Greenway Exploration in the Satellite Jungle: Discovery of Urban and Rural Green Network with Satellite Image Analysis in Hungary

Over the last few decades of growing data production in the field of remote sensing and GIS, we have experienced a rapid development of methods and tools in green network analysis. A series of journal articles, methodological and technical guidelines describe how to map green system based on aerial photography and satellite imagery. Many studies stress that green networks have a climatic conditioning role and outstanding ecological significance in landscapes. Environmental agreements and sustainability aspects emphasize the need for mapping and managing green infrastructure in urban and rural landscapes. The usual question is: What are the elements of green infrastructure in a study area? In the last few months, we have prepared a series of satellite images and aerial photo analyses and have processed freely available spatial data on green spaces, land use, climatic hot spots, and have searched for ecological and recreational potential of landscapes in Hungary, in order to explore greenway suitability. In this paper, we make a report about our research, discovering greenway potential of urban and rural landscapes

Az Edző-Sportoló Kapcsolat Kérdőív hazai adaptációja, a sportoló szemszögén keresztül

Jelen tanulmány célja az Edző-Sportoló Kapcsolat Kérdőív (CART-Q, Jowett és Ntoumanis, 2004) magyar változatának pszichometriai vizsgálata, a mérőeszköz reliabilitásának és validitásának elle - nőrzése. A kérdőív érvényességét és megbízhatóságát egy 515 fős kényelmi mintán ellenőriztük (átlagéletkor=20,41 év; SD=7,43; férfi=252; nő=263). A fent említett kérdőív mellett felvételre került a Sportkörnyezet Kérdőív (SCQ-H; Deci, 2001; Kovács és mtsai, 2020), a Sportmotiváció-2 Kérdőív (SMS-2; Pelletier és mtsai, 2013, Smohai és mtsai, 2019), az Edzői Viselkedési Kérdőív (CBQ; Williams és mtsai, 2003), valamint a Sportverseny Pillanatnyi Szorongás Skála (CSAI-2; Sipos és mtsai, 1999). A megerősítő faktor - analízis során a kétfaktoros (χ2/df=5,09, TLI=0,94, CFI=0,95, RMSEA=0,09, SRMR=0,04), és háromfaktoros modell (χ2/df=5,59, TLI=0,93, CFI=0,95, RMSEA=0,09, SRMR=0,04) illeszkedési mutatói is megfelelőnek bizonyultak. A kérdőív skáláinak belső megbízhatósága megfelelőnek bizonyult (Cronbach-α: 0,79-0,91). A konvergens validitás vizsgálata során a korábbi kutatásokkal megegyező, pozitív irányú korrelációkat kaptunk a CART-Q alskálái és az öndeterminált sportmotiváció típusai, az észlelt edzői autonómia-támogatás mértéke, az önbizalom, valamint a támogató edzői viselkedés között (r=0,24 – 0,71), valamint negatív irányú kapcsolatot találtunk a vizsgált kérdőív alskálái és az amotiváció és a negatív edzői viselkedés között (r=-0,31– -0,55). A kérdőív magyarra fordított változata pszichometriailag megfelelő mérőeszköznek tekinthető

Challenges and Answers of Urban Development Focusing Green Infrastructure in European Metropolises

Urban sprawl is a general problem of developed countries and several European strategies highlight the importance of controlled development, compact settlements structure, and protection of ecologic values. We analyzed European metropolis regions focusing on challenges of preservation of green infrastructure and controlling urban sprawl. Vienna has protected the green spaces in and around the city for a century already. In case of Munich, the “compact-urban-green” leitmotif was implemented. Rennes created a green belt around the city, protecting agricultural land and privileges high densification and the agglomeration is planned in a polycentric model. In our comparison analysis, we would like to draw the consequences for metropolitan region of Budapest for which the state adopted an act for shaping the frames of spatial development. The Urban Atlas elaborated by the European Environmental Agency helps us to compare the land development between 2006 and 2012 in the surveyed metropolis regions

Cultural Ecosystem Services and Local Identity – A ppGIS Case Study from Budapest Metropolitan Region

Several studies and international conventions highlight the importance of public participation in the process of strategy building. In spite of all these initiatives, public participation methods are not common tools in the practice (especially in Central-Eastern-Europe). In the frames of our research, we applied the ppGIS (Public Participation GIS) method, a special, mostly new tool in Hungary, in order to bridge the gap between the scientific world and local citizens. The method combines community based mapping with GIS techniques. It aims to foster the integration of the public into the process of evaluation, planning, and decision making using GIS technology. Our former research project justified the significance of this method, especially in mapping cultural ecosystem services, since these cases are the most important to local knowledge. We applied the ppGIS method in micro-region of Vác, situated in Budapest Metropolitan Region. Five cultural ecosystem services were chosen based on former scientific literatures (these are the most commonly used cultural ecosystem services, since these describe the social-cultural background of a place, region): aesthetic value, recreational value, spiritual value, cultural and historic value, and educational value. The survey was carried out between 2017 and 2018 collecting 184 maps. The data was digitized and processed using GIS. The objectives were to define the level of local identity in this peri-urban region, and to analyze the relationship between the frequently used, visited areas and the location of the most important cultural landscape elements for the locals. We had the following research questions: Which landscape elements, settlements, regions are marked mostly with local significance? What are the causes for regional disparities? Do the commuting or travel routes influence the significance of landscape values for the society? Is there any correlation between hiking trails, cycling routes and the location of marked landscape elements? Our results show that most of the regionally known values are in the administrative and historic center of the micro-region, but some settlement-groups may have their own local identity, as the level of appreciation differs when we analyze the separate watersheds within the micro-region. It turned out that there is a correlation between bike routes and cultural ecosystem services in the region. The hiking routes are crossing the area where the most values were marked by locals outside of town centers or villages. In spite of high road density and the huge number of commuting residents, the most important daily routes did not always influence priorities locally

Deciphering the Biology of \u3ci\u3eCryptophyllachora eurasiatica\u3c/i\u3e gen. et sp. nov., an Often Cryptic Pathogen of an Allergenic Weed, \u3ci\u3eAmbrosia artemisiifolia\u3c/i\u3e

A little known, unculturable ascomycete, referred to as Phyllachora ambrosiae, can destroy the inflorescences of Ambrosia artemisiifolia, an invasive agricultural weed and producer of highly allergenic pollen. The fungus often remains undetectable in ragweed populations. This work was conducted to understand its origin and pathogenesis, a prerequisite to consider its potential as a biocontrol agent. The methods used included light and transmission electron microscopy, nrDNA sequencing, phylogenetic analyses, artificial inoculations, and the examination of old herbarium and recent field specimens from Hungary, Korea, Ukraine and USA. The Eurasian and the North American specimens of this fungus were to represent two distinct, although closely related lineages that were only distantly related to other lineages within the Ascomycota. Consequently, we describe a new genus that includes Cryptophyllachora eurasiatica gen. et sp. nov. and C. ambrosiae comb. nov., respectively. The pathogenesis of C. eurasiaticawas shown in A. artemisiifolia. No evidence was found for either seed-borne transmission or systemic infection. Two hypotheses were developed to explain the interaction between C. eurasiatica and A. artemisiifolia: (i) as yet undetected seed-borne transmissions and latent, systemic infections; or (ii) alternative hosts

Subgroups of Paediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Might Differ Significantly in Genetic Predisposition to Asparaginase Hypersensitivity.

L-asparaginase (ASP) is a key element in the treatment of paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). However, hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) to ASP are major challenges in paediatric patients. Our aim was to investigate genetic variants that may influence the risk to Escherichia coli-derived ASP hypersensitivity. Sample and clinical data collection was carried out from 576 paediatric ALL patients who were treated according to protocols from the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster Study Group. A total of 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GRIA1 and GALNT10 genes were genotyped. Patients with GRIA1 rs4958351 AA/AG genotype showed significantly reduced risk to ASP hypersensitivity compared to patients with GG genotype in the T-cell ALL subgroup (OR = 0.05 (0.01-0.26); p = 4.70E-04), while no such association was found in pre-B-cell ALL. In the medium risk group two SNPs of GRIA1 (rs2055083 and rs707176) were associated significantly with the occurrence of ASP hypersensitivity (OR = 0.21 (0.09-0.53); p = 8.48E-04 and OR = 3.02 (1.36-6.73); p = 6.76E-03, respectively). Evaluating the genders separately, however, the association of rs707176 with ASP HSRs was confined only to females. Our results suggest that genetic variants of GRIA1 might influence the risk to ASP hypersensitivity, but subgroups of patients can differ significantly in this respect

Deciphering the biology of Cryptophyllachora eurasiatica gen. et sp. nov., an often cryptic pathogen of an allergenic weed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia

A little known, unculturable ascomycete, referred to as Phyllachora ambrosiae, can destroy the inflorescences of Ambrosia artemisiifolia, an invasive agricultural weed and producer of highly allergenic pollen. The fungus often remains undetectable in ragweed populations. This work was conducted to understand its origin and pathogenesis, a prerequisite to consider its potential as a biocontrol agent. The methods used included light and transmission electron microscopy, nrDNA sequencing, phylogenetic analyses, artificial inoculations, and the examination of old herbarium and recent field specimens from Hungary, Korea, Ukraine and USA. The Eurasian and the North American specimens of this fungus were to represent two distinct, although closely related lineages that were only distantly related to other lineages within the Ascomycota. Consequently, we describe a new genus that includes Cryptophyllachora eurasiatica gen. et sp. nov. and C. ambrosiae comb. nov., respectively. The pathogenesis of C. eurasiatica was shown in A. artemisiifolia. No evidence was found for either seed-borne transmission or systemic infection. Two hypotheses were developed to explain the interaction between C. eurasiatica and A. artemisiifolia: (i) as yet undetected seed-borne transmissions and latent, systemic infections; or (ii) alternative hosts