Study of human knowledge and attitude toward urban birds in Faisalabad city, Pakistan

Birds are very valuable indicators of species richness and endemic patterns in a specified ecosystem, which eventually help the scientist to measure the environmental degradation. The aim of present study was to know human knowledge and attitude toward urban birds in Faisalabad city, Pakistan. The study conducted in four consecutive months: November 2019 to February 2020. Population of birds was noted from eight residential towns of Faisalabad city, data were collected through questionnaire. Faisalabad has a reasonably large population of birds and present data show that, there is a significant difference between favorite bird of residential areas and institutions. The pigeon received the most likeness in bird population among residential area residents, while the myna received the least. The most popular bird in Faisalabad institutions was the sparrow, while the least popular bird was the common myna. Bird adaptation percentage of residential areas and institutional areas of Faisalabad was the highest for parrot and sparrow respectively. People in residential areas and institutions, on the other hand, adapted least to common myna. It is concluded that people of the study area like birds and offered food and high population of birds are present in study area.

A comparative study of dengue virus vectors in major parks and adjacent residential areas in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The primary dengue virus vectors, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, are primarily daytime biting mosquitoes. The risk of infection is suspected to be considerable in urban parks due to visitor traffic. Despite the importance of vector control for reducing dengue transmission, little information is available on vector populations in urban parks. The present study characterized mosquito habitats and estimated vector densities in the major urban parks in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and compared them with those in adjacent residential areas. The prevalences of habitats where Aedes larvae were found were 43% and 9% for the parks and residential areas, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (prevalence ratio [PR]: 5.00, 95% CI: 3.85–6.49). The prevalences of positive larval habitats were significantly greater in the parks for both species than the residential areas (PR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04–2.22 for A. aegypti, PR: 10.10, 95% CI: 7.23–14.12 for A. albopictus). Larvae of both species were positively associated with discarded containers and planters. Aedes albopictus larvae were negatively associated with indoor habitats, but positively associated with vegetation shade. The adult density of A. aegypti was significantly less in the parks compared with the residential areas (rate ratio [RR]; 0.09, 95% CI: 0.05–0.16), while the density of A. albopictus was significantly higher in the parks (RR: 9.99, 95% CI: 6.85–14.59). When the species were combined, the density was significantly higher in the parks (RR: 2.50, 95% CI: 1.92–3.25). The urban parks provide suitable environment for Aedes mosquitoes, and A. albopictus in particular. Virus vectors are abundant in the urban parks, and the current vector control programs need to have greater consideration of urban parks.

Automated Residential Area Generalization: Combination of Knowledge-Based Framework and Similarity Measurement

The major reason that the fully automated generalization of residential areas has not been achieved to date is that it is difficult to acquire the knowledge that is required for automated generalization and for the calculation of spatial similarity degrees between map objects at different scales. Furthermore, little attention has been given to generalization methods with a scale reduction that is larger than two-fold. To fill this gap, this article develops a hybrid approach that combines two existing methods to generalize residential areas that range from 1:10,000 to 1:50,000. The two existing methods are Boffet’s method for free space acquisition and kernel density analysis for city hotspot detection. Using both methods, the proposed approach follows a knowledge-based framework by implementing map analysis and spatial similarity measurements in a multiscale map space. First, the knowledge required for residential area generalization is obtained by analyzing multiscale residential areas and their corresponding contributions. Second, residential area generalization is divided into two subprocesses: free space acquisition and urban area outer boundary determination. Then, important parameters for the two subprocesses are obtained through map analysis and similarity measurements, reflecting the knowledge that is hidden in the cartographer’s mind. Using this acquired knowledge, complete generalization steps are formed. The proposed approach is tested using multiscale datasets from Lanzhou City. The experimental results demonstrate that our method is better than the traditional methods in terms of location precision and actuality. The approach is robust, comparatively insensitive to the noise of the small buildings beyond urban areas, and easy to implement in GIS software.

The Business of Improving Neighborhoods. A Critical Overview of Neighborhood-Based Business Improvement Districts (NBIDs) in Sweden

This article offers an overview of neighbourhood-based BIDs (NBIDs) in Sweden. Swedish NBIDs tend to appear in stigmatized residential areas engaging with pressing sets of urban issues that have been longstanding concern of social policy. Their overarching goal is raising property values in neighborhoods on the edge between urban decline and (re)development potential. Emerging in a neoliberalizing institutional context, NBIDs present themselves as correctives to public-policy failures by promoting property-oriented solutions. The adaptation of the BID model in the Swedish ‘post-welfare’ landscape, however, exhibits, and arguably exacerbates, the shortcomings found in BID elsewhere. Their opaque institutional structure and lack of accountability contribute to curbing democratic influence over local development, thus reinforcing spatial inequalities. We argue that the growing political advocacy for the institutionalization of the BID model in Sweden presents a new milestone in the neoliberalization of urban governance, as private actors are promoted to legitimate co-creators of urban policy.

PENGARUH BEBERAPA FAKTOR DALAM PENETAPAN LOKASI KEDAI KOPI

Abstrak Kopi menjadi salah satu komoditas yang pada masa pandemi ini justru mengalami peningkatan pesat, baik dari sisi bisnis usaha, maupun dari sisi jumlah kedai kopi yang bertema kekinian dibanding komoditas usaha lainnya. Salah satu kota di Indonesia yang mengalami perkembangan yang sangat pesat berkaitan dengan bisnis kedai kopi adalah Kota Tarakan, Kalimantan Utara. Meskipun dibanding kota lain di Kalimantan, barangkali perkembangan kedai kopi di kota Tarakan sedikit tertinggal 3-4 tahun misalnya dari kota Balikpapan dan Banjarmasin. Jumlah kedai kopi di Kota Tarakan mengalami peningkatan cukup pesat dalam kurun waktu dari tahun 2019 hingga 2021 ini. Lokasi kedai kopi di Kota Tarakan tersebar di sekitar kawasan perdagangan, perkantoran dan permukiman penduduk. Kehadiran kedai kopi di beberapa kawasan disatu sisi berdampak positif, yaitu menghidupkan kawasan di sekitar kedai yang semula sepi dan rawan, menjadi ramai, namun disisi lain juga kadang kala berdampak negatif, seperti terjadi kemacetan lalulintas, kesulitan lahan parkir dan kebisingan suara dari aktivitas kedai kopi. Oleh karena itu pemilihan lokasi kedai kopi menjadi tantangan tersendiri. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan pengaruh dari beberapa faktor utama yang mendasari pemilik kedai kopi memilih lokasi untuk pendirian kedai kopinya di Kota Tarakan. Menjamurnya kedai kopi kekinian dari sisi perkembangan perekonomian kota sangat baik, karena memicu denyut perekonomian kota, membantu mengakselerasi pemulihan ekonomi dimasa pandemi serta menjadi salah satu masukan menarik dalam pembangunan tata kota dan pengembangan pusat-pusat ekonomi baru di Kota Tarakan terutama yang berkaitan dengan aktivitas perdagangan dan jasa. Penelitian ini masih merupakan ide gagasan/pemikiran penulis yang melihat bahwa perkembangan kedai kopi dari hari ke hari sebagai suatu fenomena unik sebuah kota. Dan itu terjadi di hampir seluruh kota besar di Indonesia. Data yang digunakan merupakan informasi yang diperoleh dari komunitas kopi yang terdiri dari para pemilik kedai kopi dan barista di Kota Tarakan. Berdasarkan hasil pengamatan diperoleh empat kelompok faktor yang menggambarkan karakter pemilihan lokasi kedai kopi di Kota Tarakan. Kelompok faktor yang mempengaruhi pemilihan lokasi kedai kopi di Kota Tarakan yaitu fleksibilitas/aksesibilitas lokasi, kesesuaian/ketepatan lokasi, dukungan/support di sekitar lokasi, dan faktor-faktor tambahan lainnya. Fleksibilitas lokasi yaitu jangkauan kemudahan akses ke lokasi kedai dan bagaimana pelanggan/customer bisa dengan mudah mencapainya. Kesesuaian lokasi yaitu ketepatan pemilihan lokasi kedai dengan pertimbangan tertentu agar dapat mengakomodir kebutuhan dari kegiatan kedai kopi tersebut. Dukungan di sekitar lokasi yaitu adanya elemen-elemen pendukung yang ada di sekitar lokasi yang bisa menunjang dan mempermudah dalam kegiatan operasional kedai kopi. Faktor tambahan lainnya adalah faktor lain yang menjadi pertimbangan pemilihan lokasi namun relatif tidak memberikan pengaruh yang besar dalam penentuan pemilihan lokasi kedai kopi di Kota Tarakan, antara lain faktor efisiensi biaya kontrak. Abstract Coffee is one of the commodities that experienced a rapid increase during this pandemic, both in terms of the business and the number of coffee shops with contemporary themes compared to other business commodities. One of Indonesia's cities experiencing rapid development to the coffee shop business is Tarakan City, North Kalimantan. Although compared to other cities in Kalimantan, perhaps the result of coffee shops in Tarakan is a little behind 3-4 years, for example, from Balikpapan and Banjarmasin's towns. Tarakan City's coffee shops have increased quite rapidly from 2019 to 2021. The location of coffee shops in Tarakan City is spread around the trading area, offices, and residential areas. The presence of coffee shops in several places, on the one hand, has a positive impact, namely reviving the area around the shop, which was initially quiet and vulnerable, becoming crowded. Still, on the other hand, it also sometimes has a negative impact, such as traffic jams, parking difficulties, and noise from coffee shop activities. Therefore, choosing a coffee shop location is a challenge in itself. This study aims to determine the influence of several primary factors that underlie coffee shop owners selecting a place to establish their coffee shop in Tarakan City. The proliferation of trendy coffee shops in the city's economic development helped accelerate economic recovery during the pandemic and develop new financial centres in Tarakan City, especially trading activities. And services. This research is still the author's ideas/thoughts who see that the development of coffee shops from day to day is a unique phenomenon of a city. Furthermore, it happened in almost all big cities in Indonesia. The data used is information obtained from the coffee community consisting of coffee shop owners and baristas in Tarakan City. Based on the observations, four factors describe the character of choosing a coffee shop location in Tarakan City. The factors that influence the selection of coffee shop locations in Tarakan City are location flexibility/accessibility, suitability/accuracy, support/support around the area, and other additional factors. Location flexibility is the range of easy access to the shop's location and how customers/customers can easily reach it. Location suitability is the accuracy of choosing the shop's location with specific considerations to accommodate the needs of the coffee shop's activities. Another factor is other factors considered for site selection but relatively do not significantly influence the location of coffee shops in Tarakan City, including contract cost efficiency.

Pesticide toxicity assessment and geographic information system (GIS) application in small-scale rice farming operations, Thailand

The objectives of the study were to evaluate the impact of pesticide exposure on farmer health during non-active rice farming and active rice farming periods and present the change in the individual cholinesterase activities (%reduction) on the geographic information system (GIS) mapping in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. Acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase (AChE and BuChE) activities were monitored during both study periods using Test-mate ChE (Model 400). The location of paddy fields was specified using Garmin geographic positioning system MAP 62s. Fifty-eight farmers who participated in this study had an average age of 49.2 ± 6.9 years. Higher prevalence of all health symptoms was observed among farmer participants during the active rice farming period comparing to the non-active rice farming period (p < 0.01). Furthermore, farmers had significantly lower activities of AChE and BuChE during the active rice farming period comparing to the non-active rice farming period (p < 0.01). Our findings indicate that the GIS mapping indicate that the cases with a significant enzyme inhibition have dispersed across the agricultural and the nearby residential areas. This, investigation can be used to promote safer use of pesticides among farmers and mitigate pesticide exposure among residents living in close proximity to a rice field.

Use of Anthropogenic Nest Materials by Black-crested Titmice Along an Urban Gradient

Numerous avian species use anthropogenic materials in constructing nests, particularly in urbanized environments. Anthropogenic materials, including plastics, have been demonstrated to have both beneficial and harmful effects on survival and reproduction. During the spring of 2018, we collected 45 Black-crested Titmouse Baeolophus atricristatus nests in San Marcos, TX, U.S. with two objectives: 1) assess and compare the mass and proportion of nest materials along an urban gradient, and 2) examine the relationship between nest materials, clutch size, and hatching success. We categorized each nest based on collection location as either urban, residential, park or rural and separated nest materials into six categories: leaves, snakeskin, twigs, moss, plastic, and non-plastic artificial materials. We then compared raw mass and proportion of mass of each nest material among urbanization categories. Nests in the urban category were 1.6-1.9 times lighter in mass than nests in other locations along the urban gradient (p = 0.01) and contained 4-5 times greater proportion, but not mass, of plastic compared to nests in all other locations. Nests in residential areas contained the greatest mass of combined anthropogenic materials. Neither clutch size nor hatching success differed based on urbanization category, nest mass, or proportions of anthropogenic or natural nest materials. The differences in mass of nests and increased proportion of plastics could have been due to a lack of natural nesting materials however, we did not estimate availability of nesting materials at any location. Results add to the growing literature that the use of anthropogenic materials in nests varies across an urban gradient, and the effect of anthropogenic materials on nesting parameters varies among species.

Field evaluation of WALS truck-mounted A1 super duty mist sprayer® with VectoBac® WDG against Aedes aegypti (Diptera:Culicidae) populations in Manatee County, Florida

Aedes aegypti, the Dengue and Zika vector, is a domestic mosquito that is difficult to control. The challenge lies in the mosquito’s preference to lay its eggs in cryptic habitats such as fence post openings, buckets and bird baths, cups. Additionally, current methods of control are labor-intensive. We employed the WALS strategy to evaluate the operational efficacy of applying VectoBac WDG using a truck-mounted mister to control local populations of Ae. aegypti in urban settings with difficult-to-reach larval mosquito habitats. Our study was conducted in Cortez (Manatee County), Florida, USA (27° 27’ N, 82° 40’ W). We selected two study sites, one untreated control (21.9 ha) and one treatment site (23.1 ha) where historical data have shown high populations of Ae. aegypti based on weekly ovitrap surveillance. Weekly BGs and ovitraps (10–15 traps/site) were deployed to monitor adult population dynamics. A total of 50 bioassay jars were placed in the field each afternoon of the Bti application (8 application events) at fixed locations to collect droplets and gauge efficacy. We found significant reduction in female adults (P = 0.0002) and landing rate counts (P = 0.0058) as a result of treatment. Larval bioassays during the eight applications confirmed Bti deposit in a variety of coverage types regardless of placement in the yards. WALS applications with a truck-mounted mister can be effective at reducing disease carrying mosquito populations in residential areas and can be implemented in an integrated vector management program.

Landscaper: A Modeling System for 3D Printing Scale Models of Landscapes

Landscape models of geospatial regions provide an intuitive mechanism for exploring complex geospatial information. However, the methods currently used to create these scale models require a large amount of resources, which restricts the availability of these models to a limited number of popular public places, such as museums and airports. In this paper, we have proposed a system for creating these physical models using an affordable 3D printer in order to make the creation of these models more widely accessible. Our system retrieves GIS relevant to creating a physical model of a geospatial region and then addresses the two major limitations of affordable 3D printers, namely the limited number of materials and available printing volume. This is accomplished by separating features into distinct extruded layers and splitting large models into smaller pieces, allowing us to employ different methods for the visualization of different geospatial features, like vegetation and residential areas, in a 3D printing context. We confirm the functionality of our system by printing two large physical models of relatively complex landscape regions.

Numerical Modeling the Flood and Pollutant Transport Processes in Residential Areas with Different Land Use Types

Large-scale flooding causes widespread disaster, and harmful pollutant concentration in water following flood affects public safety and the environment. In this study, a numerical model for solving the 2D shallow water equations and the solute transport equation is proposed to simulate overland flood and pollutant transport caused by floods. The present model is verified by comparing the predictions with the analytical solutions and simulation results; sufficiently high computational accuracy is achieved. The model is also used to simulate flood inundation and pollution spread in the area of Hun and Taizi Lane (HTL) in China due to river dike breaches; the results show that the coupling model has excellent performance for simulating the flooding process and the temporal and spatial distribution of pollutants in urban or rural areas. We use remote sensing techniques to acquire the land coverage in the area of HTL based on Landsat TM satellites. The impacts of changed land use on mitigation of flooding waves and pollutant spread are investigated; the results indicate that the land cover changes have an obvious influence on the evolution process of flood waves and pollutant transport in the study areas, where the transport of pollutants is very dynamic during flood inundation in HTL area. Furthermore, the motion of pollutants considering anisotropic diffusion is more reasonable than that due to isotropic dispersion in simulating pollutant transport associated with the flood in urban or farmland environments.