• Title/Summary/Keyword: habitat aspects

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Capturing the Underlying Structure of a 'Segment-line' City: Its Configurational Evolution and Functional Implications

  • Ling, Michelle Xiaohong
    • International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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    • v.6 no.2
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    • pp.139-147
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    • 2017
  • Analyzing morphological evolution over a long period of time is deemed an effective way to identify problems occurring in the process of urban development, in addition to achieving a fundamental understanding of socio-cultural changes and growth rooted from the context. As far as the urban morphology is concerned, Hong Kong is characterized by its unique high-density and compact layout patterns, which have aroused the interest of a number of authors in the urban design domain. Whilst an increasing number of redevelopment projects in Hong Kong were criticized for ignoring and destroying the old urban fabric, there is a need for research to investigate the origins and changes of various urban patterns and their implications for society. By employing the theories and techniques of space syntax, this paper accordingly provides a morphological analysis based on the Wanchai District - a 'Segment-line' city, which particularly epitomizes various urban grids of Hong Kong and may have different implications for functional aspects. By axial-mapping the urban layouts of five stages of growth since 1842 and subsequently investigating their spatial and functional transformation over the past 170 years, this paper identifies a series of spatial characteristics underlying different grid patterns, as well as achieves a precise understanding of their ever changing relationship. Based on these understandings, this paper intends to provide valuable reference and guidance for upcoming spatial development in Hong Kong and other regions.

Ecophysiological characteristcs of Plant Taxon-Specific Calcium Metabolism (식물 분류단위 특이적인 칼슘대사의 생리생태학적 특성)

  • 추연식;송승달
    • The Korean Journal of Ecology
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    • v.21 no.1
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    • pp.47-63
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    • 1998
  • In order to compare species-specific calcium metabolism, we collected 127 species belonging to 40 different families grown on various habitats including saline, limestone, wetland during the 1996 vegetation period, and analyzed their inorganic ion contents. Plants investigated were divided into 5 groups according to their physiological properties: 1) Chenopodiaceae, Aizoaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Portulacaceae and Phytolaccaceae of Centrospermales and Polygonaceae (Polygonales had a little water-soluble $Ca^{2+}$ but contained high contents of insoluble $Ca^{2+}$ particularly as Ca-oxalate (Chenopodiaceae type), 2) Some plant species such as Rosaceae produced oxalate in amounts insufficient to precipitate all incoming $Ca^{2+}$ and thus contained a surplus of dissolved $Ca^{2+}$ (Rosaceae type), 3) The contents of water-soluble $Ca^{2+}$ in plant species of Crassulaceae. Plantaginaceae, Asclepiadaceae, and Zygophyllaceae were equal to or greater than those of K ($K/Ca{\leq}1$; Crassulaceae type), and 4) K/Ca ratios of Compositae were significantly fluctuated depending on species and soil $Ca^{2+}$ level of their habitats (Compositae type). 5) Certain monocots (Gramineae, Cyperaceae, Juncaceae), in contrast to the dicotyledonous plant families mentioned above, showed a very distinct type of calcium metabolism, that is, the K/Ca ratios of 8~10 were maintained indifferently in the species and their habitat types (Graminae type). These results plants within the same taxon have similar physiological aspects as weel as morphological attributes. To understand calcium metabolism of certain plant species, therefore, it is desirable to approach on the basis of physiological concept (calciotroph or calciophobe) rather than the ecological one (calcicole or calcifuge).

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The Core Urban Design Strategies of Tall Building - Low Carbon Community

  • Liu, Enfang;Fan, Wenli;Pan, Jianing;Li, Jianqiang
    • International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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    • v.2 no.2
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    • pp.85-91
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    • 2013
  • Tall building has some controversial aspects with low carbon city, but it is still a sensible choice for the metropolitan city. This paper aims to develop holistic urban design strategies to minimize impacts on the environment, increase energy efficiency and improve the quality of living in tall building communities by utilizing tall building characteristics. It puts forward the concept of integrated tall building-low carbon community design from the perspective of urban design, and summarizes five core strategies: Temporal state based on energy use, Complementary energy use state based on functions, Spatial state based on regional environment features, Transportation state based on low-carbon lifestyle and Waste utilization state based on tall building characteristics. It also applies the strategies to a practical project. The results show that the proposed urban design strategies are available approaches to mitigate the side effects of tall building on low carbon city.

A Study on Evaluation Method of Stream Naturalness for Ecological Restoration of Stream Corridors (우리나라 중소하천 코리도의 자연성 평가기법 연구)

  • 조용현
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.25 no.2
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    • pp.73-81
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    • 1997
  • The main purpose of this study was to develop a new method for evaluation of stream naturalness in order to appraise and prescribe for streams effectively in the process of ecological restoration of stream corridors. The results are as follows : 1) For this purpose six factors were selected on considering the spatial axes of stream corridor variation and total 20 descriptors about the physical structure were selected. 2) The calculation of S.N.I. for each segment was consisted of three steps, such as calculation of S.N.I.s of the individual descriptors, averaging all the descriptors's for each factor, and finally averaging the factors's for the Total S.N.I. 3) The evaluation unit was decided to be 100m size. The score system ranging 1~5 was adopted. Weighting parameters of factors were unified with each other. 4) A GIS model was adopted for classification, calculation, querying, analysing, and presenting S.N.I. information. And the format of S.N.I. maps including statistical graphs and other spatial watershed information was designed for the GIS odel. The naturalness of stream corridor was was investigated by the naturalness of habitat, and assessed by the descriptors focused on physical structure, therefore the S.N.I. can manifest prescriptions for restoration of the stream corridor. On the other hand because some evaluation factors such as water quality, water volume, fauna, flora, functions of stream exosystem has been excluded, S.N.I. could have some limits on representing the full aspects of stream naturalness. This evaluation method is hypothetical one, so it would be investigated through iterative applicatons.

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A Review on Fire Safety Engineering: Key Issues for High-Rise Buildings

  • Li, Guo-Qiang;Zhang, Chao;Jiang, Jian
    • International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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    • v.7 no.4
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    • pp.265-285
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    • 2018
  • This paper presents a state-of-the-art review on the design, research and education aspects of fire safety engineering (FSE) with a particular concern on high-rise buildings. FSE finds its root after Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, followed by Great London Fire in 1666. The development of modern FSE is continuously driven by industry revolution, insurance community and government regulations. Now FSE has become a unique engineering discipline and is moving towards performance-based design since 1990s. The performance-based fire safety design (PBFSD) involves identification of fire safety goals, design objectives, establishment of performance criteria, and selection of proper solutions for fire safety. The determination of fire scenarios and design fires have now become major contents for PBFSD. To experience a rapid and positive evolution in design and research consistent with other engineering disciplines, it is important for fire safety engineering as a profession to set up a special educational system to deliver the next-generation fire safety engineers. High-rise buildings have their unique fire safety issues such as rapid fire and smoke spread, extended evacuation time, longer fire duration, mixed occupancies, etc., bringing more difficulties in ensuring life safety and protection of property and environment. A list of recommendations is proposed to improve the fire safety of high-rise buildings. In addition, some source information for specific knowledge and information on FSE is provided in Appendix.

New or Renew: Constructing Tomorrow with Kit of Parts

  • Ilkay Standard;Sena Kucukayan
    • International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.97-102
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    • 2024
  • In this paper, we would like to share our ongoing research on global population and demographic shifts and the corresponding need for diverse responses. As population growth varies worldwide, the pressing issue is the current global housing shortage. The USA alone lacks 4 million homes, underlining the urgency for new construction and renewal of existing. Our focus is primarily on new building processes, which must also incorporate elements of renewal for future sustainability. Our research addresses several key questions: How will roles for construction professionals change? What should be the primary goal of the design process? What types of technologies are currently available, and which aspects of the process can be enhanced with AI? A significant part of our study is exploring sustainable building methods that reduce embodied carbon and increase speed of construction. Our goal is to extend the transition from smart homes to cities, analyzing the evolution towards smart communities and cities. A critical aspect of our research is the 'kit of parts concept, involving prefabrication and modular construction. This approach is essential for both rebuilding and new projects, potentially lowering costs in manufacturing and design for long term. Lastly, we present a detailed comparison of the construction industry with manufacturing.

Fisheries in Geray Reservoir could be managed using biometric and reproductive characteristics of the Common carp (Cyprinus carpio L. 1758)

  • Yirga Enawgaw;Ayalew Sisay;Asnaku Bazezew;Solomon Wagaw;Assefa Wosnie
    • Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.27 no.6
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    • pp.337-345
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    • 2024
  • This study looked at some biometric and reproductive aspects of the Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) - the overexploited fish species in the Geray Reservoir as a foundation to develop an efficient fisheries management strategy. 50 fish samples (20 to 44 cm and 130 to 2,400 g) were collected between October and May 2022 using a cast net with a mesh size of 6 cm. The ratio of male to female C. carpio (1:0.52) was deviating from the anticipated 1:1 ratio. The absolute fecundity of C. carpio was relatively low (12,375 to 31,392 eggs). Gonadosomatic index varied from 0.01 to 4.6 (male) to 0.24-12.75 (female), and the spawning period of C. carpio extended from December to January. The length-weight relationships for males (TW = 0.0009TL3.87) and females (TW = 0.0007L3.97) indicate that C. carpio had positive allometric growth; which may have been caused by unsuitable habitat conditions and overfishing. There is a need to develop fisheries management like implementing integrated conservation efforts and reducing wetland farming. For this, this information provides a baseline data.

A Diagnosis of Ecological Health Using a Physical Habitat Assessment and Multimetric Fish Model in Daejeon Stream (물리적 서식지평가기법 및 어류 다변수 평가모델에 의거한 대전천의 생태학적 건강도 진단)

  • Kim, Ja-Hyun;An, Kwang-Guk
    • Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.38 no.3 s.113
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    • pp.361-371
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    • 2005
  • The objective of study was to diagnose integrative ecological health of Daejeon Stream, one of the tributaries of Guem River, during May 2004 ${\sim}$ April 2005. The research approach was primarily based on a Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) and the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) using fish assemblage. These outcomes were compared with conventional chemical dataset. For the experiment, four sampling sites were chosen from Daejeon Stream and long-term water quality data during 1995 ${\sim}$ 2004 (obtained from the Ministry of Environment) were analyzed in the spatial and temporal aspects. For the biological health assessment, we developed a stream health assessment model (SHA model) far regional applications. We found that current water quality conditions, based on the COD, BOD, TN and TP, were enhanced by 1.6 ${\sim}$ 5.3 fold over the period of 1995 ${\sim}$ 2004 and that the parameters showed a typical longitudinal decline from the upstream to downstream reach. The differences of water quality between the two reaches were more than 4.4 times, indicating a large spatial variations within the stream. The health conditions, based on the SHA model, averaged 23 and varied from 20 to 26 depending on the sampling stations. Values of the QHEI varied from 39 (Poor condition) to 124 (Cood condition)and values of QHEI in the reach of S2 ${\sim}$ S4 had significantly lower than in the headwater site (S1). Also, biological stream health, based on the criteria of US EPA (1993), was judged as 'Poor condition', in the S4 where TN, TP, BOD and COD were highest. In the meantime, maximum value of SHA (26) was found in the upstream reach (S1) where the water quality and QHEI were best. We also found that compositions of sensitive species showed a linear function with water quality conditions and this pattern was evident in the tolerant species. Thus, the biological stream health, based on the SHA model, matched well water chemistry. Overall outcomes suggest that the biological health impact was a function of chemical degradation and physical habitat quality in the stream.

Population Size Estimation of the Kaloula borealis in the Daemyung Retarding Basin (대명유수지에 서식하는 맹꽁이 Kaloula borealis 개체군 크기 추정)

  • Choi, Seo-Young;Rho, Paikho
    • Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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    • v.30 no.4
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    • pp.684-693
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    • 2016
  • Daemyung retarding basin located near the confluence floodplain of the Nakdong and Kumho River is a large spawning site for the endangered Kaloula borealis, and needs for protecting the habitat of the endangered species are increasing. However, scientific studies are rarely conducted on the population characteristics and ecological knowledge on the species in the basin. This paper aims to estimate the population size and spatial distribution of the species that inhabited at the Daemyung retarding basin, using the capture-recapture method. Also, pitfall traps were installed in each habitat types classified with micro-topographic features, slope aspects, and vegetation communities to identify the spatial distribution characteristics of the Kaloula borealis of each habitat in the retarding basin. Field survey on the species was conducted from May 2013 to October 2014, showing that the species emerged in May, became more active during July and August and started to hibernate at the end of October. Using capture-recapture method, the first survey was carried out from July to August, 2014. Ninety-eight toads were captured, marked, and released back into the site. In the second survey, 68 toads including 5 marked toads of the previous survey were captured. Based on these two-sample surveys, around 535-2,131 individual toads are estimated to inhabit the Daemyung retarding basin. Fifty-seven pitfall traps were installed in four habitat types: mounded and vegetated flatland, lowland swamps, and slope areas of both the southern and western parts of the basin in order to delineate spatial abundance of the endangered Kaloula borealis during the rainy season when the species is actively spawning. Pitfall traps at the spatially explicit array indicated that the species gradually move to the slope areas near the Daemyung stream, showing high occurrence density of the Kaloula borealis compared to the lowland swamps after the spawning season. The emergence of Kaloula borealis in the lowland swamps appeared to be comparatively higher during the spawning season. However, after the spawning season the toads species rapidly moved into the neighboring land of relatively high elevation such as the slope area towards the Dalsung protected wetlands and Daemyung River. These results are closely related to the migration patterns that toads tend to return to the sheltering sites and/or hibernating grounds after the spawning season. Also, the Kaloula borealis moved to the nearest high-level vegetated areas as the lowland swamps of their spawning grounds deteriorated with the expansion of permanent ponds due to the rise in the groundwater level.

Soil properties of barrier island habitats in the Nakdong river estuary (낙동강 하구 주요 사주 서식지 토양 특성)

  • Yi, Yong Min;Yeo, Un Sang;Sung, Kijune
    • Journal of Wetlands Research
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.355-362
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    • 2014
  • Changes of soil properties due to sedimentation and erosion in the river estuary may lead changes in environmental factors that affect plant growth and distribution, Then habitats in the river estuary that provide various ecological functions can also be influenced. Topsoil samples were analyzed in order to understand the soil properties of important barrier islands and habitat types in the Nakdong river estuary. The samples were obtained from Phragmites communis and Scirpus planiculmis habitats, the tidal flats in the southern area of Eulsukdo, and in Mangeummerydeung, Baekhapdeung, and Doyodeung. Analyses results showed that bulk density, pH, organic matter content and total nitrogen concentration which were directly or indirectly affected by vegetation showed significant difference (p<0.05) with habitat types but no differences in water content and oxidation reduction potential which could be affected by soil texture and showed significant difference among barrier islands. Results suggested that soil properties on barrier islands in the Nakdong river estuary were influenced first by geomorphic changes due to sedimentation and erosion, and then by the presence or type of vegetation. A range of physical and chemical properties were analyzed; soil water content and bulk density (physical properties), and organic content and pH (chemical properties) were correlated with seven other soil properties, at a level of significance higher than 90%. These aspects played an important role in determining overall soil properties in the studied area.