Hasil untuk "Metropolitan areas"

Oksana Buinytska , Valeriia Smirnova, Bohdan Hrytseliak et al.

The article is devoted to the study of the quality assurance issues in higher education. Based on the analysis of international regulations on quality assurance and methodologies of international and Ukrainian ratings, the authors identify key areas of monitoring and relevant indicators of internal assessment. They affect the quality, and the relationship between them provides a comprehensive assessment of the quality of higher education. The key to ensuring high-quality education at a university is the introduction of internal assessment with key indicators using digital tools, which allows collecting and analyzing data, processing large amounts of data to make informed decisions, supporting effective management, administration, and visualization of performance. Conducting systematic monitoring with the identified indicators allows systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of educational activities, timely identification of areas for improvement, and ensures compliance with European standards of education quality. The article presents the results of the analysis of the key indicators of Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University in the areas of «Reputational support of the educational process», «Reputational attractiveness of educational content», «Teaching reputation», «International reputation», «Academic reputation», which allows not only to assess the current level of the quality of educational services but also to obtain the dynamics of its changes.

Donghyun Yoon, Minwoo Jeong, Jinyong Lee et al.

This study focuses on identifying suitable locations for highway-transfer Vertiports to integrate Urban Air Mobility (UAM) with existing highway infrastructure. UAM offers an effective solution for enhancing transportation accessibility in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, where conventional transportation often struggle to connect suburban employment zones such as industrial parks. By integrating UAM with ground transportation at highway facilities, an efficient connectivity solution can be achieved for regions with limited transportation options. Our proposed methodology for determining the suitable Vertiport locations utilizes data such as geographic information, origin-destination volume, and travel time. Vertiport candidates are evaluated and selected based on criteria including location desirability, combined transportation accessibility and transportation demand. Applying this methodology to the Seoul metropolitan area, we identify 56 suitable Vertiport locations out of 148 candidates. The proposed methodology offers a strategic approach for the selection of highway-transfer Vertiport locations, enhancing UAM integration with existing transportation systems. Our study provides valuable insights for urban planners and policymakers, with recommendations for future research to include real-time environmental data and to explore the impact of Mobility-as-a-Service on UAM operations.

Roman Shakhovoy, Evgeniy Dedkov, Igor Kudryashov

A positive economic effect from the implementation of quantum key distribution (QKD) technology can be achieved only with significant scaling, which involves the deployment of branched metropolitan area networks. The creation of QKD systems suitable for such networks is an important task for the coming years. This paper considers a method for preparing quantum states using pulsed optical injection, which can be used as a basis for a compact modulator-free transmitter ideally suited for QKD at typical distances within a city. Considering the relative proximity between nodes of a MAN, we suggest to abandon the decoy states, which, together with the proposed method of quantum state preparation, allows making the transmitter extremely simple. We report here the results of an experiment confirming the operating principle and provide a security analysis of the three-state decoy-free QKD protocol that can be implemented using such a device.

Pengfei Gao, Chaoxian Yang, Yong Liu et al.

China’s long-standing dual-track institutions, which differentiate between urban and rural areas, have prioritized urban development, exacerbating the urban–rural divide and contributing to the ongoing decline of rural regions. In response, the “Comprehensive Land Consolidation”(CLC) policy has garnered significant attention from both academics and policymakers. However, there is an urgent need to assess the effectiveness of CLC in revitalizing rural areas. This study aims to quantitatively evaluate the impact of CLC on the reconstruction of rural spaces, including production, living, and ecological spaces (PLES). We examined CLC’s role in shaping rural spaces by developing an evaluation index system and employing the TOPSIS method along with obstacle degree models to measure its effects. Our findings reveal that CLC’s impact on rural spatial reconstruction in Chongqing is D3 (good) and varies across regions. The reconstruction of production and living spaces is more pronounced in metropolitan areas compared to rural-dominated regions in the northeast and southeast. Conversely, the effect on ecological spaces is slightly greater in remote areas than in metropolitan areas. The primary obstacle to effective reconstruction is the vitality of production spaces, though the factors influencing reconstruction differ across regions. Therefore, different regions should adopt differentiated CLC strategies. The main urban area should focus on ecological spatial governance and agricultural modernization infrastructure; the northeastern region should strengthen public service infrastructure and improve production and living pollution treatment facilities; and the southeastern region should moderately concentrate the population and improve the efficiency of services, as well as protect and excavate the cultures of ethnic minorities.

Till Koebe, Zinnya del Villar, Brahmani Nutakki et al.

Abstract Child pornography—better known as child sexual abuse material (CSAM)—represents a severe form of exploitation and victimization of children, leaving the victims with emotional and physical trauma. In this study, we aim to analyze local patterns of CSAM consumption across 1341 French communes in 20 metropolitan regions of France between March 16 to May 31, 2019 using fine-grained mobile traffic data of Tor network-related web services. We estimate that approx. 0.08% of Tor mobile download traffic observed in France is linked to the consumption of CSAM by correlating it with local-level temporal porn consumption patterns. This compares to 0.19% of what we conservatively estimate to be the share of CSAM content in global Tor traffic. In line with existing literature on the link between sexual child abuse and the consumption of image-based content thereof, we observe a positive and statistically significant effect of our CSAM consumption estimates on the reported number of victims of sexual violence and vice versa, which validates our findings, after controlling for a set of geographically disaggregated features including socio-demographic characteristics, voting behavior, nearby points of interest and Google Trends queries. While this is a first, exploratory attempt to look at CSAM from a spatial epidemiological angle, we believe this research provides public health officials with valuable information to prioritize target areas for public awareness campaigns as another step to fulfill the global community’s pledge to target 16.2 of the sustainable development goals: “end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children".

Lucas Machado Moschen, María Soledad Aronna

This study presents a mathematical model for optimal vaccination strategies in interconnected metropolitan areas, considering commuting patterns. It is a compartmental model with a vaccination rate for each city, acting as a control function. The commuting patterns are incorporated through a weighted adjacency matrix and a parameter that selects day and night periods. The optimal control problem is formulated to minimize a functional cost that balances the number of hospitalizations and vaccines, including restrictions of a weekly availability cap and an application capacity of vaccines per unit of time. The key findings of this work are bounds for the basic reproduction number, particularly in the case of a metropolitan area, and the study of the optimal control problem. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations provide insights into disease dynamics and the effectiveness of control measures. The research highlights the importance of prioritizing vaccination in the capital to better control the disease spread, as we depicted in our numerical simulations. This model serves as a tool to improve resource allocation in epidemic control across metropolitan regions.

Asal Mehditabrizi, Behnam Tahmasbi, Saeed Saleh Namadi et al.

This study evaluates the accessibility of public EV charging stations in the Washington metropolitan area using a comprehensive measure that accounts for both destination-based and en route charging opportunities. By incorporating the full spectrum of daily travel patterns into the accessibility evaluation, our methodology offers a more realistic measure of charging opportunities than destination-based methods that prioritize proximity to residential locations. Results from spatial autocorrelation analysis indicate that conventional accessibility assessments often overestimate the availability of infrastructure in central urban areas and underestimate it in peripheral commuting zones, potentially leading to misallocated resources. By highlighting significant clusters of high-access and low-access areas, our approach identifies spatial inequalities in infrastructure distribution and provides insights into areas requiring targeted interventions. This study underscores the importance of incorporating daily mobility patterns into urban planning to ensure equitable access to EV charging infrastructure and suggests a framework that other regions could adopt to enhance sustainable transportation networks and support equitable urban development.

Evan Cleave, Cailin Wark, Emmanuel Kyeremeh

For cities, immigration is now considered a vital part of local economic and community development. Over the past half-century, many cities have experienced a series challenges caused by the impacts of late-stage demographic transition; the slow bleeding of skilled domestic workers to larger metropolitan areas; and the decline of traditional economic sectors. As a result, there has been a prioritization of attracting and retaining high-skilled and well-educated immigrants by local governments through locally-focused, place-based policies. Within this context, this paper examines the ways that cities in the Province of Ontario, Canada are constructing and implementing immigrant attraction, integration, and retention strategies. To achieve this goal, we identified and examined the local immigration policies of the 52 cities in Ontario, 36 of which have a formal immigration policy document. A comprehensive content analysis was conducted on these available to identify the ways that immigration is conceptualized, and the specific policies and approaches that local governments are implementing. Statistical analysis was used to determine if there was variation in policy across different types of cities. Based on this analysis, local governments are generally developing holistic, place-based policies – however, there is variation in approaches across cities of different sizes and geographies. These place-specific policies draw on local assets and advantages (i.e. existing migrant communities; local amenities and attractions; economic and education opportunities) while also work to enhance enhancing local capacity (i.e. building networks and immigration partnerships; training employers and city workers).

Vitória Ribeiro Gomes Maria, Figueiredo Ferreira Giulia, Ferreira de Araújo Daniele et al.

In peripheral countries, the lack of adequate urban planning associated with natural dynamics intensifies the existing vulnerabilities of the environment, causing physical and material losses. Therefore, this research aims to discuss the potential use of Environmental Protection Areas as a tool to drive urban growth with a low-impact development, helping to mitigate urban floods and bringing nature into the city landscape. The municipality of Maricá, located in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is taken as a case study. The method proposed to drive the regional environmental planning and management can be described as a three-stage method coupled with the adapted SWOT Matrix, following: the diagnosis, the prognosis, and the action plan. This process points to the definition of a Hydrological Interest Area that would allow not only the restoration of local vegetation and a better interaction of the population with the watercourses, but also the recovery of areas that have been gradually impacted by the urban expansion. The method presented in this research allows its application in different urban contexts, once it has the objective of recognizing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to allow the elaboration of sustainable actions and guidelines.

Jenny Jenny, Andri Irfan Rifai, Susanty Handayani

Purpose: Compare of the sustainability transportation systems between Indonesia and Germany. Learning implements some lessons learned from the German experience to the development of transportation planning in Indonesia to support sustainable land use and transportation by comparing and analyzing the probability of converting and adopting reducing private transportation, landscape, financing mechanisms, and transport mechanism between Germany and Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach: Analyzing obtained data based on the comparison's parameters framework. Findings: Potentially, a parameter that can be set to develop a better transportation system for environmental and people safety, or even to reduce the congestion that occurs in most of Indonesia's metropolitan areas. Research limitations/implications: Since the study location is in fact somewhat distant, the information that is gathered to analyze the comparison is only chosen from each country's broad outline and is not otherwise specified. Practical implications: Finding solution for a better sustainable transportation in Indonesia that can be implemented. Originality/value: The analytical framework that is implemented in this comparative study is a methodically innovative approach form of developing an Innovative Transport System that is to aim a better use of transport network. Paper type: Literature Review

Yuqing Ye, Guoliang Yun, Yuanrong He et al.

Urbanization is a crucial indicator which reflects the socio-economic development of a country or region. The regions across the Taiwan Strait (TSR) have garnered attention worldwide as being representative of typical urbanization development along the southeastern coast. Currently, research in the TSR predominantly focuses on individual regions, with limited academic achievements comparing urbanization paths across the strait. In particular, the domain of comparative analysis of the spatiotemporal characteristics of urbanization dynamics in TSR by using long time series of nighttime light data remains largely underexplored. Therefore, this study focused on comparing the urbanization paths in the TSR and analyzing the spatiotemporal characteristics of urbanization by using the long-term nighttime light data from 1992 to 2020. Additionally, some methods such as Theil–Sen median trend analysis, Mann–Kendall significance test, Hurst exponent, spatial statistics, and time series were used to quantitatively analyze the spatial distribution patterns and temporal trends of nighttime lights in the TSR since 1992. The results were as follows: (1) From 1992 to 2020, the spatial distribution of nighttime light data in TSR exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity, with high-value areas mainly located in southeastern Fujian and northwestern Taiwan, while low-value areas were concentrated in Fujian’s inland regions; (2) During this period, nighttime lighting data increased from 729,863 in 1992 to 2,729,052 in 2020, and the percentage of its high-value (40–063) increased from 2.59% in 1992 to 12.22% in 2020; (3) Comparison of nighttime light data across representative cities from Taiwan (Taipei, Hsinchu) and Fujian (Xiamen, Fuzhou) uncovered distinct growth patterns—while Taiwanese cities had a high initial brightness value (the lowest value in the last 30 years was 518,379.4), their growth was relatively slow (average growth rate of 17%); Fujian cities, on the other hand, started from lower initial brightness value (the lowest value in the last 30 years was 35,123.1), but displayed substantial growth vigor (average growth rate of 222%); (4) During the study period, the nighttime light data of the vast majority of cities in the TSR demonstrated a significant increasing trend, particularly in coastal areas and urban centers; (5) Predictions of future trend variation suggest that the significantly increasing trend of cities surrounding Taiwan’s primary metropolitan areas will intensify, whereas metropolitan regions such as Keelung may witness a decline in future trend variations. However, only a mere 0.03% of the nighttime light data show a significant decreasing trend. Additionally, there are distinct differences in the urbanization development stages of the TSR. Fujian is currently undergoing rapid urbanization, while Taiwan’s urbanization has entered a stable stage. The study reveals that factors such as geographical location, natural resources, transportation infrastructure, population size, and industrial structure collectively influence the urbanization characteristics of the TSR. This research bears substantial significance for deepening the comprehension of the patterns and processes of urbanization development in the TSR and provides valuable insights for urban construction and development across the strait.

Jian-Long Liu, Xi-Yu Luo, Yong Yu et al.

Towards realizing the future quantum internet, a pivotal milestone entails the transition from two-node proof-of-principle experiments conducted in laboratories to comprehensive, multi-node setups on large scales. Here, we report on the debut implementation of a multi-node entanglement-based quantum network over a metropolitan area. We equipped three quantum nodes with atomic quantum memories and their telecom interfaces, and combined them into a scalable phase-stabilized architecture through a server node. We demonstrated heralded entanglement generation between two quantum nodes situated 12.5 km apart, and the storage of entanglement exceeding the round-trip communication time. We also showed the concurrent entanglement generation on three links. Our work provides a metropolitan-scale testbed for the evaluation and exploration of multi-node quantum network protocols and starts a new stage of quantum internet research.

Takanori Sakai, Kohei Santo, Shinya Tanaka et al.

The rapid growth of the e-commerce market creates new dynamics in the logistics landscape, which has been evolving for decades in cities around the world. It is a challenge for businesses and planners to meet the high demand for logistics facilities for e-commerce order fulfillment and goods handling. In the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, mega-scale multi-tenant logistics facilities have been developed in both the port area near the urban center and the periphery of the city, while delivery service providers locate many last-mile delivery stations, varying in number depending on the urban density. We analyze the spatial distribution and location factors of both mega-scale multi-tenant facilities and last-mile delivery facilities. We found that, due to the scarcity of land, newly developed multi-tenant facilities are more likely to be in less accessible places that have high-level development restrictions. The result also indicates the heterogeneity of the distribution of delivery service providers' facilities, reflecting the heterogeneity in business strategies.

Tejas Santanam, Anthony Trasatti, Hanyu Zhang et al.

This paper analyzes the impact of COVID-19 related lockdowns in the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area by examining commuter patterns in three periods: prior to, during, and after the pandemic lockdown. A cellular phone location dataset is utilized in a novel pipeline to infer the home and work locations of thousands of users from the Density-based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithm. The coordinates derived from the clustering are put through a reverse geocoding process from which word embeddings are extracted in order to categorize the industry of each work place based on the workplace name and Point of Interest (POI) mapping. Frequencies of commute from home locations to work locations are analyzed in and across all three time periods. Public health and economic factors are discussed to explain potential reasons for the observed changes in commuter patterns.

Clément Barbier

Built on a cross-national sociological research that retraces the genesis of two large-scale urban renewal projects in the urban areas of Lille and Hamburg, this article shows to what extent they might be considered as gentrification policies and as a way to question this analytical category. Even if both—Union and IBA Hamburg—projects imply the social and symbolic triage of firms and populations that are legitimate to occupy the targeted neighbourhoods, the coalitions of actors who try to turn these “problem areas” into symbols of “metropolitan attractiveness” are far from acting in a coherent, omnipotent and unequivocal way. The processes of eviction and of real estate value-creation or -destruction throughout the design and implementation of these large-scale urban projects are the result of the action of these public-private coalitions as well as the consequence of their inaction and their (relative) incapacity to actually govern people and capital flows. Therefore, the (in)capacities of local governments to remove populations and businesses from these districts or to enhance the market and symbolic value of these spaces depends on the social and economic embeddedness of these policies.

Joaquin Chung, Ely M. Eastman, Gregory S. Kanter et al.

The Illinois Express Quantum Network (IEQNET) is a program to realize metropolitan scale quantum networking over deployed optical fiber using currently available technology. IEQNET consists of multiple sites that are geographically dispersed in the Chicago metropolitan area. Each site has one or more quantum nodes (Q-nodes) representing the communication parties in a quantum network. Q-nodes generate or measure quantum signals such as entangled photons and communicate the measurement results via standard, classical signals and conventional networking processes. The entangled photons in IEQNET nodes are generated at multiple wavelengths, and are selectively distributed to the desired users via transparent optical switches. Here we describe the network architecture of IEQNET, including the Internet-inspired layered hierarchy that leverages software-defined networking (SDN) technology to perform traditional wavelength routing and assignment between the Q-nodes. Specifically, SDN decouples the control and data planes, with the control plane being entirely implemented in the classical domain. We also discuss the IEQNET processes that address issues associated with synchronization, calibration, network monitoring, and scheduling. An important goal of IEQNET is to demonstrate the extent to which the control plane classical signals can co-propagate with the data plane quantum signals in the same fiber lines (quantum-classical signal "coexistence"). This goal is furthered by the use of tunable narrow-band optical filtering at the receivers and, at least in some cases, a wide wavelength separation between the quantum and classical channels. We envision IEQNET to aid in developing robust and practical quantum networks by demonstrating metro-scale quantum communication tasks such as entanglement distribution and quantum-state teleportation.

Andrew D. Williams, Sandie Ha, Edmond Shenassa et al.

Abstract Background Asian/Pacific Islander (API) communities in the United States often reside in metropolitan areas with distinct social and environmental attributes. Residence in an ethnic enclave, a socially distinct area, is associated with lower gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk, yet exposure to high levels of air pollution, including volatile organic compounds (VOCS), is associated with increased GDM risk. We examined the joint effects of ethnic enclaves and VOCs to better understand GDM risk among API women, the group with the highest prevalence of GDM. Methods We examined 9069 API births in the Consortium on Safe Labor (19 hospitals, 2002–2008). API ethnic enclaves were defined as areas ≥66th percentile for percent API residents, dissimilarity (geographic dispersal of API and White residents), and isolation (degree that API individuals interact with another API individual). High levels of 14 volatile organic compounds (VOC) were defined as ≥75th percentile. Four joint categories were created for each VOC: Low VOC/Enclave (reference group), Low VOC/No Enclave, High VOC/Enclave, High VOC/No Enclave. GDM was reported in medical records. Hierarchical logistic regression estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) between joint exposures and GDM, adjusted for maternal factors and area-level poverty. Risk was estimated for 3-months preconception and first trimester exposures. Results Enclave residence was associated with lower GDM risk regardless of VOC exposure. Preconception benzene exposure was associated with increased risk when women resided outside enclaves [High VOC/No Enclave (OR:3.45, 95%CI:1.77,6.72)], and the effect was somewhat mitigated within enclaves, [High VOC/Enclave (OR:2.07, 95%:1.09,3.94)]. Risks were similar for 12 of 14 VOCs during preconception and 10 of 14 during the first trimester. Conclusions API residence in non-enclave areas is associated with higher GDM risk, regardless of VOC level. Ethnic enclave residence may mitigate effects of VOC exposure, perhaps due to lower stress levels. The potential benefit of ethnic enclaves warrants further study.

Tigran Aslanyan, Shan Jiang

With spatial analytic, econometric, and visualization tools, this book chapter investigates greenhouse gas emissions for the on-road passenger vehicle transport sector in the Boston metropolitan area in 2014. It compares greenhouse gas emission estimations from both the production-based and consumption-based perspectives with two large-scale administrative datasets: the vehicle odometer readings from individual vehicle annual inspection, and the road inventory data containing road segment level geospatial and traffic information. Based on spatial econometric models that examine socioeconomic and built environment factors contributing to the vehicle miles traveled at the census tract level, it offers insights to help cities reduce VMT and carbon footprint for passenger vehicle travel. Finally, it recommends a pathway for cities and towns in the Boston metropolitan area to curb VMT and mitigate carbon emissions to achieve climate goals of carbon neutrality.

Teng-Yun Chen, Xiao Jiang, Shi-Biao Tang et al.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables secure key exchanges between two remote users. The ultimate goal of secure communication is to establish a global quantum network. The existing field tests suggest that quantum networks are feasible. To achieve a practical quantum network, we need to overcome several challenges, including realising versatile topologies for large scales, simple network maintenance, extendable configuration, and robustness to node failures. To this end, we present a field operation of a quantum metropolitan-area network with 46 nodes and show that all these challenges can be overcome with cutting-edge quantum technologies. In particular, we realise different topological structures and continuously run the network for 31 months, by employing standard equipment for network maintenance with an extendable configuration. We realise QKD pairing and key management with a sophisticated key control center. In this implementation, the final keys have been used for secure communication such as real-time voice telephone, text messaging, and file transmission with one-time pad encryption, which can support 11 pairs of users to make audio calls simultaneously. Combined with inter-city quantum backbone and ground-satellite links, our metropolitan implementation paves the way toward a global quantum network.

Heng Wang, Yang Li, Yaodi Pi et al.

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) has potential advantages of high secret key rate, which is very suitable for high-speed metropolitan network application. However, the reported highest secret key rates of the CVQKD systems up to now are limited in a few Mbps. Here, we address the fundamental experimental problems and demonstrate a single-carrier four-state CVQKD with sub-Gbps key rate within metropolitan area. In the demonstrated four-state CVQKD using local local oscillator, an ultra-low level of excess noise is obtained and a high efficient post-processing setup is designed for practically extracting the final secure keys. Thus, the achieved secure key rates are 190.54 Mbps and 137.76 Mbps and 52.48 Mbps using linear channel assuming security analysis method and 233.87 Mbps, 133.6 Mbps and 21.53 Mbps using semidefinite programming security analysis method over transmission distances of 5 km, 10 km and 25 km, respectively. This record-breaking result increases the previous secret key rate record by an order of magnitude, which is sufficient to achieve the one-time pad cryptographic task. Our work shows the road for future high-rate and large-scale CVQKD deployment in secure broadband metropolitan and access networks.