Eddy Covariance Measurements Highlight Sources of Nitrogen Oxide Emissions Missing from Inventories for Central London

During March–June 2017 emissions of nitrogen oxides were measured via eddy covariance at the British Telecom Tower in central London, UK. Through the use of a footprint model the expected emissions were simulated from the spatially resolved National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory for 2017, and compared with the measured emissions. These simulated emissions were shown to underestimate measured emissions during the day time by a factor of 1.48, but they agreed well overnight. Furthermore, underestimations were spatially mapped and the areas around the measurement site responsible for differences in measured and simulated emissions inferred. It was observed that areas of higher traffic, such as major roads near national rail stations, showed the greatest underestimation by the simulated emissions. These discrepancies are partially attributed to a combination of the inventory not fully capturing traffic conditions in central London, and both spatial and temporal resolution of the inventory not fully describing the high heterogeneity of the urban centre. Understanding of this underestimation may further improved with longer measurement time series ,to better understand temporal variation, and improved temporal scaling factors, to better simulate sub-annual emissions.

Assessing Spatiotemporal Built-up Dynamics in Chiang Mai City, Thailand using Entropy approach

The rates of urban dynamics affecting by industrialization, urban agglomeration, and large-scale migration turn its behaviour from monocentric to polycentric metropolitan resulting in unprecedented urban growth. Therefore, the present study incorporated an entropy-based approach to measure the degree of compactness and dispersiveness of urban development in Chiang Mai City. The Object-based machine learning was deployed for the image classifications with an overall accuracy above the minimum requirements (i.e., 90%) and kappa statistic of agreement above 0.85. The study reveals that Chiang Mai city has undergone urban development outskirts from the urban centre (CBD) and north and south-west direction from the CBD. A considerable increase in urban demographic and physical urban patches was observed in last 1998 to 2018. The research emphasized the significant role of Shannon Entropy to analyze the built-up growth supplemented by Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) in respective zones and geographical directions.

Nurses’ Use of mHealth Functions

Nurses’ use of mHealth remains largely unexplored despite enthusiasm for its use in health systems. We conducted a survey (n=341) to examine nurses’ use of mHealth technologies in Canada; this paper presents findings of sub questions within a larger study. Differences in common mHealth functions used by nurses were examined by population setting (large urban centre, medium centre, small centre, and rural area) and type of organization (hospital, community health, nursing home or long-term care, and other). A significant difference by population setting was found in the use of the mHealth functions to support decision making. Significant differences by type of organization were found in the use of the mHealth functions for care plans, outside communication, general/basic documentation, accessing information resources, and ‘other’ functions. Results from this study are the first to provide details of the current state and nature of nurses’ use of mHealth.

Behind Successful Refugee Parental Engagement: The Barriers and Challenges

This two-year study examined the barriers and challenges encountered by refugee parents as they negotiate their children’s successful transition into a new school system. The researchers sought to determine what can be learned from parent and educator experiences of these obstacles in order to optimize parent–teacher collaboration for refugee families. Contextualized within a LEAD (Literacy, English and Academic Development) program in an urban centre in Western Canada, the study triangulated data from focus groups comprising Syrian and Iraqi Arabic-speaking families, teachers, and settlement workers. The data were qualitatively analyzed by incorporating Epstein’s six types of parental involvement, a culturally responsive model accounting for parental engagement within the context of home-school-community collaboration (Epstein & Sheldon, 2006). From this model, the researchers make recommendations that include province-wide initiatives to support leadership and teacher training, mandated programming to support refugee and immigrant youth, and the establishment and expansion of board and in-school settlement best practices province-wide.

Interlinked; A New Approach to Urban Expansion in Papamoa

<p>New Zealand cities are prone to poor urban planning and have a strong tendency to expand out into widespread suburbs, consuming the fertile farmland and natural landscapes that reside at the fringes of urban development. These types of greenfield development are rampant throughout New Zealand. Posed as the solution to housing issues and a growing population, these developments nullify and alienate the surrounding context. Low-density urban planning is particularly damaging with its maze of curving cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets resulting in an overly complex network with little to no central framework or hierarchy. This lack of internal infrastructure puts a significant strain on static infrastructure such as roads and public transport, which struggle to meet the needs of the end user. The aim of this research is to develop an alternative strategy for urban growth in Papamoa. Located in the Bay of Plenty, Papamoa is a regional community within the Tauranga city limits, currently experiencing unprecedented growth. Current projections show development in Papamoa will exhaust current land reserves by as early as 2028, requiring the development of additional land to the south in order to sustain demand. This research aims to respond to this issue by increasing density within the existing sprawl, specifically focusing on the site of Papamoa Plaza, the original retail centre of the area. By reducing the need for greenfield development and enabling better connectivity across the region, a shift in focus of the use of public space can revitalise the existing urban centre to the benefits of connectivity within urban design. Case studies and literature were reviewed in order to assess their viability within the New Zealand context and to identify key design elements that would be used. Criteria and guiding principles were developed using Assemblage Theory and Space Syntax. Existing developmental framework and growth trends were analysed during the research, then initial design goals and strategies were identified. Using this information, several schemes and approaches were developed. These were evaluated using ‘Space Syntax’ to establish levels and patterns of connectivity. A selection process of the most viable schemes was explored in detail. These were then broken into key components that were progressively developed to generate a range of different options, which were then reflected upon, assessed and, from this, the final scheme emerged.</p>

Interlinked; A New Approach to Urban Expansion in Papamoa

<p>New Zealand cities are prone to poor urban planning and have a strong tendency to expand out into widespread suburbs, consuming the fertile farmland and natural landscapes that reside at the fringes of urban development. These types of greenfield development are rampant throughout New Zealand. Posed as the solution to housing issues and a growing population, these developments nullify and alienate the surrounding context. Low-density urban planning is particularly damaging with its maze of curving cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets resulting in an overly complex network with little to no central framework or hierarchy. This lack of internal infrastructure puts a significant strain on static infrastructure such as roads and public transport, which struggle to meet the needs of the end user. The aim of this research is to develop an alternative strategy for urban growth in Papamoa. Located in the Bay of Plenty, Papamoa is a regional community within the Tauranga city limits, currently experiencing unprecedented growth. Current projections show development in Papamoa will exhaust current land reserves by as early as 2028, requiring the development of additional land to the south in order to sustain demand. This research aims to respond to this issue by increasing density within the existing sprawl, specifically focusing on the site of Papamoa Plaza, the original retail centre of the area. By reducing the need for greenfield development and enabling better connectivity across the region, a shift in focus of the use of public space can revitalise the existing urban centre to the benefits of connectivity within urban design. Case studies and literature were reviewed in order to assess their viability within the New Zealand context and to identify key design elements that would be used. Criteria and guiding principles were developed using Assemblage Theory and Space Syntax. Existing developmental framework and growth trends were analysed during the research, then initial design goals and strategies were identified. Using this information, several schemes and approaches were developed. These were evaluated using ‘Space Syntax’ to establish levels and patterns of connectivity. A selection process of the most viable schemes was explored in detail. These were then broken into key components that were progressively developed to generate a range of different options, which were then reflected upon, assessed and, from this, the final scheme emerged.</p>

Tech-noiR: An Exploration of Interior Spaces in an Urban context generated by Emergent Technology

<p>Poor pedestrian and transportation circulation, overpopulation, expensive cost of living—these are some of the issues inherent to any urban metropolis around the world. As cities develop and grow, more job opportunities open up for people, which leads to the increase in city population. This growth affects the city’s lifestyle, leading to overpopulation, poor circulation and expensive cost of living within the urban centre. Influenced by the concept ‘time is of the essence’, urban living has become synonymous to an autonomous service stuck within a loophole. This lifestyle, now further propelled by the presence of technology, can prove to be detrimental to the inhabitants’ comfort and well-being. In order to adapt to an impending future of the urban areas, an alternative to future urban living using technology with a minimal yet comfortable dwelling must be provided. The thesis proposes that emergent technology as a design-generating tool along with ergonomic design and depictions of visionary architecture are capable of producing an alternative to urban minimal dwellings in the future. It contends that these future urban minimal dwellings can be developed by: mapping and understanding emergent technologies potentially usable in interior architecture that can be developed into tools; collecting and analysing ergonomic principles and techniques appropriate to interior architecture; collecting and analysing literature about minimal dwelling in modern history; and analysing components and technologies used in depicted living spaces within selected filmography.</p>

Tech-noiR: An Exploration of Interior Spaces in an Urban context generated by Emergent Technology

<p>Poor pedestrian and transportation circulation, overpopulation, expensive cost of living—these are some of the issues inherent to any urban metropolis around the world. As cities develop and grow, more job opportunities open up for people, which leads to the increase in city population. This growth affects the city’s lifestyle, leading to overpopulation, poor circulation and expensive cost of living within the urban centre. Influenced by the concept ‘time is of the essence’, urban living has become synonymous to an autonomous service stuck within a loophole. This lifestyle, now further propelled by the presence of technology, can prove to be detrimental to the inhabitants’ comfort and well-being. In order to adapt to an impending future of the urban areas, an alternative to future urban living using technology with a minimal yet comfortable dwelling must be provided. The thesis proposes that emergent technology as a design-generating tool along with ergonomic design and depictions of visionary architecture are capable of producing an alternative to urban minimal dwellings in the future. It contends that these future urban minimal dwellings can be developed by: mapping and understanding emergent technologies potentially usable in interior architecture that can be developed into tools; collecting and analysing ergonomic principles and techniques appropriate to interior architecture; collecting and analysing literature about minimal dwelling in modern history; and analysing components and technologies used in depicted living spaces within selected filmography.</p>

Some characteristics of southwest monsoon rainfall over urban entres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

In the present study daily rainfall data for 46 years (1969-2014) was selected for the urban stations and surrounding stations for coastal areas of Coastal Andhra Pradesh (CAP) and inland areas of Telanagana (TEL) and Rayalaseema (RSM). The statistics such as regression, standard deviation and coefficient of variance, significance test using t-test, Mann-Kandell test were worked out for the entire period for the stations. The stations were selected on the basis where the period of data is same. The t-test thus performed for all stations showed significance (p < 0.001) in seasonal rainfall (JJAS) for all the stations. Further z-statistics using Mann-Kandell test was performed that showed significant increase at 95% confidence level for Gannavaram, Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam along the coast of Andhra Pradesh state. Over Telengana, Hyderabad (Urban centre) an inland station, showed significant increase at 90% level of confidence for extreme heavy rainfall events. Henceforth, seperate studies for each urban centre (Visakhapatnam, Gannavaram, Machilipatnam and Hyderabad) were done and results showed significant increase in rainfall over urban centres compared to other surrounding stations and the significant increase in rainfall was observed for the coastal stations along Andhra Pradesh coast when compared to inland stations of Telanagana and Rayalaseema.

Urbanisation at Sannati (c. 300 bc–c. 300 ad): An Early Historic Buddhist Settlement in North Karnataka, India. A Comparative Perspective

Urbanisation has been studied almost from the middle of twentieth century by historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, sociologists and city planners who have interpreted it variously. An urban centre would engage with specific functions particularly with regard to the hinterland. In urbanisation comparatively small settlements and simple communities develop into specialised centres and complex societies. As the process of urbanisation is examined from an archaeological or historical viewpoint, the major parameters frequently applied to situate urbanisation are location and size of settlements, large structures, art, writing and standardised medium of exchange. The issue of urbanisation has been studied in detail with respect to Northern India as compared to Deccan and particularly Karnataka. Sannati (Taluk Chittapur, district Gulbarga) in North Karnataka is the main site of investigation. It is a Maurya-Satavahana settlement with some remains belonging to the megalithic Iron Age. Sannati and the nearby settlements of Kanaganahalli are rich in Buddhist structures, sculptures and other antiquities. The author has made an effort to understand if the early historic material culture showed maturity when compared with the antecedent cultures. How did the external powers, such as Mauryas and the Satavahanas influence local development? Did the socio-political order meet the benchmarks of urbanisation? The author in this study has tried to locate urban contours in North Karnataka, especially at Sannati even when compared with other urban landscapes in northern India and the Deccan.