Prevalence of allergenic pollen grains in the aerosol of the city of Calcutta,India: a two year study

The role of pollen grains as a causative agent of respiratory allergic disorders such as asthma and allergic rhinitis is common and very well established. The aim of this study was to assess the frequencies of airborne pollen in the Calcutta metropolis and to identify the taxa which cause significant amounts of sensitization. An aeropalynological survey of the atmosphere of Calcutta was carried out from 2004 to 2006. Skin tests were performed with a panel of the most common pollen types on local patients with clinical features of pollinosis. The meteorological factors responsible for the frequency of the pollen types were analysed. The results of monthly visits to the clinic by these patients were correlated with the monthly pollen counts of three dominant and perennial pollen taxa. The dominant pollen types were Trema (19%), Poaceae (12.98%), Casuarina (5.76%), Cocos (5.7%), Azadirachta (4.65%), Peltophorum (3.71%), Cyperaceae (3.68%), Delonix (3.18%) and Areca (2.56%). Total pollen concentration seems to have a significant positive correlation with temperature and wind speed whereas there was a negative correlation with humidity. Skin tests were most frequently found to be positive with the pollen of Poaceae (49%), Azadirachta (46%), Cocos (47%), Cyperaceae (35%), Peltophorum (33%), Areca (29%), Phoenix (26%), and Borassus (23%). A positive correlation occurred between visits to the clinic and monthly pollen count of Areca, Cocos, and Poaceae. This is the first study to design a pollen calendar for Calcutta city; it will provide useful data for enabling allergologists to achieve accurate diagnosis for patients with pollen hypersensitivity.     

基于能值分析的城市生态系统健康评价——以包头市为例

城市生态系统健康是城市生态学界近年来的研究热点和前沿.采用能值评价方法,结合城市生态系统作为复合系统所具有的生态服务功能,明确提出基于能值进行城市生态系统健康评价的理论框架和技术路线,得出表征城市健康程度随时间的变化走向和比较意义.针对城市生态系统健康表征特性,采用4个要素,即活力(V)、组织结构(O)、恢复力(R)和服务功能维持(F), 构建了评价城市生态系统健康的新的能值指标--城市健康能值指标(EUEHI),并将EUEHI应用于包头城市生态系统健康评价中,并比较了其他5个城市的EUEHI.结果显示2000～2004年包头健康程度总体呈现上升状态,健康等级不断提高,但同中国其他城市之间尚有距离,健康程度仍处于较低水平.这说明近几年包头重视改变资源结构和利用效率,使得城市生态系统在生态系统服务功能维持方面得到不断改善.同时,包头作为老工业城市组织结构尚不完善,环境负荷大,生态系统承载力逐年降低,因此仍需从降低环境胁迫入手,逐步降低城市生态系统干扰,使其恢复力得以提高,增加系统反弹恢复的容量,使之恢复维持结构与格局的能力,实现城市健康和谐发展.     

International migrations and biodemographic dynamics: Fertility in a sample of Italian immigrants

This work goes beyond the limits of official anagraphic information: by the methodology of family biography it is possible to follow the evolution of demographic traits of a community of immigrants. Fertility is here considered as an important indicator of the population's degree of integration. In the Italian sampling in Belgium the value of this factor shows a rapid decline parallel to the italian natality indexes fall which occurred during the '60 and '70. It is interesting to notice that within the general fertility decrease in the taken sample, oscillations due to the immigrants regional origins and to the presence of mixed marriages, can be observed. Prize for the best Student Paper presented at VIIIth Congress of the E.A.A. held in Madrid, September 7–10, 1992.     

Effect of certain socio-ecological factors on the population density of house dust mites in mattress-dust of asthmatic patients of Calcutta, India

Allergy to house dust mites, particularly tothe genus Dermatophagoides is a fairlycommon problem in Calcutta and its adjoiningareas since last two decades. Both the commonspecies of the genus Dermatophagoidesi.e. D. farinae and D.pteronyssinus are found to be abundant in thedust samples collected from beds of patientssuffering from nasobronchial allergic disordes.The presence of these mites in quite a goodnumber in the patients' beds are clinicallycorrelated with the aetiopathology of variousallergic manifestations like bronchial asthma.Dermatophagoides mites may occupydifferent niches in the homes of asthmatics andare more common in beds than elsewhere in thehouse, however, the distribution and abundanceof these mites are influenced by somesocio-ecological factors. The aim and objectiveof the present study is to assess the impact ofsome common socio-ecological managementpractices like the age of house, age ofmattress, type of mattress, frequency ofcleaning of the mattress and even the economicstatus of the patients on the growth,multiplication and finally accumulation ofthese mites in the patients' surroundings.Proper identification of offending allergensand subsequent reduction of load of these miteallergens from the patient's environment may behelpful for the prophylactic management ofthese diseases in Calcutta metropolis.     

Nature in the city,city in the nature: case studies of the restoration of urban nature in Tokyo,Japan and Toronto,Canada

Increasing demands for the restoration of nature in cities have led planners to seek an effective form, configuration and maintenance scheme for parks and open spaces in urban areas. This paper aims to introduce two contrasting examples of ways that planners have met the challenge of restoring nature in the city. It takes Tokyo Bay Bird Sanctuary Park (TBBSP), Tokyo, Japan, and Tommy Thompson Park (TTP), Toronto, Canada, as case studies. TBBSP is located on reclaimed land facing Tokyo Bay, and is surrounded by heavily industrialized areas. The absence of green corridors which connect TBBSP to surrounding green patches have turned TBBSP into an isolated oasis for migrating birds. TTP in Toronto is also located on reclaimed land facing Lake Ontario. However, TTP has become to be an indispensable green patch of the open space network of Toronto because it is located at the node of green corridors. The principles of landscape ecology may dictate that TTP, integrated in the green network of the area, is in far better condition than isolated TBBSP. However both case studies are based on the same early post-war parks and open space planning concept, which aimed to clearly separate urban greens from surrounding urban fabrics. To restore nature in cities it is important to understand that alternative models of parks and open space planning can exist. We therefore refer to the authentic urban pattern found in Japanese cities, which historically have not intended to clearly separate each land use types but have sustained a mix of open spaces and urban fabrics. In the context of the global concern to realize ecological cities, restoring a city by integrating greens in the urban fabric should be understood as a way of achieving a city in nature.     

Roma communities,urban development and social bordering in the inner city of Budapest

ABSTRACT

The paper relates intersectionality to the construction of urban borders based on a case study of Roma neighbourhoods in Budapest. In doing this the authors focus on rationales behind appropriating and demarcating urban spaces according to political, ethno-territorial and economic agendas. We are concerned with bordering as reflected in representations of neighbourhood in Budapest’s VIII District and socio-ethnic issues that have been framed in conjunction with urban development. This includes the selective ways Roma-specific issues are made visible, or in fact masked, through ostensibly “colour-blind” policies. Furthermore, we relate these representations to concrete impacts of urban renewal with regard to challenges of multi-ethnicity but also to often exclusionary practices of border-making. Indeed, while not an officially proclaimed policy, social segregation is eagerly pursued in practice. However, this is only part of the story as we can clearly identify attempts to create a sense of Roma belonging and pride.     

城市绿地空间格局及其环境效应——以宜昌市中心城区为例

城市绿地在改善城市环境及维护城市生态系统平衡中起着极为重要的作用 ,而当绿地覆盖率小于 4 0 %时 ,绿地整体生态效益的发挥主要取决于绿地的内部结构和空间布局 ,但迄今为止缺乏绿地景观分布格局与环境效应关系的研究报道。本研究应用景观生态学原理 ,分析了湖北省宜昌市中心城区斑优格局、斑匀格局、廊道格局和对照格局等四种景观结构及其绿地分布格局 ,选取了气温、相对湿度、环境噪声和大气 SO2 、NOx、TSP含量等环境监测指标 ,观测了不同绿地景观格局下的环境效应 ,并对比分析了绿地分布格局指标与综合环境效应间的关系 ,以便提出城市绿地系统布局合理性指标 ,为城市绿地系统的景观结构优化提供依据。研究结果表明 ,斑优格局、斑匀格局、廊道格局和对照格局等四种不同景观在斑块总面积、建筑斑块面积和无绿化道路面积等景观总体格局上较均衡 ,但由于其绿化覆盖率及绿地景观分布格局差异较大 ,致使其环境效益也表现出明显的差异。其中 ,对照格局景观的绿地斑块总面积最小 ,绿地破碎化指数最高 ,绿化覆盖率仅为 1.0 0 % ,以建筑铺装斑块和无绿化道路廊道为主要景观构成。因此 ,对照格局景观的环境气温较高、空气相对湿度低、环境噪声较大、大气 TSP含量高 ,景观环境恶劣。斑优格局景观主要表现为绿     

沿海河谷盆地城市热岛时空特征及驱动机制

针对以往热岛研究中缺少自然-人文多维因子组合作用的成因分析,基于landsat TM/OLI遥感影像反演福州市1991、2000及2013年河谷盆地亮温热场,并利用主成分多元回归方法探讨DMSP/OLS夜间灯光、交通密度、地表非渗透面、地面高程、地表植被、水体等多维因素对城市热岛的综合影响及联动关系。研究发现:11991—2013年盆地热岛辐射范围不断蔓延,老城区成为热岛核心区,呈中心向外辐射并沿江扩展态势,盆地"溢出"现象显著;2盆地内平原-山地温差达10—14℃,热岛面积出现两极分化,23年间热岛面积共增加226.9km~2,其中高温区面积增长四倍,年增长率最大(7.50%);3夜间灯光、交通路网密度、地表非渗透面、地表植被、地面高程及水体每变化1个单位,温度将分别变化0.430、0.418、0.103、-0.031、-0.469及-0.096;4人文促进作用大于自然抑制作用,综合作用下盆地升温0.35个单位;5相比地表非渗透面,夜间灯光与交通密度对热岛的增温贡献更为显著;地面高程主导降温作用,其次为水体与地表植被,后两者作用之和仅为地面高程的27%。福州盆地当前的生态环境并不足以缓解城市未来进一步发展而导致的热岛加剧,当保持城市现有发展规模且自然作用进一步增加60%时,降温抑制作用才会明显。     

Methane emissions from contrasting urban freshwaters: Rates,drivers, and a whole‐city footprint

Global urbanization trends impose major alterations on surface waters. This includes impacts on ecosystem functioning that can involve feedbacks on climate through changes in rates of greenhouse gas emissions. The combination of high nutrient supply and shallow depth typical of urban freshwaters is particularly conducive to high rates of methane (CH₄) production and emission, suggesting a potentially important role in the global CH₄ cycle. However, there is a lack of comprehensive flux data from diverse urban water bodies, of information on the underlying drivers, and of estimates for whole cities. Based on measurements over four seasons in a total of 32 water bodies in the city of Berlin, Germany, we calculate the total CH₄ emission from various types of surface waters of a large city in temperate climate at 2.6 ± 1.7 Gg CH₄/year. The average total emission was 219 ± 490 mg CH₄ m^?2 day^?1. Water chemical variables were surprisingly poor predictors of total CH₄ emissions, and proxies of productivity and oxygen conditions had low explanatory power as well, suggesting a complex combination of factors governing CH₄ fluxes from urban surface waters. However, small water bodies (area <1 ha) typically located in urban green spaces were identified as emission hotspots. These results help constrain assessments of CH₄ emissions from freshwaters in the world's growing cities, facilitating extrapolation of urban emissions to large areas, including at the global scale.     

城市新规划地土壤动物群落组成和多样性: 以上海市世博会会址为例

作者采用野外调查和群落多样性指标数据统计结合的方法, 对上海市世博会会址区域内土壤动物群落组成和多样性进行了研究, 目的是了解该地区的土壤健康状况, 并为城市规划提供科学依据。采样共获得土壤动物10,765头, 隶属于23个类群。中小型土壤动物中蜱螨目是该地区的主要优势类群, 弹尾纲是次优势类群; 大型土壤动物中, 后孔寡毛目为主要优势类群, 等足目、鞘翅目和腹足纲为次优势类群。总体结果显示: 该地区土壤动物种类丰富, 其垂直分布整体遵循随土壤层的加深而递减的趋势; 但水平分布因采样点的不同存在显著性差异。     

海岛型城市生态安全格局研究——以平潭岛为例

在快速城市化带来的城市生态安全严重威胁着城市可持续发展的这一时代背景下,构建城市生态安全格局是实现区域和城市生态安全的基本保障和重要途径。结合平潭综合实验区总体规划,从城市生态安全角度出发,在对平潭岛生态环境本底条件的调研基础上,选取与平潭岛的城市生态安全关系密切的6个关键生态因子进行深入分析,并通过层次分析法和GIS空间叠置法综合多要素分析了平潭岛的生态敏感性,最终有针对性地提出了面向新一轮大规模城市开发热潮的平潭岛城市生态安全格局。研究成果可为平潭岛的城市开发建设提供决策支持,对维护平潭岛城市生态安全、促进平潭岛可持续发展具有重要的理论和现实意义,同时也对其它海岛型城市的生态安全格局研究具有一定的借鉴意义。     

城市绿地类型的划分及其在生态城市建设中的意义和作用

根据生境和绿地功能把城市绿地划分为10个类型,并阐述了这些类型的组建和管护问题。10个绿地类型包括保护区,植物园,城市公园,城市片林,街心花园、草坪和花坛,道路两旁绿化区,庭园绿地,房顶、墙壁、凉台和室内的绿化,村落生态经济园及生态农业景观。根据归属部门、管理级别、保护对象、管理对象及监控类型的不同,对保护区进行了进一步的划分。城市绿地分类系统的建立既能把城市建设与生物多样性保护相结合,也有助于生物多样性公约的实施,并在维护城市生态安全、美化城市环境、建立具有特色的生物多样性产业、开展生态旅游和生态教育培训、繁荣地方经济和提高当地人民生活水平等方面有重要意义。     

食物源CNP的城市代谢特征——以厦门市为例

基于元素流分析原理,将食物源碳氮磷3种元素在城市系统中的代谢特征进行耦合分析,追踪以"食物消费"、"废物处置"、"人体代谢"为主要环节的食物碳氮磷代谢过程,发掘其中共同的代谢环节,明晰3种元素代谢路径、代谢通量及其影响因素的差异,并对厦门市1991—2010年食物源碳氮磷城市代谢进行案例分析。结果表明,食物源碳氮磷城市代谢中通量最大的代谢路径是"食物—食物摄入—人体粪尿—未还田粪尿—污水处理—污泥—污泥填埋—土壤";食物源碳氮磷城市代谢主要引起土壤和水体的环境负荷加重;厨余垃圾中碳氮磷占食物源的比例分别为13.7%、32.2%、70.3%,在整个代谢过程中具有最大的减量管理潜力。提出优化代谢过程、减少碳氮磷环境负荷的若干对策建议,包括增大食物的有效食用比例、资源化利用污泥和厨余垃圾等。     

广州南沙区4种典型城市林业土壤质量调查研究

为掌握广州南沙区城市林业土壤养分及肥力整体状况,提高广州南沙区城市林业土壤管养水平,以广州南沙区4种典型城市林业土壤(森林公园、湿地公园、生态景观林带、河涌防护林)为研究对象,测定土壤pH值、电导率、容重、渗透率、非毛管孔隙度、有机质、水解氮、有效磷、速效钾等9项理化指标,通过土壤理化性质分析、土壤综合肥力分析,对广州...     

Indigenous in the city: the politics of urban Mapuche identity in Chile

In this article, I analyse how urban Mapuche indigenous organizations in Chile conduct politics, both externally in relation to the state and internally in relation to other Mapuches. I suggest that the state creates the context for their politics through enacting centuries of policies that put Mapuche identity ‘under siege’. My analysis shows that urban Mapuche organizations respond to this context in three central ways. Some organizations refuse the moniker ‘urban’ and are temporarily urban. Others embrace their urbanity and are adamantly urban. Still others try to overcome the rural-urban divide to become reconciled urban. Each of these strategies deploys ideas of authenticity in different ways, opening possibilities for different kinds of political alliances. My research argues that when the stakes are high for claiming a racial or ethnic identity, choosing which aspects of identity on which to base political demands has profound political consequences.     

Cultural Models and Fertility Timing among Cherokee and White Youth in Appalachia: Beyond the Mode

ABSTRACT   Much anthropological research and theory concerns how group differences in behavior, subjective experience, and ways of seeing the world (i.e., cultural differences) are created and maintained. Both within and outside the United States, there are dramatic group differences in fertility. In the United States, American Indian groups exhibit some of the highest and earliest fertility. We used ethnographic data as well as structured card-sort and questionnaire data to compare cultural models of childbearing among Cherokee and white youth in Appalachia. The critical difference between Cherokee and white youth was not a modal difference in ideal ages for first childbirth but, rather, the degree of latitude for the timing of having children vis-à-vis other major life events. Group differences in modal norms are often posited as the critical axis of group distinction. In many cases, group differences in the intrapopulation variability among multiple norms may play a more critical role.     

Age and sex variation in measures of body composition among the elderly Bengalee Hindus of Calcutta, India

In the present cross-sectional study we examined 332 (171 men and 161 women) elderly (60 years and above) urban Bengalee Hindu resident in south Calcutta, India. Individuals were selected by random sampling procedure using local voter's registration list. Skin folds measures were used to compute body composition measures among them. There existed significant sex differences in various anthropometric body composition measures. Age had significant (p < 0.001) negative association with all anthropometric body composition measures namely percentage of body fat (PBF), fat mass (FM), arm muscle circumference (AMC), arm muscle area (AMA) and arm fat area (AFA) in both sexes. Fat free mass (FFM) in contrast had negative but not significant age impact. Regression analyses demonstrated that age had explained substantial amount of variance of PBF (men = 32%; women = 18.2%), FM (men = 18.2%; women = 12.8%), AMC (men = 23.4%; women = 19.2%), AMA (men = 22.2%; women = 10.2%) and AFA (men = 34%; women = 31%) in both sexes. Two-way ANOVA revealed age-sex interaction only had significant effect on FFM. The present investigation vindicated that there is a significant inverse age trends in anthropometric body composition measures among the Bengalee Hindus. Moreover, there existed sexual dimorphism in the effect of age on various anthropometric body composition measures.     

Life cycle assessment in urban territories: a case study of Dalian city,China

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - A city comprises different subsystems, such as an industry subsystem, agriculture subsystem, building subsystem, and transport subsystem. With...     

House-dust mite sensitivity among rural and urban asthmatics of West Bengal, India: a comparison

House-dust mite allergy is a fairly common problem in West Bengal among individuals sensitive to dust inhalation. House-dust mites belonging to the genusDermatophagoides are abundant in the homes of asthmatic patients residing in urban as well as rural areas of West Bengal. The frequency of positive skin reaction to different dust-related allergens tested was higher (χ²=5.4777, df = 1;P < 0.05) among patients of urban areas compared with that among the patients of rural areas. Urban patients showed more frequent skin reaction towards cockroach allergen, while rural patients are more sensitive to hay-dust allergen and these are very much related to their local environmental conditions. Analysis of radioallergosorbent test (RAST) results against house dust (HD) and mites reveal that 73 and 90% patients of both urban and rural areas responded positively towardsDermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP) andDermatophagoides farinae (DF) antigens, respectively. The present study indicates no significant difference in house-dust mite sensitivity and mite levels in homes among the rural and urban asthmatics of West Bengal, India as evidenced from the results of analysis of dust samples, allergy skin test and detection of mite-specific IgE antibodies by RAST.