126,736 research outputs found
Caterpillar phenology predicts differences in timing of mountain chickadee breeding in urban and rural habitats
No full textTo ensure the survival of their offspring, birds need to precisely time their reproduction: when offspring have the highest demand for food, food resources should be most abundant. In temperate environments, caterpillars are often a key food source for nestlings, so many insectivorous bird species time their reproduction to correspond to the peak abundance of caterpillars in their habitat. Mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) are small songbirds that naturally inhabit coniferous forests, but are also found in urban areas. Reproductive timing of these birds may be altered by urbanization, as mountain chickadees in the city have been shown to breed earlier than those in natural habitat. This study aimed to determine if caterpillar abundance drives reproductive timing of mountain chickadees and if urbanization alters the timing of caterpillar abundance. Birds in both urban and rural habitats were monitored throughout the breeding season. Caterpillar abundance was estimated at each nest location by collecting samples of caterpillar excrement (frass).We found that in both urban and rural habitat, frass mass changed throughout the breeding season, but the date of maximum frass mass occurred about one week earlier in urban habitat. However, in both habitats maximum frass mass occurred when offspring were approximately 11 days old. Our results suggest that mountain chickadees time their reproduction to correspond to caterpillar abundance, and birds in urban environments may be reproducing earlier to correspond with earlier peak caterpillar abundance in the city.Peer reviewedarticlespublishedPoecile gambeliFrassUrbanizationReproductive timingCaterpillarMountain chickade
Urban K. Cummings
No full textUrban K. Cummings, 95, died after a few years of declining health but resisting death as long as he could. Born in 1928, Urban worked as a mechanical engineer at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Inhibition of BK channels by GABAb receptors enhances intrinsic excitability of layer 2/3 vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing interneurons in mouse neocortex
No full textDatasets for the publication titled: Bogaj K, Urban-Ciecko J. Inhibition of BK channels by GABAb receptors enhances intrinsic excitability of layer 2/3 vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing interneurons in mouse neocortex. J Physiol. 2025 Mar;603(5):1171-1196. doi: 10.1113/JP286439. Epub 2025 Feb 3. PMID: 39901494; PMCID: PMC11870045.Raw data contains electrophysiological records in *.abf format (Clampfit, Molecular Devices, free to open and analysis).Please consult the Readme.odt file for additional information. For more details see related publication or contact the corresponding author.</p
Urban ‘tourism exploration space’: the example of Łódź
No full textThe author refers to the concept of ‘tourism space’ published earlier, and confronts this notion with a definition of ‘urban space’, bearing in mind that both these ‘spaces’ are subspaces of general ‘geographical space’. Assuming that each is distinguished on the basis of differing criteria, the author believes that the tourism function which gives rise to ‘tourism space’ can develop within ‘urban space’. Further on, the formulation of a precise definition of urban ‘tourism exploration space’ is focused on, which is understood as a personal space of created in the discovery of a city. The conclusion includes three case studies of urban ‘tourism exploration space’ in Łódź: Bidermann family properties, Piotrkowska courtyards and the ‘Green Ring of Tradition and Culture’
GABAAR-mediated tonic inhibition differentially modulates intrinsic excitability of VIP- and SST- expressing interneurons in layers 2/3 of the somatosensory cortex
No full textData set used for study published in the following paper:Bogaj K, Kaplon R, Urban-Ciecko J. GABAAR-mediated tonic inhibition differentially modulates intrinsic excitability of VIP- and SST- expressing interneurons in layers 2/3 of the somatosensory cortex. Front Cell Neurosci. 2023 Oct 12;17:1270219. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1270219. PMID: 37900589; PMCID: PMC10602639. Raw data contains electrophysiological records in *.abf format (Clampfit, free online).Abbreviations: VIP, vip - vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing interneuron SST, sst - somatostatin-expressing interneuronPyr, pyr - pyramidal neuronm - malef - femaleINs - interneuronsPTX - picrotoxinTHIP - 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-3-olGABAAR - receptor for gamma-aminobutyric acid type ASD noise - Standard Deviation of the baseline noiseFor more details see the related paper and/or contact the corresponding author. All the abbreviations are explained in the related paper.</p
Urban land grabs in Africa?
No full textAfrica is rapidly urbanising. New dynamics of investments and mobilities ensue the expansive urbanisation, generating transformative effects on the continents urban land and built environment. The transformative effects are also on the future prospects for sustainable living conditions for African urban dwellers. This special issue of Built Environment has collected articles that carefully observe these effects, in order to explore whether these are indeed leading to ‘urban land grabs’, which take place in new forms of commodification and speculation of land and properties. We recognise that the trend of commodification and speculation is likely to intensify, as the new modernisation agenda is being propagated in the name of pursuing urban sustainability and resilience, corresponding to the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, inclusive urban development is also debated in these international agendas, as ordinary citizens increasingly confront livelihood and land use changes, spatial alteration and social segregation, or physical displacement. In this context, we know little about how African urban dwellers’ experiences could be understood and used to envision genuinely sustainable and inclusive urban development. In this editorial, we give an overview of various emerging urban land investments and how they are experienced by urban dwellers. As shown in all the articles of this special issue, we argue that the far reaching impact of increased investments and mobilities leading to commodification and land speculation as well as the urban dwellers’ agency to navigate the impact deserve more attention in discussions on sustainable and inclusive urban development in Africa
Informality and the Development and Demolition of Urban Villages in the Chinese Peri-urban Area
No full textThe fate of Chinese urban villages (chengzhongcun) has recently attracted both research and policy attention. Two important unaddressed questions are: what are the sources of informality in otherwise orderly Chinese cities; and, will village redevelopment policy eliminate informality in the Chinese city? Reflecting on the long-established study of informal settlements and recent research on informality, it is argued that the informality in China has been created by the dual urban-rural land market and land management system and by an underprovision of migrant housing. The redevelopment of chengzhongcun is an attempt to eliminate this informality and to create more governable spaces through formal land development; but since it fails to tackle the root demand for unregulated living and working space, village redevelopment only leads to the replication of informality in more remote rural villages, in other urban neighbourhoods and, to some extent, in the redeveloped neighbourhoods. © 2012 Urban Studies Journal Limited
URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN THE CONTEXT OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND URBAN POLICY
No full textDuring the last decade, in many European countries and cities, area-based Urban Development Programmes have been initiated, in response to major problems of poverty and social exclusion. Urban Development Programmes are usually developed in a complex interplay between different governmental levels, and implemented by a wide variety of public and non-public parties. This paper addresses the organisation of these programmes, concentrating in particular on the form and extent of 'public-public partnership', i.e. on the role that the different levels of the public administration play, both through the administrative system and through policy-making. The 'empirical' basis for the paper consists of case studies, derived from the UGIS project ('Urban Governance, Social Inclusion and Sustainability,' a research project financed by the European Commission, DG RTD). The short analysis makes clear that both the model of public administration, in terms of the extent and form of decentralisation, and the presence (or lack) of a national policy framework determine the extent to which UDPs can be planned, approved and implemented at the local level. One of the main findings is that the central influence over UDPs depends more on the urban policy framework of the central government than on the model of public administration of a country. Countries with strong national (regional) urban policies, sufficient decentralisation of public administration to the municipal level and the use of governance methods at the local level open up possibilities for successful UDPs. Without upper-level urban policy frameworks UDPs might be successful as well, but their replicability and the control over their external effects will not be ensured. Copyright (c) 2005 by the Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG.
Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Kyiv (Ukraine): "Crisis Induced Strategy" versus Recreational Resource
No full textFor the study 240 Kyiv households with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) have been surveyed in 2005. Quotas were assigned to four different types of plots. A standardized questionnaire was developed to collect data on crop and animal production, inputs, sales of produce for income, importance of the plot for self-sufficiency, recreation and leisure time. A factor analysis is employed to reduce attitudinal data. Based on factor scores a cluster analysis is conducted to segment the respondents into more homogeneous groups and to show multiple purposes of UPA. Four clusters labeled as “Seekers of leisure activities”, “UPA-dependent growers”, “Recreation-oriented growers” and “Little engaged growers” are created. Multiple purposes of UPA are shown by profiling the clusters due to demographic, socioeconomic and other selected characteristics. The results show that depending on the type of plot the importance of UPA shifts from livelihood necessity to recreational resource or combines both.Urban and peri-urban agriculture, livelihood, Ukraine, Farm Management,
Urban policies and the creation of healthy urban environments: A review of government housing and transport policy documents in the United Kingdom
No full textUrban environments are key health determinants and play a critical role in improving health outcomes and equity. However, urban policies in the United Kingdom (UK) and globally frequently fail to produce healthy towns and cities. Given the highly centralized nature of UK policy, we analyzed national UK policy documents published since 2010 in two key areas of urban policy: housing supply and transport. We found that health is largely absent in narratives shaping urban development and, where health is included, it is as an assumed indirect outcome of delivering other policy agendas. Thus, we recommend that explicit direct and measurable health objectives must be integrated front and center in urban policies, and cross-sector collaboration across national government on health prevention to manage the complex linkages across policy areas. Evidencing the interactive effects between improving health outcomes and dominant urban policy agendas can incentivize shared accountability for health outcomes
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