BACKGROUND The quickening pace of change and adoption of western lifestyles by people in developing countries has led to a sharp rise in the incidence of hypertension. Yet epidemiological studies using validated methods are rare especially in Central Africa. METHODS The prevalence of hypertension, according to the World Health Organization definition (systolic blood pressure [SBP] > or = 160,...

T he answers to important questions in urban economics depend on the density of population, not the size of population. In particular, positive production or residential externalities, as well as negative externalities such as congestion, are typically modeled as a function of density (Chatterjee and Carlino 2001, Lucas and Rossi-Hansberg 2002). The speed with which new knowledge and production...

As international trade increases so does the prominence of urban areas as gateways for exotic forest insects (EFI).Delimiting hot spots for invasions (i.e., areaswhere establishment is likely) within urban areas would facilitate monitoring efforts. We used a propagule-pressure framework to delimit establishment hot spots of a hypothetical generalist EFI in six U.S. urban areas: Chicago, Detroit...

Understanding varying levels of biodiversity within cities is pivotal to protect it in the face of global urbanisation. In the early stages of urban ecology studies on intra-urban biodiversity focused on the urban-rural gradient, representing a broad generalisation of features of the urban landscape. Increasingly, studies classify the urban landscape in more detail, quantifying separately the e...

Hedblom, M. 2007. Birds and butterflies in Swedish urban and peri-urban habitats: a landscape perspective. Doctor's dissertation. Urbanisation is considered to be one of the largest threats to biodiversity although little is known about the effect of habitat fragmentation on native flora and fauna in urban areas in general, and in Sweden specifically. In this thesis, data have been collected us...

The urban environment is characterized by an intense use of the available space, where the preservation of open green spaces is of special ecological importance. Because of dynamic urban development and high mapping costs, municipal authorities are interested in effective methods for mapping urban surface cover types that can be used for evaluating ecological conditions in urban structures and ...

I prophylaxis is the most effective strategy to eradicate I deficiency disorders, but it has been shown to affect the thyroid disease pattern. In this study, we assessed the frequency of thyroid disorders in an adult population living in two areas of southern Italy after implementing I prophylaxis. To this aim, a cross-sectional, population-based study including 489 subjects from an I-deficient...

The peri-urban area is the region where there is a more dynamic interaction between the urban and rural. The peri-urban area supplies natural resources, such as land for urban expansion and agricultural products to feed the urban population. In arid and semi-arid lands, such as northern Mexico, these areas may also be the source of water for the city's domestic demand. In addition, scholars arg...

In this investigation, a numerical model expressing advection and diffusion effects is used to examine air temperature rise in urban areas that are on the leeward side of green areas. The model results are then verified by comparison with measurement results. When the measurement point is at a distance of 30 m or more from a green area, the air temperature of the urban area is not affected by t...