Public Outdoor Research Articles

Pathogenicity of Aspergillus Airborne Fungal Species Collected from Indoor and Outdoor Public Areas in Tianjin, China.

Airborne fungi play an important role in air pollution and may have various negative effects on human health. In particular, Aspergillus fungi are pathogenic to humans and several domestic animals. In this work, Aspergillus strains isolated from airborne fungal communities sampled from different indoor and outdoor environments in Tianjin University were tested for pathogenicity on Drosophila melanogaster. Airborne fungi were sampled using an HAS-100B air sampler, over a one-year sampling period. Isolated fungal strains were identified based on morphological and molecular analysis. The Aspergillus-centered study was conducted as part of a larger work focusing on the total airborne fungal community in the analyzed environments, which yielded 173 fungal species. In this context, the genus Aspergillus showed the second-highest species richness, with 14 isolated species. Pathogenicity tests performed on male adults of Drosophila melanogaster through a bodily contact bioassay showed that all analyzed airborne Aspergillus species were pathogenic to fruit flies, with high insect mortality rates and shortened lifespan. All the studied fungi induced 100% mortality of fruit flies within 30 culture days, with one exception constituted by A. creber (39 days), while the shortest lifespan (17 days) was observed in fruit flies treated with A. tubingensis. Our results allow us to hypothesize that the studied airborne fungal species may have a pathogenic effect on humans, given the affinity between fruit flies and the human immune system, and may help to explain the health risk linked with Aspergillus fungi exposure in densely populated environments.

From McDonaldization to place-based experience: revitalizing outdoor education in Ireland

ABSTRACT Outdoor education in Ireland, as in many countries, takes place in a variety of physical locations ranging from urban to wilder, minimally human influenced environments. Irish public outdoor education providers have traditionally placed little emphasis on cultural understandings of the places where learning occurs. Moreover, outdoor education commonly demonstrates characteristics of a McDonaldized experience as opposed to a place-based experience. This paper explores two topics that may help to explain why place is not to the fore in teaching and learning in Irish outdoor education practice: historico-cultural relationships with the land, and the impact of the rationalisation of place on outdoor education. We approach this conversation from the belief that places, as well as people, can teach and that a more conscious pedagogical engagement with place encourages deeper, richer learning experiences. We conclude this paper by outlining how a more place-focused practice may be developed in (Irish) outdoor education.

Nonlinear back-end optimization method for VSLAM with multi-convex combined maximum correntropy criterion

Back-end optimization plays a key role in eliminating the accumulated error in Visual Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (VSLAM). Existing back-end optimization methods are usually premised on the Gaussian noise assumption which does not always hold true due to the non-convex nature of the image and the fact that non-Gaussian noises are often encountered in real scenes. In view of this, we propose a back-end optimization method based on Multi-Convex combined Maximum Correntropy Criterion (MCMCC). A MCMCC-based cost function is first tailored for nonlinear back-end optimization in the context of VSLAM and the optimization problem is solved through Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm iteratively. Then, the proposed method is applied to ORB-SLAM3 to test its performance on public indoor and outdoor datasets. The real time performance is also validated using a RaceBot platform in real indoor and outdoor environments. In addition, the reprojection error is statistically analyzed to demonstrate the non-Gaussian characteristics in the back-end optimization process. Finally, the suggestion parameters are also provided through experiments for further study.

Busking in the neo-liberal city: A critical inventory of a selection of street art ordinances in Austria

The conditions under which buskers pursue their art have never been easy, but their situation has become even more complicated recently, as public spaces worldwide have been transformed under rampant neo-liberal conditions. Street music today often takes place against the backdrop of globally oriented urban planning, which is frequently shaped by neo-liberal considerations that ascribe specific qualities and functions to public outdoor places and spaces. By subjecting these spaces, which remain central for street music activities even in the digital age, to increasing official control and regulation, street musicians are often exposed to a regulatory frenzy – enacted by local politics and executed by local authorities – that makes it difficult or even impossible for many of them to perform in public in a manner of their choosing. Moreover, under such conditions the creative potential of street music is not allowed to unfold in its breadth and heterogeneity, but only in a limited manner. An analysis of the street art ordinances of the cities of Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck exemplifies the status quo in Austria in this regard and demonstrates how different the political strategies for dealing with street music are in this self-proclaimed country of music. Rather than being seen as a nuisance to be controlled, it is argued that a rich and diverse street music landscape has a significant democratic potential, which would flourish under a more sensitive approach to public spaces on the part of politics and city planning.

PM2.5 exposure to marijuana smoke on golf courses and other public outdoor locations: A pilot observational study

Secondhand exposure to cannabis smoke occurs in public outdoor locations due to outdoor smoking or leakage of indoor smoking. Very little is known regarding the actual levels of exposure. This study examined PM2.5 exposure to marijuana smoke, focusing on one type of public outdoor location – golf courses where illegal marijuana consumption is increasingly common. Based on 24 visits to 10 courses over a 6-month period, >20 % visits encountered marijuana smoke, with peak PM2.5 exposures up to 149 μg/m3. The levels of exposure depended upon the source type (smoking versus vaping) and the proximity to the smoker/vaper. Ten additional investigations were performed to measure marijuana secondhand exposure in other public outdoor locations (near a smoker in a public park, near a parked car with in-car smoking/vaping, and near a residential garage with indoor smoking/vaping). 23 encounters of marijuana exposure events were documented in total. Average outdoor exposures to PM2.5 close to public outdoor smoking and vaping (on golf courses and a public park) were >3 times as high as those near a car or a building with indoor marijuana emissions. The average outdoor exposure caused by the leakage of in-car secondhand smoke was higher than that caused by in-building emissions.

LiDAR localization at 100 FPS: A map-aided and template descriptor-based global method

With the development of multi-beam Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors, fast and accurate LiDAR-based localization has become a crucial issue in robotics and autonomous driving. However, balancing accuracy and efficiency remains challenging in existing methods. In this paper, we propose a super-fast LiDAR global localization approach that can achieve state-of-the-art (SOTA) accuracy with superior efficiency. Our method leverages template descriptors to capture structural environments and approximates the vehicle’s position via map candidate points. Additionally, we create an offline map database to evenly simulate vehicle orientations. We design a loss function to improve localization accuracy. We extensively evaluated the proposed method in public KITTI outdoor sequences and self-collected indoor datasets. The experimental results show that our approach can run at close to 100 frames per second (FPS) on a single-thread CPU, which is much faster than current SOTA methods. Our average absolute translation errors (ATEs) are 0.20m (indoor) and 0.44m (outdoor), and the average localization success rates are 93% (indoor) and 90% (outdoor). The average localization success rates can exceed 97% in large outdoor scenarios with fine-tuned parameters. The source code will be available in https://github.com/ShiPC-AI.

ProUDA: Progressive unsupervised data augmentation for semi-Supervised 3D object detection on point cloud

Unsupervised data augmentation (UDA) is a simple and general semi-supervised learning (SSL) framework. However, for the task of semi-supervised 3D object detection (SSOD-3D), due to the impact of object occlusion and point cloud resolution, the quality of pseudo labels is uncertain so that the performance of UDA is limited. In this paper, We propose an efficient and novel SSL framework progressive unsupervised data augmentation (ProUDA). At first, to minimize the overfitting risk of the inaccurate pseudo labels, we sort the unlabeled samples by prediction complexity, and present a progressive consistency loss to adjust the usage ratio of the unlabeled samples. After that, we employ a strategy of iteration check to select the best learning result using a few but representative validation dataset annotated from the unlabeled samples. It ensures the safe model weight updating. Extensive experiments are conducted on both the public indoor and outdoor 3D object detection datasets. Results demonstrate that ProUDA has better 3D average precision than UDA and the proposed method benefits to 3D object detector training.

Professionals' and Patients' Perspectives on Criteria for Referring Hypertensive Patients to Comprehensive Medication Management Services in Public Primary Health Care.

Patient prioritization in comprehensive medication management services allows coordinating care and guiding patients according to their clinical profile and their medication use. The aim of the study is to identify and describe factors that indicate the need for comprehensive medication management services among primary care hypertension patients within a public health system from the perspective of patients, pharmacists, nurses and physicians. A qualitative study was carried out with interviews with nurses, pharmacists and physicians (n = 20), and two focus groups with hypertensive patients (n = 12) at primary health care facilities and a public outdoor fitness area between January and February 2019 in Brazil. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the Atlas.ti® software. The data analysis revealed the following factors indicative of the need to refer hypertension patients to a pharmacist: lifestyle habits, comorbidities, health care utilization and medication use. The issues identified and the information obtained from the qualitative research and compared with literature studies reviewed allowed defining dimensions that should be considered as an aid in the selection of uncontrolled hypertensive patients for comprehensive medication management services.

Sustainable Well-being of Rural Environment：Elderly-oriented Evaluation of Outdoor Public Space Design in Suburban Villages - A Case Study of Beijing

As societal developments progress and perceptions shift, there is a discernible aging trend in the global population. This trend results in a growing number of elderly individuals left living alone, leading to the development of loneliness and isolation among older people, which has seriously affected their state of mind and body in their twilight years. In this study, Post-occupancy Evaluation (POE) was conducted to construct an evaluation index system based on the following standard layers: Accessibility, Security, Comfortableness, Identifiability, Convenience, Wellness and Aesthetics. The index system analyzes the suitability of elderly care in 15 villages in suburban areas of Beijing, China, and the key findings are threefold: (1) It is essential to improve the site’s defenses against particular climates according to the actual situation and enhance the comfort of the whole day and year. These are also factors that need to be considered in order to increase the motivation of older persons to use outdoor public spaces. (2) The evaluation results have been further refined and classified, unveiling four predominant concerns: Insufficient safety measures, Poor comfort, and Limited social interaction are the main factors affecting the motivation of the elderly to participate in outdoor activities. (3) After synthesizing the results of qualitative and quantitative analysis, the following conclusions were drawn: Recommendations to enhance these public spaces for the elderly in suburban villages emphasize: Reducing the safety hazards of the space, Improving the comfort of rest, relaxation, socializing, fitness, Avoiding the functional areas of motion and static influence each other, Paying attention to the healing function of the space to be effectively segregated. In conclusion, it is hoped that the results of the evaluation will improve the motivation of older people to engage in outdoor activities and guide them to face aging with a positive attitude.

Public open space placemaking suitable for adolescents

Children and adolescents have always been an important part of the future of society and the country. Often, the urban environment is subordinated and adapted to families with children, with playgrounds and infrastructure. However, the desire of adolescents to be out in society, in public spaces and to participate in social interaction is not sufficiently supported. Public space is a 'stage' for adolescents to test themselves, their limits and learn social skills, as well as to explore the norms of society and community. The aim of this article is to provide an insight into the principles of designing environments that are suitable for adolescents, with recommendations for the design process of such public outdoor spaces. Analysing publicly available information on the needs of adolescents and the suitability of outdoor spaces for their outdoor activities, it emerges that often the adaptation of urban environments for children or adults contributes to the isolation of adolescents from society, which in turn results in gatherings in unsuitable areas, vandalism and substance abuse. Introducing with suitable case studies in the design of outdoor spaces for adolescent children, we conclude that in order to mitigate the above risks, it is necessary to understand the developmental processes, emotional and psychological characteristics of adolescents, as well as to raise awareness of the basic principles of democratic upbringing in society, and to develop guidelines for the involvement of adolescents in urban planning, which would help municipalities to involve this specific target group in urban planning, ensuring that adequate public spaces are created for adolescents.

At the moment of disposal: how messaging techniques at university public outdoor waste receptacles can improve the solid waste stream

PurposeThis study aims to test how waste disposal behaviors can be changed such as higher recycling diversion and lower contamination rates using signage and messaging techniques at public outdoor waste receptacles on a university campus.Design/methodology/approachThe experiment took place at five public outdoor receptacle stations, each with a landfill and recycling receptacle, which were located in highly trafficked areas on the University of Florida campus. The study consisted of three phases, each lasting for three weeks. During phase one, no signage and messaging were introduced; during phase two, negative and concrete messaging was placed on signs that stood above the two receptacles; and during phase three, positive and abstract messaging was placed above the receptacles. Waste audits were conducted by separating and weighing the waste.FindingsWith signage and messaging implementation, the recycling diversion rates increased and contamination in the recycling receptacles decreased. However, there was not a consistent decrease in contamination in the landfill receptacles. The study also showed that the negative and concrete messaging was more effective at both increasing diversion rates and decreasing contamination rates at the recycling receptacles.Practical implicationsWaste managers on university campuses need to address the purpose and type of messaging being used at waste receptacles to maximize behavior and/or education outcomes.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first time waste disposal behaviors have been analyzed and experimented on at public outdoor receptacles on a university campus.

Objects matter: Learning object relation graph for robust absolute pose regression

Visual relocalization aims to estimate the pose of a camera from one or more images. In recent years deep learning-based absolute pose regression (APR) methods have attracted many attentions. They feature predicting the absolute poses without relying on any prior built maps or stored images, making the relocalization very efficient. However, robust relocalization under environments with complex appearance changes and real dynamics remains very challenging. In this paper, we propose to enhance the distinctiveness of the image features by extracting the deep relationship among objects. In particular, we extract objects in the image and construct a deep object relation graph (ORG) to incorporate the semantic connections and relative spatial clues of the objects. We integrate our ORG module into several popular APR models. Extensive experiments on various public indoor and outdoor datasets demonstrate that our ORG module greatly enhances the robustness of image representation to environmental changes and improves the pose regression performance. The code is available athttps://github.com/qcyay/ORGMapNet.

Controlling the artificial radiance of the night sky: The Añora urban laboratory

We provide radiometric evidence of the relevance of nearby light sources on the artificial brightness of the night sky. To obtain the required data we developed a method based on the use of power-regulated urban lighting systems, which also provides relevant information on the propagation of light pollution at short distances from the sources. A controlled experiment was carried out in the Andalusian municipality of Añora (1526 inhab.) in which the radiant power of its regulated public outdoor lighting system was modified in a predefined way during the central part of the night while continuously recording the zenith sky brightness in the TESS-W photometric band from two separate locations inside the town. We determined that the power-regulated streetlight sources contribute a 60–62% to the total zenith sky brightness at these observing locations in clear and moonless nights when operated at their maximum power rating, being the remaining sky radiance due to constant local sources and sources from neighboring towns. These results, in combination with georeferenced information on the sources' location and properties, impose some constraints on the functional form of the effective point-spread functions (PSF) of the zenith sky brightness at short distances from the sources. For the conditions of our experiment we have found that the expected exponents of power-law PSFs are close to -1.

Third Millennium Approach for Revitalizing Heritage Outdoor Space

p>A recent study indicated a significant approach towards heritage urbanization is by integrating heritage with revitalization strategy on the function of heritage assets. Based on the current trend, the new designers in the third millennium have shown great interest in supporting the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). This paper aims to explore the new approach to develop Jalan Doraisamy into a lovable outdoor. The first objective is to observe the heritage outdoor space using on-street observation method. The second objective was to evaluate its revitalization quality using the Revitalization Assessment. Thirdly, to unveil the underlying design principle using on-line interview methods. Keywords: Third Millennium; Heritage Revitalization; Heritage Urbanism; Outdoor Public Space eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i22.4176

The contribution of the design characteristics of public spaces in enhancing social interactionsin social housing: The case of social neighborhood of 520, M’sila, Algeria

Thispaper studiesthe public outdoor spaces in social housing and the role ofdesign characteristics of the public spaces and their impacts on enhancing social interactions. However, since 1962, one may notice that Algeria has opted for social housing in its housing programmes to meet the growing demand; but social housing did not satisfy the residents’ needs as authorities focused on the quantity of residential neighborhoods,but they neglected designs of public spaces, which urged us to study them to see the extent to which the design characteristics of these spaces contribute to theachievement of social interactions between inhabitants.The research relies on the analytical approach by observing and analyzing the design characteristics of public spaces in social housing and their role in promoting social interactions in the neighborhood of 520 in M’sila, Algeria. A questionnaire form is addressed to the neighborhood residents to evaluate social interactions. The results of the study show dissatisfaction of the residents and the need to take into account the design characteristics during planning because of their importance in promoting social interactions

Air Quality Improvement in China: Evidence from PM2.5 Concentrations in Five Urban Agglomerations, 2000–2021

Air pollution endangers human health and sustainable socio-economic development, especially in urban agglomeration (UA). The Chinese government has implemented a series of policies and standards to improve air quality. However, few studies have compared variations in PM2.5 concentrations across multiple UAs, and current research often lacks analysis relative to the clean air policies implemented by the government. In this study, we used econometric and geostatistical methods to assess the distribution and spatial evolution of PM2.5 concentrations in five UAs (the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei UA (BTHUA), middle reaches of the Yangtze River UA (MYRUA), Chengdu–Chongqing UA (CCUA), Harbin Changchun UA (HCUA), and Beibu Gulf UA (BGUA)) in China from 2000 to 2021 to explore the effectiveness of the clean air policies implemented by the government on air pollution control, to analyze the ambient air quality of UAs, and to make recommendations for public outdoor activities. The results indicated that the clean air policy implemented by the Chinese government in 2013 achieved significant treatment results. PM2.5 concentrations were plotted as an inverted U-shaped curve based on time, which showed an upward trend before 2013 and a downward trend after 2013. PM2.5 concentrations showed a similar seasonal pattern, with a single-valley “V” shape. PM2.5 concentration was the highest in winter and the lowest in summer. The PM2.5 concentration of HCUA and BGUA was lower than that of CCUA, MYRUA, and BTHUA. The increase in PM2.5 concentration mainly occurred in autumn and winter, while the decrease mainly occurred in spring. In 2021, the PM2.5 air quality compliance rates (<35 µg/m3) in BTHUA, MYRUA, CCUA, HCUA, and BGUA were 44.57%, 80.00%, 82.04%, 99.74%, and 100%, respectively. However, in 2021, 19.19% of the five UAs still had an ambient air quality of Grade II (i.e., 50 < AQIPM2.5 < 100). People with abnormally sensitive breathing in these areas should reduce their outdoor activities. These results contribute to epidemiological studies on human health and disease prevention and suggest reasonable pathways by which governments can improve air quality through sustainable urban planning.

National Forest Visitation Preferences and Avenues to Participation for Urban Hispanic Recreationists in the Portland Metropolitan Area (USA)

Abstract Health benefits of outdoor recreation have been broadly demonstrated and land managers recognize the equity implications of providing safe and inclusive outdoor spaces. Data on public lands visitation and outdoor participation show that Hispanic recreationists are less likely to engage in outdoor leisure than White persons. Early studies of outdoor preferences of Hispanic persons identified a desire for large-group settings and social activities. To update our understanding of outdoor recreation needs, preferences, and constraints, we collaborated with a Latinx organization in Portland, Oregon (USA). We collaboratively designed three focus groups that combined structured engagement, cognitive sorting, and participatory mapping to elicit desired outdoor activities and settings and identify constraints and opportunities. Results suggest that urban Hispanic recreationists seek a variety of human-powered, motorized, and contemplative outdoor activities and gravitate toward familiar settings. Predominant barriers relate to a lack of experience with outdoor activities and gear and lack of exposure to public land settings. Study Implications: Early studies about Hispanic outdoor participation emphasized preferences for social activities in group settings. Urban Hispanic recreationists in our study sought a diversity of human-powered, motorized, and contemplative outdoor activities. Guided group outings and Spanish-language materials were identified as steps to increase participation. Barriers included a lack of awareness of prospective recreation sites, the absence of recreation partners, and unfamiliarity with outdoor gear. Agencies seeking to enhance access may gain the greatest efficiencies by enabling guided group events providing gear, instruction, and companionship. Outreach efforts in Spanish detailing information about setting and safety features would be well received.

Where’s the E in OE? The McDonaldization of Irish outdoor education

ABSTRACT This paper presents key findings from a study that aimed to critically examine the practice of outdoor education in the Republic of Ireland. It consisted of 10 months of fieldwork across four public Outdoor Education and Training Centres (OETCs). Data were generated through participant observation, informal conversation, as well as centre websites. Findings from the thematic analysis are presented in the form of a creative non-fiction story—principally to protect the identities and centres involved. The findings were then interpreted through the theoretical lens of McDonaldization. Considering the dearth of outdoor education research in Ireland, McDonaldization provided a lens through which it was possible to more deeply understand how rationalisation has affected Irish public outdoor education practices. The discussion explores practices inconsistent with the stated Irish definitions of public outdoor education and the paper concludes with suggestions as to how the McDonaldization of outdoor education may be countered.

The distribution of harmful product marketing in public outdoor spaces and the effectiveness of marketing bans.

Children's exposure to the marketing of harmful products in public outdoor spaces may influence their consumption of those products and affect health into adulthood. This study aimed to: i) examine the spatial distribution of children's exposure to three types of marketing-related 'harms' (alcohol, unhealthy food, and gambling) in outdoor spaces in the Wellington region, New Zealand/Aotearoa; ii) compare differences in the distribution of harms by socioeconomic deprivation; and iii) estimate the effectiveness of different policies that ban such marketing. Data were from 122 children aged 11-13y who wore wearable cameras and GPS devices for four consecutive days from July 2014 to June 2015. Images were analysed to identify harmful product marketing exposures in public outdoor spaces. Eight policy scenarios were examined to identify the effectiveness of marketing bans, for all children and by socioeconomic deprivation. Children's ratio of harmful marketing was higher for children from high deprivation households and was also found to cluster, with hots spots observed around city centers. The effectiveness of marketing bans depended on the target setting and ban area, with banning 400 m around bus stops leading to the largest reduction. Effectiveness varied also by type of harm and socioeconomic deprivation. For example, banning alcohol marketing in residential areas was estimated to have a larger effect on exposure reduction for children from high deprivation households. Our findings suggest that alcohol, unhealthy food and gambling marketing often cluster outdoors and that targeted bans of such marketing would likely improve child health and, for some banning scenarios, promote equity.

Effectiveness of a Point-of-Decision Prompt to Encourage Physical Distancing on Greenways and Rail-Trails During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Adherence to public health messaging recommending physical distancing in public outdoor spaces during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies to promote physical distancing are currently unknown. This study examined the effectiveness of a point-of-decision prompt to increase physical distancing (maintaining at least 6 ft of distance) on greenways and rail-trails using systematic observation with passive infrared cameras. Results indicate that the intervention did not have a significant effect on interacting groups maintaining physical distance. However, groups maintaining physical distance increased from baseline (72%) to post-intervention (79%) and likelihood of maintaining physical distance at baseline and post-intervention was higher when: passing in the opposite direction compared to passing in the same direction; using 12-foot-wide trails compared to 10-foot-wide trails; and only one person was in each group. These results provide important implications for public health and parks and recreation professionals to promote physical distancing on multi-use trails.