Tempo-Spatial Patterns of Land Use Changes and Urban Development in Globalizing China: A Study of Beijing

This study examines the temporal and spatial changes in land use as a consequence of rapid urban development in the city of Beijing. Using a combination of techniques of remote sensing and GIS, the study identifies a substantial loss of plain dryland and a phenomenal expansion of urban construction land over the recent decade. Geographically, there is a clear shifting of urban construction land from the inner city to the outskirts as a consequence of suburbanization. The outward expansion of the ring-road system is found to be one of the most important driving forces explaining the temporal and spatial pattern of land use change. The uneven distribution of population stands as another factor with significant correlation with land use change. The application of the techniques of remote sensing and GIS can enhance the precision and comparability of research on land use change and urban transformation in China

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Examining shrinking city of Detroit in the context of socio-spatial inequalities

Urban sprawl and inner city decline are two common and interconnected outcomes of contemporary metropolitan development. More than 25% of large cities in the world are considered shrinking cities. Detroit is one of the most notorious examples of severe decline in North America. We examined the residential housing vacancy severity in the City of Detroit in comparison with the seventeen other cities in metropolitan Detroit. We developed a systematic and quantitative framework to investigate city shrinking from the perspectives of both causes and dynamics. The framework consists of three consequent regressions: the regional model to analyze the causes and dynamics of urban shrinking, the city models to reveal regional disparity and to identify primary inequality factors, and the regional logistic categorical model to examine the effect of primary social-spatial inequality factors on urban shrinking. Through these analyses, we found that the odds of becoming vacant were 9.01 times higher in census tracts with the highest concentration of less educated population, 7.16 times higher where a good portion of housing structures didn\u27t have a full kitchen, 7.06 times higher in tracts with the most concentrated Black population, 5.47 times higher where a good portion of housing were multi-unit structures, and 4.76 times higher in tracts with the poorest population. We concluded that urban shrinking was often accompanied with urban sprawl; regional inequality was manifested in multiple scales and socio-spatial inequality became increasingly alarming; the causes and dynamics of urban shrinking were inevitably intertwined; and racial segregation and persistent poverty were the primary cause of long-lasting urban shrinking in Metropolitan Detroit

A livelihood resilience measurement framework for dam-induced displacement and resettlement

The concepts of resilience and livelihood resilience are growing in prominence with water resource development that aims to measure and build resilience to specific disturbances and shocks. However, practical frameworks to measure livelihood resilience are needed, not just a theoretical framework. In this paper, we introduce the livelihood resilience measurement (LRM) framework, which draws on Hooke’s law; use the state vector method to calculate livelihood resilience scores; and test the effectiveness of the method by correlation analysis. We illustrate the framework by using it to measure livelihood resilience in Henan Province, China, and assess the strategies that build livelihood resilience. The advantages and limitations of the framework are explored and discussed by drawing on empirical examples. Besides illustrating how to apply the LRM framework in a practical case, we discuss how to communicate with stakeholders to identify and strengthen the factors that build resilience. In this study, land ownership, housing and property value, and emergency cost are the most significant of these factors. Thus, the LRM framework has the potential to help reservoir-affected families protect their livelihood capital and to help governments improve social welfare. It can thus serve as a tool for monitoring and improving the effectiveness of policies and practices aimed at building livelihood resilience

Benefit Sharing in Hydropower Development: A Model Using Game Theory and Cost&ndash;Benefit Analysis

Globally, hydropower is one of the most important energy sources, but its development often entails population displacement. Traditional economics cannot fundamentally resolve disputes over relocation compensation. In the present study, we use the game theory to model the relationship between stakeholders. The main issue is the distribution of benefits between hydropower developers and the affected population. To distribute benefits more fairly and rationally, we model the benefits and costs for the developers and the affected people over the full life cycle of the project, consider the affected people as project investors, adjust benefit distribution based on the internal rate of return, and assess the rationality of the resulting plan. Under this benefit-sharing model, hydropower developers and affected people can share benefits and risks, effectively eliminate conflicts, and ensure project success. The model provides guidance for the formulation of compensation for affected people, and a new paradigm for the study of benefit-sharing mechanisms for hydropower development

Benefit Sharing in Hydropower Development: A Model Using Game Theory and Cost–Benefit Analysis

Globally, hydropower is one of the most important energy sources, but its development often entails population displacement. Traditional economics cannot fundamentally resolve disputes over relocation compensation. In the present study, we use the game theory to model the relationship between stakeholders. The main issue is the distribution of benefits between hydropower developers and the affected population. To distribute benefits more fairly and rationally, we model the benefits and costs for the developers and the affected people over the full life cycle of the project, consider the affected people as project investors, adjust benefit distribution based on the internal rate of return, and assess the rationality of the resulting plan. Under this benefit-sharing model, hydropower developers and affected people can share benefits and risks, effectively eliminate conflicts, and ensure project success. The model provides guidance for the formulation of compensation for affected people, and a new paradigm for the study of benefit-sharing mechanisms for hydropower development

Rethinking livelihood resilience after development-induced displacement and resettlement: a case study of Qianping Reservoir

To explore the livelihood problems following development-induced displacement and resettlement, this article selects 234 affected families of the Qianping Reservoir in China and builds a livelihood resilience inferred measurement model to assess and verify their livelihood resilience. The research shows that households that have a reasonable income structure or that resettled near their original residence have higher livelihood resilience. Moreover, the proportion of agricultural income and physical capital have the most significant impact on livelihood resilience compared with other socio-economic indicators. These findings can help individuals make better preparations in advance and guide governments to do well in assistance after resettlement