Urban Greening Effect on Land Surface Temperature.

Urbanization has accelerated the conversion of vegetated land to built-up regions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of urban park configuration on the Land Surface Temperature of the park and adjacent areas. In urban parks, the study analyzed the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), and the Land Surface Temperature (LST). The NDVI categorization process resulted in the development of a vegetation density distribution. The majority of Medan's urban areas were categorized as low density, as seen by their low NDVI values. The NDBI values were significantly higher in the majority of the area. This shows that the majority of places are experiencing a decline in vegetation cover. The density of vegetation varies according to the placement of park components such as trees, mixed plants, recreation, and sports areas. According to LST data, the temperature in the urban park was cooler than in the surrounding areas. Although the surrounding areas are densely populated, urban parks are dominated by trees. Additionally, there is a green space adjacent to the park, which is a green lane that runs alongside the main roadways.

Comparison of helminth community of Apodemus agrarius and Apodemus flavicollis between urban and suburban populations of mice.

The growing human population and the development of urban areas have led to fragmentation and destruction of many natural habitats but have also created new urban habitats. These environmental changes have had a negative impact on many species of plants and animals, including parasite communities. The aim of present study was to compare the helminth communities of Apodemus flavicollis and Apodemus agrarius in natural and urban habitats. Helminth burdens were assessed in 124 mice, 48 A. flavicollis, and 76 A. agrarius from two managed forests close to the city boundaries and two city parks within Warsaw, Central Poland. In total, eight species of helminths, Nematoda (n = 3), Digenea (n = 2), and Cestoda (n = 3), were identified. Helminth community structure and prevalence/abundance of individual helminth species differed significantly between the two Apodemus species. Overall, prevalence and abundance of helminth species were significantly higher in A. agrarius compared to A. flavicollis. For A. flavicollis, higher prevalence and abundance of helminths were detected in individuals from managed forest habitats in comparison to city parks. In striped field mice, much higher prevalence and mean abundance were recorded in rodents trapped in city parks than in managed forests. This phenomenon may be explained by better adaptation of A. agrarius, compared to A. flavicollis, to city habitats, resulting in high local densities of mice and the full range of parasite species affecting this host species. Our data confirm also that the established routes of infection exist for selected helminth species in the urban environment.

The Level of Particulate Matter on Foliage Depends on the Distance from the Source of Emission.

One of the most dangerous inhaled pollutants is particulate matter (PM). PM in inhaled air have a negative impact on human wellbeing and health, and may even cause deaths. Where pollutants have been emitted into the outdoor atmosphere, the only possible method for cleaning the air is through phytoremediation, a form of environmental biotechnology, where plants act as biological filters for pollutants. This study compared PM levels on the leaves of Tilia cordata Mill. trees growing in locations at increasing distances from the source of the PM emission. Significant differences between individual trees growing at a distance of between 3 m and 500 m from the road edge were found in: (i) the mass of PM that accumulated on leaves (total, surface, in-wax and the three determined size fractions) and (ii) the amount of waxes deposited on leaves.

Urban park system on public health: underlying driving mechanism and planning thinking.

The driving mechanism and planning thinking of the impact of urban park system on public health the mission of urban geography, urban and rural planning or landscape architecture are to coordinate the relationship between people and places, people and nature. The municipal park system is an important part of the urban green space system. In order to effectively play the role of the urban park system in promoting the health of urban residents. This manuscript studies the coupling relationship between the "urban park system" and the "public health system" by building a coordination model, reveals the driving mechanism of the urban park system affecting the benign development of public health, and clarifies the positive driving effect of urban parks on public health. Finally, based on the analysis results, the manuscript considers the optimal development strategy of urban parks from the macro and micro levels to promote the sustainable development of urban public health.

The effect of residential greenness and city park visiting habits on preschool Children's mental and general health in Lithuania: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the association between levels of residential surrounding greenness, preschool children's park use, sedentary behaviour, and mental and general health. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 1489 4-6-year-old children - residents of Kaunas city, Lithuania. Responses to the questionnaires completed by parents were used to ascertain children's general and mental health. We estimated exposure to greenness by the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and time spent in a park (i.e. park use). We used multivariate logistic regression models to explore the independent associations between health outcomes and surrounding greenness and time spent in the nearest city park, controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS: Of all the studied children, 14% had poor perceived general health, and 44.7% spent 5 or more hours per week in city parks. A significant increase in sedentary behaviour was observed in children with poor health. Every additional hour of time spent in parks was associated with decreased sedentary behaviour and a lower risk of poor health; meanwhile, lower residential greenness was associated with poorer mental and general health. Compared with NDVI-100 m > median and park use exceeding 5 h per week, lower greenness exposure and shorter park usage were associated with the risk of poor health (adjusted odds ratio 2.32 (95% CI: 1.43, 3.78) and the general risk of mental difficulties (adjusted odds ratio 1.43 (95% CI: 1.03, 2.18) in 4-6-year-old children. CONCLUSIONS: Lower residential greenness levels and less time spent in a park were associated with poorer general and mental health among 4-6-year-old children. Physical activity in green spaces is recommended as a measure to prevent poor general and mental health among children.

Molecular and Biological Differences Among Ochroconis Strains Collected from Indoor and Outdoor Environments.

The molecular, morphological, and physiological characters of 55 Ochroconis strains collected from indoor and outdoor environments were studied. In Japan, Ochroconis species are often found in indoor detergent-rich environments, such as bathrooms and washing machines, and the predominant species have been identified as O. humicola, similar to that in other Asian and European countries. Although Ochroconis species have rarely been found in outdoor environments such as mountains, forests, and agricultural fields, in the present study, Ochroconis strains were specifically isolated from the soils of urban city parks. Phylogenetic analysis conducted using the 28S ribosomal RNA (28S rDNA) gene sequence showed that almost all of the Ochroconis strains found in indoor environments (i.e., water supply) were O. humicola. Although city parks were often surrounded by residences, more than half of the Ochroconis strains collected from the soils of city parks examined in this study were different Ochroconis species. The ability to use detergents as nutrients was found in a new genetic group (probably a new species) isolated from the soils of city parks as well as in O. humicola and O. constricta. Ochroconis humicola is assumed to adapt mostly to indoor environments and to penetrate from the outdoors, e.g., soils of urban areas. To elucidate the factors promoting indoor fungal predominance, the ability of using surfactants as nutrients was compared among these three species. Additionally, growth under alkaline and drought conditions, and heat tolerance were examined. Indoor predominance of O. humicola compared to that of the other two species was attributed to the ability of using a non-ionic surfactant as nutrient and to growth under alkaline conditions.

Associations between neighbourhood greenness and asthma in preschool children in Kaunas, Lithuania: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between surrounding greenness levels and asthma among children, and to explore a possible change of this association by the distance of the residence to a city park. DESIGN: A nested case-control study. SETTING: Children aged 4-6 years residing at their current address since birth in Kaunas, Lithuania, whose mothers were recruited in 2007-2009 to the KANC newborns cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: The participants were 1489 children whose parents in 2012-2013 filled in the questionnaires and agreed to participate in the study. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: We estimated clinically diagnosed asthma risk factors. The surrounding greenness was measured as the average of the satellite-based Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within the buffers of 100, 300 and 500 m from each child's home address, and the distance to a city park was defined as the distance to the nearest city park. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to study the relationship between the greenness exposures and asthma adjusted for relevant covariates. RESULTS: An increase in the NDVI (>median) in buffers of 100, 300 and 500 m was associated with a slightly increased risk of asthma, while an IQR increase in NDVI-100 m statistically significantly increased the risk of asthma (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.85). The stratified analysis by surrounding greenness revealed indications of stronger associations for children with higher surrounding greenness (NDVI-100>median) and those living farther away from parks (>1000 m), compared to NDVI-100≤median and the distance to a city park >1000 m (OR 1.47, 95% CI 0.56 to 3.87). CONCLUSIONS: A higher level of the surrounding greenness was associated with a slightly increased relative risk of asthma in children. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the influence of city parks and neighbourhood greenness levels on asthma.