Villages In Beijing Research Articles

Dietary Inflammatory Index and Cognitive Function: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study in Obese Chinese Township Population from 45 to 75 Years.

Cognitive dysfunction is highly prevalent in obese people, and food is a key factor in obesity, and dietary inflammatory index (DII) can reflect whether diet has anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory potential. In addition, dietary fatty acid consumption is linked to inflammation, obesity, and cognitive impairment. Erythrocyte membrane fatty acids can reflect dietary fatty acid intake. Our hypothesis was that erythrocyte membrane fatty acids might have a significant impact on the relationship between DII and cognition in obese individuals, and we designed experiments to test the hypothesis. In three villages in Beijing, we collected 579 respondents from individuals 45 to 75 years old and categorized them by body mass index. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score and DII score was calculated and gas chromatography was used to measure the proportion of erythrocyte membrane fatty acids. The relationship between the DII score and cognition was examined using multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression. Mediation analysis can help to understand the causal chain between variables, deeply explore the internal relationship and mechanism of action between variables. So a multiple chain mediation model was developed to investigate the mediating factors between the DII score and cognitive association. According to adjusted linear regression, higher DII scores were linked to lower MoCA scores in the obese group. The negative correlation between DII score and cognitive function score remains in binary linear regression. We discovered through mediation analysis that erythrocyte membrane fatty acids mediate the detrimental link between DII and cognitive function in obese individuals. We propose that higher DII scores in obese people are associated with a decline in cognitive function. In addition, this effect might be mediated via the fatty acids in the erythrocyte membrane.

Traditional Village Building Extraction Based on Improved Mask R-CNN: A Case Study of Beijing, China

As an essential material carrier of cultural heritage, the accurate identification and effective monitoring of buildings in traditional Chinese villages are of great significance to the sustainable development of villages. However, along with rapid urbanization in recent years, many towns have experienced problems such as private construction, hollowing out, and land abuse, destroying the traditional appearance of villages. This study combines deep learning technology and UAV remote sensing to propose a high-precision extraction method for conventional village architecture. Firstly, this study constructs the first sample database of traditional village architecture based on UAV remote sensing orthophotos of eight representative villages in Beijing, combined with fine classification; secondly, in the face of the diversity and complexity of the built environment in traditional villages, we use the Mask R-CNN instance segmentation model as the basis and Path Aggregate Feature Pyramid Network (PAFPN) and Atlas Space Pyramid Pool (ASPP) as the main strategies to enhance the backbone model for multi-scale feature extraction and fusion, using data increment and migration learning as auxiliary means to overcome the shortage of labeled data. The results showed that some categories could achieve more than 91% accuracy, with average precision, recall, F1-score, and Intersection over Union (IoU) values reaching 71.3% (+7.8%), 81.9% (+4.6%), 75.7% (+6.0%), and 69.4% (+8.5%), respectively. The application practice in Hexi village shows that the method has good generalization ability and robustness, and has good application prospects for future traditional village conservation.

Spatial Distribution and Cultural Features of Traditional Villages in Beijing and Influencing Factors

Traditional villages are important part of Beijing, an internationally famous historic and cultural city. Exploring the spatial distribution and cultural features of traditional villages, and the factors that have shaped them, will help promote the protection and utilization of traditional villages in Beijing. ArcGIS spatial analysis, literature analysis, fieldwork and in-depth interviews were mainly carried out to analyze the spatial distribution and cultural features of traditional villages in Beijing and their influencing factors. The results show three main features. (1) The overall distribution of traditional villages in Beijing is random, although there are more traditional villages in the southwest and northeast and less in the southeast and northwest. Most of them are distributed along the higher piedmont plains or intermountain basins, and most of them are backed by hills and surrounded by rivers or along the ancient road. (2) There are some cultural commonalities among the traditional villages in Beijing, and nine typical traditional village cultures have been formed, including traditional residential culture, traditional folklore culture, the Great Wall garrison culture, mausoleum guarding culture, etc. (3) The formation of the spatial distribution and cultural features of traditional villages in Beijing is influenced by natural environmental factors like terrain, climate, and rivers, as well as human activities such as royal life, capital construction, ancient military defense, transportation, trade, etc. This study can provide a reference for the scientific protection and effective utilization of traditional villages in Beijing and all over the country.

Informality or creativity? The development and demolition of artist and IT worker villages in metropolitan Beijing

The creative industries and the digital economy have become the drivers for the metropolises of China. Despite the rapid transformation towards knowledge production in China, the understanding of the role of informalities (like urban villages) in creative cities is still lacking. This paper examines the following interrelated questions: a) why have urban villages become the cluster/assemblages for a circuit of knowledge production (e.g., digital work, media, and arts); and b) how is the assemblage of creative communities created by the growing rent-gap seeking regimes with different agency and everyday practices as shown in Beijing's artist and IT worker villages? Our investigations of the Heiqiao and Shigezhuang Villages in Beijing reveal that the Chinese rural land system has shaped the porous and interstitial spaces (e.g., urban villages as the “semi-commons” for landowners and migrant tenants) in the regime-specific community-making and is distinctive from Western models of creative cluster formation. This study refines Florida's elitist-oriented analysis where the “creative class” prefers the “quality of place,” and the city thus needs to enhance the quality of life to attract creative workers. The artist and IT worker villages, as a microcosm of the like-minded creative worker assemblage, are also sites for establishing contacts and fostering interaction in creative production. It is the quality of the public realm and networking (beyond the quality of the built environment) that shapes the assemblage of creative communities in urban villages. The networking and grass-roots alliance (as “semi-commons”) can help cope with the appropriation and provision problems facing “commons.”

Satellite-derived local air pollution impacts of the household ‘coal-to-clean energy’ program in Beijing

Background: In 2015 Beijing started a coal-to-clean energy program that banned coal stoves and subsidized electric- or gas-powered heaters and electricity costs in thousands of peri-urban villages. Our objective was to estimate the effect of this program on satellite-derived PM₂.₅. Method: We geolocated villages in Beijing and assigned participation status in the program between 2015 and 2018. Average monthly outdoor PM₂.₅ data at a spatial resolution of 0.01°x0.01° grid cell were obtained for heating months (Dec-Feb) from Dec. 2014 to Dec. 2018. We estimated the number of households in each grid cell participating in the program ('treated’) for each study month. We used a Bayesian spatiotemporal model to estimate the local effect of household participation in the program on satellite-derived PM₂.₅, adjusting for meteorological conditions (temperature/RH, precipitation, and wind vectors), elevation, imperious surface, presence of villages, and eligibility to participate in the program. We assessed linearity using linear splines. Results: In the 1768 grid cells with at least one village participating in the program by the end of 2018 (out of 17353 grid cells total), the number of treated households ranged from 1-5290 (median: 155). We observed a small but consistent effect of participating in the coal-to-clean energy program on decreases in local PM₂.₅ whereby for every 10 households treated there was an accompanying 0.03μg/m³ decrease [95%CI:-0.04,-0.02] in grid-cell PM₂.₅ up to 155 households. There was no effect of treatment on PM₂.₅ in grid cells with over 155 treated households. Conclusion: In less-populated areas, we observed modest reductions in satellite-derived outdoor PM₂.₅ at the grid cell level in Beijing after participation in the program. The lack of effect in areas with households is likely due to the presence of other sources of local outdoor PM₂.₅ that masks any PM₂.₅ benefit of the program. Keywords: Outdoor air pollution; residential coal burning

Study of the Landscape Pattern of Shuiyu Village in Beijing, China: A Comprehensive Analysis of Adaptation to Local Microclimate

The paper used technical parameters to investigate optimized solutions to protect the ecological environment and improve the microclimate adaptability among the traditional villages in Beijing. Shuiyu Village was used as a case study to analyze the coupling relationship between landscape patterns and the microclimate of traditional villages, with a focus on the ecological relationship between residents and the microclimate. This study also developed a climate index system, which includes computer numerical simulation and microclimate comprehensive analysis methods. The distinct types of landscape patterns were studied using the system. In addition, this paper studied the adaptive design mechanism in-depth, the form parameters of comfort evaluation controllability, and map expression technology of morphological parameters. The findings of this study include the optimized value of the environment based on landscape pattern and the map through the Rhino modeling platform. An interactive platform was developed, and a parametric-assisted optimization design process for traditional villages in the northern part of China was proposed. Moreover, this study concluded optimized strategies and technical guidelines for future planning of the rural areas in northern China with a goal to protect traditional villages and transform them into smart villages with microclimate adaptability.

Public Participation, System Construction and Satisfaction of Democratic Decision-Making <br/>—Taking the Relocation Community of Beijing Disaster-Prone Villages as an Example

In this study, we discussed residents’ satisfaction with democratic decision-making in the process of relocation of disaster-prone villages in Beijing from two dimensions which were public participation and system construction. Through the analysis of the ordered logit model, it was confirmed that the variables of residents’ participation and community system construction were significantly positively correlated with the satisfaction variables of democratic decision-making. There were some problems in the democratic decision-making in the process of relocation of disaster-prone villages in Beijing, such as inconsistent decision-making content and residents’ attention, weak participation consciousness, single form, poor channel, and imperfect legal system construction. Based on these, we put forward the following policy recommendations: 1) Bring industrial development and major livelihood issues into the content system of democratic decision-making; 2) Enrich the forms of democratic decision-making, increase decision-making channels, and enhance residents’ enthusiasm for participation; 3) Strengthen the system construction, so that democratic decision-making could be based on laws and regulations.

Study on the Development of Settlement Spatial Form of Famous Historical and Cultural Villages in Mentougou District of Beijing

As the earliest batch of villages that are awarded as “famous Chinese historical and. cultural villages” by the Ministry of Construction and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, these villages in Mentougou District are pioneers and representatives of famous historical and cultural villages in Beijing. This paper selects Lingshui village in Mentougou District, Beijing as the research object, taking the evolution of settlement spatial form, the construction system and the internal planning as the research points. Then, by analyzing the evolution law of traditional settlement form and the combination relation of spatial model under the natural form, so as to connect the layout, sequence, basic organizational form and network characteristics of each node. In this way, to highlight the overall planning and leading role of management, thus promoting the systematization and standardization of conservation planning, regional system as well as constructional development of famous historical and cultural villages in Beijing.

Policy simulation for promoting residential PV considering anecdotal information exchanges based on social network modelling

Surveys and empirical researches have revealed that the households’ perceptions of benefits play a more important role than the benefits themselves in the decision process of adopting residential photovoltaic (PV). However, it has been overlooked in previous models about the green technology diffusion. This work developed an innovation diffusion model based on a social network, which was integrated with an anecdotal information exchange process. The contributions were to model the households’ evaluation, which changes with social influence, and analyze the impact of such dynamics on the adoption of residential PV. A case study was conducted for villages in Beijing. Different scenarios about policies have been considered concerning both the economic benefits and the information diffusion on social network. The results show that: (1) Providing insurance against the damage of PV to adopters for free can improve the adoption rate from 24% up to 62% (full insurance), and the new adopter acquisition cost is only 36% of that of providing additional subsidy; (2) The enhancement of communications (e.g. Bulletin Board System (BBS) and Social Networking Services (SNS)) creates an obstacle to the residential PV adoption when the majority of households have insufficient knowledge about the PV system; and (3) Information campaigns and information screening are both effective and necessary in mitigating the negative effect from the enhancement of communications at the initial stage of the residential PV market.

An investigation of non-local-governed urban villages in China from the perspective of the administrative system

Along with the large-scale urbanisation process in China, the issue of ‘non-local-governed urban villages’ (NLGUV) arises within government. NLGUVs are suffering from overlapping administration, mismatched responsibilities and rights and unclear lines of authority. This fact not only violates the basic legal principle of administrative division, but also creates serious management problems and goes against the principal of coordinated development of urban and rural areas. Based on a questionnaire survey and interviews of urban villages in Beijing, this paper aims to answer two questions: first, what are the institutional barriers of the NLGUVs, and second, how they have hampered the rural-to-urban transition of those urban villages and urban-rural integration in the urban fringe areas. It is found that, while having administrative problems in common, the NLGUVs vary significantly in terms of demo-geographic, socio-economic, and management characteristics, so it is argued that solutions to the administrative management problems of the NLGUVs should be different. Upon analyses of the 155 NLGUVs distributed over 32 sub-districts and seven districts in Beijing, they are divided into four groups: lagging-behind urban villages, transformed urban villages, problematic urban villages and enclave urban villages. On this ground, urban policies including abuse of the setting criteria of sub-districts, and problems with the resettlement policy of urban villages and current land acquisition policies are identified as the main causes for the ‘production’ of the NLGUVs. The findings shed lights on the restructure of administrative system for existing urban villages and reform of urban policies.

Pollutant emissions from residential combustion and reduction strategies estimated via a village-based emission inventory in Beijing

Accurate estimation of pollutant emissions from household solid fuel combustion has been a challenging issue in developing regions, especially in the heavily polluted northern China region. Basing on a survey of residential household energy use in all villages in Beijing, this study developed a village-based emission inventory of PM2.5, SO2, NOx, and NMVOCs emitted from household combustion in Beijing, as well as three emission control scenarios. Notably, 3805 kt and 556 kt of coal were used for household heating and cooking in 2015, respectively. The emissions of NOX, NMVOCs, SO2, and PM2.5forhousehold heating totaled11.5 kt, 29.3 kt, 43.1 kt, and 34.7 kt in 2015, respectively, while those for household cooking totaled 1.55 kt, 4.02 kt, 6.55 kt, and 3.99 kt. Emissions from household heating contributed to∼70% of PM2.5 and ∼60% of SO2 emissions in winter. Additionally, downtown Beijing is surrounded by polluted suburbs. A coal forbiddance policy (e.g. “coal to gas”) could gradually improve the air quality in urban Beijing.

Housing in Chinese Urban Villages: The Dwellers, Conditions and Tenancy Informality

While it is widely acknowledged that Chinese urban villages provide an important source of rental housing for low-income populations, the composition of their dwellers, housing conditions and rental contracts has not been adequately studied. Drawing from surveys of sixty urban villages in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, this study finds that housing in urban villages is more family oriented; that over half of dwellers work in the tertiary sector; and that although they have relatively stable jobs, few have job security with contracts. In predominantly rental housing, the housing unit is small. Tight control by the city government over housing development has led to quite expensive rentals measured by unit space as well as poorer housing conditions. Tenancy informality in terms of the absence of formal contracts is widespread and most severe in Shanghai. The lack of formal contracts is largely independent of the status of dwellers or their job status but is rather dependent upon the rent value.

Hepatitis B birth dose vaccination rates among children in Beijing: A comparison of local residents and first and second generation migrants

ABSTRACTProviding hepatitis B vaccine to all neonates within 24 hours of birth (Timely Birth Dose, TBD) is the key preventative measure to control perinatal hepatitis B virus infection. Previous Chinese studies of TBD only differentiated between migrant and non-migrant (local-born generation-LG) children. Our study is the first to stratify migrants in Beijing into first generation migrants (FGM) and second generation migrants (SGM). Based on a questionnaire survey of 2682 people in 3 Beijing villages, we identified 283 children aged 0–15 years, from 246 households, who were eligible for a TBD. Multinomial logistic regression and statistical analyses were used to examine factors explaining TBD rates for LG, FGM and SGM children. Surprisingly, the TBD for LG Beijing children was not significantly different from migrant children. But after stratifying migrant children into FGM and SGM, revealed significant TBD differences were revealed across LG, FGM and SGM according to domicile (p-value < 0.001, OR = 3.24), first vaccination covered by government policy (p-value < 0.05, OR = 3.24), mother's knowledge of hepatitis B (p-value < 0.05, OR = 1.01) and the government's HBV policy environment (p-value < 0.05, OR = 2.338). Birthplace (p-value = 0.002, OR = 6.21) and better policy environments (p-value = 0.01, OR = 2.80) were associated with higher TBD rate for LG and SGM children. Compared with FGM children, SGM had a significantly poorer TBD rate (Fisher exact test of chi-square = 0.013). We identified SGM as a special risk group; proposed Hukou reform to improve SGM TBD; and called for Beijing health authorities to match TBD rates in other provinces, especially by improving practices by health authorities and knowledge of parents.

Informality, property rights, and poverty in China’s “favelas”

In this study of households living in informal settlements in three principal Chinese cities, we analyze the associations between informality, property rights, and poverty. We propose that informality can be understood in terms of property rights (presence/absence, strength, completeness, and ambiguity). Drawing on the property rights (entitlements) theories of Sen, de Soto, Ostrom, Alchian, and Coase, we refine a list of property rights effects that can be tested empirically. Using a household questionnaire survey of 1,208 respondents from a representative sample of 60 urban villages in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, we use robust regression models to detect statistical relationships between household performance on six poverty domains as a function of four property rights domains, controlling for income, human capital, and other influences. We find evidence for what we call Sen effects and de Soto effects. Our models show that some property rights are associated with lower poverty indicators. But we also find evidence to show that the absence, weakness, or ambiguity of property rights also reduce poverty indicators on particular domains, through what we assume to be a substitution effect. Informal settlements permit poorer household to live at lower costs than is usually, or officially, acceptable, and thus spend more on other welfare-enhancing expenditures. The distribution of property rights determines the size, distribution, and impacts of these trade-offs and shapes the economic and social performance of informal settlements.

The influence of education on Chinese version of Montreal cognitive assessment in detecting amnesic mild cognitive impairment among older people in a Beijing rural community.

To assess the influence of education on the performance of Chinese version of Montreal cognitive assessment (C-MoCA) in relation to the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) in detecting amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) among rural-dwelling older people C-MoCA and MMSE was administered and diagnostic interviews were conducted among community-dwelling elderly in two villages in Beijing. The performance of C-MoCA and MMSE in detecting aMCI was evaluated by the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Effect size of education on variations in C-MoCA scores was estimated with general linear model. Among 172 study participants (24 cases of aMCI and 148 normal controls), the AUC of C-MoCA was 0.72 (95% CI = 0.62–0.81, cutoff = 20/21), compared to AUC of MMSE of 0.74 (95% CI = 0.64–0.84, cutoff = 26/27). The performance of both C-MoCA and MMSE was especially poorer among those with low (0–6 years) education. After controlling for gender and age, education (η 2 = 0.204) had a surpassing effect over aMCI diagnosis (η 2 = 0.052) on variations in C-MoCA scores. Among rural older people, the MoCA showed modest accuracy and was no better than MMSE in detecting aMCI, especially in those with low education, due to the overwhelming effect of education relative to aMCI diagnosis on variations in C-MoCA performance.

Art villages in metropolitan Beijing: A study of the location dynamics

Despite the rapid transformation of art villages in Beijing, an understanding of their location dynamics has been lacking. This paper will supply that insight by exploring three interrelated questions: What are the location characteristics of Beijing's art villages? How has economic transformation shaped their location? Is there anything unique about the evolution of Beijing's art villages? Analyses of information gathered through field reconnaissance and secondary sources reveal that these art villages have expanded rapidly in the urban fringe of metropolitan Beijing. Major factors influencing its location and relocation include the cost of rental properties, the quality of the creative environment, attributes of the transitional land and art markets, and public policies for Beijing's metropolitan development. Rapid economic transition and urban growth in China have shaped a trajectory of art village evolvement distinctive from that in Western metropolises. The fate of art villages in Beijing is determined by the transitional characteristics of urban development, art markets and state policies.

Leaving the City: Artist Villages in Beijing

Leaving the City: Artist Villages in Beijing

Design of primary health care package for village and township health facilities in Beijing

The paper presented the principles and references for identifying services of the primary health care at townships and villages in Beijing, and proposed the screening criteria for primary health care package in rural Beijing. Studies made have identified the screening results for the package applicable to both townships and villages in Beijing, along with analysis for the rationale, applicability and operability of the package. Moreover, it probed into the assurance conditions for offering primary health care as a reference for other regions in the country. Key words: Rural health care; Primary health care; Design