Theoretical and Methodological Framework for the Development of Urban Climatic Planning Recommendation Maps

Urban climatic analyses and planning recommendation maps are becoming increasingly important in the climate-sensitive planning of cities. Urban climatic maps typically include two main components (Ren et al. 2012): an urban climatic analysis map and an urban climatic planning recommendation map. Given the urgent need for action due to climatic changes in urban areas, planning recommendation maps are essential for introducing and locating measures that effectively increase the adaptive capacity of cities, thus increasing the resilience of urban areas and their inhabitants (Baumüller 2015). The first urban climatic maps were produced in Germany in the 1970s and currently they are used worldwide. The aim of this contribution is to develop a theoretical and methodological framework for the development of urban climatic planning recommendation maps. The main focus is on the review of existing theories and methods that serves as a roadmap for developing these maps. The examples show that these analyses usually consist of four steps or four areas of processing: (i) an urban climatic analysis, (ii) additional in-depth analyses, (iii) the development and location of measures and (iv) the consolidation in a planning information map (Ren et al. 2011). Within the urban climatic analysis two main approaches are common: pure static GIS (Geographic Information System) derived maps or mainly meteorologically focused maps including the calculation of regional climate simulations (and hybrid forms thereof). Supplementary in-depth analyses are often carried out, such as the intersection with socio-demographic data to identify areas that are particularly vulnerable from a social point of view, or analyses based on specific urban or spatial configurations (Reisinger et al. 2020). In the third step of the process, measures are usually developed at different levels or for different sectors of urban development. As a final step, the results are summarised in planning recommendation maps and the measures are spatially located (Baumüller 2015). Each of these individual steps has been intensively researched in the last few years; the synopsis or bringing together of these numerous research projects and approaches is a gap that this contribution seeks to fill. The contribution demonstrates available approaches, methods and tools necessary to translate scientific climatic knowledge into urban planning recommendation maps, considering that the analyses for a particular city or municipality are strongly limited in reproducibility to other citys, even in the same country. Based on this, a theoretical and methodological framework for the development of urban climatic planning recommendation maps is elaborated that enables the creation of these

Requirements for a Dashboard Application to Facilitate Climate-Smart Planning for Sustainable Resilient Green and Blue Cities

To ensure a liveable, resilient and sustainable city in the future, climate change adaptation and mitigation measures must be integrated into urban development projects. This is necessary to counteract the negative effects of climate change, as Austria is already experiencing a noticeable increase in the number of hot days and an increase in extreme weather events (ÖKS 15). Adaptation to climate change requires that the impact of an urban development project on the local microclimate be assessed as early as possible in order to minimise the effects and optimise the project. Microclimate analyses can be used to assess the impact of a development project or to compare different variants of a project and show the effects on local temperature, perceived temperature, wind field or humidity (Oswald et al. 2020). At the same time, urban planning processes are increasingly influenced by digitalisation in the form of Building Information Modelling (BIM). Linking microclimate simulation and BIM is therefore an important step for the future of sustainable cities. So far, however, no tool exists that combines the various requirements and enables microclimatic assessment or optimisation of urban development projects. Some planning or assessment tools, such as microclimate models or green area indicators, allow for sectoral assessments. What is missing is a comprehensive tool that makes it easy to present the various impacts of a project to spatial planning and development decision-makers, investors and planners and, last but not least, to the general public, such as (future) residents. This contribution analyses and describes the requirements for such a tool in the form of a web-based dashboard that uses BIM models, links them to microclimatic simulations, and additionally presents key performance indicators (KPI), such as green area indicators, in a structured way. The design of the dashboard is data and task dependent (Conrow et al. 2023); in light of the challenges and opportunities associated with optimising urban development projects from a microclimatic point of view, we set out to address issues related to (i) the requirements for the user interface, i.e. the dashboard, (ii) the requirements for the models (BIM model and microclimatic numerical simulation model), (iii) the possible applications in different planning phases, and (iv) the necessary requirements for data and data preparation. The aim of the contribution is to analyse and describe the requirements, implementation perspectives and application possibilities of a web-based dashboard, which enables climate impact assessments, macro-ecological data for properties and neighbourhoods in an early planning phase (“climate check”) on the basis of three-dimensional building models

Theoretical Framework for Integrated Neigbourhood Development to Ensure Ecological, Social and Climatic Performance

Urban development is traditionally a planning task in which many individual aspects, strategies and measures have to be considered and coordinated. Socio-economic, socio-demographic and socio-cultural change, fast growing cities, densification, supply of green infrastructure, resource management to name a few, are all urgent issues of our time that require an intensive examination of the challenges for urban development, as well as the development of coping strategies. Last but not least, the needs of climate protection, the consequences of climate change and the global loss of biodiversity are (emerging) pressing challenges for urban planning which have to be considered within all processes. At the same time, more and more data and tools are available, which - properly processed, used, examined and evaluated - support the cities in the design and implementation of their urban planning and urban development strategies. These tools are also increasingly used to automate and simplify these processes and analyses. Due to the complexity of challenges the common approach in urban planning is a sectoral approach (Ovink & Boeijenga 2018, Juschten et al. 2021) where individual experts analyse their field of action and based on these develop sectoral solutions and measures. There are numerous sectoral strategies in and for cities, some of which contain contradictory planning requirements with respect to other sectors and therefore depict the need of intersectoral and comprehensive planning strategies. The second approach necessary for integrated neighbourhood development is to consider the different planning and policy levels. Planning decisions at higher levels influence local decision-making possibilities and vice versa. The aim of this contribution is to present the development of a theoretical and methodical concept for integrated and participatory neighbourhood development processes. The article is based on a research project in the market town of Lustenau with around 25,000 inhabitants in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. The market town of Lustenau is taking a large-volume educational building project in the quarter Rotkreuz to address integrated, inter- and transdisciplinary development of an existing neighbourhood. The research question is: “How can integrated neighbourhood development be implemented taking into account climate protection, climate change adaptation, ecosystem services of urban nature, biodiversity and social concerns?”. This contribution describes how these fields can be characterised, analysed and incorporated in master planning processes and how digital tools support the analysis and balancing of these different requirements

Determination of host cell proteins constituting the molecular microenvironment of coronavirus replicase complexes by proximity-labeling

Positive-sense RNA viruses hijack intracellular membranes that provide niches for viral RNA synthesis and a platform for interactions with host proteins. However, little is known about host factors at the interface between replicase complexes and the host cytoplasm. We engineered a biotin ligase into a coronaviral replication/transcription complex (RTC) and identified >500 host proteins constituting the RTC microenvironment. siRNA-silencing of each RTC-proximal host factor demonstrated importance of vesicular trafficking pathways, ubiquitin-dependent and autophagy-related processes, and translation initiation factors. Notably, detection of translation initiation factors at the RTC was instrumental to visualize and demonstrate active translation proximal to replication complexes of several coronaviruses. Collectively, we establish a spatial link between viral RNA synthesis and diverse host factors of unprecedented breadth. Our data may serve as a paradigm for other positive-strand RNA viruses and provide a starting point for a comprehensive analysis of critical virus-host interactions that represent targets for therapeutic intervention

Rest-Mediated Regulation of Extracellular Matrix Is Crucial for Neural Development

Neural development from blastocysts is strictly controlled by intricate transcriptional programmes that initiate the down-regulation of pluripotent genes, Oct4, Nanog and Rex1 in blastocysts followed by up-regulation of lineage-specific genes as neural development proceeds. Here, we demonstrate that the expression pattern of the transcription factor Rest mirrors those of pluripotent genes during neural development from embryonic stem (ES) cells and an early abrogation of Rest in ES cells using a combination of gene targeting and RNAi approaches causes defects in this process. Specifically, Rest ablation does not alter ES cell pluripotency, but impedes the production of Nestin+ neural stem cells, neural progenitor cells and neurons, and results in defective adhesion, decrease in cell proliferation, increase in cell death and neuronal phenotypic defects typified by a reduction in migration and neurite elaboration. We also show that these Rest-null phenotypes are due to the dysregulation of its direct or indirect target genes, Lama1, Lamb1, Lamc1 and Lama2 and that these aberrant phenotypes can be rescued by laminins

Replication, Gene Expression and Particle Production by a Consensus Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV) Genome

Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV) genomes are clonally integrated in tumor tissues of approximately 85% of all Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) cases, a highly aggressive tumor of the skin which predominantly afflicts elderly and immunosuppressed patients. All integrated viral genomes recovered from MCC tissue or MCC cell lines harbor signature mutations in the early gene transcript encoding for the large T-Antigen (LT-Ag). These mutations selectively abrogate the ability of LT-Ag to support viral replication while still maintaining its Rb-binding activity, suggesting a continuous requirement for LT-Ag mediated cell cycle deregulation during MCC pathogenesis. To gain a better understanding of MCPyV biology, in vitro MCPyV replication systems are required. We have generated a synthetic MCPyV genomic clone (MCVSyn) based on the consensus sequence of MCC-derived sequences deposited in the NCBI database. Here, we demonstrate that transfection of recircularized MCVSyn DNA into some human cell lines recapitulates efficient replication of the viral genome, early and late gene expression together with virus particle formation. However, serial transmission of infectious virus was not observed. This in vitro culturing system allows the study of viral replication and will facilitate the molecular dissection of important aspects of the MCPyV lifecycle

MUSiC : a model-unspecific search for new physics in proton-proton collisions at root s=13TeV

Results of the Model Unspecific Search in CMS (MUSiC), using proton-proton collision data recorded at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1), are presented. The MUSiC analysis searches for anomalies that could be signatures of physics beyond the standard model. The analysis is based on the comparison of observed data with the standard model prediction, as determined from simulation, in several hundred final states and multiple kinematic distributions. Events containing at least one electron or muon are classified based on their final state topology, and an automated search algorithm surveys the observed data for deviations from the prediction. The sensitivity of the search is validated using multiple methods. No significant deviations from the predictions have been observed. For a wide range of final state topologies, agreement is found between the data and the standard model simulation. This analysis complements dedicated search analyses by significantly expanding the range of final states covered using a model independent approach with the largest data set to date to probe phase space regions beyond the reach of previous general searches.Peer reviewe

Measurement of prompt open-charm production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

The production cross sections for prompt open-charm mesons in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV are reported. The measurement is performed using a data sample collected by the CMS experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 29 nb(-1). The differential production cross sections of the D*(+/-), D-+/-, and D-0 ((D) over bar (0)) mesons are presented in ranges of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity 4 < p(T) < 100 GeV and vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.1, respectively. The results are compared to several theoretical calculations and to previous measurements.Peer reviewe