Increasing Population Density Research Articles

Exploring the impact of urban spatial morphology on land surface temperature: A case study in Linyi City, China.

The increasing population density and impervious surface area have exacerbated the urban heat island effect, posing significant challenges to urban environments and sustainable development. Urban spatial morphology is crucial in mitigating the urban heat island effect. This study investigated the impact of urban spatial morphology on land surface temperature (LST) at the township scale. We proposed a six-dimensional factor system to describe urban spatial morphology, comprising Atmospheric Quality, Remote Sensing Indicators, Terrain, Land Use/Land Cover, Building Scale, and Socioeconomic Factors. Spatial autocorrelation and spatial regression methods were used to analyze the impact. To this end, the township-scale data of Linyi City from 2013 to 2022 were collected. The results showed that LST are significantly influenced by urban spatial morphology, with the strongest correlations found in the factors of land use types, landscape metrics, and remote sensing indices. The global Moran's I value of LST exceeds 0.7, indicating a strong positive spatial correlation. The High-High LISA values are distributed in the central and western areas, and the Low-Low LISA values are found in the northern regions and some scattered counties. The Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model outperforms the Spatial Error Model (SEM) and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model, making it more suitable for exploring these relationships. The findings aim to provide valuable references for town planning, resource allocation, and sustainable development.

Methana Magmatic Observational Experiment (MeMaX) – seismological monitoring of magmatic and tectonic activity in the western Saronic Gulf region, Greece

Large-scale historical volcanic eruptions caused significant destruction in the Mediterranean region (e.g., Thera/Santorini explosion circa 1600 BCE). The South Aegean Volcanic Arc remains active, and in addition to primary volcanic hazards such as ashfall and lava flows, active submarine and coastal volcanoes have the potential to trigger tsunamis as secondary volcanic hazard. These tsunamis pose a threat even to far-distant coastlines. With increasing population density, infrastructure development, and seasonal tourism, both primary and secondary volcanic risks along the Aegean coasts are increasing, even with respect to smaller, more frequent eruptions. Our focus is on the western Saronic Gulf region within the Aegean Sea, as possible impacts may even extend into the greater Athens metropolitan area. There, the dormant volcanoes of the Methana volcanic system, which last erupted in 230 BCE, and the submarine Pausanias Volcanic Field pose an underappreciated hazard. We search for evidence of yet undetected magmatic activity through the identification of related microseismic events and describe the design of the related MeMaX experiment. Since 2019, the National Observatory of Athens and the University of Patras operate six seismic stations on Methana and the nearby Peloponnese mainland. In March 2024, an additional 15 seismic recording stations were deployed for a two-years period across Methana, Aegina, Agistri, Kyra, and Poros islands and the mainland Peloponnese. This network configuration provides a dense and good azimuthal coverage of seismic ray paths for earthquake location and structural analysis. The continuous recordings enhance the observational capacities for earthquake detection, e.g. the first results indicate that the noise at the recording sites is quite low and that low magnitude events to ML ca. 0 can be recorded with a very good signal-to-noise ratio. This geophysical experiment is partof the MULTI-MAREX initiative.

Identification of Inequities in Green Visibility and Ways to Increase Greenery in Neighborhoods: A Case Study of Wuhan, China

The rapid increase in urban population density driven by urban development has intensified inequity in urban green space distribution. Identifying the causes of changes in green equity and developing strategies to improve urban greening are crucial for optimizing resource allocation and alleviating social inequalities. However, the long-term spatio-temporal evolution of green visibility and equity remains underexplored. This study utilized the “Time Machine” feature to capture street view images from 2014, 2017, and 2021, analyzing changes in green visibility and its equity across residential communities in Wuhan. Deep learning techniques and statistical methods, including the Gini coefficient and location quotient (LQ), were employed to assess the distribution and spatial equity of street-level greenery. The results showed that overall green visibility in Wuhan increased by 4.18% between 2014 and 2021. However, this improvement did not translate into better spatial equity, as the Gini coefficient consistently ranged between 0.4 and 0.5. Among the seven municipal districts, only the Jiang’an District demonstrated relatively equitable green visibility in 2017 and 2021. Despite a gradual reduction in disparities in green visibility, a spatial mismatch persisted between UGS growth and population distribution, leading to uneven patterns in UGS equity. This study explores the factors driving inequities in green visibility and proposes strategies to enhance urban greening. Key recommendations include integrating the green visibility equity evaluation framework into urban planning to guide fair green space allocation, prioritizing greenery in low-income neighborhoods, and reducing hardscapes to support the planting and maintenance of tall canopy trees. These measures aim to enhance accessible and visible green resources and promote equitable access across communities.

Škody ohryzem a loupáním ve smrkových porostech: potvrzení posunu do mladších porostů

The increase in wild ungulate population density harms the dynamics of forest ecosystems. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the initial degree of damage, as a key factor in the secondary spread of fungal pathogens, and other parameters as a result of bark stripping caused by red deer (Cervus elaphus L.). The research focused on young Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) stands (7–26 years) in a total of 20 permanent research plots at four locations in the Klášterec nad Ohří and Rumburk Forest Service, each with an area of 100 m2 (10 m × 10 m). From the assessment of 783 spruce individuals, it follows that damage by bark stripping in particular stands amounted to 23.4–58.3%. Average circumferential damage ranged between 20.2–32.1% with a trunk wound length of 38.5–77.0 cm. Overall, a significant (p < 0.05) difference in dendrometric parameters (DBH and tree height) was found between undamaged “healthy” trees, and individuals with new and old damage in terms of attractiveness to game. The average DBH of undamaged trees varies between 2.0 and 3.7 cm, which is the size that wildlife prefers for initial damage. The lowest dimension of newly damaged trees starts from a DBH of 1.5 cm, and trees with a DBH > approx. 9 cm were no longer searched for wildlife. Effective hunting management and regulation of the abundance of ungulates to ecologically acceptable levels are the key to the protection of forest stands.

Enhancing Skin Cancer Diagnosis using Cubic Pythagorean Fuzzy Hypersoft Set with Salp Swarm Algorithm

Due to the rapid increase in population density, medical sciences now face a major challenge in the automated detection of diseases. Intelligent system assists health personnel in earlier disease diagnosis and provides reliable treatment to reduce the fatality rates. Skin cancer is one of the most severe and deadliest kinds of cancer. A health professional uses dermoscopic images to manually diagnose skin tumors. This technique can be time-consuming and labor-intensive and needs a considerable level of expertise. The automatic recognition method is essential for the earlier diagnosis of skin tumors. In recent times, N-soft Set model has become widespread, which is a generalization of fuzzy set where all the elements have a membership value in the complement (0 to 1) and in the set (0 or 1). This study presents a Skin Cancer Diagnosis using Cubic Pythagorean Fuzzy Hypersoft Set (SCD-CPFHSS) technique. The presented SCD-CPFHSS technique performs identification of skin cancer using the application of NSs and metaheuristic algorithms. In the SCD-CPFHSS technique, neural architectural search network (NASNet) model derives feature extractors from the dermoscopic image. In addition, the efficacy of the NASNet model can be boosted by the design of salp swarm algorithm (SSA). For skin cancer recognition, the SCD-CPFHSS technique applies CPFHSS model. The experimental outcome of the SCD-CPFHSS methodology was validated using medical dataset. The extensive results pointed out that the SCD-CPFHSS technique reaches better results on skin cancer diagnosis

History of Health at Cayo Santiago-An Investigation of Environmental and Genetic Influences on the Skeletal Remains of the Introduced Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) Colony.

The Cayo Santiago rhesus macaque colony is a renowned primate population that has experienced significant natural and anthropogenic ecological variation in their 85-year history. Demographic and familial information is also tracked and collated for the majority of monkeys. Thus, the health history of rhesus macaques at Cayo Santiago should reflect the impacts of both environmental and genetic factors. In this study, we utilized a sample of skeletal remains comprised of 2787 individuals (1571 females, 1091 males), born between 1938 and 2017 from the derived skeletal collection of the primate colony to assess variation in survivorship, pathology, bone mineral density (BMD), and dental eruption status, in the context of hurricane impacts, nutritional fluctuations, and matriline genealogy. Results demonstrated that rhesus macaques at Cayo Santiago exhibit a range of skeletal pathologies that encompass biomedical and archaeological significance, multiple etiologies, severities, locations, and types, in addition to a secular trend of declining BMD that is hypothesized to reflect decreasing physical activity levels under increasing population densities. Specifically, hurricane impacts were found to increase the rate of systemic disease, decrease BMD in young adults, and delay eruption of the primary dentition. Certain matrilines exhibited heightened levels of systemic disease at early ages while others exhibited greater rates of congenital disease. Early-life adversity, through the experience of major hurricanes, may enhance inflammatory pathways, heightening the risk of disease and accelerating the aging process leading to reduced BMD. Such impacts may underly greater levels of observed infection post-hurricane through intensification of pathogen transmission and disease rates brought on by hurricane-adaptive social strategies that favor closer proximity. Familial susceptibility to disease indicates heritable host genetic factors are likely influencing disease patterning in the population. A cluster of congenital diseases may most convincingly illustrate this, or alternatively reflects low levels of genetic diversity in the population.

The race to disasters - is the international relief community ready for future disasters?

Abstract Background Climate-related disasters have tripled in the past 30 years. Between 2006 and 2016, the global sea levels rose 2.5 times faster than the entire 20th century. More than 20 million people a year are forced out of their homes because of climate change impacts. Rapid urbanization and increasing population density in coastal mega-metropolitan areas will inevitably lead to more large-scale disasters due to extreme weather events, i.e., stronger storms and massive flooding. Despite the inevitability of these events, disaster risk reduction is still locally based in each country, many of which have scarce resources to devote to the activity. It is widely assumed that the global community will respond when a calamity occurs. This perspective article explores the appropriateness of the current international relief and aid paradigm in light of near and middle-term trends in global disasters. Main body After briefly summarizing the anticipated effects of global climate change, population growth, and progressive urbanization in low-lying coastal and riverine environments on the frequency and scale of future disasters, this paper examines how existing concepts of international relief following disasters are insufficient to address the challenges to come. Current paradigms are tested against selected case studies demonstrating the growing frequency of mega-disasters. For example, in 2010, the world saw a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, very large-scale floods in Pakistan, a major earthquake in Chile, and heat waves that resulted in the death of tens of thousands of people in Russia and many more in other countries. However, the world exhausted most of its humanitarian aid, responding to Haiti in January of that year. The review closes with a proposition for a new paradigm to re-organize international relief to meet the challenge posed by our rapidly changing world – one that is more adaptable to the current challenges of climate change and other trends that will almost certainly increase the frequency and intensity of disasters. Conclusion The future of international disaster aid depends on our ability to foster greater cooperation between the various organizations and donor countries and more seamless cooperation between both groups and the affected countries or regions. Planning and relief operations should utilize new technologies and innovative financing where feasible. A holistic approach that focuses on building large-scale agreements and coordination mechanisms, teaching citizens how to help each other until aid arrives, and strengthening resilience at the local level will equip communities for adaptive action during a disaster, improve coping and long-term rehabilitation, will lead to a more efficient, fairer and more durable global aid system.

A SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURE REVIEW: DEEP POOLS AND FISH SPAWNING HABITAT IN FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

The sustainability of fisheries is intricately linked to the conservation of critical habitats, particularly deep pools that serve as vital fish spawning grounds. This systematic literature review aims to explore the significance of deep pools in the reproductive success and management of fish populations. The study identifies critical challenges in fisheries management, including habitat loss, environmental changes, and the need for targeted conservation efforts. To address these challenges, a comprehensive search and analysis of peer-reviewed articles from databases such as Scopus and Web of Science was conducted, focusing on research published between 2022 and 2024. The methodology followed PRISMA guidelines to ensure a rigorous selection process, resulting in 40 high-quality studies being included in the final review. The findings were divided into three themes: (1) fisheries management and conservation, (2) environmental impact on fisheries, and (3) methodological approaches in fisheries research. The findings highlight the crucial role of deep pools in supporting fish spawning, with evidence showing that these habitats contribute significantly to the maintenance and enhancement of fish stocks. Results indicate that well-managed deep pools can lead to an increase in fish population densities, underscoring their importance in fisheries management. However, the review also needs to identify gaps in the current understanding of the complex interactions between fish species and their spawning habitats. The conclusion emphasizes the necessity for integrated management strategies that prioritize the protection of deep pools to ensure the long-term sustainability of global fisheries.

The Influence of Residential Segregation, Urbanicity, and Population Density on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Incidence among a Low Socioeconomic Population.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is becoming a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States, with notable disparities observed among racial and ethnic minorities. The objective of this study is to examine the association between social determinants of health (SDoH) and HCC incidence by race (White and Black individuals) using data from the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS). The SCCS is a prospective cohort study with participants recruited from 2002 to 2009. Incident HCC cases were identified during follow-up. Exposure measures, including residential segregation, social vulnerability, population density, rurality, and poverty, were assessed at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios associated with SDoH by race with the adjustment of known HCC risk factors. Among the 79,367 eligible participants, there were 491 incident HCC diagnosed, 378 of which were in Black individuals. In Black individuals, increased population density and urban residency were associated with an increased risk of HCC, even after adjusting for potential confounders (HR=1.49, 95%CI 1.04-2.13, HR= 1.70, 95%CI 1.20-2.41, respectively). In White individuals living in the least segregated areas (HR=2.83, 95%CI 1.39-5.78) and in urban settings (HR=2.34, 95%CI 1.17-4.65) had an increased HCC risk, while population density was not associated with risk. We found that individuals residing in urban populations had an increased risk of HCC. These findings underscore the complex interplay of SDoH factors and geographic influences on HCC disparities. Our findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and further research to address HCC health inequities.

Disaster preparedness for intensive care units: Priorities to inform crisis standards of care

BackgroundThe number of disasters occurring globally is increasing. Natural hazards, changing geopolitical situations, and increasing population densities may lead to an increased likelihood of a surge of patients requiring health care, some of whom might be requiring intensive care–level treatment. There is a dearth of literature on intensive care unit (ICU) practitioner's priorities regarding disaster preparedness and crisis standards of care. ObjectivesThis study aimed to understand what nurses working in ICUs within Australia prioritise regarding ICU disaster preparedness and the implementation of crisis standards of care. MethodsA modified three-round Delphi design was used for this study. A snowballing recruitment method facilitated the purposive sampling of ICU nurses, starting with members of the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses. Eligible participants were asked to rate statements according to their priorities when addressing disaster preparedness of the Australian ICU in which they work. Statements that achieved the 10 highest scores in the final round were tabulated to indicate the broader areas of disaster preparedness that the respondents considered priorities. ResultsA total of 16 participants completed both round two and round three of this Delphi study. Out of 38 statements across six domains, 33 statements achieved consensus. Healthcare practitioner protection, wellbeing, and the management of space populated the top 10 priorities. These priorities included adequate personal protection equipment, services to support healthcare practitioners, and clear communication and debriefing pathways. Another key priority identified was the need for a clear plan on how the ICU footprint will expand to accommodate a surge of patients. ConclusionHealthcare practitioner wellbeing followed by adequate plans for ICU expansion are key priorities of nursing staff working in ICUs within Australia. Understanding the priorities of those who work in the ICU gives a pragmatic insight into what is required to further develop the disaster preparedness of Australian ICUs.

Inequalities in local government expenditure on environmental and regulatory services in England from 2009 to 2020: a longitudinal ecological study

BackgroundGastrointestinal (GI) infections affect one in five people in the UK and local authorities play a crucial role in controlling these infections. However, there have been substantial reductions in funding...

Integrating revised DPSIR and ecological security patterns to assess the health of alpine grassland ecosystems on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Alpine grassland ecosystems on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) provide critical services but face threats from human activity and climate change. Ensuring ecosystem health is vital for sustainability and preserving ecosystem services and processes, especially in delicate ecosystems such as the Gannan alpine grasslands. However, there is currently a lack of a comprehensive model that integrates ecosystem structure, function, processes, and socioeconomic factors. This study proposes a comprehensive ecosystem health assessment approach that combines the revised driver–pressure–state–impact–response (DPSIR) framework with ecological security patterns (ESPs), overcoming the limitations of previous models that focused primarily on ecosystem structure without sufficiently addressing dynamic ecosystem processes. This method aims to diagnose the health of the Gannan alpine grasslands on the QTP from 2000 to 2020. We found that in the context of global climate change, the ecological health was maintained at a relatively high level (covering 75.41 % of the area) in most areas of Gannan, whereas lower levels (12.09 %), were found in the northern areas of Gannan and southwestern areas of Maqu likely resulting from higher livestock density, increased population density, and weaker landscape connectivity. The results of the driver analysis showed that livestock inventory (with an influence Q-value of 0.70) significantly affected the health of the Gannan alpine grassland ecosystem, suggesting that sustainable livestock management is essential for maintaining ecological corridor connectivity, protecting core zones and promoting regional sustainability.

Predicting population-level impacts of projected climate heating on a temperate freshwater fish.

Climate heating has the potential to drive changes in ecosystems at multiple levels of biological organization. Temperature directly affects the inherent physiology of plants and animals, resulting in changes in rates of photosynthesis and respiration, and trophic interactions. Predicting temperature-dependent changes in physiological and trophic processes, however, is challenging because environmental conditions and ecosystem structure vary across biogeographical regions of the globe. To realistically predict the effects of projected climate heating on wildlife populations, mechanistic tools are required to incorporate the inherent physiological effects of temperature changes, as well as the associated effects on food availability within and across comparable ecosystems. Here we applied an agent-based bioenergetics model to explore the combined effects of projected temperature increases for 2100 (1.4, 2.7, and 4.4°C), and associated changes in prey availability, on three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations representing latitudes 50, 55, and 60°N. Our results showed a decline in population density after a simulated 1.4°C temperature increase at 50°N. In all other modeled scenarios there was an increase (inflation) in population density and biomass (per unit area) with climate heating, and this inflation increased with increasing latitude. We conclude that agent-based bioenergetics models are valuable tools in discerning the impacts of climate change on wild fish populations, which play important roles in aquatic food webs.

Hospital population density and risk of respiratory infection: is close contact density dependent?

Respiratory infections acquired in hospital depend on close contact, which may be affected by hospital population density. Models of infectious disease transmission typically assume that contact rates are independent of density (frequency dependence) or proportional to it (linear density dependence), without justification. We evaluate these assumptions by measuring contact rates in hospitals under different population densities.We analysed data from a study in 15 wards in which staff, patients and visitors carried wearable sensors which detected close contacts. We proposed a general model, non-linear density dependence, and fit this to data on several types of interactions. Finally, we projected the fitted models to predict the effect of increasing population density on epidemic risk.We identified considerable heterogeneity in density dependence between wards, even those with the same medical specialty. Interactions between all persons present usually depended little on the population density. However, increasing patient density was associated with higher rates of patient contact for staff and for other patients. Simulations suggested that a 10% increase in patient population density would carry a markedly increased risk in many wards.This study highlights the variance in density dependent dynamics and the complexity of predicting contact rates.

Deep-freezing as a novel disinfestation strategy to rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae Linnaeus) in packaged milled rice grains: Factors and lethal behaviors

Rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae Linnaeus) is a major insect pest of milled rice grains, which poses a great threat to food security. In this study, the feasibility of three deep-freezing regimes (-20, -80, and -196 oC) to disinfest packaged milled rice grains was explored. It was found that the disinfestation efficiency increased with the decrease in freezing temperature. For naked insects, complete mortality was achieved by the regimes at -20, -80, and -196 oC with the exposure time of 8 min, 2 min, and as short as 1 s, respectively. For insects in packaged rice grains (5 insects/500 g rice; package size: 8 cm × 5 cm × 13 cm), the corresponding exposure time was determined as 100, 40, and 4 min, respectively. Upon the increase in insect population density and package size, the longer exposure time was required for complete mortality. When the regime at -196 oC (1.5 min) was used as a pretreatment at -20 oC (60 min), the highest combination index (2.12) was obtained for the complete mortality. In one word, deep-freezing was successfully developed as a novel method to disinfest adult rice weevil in packaged milled rice grains.

FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMENGARUHI PENGGUNAAN TRANSPORTASI UMUM BUS TRANS METRO DEWATA DENGAN METODE REGRESI LOGISTIK BAYES

Transportation is very important in supporting people's daily mobility. The increasing population density has resulted in a high level of mobility that requires various modes of transportation, especially in urban areas, giving rise to the problem of traffic congestion. One alternative to reduce the level of congestion is to use public transportation that has been pursued by the government such as the Trans Metro Dewata bus. However, the use of this transportation bus is still quite low. Therefore, this study aims to determine what factors influence people to use the Trans Metro Dewata bus using the Bayes logistic regression method. The sampling method used was purposive sampling of 100 respondents with the criteria of people who live in the Sarbagita area (Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, and Tabanan). The results obtained are the variables of travel purpose or destination, bus stop accessibility, and ownership of transportation modes have a significant effect on the use of the Trans Metro Dewata bus.

Urbanization and Infectious Disease.

The United Nations currently estimates that over half of the global population has lived in cities since 2017 and that this proportion is continuing to grow, particularly in the Global South. While urbanization is not new, increased population density combined with accelerating rates of (re)emerging and noncommunicable diseases as well as growing economic disparities has created new challenges to human health and well-being. Here, I examine peri-urban communities, peripheral settlements on the edges of urban areas populated by rural people, and argue that these areas are often overlooked, despite becoming increasingly common. Thus, human biologists should move beyond categorizing these spaces as transitional. Using unplanned, peri-urban communities around Lima, Peru as a case study, I detail the complexity of political ecological factors that impact infectious disease risk and rates in peri-urban communities. Using disease mechanisms, I demonstrate the importance of a biocultural approach and a political ecology perspective when investigating infectious disease. I highlight how human biologists and anthropologists are uniquely positioned to explore the heterogeneity of infectious disease patterns and pathways in an increasingly urbanized world.

Ecological health and security of the Jazmurian Wetland Endorheic Watershed, Iran.

Wetlands represent a crucial category of aquatic ecosystems that face numerous threats, such as increasing population density, alterations in land-use, climate change, excessive extraction of water resources, and inadequate construction of reservoirs. As a result of these challenges, wetlands cannot perform their essential functions, which include meeting human demands, supporting tourism, mitigating dust storms, and maintaining the biodiversity of flora and fauna. Accordingly, assessing their health and service performance is essential. However, studies on the health and security assessment of the wetland are scant. Therefore, an attempt has been made to evaluate the Jazmurian Wetland Watershed health using the cause-effect pressure (P), state (S), and response (R) conceptual approach. To this end, the problem-oriented variables were obtained through field surveying and data augmentation. Some 12 independent input variables were finalized using principal component analysis (PCA) to assess the watershed health and security at the sub-watershed scale. The study's results elucidated that P = 0.564, S = 0.368, and R = 0.643 were classified in moderate class with negative orientation, relatively desirable with negative inclination, and high with negative tendency, respectively. The overall weighted health and security indices for the Jazmurian Wetland Watershed were 0.504 and 0.446, classifying in moderate conditions with a slight positive tendency. Accordingly, an insight focused on controlling the most influential variables in the P and S indices and pertaining existing conditions on the R index-related factors in priority sub-watersheds is a vital task to take toward ecosystem sustainability. Considering the fragile health and security of the Jazmurian Wetland Watershed, management actions need to be incorporated to prevent further decline and perpetuation of situations in the region.

Ancient mobility in northern Jordan during the Roman and Byzantine periods using stable strontium isotope analysis of human dental enamel

The 700-year stretch from the 1st century BCE until the 6th century CE marks the period of greatest population density in northern Jordan. This agriculturally fertile region contains a number of small villages likely interconnected with each other and with the larger Roman and Byzantine population centers of Jerash (Gerasa), Umm Qais (Gadara), Quailbeh (Abila), and Tabaqat Fahl (Pella). The human mobility within these villages was explored using 87Sr/86Sr values in human dental enamel, which mirrors the origin of ingested food during childhood and thus the geological region where individuals spent their early years. Thirty-four human dental enamel samples from the archaeological sites of Natfieh, Sa’ad, Ya’amun, and Yasieleh were analyzed isotopically to identify immigration into the region as a potential source of increased population density. The results indicate that the individuals within each site received varied inputs from different geological regions during childhood, either through spending their early years in a separate location, or temporal or inter-individual shifts in the location of dietary resource acquisition. The results seem to demonstrate exceptional regional continuity and resilience even through the climate crisis of the Late Byzantine period, likely due to flexibility concerning dietary resources and economic exchange. However, the lack of clear patterns of 87Sr/86Sr variation in the region may limit larger interpretations of these data.

The Importance of Pocket Parks on Air Quality: A Comparative Approach

Population growth, increasing construction, and impervious surfaces are among the factors leading to the deterioration of the natural balance. Increasing population density has led to a gradual decrease in green areas for living spaces, transport routes and car parks. In addition, the rate of urbanisation and related environmental problems are one of the biggest threats to the sustainability of open green spaces. Accurate identification of problems, such as air, water, and soil pollution is critical to addressing current environmental problems and preventing future problems. Air pollution poses a significant threat to the global community and has sequential impacts on health systems, ecosystems and economies in both developed and developing countries. Cities are home to 50 per cent of the world's population and are expected to reach 70 per cent by 2050. The rapid urbanisation process leads to the transformation of natural and semi-natural landscapes into impervious surfaces and increased heat absorption rates. This study focuses on Jumeirah Island in Dubai. This artificial island is home to many businesses that support social life. Each café in these areas is located with public green areas in front of it and its own open spaces. In the study, 40 measurement points were established in two contrasting environmental conditions and air quality measurements were made manually. The stations are divided into blue and red stations and have contrasting characteristics. While the red measurement points have more green areas, water elements, qualified landscape texture, the blue measurement points have these characters to a lesser extent. Thanks to this comparison, the effect of vegetation texture and pocket parks on air quality in the study area was analysed. As a result of the analyses, the air quality in both areas was found to be good and acceptable, while the results at the red measurement points were found to be of better quality than the blue measurement stations. As a result of the study, the effect of water elements, qualified landscape design and vegetative texture on air quality has been proved with numerical data.