Road Area Research Articles

Access feature areas within clearcut harvests by region across the southeastern US

ABSTRACT Extensive forest harvesting within the southeastern United States may disturb soils, accelerate erosion, and increase stream sedimentation. Soil erosion is often accelerated by access features, such as decks, roads, skid trails, and stream crossings. Area of access features have been reported for small samples within specific regions yet have not been examined at larger scales. Areas of haul roads, stream crossings, decks, skid trails, and harvest areas within 112 clearcuts in 11 southeastern states and three regions (Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain) were measured. Analyses revealed that Mountain harvests (13.6 hectares) were smaller than Piedmont (18.1 hectares) and Coastal Plain (16.7 hectares) harvests. While there was substantial variability, only one significant difference was detected regarding percent areas for access features between Mountain (7.8%) and Coastal Plain (6.3%) skid trails. Area percentages in combined regional access features revealed that the smaller Mountain harvests had a greater percentage of area (13.3%) in access features than in the Piedmont (12.2%) and Coastal Plain (10.3%). Analyses also indicated that an increase in total harvest area was associated with a significant decrease in the percent area occupied by access features.

A speed limit advisory system provided by in-vehicle HMI considering auditory perception characteristics for connected environment

In-vehicle HMI (Human Machine Interface) systems are well studied due to their great application prospect, but the recent development of connected technologies raises more possibilities that this technology provides more accurate speed limit warnings to ensure driver safety according to specific vehicle and road parameters. To capitalize on the potential of in-vehicle HMI systems to provide auditory and visual warnings to drivers and to improve adoption and utilization of this warning information. To this end, we designed a speed limit advisory system (SLAS) that recommended reduced speeds for hazardous sections of road, communicated to drivers by their in-vehicle HMI systems. Frontal distance models of single and gradient auditory warning were implanted into the systems to determine the warning timing. We then tested these SLASs in a high-fidelity simulator in order to evaluate their utility. 70 participants (mean age = 28.7 years; 36 male) drove through a simulated 15 km stretch of one-way two-lane rural road. We evaluated five different warning modes: single visual (SV), single audio visual (SAV), gradient visual (GV), gradient audio visual (GAV) or control (roadside sign). Participants using the SLAS slowed down significantly compared to the control group before entering the curve, with drivers receiving GAV warnings driving lowest speeds. Less experienced drivers exhibited higher compliance with GAMs (GV or GAV). The SLAS was generally considered useful though not by drivers with>10 years of driving experience. Drivers tended to prefer singular warnings to gradated warnings, which were rated as equally preferable to roadside signage. Eye tracking data indicated that none of the SLAS modes were overly distracting to the drivers. Overall, we find that the SLAS improves driver safety while producing no obvious distraction. The main difficulty lies in persuading experienced drivers to use the system. In a word, the results of this study provide validation for the concept of HMI warning system using connected technology in hazardous road areas and help determine the appropriate timing of in-vehicle warnings.

FLOOD MODEL SIMULATION OF PURNAMA STREET AREA DUE TO INCREASE OF WATER LEVELS OF THE KAPUAS RIVER AND THE INTENSITY AND DURATION OF RAIN

Flooding is a condition where water is not accommodated or the flow of water is obstructed in the sewer, so that it overflows to inundate the surrounding area. The area around the ditch on Purnama Street (the estuary of the Kapuas River) is affected by tides and the intensity and duration of rainfall. This study aims to simulate the flood model that occurred in the Purnama Street area. Data analysis was carried out using HEC-RAS software as a tool for modeling drainage flow. The research was conducted during no rain conditions, 5 and 10 year return periods of rain and the highest and lowest tidal conditions. The flood model simulations were carried out from Demang Ditch to the Lower Kapuas River. The results of the modeling using HEC-RAS show that the drainage channel from the Kapuas River to Purnama Street does not experience inundation/flooding, but in the area of Purnama Street to Demang Ditch during the 5 and 10 year return period rains and the highest tides experience inundation/flooding. which reaches the highway.

Flood Simulation Model At Jl. Purnama Area Due To The Increase Of Water Levels Of The Kapuas River And The Intensity And Duration Of Rain

Flooding is a condition where water is not accommodated or the flow of water is obstructed in the sewer, so that it overflows to inundate the surrounding area. The area around the ditch on Purnama Street (the estuary of the Kapuas River) is affected by tides and the intensity and duration of rainfall. This study aims to simulate the flood model that occurred in the Purnama Street area. Data analysis was carried out using HEC-RAS software as a tool for modeling drainage flow. The research was conducted during no rain conditions, 5 and 10 year return periods of rain and the highest and lowest tidal conditions. The flood model simulations were carried out from Demang Ditch to the Lower Kapuas River. The results of the modeling using HEC-RAS show that the drainage channel from the Kapuas River to Purnama Street does not experience inundation/flooding, but in the area of Purnama Street to Demang Ditch during the 5 and 10 year return period rains and the highest tides experience inundation/flooding. which reaches the highway.

Малые храмы на городище Эски-Кермен

First time in the historiography, this article analyses and summarises the information about 10 small churches uncovered on the plateau of Eski-Kermen and a semi-circular carved pit in front of the city gate, which is called the “apse” of the “gate church” that does not survive (III). However, the cult purpose of this carved structure remains questionable. The small churches belong to the same time with a single nave (naos) and a semi-circular apse. The narthex, probably of a later date, appeared only in 2018–2019 church (XI). The construction and structural characteristics of the churches in question are also very similar. Their builders used the foundations cut into bedrock, or the “beddings.” There was two-face masonry with the core of fine stones, broken pottery, clay, and soil. The churches were covered with tiled roof on wooden rafters. There is a church featuring remains of plinth pavement (IX), and another one with the pavement of polished stone slabs (XI). The destruction layers of four churches contained the remains of fresco paintings (VII, VIII, IX, XI). Some of the churches were adorned with architectural details with incised geometrical ornaments, sometimes with crosses. Most of the small churches of Eski-Kermen have preserved the remains of the altar and altar screen. Two churches (IV, VI) have small niches of prothesis in the wall to the left of the apse. Therefore, most or possibly all the small churches of Eski-Kermen were adapted for liturgy. Almost all the churches were also used for funeral and commemorative rituals, as different kinds of graves, including ossuaries, occurred in their complexes. The appearance of small churches atop of the plateau of Eski-Kermen has been dated to the ninth and tenth centuries and related to the intensification of urban life. Four churches (I, II, IV, V) were located at the access road and near the main town gates. Three churches (IV, V, VI) were built at the sites of former fortifications. Quarter churches (VIII, X, XI) are uncovered in three town quarters. According to the archaeological materials, one of them (X) dates from not earlier than the mid-tenth century, and another (XI) one at the turn of tenth and eleventh centuries. The latest is the cemetery church (IX) constructed in the fourteenth century at the ruined cathedral basilica, where the cemetery appeared after the destruction of the town by a raid of Nogay’s horde. A great part of the small churches probably perished along with the town in the late thirteenth century. The churches in the access road area (I, II, IV) were probably destroyed earlier, in result of an earthquake. Small above-ground churches are also known in the vicinity of Eski-Kermen. The remains of one of them occur in the fort of Kyz-Kule on a promontory to the north-west of Eski-Kermen. Presumably, there was another church at the foot of this mountain.

Spatial accessibility analysis of green space from a health-benefit perspective: Implications for healthy urban development

The spatial accessibility of urban park green space (UPGS) plays a crucial role in promoting the healthy development of cities and their residents. However, previous studies have overestimated the accessibility of UPGS and failed to adequately consider the impact of variegated parks on residents’ needs. To fill this gap in the research, we first propose an improved two-step floating catchment area (Huff-2SFCA) method that takes into consideration the trade-offs between supply, demand, and walking time to calculate the UPGS accessibility index for the built-up area of Mianyang, China. Next, we assess the spatial characteristics of UPGS accessibility from both partial and overall points of view and further explore the relationship between accessibility and population size. Our results show that (1) every street area has a different form of UPGS construction, and most of these spaces are of poor quality; (2) municipal-level parks are significantly more accessible than district-level parks, community-level parks, or neighborhood-level parks; (3) the overall distribution of accessibility is generally characterized by a decreasing trend along both sides of the river, with poor overall accessibility; and (4) 243 residential districts are located in high-demand–low-supply areas that need improving. This study can be employed to identify areas that are underserved by UPGS and can provide a basis for improving the accessibility of UPGS and promoting its health benefits.

Road Damage Detection Using the Hunger Games Search with Elman Neural Network on High-Resolution Remote Sensing Images

Roads can be significant traffic lifelines that can be damaged by collapsed tree branches, landslide rubble, and buildings debris. Thus, road damage detection and evaluation by utilizing High-Resolution Remote Sensing Images (RSI) are highly important to maintain routes in optimal conditions and execute rescue operations. Detecting damaged road areas through high-resolution aerial images could promote faster and effectual disaster management and decision making. Several techniques for the prediction and detection of road damage caused by earthquakes are available. Recently, computer vision (CV) techniques have appeared as an optimal solution for road damage automated inspection. This article presents a new Road Damage Detection modality using the Hunger Games Search with Elman Neural Network (RDD–HGSENN) on High-Resolution RSIs. The presented RDD–HGSENN technique mainly aims to determine road damages using RSIs. In the presented RDD–HGSENN technique, the RetinaNet model was applied for damage detection on a road. In addition, the RDD–HGSENN technique can perform road damage classification using the ENN model. To tune the ENN parameters automatically, the HGS algorithm was exploited in this work. To examine the enhanced outcomes of the presented RDD–HGSENN technique, a comprehensive set of simulations were conducted. The experimental outcomes demonstrated the improved performance of the RDD–HGSENN technique with respect to recent approaches in relation to several measures.

Understanding the Dynamic Creative Clustering in the Phra Athit Road Area of Bangkok

This article examines changes along Phra Athit Road in Rattanakosin's historic center. With the support of the state, a former commercial street became a "cultural quarter" and eventually a "cultural-creative cluster," with creative activities infiltrating the neighborhoods. For this study, the researcher conducted a field survey and interviewed creative entrepreneurs in four sub-districts. The Phra Athit Road social and cultural resources reflect the qualities or potential resources of traditional neighbourhoods that have fostered the development of creative clusters. "Urban culture” is one of the district's key cultural resources that is properly understood and utilized, and its complex network of creative people is a crucial social resource. These creative people are “outsiders” with strong relationships to “insiders”; some of them advocate a new way of living, while others comprise groups of intellectuals with creative economy talents and tasks. Cultural-creative clusters comprise more than people; they are typified by cafés and bars, exhibition spaces, and the production of creative products. These clusters may vary from one another in function and location, and newer clusters, less dense than the original, are less harmful to traditional communities and businesses. What they have in common is that they have enabled participants to gain real-life experiences and join distinctive activities customized by entrepreneurs. Still, those who use external resources to create goods and develop a creative cluster may endanger the very neighbourhoods where they take root.
 The Phra Athit Road area provides a deep understanding of "creative clustering," which refers to a dynamic process that has taken place in some traditional neighbourhoods, based on the positive exploitation of their rich traditional, artistic, and cultural resources. Entrepreneurs are producing unique products that fit into complex systems, which is good for the area, but may also disrupt established patterns in the community. Transforming the historic area gradually could help locals adjust to the change. This study proposes the following approaches to promote both the protection of traditional structures and the acceptance of change: (1) The design or planning of the area should allow for development that is consistent with the rhythm of life in the area. Proper pacing of changes and the growth of well-sized creative clusters create an ecosystem that is good for both the residents and creative entrepreneurs. (2) The neighbourhood’s values should be enhanced by integrating local and external resources. The wide range of creative production and consumption activities that are created from these resources will be unique and endlessly adaptable. (3) The adaptability of cultural-creative clusters should be optimized through programs provide good services and offer support to the urban regeneration. However, such programs and support should not limit the creativity and flexibility of these clusters.

Fine Traffic Congestion Detection With Hierarchical Description

Is video congestion detection a visual classification problem? Most studies say yes. They classify road states into 1–3 congestion levels to determine whether congestion occurs. However, in real traffic scenes, congestion is a dynamic process, including generation, evolution, and dissipation. Congestion detection should not only be a classification problem but also the detection of the entire congestion process. This paper proposes a novel method to realize fine congestion detection using road surveillance video. The first step is to analyze road scene and detect vehicle information. The road area is modeled as a grid to construct three region levels: segment, lane, and cell. Vehicle position sequences and speeds are detected by using object detection, multi-object tracking, and sparse optical flow. The second step is to discriminate congestion state. Traffic flow, average speed, and visual impact parameters of each region level are counted. And a three-dimensional model is formed to obtain the short-time congestion state. The third step is to describe the congestion spatiotemporal changes by accumulating multiple short-term congestion states. Experiments are organized from three aspects: whether congestion occurs, continuous congestion degree, and spatiotemporal changes of congestion. The results indicate that the proposed method has higher detection accuracy while reflecting the whole spatiotemporal changes of congestion degree.

Urban pipeline rainwater runoff is an important pathway for land-based microplastics transport to inland surface water: A case study in Beijing

Microplastics (MPs) as new environmental pollutants are receiving increasing attention worldwide. Urban rainwater runoff plays an important role in facilitating the migration of land-based MPs to surface water. Previous research has focused predominantly on aquatic ecosystems, whereas research on this migration pathway and the characteristics of MPs in rainwater pipelines draining from different land-use types is still lacking. This study investigated the abundance and characteristics of MPs in rainfall and pipeline rainwater runoff from main roads, office complexes, an agricultural experiment station, and residential areas during different rainfall periods in Haidian District, Beijing, China. Microplastic abundance in pipeline rainwater runoff ranged from 1.6 to 29.6 items L−1, of which 0.7 to 6.0 items L−1 were derived from rainfalls, accounting for 24.0 % to 77.4 % of the total. Microplastic abundances in rainfall and pipeline rainwater runoff decreased significantly as rainfall events progressed. The proportions of MPs < 1 mm in rainfall (38.0 %) and rainwater runoff (44.5 %) were the largest. Average MPs abundance was the highest in rainwater runoff from the main road area and lowest in the office area (p < 0.05). The abundance of polyester fibers in rainwater runoff from the residential area was significantly higher than that in other areas, while the main road area had the highest abundance of films (p < 0.05). Overall, 72 % of MPs in rainfall were fibers, and most were composed of polyester, while the MPs in rainwater runoff were mainly fragments (41.2 %) and fibers (35.3 %) composed mainly of polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester. This study shows that urban pipeline rainwater runoff is one of the main pathways for land-based MPs transport to surface waters, and provides a scientific reference for preventing and controlling MPs entering water bodies through rainwater pipelines.

Investigation of mechanical strength and permeability characteristics of pervious concrete mixed with coral aggregate and seawater

The availability of the conventional raw materials required to produce pervious concrete on sea islands remote from the mainland is lacking, which could be alleviated by utilizing marine resources. This study aimed to develop seawater coral aggregate pervious concrete (SCAPC) by utilizing coral waste and seawater and assess the potential application of this method to sea islands. The SCAPC specimens were designed with different coral aggregate sizes (2.36–4.75 mm, 4.75–9.5 mm) and aggregate/binder ratios (2, 2.5, 3), and the addition of 10 % of sea sand. The physical properties (hardened density and porosity), mechanical strengths (compressive and splitting tensile strengths), water permeability, and sulfate attack resistance were investigated. The failure surface under mechanical loading and the microtopography between matrix and coral aggregate of SCAPC samples were also characterized. The results showed that the compressive strength and water permeability coefficient of the resulting SCAPCs at 28 days with a porosity ranging from 16.9 % to 33.5 % could reach 6.2–18.5 MPa and 12.9–26.5 mm/s, respectively. This not only satisfied the ACI 522R-recommended values for pervious concrete applicable to pedestrian road areas, but the samples demonstrated excellent permeability. The SCAPC specimens manufactured with aggregate/binder ratios of 2.5 incorporating 10 % sea sand were found to achieve the required balance between compressive strength (11.8–12.5 MPa) and water permeability coefficient (19.6–20.9 mm/s). The failure patterns of the SCAPC samples presented a markedly different complete fracture of coral aggregate point from that of traditional aggregate pervious concrete, ascribing this variation to the characterized fragility of coral aggregate and intensified interfacial adhesion.

An Automatic Generalization Method for a Dense Road Network Area Considering Spatial Structural Features as Constraints

Road networks are the skeletal elements of topographic maps at different scales, and road selection is a prerequisite for implementing continuous multiscale spatial representations of road networks. The mesh-based approach is a common, advanced and powerful method for road selection in dense road areas in which small meshes are removed and road segments with the least importance in each mesh are eliminated. However, small meshes in a map can be classified into two types: aggregated small meshes and isolated small meshes. The number of the former is small, and that of the latter is large. Existing methods are generally applicable for the latter, and some or even most spatial characteristics will be lost when they are applied to the former; as a result, the road selection quality will be affected. Therefore, as a supplement to the mesh-based selection method, this paper proposed an automatic generalization method of dense road network areas (areas formed by aggregated small meshes) considering spatial structural features as constraints. First, the aggregated areas of small meshes were identified based on the number of adjoining small meshes, and the boundaries of aggregated areas are extracted and used as hard constraints during mesh elimination. Second, the starting meshes were redefined by simultaneously considering the edge features and mesh density of small meshes, and an ordinal elimination algorithm was proposed to eliminate the meshes in the stroke connection direction. Third, road selection was implemented by identifying the starting meshes and sequentially processing the related mesh pairs. This iterative process continued until all mesh densities of the newly formed meshes are beyond the threshold or the problem becomes a simple elimination problem involving two adjoining small meshes or one isolated small mesh. Finally, a 1:10,000 standard topographic road map for Jiangsu Province, China, was used for validation. The experimental results showed that in the aggregated areas with two small meshes, 31% of the areas obtained the same selection results by using the mesh-based method and the proposed method, and the remaining 69% obtained a more compact result with the proposed method. Moreover, for all aggregated areas with more than two small meshes, the spatial distribution structure of small meshes was preserved better by the proposed method.

Prioritas Penanganan Jalan Nasional Dengan Menggunakan Metode Ahp Dan Anp: Ruas Jalan Bts. Tapteng/Tapsel – Batang Toru – Bts. Kota Sidempuan

The government's limited budget in managing the condition of the road pavement causes the government to compile a priority ranking of the roads to be handled. Each decision maker has a different assessment for each factor or criterion that is considered in determining the path. This problem requires the same perception from decision makers in choosing road handling priorities. Priority by determining more than one criteria can be done using Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) analysis such as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Analytic Network Process (ANP). This study seeks to obtain priority handling of the Jalan Bts. Tapteng/Tapsel – Batang Toru – Bts. Sidempuan City using AHP and ANP methods. The criteria used are traffic volume, level of road damage, government policies, handling costs, and area development. The segmentation of the road segment is applied in this study into 9 sub-sections to obtain a uniform alternative length of the road. The results show that the most influential criteria in road handling using the AHP method are traffic volume (0.428), followed by policy (0.192), cost (0.187), road conditions (0.141), and area development (0.052). While in the ANP method, the criteria with the largest weight are traffic volume (0.301), followed by policies (0.196), costs (0.194), road conditions (0.174), and area development (0.134). The results of the two methods also determine the priority of different road handling roads. The results of the ANP method are expected to be a more objective priority due to the consideration of feedback on the elements and clusters themselves.

Prioritas Penanganan Jalan Nasional Dengan Menggunakan Metode Ahp Dan Anp: Ruas Jalan Bts. Tapteng/Tapsel – Batang Toru – Bts. Kota Sidempuan

The government's limited budget in managing the condition of the road pavement causes the government to compile a priority ranking of the roads to be handled. Each decision maker has a different assessment for each factor or criterion that is considered in determining the path. This problem requires the same perception from decision makers in choosing road handling priorities. Priority by determining more than one criteria can be done using Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) analysis such as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Analytic Network Process (ANP). This study seeks to obtain priority handling of the Jalan Bts. Tapteng/Tapsel – Batang Toru – Bts. Sidempuan City using AHP and ANP methods. The criteria used are traffic volume, level of road damage, government policies, handling costs, and area development. The segmentation of the road segment is applied in this study into 9 sub-sections to obtain a uniform alternative length of the road. The results show that the most influential criteria in road handling using the AHP method are traffic volume (0.428), followed by policy (0.192), cost (0.187), road conditions (0.141), and area development (0.052). While in the ANP method, the criteria with the largest weight are traffic volume (0.301), followed by policies (0.196), costs (0.194), road conditions (0.174), and area development (0.134). The results of the two methods also determine the priority of different road handling roads. The results of the ANP method are expected to be a more objective priority due to the consideration of feedback on the elements and clusters themselves.

Preparation of 3D Models of Cultural Heritage Objects to Be Recognised by Touch by the Blind—Case Studies

Providing access to and the protection of cultural goods—intangible and tangible heritage—is carried out primarily by institutions such as museums, galleries or local cultural centres where temporary exhibitions are shown. The international community also attempts to protect architectural objects or entire urban layouts, raising their status by inscribing them on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Contemporary museums, however, are not properly prepared to make museum exhibits available to the blind and visually impaired, which is confirmed by both the literature studies on the subject and the occasional solutions that are put in place. The development of various computer graphics technologies allows for the digitisation of cultural heritage objects by 3D scanning. Such a record, after processing, can be used to create virtual museums accessible via computer networks, as well as to make copies of objects by 3D printing. This article presents an example of the use of scanning, modelling and 3D printing to prepare prototypes of copies of museum objects from the Silk Road area, dedicated to blind people and to be recognised by touch. The surface of an object has information about it written in Braille before the copy-making process is initiated. The results of the pilot studies carried out on a group of people with simulated visual impairment and on a person who is blind from birth indicate that 3D models printed on 3D replicators with the fused filament fabrication technology are useful for sharing cultural heritage objects. The models are light—thanks to which they can be freely manipulated, as well as having the appropriate smoothness—which enables the recognition of decorative details present on them, as well as reading texts in Braille. Integrating a copy of an exhibit with a description about it in Braille into one 3D object is an innovative solution that should contribute to a better access to cultural goods for the blind.

Fluxes, patterns and sources of phosphorus deposition in an urban–rural transition region in Southwest China

Abstract. Understanding the patterns of atmospheric phosphorus (P) deposition is essential for assessing the global P biogeochemical cycle. Atmospheric P is an essential source of P in agricultural activities as well as eutrophication in waters; however, the information on P deposition is paid relatively less attention, especially in the anthropogenic influencing region. Therefore, this study chose a typical urban–rural transition as a representative case to monitor the dry and wet P depositions for 2 years. The results showed that the fluxes of atmospheric total P deposition ranged from 0.50 to 1.06 kg P hm−2 yr−1, and the primary form was atmospheric dry P deposition (76.1 %, 0.76–0.84 kg P hm−2 yr−1). Moreover, it was found that the monthly variations of P deposition were strongly correlated with meteorological factors, including precipitation, temperature and relative humidity. However, the fluxes of dry P deposition and total P deposition were more affected by land use, which increased with the agro-facility, town and paddy field areas but decreased with the forest and country road areas. These findings suggested that dry P deposition was the primary form of total P deposition, and P deposition could be affected both by meteorological factors and land-use types. Thus, proper management of land use may help mitigate the pollution caused by P deposition.

The Structural Features and Centrality Optimization of a Firm Interlocking Network of the Nodal Cities on the South Route of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road: The Case of Fujian Province

The 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road is an important part of the “Belt and Road Initiative”. It is intended to carry out broader and deeper regional cooperation and to provide a Chinese solution for reforming the world economic governance model. Fujian Province, as the starting point of the historical Maritime Silk Road, its development status, and the development strategy is of vital importance for the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road’s sustainable and balanced regional development. Based on the data on the spatial distribution of the headquarters and branches of enterprises in information-related industries, this study, from the perspective of enterprise connection, constructed a firm interlocking network along the south route of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road covering nodal cities along the southeast coast of China and cities in Southeast Asian countries. In addition, this paper analyzed the structural features of the firm interlocking network in the region from the perspectives of centrality and connectivity and considered the goal of constructing the core area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road to extract the influencing factors of the firm interlocking network. The core factors influencing the centrality of cities were analyzed and identified by taking Fujian Province as an example. The study found that cities in Fujian Province generally have problems such as unremarkable centrality and weak connectivity in the firm interlocking network in the region and that the three dimensions of policy coordination, financial integration, and technology exchange in the three cities of Fujian Province need to be strengthened despite the achievements made in the three dimensions of facility connectivity, unimpeded trade, and closer people-to-people bonds. Policy suggestions for promoting the centrality of nodal cities in Fujian Province and accelerating the integration into regional city networks were made based on the above research findings and Fujian Province’s development goal of constructing a core area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

A multilevel analysis of the determinants of the attitude toward separate cycle paths in Taiwan

AbstractObjectiveThis study examines why people support a policy for separate cycle paths but oppose the necessary means for its implementation—the narrowing of vehicle lanes and reduction of roadside parking spaces.MethodsThis study used cross‐sectional data from the 2009 Taiwan Bicycle Use Survey, covering 23 counties (n = 9236) and applying multilevel multinomial logistic regression models.ResultsNot in my backyard (NIMBY) or not in my interest (NIMI) were likely to agree on building separate cycle paths but disagree on the means for its implementation. While NIMBYs may support the policy if they are reasonably compensated with a much larger road area and an adequate number of parking spaces, NIMIs’ attitudes are more favorable if their government has sufficient financial resources to fund the proposal.ConclusionLocal governments need to apply a compensation approach or have more funds to change the public's attitude toward the implementation of policies involving bikeway infrastructure.

Vertical evaluation of air quality improvement by urban forest using unmanned aerial vehicles

Urban forest is considered an effective strategy for mitigating urban air pollution via deposition, absorption and dispersion processes. However, previous studies had focused mainly on the deposition effect or removal capacity near the ground, while the net effect of the urban forest on air quality is rarely evaluated in the vertical dimension. In this study, PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5), PM10 (particulate matter with diameter less than 10 μm), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) concentrations, air temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure at 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, and 100 m in urban forest, street, and community areas were collected by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with Sniffer4D V2 on overcast and sunny days. The PM, CO, NO2, and O3 concentrations increased with height below 20 m and then slightly decreased with height on an overcast day, whereas SO2 concentrations decreased with height within 20 m. The urban forest increased PM concentrations in the morning of an overcast day, whereas it decreased PM concentrations in the afternoon of the overcast day. The forest obstructed PM dispersion from the canopy when PM concentrations grew lower in the morning, but it hindered PM from deposition when PM concentrations grew higher in the afternoon.

Tourism objects and development of Armenian ethnographic excursion route in polyethnic Chernivtsi

Retrospective-chorological specificities of the appearance of Armenian ethnic element on the territory of Bukovyna and the City of Chernivtsi were disclosed. Population dynamics within the Armenian ethnic community of Chernivtsi based on the censuses held within 1774 – 2001 and said community’s participation in economic, public and political life of the city, as well as in cultural and educational activity were analyzed. Armenians for the first time appeared in Bukovyna as far back as in times of the Kiev Rus and the Principality of Galicia and Volyn as international traders. The first Armenian settlers lived in Chernivtsi beginning from the «pre-Austrian» time, and their community was always compact usually covering areas around and praying in the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Cross that had the Armenian St George’s Altar until they built their own cathedral. It was in 1783 that the Armenian catholic religious community for the first time appeared in Chernivtsi. The first Armenian residents of Chernivtsi were predominantly engaged in trade, or were doctors, engineers, landowners, manufacturers and highly ranked state officers. With time, the houses of the Chernivtsi Armenians concentrated in a new «Armenian block», that is, in the area of present-day Armenian Street, Jacob von Petrovich Street, Ukrainian Street and the Armenian Lane. The block had the Armenian Catholic Church built in its center in 1869-1875 to become a focus of the spiritual life of Bukovynian Armenians, and later the center was added by the parochial house and the Armenian bursa for school goers. The Register of Objects of Cultural Heritage and the Present of Armenian Community of Chernivtsi was developed and the point-based assessment of their tourism attractiveness was introduced. The quantitative relative assessment of tourism attractiveness of 26 objects of cultural heritage totally made 78 points, while the mapping of the same allowed for disclosure of specificities of their territorial disposition and development of optimal Armenian excursion route. Following the significance, spatial distribution and territorial structure, we distinguished between localized (items and centers), linear and spatial elements of the Armenian ethnographic space. The items are represented by tourism objects of aesthetic, scientific and historical value, e.g., buildings where outstanding persons either lived, studied or worked; Roman Catholic Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross with the Armenian St George’s Altar; social maintenance establishments (former Armenian bursa); monuments (Jacob von Petrovich) and the sites of memory. The centers are tourism objects of Armenian culture represented by functioning institutions and establishments, such as Armenian Church, Sunday school, national/cultural associations. The linear elements are the city streets (Armenian Street, personalized Jacob von Petrovich Street and Karol Mikuli Street), and the spatial (area) elements are conditioned by the fact of ethnic groups’ compact settlement. The hugest concentration of the Armenian ethnic tourism objects is found in the area around the Armenian Church (13 objects possessing 33 points of total attractiveness). Keywords: Armenian ethnic community; cultural heritage; ethno-tourism objects; excursion route; city of Chernivtsi.