Planning Of Areas Research Articles

Comparative Study on the Perception of Cultural Ecosystem Services in Taibai Mountain National Forest Park from Different Stakeholder Perspectives

The core of the cultural services of ecosystems (CESs) is the spiritual connection between humans and nature, and participatory mapping from the stakeholder perspective is an effective method for perceiving and protecting hotspot CES areas. This study used participatory mapping combined with 184 interviews and questionnaires, completed on 10 December 2023, to investigate the perceptions of CESs in Taibai Mountain National Forest Park by different stakeholder groups; spatial and correlation analyses were used to comparatively analyze the characteristics of the differences in the perceptions of CESs among different stakeholders, the influencing factors, and their spatial distribution patterns. The results show that (1) there is a positive correlation between the literacy level of external stakeholders and the perception of CESs, and there is no significant difference between the differences in the other demographic characteristics of stakeholders (gender, age, occupation, and literacy level) in the perception of CESs. (2) Different stakeholders have convergent perceptions of spiritual and religious values, cultural heritage values, educational values, and inspirational values, whereas there are greater differences in the perceptions of aesthetic values, ecological and recreational values, and local identity values. (3) Different stakeholders of the same CES are strongly correlated, and there is no correlation between spiritual and religious values and other values and no correlation between recreational and ecotourism values and educational and cultural heritage values; however, there is a correlation between all other subcultural services. It is important to fully identify and consider the characteristics of the differences in the perceptions of different stakeholders in CESs to enhance the regional planning and scenic area service function in the study area.

Investigation of the Influence of Relative Wall Area in Plan and the Role of Their Boundary Elements in the Seismic Behavior of Tunnel-Form Concrete System

Investigation of the Influence of Relative Wall Area in Plan and the Role of Their Boundary Elements in the Seismic Behavior of Tunnel-Form Concrete System

3D City Modeling for Flood Inundation Analysis in Mayjen Sungkono Area, Surabaya

Abstract Floods in urban areas are primarily caused by high rainfall combined with inadequate drainage systems, inappropriate land use changes, and insufficient flood mitigation measures. Surabaya, characterized as a seasonal zone with periodic rainfall, frequently experiences flood inundation due to the loss of water retention areas and an inadequate drainage infrastructure. Three-dimensional (3D) city models provide a detailed representation of urban environments, capturing the three-dimensional geometry of objects and general urban structures. This 3D modeling approach can enhance the understanding of flood depths impacting surrounding buildings and infrastructure and assist in estimating the effects on drainage capacity and catchment areas for long-term planning. In this research, 3D flood inundation modeling was conducted using LiDAR data and aerial photography, integrated with other GIS data. The flood inundation simulation was performed using HEC-RAS, while the 3D modeling was carried out using GIS-based software employing semi-automatic methods. The results of the 3D modeling and visualization indicate potential flood inundation depths reaching up to 5 meters, affecting 1,100 buildings and 30 roads. Further research could focus on improving the accuracy of terrain and channel data used in flood modeling to enhance the precision of the results.

Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of ChatGPT Integration into Physical Sciences Teaching: A Case Study at a Rural South African University

The emergence of artificial intelligence, exemplified by generative chatbots such as ChatGPT, has elicited optimism among some educators regarding enhanced teaching and learning methods. Simultaneously, it has raised concerns among others, who perceive these chatbots as being disruptive to established pedagogical norms developed over centuries. This study investigated pre-service teachers’ perceptions regarding integrating ChatGPT into physical sciences teaching at a rural South African university. A case study research design utilizing a qualitative approach was adopted to collect, analyze, and interpret data. This methodology was employed to gain comprehensive insight into the viewpoints held by final year Bachelor of Education Honors physical sciences students serving as pre-service teachers. The study explored the benefits and potential challenges of incorporating emerging technologies such as ChatGPT into physical sciences teaching. The theoretical framework guiding the study was the technological, pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework. Eleven purposively sampled physical sciences pre-service teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The research findings indicate that ChatGPT has the potential to contribute to the teaching of physical sciences in the areas of lesson planning, preparation, presentation, and formative assessment. However, the study revealed that ChatGPT is unable to answer certain questions in the physical sciences accurately and this was of great concern. These findings shed light on how artificial intelligence generative chatbots can be incorporated into physical sciences learning. The findings provide insights for policymakers, who can facilitate the use of these tools in lesson preparation; science educators, who should leverage the chatbots to enhance learner engagement; and researchers, to help them deepen their understanding of the role of emerging technologies in science education.

Exploring the use of ChatGPT-4o in enhancing career development counseling for medical students: a study protocol

BackgroundThe advent of pre-trained generative transformers, exemplified by ChatGPT, has significantly impacted medical education, catalysing a wealth of research focused on enhancing educational methodologies. Despite this, the application of ChatGPT...

Neural Encoding of Direction and Distance across Reference Frames in Visually Guided Reaching.

Goal-directed actions require transforming sensory information into motor plans defined across multiple parameters and reference frames. Substantial evidence supports the encoding of target direction in gaze- and body-centered coordinates within parietal and premotor regions. However, how the brain encodes the equally critical parameter of target distance remains less understood. Here, using Bayesian pattern component modeling of fMRI data during a delayed reach-to-target task, we dissociated the neural encoding of both target direction and the relative distances between target, gaze, and hand at early and late stages of motor planning. This approach revealed independent representations of direction and distance along the human dorsomedial reach pathway. During early planning, most premotor and superior parietal areas encoded a target's distance in single or multiple reference frames and encoded its direction. In contrast, distance encoding was magnified in gaze- and body-centric reference frames during late planning. These results emphasize a flexible and efficient human central nervous system that achieves goals by remapping sensory information related to multiple parameters, such as distance and direction, in the same brain areas.

Integration of Grain Legumes and Mbeya Manure Improves Maize Productivity on Smallholder Farms in Central Malawi

Legumes are integrated in maize-based systems to improve soil fertility and crop productivity. However, the ecosystem services from legumes vary. Crop rotation on-farm studies were conducted over two cropping seasons (2018/19 and 2019/20) in Mkanakhoti and Kaluluma Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) in Kasungu district, central Malawi. The main objective of this study was to evaluate maize response to legume cropping systems and mbeya manure. In the first season (2018/19), five treatments including sole groundnut (Gn), sole soybean (soy), sole pigeon pea (PP), and doubled-up legumes (legume + legume intercrop) - pigeon pea intercropped with groundnut (Gn+PP), and pigeon pea intercropped with soybean (Soy+PP) were grown. In the second season (2019/20), maize was planted on plots that had either sole or doubled-up legumes. These plots were split into two, one half was top dressed with 23kg N ha-1 only and the other half received 23kg N ha-1+1000kg ha-1 mbeya manure. The experiments were replicated in 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons. Soil fertility was low and highly variable between farms in the study sites. Soil pH, total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), organic matter (SOM) and active carbon in topsoil (0-15cm) averaged 5.1±0.5, 0.19±0.18%, 31±19.6 ppm, 1.4±0.34 %, and 193±74 mg kg-1, respectively. Application of mbeya manure to maize increased leaf chlorophyll and plant height (p<0.05). There were variations in maize yield responses to legumes with higher benefits obtained from maize rotated with doubled-up legumes than sole legumes. The results also showed that on non-responsive soils, overall, the use of mbeya manure in combination with legume systems increased the rotational maize grain yield by 88% over maize following legumes only (p<0.05), with highest yields from doubled up legumes/maize rotations followed by groundnut/maize rotations. It is therefore recommended that on highly degraded soils, farmers can increase maize productivity through integrated soil fertility management involving a combination of 23kg N/ha and 1000kg/ha of mbeya manure applied to maize rotated with doubled-up legumes (Gn+PP or Soy+PP) and sole groundnut (Gn). Key words: Doubled-up legumes, crop rotation, groundnut, pigeon pea, soybean, maize, mbeya manure

Exploring the equitable spatial planning on the accessibility of institutional elderly care in megacity: A study based on Chengdu, China

Mega-cities, while leveraging large populations for development, need to rationally plan spatial resources, especially for optimizing elderly care services. This study uses Chengdu, Sichuan Province, introducing factors such as accessibility of elderly-friendly medical institutions, weighted built environment factors, and selection influence factors considering service capacity levels and residents' maximum travel time into an improved potential model to explore the accessibility of elderly care services. The study found that the outskirts of Chengdu have a higher aging population, while the central city and its surrounding areas have a larger older population but lower aging rates. Elderly care facilities are mainly small and medium-sized, exhibiting a radial layout centered around the main urban area. The overall level of spatial accessibility to elderly care service resources is relatively low. The central city and its surrounding areas form high-accessibility zones, while the remote suburbs have large areas of low accessibility and scattered high-accessibility points. Based on the findings, four areas for future urban planning and resource allocation were identified: development retention areas, urgent optimization areas, configuration compensation areas, and remote special areas. This study provides new insights into the classification of elderly care resource accessibility and fairness evaluation, offering a reference for planning studies in other mega-cities.

Unsupervised automated fault detection and diagnosis for light commercial buildings’ HVAC systems

Fault detection in light commercial building HVAC systems can significantly improve the energy efficiency of this class of buildings. A light commercial building is a commercial structure with fewer than six stories and a floor plan area of less than 2500 ft². Data extracted from existing buildings in this class are generally unlabeled, raw, and characterized by many inconsistencies and discontinuities, making Automated Fault Detection and Diagnosis (AFDD) particularly challenging. This study aims to develop an unsupervised AFDD method tailored for light commercial buildings, which is transferable among different HVAC configurations within this building class. The method is designed to handle unlabeled, incomplete, and raw datasets provided by their Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was selected as the core method due to its scalability and transferability. Specific techniques were introduced to address time series analysis and fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) based on the dynamics of the system, using appropriate window sizing. The method was validated using two different light commercial buildings with distinct configurations and data availability. The primary building, an office in Montreal, Canada, and the secondary building, a small industrial facility in Ireland, served as the test cases. The proposed method demonstrated promising results in detecting and isolating faulty inputs, providing information on the severity levels and locations of faults. It successfully identified whether faults were at the level of the central system or within specific zones in both studied cases.

Louveira Digital City

The Louveira Digital City is a municipal information network designed to promote digital appications development, offering e-government services in areas such as health, education, social assistance, safety, and public works. The project began as an academic initiative focused on Louveira's Information Highway, which was presented to the City Council in August 2010. It outlines the key components of the information highway, including the optical backbone architecture, feasibility study, radio link specifications, logical network design, equipment specifications, and project budget. This digital infrastructure enables all residents to access various communication services and applications, such as data, video, and voice traffic. The network is comprised of radio and fiber optic links, designed to benefit various areas of public administration, including health, safety, education, and planning. Additionally, it aims to enhance public access to information, culture, education, and leisure, laying the groundwork for a smart city. This project showcases the implementation of the information highway in Louveira, highlighting how academic institutions can contribute to the economic, social, and technological development of society and serving as a model for similar initiatives.

The contribution of remote sensing and geographic information systems to the morphometric study of six watersheds in the tindouf region (extreme south-western Algeria)

Understanding the hydrological system and improving water resource management requires a thorough analysis of the morphometric characteristics of watersheds. This study seeks to examine the hydrological and morphometric features of the water drainage network in the Tindouf region's numerous watersheds. A digital elevation model (DEM), which is an essential digital asset in GIS, was created using a 30 m resolution SRTM satellite image. The DEM model was then used to produce a map of the drainage network for the basins in the study area. Additionally, various hydrological and geomorphological features were extracted. This research is significant in promoting economic development and improving the quality of life of residents by establishing better resource allocation and water management, determining appropriate areas for urban development, infrastructure planning, tourism, and entertainment.

RADT-45. INTEGRATION OF FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING INTO STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY PLANNING TO REDUCE SYMPTOMATIC RADIATION NECROSIS

Abstract BACKGROUND Radiation necrosis (RN) is a common complication of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) localizes eloquent cortical areas for neurosurgical planning but is seldom applied to SRS. We explored the relationship between symptomatic RN and functional neuroanatomy on fMRI. We evaluated the potential benefit of reducing radiation dose to functional areas. METHODS From 2011 to 2022, patients with an fMRI within 3 months of SRS for resected or unresected brain metastases (BM) were included. The BM nearest to the primary motor, language, or visual cortices was designated as the index BM. The functional area on fMRI nearest to the index BM was designated as the fOAR. Focally symptomatic RN (FSRN) was defined as radiographic RN alongside new or worsening focal neurologic symptoms consistent with the fOAR. Patients treated with 5-fraction SRS and modern planning techniques after 2013 were included in the dosimetric analysis. Associations between fOAR dose and FSRN were evaluated with logistic regression. SRS replanning was performed to determine if fOAR dose could be reduced without sacrificing target coverage. RESULTS Among 94 patients, 82% received SRS postoperatively, and 71% received 5-fraction SRS. fOARs included the primary motor (77%), language (19%), and visual (2%) cortices. Of 20 patients with radiographic RN, 20% were neurologically asymptomatic, 20% had anatomically unrelated neurologic symptoms, and 60% had FSRN. The dosimetric analysis included 39 patients. The fOAR volume receiving a single-fraction equivalent dose ≥14 Gy (V14Gy) was associated with FSRN at 18 months post-SRS (OR=6.8/mL, p=0.05). Replanning reduced fOAR V14Gy in all cases. The mean reduction was 28%. CONCLUSION Neurologic symptoms of SRS-induced RN reflect nearby functional neuroanatomy on fMRI. Dose reduction to functional areas while maintaining target coverage is consistently achievable and may mitigate symptomatic RN. Integrated fMRI-based SRS planning may protect neurologic function when treating tumors near eloquent areas.

Interfaces do Método de Leitura da Paisagem e Sistemas de Informações Geográficas (SIG): contribuições do estudo das Unidades de Paisagem para o ensino-aprendizagem no Ateliê de Projeto Urbano

The interdisciplinary and multiscale methodological approach presented here seeks to understand the biogeophysical support in repeated interactions with society, highlighting the process of socio-spatial production. It outlines the structuring and adaptation of the Landscape Reading method for didactic workshops in Geographic Information Systems, as a result of the GIS research project applied to Landscape Planning developed in (omitted for blind reading). Structuring such method adapted to geotechnology tools and environmental modeling in a GIS environment proved to be of great value for application in Architecture and Urbanism undegraduate courses, which is undergoing an important process of teaching-learning design methodological adaptation, especially in the areas of landscape, urbanism, and urban and regional planning.

Long-term Radiation Signal Persistence in Urine and Blood: A Two-year Analysis in Non-human Primates Exposed to a 4 Gy Total-Body Gamma-Radiation Dose.

National security concerns regarding radiological incidents, accidental or intentional in nature, have increased substantially over the past few years. A primary area of intense planning is the assessment of exposed individuals and timely medical management. However, exposed individuals who receive survivable radiation doses may develop delayed effects of acute radiation exposure many months or years later. Therefore, it is necessary to identify such individuals and determine whether their symptoms may have been initiated by radiation and require complex medical interventions. We previously developed early response metabolomic biosignatures in biofluids from non-human primates exposed to a total body gamma radiation dose of 4 Gy (up to 60 days). A follow-up of these animals has been ongoing with samples consistently collected every few months for up to 2 years after exposure, providing a unique cohort to determine if a radiation signal persists longer than 2 months. Metabolic fingerprinting in urine and serum determined that exposed animals remain metabolically different from pre-exposure levels and from age-matched controls, and the pre-determined biosignature maintains high sensitivity and specificity. Significant perturbations in tricarboxylic acid intermediates, cofactors and nucleotide metabolism were noted, signifying energetic changes that could be attributed to or perpetuate altered mitochondrial dynamics. Importantly, these animals have begun developing diseases such as hypertension much earlier than their age-matched controls, further emphasizing that radiation exposure may lead to accelerated aging. This NHP cohort provides important information and highlights the potential of metabolomics in determining persistent changes and a radiation-specific signature that can be correlated to phenotype.

Volumetric drag coefficients for generic urban configurations: Insights from canopy flow analysis

Alternative drag approaches for representing unresolved buildings were proposed in literature for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of macroscopic urban airflow. As a contribution, the present work derives the volumetric drag coefficient (Cd*) through canopy drag and velocity analysis and provides appropriate correlations for Cd*against urban morphological parameters. A total of 72 cases across various urban configurations are investigated, categorized by building typology, horizontal layout, height variability, and plan area density (λp, from 0.0625 to 0.57). Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations with periodic boundary conditions are performed to model fully developed flows. Results for the normalized drag force and superficial velocity and their relations with λp are evaluated. Subsequent evaluation of the profiles for the sectional coefficients (Cd*(Z)) reveals four distinct types with variations in uniform-height cases and combinations in varying-height cases. A throughout correlations analysis, facilitated by data transformation, identifies the straightforward relations between Cd* and frontal area density (λf) and tortuosity (τ). The followed stepwise regression provides a recommended formula for Cd*, demonstrating a proper fit with the simulated values. These findings facilitate the understanding and appropriate estimation of Cd* and Cd*(Z), promoting the application of macroscopic turbulence models, for neighborhood-scale wind and air quality studies.

Cross-functional integration between demand and supply processes: a case study about the role of digital technologies

PurposeThe objective of this article is to analyze the integration between the internal functions related to demand and supply processes. The studied object was an agribusiness company that uses digital technologies to operate its inbound logistics.Design/methodology/approachA case study was conducted in a global agribusiness company that went through a restructuring process with the implementation of a shared service center. In-depth interviews were conducted with employees from the demand and supply areas. The analysis involved description of cross-functional integration processes from the areas of demand and supply, the identification of technologies from Industry 4.0 present in the activities of those areas and their role in the integration process.FindingsThe analysis revealed the mediating role of technology in cross-functional integration, the presence of new integration factors and their impact on process performance. A framework was developed that describes the relationship between technology and integration factors, their impacts, and the implications for theory and practice.Practical implicationsRegarding this study, the focal company migrated its activities, which were previously isolated and dispersed across branches, to a centralized shared services unit. This research contributes by providing managers with elements to support their investment decisions in technologies that facilitate the integration process, mainly in the areas of planning and execution. It also contributes to the planning of processes, helping managers who are implementing or migrating activities and areas to new management structures.Originality/valueThis paper brings two new assumptions that may guide future investigations about cross-functional integration and its effects on demand and supply integration (DSI): (1) Digital technologies are able to support cross-functional integration in order to provide information integrity, team alignment, agile and assertive decision making within supply and demand processes; (2) Cross-functional integration, mediated by digital technologies, can generate agility and accuracy of information in the demand and supply processes. This accuracy and agility provide improvements in demand and supply process performance metrics, such as predictability, assertiveness, standardization, productivity and response time.

Case study of bearing capacity failure in a 4-story reinforced concrete building

This case history analyzes the bearing capacity failure of a 4-story reinforced concrete building in Benghazi, Libya, constructed in Fall 2000. The building has a plan area of 65 m² and is supported by an 80 cm thick raft foundation resting on collapsible sandy loess, which can lose shear strength when wet. Several months before the building's failure, nearby construction work caused a broken pipeline, leading to significant water leakage. This moisture infiltrated the soil under the foundation, reducing its bearing capacity, particularly on the northern side. In winter 2002, the building began to tilt northward due to this reduced capacity, although inspections revealed no structural cracks, attributed to the rigidity of the raft foundation and reinforced concrete shear walls. The paper discusses the geotechnical properties of the supporting soil and uses finite element analysis to show that the bearing pressures exceeded allowable limits under wet conditions, emphasizing the importance of moisture content in assessing soil stability. This case highlights the complexities of foundation design and the critical impact of environmental factors on soil behavior, advocating for thorough geotechnical assessments and ongoing monitoring of conditions around structural foundations.

O atual entendimento acerca da busca pessoal: uma revisão jurisprudencial e as atuais problemáticas

No atual cenário jurídico-penal brasileiro, a busca pessoal configura-se como uma medida de incontestável relevância no exercício da função policial. Neste contexto, a atuação das forças de segurança, notadamente da Polícia Militar, em suas atribuições de patrulhamento preventivo, adquire centralidade no controle da ordem social e na mitigação de riscos à coletividade. No entanto, a busca pessoal, enquanto instrumento típico da atuação policial, suscita profundas discussões nos tribunais superiores acerca de sua legalidade e adequação frente aos postulados constitucionais. As temáticas que circunscrevem a busca pessoal têm despertado acentuadas discussões jurisprudenciais e doutrinárias, trazendo diversas implicações jurídicas à atuação das polícias militares em todo o Brasil. Nesse sentido, a revisão jurisprudencial se torna imprescindível para avaliar a conformidade das decisões judiciais com a norma constitucional, sobretudo no que tange à interpretação de conceitos como “fundada suspeita”, a necessidade, ou não, de mandado judicial para a realização da busca pessoal e as implicações legais da apreensão de objetos pessoais, como aparelhos celulares, sob os limites do direito à privacidade. Ademais, problemáticas atuais, como a utilização seletiva da busca pessoal com base em critérios de raça, gênero e cor, agravam as tensões sociais, revelando-se como questões latentes a serem debatidas.

The Influence Of Motivation, Work Environment, And Competency On Asn Performance In The Public Works, Spatial Planning, Housing And Settlement Area (Putrpkp) Enviroment Of Takalar District

The Influence of Motivation, Work Environment, and Competence on the Performance of Civil Servants in the Public Works, Spatial Planning, Housing and Settlement Areas Office (PUTRPKP) of Takalar Regency, guided by Andi Mappatompo Badawi and Dg. Maklassa. This study aims to analyze and explain the Influence of Work Motivation, Work Environment, and Competence on the Performance of Civil Servants in the Public Works, Spatial Planning, Housing and Settlement Areas Office (PUTRPKP) of Takalar Regency. This type of research is quantitative research, which is research based on data that can be calculated to produce a solid assessment using SPSS. This study used 68 respondents using multiple linear analysis techniques. The results of this study show that work motivation has a significant positive influence on ASN performance with P = 0.007 < 0.05 with a coefficient value of 0.380. The work environment has a positive and insignificant influence on ASN performance with P = 0.502 > 0.05 with a coefficient value of 0.118. Competence has a significant positive influence on ASN performance with P = 0.024 < 0.05 with a coefficient value of 0.280. The Work Motivation variable is the most dominant variable that affects ASN Performance.

From marine plans to marine licences: a weak link in the English system?

ABSTRACT As marine spatial planning becomes established, attention is turning to the influence of plans on coastal and marine decisions. A study of marine licencing in the East Marine Plan Areas in England, UK, revealed that little reference is being made to plans. A technical approach to licencing has persisted despite the broader perspectives that spatial planning can offer. Also, plans may not be sufficiently specific and tested to guide licencing. Reforms to integrate planning and decision-making are needed, including plans designed to help with setting conditions and spatially allocating marine uses. Increased dialogue between planners and decision-makers is also needed.