Main Districts Research Articles

Construction of Healthcare Facilities Using Energy Efficient Technologies

Introduction. According to the Low-Carbon Development Strategy of the Russian Federation 2050, the special attention is allocated to cities, to evaluation of the quality and comfort of population life-activity, taking into account the implementation of energy-saving measures and other technological solutions, as well as to design and construction ensuring zero carbon dioxide emissions. The quality of people’s life is characterized by the availability of social infrastructure and adjacent spaces including: educational and healthcare institutions, as well as sports, recreation and cultural facilities. Planning the optimal development of healthcare institutions network with respect to the energy efficient measures, requires the integral system of urban territory evaluation, which is the main aim of the present study.Materials and methods. A complex task requires a multifaceted approach to systematizing the information about the state of urban territory in the following spheres: energy efficiency, green technologies, healthcare facilities network and its condition, development and character of the urban territory, environmental stability etc. In the context of low-carbon development the optimization of the healthcare network provided the use of energy-saving technologies becomes possible thanks to the use of the geographic information system.Results. As a result of the study held with application of the systemic approach to the phased planning of the healthcare institutions network optimization and using the geographic information system as a tool for territorial and spatial analysis, there were identified the main districts that require expansion and development of social infrastructure, namely healthcare institutions, and the urban territory features — infrastructure indicators (transport) and comfort of living indicators (urban greening evaluation). The basic opportunities and ways to improve energy efficiency of healthcare buildings were determined.Discussion and Conclusions. The long-term development of the healthcare institutions network in the city is fulfilled by means of the phased planning method implicating the differentiated normative-target approach, multi-criteria evaluation, which allows to organise sufficient medical care under conditions of the specific residing system. The implementation of the information modeling technologies, green and energy saving technologies will ensure improvement of the comfort of staying level, reduce energy consumption and ease the load on the municipal infrastructure of the city.

THE MAIN PRINCIPLES OF DESIGNING PUBLIC SPACES IN GERMANY ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE CITY OF HANNOVER

In Germany, public space and its use are thought to be full of conflicts: festivalization vs. everyday quality, advertising vs. urban design, commerce vs. culture, drivers vs. strollers, demonstrators vs. tourists, private use vs. general accessibility, spontaneous, temporary appropriation vs. permanent order, and design
 The often conflicting expectations – also of women and men or old and young people – about public space are an expression of the increasingly heterogeneous nature of urban society. In terms of design, the pendulum swings between nostalgic kitsch, cool modern design and aesthetic neglect.
 In recent years, the pressure and overload of private and public advertising, road and information signs, retail and restaurant furniture and telecommunications equipment have increased. The generally accepted indicator, the agreement about what quality of form is in public space, seems to be largely lost. 
 Too often only the city center is seen as a public space in need of planning and political attention. Main roads or district and district centers are lost from sight, let alone commercial areas. Demographic changes, a smaller, older and brighter urban population make new demands on public space, as a place where different cultures and increasingly differentiated lifestyles meet, as a place for the integration of urban society.
 So there is a need for action. It is not about uniform rules for the use and design of public spaces, nor about the illusion of ideal and consistent planning. Rather, it is about criteria of social and aesthetic quality, about what is appropriate in each city and each district, which should be developed and discussed in dialogue with residents, users and the public.

Spatial Characteristics of the Abandonment Degree of Residential Quarters Based on Data of the Housing Sales Ratio—A Case Study of Kunming, China

The abandonment degree of an urban residential building can reflect the popularity of residential areas. This study uses this idea as a basis for proposing the concept of using residential quarters’ abandonment rate to measure the abandonment degree of an area. The spatial pattern of the abandonment rate and its clustering characteristics were obtained by taking 2517 residential quarters in Kunming’s Main Urban District as research object, and using their listing for sale ratio data. Thereafter, curve estimation was used to explore the influencing factors of abandonment rate. The results are as follows. (1) The abandonment rate of the four circles in Kunming’s Main Urban District increases from inside to outside, showing the pattern of the core area–second ring area–third ring area–new urban district, with evident “core–edge” characteristics. (2) The relationship between distance from the city center, housing ages, and abandonment rate can be well fitted using a quadratic function and shows an inverted “U”-shaped “rising–declining” trend. The relationship between housing prices and abandonment rate is fitted by the inverse function, showing an evident “up” trend. This study is a reference for managers of relevant departments and urban planners in formulating reasonable urban housing development policies.

PEG2009 PRE-SYMPOSIUM FIELD TRIP GUIDE: EASTERN BRAZILIAN PEGMATITE PROVINCE (MINAS GERAIS)

Pegmatite gemstones became officially known in the Brazil history since the last decades of the 17th century, when green tourmalines were found in the central-northeastern Minas Gerais region by Fernão Dias Paes Leme, one of the most famous leaders of Brazilian colonizers. Later, pioneer naturalists and geologists of the 19th century first decades, such as von Eschwege, von Spix & von Martius and Saint-Hilaire, referred to pegmatite gem deposits and/or trading of coloured gems in regions of the Araçuaí, Jequitinhonha, Doce and Mucuri river valleys. However, only in the 20th century, particularly during and after the Second World War, pegmatites became important mineral deposits in Brazil owing to efforts to increase the production of mica, beryl and quartz for the USA military industry. This mining development was accompanied by pioneer geologic studies and several new mineral specimens were discovered. Accordingly, the Brazilian pegmatite populations were grouped into the Eastern, Northern and Southern Brazilian pegmatite provinces. These provinces were defined mainly based on the geographical distribution of pegmatites, because at that time Brazil lacked geological maps even for a regional approach. This guide was elaborated for a pre-symposium field trip held before 2009 PEG - 4th International Symposium on Granitic Pegmatites, and focused on different aspects of pegmatites located in three important districts of the Eastern Brazilian Pegmatite Province (EBPP), namely São José da Safira, Conselheiro Pena and Araçuaí pegmatite districts. The field trip included from primitive garimpos for mineral exploitation to a very organized mine, showing pegmatites with different mineral (beryl, phosphate, spodumene or tourmaline) specializations that are related to distinct geologic settings and genetic conditions. A visit to a quarry for dimension stone on a pegmatite body was also scheduled. This guide also presents a synthesis on the geologic setting of the main EBPP pegmatite districts and their main features, followed by brief descriptions of the field trip stops. Those were the Ipê Pegmatite in Governador Valadares town, Sapucaia Pegmatite in the town of Galileia, Boa Vista and Cigana Pegmatites in the town of Conselheiro Pena, K2 Ornamental Pegmatite Quarry in Itinga town, CBL Spodumene Mine in Araçuaí town, Água Santa Mine and a pegmatite swarm which occurs along a road cut of the BR-342, both located in the town of Coronel Murta.

Determinants Influencing Selection of Potato Varietal Technology and the Role of Gender in Farm Decisions in Bhutan.

Potato is a primary food and cash crop in Bhutan. The adoption of new varieties has faced some challenges. To address this situation, farmers' needs and priorities were investigated through varietal demonstration and a field survey in seven of the main potato-growing districts of Bhutan. The role of gender in farm decisions and operations in relation to potato farming was also assessed. Nine quality determinants significantly (χ 2 = 376.54, P < 0.001) influenced farmers' selection of potato varieties. These determinants, in order of their relative preference, were as follows: high productivity (15.5% by weight of mean rank), high market value (13.4%), red-skinned (12.7%), marketability (11.6%), large tubers (11.3%), late-blight resistant (11.3%), micronutrient content (8.8%), short-duration (8.3%) and good taste (7.2%). Potato productivity (yield) and preference vote data were significantly correlated (R = 0.395, P < 0.01) for female farmers but not for male farmers. Similarly, the involvement of female farmers in farm decision-making processes was significantly (P < 0.001) higher than when compared with their male counterparts. However, both genders were equally involved in physical farm operations. Bhutanese potato cropping is highly driven by commercially driven (market) preferences such as yield, colour and size as opposed to subsistence preferences such as micronutrient content. Understanding farmers' priorities during the development of new potato variety is critical for varietal selection for adoption. Furthermore, understanding the role of women in farm decision-making processes is crucial for adoption of new varietal technology in potato production. These findings may serve as an evidence-based insight to guide research and policy interventions in Bhutan and in similar agroecologies.

Temperature-based prediction and validation of pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella infestation on cotton crop

Pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella infestation on cotton now a days found to be a major alarm to cotton crop in Pakistan. The effect of past and future temperatures climatic factors on the infestation rate of pink bollworm needs to be extensively studied. Field visits were organized in different areas across 17 main districts of Punjab, Pakistan, for eight consecutive years from 2012 to 2019. Based on past data, the pink bollworm infestation rate for the year 2040 was estimated. Our results showed an extensive infestation of pink bollworm on cotton throughout the visited locations between 0.1 and 35.7 % range above the economic threshold level, that cause reasonable cotton productivity losses. Based on the results of historical data of infestation rate, the nine of the 17 districts (53 %), Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Jahang, Mianwali, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahimyar Khan, and Lodhran, showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher pink bollworm infestation rate than the other cotton-growing areas. Moreover, the systematic increase level of pink bollworm infestation was predicted in 2040, especially in the five districts, Bhakar, Jahang, Khanewal, Faisalabad, and Vehari. Considering the importance of biological parameters, different temperature regimes (21 °C, 28 °C, and 35 °C) were tested for the validity of temperature-based prediction. Our results showed that growth capacity of P. gossypiella were increased at 28 °C. It revealed that, variation in weather due to current climatic condition with decreases of temperature increases P. gossypiella infestation on cotton crop. In this investigation, the effects of a severe outbreak of pink bollworm infections in Punjab's cotton-growing regions are discussed.

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Optimization of Landscape Patterns Based on the Ecological Restoration of Territorial Space

The ecological restoration of territorial space emphasizes the synergy between ecology and social development. On this basis, we used landscape index analysis methods to explore the spatiotemporal evolution of landscape patterns in urban areas on a district scale. Then, we used multiple regression analysis to explore the driving factors behind this evolution. The results showed the following: (1) Landscape compositions have changed significantly. The growth rate of construction land in the main districts was about three times that in the urban area. (2) There were differences in the characteristics of landscape pattern evolution. Arable land is becoming more fragmented as construction land expands outward. The shapes of public green spaces, arable land, and woodlands tend to be simple and regular. The degree of both urban sprawl and agglomeration decreased in the urban area and the main districts. Meanwhile, landscape separation first decreased and then increased, and landscape diversity increased. (3) Population growth, industrial development, changes in industrial structure, and real estate development are the main driving factors of landscape pattern evolution. Based on this, this study puts forward some suggestions for landscape pattern optimization, which is significant for ecological restoration planning and promotion.

Investigating the Usage Patterns of Park Visitors and Their Driving Factors to Improve Urban Community Parks in China: Taking Jinan City as an Example

Urban community parks have significant benefits for city residents, both physical and spiritual. This is especially true in developing countries, such as China. The purpose of our study is to describe the current situation of the community parks in five main districts of Jinan City while recognizing features of the community parks that influence usage patterns. Our study also means to determine the desired improvements of visitors that promote access to and use of community parks on the basis of the Chinese context. We conducted a survey among 542 community park visitors and obtained valid responses. The findings of respondents show that community parks are mostly used by people over 55 years (34.7%) and children under 10 years (23.6%). The main motives for using community parks are for exercise (24.2%) and to socialize with others (21.6%). The majority of respondents (65.7%) rated the community park as satisfactory and considered only a few improvements needed. Regarding the desired improvements, numerous respondents mentioned adding more physical training facilities (13.3%) and activity areas (7.6%), as well as emergency call buttons in areas frequented by children and older people (7.6%). Furthermore, most of the respondents (79.9%) indicated that they would like to use the community parks more frequently if there is additional progress to make the parks more attractive, cleaner, and friendlier. These results can help park designers, government agencies, and community groups to provide the planning and design strategies for community parks to promote their upgrading in China.

Direct and Spillover Effects of Urban Land Expansion on Habitat Quality in Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration

Urban land expansion has dramatically changed the spatial distribution patterns and functional structure of habitats. Previous studies on the spatial externality effect of urban land expansion on the habitat quality of urban agglomerations are still insufficient. With the use of remote sensing and statistical data from 2000 to 2018, this study explored the evolutionary relationship between urban land expansion and habitat quality in the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration (CUA) using the bivariate local autocorrelation method and spatial Durbin model. Partial differential equation decomposition of the local and spatial spillover effects was implemented to investigate the marginal effects of the influencing factors. The highlights of the results are as follows: CUA’s urban land increased by 2890.42 km2 from 2000 to 2018, mainly caused by urban encroachment over farmland and grassland. New urban lands were situated primarily in the main urban districts of Chengdu and Chongqing; urban expansion intensity slowed to 7.64% in 2010–2018, declining by 53.95% from 2000 to 2010. The average habitat quality decreased to 0.905, and two “ring-shaped decline areas” were formed around the main urban areas of Chengdu and Chongqing. “Low-High” and “Low-Low” clusters were the main associations between urban land expansion and habitat quality changes. The impact of urban land expansion on local habitat quality changed from insignificant to negative, while its spatial spillover effects over adjacent areas have increased the negative environmental externalities to habitat quality in adjacent areas through spatial spillovers. Our findings provide evidence for urban agglomerations such as CUA that are still being cultivated to carry out cross-city joint protection strategies of habitat quality, also proving that habitat quality protection should be an integration of urban expansion regulation, natural adaptation and socioeconomic adjustment.

The role of subway network in urban spatial structure optimization – Wuhan city as an example

The metro transportation network in large cities is one of the most important factors affecting urban spatial structure. To further understand the role of a metro network in the optimization of an urban spatial structure, the panel data of 10 main districts in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 are selected for the study of Wuhan's metro network. The influence of metro networks on the urban spatial structure is quantified by using urban spatial gravity model and social network analysis. Three indicators - overall network density, centrality, and core–edge are selected to respectively evaluate the connectivity, accessibility, and polycentricity of the spatial structure of the city. The results show that the subway construction increases the spatial connectivity by 25%, the overall accessibility by 30.33%, and the polycentricity by 7.82%. These results demonstrate that the subway construction can significantly improve the connectivity and accessibility of Wuhan’s urban spatial structure, especially the accessibility of peripheral districts, but improving polycentricity is weak. This study reveals the mechanism of action and the degree of influence of the metro network construction process on the dynamic optimization of urban spatial structure in Wuhan at different time stages from the perspective of the overall network. It provides a reference for the study of metro networks in similar cities with topographic and geomorphic diversity and enriches the research cases of such cities.

Positive Impacts of the Overall-Process Management Measures on Promoting Municipal Solid Waste Classification: A Case Study of Chongqing, China

Municipal solid waste (MSW) classification is a national strategic objective and an important component of successful municipal solid waste management (MSWM). Some failures of pilot programs suggest that safeguarding measures are essential for MSW classification. A questionnaire survey of public awareness and attitudes toward MSW source-separated collection in Chongqing’s main districts was conducted, and the results indicated that the proportions of respondents willing to participate in MSW classification and provide money for it were 67.9% and 86.2%, respectively. The positive impacts of the overall-process management measures on promoting MSW classification in Chongqing’s main districts, including source-separated collection system, transportation system, treatment and disposal system, and environmental sanitation prevention system, were analyzed comprehensively. The analyses revealed that a 98% resident participation rate was obtained for MSW source-separated collection with the application of a cloud-based platform and traceability system. Moreover, the secondary transportation and comprehensive “4 + 1” (four waste incineration plants and one waste landfill) disposal mode showed significant advantages with respect to costs and environmental friendliness. In view of the environmental sanitation risks, the prevention and control of environmental sanitation were developed in Chongqing. The future prospects have also been discussed. The refinement and regionalization of source-separated collection are proposed as the possible solution.

Pendekatan Sejarah Lokal dan Kepentingannya dalam Pensejarahan Malaysia

The historical transition from political aspect to social and economy aspect has brought development to various approaches in historical writings. One of them, is the local history approach. However, there are still doubts among the historians and underestimate the approach in history writings. This approach is considered as antiquarian, consists of loads unimportant facts, no chronology and abandoning the theory and method of history. In fact, historical studies using this approach is said to not have any importance to the national historiography. Hence, this research paper aims at denying all of those opinions and proves that local history approach is actually emphasizing on ideas and historical thinking. In short, local history approach is important in perfecting the national history narrative by focusing on the research on the aspects and locations that were previously considered insignificant to the national historiography. In fact, this approach can actually contribute to the new findings in national historiography. For example, the discovery of the study regarding the Malay migration to Kerian, Perak has proven the significant contribution of the Malay society in the economy during the British colonisation apart from denying the judgement of the British on the nature of the Malay of being lazy as a result of their backwardness in economy aspects during the colonisation. This study also successfully proves that the internal migration of the Malay plays a significant role in the development of Kerian as the main paddy cultivation district, not only in Perak but also in the Federated Malay States. Keywords: Local history; historiography; national history; social history; economy history

Farmland nutrient pollution and its evolutionary relationship with plantation economic development in China

Contradiction between growing plantation economic demand and agro-ecological degradation has always restricted sustainable development of agricultural countries. This study applied the unit inventory analysis to evaluate the productions and discharges of farmland non-point source (FNPS) nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) among China's nine national-level agricultural districts over 1999–2019. On this basis, we quantified the evolutionary relationship between plantation economic output and FNPS pollution based on optimal regression fitting. The results showed that over 1999–2019, farmland cumulative TN and TP discharges for the whole China were approximately 15807 × 104 t and 1312 × 104 t, with prominent district heterogeneity. According to FNPS discharge magnitudes, China's agricultural districts can be classified into three categories: high, moderate and slight discharge zones. Huang-Huai-Hai Plain and Middle-lower Yangtze Plain were identified as the main severely-polluted districts. Mineral fertilizer is the primary contributor to FNPS pollution. Annual FNPS load showed a trend of increasing followed by decreasing, and the peak interval was recorded in 2014–2016. Spatiotemporal dynamics in FNPS discharge intensities were disparate from that in discharge magnitudes. SC has the highest TN discharge intensity, with an annual average intensity of 0.068 t/ha, followed by MLYP (0.044 t/ha) and HHHP (0.041 t/ha). HHHP has the highest TP discharge intensity, with an annual average intensity of 0.0051 t/ha, followed by SC (0.0038 t/ha) and MLYP (0.0031 t/ha). District-based agro-ecological restoration strategies were accordingly proposed considering FNPS discharge magnitude and intensity concurrently. In most agricultural districts, with the growing economic output in plantation, the FNPS load showed an increase followed by a decrease or to leveling off. Furthermore, with the increasing TN/TP economic partial productivity, the FNPS TN/TP discharge intensities reached the climax, then declined or tended to be flattening out.

Human health risk surveillance of polychlorinated biphenyls in bovine milk from alluvial plain of Punjab, Pakistan.

Punjab is the leading province of Pakistan in the production of bovine milk and its consumption. Rapid industrialization, high energy demand, and the production of waste have increased the risk of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) toxicity in the environment. This research work was designed to assess human dietary exposure of∑PCBs17 congeners through ingestion of buffalo and cow's milk from eight main districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The average concentrations of ∑DL-PCBs (8.74ngg-1 and 14.60ngg-1) and ∑I-PCBs (11.54ngg-1 and 18.68ngg-1) in buffalo and cow milk samples were analyzed, respectively. The PCB-156 was predominantly high congener found in both buffalo (2.84ngg-1) and cow milk (2.86ngg-1). It was found that the highest PCBs in bovine milk samples were observed in close vicinities of urban and industrial areas. The estimated daily consumptions of DL-PCBs and I-PCBs, from buffalo and cow milk, were below the acceptable daily intake for both adults and children. Moreover, hazard quotients (HQ) of the ∑PCBs17 congener value were less than 1.0 in adults and greater in the case of children reflecting the high chances of cancer. Furthermore, comprehensive monitoring for childhood cancer is recommended to establish the relationship in future studies.

Spatial Interaction Analysis of Shared Bicycles Mobility Regularity and Determinants: A Case Study of Six Main Districts, Beijing

Understanding the regularity and determinants of mobility is indispensable for the reasonable deployment of shared bicycles and urban planning. A spatial interaction network covering streets in Beijing’s six main districts, using bike sharing data, is constructed and analyzed. as Additionally, the exponential random graph model (ERGM) is used to interpret the influencing factors of the network structure and the mobility regularity. The characteristics of the spatial interaction network structure and temporal characteristics between weekdays and weekends show the following: the network structure on weekdays is obvious; the flow edge is always between adjacent blocks; the traffic flow frequently changes and clusters; the network structure on weekends is more complex, showing scattering and seldom changing; and there is a stronger interaction between blocks. Additionally, the predicted result of the ERGM shows that the influencing factors selected in this paper are positively correlated with the spatial interaction network. Among them, the three most important determinants are building density, housing prices and the number of residential areas. Additionally, the determinant of financial services shows greater effects on weekdays than weekends.

Factors hindering plantation of improved apple varieties in Kashmir valley: An economic analysis

Improved high-yielding apple varieties are important for reducing food insecurity in developing countries and improving horticultural production and productivity. The study used cross-sectional data from a survey conducted during 2021 fruit season, a probit model analysis was used to determine the probability of adopting new, improved apple varieties (NIAVs) by growers from two main apple-producing districts of Kashmir valley i.e., Shopian and Pulwama. The results revealed that the education of the respondent, extension services availed, and apple plant accessibility play significant roles in decisions regarding the adoption of new apple varieties. Moreover, farming variables like holding size is the key factor influencing the probability of adopting NIAVs in the study area. The extensive role performed by extension services, enormous emphasis on dissemination, demonstration, and growers' participatory studies and training packages to popularize and undertake new apple varieties and enhance their adoption rate is required on a large scale in the study area. The study suggests that policy intervention ought to be made to improve the educational status of apple-growing households and develop programs on a varietal package of apples that offer apple growers a variety of choices in selecting the appropriate varieties for adoption. Such programs ultimately help growers develop more profit-oriented behaviour, which will not only enhance adoption rate, profitability, and production but will also improve food &amp;nutritional security in the long run in the region in the particular and whole valley in general.

Weathering crusts and their role in formation of post-kimberlite sedimentary sequences

The principal suppliers of terrigenous material to forming ancient diamond placers are characterized based on the main diamond-bearing districts of the Siberian platform as an example. A special attention is paid to characteristics of the local sources of allothigenous material washed out into sedimentation basins of the period specified, the main of which were weathering crusts formed upon terrigenouscarbonate rocks, trappean formations (dolerites, tuffs, and tuffaceous rock sequences), and kimberlites. A comprehensive comparative investigation of the ancient weathering crusts upon the rocks of various chemical and mineralogical composition allowed tracing the specific features of their hypergene alteration and the typomorphic indications of the eluvial products. The same varieties of primary minerals in redeposited products of weathering of the various rocks may be differentiated at the structural level, and the secondary phyllosilicates may be identified either by occupation of the octahedral positions in their structure, or by mutual superposition of individual silicate layers, or by their polytypic character. Redeposition of the products of weathering of the rocks of various composition near the denudation areas and their predominant accumulation in freshwater basins, as well as a small thickness of the sedimentary layers formed and their insignificant burial, had determined a weak hydrodynamic impact of the environment on the allothigenous minerals (argillaceous, first of all), which did not lead to their sufficient diagenetic alteration. Therefore, the products of various types of the weathering crusts, redeposited in the ancient sedimentary sequences, retain the structural and crystal-chemical peculiarities in relation to the minerals of the eluvial rock masses, which allows tracing the ways of arrival of the terrigenous (including diamondiferous) material into the sedimentation basins.

Relationship between Urban Three-Dimensional Spatial Structure and Population Distribution: A Case Study of Kunming’s Main Urban District, China

The three-dimensional (3D) spatial structure within cities can reveal more information about land development than the two-dimensional spatial structure. Studying the relationship between the urban 3D spatial structure and the population distribution is a crucial aspect of the relationship between people and land within cities. However, a few relevant studies focus on the differences between employment population and night population distribution in relation to urban 3D spatial structure. Therefore, this study proposes a new concept of 3D space-filling degree (3DSFD), which is applicable to evaluate the city’s 3D spatial structure. We took 439 blocks in Kunming’s Main Urban District as a sample and analyzed the 3D spatial structure based on geographic information data at the scale of a single building. The characteristics and differences of the daytime and night population distribution in Kunming’s Main Urban District were identified using cell phone signaling big data. Accordingly, a cross-sectional dataset of the relationship between the city’s 3D spatial structure and the population distribution was constructed, with the 3D space-filling degree of the block as the dependent variable, two indicators of population distribution (daytime and night population density) as the explanatory variables, and seven indicators of distance from the city center, and building, road, and functional place densities, proportion of undevelopable land area, housing prices, and land use type as the control variables. We used spatial regression models to explore the significance, strength, and direction of the relationship between urban 3D spatial structure and population distribution. We found that the spatial error model (SEM) was the most effective. The results show that only night population distribution is significantly and positively related to 3DSFD. Every 1% increase in night population density in a block will increase the value of 3DSFD by 2.8307%. The night population distribution is the core factor affecting the 3D spatial structure of Kunming’s Main Urban District. The correlation between daytime population distribution and 3DSFD is not significant. This variability has been ignored in previous studies. The findings are informative for further understanding of the relationship between urban 3D space and population distribution, especially the difference between night and daytime populations. This study can help city managers reasonably plan urban land development intensity and construction height, guide the population layout and formulate management policies to improve urban population and space matching, enhancing the livability and attractiveness of cities.

Hypo-osmotic soaking shows potential as a selective method of removing Ceramium filicula, the dominant epiphyte causing serious damage to Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis cultivation in China

A massive outbreak of epiphytes has caused serious damage to Chinese G. lemaneiformis cultivation during the past two years. The dominant species of the epiphytes from Dongshan and Rongcheng, two main cultivation districts, were identified from their molecular and morphological profiles. An effective method for removing the epiphyte from the infected G. lemaneiformis has been developed. Based on our results, the dominant epiphyte on cultivated G. lemaneiformis is a red filamentous alga, Ceramium filicula. Fifteen hours of freshwater soaking at a temperature of 20 °C–30 °C not only reduced the vitality of the C. filicula, but also caused no obvious damage to the G. lemaneiformis cuttings. The daily GR of freshwater-soaked G. lemaneiformis was 4.01%, which was significantly higher than that of the untreated group (1.26%) and manually cleaned group (2.1%). Freshwater immersion appears to be an economical and environmentally friendly method for removing C. filicula from G. lemaneiformis.

First Report of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma fragariae' Infecting Hazelnut in Italy.

Italy is the second largest producer of hazelnuts in the world after Turkey. The Viterbo province (Latium region) is one out of the four main productive districts, accounting for approximately 30% of the total Italian production. Several pathogens can severely affect hazelnut trees (Corylus avellana), mainly fungi and bacteria that are commonly spread in all the growing areas. However, other pathogens such as phytoplasmas, are known to infect this crop worldwide. Among these, 'Candidatus Phytoplasma fragariae' (16SrXII-E) has been recently associated with the decline and death of hazelnut trees in UK where it was identified for the first time on this plant species (Hodgetts et al., 2015), and in Slovenia (Mehle et al., 2018; Mehle et al., 2019). In July 2020, a survey was carried out in two orchards located in the Viterbo province, where symptoms resembling those induced by phytoplasmas and consisting in yellowing and rolling of leaves and tree decline (Supplementary figure 1) were recorded by growers. To ascertain the possible presence of phytoplasma infections, leaf samples were collected from five symptomatic plants: one plant from orchard 1, cv. Tonda Gentile Romana and four plants from orchard 2, cv. Tonda di Giffoni. Samples from four non-symptomatic plants (two per each orchard) were also collected and used as negative controls in the detection assays. DNA was extracted from 0.6 g of leaf ribs homogenised in CTAB buffer according to Marzachì et al. (1999). DNA extracts were amplified by direct and nested PCR employing the universal primer pairs P1/P7 and R16F2n/R2 according to the EPPO Standard PM7/133(1) - Appendix 2 (EPPO, 2018). Nested amplicons of the expected size (1,250 bp) were obtained from the five symptomatic samples whereas no bands were observed for the symptomless ones. The R16F2n/R2 fragments were submitted to both Sanger sequencing and RFLP analysis for the phytoplasma identification. Nucleotide BLAST analysis (NCBI) of the obtained sequences showed an identity percentage ranging from 99.65% and 99.91% with numerous strains of 'Ca. Phytoplasma fragariae' (16SrXII-E). The RFLP analysis was performed with the MseI restriction enzyme, and the obtained profiles were compared in the Codon Code Aligner software to those virtually generated from reference sequences of phytoplasmas belonging to the 16SrXII subgroups identified so far (Kazeem et al., 2021). All the five samples showed a common RFLP profile which was ascribable to that virtually generated from the 16SrXII-E reference sequence DQ086423 (Valiunas et al., 2006) (Supplementary figure 2). To our knowledge, this is the first finding of 'Ca. P. fragariae' on hazelnut in Italy since the previous records on woody plant hosts regarded Cornus sanguinea and Sambucus nigra (Filippin et al. 2008). Further surveys are ongoing to assess the spread of 'Ca. P. fragariae' in the Italian hazelnut orchards and to identify the putative insect vectors. The nucleotide sequences obtained in this study were deposited in GenBank NCBI database (accession numbers: MW767127, MW767128, MW767129, MW767130, MW767131).