Weather and the City: Machine Learning for Predicting and Attributing Fine Scale Air Quality to Meteorological and Urban Determinants

Urban air quality persists as a global concern, with critical health implications. This study employs a combination of machine learning (gradient boosting regression, GBR) and spatial analysis to better understand the key drivers behind air pollution and its prediction and mitigation strategies. Focusing on New York City as a representative urban area, we investigate the interplay between urban characteristics and weather factors, showing that urban features, including traffic-related parameters and urban morphology, emerge as crucial predictors for pollutants closely associated with vehicular emissions, such as elemental carbon (EC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Conversely, pollutants with secondary formation pathways (e.g., PM2.5) or stemming from nontraffic sources (e.g., sulfur dioxide, SO2) are predominantly influenced by meteorological conditions, particularly wind speed and maximum daily temperature. Urban characteristics are shown to act over spatial scales of 500 × 500 m2, which is thus the footprint needed to effectively capture the impact of urban form, fabric, and function. Our spatial predictive model, needing only meteorological and urban inputs, achieves promising results with mean absolute errors ranging from 8 to 32% when using full-year data. Our approach also yields good performance when applied to the temporal mapping of spatial pollutant variability. Our findings highlight the interacting roles of urban characteristics and weather conditions and can inform urban planning, design, and policy.

Interactions with humans reduce the success of foraging for anthropogenic food by capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brasília National Park, Brazil

The progressive growth of urban environments has increasingly forced populations of nonhuman primates to coexist with humans in many cities, which has resulted in problems such as behavioral alterations, conflicts with humans, and threats to the health of the monkeys, due to their consumption of anthropogenic foodstuffs. These anthropogenic foods, which are rich in calories, are the principal driver of the proximity between humans and primates, even though the acquisition of these foods tends to be risky for the monkeys and involve a variety of challenges derived from specific features of the urban environment. The present study evaluated the success/risk relationship of foraging for anthropogenic food by tufted capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brasília National Park. The data were analyzed using a binary logistic regression, with the backward-stepwise Wald method, to investigate the factors related to the foraging success of the capuchins, considering variables such as their sex and age, the type of approach and its context, and interactions with humans. The capuchins were influenced by the anthropogenic context, which affected their foraging strategies and diet. Interactions with humans reduced the success of foraging for anthropogenic foods. Conflicts between humans and the capuchins were common, especially in the context of access to food. The capuchins thus preferred to access feeding resources directly, probably due to the reduced human interference, which resulted in greater foraging success for unattended food brought by park visitors and the raiding of trash cans. Based on the observed behavior patterns, a number of measures can be proposed to mitigate these conflicts. These recommendations include not bringing food into areas frequented by the capuchins, not reacting to approaching animals, and removing all trash generated during a visit. A cleaning team dedicated to the maintenance of the visitation area free of anthropogenic waste is also be recommended.

Landscape of global urban environmental resistome and its association with local socioeconomic and medical status

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a critical threat to global health and development, with environmental factors-particularly in urban areas-contributing significantly to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, most research to date has been conducted at a local level, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of the global status of antibiotic resistance in urban environments. To address this issue, we thoroughly analyzed a total of 86,213 ARGs detected within 4,728 metagenome samples, which were collected by the MetaSUB International Consortium involving diverse urban environments in 60 cities of 27 countries, utilizing a deep-learning based methodology. Our findings demonstrated the strong geographical specificity of urban environmental resistome, and their correlation with various local socioeconomic and medical conditions. We also identified distinctive evolutionary patterns of ARG-related biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) across different countries, and discovered that the urban environment represents a rich source of novel antibiotics. Our study provides a comprehensive overview of the global urban environmental resistome, and fills a significant gap in our knowledge of large-scale urban antibiotic resistome analysis.

Lichen - air quality association rule mining for urban environments in the tropics

There are significant gaps in air quality monitoring across many low- and middle-income countries, which can be filled by bioindicators like lichen. This study examined the links between lichen and air quality across urban environments in Nigeria. Lichen surveys and air quality monitoring were carried out across four major cities focusing on NO2, SO2, PM2.5, and PM10. Association rule mining was used to identify robust rules defining the association between lichen and air quality categories. For the maximal frequent set with Lichen in the antecedent, 9 and 5 rules were identified by A priori and Eclat, respectively. These indicated that three genera: Diorygma, Pyxine, and Physcia are the most commonly associated lichen with poor air quality particularly NO2 and SO2. This showed that these lichens are viable indicators of long-term air quality due to their consistent occurrence across the rules from different algorithms.

How does mobility and urban environment affect the migrants' settlement intention? A perspective from the intergenerational differences

Introduction

With China embracing a new people-centered urbanization stage, the problem of migrants "flowing without moving" has become increasingly prominent, and settlement intention has gradually garnered attention.

Methods

Our research, based on questionnaire data from the China Labor Force Dynamic Survey 2016, uses a multilevel linear regression model to explore the influence of mobility, social environment, built environment, and demographics characteristics on settlement intention in the migrants and discusses differences between settlement intention of new and old generations and their internal influence mechanism.

Results

The findings are as follows: (1) Compared to the old generation, the new migrant generation generally has higher settlement intention. (2) The migrants' settlement intention is influenced mainly by mobility, social environment, built environment, and demographic characteristics. (3) For the new migrant generation, social and demographic characteristics significantly influence their settlement intention. (4) The floating and built environment of the old generation significantly influence their settlement intention.

Discussion

Finally, this paper argues that there are differences in the influence mechanism of the same factors on the settlement intention of the new and old generations of migrants. It proposes differentiated policy suggestions for the migrants to promote city social integration. Finally, this paper argues that there are differences in the influence mechanism of the same factors on the settlement intention of the new and old generations of migrants. It proposes differentiated policy suggestions for the migrants to promote city social integration.

Development of TiO2-CaCO3 Based Composites as an Affordable Building Material for the Photocatalytic Abatement of Hazardous NOx from the Environment

This study explores the depollution activity of a photocatalytic cementitious composite comprising various compositions of n-TiO2 and CaCO3. The photocatalytic activity of the CaCO3-TiO2 composite material is assessed for the aqueous photodegradation efficiency of MB dye solution and NOx under UV light exposure. The catalyst CaCO3-TiO2 exhibits the importance of an optimal balance between CaCO3 and n-TiO2 for the highest NOx removal of 60% and MB dye removal of 74.6%. The observed trends in the photodegradation of NOx removal efficiencies suggest a complex interplay between CaCO3 and TiO2 content in the CaCO3-n-TiO2 composite catalysts. This pollutant removal efficiency is attributed to the synergistic effect between CaCO3 and n-TiO2, where a higher percentage of n-TiO2 appeared to enhance the photocatalytic activity. It is recommended that CaCO3-TiO2 photocatalysts are effectiveness in water and air purification, as well as for being cost-effective construction materials.

Unlocking Mutual Gains-An Experimental Study on Collaborative Autonomous Driving in Urban Environment

Convoy driving, a specialized form of collaborative autonomous driving, offers a promising solution to the multifaceted challenges that transportation systems face, including traffic congestion, pollutant emissions, and the coexistence of connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) and human-driven vehicles on the road, resulting in mixed traffic flow. While extensive research has focused on the collective societal benefits of convoy driving, such as safety and comfort, one critical aspect that has been overlooked is the willingness of individual vehicles to participate in convoy formations. While the collective benefits are evident, individual vehicles may not readily embrace this paradigm shift without explicit tangible benefits and incentives to motivate them. Moreover, the objective of convoy driving is not solely to deliver societal benefits but also to provide incentives and reduce costs at the individual level. Therefore, this research bridges this gap by designing and modeling the societal benefits, including traffic flow optimization and pollutant emissions, and individual-level incentives necessary to promote convoy driving. We model a fundamental diagram of mixed traffic flow, considering various factors such as CAV penetration rates, coalition intensity, and coalition sizes to investigate their relationships and their impact on traffic flow. Furthermore, we model the collaborative convoy driving problem using the coalitional game framework and propose a novel utility function encompassing incentives like car insurance discounts, traffic fine reductions, and toll discounts to encourage vehicle participation in convoys. Our experimental findings emphasize the need to strike a balance between CAV penetration rate, coalition intensity, size, and speed to realize the benefits of convoy driving at both collective and individual levels. This research aims to align the interests of road authorities seeking sustainable transportation systems and individual vehicle owners desiring tangible benefits, envisioning a future where convoy driving becomes a mutually beneficial solution.

Direct Impact of the Air on Mutant Cells for Mutagenicity Assessments in Urban Environments

BACKGROUND

Urban air pollution is recognized as a critical problem for public health and is classified as a carcinogen for humans. A great number of studies have focused on the monitoring of urban air mutagenicity. One of the best-known and applied methods for assessing mutagenicity is the Ames test, a bacterial reverse mutation test. The classic protocol for assessing air mutagenicity involves the concentration of particulate matter (PM) on filters and subsequent extraction using organic solvents. This work aimed to develop a method for the evaluation of air mutagenicity directly impacted by air on microbial plates already containing an Ames' microbial sensor.

METHODS

A specific six-month sampling campaign was carried out in Turin in a period with high air pollution. Samples were tested for mutagenicity on Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98, TA100, and YG1024 with the traditional method and with the new direct method.

RESULTS

The new protocol is able to evaluate the mutagenicity of the sampled air and obtain repeatable results. The final sensitivity is similar to the traditional method (≈10 net revertants/m3); however, the mutagenic response is due to the complete air pollution mixture, including volatile and semivolatile pollutants avoiding the concentration of filters and the following laborious extraction procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite some critical issues in contamination control, the method is easier, faster, and less expensive than traditional methods.

Unplanned urbanization and health risks of Dhaka City in Bangladesh: uncovering the associations between urban environment and public health

Background

Dhaka City, the capital of Bangladesh, has experienced rapid and unplanned urbanization over the past few decades. This process has brought significant challenges to public health as the urban environment has become a breeding ground for various health risks. Understanding the associations between unplanned urbanization, the urban environment, and public health in Dhaka City is crucial for developing effective interventions and policies.

Objectives

This review paper aims to uncover the associations between unplanned urbanization and health risks in Dhaka City, with a specific focus on the urban environment and its impact on public health. The objectives of this study are to examine the health challenges faced by the city's population, explore the specific urban environmental factors contributing to health risks, analyze the socioeconomic determinants of health in unplanned urban areas, evaluate existing policies and governance structures, identify research and data gaps, and provide recommendations for future interventions.

Methods

A comprehensive literature review was conducted to gather relevant studies, articles, reports, and policy documents related to unplanned urbanization, the urban environment, and public health in Dhaka City. Various databases and online resources were searched, and the selected literature was critically analyzed to extract key findings and insights.

Results

The findings reveal that unplanned urbanization in Dhaka City has led to a range of public health risks, including air pollution, inadequate water and sanitation, poor waste management, overcrowding, slums, and substandard housing conditions. These environmental factors are strongly associated with respiratory diseases, waterborne illnesses, and other adverse health outcomes. Socioeconomic determinants such as poverty, income inequality, and limited access to healthcare further exacerbate the health risks faced by the urban population.

Conclusion

Unplanned urbanization in Dhaka City has significant implications for public health. Addressing the associations between unplanned urbanization, the urban environment, and public health requires comprehensive policies and interventions. Improved urban planning, enhanced infrastructure, and better policy governance are essential for mitigating health risks. Furthermore, addressing socioeconomic disparities and ensuring equitable access to healthcare services are crucial components of effective interventions.

Syntopy between Endangered San Joaquin Kit Foxes and Potential Competitors in an Urban Environment

The endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica; SJKF) occurs in the city of Bakersfield, CA, where several putative competitors also occur, including domestic cats (Felis catus), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and opossums (Didephis virginiana). We used data from a multi-year (2015-2022) city-wide camera station survey to assess whether the other species were simply sympatric with SJKF or coexisting syntopically (i.e., occurring in the same habitats without apparent competition). Annual detection rates for the other species were not correlated with SJKF rates either within SJKF habitat suitability categories (low, medium, and high) or for all categories combined. Also, detection rates for the other species did not increase in response to a significant decline in SJKF abundance caused by sarcoptic mange. The use of all SJKF habitat suitability categories by the other species and co-detections with SJKF at camera stations indicate high spatial overlap. Interference and exploitative competition between the species are apparently negligible, likely due to similar body sizes and high resource abundance. Thus, SJKF and the other species appear to be coexisting syntopically in the urban environment, resulting in a significant additional SJKF population that facilitates range-wide conservation and recovery of this endangered species.

[Impact of the city recreation and sports environment on health of its residents]

Recreation and sports environment is an essential part of the urban space, which is the most important factor in improving and maintaining health of the citizens, contributing to better mental health, cognitive functions, lower overall mortality, higher life expectancy, lower morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases, prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, better pregnancy and birth outcomes. Recreation and sports environment of the urban space includes the city's greenery, recreational areas, areas for physical activities and sports, and waterfront areas. This study uses a correlation analysis to analyze the impact of the city recreation and sports environment on health of the working and post-working population. The study was conducted in 2019 on the example of large and huge urban cities of the Moscow region populated with more than 125,000 people. Based on the correlation analysis results, the authors have demonstrated the impact of the overall set of all sports facilities, sports structures, flat sports structures, swimming pools, sports halls, and public green spaces in cities on health of the post-working population. The study has also shown the impact of swimming pools, the overall set of all types of sports facilities, sports structures, flat sports structures, sports halls, and public green spaces in cities on health of the working-age population. The authors come to the conclusion that development and ongoing support and maintenance of the city recreation and sports environment serve as an important objective of the city administrations, resulting in the improved physical activity of the citizens and lower morbidity among the urban population.

Trees, Climate Change, and Health: An Urban Planning, Greening and Implementation Perspective

The In Conversation: Boundary, Spanners, Thinkers and Policy Actors Round Table Series provides a platform for researchers, policy actors, and implementation experts to elevate discussion on emerging issues, present new and upcoming research, and facilitate conversations around impacts and possible solutions. This brief report, on trees, climate change, and health, reflects a conversation between the authors of this paper, along with supporting literature. It explores the potential of green spaces and trees as a viable strategy to address climate change challenges and simultaneously improve population health, well-being, and health equity. In particular, it highlights the public health benefits of trees and green space, the challenges faced in urban areas, and opportunities for the protection, maintenance and regeneration of urban green space.

Robust design of a machine learning-based GNSS NLOS detector with multi-frequency features

The robust detection of GNSS non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signals is of vital importance for land- and close-to-land-based safe navigation applications. The usage of GNSS measurements affected by NLOS can lead to large unbounded positioning errors and loss of safety. Due to the complex signal conditions in urban environments, the use of machine learning or artificial intelligence techniques and algorithms has recently been identified as potential tools to classify GNSS LOS/NLOS signals. The design of machine learning algorithms with GNSS features is an emerging field of research that must, however, be tackled carefully to avoid biased estimation results and to guarantee algorithms that can be generalized for different scenarios, receivers, antennas, and their specific installations and configurations. This work first provides new options to guarantee a proper generalization of trained algorithms by means of a pre-normalization of features with models extracted in open-sky (nominal) scenarios. The second main contribution focuses on designing a branched (or parallel) machine learning process to handle the intermittent presence of GNSS features in certain frequencies. This allows to exploit measurements in all available frequencies as compared to current approaches in the literature based on only the single frequency. The detection by means of logistic regression not only provides a binary LOS/NLOS decision but also an associated probability which can be used in the future as a means to weight-specific measurements. The detection with the proposed branched logistic regression with pre-normalized multi-frequency features has shown better results than the state-of-the-art algorithms, reaching 90% detection accuracy in the validation scenarios evaluated.

Spatial Health Predictors for Depressive Disorder in Manhattan: A 2020 Analysis

Background Urban cores often present extreme disparities in the distribution of wealth and income. They also vary in health outcomes, especially regarding mental welfare. Dense urban blocks agglomerate many residents of various backgrounds, and extreme differences in income, commerce, and health may lead to variations in depressive disorder outcomes. More research is needed on public health characteristics that may affect depression in dense urban centers. Methods Data on 2020 public health characteristics for Manhattan Island was collected using the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC's) PLACES project. All Manhattan census tracts were used as the spatial observations, resulting in [Formula: see text] observations. A cross-sectional generalized linear regression (GLR) was used to fit a geographically weighted spatial regression (GWR), with tract depression rates as the endogenous variable. Data on the following eight exogenous parameters were incorporated: the percentage without health insurance, the percentage of those who binge drink, the percentage who receive an annual doctor's checkup, the percentage of those who are physically inactive, the percentage of those who experience frequent mental distress, the percentage of those who receive less than 7 hours of sleep each night, the percentage of those who report regular smoking, and the percentage of those who are obese. A Getis-Ord Gi* model was built to locate hot and cold spot clusters for depression incidence and an Anselin Local Moran's I spatial autocorrelation analysis was undertaken to determine neighborhood relationships between tracts.  Results Depression hot spot clusters at the 90%-99% confidence interval (CI) were identified in Upper Manhattan and Lower Manhattan using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic and spatial autocorrelation. Cold spot clusters at the 90%-99% CI were in central Manhattan and the southern edge of Manhattan Island. For the GLR-GWR model, only the lack of health insurance and mental distress variables were significant at the 95% CI, with an adjusted R-² of 0.56. Noticeable inversions were observed in the spatial distribution of the exogenous coefficients across Manhattan, with a higher lack of insurance coefficients observed in Upper Manhattan and higher frequent mental distress coefficients in Lower Manhattan. Conclusion The level of depression incidence does spatially track with predictive health and economic parameters across Manhattan Island. Additional research is encouraged on urban policies that may reduce the mental distress burden on Manhattan residents, as well as investigations of the spatial inversion observed in this study between the exogenous parameters.

Multiple Aspects of the Fight against the Red Palm Weevil in an Urban Area: Study Case, San Benedetto del Tronto (Central Italy)

The fight against alien invasive insect pests of plants in the urban environment often affects varied sectors of the economy, landscape gardening, public health, and ecology. This paper focuses on the evolution of the red palm weevil in San Benedetto del Tronto, a coastal urban area in central Italy. We investigated the evolution of this insect pest of palm trees in the 2013-2020 period, considering both the effectiveness of the chemicals used and their potentially harmful effects. With a multidisciplinary approach, we carried out a spatio-temporal analysis of the extent and mode of pest spread over time using historical aerial photos, freely available remote sensing images, and field surveys integrated in a GIS environment. We also assessed the toxicity risk associated with the chemicals used to protect the palms from the red weevil. The fight against this weevil is now concentrated in specific areas such as parks, roads, villas, hotels, farmhouses, and nurseries. The preventive chemical treatments applied are very effective in preserving the palms, but they show a toxic potential for all organisms. We discuss current local management of this pest, focusing on several aspects involved in the fight against this beetle in an urban area.

Urban and individual correlates of subjective well-being in China: An application of gradient boosting decision trees

Introduction

Subjective well-being (SWB) is attributable to both individual and environmental attributes. However, extant studies have paid little attention to the contribution of environmental attributes at the urban level to SWB or their nonlinear associations with SWB.

Methods

This study applies a machine learning approach called gradient boosting decision trees (GBDTs) to the 2013 China Household Income Survey data to investigate the relative importance of urban and individual attributes to and their nonlinear associations with SWB.

Results

The urban and individual attributes make similar relative contributions to SWB. Income and age are the most important predictors. Urban facilities make a larger contribution than urban development factors. Moreover, urban attributes exert nonlinear and threshold effects on SWB. Cultural facilities and green space have inverted U-shaped correlations with SWB. Educational facilities, medical facilities, and population size are monotonically associated with SWB and have specific thresholds.

Discussion

Improving urban attributes is important to enhancing residents' SWB.

New Strategies to Increase the Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Woody Ornamental Plants in Mediterranean Climate

The native flora of different Mediterranean countries, often woody species, was widely recognized for its ornamental potential. The shrubs, in particular, are a typology of plants very widespread in the Mediterranean environment and constituent the 'Macchia', the typical vegetation of this ecosystem. The use of native shrubs for the realization of ornamental green areas has been recently examined for their adaptability to abiotic stress. Abiotic stresses, in fact, are the major limiting growth factor in urban and peri-urban areas. The identification and use of tolerant ornamental species allow the reduction of management costs and preserve the aesthetical value of green areas. Tolerance to drought stress, for instance, in the Mediterranean climate can improve the ecosystem services of these plants in the urban environment. In this review, the possibility to early individuate different plant species' mechanisms to tolerate or avoid the stresses is analysed, as well as the possibility to increase abiotic stress tolerance through genetic and agronomic strategies. The exploration of wild or spontaneous species can be a good source for selecting tolerant plants to be used as ornamental plants in urban areas. Among agronomic strategies, biostimulants, mulching, and plant combination can provide a useful solution to counteract abiotic stress in the urban environment.

Ambient nitrogen dioxide in 47,187 neighborhoods across 326 cities in eight Latin American countries: population exposures and associations with urban features

Background

Health research on ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is sparse in Latin America, despite the high prevalence of NO2-associated respiratory diseases in the region. This study describes within-city distributions of ambient NO2 concentrations at high spatial resolution and urban characteristics associated with neighborhood ambient NO2 in 326 Latin American cities.

Methods

We aggregated estimates of annual surface NO2 at 1 km2 spatial resolution for 2019, population counts, and urban characteristics compiled by the SALURBAL project to the neighborhood level (i.e., census tracts). We described the percent of the urban population living with ambient NO2 levels exceeding WHO Air Quality Guidelines. We used multilevel models to describe associations of neighborhood ambient NO2 concentrations with population and urban characteristics at the neighborhood and city levels.

Findings

We examined 47,187 neighborhoods in 326 cities from eight Latin American countries. Of the ≈236 million urban residents observed, 85% lived in neighborhoods with ambient annual NO2 above WHO guidelines. In adjusted models, higher neighborhood-level educational attainment, closer proximity to the city center, and lower neighborhood-level greenness were associated with higher ambient NO2. At the city level, higher vehicle congestion, population size, and population density were associated with higher ambient NO2.

Interpretation

Almost nine out of every 10 residents of Latin American cities live with ambient NO2 concentrations above WHO guidelines. Increasing neighborhood greenness and reducing reliance on fossil fuel-powered vehicles warrant further attention as potential actionable urban environmental interventions to reduce population exposure to ambient NO2.

Funding

Wellcome Trust, National Institutes of Health, Cotswold Foundation.

Does Deep Learning Enhance the Estimation for Spatially Explicit Built Environment Stocks through Nighttime Light Data Set? Evidence from Japanese Metropolitans

Built environment stocks have attracted much attention in recent decades because of their role in material and energy flows and environmental impacts. Spatially refined estimation of built environment stocks benefits city management, for example, in urban mining and resource circularity strategy making. Nighttime light (NTL) data sets are widely used and are regarded as high-resolution products in large-scale building stock research. However, some of their limitations, especially blooming/saturation effects, have hampered performance in estimating building stocks. In this study, we experimentally proposed and trained a convolution neural network (CNN)-based building stock estimation (CBuiSE) model and applied it to major Japanese metropolitan areas to estimate building stocks using NTL data. The results show that the CBuiSE model is capable of estimating building stocks at a relatively high resolution (approximately 830 m) and reflecting spatial distribution patterns, although the accuracy needs to be further improved to enhance the model performance. In addition, the CBuiSE model can effectively mitigate the overestimation of building stocks arising from the blooming effect of NTL. This study highlights the potential of NTL to provide a new research direction and serve as a cornerstone for future anthropogenic stock studies in the fields of sustainability and industrial ecology.

Satellite observation to assess dengue risk due to Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in a subtropical city of Argentina

Earth observation environmental features measured through remote sensing and models of vector mosquitoes species Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus provide an advancement with regards to dengue risk in urban environments of subtropical areas of Argentina. The authors aim to estimate the effect of landscape coverage and spectral indices (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index [NDVI], Normalized Difference Water Index [NDWI] and Normalized Difference Built-up Index [NDBI]) on the larvae abundance of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in Eldorado, Misiones, Argentina using remote satellite sensors. Larvae of these species were collected monthly (June 2016 to April 2018), in four environments: tire repair shops, cemeteries, dwellings and an urban natural park. The proportion of landscape coverage (water, urban areas, bare soil, low vegetation and high vegetation) was determined from the supervised classification of Sentinel-2 images and spectral indices, calculated. The authors developed spatial models of both vector species by generalized linear mixed models. The model's results showed that Ae. aegypti larvae abundance was better modelled by NDVI minimum values, NDBI maximum values and the interaction between them. For Ae. albopictus proportion of bare soil, low vegetation and the interaction between both variables explained better the abundance.

[The regional aspects of social economic factors effect on morphophysiological status and somatic health of young women]

The analysis of various social, economic, and demographic factors demonstrates different degrees and directions of their impact on human body systems and human health in general. The examination of residents of several cities of Russia and neighboring countries provides an opportunity to assess strength and direction of relationship between socioeconomic factors and morphofunctional health. The comprehensive morphofunctional examination was applied to 722 young females aged 18.8±0.05 years from six cities: Moscow, Samara, Saransk, Arkhangelsk (the Russian Federation), Tiraspol (the Transdniestria Moldavian Republic), and Baku (the Republic of Azerbaijan). The economic, demographic, social and ecological indicators of the city and relevant region were considered as factors of urban environment. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (RS). was used as measure of relation between attributes. The variability of morphophysiological characteristics is hardly related to the population density (RS -0.18-0.15). At the same time the greatest contribution was demonstrated by complex of economic factors and environmental pollution (RS up to -0.29 for both). The relationships between functional indicators of cardiovascular system and economic status of the region, associated demographic factors, and indicators of air pollution were established in the surveyed cities. In overall, the results suggest that cardiovascular system is the most susceptible area to influence of city-level social economic factors and demonstrates deterioration of functional indicators under economic decline at the regional level. In other morphophysiological systems, adaptive changes were established only as tendencies. The deterioration conditions of human body systems under impact of urban environment factors is evident in some cities. The observed deterioration potentially can adversely affect health during growth and will further be aggravated by ongoing negative environmental influences. In this regard, it is necessary to enhance knowledge about impact of external influences on human health and body systems to develop directed preventive measures improving quality of life.

Brood parasitism risk drives birds to breed near humans

Urbanization is transforming ecosystems at a global scale and at an increasing rate,^1,2 and its profound consequences for wildlife have been well documented.^3,4,5,6 Understanding how animals thrive in the urban environment and how this environment affects (co-)evolutionary processes remains an important challenge.⁷ Urban environments can provide resources such as food or nest sites (e.g., cavities)^10,8,9 and also reduce exposure to predators.^11,12 For some species, urban environments may also affect susceptibility to brood parasitism,^13,14 but this has never been tested experimentally. Here, we use a combination of field observations and experimental manipulations to show that Daurian redstarts, Phoenicurus auroreus, a common host of the common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, nest in proximity to humans to avoid brood parasitism. First, redstarts were more likely to be parasitized with increasing distance to the nearest building. Second, redstarts adjusted their nesting location in response to a seasonally predictable change in the risk of brood parasitism. Third, experimentally simulating the presence of cuckoos during a period when they are naturally absent increased the likelihood that redstarts nested indoors or closer to human settlements. These findings suggest that redstarts actively choose to place their nest in the vicinity of a human residence as a defense against cuckoos. Our study exemplifies how animals take advantage of the urban environment by using it as a novel line of defense against detrimental interspecific interactions.

Walking through the city soundscape: an audio-visual analysis of sensory experience for people with psychosis

This article discusses how an aspect of urban environments - sound and noise - is experienced by people walking in the city; it particularly focuses on atypical populations such as people diagnosed with psychosis, who are reported to be particularly sensitive to noisy environments. Through an analysis of video-recordings of naturalistic activities in an urban context and of video-elicitations based on these recordings, the study details the way participants orient to sound and noise in naturalistic settings, and how sound and noise are reported and reexperienced during interviews. By bringing together urban context, psychosis and social interaction, this study shows that, thanks to video recordings and conversation analysis, it is possible to analyse in detail the multimodal organization of action (talk, gesture, gaze, walking bodies) and of the sensory experience(s) of aural factors, as well as the way this organization is affected by the ecology of the situation.

Application of a Machine Learning Method for Prediction of Urban Neighborhood-Scale Air Pollution

Urban air pollution has aroused growing attention due to its associated adverse health effects. A model which could promptly predict urban air quality with considerable accuracy is, therefore, important and will benefit the development of smart cities. However, only a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model could better resolve the dispersion behavior within an urban canyon layer. A machine learning (ML) model using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach was formulated in the current study to investigate vehicle-derived airborne particulate (PM₁₀) dispersion within a compact high-rise-built environment. Various measured meteorological parameters and PM₁₀ concentrations were adopted as the model inputs to train the ANN model. A building-resolved CFD model under the same environmental settings was also set up to compare its model performance with the ANN model. Our results showed that the ANN model exhibited promising performance (r = 0.82, fractional bias = 0.002) when comparing the > 1000 h PM₁₀ measurements. When comparing the diurnal hourly measured PM₁₀ variations in a clear-sky day, both the ANN and CFD models performed well (r > 0.8). The good performance of the CFD model relied on the knowledge of the in situ diurnal traffic profile, the adoption of suitable mobile source emission factor(s) (e.g., from MOBILE 6 and COPERT4), and the use of urban thermal and dynamical variables to capture PM₁₀ variations in both neutral and unstable atmospheric conditions. These requirements/constraints make it impractical for daily operation. On the contrary, the ML (ANN) model adopted here is free from these constraints and is fast (less than 0.1% computational time relative to the CFD model). These results demonstrate that the ANN model is a superior option for a smart city application.

Modelling Impact of High-Rise, High-Density Built Environment on COVID-19 Risks: Empirical Results from a Case Study of Two Chinese Cities

Characteristics of the urban environment (e.g., building density and road network) can influence the spread and transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) within cities, especially in high-density high-rise built environments. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the key attributes of high-density high-rise built environments to enhance modelling of the spread of COVID-19. To this end, case studies for testing attributes for modelling development were performed in two densely populated Chinese cities with high-rise, high-density built environments (Hong Kong and Shanghai).The investigated urban environmental features included 2D and 3D urban morphological indices (e.g., sky view factor, floor area ratio, frontal area density, height to width ratio, and building coverage ratio), socioeconomic and demographic attributes (e.g., population), and public service points-of-interest (e.g., bus stations and clinics). The modelling effects of 3D urban morphological features on the infection rate are notable in urban communities. As the spatial scale becomes larger, the modelling effect of 2D built environment factors (e.g., building coverage ratio) on the infection rate becomes more notable. The influence of several key factors (e.g., the building coverage ratio and population density) at different scales can be considered when modelling the infection risk in urban communities. The findings of this study clarify how attributes of built environments can be applied to predict the spread of infectious diseases. This knowledge can be used to develop effective planning strategies to prevent and control epidemics and ensure healthy cities.

Oestrogenic Activity in Girls with Signs of Precocious Puberty as Exposure Biomarker to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: A Pilot Study

The relationship between endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) exposure and Precocious Puberty (PP) was investigated in this pilot study, involving girls with signs of PP (P) and pre-pubertal girls (C). Risk factors for PP were assessed through questionnaires, while 17β-oestradiol (E2) levels and oestrogenic activity were quantified on sera. The oestrogenic activity, expressed as E2 equivalent concentration (EEQ), was applied as EDC exposure biomarker. Questionnaires showed a low EDC knowledge, a high EDC exposure, and a potential relationship between some habits at risk for EDC exposure and PP. EEQs were similar between C and P; however, they were significantly higher in girls living in an urban environment than in girls living in a rural environment, suggesting a potential higher EDC exposure in cities. The results of this pilot study highlighted the need to raise awareness on EDCs and can be considered a starting point to clarify the relationship between EDC exposure and PP.

Empirical Study on the Influence of Urban Environmental Industrial Structure Optimization on Ecological Landscape Greening Construction

With the rapid development of the economy in China, the ecological environment problem of the city has become an important factor that restricts the development of our economy and society. People gradually realize that, while rapidly generating wealth, they have been shrouded by the shadow of environmental pollution for a long time, which makes people feel more and more frightened and thoughtful. Industry is the carrier of economic activities, so we must pay attention to the relationship between industry and the natural environment. In this case, people pay more and more attention to the study of ecological construction and bring it into the optimization of environmental industrial structure. During this period, to correctly handle the relationship between industrial structure and ecological construction, to realize the overall transformation, development and cultivation of industrial structure, is the inevitable choice to promote the healthy and sustainable development of enterprises. From the perspective of industrial structure adjustment and the green space system, this paper makes theoretical assumptions about the impact of environmental industrial structure adjustment on urban ecological green space construction. Then, through the panel data of 260 cities from 2008 to 2018, the impact of China's industrial structure adjustment on the scale of urban ecological green space was empirically analyzed. On this basis, this paper puts forward some policy recommendations for the development of urban ecological green space in our country.

A Systematic Review on Modeling Methods and Influential Factors for Mapping Dengue-Related Risk in Urban Settings

Dengue fever is an acute mosquito-borne disease that mostly spreads within urban or semi-urban areas in warm climate zones. The dengue-related risk map is one of the most practical tools for executing effective control policies, breaking the transmission chain, and preventing disease outbreaks. Mapping risk at a small scale, such as at an urban level, can demonstrate the spatial heterogeneities in complicated built environments. This review aims to summarize state-of-the-art modeling methods and influential factors in mapping dengue fever risk in urban settings. Data were manually extracted from five major academic search databases following a set of querying and selection criteria, and a total of 28 studies were analyzed. Twenty of the selected papers investigated the spatial pattern of dengue risk by epidemic data, whereas the remaining eight papers developed an entomological risk map as a proxy for potential dengue burden in cities or agglomerated urban regions. The key findings included: (1) Big data sources and emerging data-mining techniques are innovatively employed for detecting hot spots of dengue-related burden in the urban context; (2) Bayesian approaches and machine learning algorithms have become more popular as spatial modeling tools for predicting the distribution of dengue incidence and mosquito presence; (3) Climatic and built environmental variables are the most common factors in making predictions, though the effects of these factors vary with the mosquito species; (4) Socio-economic data may be a better representation of the huge heterogeneity of risk or vulnerability spatial distribution on an urban scale. In conclusion, for spatially assessing dengue-related risk in an urban context, data availability and the purpose for mapping determine the analytical approaches and modeling methods used. To enhance the reliabilities of predictive models, sufficient data about dengue serotyping, socio-economic status, and spatial connectivity may be more important for mapping dengue-related risk in urban settings for future studies.

The Utilization of the WMO-1234 Guidance to Improve Citizen's Wellness and Health: An Italian Perspective

In 2019, the World Meteorological Organization published its "Guidance on Integrated Urban Hydrometeorological, Climate and Environment Services (Volume I: Concept and Methodology)" to assist WMO Members in developing and implementing the urban services that address the needs of city stakeholders in their countries. The guidance has relevant implications for not only protecting infrastructures from the impacts of climate change in the urban environment, but its proper declination strongly supports health-related policies to protect the population from direct and indirect impacts. Utilizing some principles of the guidance, the urbanized area of Bologna (Italy) was analyzed in order to furnish the municipality with tools coherent with the best practices actually emerging from the international bibliography to protect the citizens' health of this city. Specifically, the analysis concentrated on the public spaces and the potential vulnerabilities of the fragile population to high-temperature regimes in the city. Utilizing the guidance as a methodological framework, the authors developed a methodology to define the microclimate vulnerabilities of the city and specific cards to assist the policymakers in city regeneration. Because the medieval structure of the city does not allow the application of a wide set of nature-based solutions, our main attention was placed on the possibility of furnishing the city with a great number of pocket parks obtainable from spaces actually dedicated to parking lots, thus introducing new green infrastructures in a highly deprived area in order to assure safety spaces for the fragile population.

Urban Blue Spaces as Therapeutic Landscapes: "A Slice of Nature in the City"

Urban blue spaces are defined as all natural and manmade surface water in urban environments. This paper draws on how the concepts of experienced, symbolic, social, and activity space combine to position urban blue spaces as therapeutic landscapes. We conducted 203 intercept interviews between 12 October 2019 and 10 November 2019. Although safety concerns had health-limiting impacts, interacting with the Glasgow Canal and surrounding landscape was predominantly perceived as health-enhancing. Our findings build on current evidence, which has suggested that urban blue spaces, particularly canals, may foster therapeutic properties, contributing to healthier city environments. Further research is required to understand better the interconnectedness of urban blue spaces and health and how such spaces can be best developed and managed to improve the health outcomes of local populations.

New determinants of mental health: the role of noise pollution. A narrative review

Urbanisation processes and anthropogenic actions led to a significant increase in pollution levels, with relevant consequences on global health. In particular, noise pollution demonstrated an association with cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory diseases. Furthermore, increasing evidence underlined the possible role of air and noise pollution in the development of psychiatric disorders. In this narrative review, evidence concerning the relationship between noise pollution and the emergence of psychiatric symptoms or psychiatric disorders is summarised. After the literature search process was completed, 40 papers were included in the present review. The exposure to road-, rail-, and air- traffic represented a risk factor for the emergence of affective disorders. This could also be mediated by the occurrence of circadian rhythms disturbances or by noise annoyance and noise sensitivity, both influencing psychological well-being and health-related quality of life. Fewer studies concentrated on special populations, particularly pregnant women and children, for whom noise pollution was confirmed as a risk factor for psychopathology. The better clarification of the complex interaction between noise pollution and mental health may help to identify subjects at risk and targeting specific prevention and intervention strategies in the urban environment.

Trace Elements in Soil and Urban Groundwater in an Area Impacted by Metallurgical Activity: Health Risk Assessment in the Historical Barga Municipality (Tuscany, Italy)

Trace elements were measured in soil and groundwater collected within the Fornaci di Barga urban area (Serchio River Valley, Tuscany, Italy), a territory that integrates natural assets with touristic vocation, impacted by long-lasting metallurgical activity. Epidemiological studies highlighted that the area surrounding the industrial plants is characterized by a persistent excess of diseases, attributed to heavy metal pollution. Soils were taken in school gardens, public parks, sport grounds and roadsides. The results indicate that Cu, Zn and Cd represent the main contaminants in surface soil, likely originated by deposition of airborne particulate matter from metallurgical activity. Risk assessment considering soil ingestion and dermal contact exposure routes revealed that the cadmium Hazard Quotient approaches unity for children, and the cadmium risk-based concentration obtained by combining exposure information with toxicity data is only slightly lower compared with the cadmium maximum concentration actually measured in soil. Groundwater does not show evidence of trace metal contamination, suggesting that the migration of contaminants from soil to subsurface is a slow process. However, assessment of the possible interconnections between shallow and deep-seated aquifers requires monitoring to be continued. The obtained results highlight the possible link between space clusters of diseases and metal concentration in soil.

Intraguild Competition between Endangered Kit Foxes and a Novel Predator in a Novel Environment

A population of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes inhabits the urban environment in the city of Bakersfield, California, United States. This population is considered important for the conservation and recovery of this species. In this novel environment, kit foxes encounter a novel competitor, that being non-native red foxes. We examined exploitative and interference competition between these two species. Based on scat analysis, both species consumed similar foods and dietary overlap was high. Red foxes also were found to usurp kit fox dens. Direct mortality to kit foxes from red foxes appears to be rare. Kit foxes and red foxes also appear to overlap spatially, although we found evidence of temporal partitioning of shared space. Based on binary logistic regression modeling, habitat attributes in grid cells used by the two species generally were similar, consistent with the spatial overlap. However, differences in specific attributes indicated that kit foxes are more likely to use areas with smaller open spaces and more human activity compared to red foxes. Competition from red foxes may be mitigated by several factors. Critical resources such as food and dens may be sufficiently abundant such that they are not a limiting factor. Some degree of spatial segregation and temporal partitioning of shared space may reduce interference competition. These factors may facilitate coexistence, and consequently, red foxes do not currently appear to constitute a significant competitive risk to this important population of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes.

Context Matters-Child Growth within a Constrained Socio-Economic Environment

Communities in major cities in developing countries may experience economic vulnerability, which has detrimental consequences for maternal and child health. This study investigated individual-, household-, and community-level factors associated with child growth and resilience of early-grade learners aged 6 to 8 years. Demographic characteristics, depression scale, child wellbeing, and anthropometric measurements were collected on a sample of 162 caregiver-child pairs (children 46% female) who receive the child support grant (cash transfer programme) from five low-income urban communities in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Height and weight were converted to z-scores using the WHO Anthroplus software. Multiple linear regression was used to assess factors associated with child health outcomes and multi-level regression to account for community-level factors. Higher income vulnerability was associated with lower weight- and height-for-age z-scores (WAZ and HAZ). Not completing secondary schooling and higher household size were associated with lower HAZ but higher BAZ. Child male sex and caregiver with depression were associated with lower child resilience. Caregiver's level of schooling and household size remained independent predictors of child growth, while the caregiver's mental health status independently predicted child resilience. Thus, notwithstanding systemic constraints, there may be modifiable drivers that can help in developing targeted intervention.

Urban Environment, Green Urban Areas, and Life Quality of Citizens-The Case of Warsaw

The increased migration of people from rural areas to cities has prompted researchers to take an interest in the problem of the quality of life (QOL) of the urban population in different contexts. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the level of satisfaction of Warsaw residents with urban infrastructure (SUI) and their QOL, the impact of the SUI on the perception of a neighborhood as an ideal place to live and the relationship between the amount of green areas and and the SUI of Warsaw residents and their QOL. The quantitative survey was conducted using the CAWI method on a sample of 381 adults. The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to measure QOL, the scale used in earlier surveys was used to assess SUI, areas of of Warsaw with different amounts of green space were distinguished using cluster analysis. The study showed a relationship between the SUI declared by residents and their QOL, mainly in the environmental domain. The discriminant analysis showed that satisfaction with greenery is one of the most important determinants of the subjective perception of a neighborhood as an ideal place to live. There was no direct effect of the amount of green areas in objective terms on the QOL of Warsawians, but a relationship was noted between the amount of green areas and SUI, with the highest level of satisfaction noted for the Green-balanced Cluster, characterized by the most favorable combination of quality and utility of urban area.

Biologic Pollution Due to Ambrosia (Ragweed) Pollen in Urban Environment of Bucharest

Ragweed pollen is an important component of biological pollution in the urban environment, responsible for increasing respiratory allergies and significant contribution to the health impact of air pollution in the Bucharest area. The aim of this paper is to present the eight-year ragweed pollen monitoring data from Bucharest, to place them in the context of local air pollution, public health regulations and available data on the health impact of ragweed pollen in the urban environment. Our pollen data were correlated with major air pollutant concentrations and with meteorological factors in a recently published local paper and the clinical data of patients with ragweed-induced respiratory symptoms were collected and published in 2019. The ragweed pollen monitoring data, correlated with field data reported by patients and plant specialists confirm the rapid spread of Ambrosia in the Bucharest city area, in addition to some stringent environmental local problems due to air pollution. The number of patients addressed to allergists almost doubled from one year to another, confirming the real alarming health impact of this environmental hazard. Our study confirms the need for more coherent strategies to control ragweed spread, based on application of existing local and international regulations, air pollution control and evaluation of consequences on human health.

The effects of environmental tax reform on urban air pollution: A quasi-natural experiment based on the Environmental Protection Tax Law

Air pollution significantly impacts sustainable development and public health. Taking the implementation of China's Environmental Protection Tax Law in China as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper employs the difference-in-differences (DID) and spatial DID models to evaluate the effects of environmental tax reform on urban air pollution. The findings are as follows. (1) Environmental tax reform can significantly reduce urban air pollution, and a series of robustness tests have also been conducted to provide further evidence. (2) Green technology innovation and industrial structure upgrading from a vital transmission mechanism for environmental tax reform to improve air quality. (3) Environmental tax reform significantly inhibits urban air pollution in cities located north of the Qinling-Huaihe line and big cities. (4) Moreover, environmental tax reform not only promotes the improvement of local air quality but also has a significant negative spatial spillover effect, reducing air pollution in neighboring cities. The research conclusions provide theoretical support and policy suggestions for promoting sustainable economic development, rationally optimizing environmental protection tax policies and improving urban air quality.

[Spatial characteristics and source apportionment of urban environmental black carbon concentrations based on mobile monitoring]

Black carbon (BC) is an important component of airborne fine particulate matter, with significant impacts on global climate change and human health. Taking Minhang District of Shanghai as the study area, a microaethalometer (MA200) and GPS were installed on the electric taxi to form a mobile observation platform to identify the spatial distribution and hot spots of atmospheric BC in urban environment. We analyzed the sources and influencing factors of BC. The results showed that the overall characteristics of the spatial distribution pattern of near surface atmospheric BC in Minhang District of Shanghai were high in the north and low in the south. The average BC concentration was (4.11±4.87) μg·m^-3. The average concentrations of BC in working days and non-working days were (4.22±1.49) and (3.52±2.26) μg·m^-3. The variability of BC concentration in the high value area was large, indicating that the increases of BC concentration in mobile observation were related to traffic accidents in the road section. In addition to human activities, large-scale dense vegetation might inhibit BC diffusion. The Absorption ngström Exponent (AAE) was (0.82±0.54), which was closer to that of fossil fuel combustion. The contributions of fossil fuel emissions, biomass combustion, and mixed sources to BC sources were 67.5%, 4.9% and 27.6%, respectively.

A critical review of household recycling barriers in the United Kingdom

The UK recycling rate fluctuates between 45% and 47% and has consistently failed to meet the 65% target set by the post-Brexit Resource and Waste Strategy. Understanding the issues surrounding the low recycling rate in metropolitan cities in the United Kingdom will help to overcome these recycling challenges. The review examines the current situation with regard to the recycling rate and tonnage of waste produced in the United Kingdom based on available secondary waste flow data and explores different barriers related to household recycling. Many areas giving rise to the recycling challenges have been identified, including waste policy constraints, lack of effective communication, public engagement, physical barriers, service constraints, human factors and socio-economic barriers. The literature review reveals that factors such as waste policy, communication and physical factors were the most important aspects in influencing recycling rate or output. It is concluded that a multi-dimension intervention is required, which includes a thorough review of waste policy, a more stringent enforcement, an improved communication strategy and a more integrated planning development policy to mitigate issues affecting the United Kingdom's low recycling rate or output. This approach will propel the local authorities to launch or initiate effective recycling management and to put in place the required infrastructure to facilitate effective recycling activities.

The Role of Urban Environment Design on Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the ways and times of living and using urban spaces, specifically referring to the dimension of daily life. The restrictive measures introduced during the lockdown periods have necessarily led to a re-evaluation of proximity scale bringing particularly attention to issues relating to public transport and mobility and to the quality and distribution of open public spaces. This scoping review explores the relationship between the urban environment design and health referring to the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the period from 2020 to 2021, with two main objectives: (i) to investigate the recurring urban design topics and issues related to the spatial and social needs stressed by the emergency; (ii) to identify the urban design measures both experienced during the health emergency and proposed in view of a post-COVID urban and territorial planning as they are considered impactful on health promotion. The search strategy was based on a set of keywords searched in two electronic databases which allowed the identification of a total of 1,135 contributions. After defining the eligibility criteria, we proceeded to the screening process concluded with the inclusion of 19 studies. The analysis of the contributions led to the systematization of six main urban topics-and to the corresponding spatial requirements and project proposals-highlighted as relevant and supportive in terms of the promotion of inhabitant's public health: (i) transport, mobility and accessibility; (ii) green and outdoor spaces; (iii) public and pedestrians' spaces; (iv) care services and health network; (v) communications; (vi) public and business services. The resulting framework is useful for guiding healthy city planning toward public policies, tools, regulations, urban measures, and emergency contrast provisions, that contribute to increasing the effectiveness in terms of safety and well-being.

Environmental Sustainability Assessment of the European Union's Capital Cities

The growing flow of people into cities causes several challenges for their functioning. This brings the need to ensure, for example, efficient transport, sustainable waste, and appropriate energy policy. Particularly capital cities are exposed to the above-mentioned risks, due to their large numbers and densities of inhabitants. Therefore, the state of the environment in cities should be monitored systematically. The research aim of this article is to evaluate the level of environmental sustainability in capitals of European Union countries. A synthetic indicator was made up of diagnostic variables, using quantitative and qualitative indicators relating to the quality of the environment. Based on the ranking, results reveal that Europe is spatially divided according to the level of environmental quality. The best results were achieved by capital cities of the northern European countries. The analysis presented here has some application potential. It can serve to identify challenges to improving the quality of the environment, and to raise public awareness of the importance of changing individual behaviour (e.g., use of public transport).

Associations between Long-Term Air Pollution Exposure and Risk of Osteoporosis-Related Fracture in a Nationwide Cohort Study in South Korea

Bone health is a major concern for aging populations globally. Osteoporosis and bone mineral density are associated with air pollution, but less is known about the impacts of air pollution on osteoporotic fracture. We aimed to assess the associations between long-term air pollution exposure and risk of osteoporotic fracture in seven large Korean cities. We used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate hazard rations (HRs) of time-varying moving window of past exposures of particulate matter (PM₁₀), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and ozone (O₃) for osteoporotic fracture in Korean adults (age ≥ 50 years) in the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort data, followed 2002 to 2015. HRs were calculated for an interquartile range (IQR) increase. Comorbidity and prescription associated with osteoporosis, age, sex, body mass index, health behaviors, and income were adjusted in the models. Effect modification by age, sex, exercise, and income was examined. We assessed 56,467 participants over 535,481 person-years of follow up. Linear and positive exposure-response associations were found for SO₂, while PM₁₀ and NO₂ showed nonlinear associations. SO₂ was associated with osteoporosis-related fracture with marginal significance (HR for an IQR [2 ppb] increase = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.09). The SO₂ HR estimates were robust in analyses applying various moving windows of exposure (from one to three years of past exposure) and two-pollutant models. The central HR estimate of O₃ implied positive associations but was not significant (HR for 0.007 ppm increase = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.06). PM₁₀, CO, and NO₂ did not show associations. Vulnerable groups by sex, age, exercise, and income varied across air pollutants and there was no evidence of effect modifications. Long-term exposure to SO₂, but not PM₁₀, CO, NO₂ and O₃, was associated with increased osteoporotic fracture risks in Korean adults.

The Prototype Monitoring System for Pollution Sensing and Online Visualization with the Use of a UAV and a WebRTC-Based Platform

Nowadays, we observe a great interest in air pollution, including exhaust fumes. This interest is manifested in both the development of technologies enabling the limiting of the emission of harmful gases and the development of measures to detect excessive emissions. The latter includes IoT systems, the spread of which has become possible thanks to the use of low-cost sensors. This paper presents the development and field testing of a prototype pollution monitoring system, allowing for both online and off-line analyses of environmental parameters. The system was built on a UAV and WebRTC-based platform, which was the subject of our previous paper. The platform was retrofitted with a set of low-cost environmental sensors, including a gas sensor able to measure the concentration of exhaust fumes. Data coming from sensors, video metadata captured from 4K camera, and spatiotemporal metadata are put in one situational context, which is transmitted to the ground. Data and metadata are received by the ground station, processed (if needed), and visualized on a dashboard retrieving situational context. Field studies carried out in a parking lot show that our system provides the monitoring operator with sufficient situational awareness to easily detect exhaust emissions online, and delivers enough information to enable easy detection during offline analyses as well.

Social Interaction in Public Spaces and Well-Being among Elderly Women: Towards Age-Friendly Urban Environments

The world's population is aging and becoming more urbanized. Public space in urban areas is vital for improving the health of the elderly by stimulating social interaction. Many urban design projects are advertised as age-friendly but ignore the real needs of the elderly, especially elderly women, for social interaction in urban public spaces. Insufficient attention is paid to the physical and psychological characteristics of elderly women when shaping public space. This analysis addresses the question: What are the qualities of urban spaces which facilitate health-improving social interaction for elderly women? Methods include a case study in Beijing, field investigation, mapping, and qualitative and quantitative analysis. The survey was carried out in April 2021, and concerned 240 women aged 55-75 years. Results indicate that the social interactions of older women relate to both their physical and psychological situations. Public spaces can positively impact the psychological well-being and social participation of elderly women. Conclusions include insights regarding the relationship between social interaction and well-being among elderly women, as well as proposing a series of principles for shaping public spaces for an age-friendly urban environment.

City Environment and Occurrence of Neural Autoantibodies in Psychiatric Patients

BACKGROUND

City living might lead to a higher risk of psychiatric disease, but to date there is no evidence of any correlation between an urban environment and the occurrence of neural autoantibodies in psychiatric disease. Our aim is to identify whether the number of patients with and without neural autoantibodies living in diverse rural and urban environments differ.

METHODS

We enrolled retrospectively a cohort of 167 psychiatric patients via a cross-sectional design from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Medical Center Göttingen and determined serum and/or CSF neural autoantibodies in them. The patients live in the German states of Lower Saxony, Thuringia, and Hessen. Their data were investigated in conjunction with the location of their primary residence. We categorized them into five different categories depending upon their primary residence: one rural and four different urban environments depending on their population numbers.

RESULTS

We identified 36 psychiatric patients with neural autoantibodies, and 131 psychiatric patients with none. In total, 24 psychiatric patients with neural autoantibodies were classified as sharing a possible, probable, or definitive autoimmune origin according to our recently set criteria. We observed as a non-significant trend that more psychiatric patients with neural autoantibodies and a probable or definitive autoimmune origin (45.8%) live in a major city with over 100,000 inhabitants than do psychiatric patients presenting no evidence of autoantibodies (26.4%). However, we identified no relevant differences between (1) psychiatric patients with and without neural autoantibodies or between (2) psychiatric patients with a possible, probable, or definitive autoimmune origin and those without such autoantibodies in relation to the diverse rural and urban environmental settings.

CONCLUSION

The inherently different aspects of rural and urban environments do not appear to be relevant in determining the frequency of neural autoantibodies in psychiatric patients in Lower Saxony, Thuringia, and Hessen in Germany. Furthermore, large-scale studies involving other states across Germany should be conducted to exclude any regional differences and to examine the tendency of a higher frequency in large cities of autoimmune-mediated psychiatric syndromes.

Drivers to Obesity-A Study of the Association between Time Spent Commuting Daily and Obesity in the Nepean Blue Mountains Area

Obesity has become a public health challenge in every country on this planet, with a substantial contribution to global mortality and morbidity. Studies of the built environment have shown some promise in understanding the drivers of this obesity pandemic. This paper contributes to this knowledge, by focusing on one aspect of the urban environment and asking whether there is an association between commuting and obesity in residents of the Nepean Blue Mountains area on the fringes of Sydney. This is a cross-sectional study with obesity being the dependent variable, and commuting the independent variable, where 45 min or less was defined as local and distant commute was more than 45 min. In the sample of 158 respondents, the risk of obesity was twice as likely in the distant commuters than in the local commuters (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.051 to 3.962, p = 0.034). Investigation of possible mediators of this association was limited by sample size; however, mode of transport was found to be a significant mediator. The results support the design of cities to provide health supporting environments for all residents, including equitable access to employment at a reasonable distance and effective public transport.

Unprecedented Density and Persistence of Feral Honey Bees in Urban Environments of a Large SE-European City (Belgrade, Serbia)

It is assumed that wild honey bees have become largely extinct across Europe since the 1980s, following the introduction of exotic ectoparasitic mite (Varroa) and the associated spillover of various pathogens. However, several recent studies reported on unmanaged colonies that survived the Varroa mite infestation. Herewith, we present another case of unmanaged, free-living population of honey bees in SE Europe, a rare case of feral bees inhabiting a large and highly populated urban area: Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. We compiled a massive data-set derived from opportunistic citizen science (>1300 records) during the 2011-2017 period and investigated whether these honey bee colonies and the high incidence of swarms could be a result of a stable, self-sustaining feral population (i.e., not of regular inflow of swarms escaping from local managed apiaries), and discussed various explanations for its existence. We also present the possibilities and challenges associated with the detection and effective monitoring of feral/wild honey bees in urban settings, and the role of citizen science in such endeavors. Our results will underpin ongoing initiatives to better understand and support naturally selected resistance mechanisms against the Varroa mite, which should contribute to alleviating current threats and risks to global apiculture and food production security.

Moving around a Large City in Latin America: The Mobility Challenges Faced by Older Adults with Disabilities

A growing body of research has shown that barriers in the urban environment can be disabling by reducing the ability of older people to manage independently in the community, but also because they can negatively affect health by limiting the possibilities to move outside the home. In this study, we ask how obstacles in the urban environment are associated with the need for help to go to places in the community. To respond to this question, we used the Annual Household Survey of the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina 2018, which had a specific questionnaire for people with disabilities. From this sample, we selected adults aged 65 years or older with difficulties in at least one of six domains: vision; hearing; upper and lower body mobility; cognition; self-care; and communication. The final sample consisted of 513 persons (weighted = 109,316). First, we conducted a principal component analysis identifying three factors from variables of obstacles to access and use the urban environment: transportation; outdoor spaces; and information. Second, through a logistic regression model, we observed a direct relationship between these factors and the need for help to move in the community, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and number of disabilities. This paper provides evidence on the significance of improving urban spaces to reduce dependent mobility. In Latin America, cities still face many challenges in becoming more age-friendly.