Urban climate studies: addressing the role of urban green spaces

Cities present a wide range of climate transformations resulting from changes induced by buildings and other artificial structures, including such effects as the urban heat island (UHI) and the changes in the ventilation patterns. Under these conditions, urban climate analysis is increasingly considered as a necessary activity that should be part of the urban planning practice. Although there has been a wide development of climate studies across different countries, further improvement is needed to address a wider diversity of geographic locations and conditions (Ren et al., 2010). Stewart and Oke (2012) defined a set of Local Climate Zones (LCZ) as a way to address such a complex reality, including both urban and periurban locations. As part of the European funded project BIOURB, a study is taking place in Bragança (Portugal) aiming at studying local urban climate, while establishing a basic methodology that can be used as a reference for cities located in the regions of the North of Portugal and Castilla-León (Spain). The methodology can be described as consisting on the integration of urban climate monitoring with the interpretation of major factors influencing local climate (topography, land use and artificial structures), allowing for the interpretation of major climate transformations, with the ultimate goal of providing urban design strategies. Urban climate monitoring is being carried out with a combination of twenty three temperature and relative humidity sensors, five wind anemometers and three weather stations. The location of these equipment addresses different LCZs and the potential rural to urban gradient, including several green spaces within the urban limits. Results from a full year campaign, show that while addressing a small, though complex, urban reality and despite the proximity to rural surroundings, the Urban Heat Island effect reaches intensity values over 5oC during the hot summer nights, thus showing the contrast between the higher temperatures resulting from the effects of artificial surfaces, anthropogenic heat and heat retention by buildings, and the lower temperatures observed in green spaces both within and outside the town. As urban climate study is still being carried out, preliminary results suggest green spaces are relevant assets in climate intervention by both diminishing thermal load, relevant under warm summer conditions and to potentially being associated to topographic dynamic processes such cold air drainage (valleys), wind reduction (woodlands) or wind enhancing (grasslands)

Mapeamento climático urbano, aplicações à cidade de Bragança

Esta comunicação descreve o processo de mapeamento climático da cidade de Bragança, como parte do Projecto POCTEP - BIOURB. Este processo partiu da definição de um conjunto de camadas de informação, trabalhadas em Sistemas de Informação Geográfica (SIG), com as quais se definiram características territoriais (morfológicas) e urbanas, com influência sobre o clima local. Estes elementos foram posteriormente classificados em função do seu contributo potencial para dois processos complementares: carga térmica potencial e dinâmica potencia

Multi-item Inventory Problem: Literature Review and a Proposal for Practitioners

[EN] Inventory managers have to assign an inventory policy to each item seeking to satisfy a required global service level with the lowest inventory cost. This paper reviews the existing literature and, based on current research, the most appropriate options are proposed to be used by practitioners.[ES] Los gestores de inventario tienen que asignar una política de inventario a cada artículo con el fin de satisfacer un nivel de servicio global requerido con el menor coste de inventario. En el presente documento se examina la bibliografía existente y, sobre la base de las investigaciones actuales, se proponen las opciones más apropiadas para su utilización práctica.Cardós, M.; De-La-Fuente-Aragón, M.; Ros-Mcdonnell, L. (2021). Multi-item Inventory Problem: Literature Review and a Proposal for Practitioners. Direccion y Organizacion. 74:67-80. https://doi.org/10.37610/dyo.v0i74.603S67807

Distribuição espacial dos bivalves de água doce nas bacias hidrográficas dos rios Tâmega, Tua e Sabor (bacia do Rio Douro)

Este trabalho teve por objectivo fazer um levantamento dos bivalves de água doce das bacias dos rios Tâmega, Tua e Sabor e encorajar a conservação das espécies autóctones e dos ecossistemas onde ocorrem. De referir que estas populações nativas são muito sensíveis a modificações súbitas e bruscas do habitat como secas, construção de barragens com consequentes descargas tóxicas, sobre-exploração dos recursos hídricos, desaparecimento dos hospedeiros das larvas e introdução de espécies exóticas invasoras, sendo incapazes de recuperarem por si só. Foram registadas quatro espécies de bivalves nativas mais concretamente a Margaritifera margaritifera, o Unio delphinus (anteriormente designado por Unio cf. pictorum), a Anodonta anatina e a Potomida littoralis e uma espécie exótica da família Corbiculidae (Corbicula fluminea). Das cinco espécies encontradas a M. Margaritifera é a única que ocorre nos troços superiores dos cursos de água e apenas está presente no rio Tua (rios Tuela e Rabaçal). Esta é uma espécie muito ameaçada a nível mundial e nacional, estando incluída nos Anexos II e V da Directiva Habitats, no Anexo III da Convenção de Berna e está classificada como “Em Perigo” pelo Livro Vermelho da IUCN. As restantes espécies localizam-se exclusivamente nos sectores médios e inferiores dos três rios estudados. Das espécies nativas presentes nestes sectore, apenas a Potomida littoralis é pouco frequente e abundante, aparentando estar em regressão. Quanto à Anodonta anatina e ao Unio delphinus a sua distribuição é generalizada e localmente abundante. Relativamente à Corbicula fluminea, espécie introduzida de capacidade invasiva, esta encontra-se espalhada pelos vários sectores médio e inferiores. Esta espécie devido à sua plasticidade ecológica e capacidade reprodutiva poderá exercer efeitos negativos para a conservação das espécies autóctones de bivalves de água doce e para outros elementos do ecossistema afectado. Visto que são já visíveis alguns sinais de regressão das espécies autóctones, tais como a diminuto recrutamento ou falta dele, a sua conservação depende da manutenção/restauração das condições ambientais actuais dos rios onde ocorrem

Estudos preliminares de populações de náiades nos sectores terminais dos rios Tua e Sabor (bacia do Douro): análise do habitat e da qualidade da água e sedimentos

O exíguo conhecimento das condições ecológicas presentes nos rios Tua e Sabor, que permitem a existência de populações viáveis das náiades Unio delphinus (anteriormente designado por Unio cf. pictorum), Anodonta anatina e Potomida littoralis, é condição básica para a monitorização destes ecossistemas. Neste sentido, no Verão de 2009 foram feitos estudos preliminares de caracterização do habitat e microhabitat usado pelas espécies de náiades bem como análises à qualidade da água e sedimentos. No que concerne ao habitat, foi aplicada a metodologia RHS (River Habitat Survey) complementada com uma análise do microhabitat baseada em transeptos por cada troço de rio seleccionado. Foram, por isso, determinadas as variáveis profundidade, substrato dominante e sub-dominante, velocidade da corrente medida na coluna de água e no leito, e cobertura em cada área amostrada (0,25 m2). As náiades apresentaram uma distribuição espacial característica, concentrando-se principalmente em zonas ensombradas e de substrato fino. Relativamente à qualidade da água detectaram-se valores de condutividade >100 µS.cm-1, nutrientes, Amónia 0,18 +/- 0,02 mg/L, Nitritos e Nitratos 4cm) 7,0 x 103 ufc/ml e biofilme 5,0 x 104 ufc/ml e especialmente de E.coli (água 115 ufc/ml, sedimento superior (4cm) 12 ufc/ml e biofilme 400 ufc/ml) indicadoras de perturbação de origem antrópica. Como medida de conservação das diferentes espécies encontradas e destes ecossistemas aquáticos (rios Tua e Sabor), considera-se essencial a monitorização que vise a manutenção/melhoria da qualidade da água e do habitat, controlo das espécies exóticas e minimização dos efeitos da regularização e sobrepesca com o intuito de evitar a regressão assinalada noutros rios de Portugal

Development of a biking index for measuring Mediterranean cities mobility

[EN] The European Union, its member states and local authorities have been working for long time on the design of solutions for future sustainable mobility. The promotion of a sustainable and affordable urban transport contemplates the bicycle as a mean of transport. The reasons for analysing the cycling mobility in urban areas, has its origin in the confrontation with motorized vehicles, as a sustainable response to the environment. In this context of sustainable mobility, the research team has studied the use of bicycles in Mediterranean cities, specifically in coastal tourist areas.  The present work shows the development of a mobility index oriented to the bicycle, transport that competes with the private vehicle. By means of a survey methodology, the research group proceeded to collect field data and the subsequent analysis of them, for the development of a mobility index adapted to bicycle mobility, and with possibilities to adapt to urban environments.Ros-Mcdonnell, L.; De-La-Fuente, M.; Ros-Mcdonnell, D.; Cardós Carboneras, MJ. (2020). Development of a biking index for measuring Mediterranean cities mobility. International Journal of Production Management and Engineering. 8(1):21-29. https://doi.org/10.4995/ijpme.2020.10834OJS212981Akerman, J., Banister, D., Dreborg, K., Nijkamp, P., Schleicher-Tappeser, R., Stead, D., Steen P. (2000). European Transport Policy and Sustainable Mobility. Ed. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203857816Banister, D. (2008). The sustainable mobility paradigm . Transport Policy, 15(2), 73-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2007.10.005Botma, H. (1995). Method to determine level of service for bicycle paths and pedestrian-bicycle paths. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1502, 38-44.Bulkeley, H., Betsill, M.M. (2005). Rethinking sustainable cities: Multilevel governance and the Urban politics of climate change. Environmental Politics,14(1), 42-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/0964401042000310178Copenhagenize Index (2011). https://copenhagenizeindex.euDGPI (2010). Fomento del transporte en bicibleta. Dirección General de Políticas Interiores - Transporte y Turismo, Parlamento Europeo.Dill, J. (2009). Bicycling for transportation and health: the role of infrastructure. Journal of Public Health Policy, 30, 95-110. https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2008.56ECF (2017). EU Cycling Strategy. Recommendations for Delivering Green Growth and an Effective Mobility in 2030. https://ecf.com/eu_cycling_strategyEurobarometer (2014). Attitudes on Issues related to EU Transport Policy.European Commission (1999). Cycling: The Way Ahead for Towns and Cities (European Commission, Brussels).European Commission (2013). Civitas Initiative, https://www.civitas-initiative.eu.Ewing, R., Schmid, T., Killingsworth, R., Zlot, A., & Raudenbush, S. (2003). Relationship between urban sprawl and physical activity obesity and morbidity. American Journal of Health Promotion, 181, 47-57. https://doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-18.1.47Ewing, R., Handy, S., Brownson, R., Clemente, O., Winston, E. (2006). Identifying and measuring urban design qualities related to walkability. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 3, 223-240. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.3.s1.s223Flowerdew, R., Manley, D., Sabel, C. E. (2008). Neighbourhood effects on health: does it matter where you draw the boundaries? Social Science and Medicine, 666, 1241-1255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.11.042Forsyth, A., Oakes, J., Schmitz K., Hears, M. (2007). Does residential density increasing walking and other physical activity? Urban Studies, 44, 679-697. https://doi.org/10.1080/00420980601184729Frank, L., Sallis, J., Saelens, B., Leary, L., Cain, K., Conwa, T., Hess, P. (2009) The development of a walkability index: application to the neighborhood quality of life study. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 44, 924-933. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2009.058701GEOSP (2017). Barómetro de la bicicleta en España. Informe de resultados 2017.Goldman, T., Gorham, R. (2006). Sustainable urban transport: four innovative directions. Technology in Society, 28(1-2), 261-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2005.10.007Gutierrez, C., Gu, S., Karam, L., Thomas, T. (2017). Measuring and Evaluating Bikeability in San Francisco. In URBANST 164: Sustainable Cities, 3-29.Hartanto, K., Grigolon, A., Maarseveen, M., Brussel, M. (2017). Developing a bikeability index in the context of transit-oriented development (TOD). In: 15th International Conference on Computers in Urban Planning and Urban Management (CUPUM), Adelaide (Australia).Holden, E. (2007). Achieving sustainable mobility: everyday and leisure-time travel in the EU. Ed. Ashgate Publishing.Hydén, C., Nilsson, A., Risser, R. (1998). How to enhance walking and cycling instead of shorter car trips and to make these modes safer. In: Institutionen för Trafikteknuk, Lunds Tekniska Högskola, n° 165.Jensen, S.U. (2007). Pedestrian and bicyclist level on roadway segments. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2031, 43-51. https://doi.org/10.3141/2031-06Pucher, J., Dijkstra, P. (2003) Promoting safe walking and cycling to improve public health: lessons from the Netherlands and Germany. American Journal of Public Health, 939, 1509-1516. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.93.9.1509Krambeck, H.V. (2006). The Global Walkability Index. MIT.Krenn, P.J., Oja, P., Titze, S. (2015). Developing a bikeability index to score the biking friendliness of urban environments. Open Journal of Civil Engineering, 5, 451-459. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojce.2015.54045Lowry, M. B., Callister, D., Gresham, M., Moore, B. (2012). Assessment of communitywide bikeability with bicycle level of service. Transportation Research Record, Journal of the Transportation Reserach Board, 2314, 41-48. https://doi.org/10.3141/2314-06Marqués, R., Hernández-Herrador, V., Calvo-Salazar, M., García-Cebrián, J. A. (2015). How infrastructure can promote cycling in cities: Lessons from Seville. Research in Transportation Economics, 53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2015.10.017Mesa, V. G., Barajas, D. E. P. (2013). Cali bikeability index map : A tool for evaluating public investment and future needs. Journal of Transport Geography, 4(1), 5-8.Miralles, C., Cebollada, A. (2003). Movilidad y transporte. Opciones políticas para la ciudad. Fundación alternativas.Muñuzuri, J., Cortés, P., Onieva, L., Guadix, J. (2000). Modelling Freight Delivery Flows: Missing Link of Urban Transport Analysis. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 135(3), September 2000. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000011Nijkamp, P., Reggiani, A., Tritapepe, T. (1996). Modelling inter-urban transport flows in Italy: A comparison between neural network analysis and logit analysis. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 4(6), 323-338. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0968-090X(96)00017-4Rodriguez, G., Alonzo, L. (2005). Carreteras. Ed. UPM.Ros-McDonnell, L., de-la-Fuente, M.V., Ros-McDonnell, D., Cardós, M. (2018). Analysis of freight distribution flows in an urban fuctional area. Cities, 79, 159-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2018.03.005Sanchez, M. (2016) Metodología para la evaluación de la ciclabilidad de una red urbana de carriles bici. Aplicación en la ciudad de Málaga. XVII Congreso Nacional de Tecnologías de Información Geográfica (Málaga)Santos, L., de las Rivas, J.L. (2008). Ciudades con atributos: conectividad, accesibilidad y movilidad. Revista Ciudades, 11, 13-32.Sanz, A. (1997). Movilidad y accesibilidad: un escollo para la sostenibilidad urbana. In http://habitat.aq.upm.es/cs/p3/a013.html.Vale, D., Saraiva, M., Pereira, M. (2016). Active accessibility: A review of operational measures of walking and cycling accessibility. The Journal of Transport and Land Use, 9, 209-235. https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2015.593Winters, M., Brauer, M., Setton, E., Teschke, K. (2013). Mapping bikeability: a spatial tool to support sustainable travel. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 40(5), 865-883. https://doi.org/10.1068/b38185Winters, M., Teschke, K., Brauer, M., Fuller, D. (2016). Bike Score: Associations between urban bikeability and cycling behaviour in 24 cities. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical activity, 13(18), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-016-0339-

Estudos preliminares de populações de mexilhão-de-rio (Margaritifera margaritifera l.) nos rios Rabaçal e Tuela Nordeste de Portugal): análise do habitat e da qualidade da água e sedimentos

Permanecem pouco estudadas as condições ecológicas dos rios Rabaçal e Tuela que permitem a existência de populações viáveis de mexilhão-de-rio (Margaritifera margaritifera L.). Estudos preliminares realizados no Verão de 2009 permitiram caracterizar o habitat e microhabitat usado pela espécie assim como a qualidade da água e sedimentos. Relativamente ao habitat foi aplicada a metodologia RHS (River Habitat Survey) complementada com uma análise do microhabitat. Realizaram-se 30 transectos por cada troço de rio seleccionado e determinadas as variáveis da profundidade, substrato dominante e sub-dominante, velocidade da corrente, medida na coluna de água e no leito, e cobertura em cada área amostrada (0.25 cm2). A M. margaritifera apresentou uma distribuição espacial não aleatória, concentrando-se em zonas específicas. As curvas de preferência permitiram detectar diferenças entre os juvenis, presentes maioritariamente em habitats com corrente, menor profundidade e substrato grosseiro (pedras e seixos), e os adultos, de distribuição mais ampla, capazes de colonizar zonas lênticas, com maior profundidade, ausência de corrente e substrato de granulometria fina (areias). No que respeita à qualidade da água detectou-se baixo teor sais dissolvidos (condutividade < 50 µScm-1) e nutrientes (N-Total <0,1 mg/L) (POM <3 mg/L PIM < 0,01mg/L). Apesar da qualidade da água ser elevada foi detectada uma baixa concentração de coliformes totais na água e sedimento indicando alguma influência antropogénica. Como medida de conservação da espécie nestes rios afigura-se essencial a monitorização das descargas de efluentes domésticos, dos efeitos da regularização e sobrepesca com o intuito de evitar a regressão assinalada noutros rios de Portugal

The in-plane paraconductivity in La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 thin film superconductors at high reduced-temperatures: Independence of the normal-state pseudogap

The in-plane resistivity has been measured in $La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4$ (LSxCO) superconducting thin films of underdoped ($x=0.10,0.12$), optimally-doped ($x=0.15$) and overdoped ($x=0.20,0.25$) compositions. These films were grown on (100)SrTiO$_3$ substrates, and have about 150 nm thickness. The in-plane conductivity induced by superconducting fluctuations above the superconducting transition (the so-called in-plane paraconductivity, $\Delta\sigma_{ab}$) was extracted from these data in the reduced-temperature range 10^{-2}\lsim\epsilon\equiv\ln(T/\Tc)\lsim1. Such a $\Delta\sigma_{ab}(\epsilon)$ was then analyzed in terms of the mean-field--like Gaussian-Ginzburg-Landau (GGL) approach extended to the high-$\epsilon$ region by means of the introduction of a total-energy cutoff, which takes into account both the kinetic energy and the quantum localization energy of each fluctuating mode. Our results strongly suggest that at all temperatures above Tc, including the high reduced-temperature region, the doping mainly affects in LSxCO thin films the normal-state properties and that its influence on the superconducting fluctuations is relatively moderate: Even in the high-$\epsilon$ region, the in-plane paraconductivity is found to be independent of the opening of a pseudogap in the normal state of the underdoped films.Comment: 35 pages including 10 figures and 1 tabl

Contribution of non-ionic interactions on bile salt sequestration by chitooligosaccharides: potential hypocholesterolemic activity

Chitooligosaccharides have been suggested as cholesterol reducing ingredients mostly due to their ability to sequestrate bile salts. The nature of the chitooligosaccharides-bile salts binding is usually linked with the ionic interaction. However, at physiological intestinal pH range (6.4 to 7.4) and considering chitooligosaccharides pKa, they should be mostly uncharged. This highlights that other type of interaction might be of relevance. In this work, aqueous solutions of chitooligosaccharides with an average degree of polymerization of 10 and 90 % deacetylated, were characterized regarding their effect on bile salt sequestration and cholesterol accessibility. Chitooligosaccharides were shown to bind bile salts to a similar extent as the cationic resin colestipol, both decreasing cholesterol accessibility as measured by NMR at pH 7.4. A decrease in the ionic strength leads to an increase in the binding capacity of chitooligosaccharides, in agreement with the involvement of ionic interactions. However, when the pH is decreased to 6.4, the increase in charge of chitooligosaccharides is not followed by a significant increase in bile salt sequestration. This corroborates the involvement of non-ionic interactions, which was further supported by NMR chemical shift analysis and by the negative electrophoretic mobility attained for the bile salt-chitooligosaccharide aggregates at high bile salt concentrations. These results highlight that chitooligosaccharides non-ionic character is a relevant structural feature to aid in the development of hypocholesterolemic ingredients.publishe