Circular Buffer Research Articles

Residential greenspace and lung function up to 24 years of age: The ALSPAC birth cohort

BackgroundResiding in greener areas is increasingly linked to beneficial health outcomes, but little is known about its effect on respiratory health. ObjectiveWe examined associations between residential greenness and nearby green spaces with lung function up to 24 years in the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort. MethodsLung function was measured by spirometry at eight, 15 and 24 years of age. Greenness levels within circular buffers (100–1000 m) around the birth, eight-, 15- and 24-year home addresses were calculated using the satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and averaged (lifetime greenness). The presence and proportion of green spaces (urban green spaces, forests and agricultural land) within a 300 m buffer was determined. First, associations between repeated greenness and green space variables and repeated lung function parameters were assessed using generalized estimation equations (N = 7094, 47.9% male). Second, associations between lifetime average greenness and lifetime average proportion of green spaces with lung function at 24-years were assessed using linear regression models (N = 1763, 39.6% male). All models were adjusted for individual and environmental covariates. ResultsUsing repeated greenspace and lung function data at eight, 15 and 24 years, greenness in a 100 m buffer was associated with higher FEV1 and FVC (11.4 ml [2.6, 20.3] and 12.2 ml [1.8, 22.7], respectively, per interquartile range increase), as was the presence of urban green spaces in a 300 m buffer (20.3 ml [−0.1, 40.7] and 23.1 ml [-0.3, 46.5] for FEV1 and FVC, respectively). These associations were independent of air pollution, urbanicity and socio-economic status. Lifetime average greenness within a 100 m buffer and proportion of agricultural land within a 300 m buffer were associated with better lung function at 24 years but adjusting for asthma attenuated these associations. DiscussionThis study provides suggestive evidence that children whose homes are in more vegetated places or are in close proximity of green spaces have better lung function up to 24 years of age.

Effects of Land Use on Stream Water Quality in the Rapidly Urbanized Areas: A Multiscale Analysis

The land use and land cover changes in rapidly urbanized regions is one of the main causes of water quality deterioration. However, due to the heterogeneity of urban land use patterns and spatial scale effects, a clear understanding of the relationships between land use and water quality remains elusive. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of land use on water quality across multi scales in a rapidly urbanized region in Hangzhou City, China. The results showed that the response characteristics of stream water quality to land use were spatial scale-dependent. The total nitrogen (TN) was more closely related with land use at the circular buffer scale, whilst stronger correlations could be found between land use and algae biomass at the riparian buffer scales. Under the circular buffer scale, the forest and urban greenspace were more influential to the TN at small buffer scales, whilst significant positive or negative correlations could be found between the TN and the areas of industrial land or the wetland and river as the buffer scales increased. The redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that more than 40% variations in water quality could be explained by the landscape metrics at all circular and riparian buffer scales, and this suggests that land use pattern was an important factor influencing water quality. The variation in water quality explained by landscape metrics increased with the increase of buffer size, and this implies that land use pattern could have a closer correlation with water quality at larger spatial scales.

Real-time filtering on parallel SIMD architectures for automated quality inspection

Surface metrology in automated quality inspection is a field, among many others, affected by noise and thus requiring filtering. In surface metrology, filtering is required to remove undesired information from data in order to extract surface features and relevant properties necessary for quality control. Moreover, filtering requires immediate results, while the product is being manufactured. This way, quick correcting actions can be directly applied to solve possible manufacturing issues. This work proposes different strategies to filter height maps in real-time acquired using laser profilers, the most widely used inspection method in industrial applications. Different models to apply the filtering operations are considered, particularly assessing different alternatives to store previous samples in memory, which are required for data filtering. FIFO, double FIFO, circular and double circular buffers are evaluated. Furthermore, CPU parallelism, SIMD instructions and cache-line friendly data structures are analyzed. The proposed methods are extremely efficient, capable of filtering laser profiles at extremely high acquisition rates. The proposed methods are designed for real-time surface metrology, but they are very likely to find potential applications in different areas. The filters are compared in terms of accuracy and speed, including other well-known filters such as the spline filter. Tests analyze execution time, including cache efficiency and filtering accuracy. Results with synthetic data and real data obtained from steel strips show excellent performance, providing accurate results at very high speeds.

Urbanization drivers differentially affect ground arthropod assemblages in the city of Turin (NW-Italy)

Urbanization is a complex process associated with environmental changes affecting many biotic and abiotic ecosystem components, which cause the alteration of biological communities, habitat features, connectivity and stability. In particular, the urbanization process is usually associated with a decrease in species richness that parallels a general increase in the overall abundance of individuals, mostly due to generalist and tolerant species taking advantage of the altered environmental conditions and outcompeting and excluding native species. We here adopted a hierarchically nested sampling design to investigate the response of ground arthropods to the combined effects of multiple facets of urbanization, namely increased impervious surface cover, temperature and patch isolation, measured at small, intermediate and large spatial scale. We studied 15 plots of 150 m in diameter located in the city of Turin (NW-Italy), along an urbanization-cover gradient ranging from suburbia to the city center. For each plot we considered the level of urbanization at three different scales (circular buffers with a 100, 400 and 1600 m radius). Within each plot, we identified a control and an isolated subplot, and in each subplot, we measured ground temperature using dataloggers and we sampled ground arthropods with pitfall traps. Firstly, by relating ground temperature and urbanization cover, we showed that temperature values reflected an Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, which indicates increasing values of temperature along the urbanization gradient. This trend was particularly evident at large scale regarding daily and diurnal temperature, and at small scale regarding nocturnal temperature. Secondly, we demonstrated that different groups of ground arthropods respond differently to urbanization cover, with major effects at the largest spatial scale. Finally, we extrapolated the differential contribution of urbanization cover, UHI-effect and patch isolation to the observed activity density of the investigated taxonomic groups: Coleoptera and Hemiptera were influenced by temperature, whereas Hymenoptera, Collembola, Acari and Araneae were mainly influenced by urbanization, especially in control subplots. Our results emphasize how a multitaxonomic approach can help unravel patterns of community assembly in urban areas.

Land-use and coverage in the structure of the landscape in a Tropical Dry Forest in northeast Brazil

Landscape Ecology using GIS is applied to understand the effects of forest fragmentation and makes it feasible mainly for extensive areas, through the possibility of analyzing both the variety of units that compose it in time. This study aims to analyze the land use and coverage of tropical dry forests and to characterize their landscape structure in an area of the municipality of Floresta, Pernambuco, Brazil, in order to understand how the landscape configuration can influence the conservation. Orbital images were used from LANDSAT, and the classification was performed in the QGIS 2.18 software using the Maximum Likelihood methodification, for the years of 2007 and 2017. A circular buffer was incorporated around the area of study to analyze the structural patterns in the context of the landscape. Five thematic classes were used: dense vegetation, sparse vegetation, exposed soil, grassland, and water. The metrics were obtained through the Patch Analyst tool only to the class of dense vegetation. It is noted that much of the dense vegetation has become sparse. There was a reduction of exposed soil and an increase in grassland areas, which may indicate a regeneration process of the vegetation. The fragments of dense vegetation with more substantial dimensions are on constant exploratory actions and are the most affected with the reduction of size. Furthermore, climatic factors, periods of drought, and the presence of livestock may also affect the fragmentation of dense vegetation patches. Therefore, the landscape became heterogeneous, and a tendency was observed to increase the fragmentation, mainly in the more significant spots.

How do natural features in the residential environment influence women's self-reported general health? Results from cross-sectional analyses of a U.S. national cohort.

BackgroundThe relationship between health and human interaction with nature is complex. Here we conduct analyses to provide insights into potential health benefits related to residential proximity to nature. ObjectivesWe aimed to examine associations between measures of residential nature and self-reported general health (SRGH), and to explore mediation roles of behavioral, social, and air quality factors, and variations in these relationships by urbanicity and regional climate. MethodsUsing residential addresses for 41,127 women from the Sister Study, a U.S.-based national cohort, we derived two nature exposure metrics, canopy and non-gray cover, using Percent Tree Canopy and Percent Developed Imperviousness from the National Land Cover Database. Residential circular buffers of 250 m and 1250 m were considered. Gradient boosted regression trees were used to model the effects of nature exposure on the odds of reporting better SRGH (Excellent/Very Good versus the referent, Good/Fair/Poor). Analyses stratified by urbanicity and regional climate (arid, continental, temperate) and mediation by physical activity, social support, and air quality were conducted. ResultsA 10% increase in canopy and non-gray cover within 1250 m buffer was associated with 1.02 (95% CI: 1.00–1.03) and 1.03 (95% CI: 1.01–1.04) times the odds of reporting better SRGH, respectively. Stronger associations were observed for the urban group and for continental climate relative to other strata. Social support and physical activity played a more significant mediation role than air quality for the full study population. DiscussionFindings from this study identified a small but important beneficial association between residential nature and general health. These findings could inform community planning and investments in neighborhood nature for targeted health improvements and potential societal and environmental co-benefits.

Associations of exposure to green space with problem behaviours in preschool-aged children.

Limited evidence is available regarding the association of green-space exposure with childhood behavioural development. This study aimed to investigate the associations of exposure to green space with multiple syndromes of behavioural development in preschool children. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Wuhan, China from April 2016 to June 2018. We recruited a sample of 6039 children aged 5-6 years from 17 kindergartens located in five urban districts of the city. We measured the greenness using average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within a circular buffer area of 100 metres surrounding the central point of residences and kindergartens. We calculated the residence-kindergarten-weighted greenness by assuming that children spent 16 hours per day at home and 8 hours at kindergarten. The problem behaviours of children were evaluated at kindergarten using the Childhood Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) and standardized into problem behavioural T scores. Linear mixed-effect models and linear-regression models were used to estimate the associations. We observed decreases in problem behaviours associated with kindergarten and residence-kindergarten-weighted surrounding greenness in preschool children. For example, a one-interquartile range increase in kindergarten and residence-kindergarten-weighted NDVI was associated with decreased T scores for total behaviour by -0.61 [95% confidence interval (CI): -1.09, -0.13) and -0.49 (95% CI -0.85, -0.12), anxiety and depression by -0.65 (95% CI: -1.13, -0.17) and -0.46 (95% CI: -0.82, -0.10), aggressive behaviour by -0.53 (95% CI: -1.01, -0.05) and -0.38 (95% CI: -0.75, -0.02) and hyperactivity and attention deficit by -0.54 (95% CI: -1.01, -0.07) and -0.48 (95% CI: -0.83, -0.12), respectively. Stratified analyses indicated that the associations of green-space exposure with problem behaviours were stronger in boys than in girls. Children attending kindergartens with higher levels of surrounding green space exhibited better behavioural development. The mechanisms underlying these associations should be explored further.

Is accessibility in the eye of the beholder? Social inequalities in spatial accessibility to health-related resources in Montréal, Canada

Neighbourhood resources are often considered to be spatially accessible to people when they are located close to their place of residence, a perspective which overlooks individuals' unique lived experience of their neighbourhood and how they define it. Drawing on the relational approach to place and on Sen's capability approach, we explore spatial accessibility to health-related resources, and the social gradient therein, in light of people's place experiences. Using data from 1101 young adults from Montreal (Canada) who participated in the Interdisciplinary Study of Inequalities in Smoking (ISIS), we compare the social gradients in the presence of health-related resources located (i) within uniform areas (defined as circular buffers and road-network buffers) around participants' place of residence; and (ii) within participants' self-defined neighbourhoods. Social inequalities in accessibility to a diversity of health-related resources (grocery stores, fruit and vegetable stores, eating and drinking places, recreational sports centres, civic, social, and fraternal organizations, bike paths, parks, social services, libraries, dental offices, physician offices) were more pronounced in self-defined neighbourhoods than in uniform buffer areas. Neglecting the variability in people's place experiences may distort the assessment of social inequalities in accessibility, and ultimately, of neighbourhood effects on health inequalities.

Where does land use matter most? Contrasting land use effects on river quality at different spatial scales

Understanding the influence of land-use activities on river quality has been a key focus of river monitoring programs worldwide. However, defining which land-use spatial scale is relevant remains elusive. In this study, therefore, we contrasted the influence of land use on river quality using three types of land-use estimators, namely circular buffers around a monitoring site, circular buffers upstream of the monitoring site and the entire watershed area upstream of the monitoring site. The land-use percentage compositions within the Usa-Kikuletwa River catchment in northeastern Tanzania were quantified using Landsat-8 satellite images with a maximum mapping resolution of 30 m. Redundancy analysis models and generalized linear models were used to evaluate the influence of land use on macroinvertebrate assemblages and physico-chemical water quality at different spatial scales in the dry and wet seasons. Overall, a substantial fraction of variation in physico-chemical water quality, macroinvertebrate taxon richness, Chao-1 and TARISS (Tanzania River Scoring System) score could be explained by land use of the entire watershed area upstream of the monitoring site in the dry and wet seasons. However, macroinvertebrate abundances showed strong links with more local land-use patterns within 100 m and 2 km radii. Circular buffers upstream of monitoring sites were more informative for macroinvertebrate assemblages than circular buffers around the monitoring sites. However, the latter did correlate well with physico-chemical water quality variables. Land-use variables correlated across spatial scales (i.e., 100 m up to 2 km radii), but not with the land use in the entire watershed area above the monitoring site. Our results indicate that physico-chemical water quality variables and macroinvertebrates may respond differently to land-uses at different scales. More importantly, our results illustrate that the choice regarding spatial land-use metrics can bias conclusions of environmental impact studies in river systems.

Residential urban tree canopy is associated with decreased mortality during tuberculosis treatment in California

Trees can sequester air pollutants, and air pollution is associated with poor tuberculosis outcomes. However, the health impacts of urban trees on tuberculosis patients are unknown. To elucidate the effects of urban tree canopy on mortality during tuberculosis treatment, we evaluated patients diagnosed with active tuberculosis in California from 2000 through 2012, obtaining patient data from the California tuberculosis registry. Our primary outcome was all-cause mortality during tuberculosis treatment. We determined percent tree cover using 1 mresolution color infrared orthoimagery categorized into land cover classes, then linked tree cover to four circular buffer zones of 50–300 m radii around patient residential addresses. We used the Kaplan-Meier method to estimate survival probabilities and Cox regression models to determine mortality hazard ratios, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical covariates. Our cohort included 33,962 tuberculosis patients of median age 47, 59% male, 51% unemployed, and 4.9% HIV positive. Tuberculosis was microbiologically confirmed in 79%, and 1.17% were multi-drug resistant (MDR). Median tree cover was 7.9% (50 m buffer). Patients were followed for 23,280 person-years with 2370 deaths during tuberculosis treatment resulting in a crude mortality rate of 1018 deaths per 10,000 person-years. Increasing tree cover quintiles were associated with decreasing mortality risk during tuberculosis treatment in all buffers, and the magnitude of association decreased incrementally with increasing buffer radius: In the 50 m buffer, patients living in neighborhoods with the highest quintile tree cover experienced a 22% reduction in mortality (HR 0.78, 95%CI 0.68–0.90) compared to those living in lowest quintile tree cover; whereas for 100, 200, and 300 m buffers, a 21%, 13%, and 11% mortality risk reduction was evident. In conclusion, urban tree canopy was associated with decreased mortality during tuberculosis treatment even after adjusting for multiple demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors, suggesting that trees might play a role in improving tuberculosis outcomes.

​Is suicide mortality associated with neighbourhood social fragmentation and deprivation? A Dutch register-based case-control study using individualised neighbourhoods

BackgroundNeighbourhood social fragmentation and socioeconomic deprivation seem to be associated with suicide mortality. However, results are inconclusive, which might be because dynamics in the social context are not well-represented by...

Investigation on positioning control strategy and switching optimization of an equal coded digital valve system

This article concerns high accuracy positioning control with switching optimization for an equal coded digital valve system. Typically, pulse number modulation control cannot realize micro-positioning due to the characteristics of step-wise flow variation, therefore, a new position controller consisting of a model-based pulse number modulation and a differential pulse width modulation strategy is proposed to control the position of a hydraulic cylinder at high and low velocity cases, respectively. In addition, in order to solve several problems caused by the pulse number modulation and differential pulse width modulation, such as increased number of switchings and large difference among number of switchings of valves, a switching optimization consisting of a switching cost function, a circular buffer and a circular switching method is proposed. An adaptive weight of the switching cost function is proposed for the first time to reduce the total number of switchings under different pressure differences and its design criterion is presented. A circular buffer and a new circular switching method are used to improve the degree of equal distribution of switchings when the pulse number modulation and differential pulse width modulation are used, respectively. Comparative experimental results indicated that the average and the minimum positioning error for the proposed controller are only 10 and 1 μm, respectively. The number of switchings and the degree of equal distribution of switchings are significantly optimized. Moreover, the pressure fluctuations caused by the proposed controller remain acceptable.

Assessing the influence of land use on groundwater pollution based on coefficient of variation weight method: a case study of Shuangliao City.

In this study, the quality of groundwater was tested in 95 sampling wells in Shuangliao City. Based on the results, the coefficient of variation method was used to calculate the comprehensively evaluated value F, and the grade of groundwater quality, in accordance with the actual scenario in the study area, was classified according to the results of the evaluation. The spatial distribution of groundwater quality types in the study area was classified. In addition, the influence of human activity on each groundwater subsystem was assessed. Combined with the land use types in the study area, the Circle model was used to extract the land use types in the circular buffer zone with a radius of 500 m, and the Kendall rank correlation test was used to analyze the influence of the land use types on the spatial distribution of groundwater pollution. Based on the coefficient of variation, the groundwater quality standard was divided into four sections considering the actual scenario: ≤ 0.92 (I), 0.92~≤ 1.75 (II), 1.75~≤ 2.40 (III), and > 2.40 (IV). Water from class II was considered the main type for groundwater quality. NO3-, TFe, and Mn were deemed the main indexes of groundwater pollution. Further, land use type was found to have a great influence on the spatial distribution of groundwater pollution; specifically, dry land, paddy field, areas with dense traffic, and residential areas are the main land types that affect the groundwater environment.

Lung function up to adolescence and residential greenspace

GREEN, AIR, LMIC: PECHAKUCHA COMES TO ISEE! Johan Friso Foyer, Floor 1, August 27, 2019, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Background/Aim: Residing in greener areas has been linked to several health outcomes (e.g. mental health, cardiovascular), but limited work has been done on respiratory health. We examined associations between residential greenness levels and nearby green spaces with lung function up to 15 years in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: a birth cohort of children born 1991-92 in/around Bristol, United Kingdom. Methods: Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of FVC (FEF25-75) were measured using spirometry before bronchodilation at 8 and 15 years. Greenness levels in circular 300m buffers around the birth, 8- and 15-year home addresses were calculated using the satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI; ranges -1 to 1; time-varying greenness) and subsequently averaged (lifetime greenness). The presence of urban green spaces, forests and agricultural land in the 300m buffers was also determined. Mixed effects linear regression models, adjusted for individual (e.g. socioeconomic status) and environmental factors assessed associations between lifetime and time-varying greenness levels and nearby green spaces with lung function. Results: Averaged lifetime greenness (N=1862, 46.6% male) was positively associated with FEV1, FVC and FEF25-75 (mean difference [95% confidence intervals]: 47.5 ml [7.5, 87.6], 47.4 ml [4.3, 90.6] and 67.0 ml/s [-13.7, 147.6] per 0.2 increase in NDVI, respectively). Effect estimates were positive but attenuated when greenness levels at 8 and 15 years were instead entered as time-varying (18.1 ml [-9.5, 45.6], 25.4 ml [-4.4, 55.2] and 10.1 ml/s [-40.0, 60.2] for FEV1, FVC and FEF25-75, respectively) or after adjustment for asthma. No associations were found for nearby urban green spaces, forests or agricultural land. Conclusions: Higher lung function by 15 years was associated with residing in greener areas throughout life, but not with nearby structured green spaces. Funding: ALEC study (#633212)

Residential surrounding greenspace and the age at menopause

TPS 702: Green space and population health, Exhibition Hall, Ground floor, August 28, 2019, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Background / Aim: Menopause is associated with a number of adverse health effects and its timing has been reported to be influenced by several lifestyle factors. Whether greenspace exposure is associated with age at menopause has not yet been investigated. The aim was to investigate whether residential surrounding greenspace is associated with the age at menopause and thus reproductive aging. Methods: This longitudinal study was based on the 20-year follow-up of 1955 aging women from a large, population-based European cohort (ECRHS). Residential surrounding greenspace was abstracted as the average of satellite-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) across a circular buffer of 300m around the residential addresses of each participant during the course of the study. We applied mixed effects Cox models with centre as random effect, menopause as the survival object, age as time indicator and residential surrounding greenspace as predictor. All models were adjusted for smoking habit, BMI, parity, age at menarche, ever-use of contraception and age at completed full-time education as socio-economic proxy. Results: An increase of one interquartile range of residential surrounding greenspace was associated with a 13% lower risk of being menopausal [Hazard Ratio 0.87 (95% Confidence Interval 0.79 – 0.95)]. Correspondingly the predicted median age at menopause was 1.4 years older in the highest compared to the lowest NDVI quartile. Conclusions: Living in greener neighbourhoods is associated with older age at menopause and might therefore decelerate reproductive aging. These are novel findings with broad implications. Further studies are required to replicate our findings while exploring the potential mechanisms underlying this association.

Green space, air pollution, traffic noise and saliva cortisol in children aged 12 years

OPS 43: Noise, stress and mental health, Room 217, Floor 2, August 27, 2019, 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Background: Green space, air pollution and traffic noise may be associated with stress levels in children. Secretion of the stress hormone cortisol is characterized by a peak in the early morning, followed by declining cortisol levels throughout the day. A slower rate of decline in cortisol across the day has been related to chronic psychosocial stress. Aim: To examine the associations of green space, air pollution and traffic noise with the diurnal change in saliva cortisol levels in children aged 12 years. Methods: We used data of 1061 participants aged 12 years of the Dutch PIAMA birth cohort. Children collected saliva samples during a single day: 30 minutes after awakening and at 20.00hr (in the evening). We calculated the change between evening and morning saliva cortisol levels (in ng/ml per hour). We estimated residential exposure to green space (i.e. the average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and percentages of green space in circular buffers of 300m and 3000m), air pollution and traffic noise. Associations of these exposures with the diurnal cortisol change were assessed by multiple linear regression, adjusted for potential confounders. Associations are presented for an interquartile range (IQR) increase in exposure. Results: The average NDVI, total percentage of green space and percentage of agricultural green space in a buffer of 3000m were associated with a stronger diurnal decrease in cortisol levels (adjusted difference -0.05ng/ml/hr [95%CI -0.08, -0.01ng/ml/hr] per IQR (0.13) increase in the average NDVI; adjusted difference -0.05ng/ml/hr [95%CI -0.09, -0.01ng/ml/hr] per IQR (31.1%) increase in the total percentage of green space). We found no associations of air pollution or traffic noise with the diurnal cortisol change. Conclusions: This study indicates that residential exposure to green space may be associated with lower stress levels in children aged 12 years.

Development of Real-Time Software for Thomson Scattering Analysis at NSTX-U

The Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic on the National Spherical Tokamak eXperiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) has been an essential system for many operational campaigns due to its function of measuring plasma electron density and temperature. Constructive feedback to improve the next plasma discharge, however, has been limited because of in-between shots analysis. Plasma control, therefore, desires a diagnostic system that is real-time capable. This contribution presents the development of software that demonstrates the feasibility of a real-time TS diagnostic system for NSTX-U. The developed software is able to evaluate the electron temperature and density within 2.5 ms.The overall system requirement is specified by a 60-Hz timing cycle, which is driven by the TS laser pulse rate. The real-time software processes the peak amplitudes of the detected photons, evaluates the electron temperature and density, and then outputs them to an analog output card that is used to interface with the NSTX-U control. The real-time software is implemented in an object-oriented architecture using C++11. C++11 software components include class, Atomic data types for synchronization, and a Hash data structure. The software application makes use of multiple threads that run concurrently: a thread to acquire the photon peak amplitude and feed a circular buffer, threads to evaluate the electron density and temperatures, and a thread that supplies corresponding output voltages and feeds the output card.In summary, the new real-time TS system has been proven to meet the 60-Hz system requirement. For this reason, the software implementation was deemed successful. In future NSTX-U campaigns, this diagnostic will be a great asset enabling real-time plasma density and temperature control.

Exploring the Linkage between the Neighborhood Environment and Mental Health in Guangzhou, China.

The relationship between the neighborhood environment and mental health has been investigated mostly in developed countries. Yet few studies have systematically examined the impact of the neighborhood-level built-environment and social environment on mental health within different localities in the Chinese context. Based on a household survey and geographical data in Guangzhou, China, this study aimed to explore the linkage between the neighborhood environment and mental health, with a particular focus on aspects of the built-environment that are related to new urbanism or compact cities and contextual social capital, using three geographic delineations. Our findings indicated that built-environment indicators based on a road network buffer had a higher explanatory power towards residents’ mental health than did those based on a circular buffer. The analytical models demonstrated that neighborhood floor-area ratio, building density, and per capita green area were positively correlated with mental health. Neighborhood safety and contextual neighborhood interactions and reciprocity had positive associations with mental health. These findings provide policy makers and urban planners with valuable information on the role of the compact city strategy and the neighborhood social environment to improve the mental health of residents.

Effects of urban and landscape elements on air temperature in a high-density subtropical city

In this study, we examined the effects of key urban (road cover, building volume ratio, and proximity to sea) and landscape (water body, tree cover, shrub cover, turf cover, park area, and sky view factor) parameters on air temperature, and the impacts of weather conditions on landscape-temperature relationship. One hundred temperature sensors were installed in fourteen urban parks in Hong Kong during summer season to collect continuous air temperature data. Linear mixed-effect models showed that the effects of weather (cloud amount, solar radiation and wind speed) on landscape-temperature relationships were minor (<0.2 °C). Therefore, the landscape effects were further investigated using the entire dataset regardless of weather conditions. In a circular buffer zone with a 20-m radius, a 10% increase in road density caused a 0.059 °C rise in daytime mean air temperature while the same increase in tree cover and shrub cover led to a 0.052 and 0.041 °C drop in temperature, respectively. A 0.849 °C rise could be expected when sky view factor increased from 0 to 1. The proximity to the sea also had a significant daytime cooling effect (0.784 °C/1000 m). The night-time landscape effects were similar to the daytime except that the strengths of the effects on air temperature were weaker. The obtained results can be used by landscape designers and urban planners for modifying the landscape to bring cooling effects and tackle heat-island and climate-change impacts.

Street-level neighborhood greenery linked to active transportation: A case study in Milwaukee and Green Bay, WI, USA

Sedentary lifestyles contribute to many adverse health outcomes and pose concerns for public health worldwide. Studies show that road network design and greenery are critical, independent factors in supporting active lifestyles. Yet greenery along the road network has been insufficiently assessed. This study modelled individual weekly participation in active transportation (AT) using spatially refined measures of street versus overall neighborhood greenery in greater Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA. Measures of AT (walking or biking for commutes or errands) were collected by the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin. Meter-scale landcover was used to estimate percent tree cover and aggregate greenery (tree and herbaceus cover combined) at increasing distances from each residence (n = 423) along neighborhood streets and in circular buffers. Street greenery metrics were designed to indicate the provision of ecosystem services, including shade and aesthetics, which promote physical activity by enhancing the safety and beauty of the publicly-accessible outdoor environment. Positive associations were consistently observed for street tree cover (e.g., adjusted odds ratio for a 10% increase in sidewalk tree cover within 500 m = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.02–1.40; and in street tree cover within 1250 m = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.09–1.79). Aggregate greenery was significant only in circular buffers, where it was negatively associated with AT. Sensitivity analysis revealed that herbaceous cover alone was consistently negatively associated with AT. Findings inform urban design to promote healthy lifestyles by distinguishing street tree cover as a positive factor in AT. Studies in additional geographic areas and causal designs are recommended.