 2011. Using a time‐stratified, case‐crossover design, we estimated the risk of ED visits and hospitalisations associated with daily maximum temperature (Tmax) for children of all ages and by age group. Results: The average Tmax over the study period was 80.3°F (range 50°, 104°F). Tmax conferred the greatest risk of ED visits for children aged 0–4, with a 6‐day cumulative excess risk of 2.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7, 3.0) per 13°F (ie interquartile range) increase in temperature. Children and adolescents 5–12 years (0.8%, 95% CI 0.1, 1.6) and 13–18 years (1.4%, 95% CI 0.6, 2.3) are also sensitive to heat. For hospitalisations, only adolescents 13–18 years had increased heat‐related risk, with a cumulative excess risk of 7.9% (95% CI 2.0, 14.2) per 13°F increase in Tmax over 85°F. Conclusions: This urban study in NYC reinforces that young children are particularly vulnerable to effects of heat, but also demonstrates the sensitivity of older children and adolescents as well. These findings underscore the importance of focussing on children and adolescents in targeting heat illness prevention and emergency response activities, especially as global temperatures continue to rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research interest of urban researchers and geographers in the relationship between urban environments and happiness has been increasing. Previous studies have mostly focused on people's long-term overall wellbeing. However, there is limited evidence that momentary happiness is associated with immediate urban environments. This study provides new evidence on this issue. 144 participants living in Guangzhou, China, were asked to repeatedly self-report their momentary happiness through ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and the day reconstruction method (DRM). The microenvironment variables were captured by portable sensors, while the built environment variables were captured by associating the GPS response locations with objective spatial data. The results indicate that momentary happiness is influenced by immediate microenvironment variables and built environment characteristics including temperature, noise, PM2.5, population, POI density, POI types and street intersections. On the other hand, the use of different sizes of contextual units affects the results. The built environment in 100 m buffers and the microenvironment has higher explanatory power for momentary happiness recorded by EMA than the built environment in 500 m buffers. Similarly, the temporality of the contextual influences also affects the results. Urban environment features have higher explanatory power for real-time momentary happiness recorded by EMA than recalled momentary happiness recorded by DRM. These results also strongly corroborate the results of recent studies on the uncertain geographic context problem (UGCoP) and partly explain the inconsistency in the results of past research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is a promising technology to improve the comfort and safety of passengers, roads and urban traffic. Applications applied to VANETs require efficient routing protocols. Urban environments include tunnels, subways, overpasses, and multilevel highways, which indicate the multilevel information environment and specific conditions of radio channel dissemination. In this paper proposed a three‐dimensional (3D) evidence theory based, opportunistic routing protocol, called 3DEOR, which address the above issues using a new hybrid criterion called PAL. The PAL criterion includes three metrics of packet delivery probability to compensate for unreliable dissemination environments, packet advancement appropriated to 3D environments to reduce the number of hop counts and level to improve link connectivity. Prioritise the relay set members based on the new criteria to select the best relay node. In cases where there is no certainty, the evidence theory can be a good choice for combining the three metrics of the PAL criterion. The simulation results show the superiority of the proposed protocol over the 3D link state aware geographic opportunistic (3DLSGO) and 3D greedy perimeter stateless routing (3DGPSR) protocols in network performance indices such as packet delivery rate, end‐to‐end delay and average hop count. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have analyzed existing irradiance models for estimating sky diffuse irradiance on tilted planes. However, few have evaluated the suitability of these models for estimating irradiance in obstructed environments, specifically considering the effects of obstacles. In this study, three irradiance models —one of them with five variants— for estimating diffuse irradiance on tilted planes located in urban environments were evaluated. All models have been adapted to consider the effect of an urban canyon on the diffuse irradiance received on a tilted plane through the sky view factor and the circumsolar view factor. All the models were evaluated against the diffuse irradiance values obtained by the ISO 15469:2004(E)/CIE S 011/E:2003 angular distribution model. Therefore, it was necessary to determine the standard sky type corresponding to each record of the measurements performed by a sky scanner at the radiometric station of UPNA (Spain). A total of 4,864 scenarios were considered to occur from the combination of different orientations and inclinations of the plane, and different orientations and aspect ratios of the urban canyon. The results revealed that the Perez model considering a 35° half-angle circumsolar region has the best performance, followed by the Perez model considering a 45° half-angle circumsolar region. • Irradiance models were evaluated for estimating tilted diffuse irradiance in urban areas. • Models were modified to consider the effects of urban canyon obstructions. • A total of 4,864 urban scenarios and tilted plane arrangements were considered. • A procedure for calculating sky and circumsolar view factors is proposed. • The Perez model with a 35° half-angle circumsolar region showed the best performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In urban environments, the challenges brought about by multipath propagation are significant for traditional adaptive radar detection problems. To tackle this issue, a generalized multipath signal model combined with environmental geometric prior information (EGPI) is developed. This model can be utilized regardless of whether the multipath signals are fully, partially, or partially-resolvable in the range domain. During the process of designing a detector using the criteria of the one-step generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT), an attempt to find a closed-form expression for the maximum likelihood estimator of the unknown parameters was unsuccessful. However, by utilizing an adaptive configuration for the initial value, a cyclic optimization algorithm was able to obtain the estimated value within just a few iterations, demonstrating a rapid convergence rate. Furthermore, a detector based on the two-step GLRT criteria is proposed. Compared to traditional detectors, the newly developed detectors make more efficient use of the energy in multipath signals, resulting in improved detection performance. It has been demonstrated that when the whitened angles between subspaces are set to two specific values, the GLRT detectors exhibit the Constant False Alarm Probability (CFAR) property. Simulation results show that the false alarm probability(P f a) at these two specific angles provides upper and lower bounds of P f a. • Deal with the partially resolvable multipath signals in range domain. • The superior detection performance than conventional detector. • The false alarm rate of the detector is only related to principle angles of signal subspaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drones have a wide range of applications in urban environments as they can both enhance people's daily activities and commercial activities through various operations and deployments. With the increasing number of drones, flight safety and efficiency become the main concern, and effective drone operations can make a difference. Accordingly, 4D path planning for drone operations is the focus of this paper, and the swarm-based method is proposed to solve this complicated optimization problem. Under the framework of ‘AirMatrix’, the problem is solved in two levels, i.e., 3D path planning for a single drone and conflict resolution among drones. In the multi-path planning level, multiple alternative flight paths for each drone are generated to increase the acceptance rate of a flight request. The constraints on a single flight path and two different flight paths are considered. The goal is to obtain several different short flight paths as alternatives. A clustering improved ant colony optimization CIACO) algorithm is employed to solve the multi-path planning problem. The crowding mechanism is used in clustering, and some improvements are made to strengthen the global and local search ability in the early and later phases of iterations. In the task scheduling level, the conflicts between two drones are defined in two circumstances. One is for the time interval of passing the same path point, another one is for the right-angle collision between two drones. A three-layer fitness function is proposed to maximize the number of permitted flights according to the safety requirement, in which the airspace utilization and the operators’ requests are both considered. A ‘cross-off’ strategy is developed to calculate the fitness value, and a ‘distributed-centralized’ strategy is applied considering the task priorities of drones. A genetic algorithm GA)-based task scheduling algorithm is also developed according to the characteristic of the established model. Simulation results demonstrate that 4D flight path of each drone can be generated by the proposed swarmed-based algorithms, and safe and efficient drone operations in a specific airspace can be ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uniform geometrical theory of diffraction method is applied to the calculation of electromagnetic distribution and situation in urban environment in this article. Analytical hexahedrons are used as mathematical modeling of urban buildings and double diffractions between edges of buildings are mainly stated. Double diffractions between parallel edges are traced analytically while double diffractions between non‐parallel edges are searched by numerical measures. Antennas are simulated by using the high‐order moment method and a quasi‐hybrid scheme is used to gain connection to UTD method. The accuracy of the proposed method is illustrated by compare of simulations and the engineering application value is shown by compare of actual measurements. The presented can realize the simulation analysis of electromagnetic distribution in large‐scale urban environment on one common computer without extra computing resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper expands the notion of sacred space within the geographies of religion by arguing that spaces of religious praxis need to be understood in relation to the broader spatial logics within which they are embedded. Given that the spatial logics of urban environments tend to be secular and neoliberal in nature, it considers how religious groups respond to the realities of the marketplaces in which they operate by forging 'alternatively sacred' spaces. These spaces augment the appeal of religious groups in non-religious ways, thus making them more competitive players in a religious marketplace. Specifically, it explores how independent churches in Singapore create alternatively sacred spaces that are used for religious purposes, although their appeal and affective value do not accord with more traditional understandings of how sacred spaces should look, feel, or otherwise be engaged with. These spaces are designed to appeal to younger people, and to draw non-Christians to Christian spaces, and Christians to alternatively religious spaces. The extent to which they appeal to these groups provides insight into reimagination of religion under market conditions, spatial politics of value and ideological fissures between different Christian communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]