Groundwater and surface water contamination by PTE(Potentially Toxic Elements)was assessed in Ruashi and Annexe municipalities of Lubumbashi city.Analyses of seventy water samples collected from six drilled wells,eigh...Groundwater and surface water contamination by PTE(Potentially Toxic Elements)was assessed in Ruashi and Annexe municipalities of Lubumbashi city.Analyses of seventy water samples collected from six drilled wells,eight spade-sunk wells,one river and one spring in both municipalities in 2017 and 2018 were carried out by ICP-SF-MS(Inductively Coupled Plasma-Sector Field Mass Spectrometry).Twenty PTEs including aluminum,arsenic,barium,bismuth,cadmium,cesium,chromium,cobalt,copper,iron,lead,manganese,molybdenum,nickel,strontium,thallium,tungsten,uranium,vanadium and zinc were detected at various concentrations in each one of the samples.Many samples had concentrations and mean concentrations of PTEs,such as aluminum,cadmium,copper,iron,lead,manganese,nickel and zinc,higher than the respective acceptable limits set for drinking water by the EU(European Union),the USEPA(United States Environmental Protection Agency),and the WHO(World Health Organization)standards.Most PTEs being deleterious to human health even at very low concentrations,people who use the groundwater and surface water to meet their water needs in both Ruashi and Annexe municipalities are at risk.展开更多
As an important sustainable development goal,the creation of low-carbon cities(LCCs)has become crucial to creating livable cities and environmental sustainability.Thus,we aimed to understand the factors that support t...As an important sustainable development goal,the creation of low-carbon cities(LCCs)has become crucial to creating livable cities and environmental sustainability.Thus,we aimed to understand the factors that support the transition of traditional cities to LCCs,by analyzing and synthesizing how to promote practical LCC across 15 pilot municipalities in four regions of Thailand,covering four strategies:City of Trees,City of Waste Minimization,City of Energy Efficiency,and City of Sustainable Consumption.Literature research,in-depth interviews,and observations were employed for data collection,while the 5W(who,says what,in which channel,to whom,and with what effect)and SMCR(sender,message,channel,and receiver)models were used to create a communication analysis framework.Results revealed that the effective activities of municipalities should increase tree planting and implement more serious regulations for the conservation of existing trees.Making compost and establishing waste recycling banks are recommended for rural municipalities,while optimization of garbage and wastewater management systems and facilities should be highlighted in urban municipalities.Moreover,recycling,low-carbon agriculture,second-hand shops/markets,green markets,and homegrown vegetables should be encouraged for sustainable consumption.Working with local municipalities,credible leaders and representatives were the key senders.Additionally,message design should compare the pros and cons of behaviors,connect with local health and tourism,and promote dialogue in easy-to-understand and thought-provoking language.Receivers that drive LCC should have an excellent understanding of LCC practice and its benefits,be public-minded,and have a desire to live in a good environment.展开更多
Climate change and population growth have led to the increase and/or intensification of flooding becoming a major issue. The objective of this study is to visualize flooding risk of municipalities at the intersection ...Climate change and population growth have led to the increase and/or intensification of flooding becoming a major issue. The objective of this study is to visualize flooding risk of municipalities at the intersection of the coastal sedimentary zone and the crystalline surface. The methodology adopted is based on geomatic approach, which involves documentary research, processing and assisted classification using remote sensing images and multi-criteria analysis of the Geographic Information System (GIS). Flooding risk is very high at 8.85% in Djidja, Toffo, Zè and Bonou municipalities. In other municipalities such as Agbangnizoun, Abomey, Bohicon, Za-Kpota and Cove, it is high of 46.85%. To the Southeast of the study area, it is located on the eastern and western banks of Oueme Valley. The medium risk represents 26.35% and is located in the municipalities of Ouinhi and Adjohoun. The other municipalities have a low rate of 17.95%. Risk modeling has made it possible to access the various levels of rising water that can cause flooding. Land-use planning decisions can be influenced by the results of this study.展开更多
An important research field in public and private sectors,accounting is the identification of the factors of financial strength that affect the control and decision-making process.The paper examines the financial stre...An important research field in public and private sectors,accounting is the identification of the factors of financial strength that affect the control and decision-making process.The paper examines the financial strength of the municipalities in Greece and their possible bankruptcy.In literature,important examples of forecasting and estimating financial strength for public sector have been presented,such as the Brown’s 10-point test which measures the financial condition in the case of municipalities.The present survey focuses on the liquidity of the Greek municipalities using data for the financial year 2014 from all over the Greek territory.By implementing Brown’s 10-point test for Greek municipalities and using quantitative methods,each point is becoming a separate independent variable which affects,with different estimator,the total score of financial condition.The model that has been developed appears to be effective in the case of Greek municipalities by providing a rating for their financial strength.The use of the proposed methodology can be used by both funding institutions(banks,grant providers,relevant ministry)on a programmatic basis to address liquidity problems.展开更多
The aim of this research is to separate the entire sample of Municipalities in Greece into categories, based on the effectiveness of financial management and financial performance into effective and ineffective ones. ...The aim of this research is to separate the entire sample of Municipalities in Greece into categories, based on the effectiveness of financial management and financial performance into effective and ineffective ones. In this study, it investigated the existence of differences between the characteristics of these two categories. The main objective is to investigate the influence of financial effectiveness regarding those areas falling under state jurisdiction with the greatest room for improvement. Specifically, in Municipalities with ineffective financial management, local employment was notably considered to be the area with the greatest margin for improvement. Additionally, 21% of mayors of Municipalities with effective fmancial management consider that the state area of responsibility with the greatest capacity for improvement is that of attracting private investment. Moreover, the influence of financial effectiveness regarding the areas of competence of Greek Municipalities with the greatest room for improvement has a similar pattern. According to responses from mayors in Municipalities with ineffective fmancial administration, the areas of competence with the greatest room for improvement are provision and maintenance of infrastructure （23% of responses） and attraction of private investment （19% of responses）. Accordingly, responses from mayors in Municipalities with the highest financial performance indicate that the areas of competence with the greatest room for improvement are provision and maintenance of infrastructure （21% of responses） and attraction of private investment （20% of responses）.展开更多
Municipalities are autonomous economic and administrative entities, with common actions and responsibilities. Moreover, all Municipalities are quite different considering specific characteristics, such as geographic, ...Municipalities are autonomous economic and administrative entities, with common actions and responsibilities. Moreover, all Municipalities are quite different considering specific characteristics, such as geographic, demographic, and economic. The aim of this research is to separate the entire sample of Municipalities in Greece into categories, based on the effectiveness of financial management and financial performance into effective and ineffective ones. For the separation of the sample into groups, cluster analysis was preferred. For this reason, three variables were used： the lending capacity of the Municipality, flexibility in making non-investment costs, and flexibility in investment spending. These three variables were considered to be the key dimensions of effectiveness in financial management and therefore their use, representatively describes the effectiveness of Greek Municipalities. Thus, this paper presents the literature review of the financial effectiveness of Municipalities and the methodology of an empirical research through structured questionnaire that was sent to the entire population of Greek Municipalities, characterized in this way with considerable heterogeneity. In this way, it investigates the views of Mayors in the two categories of Municipalities （effective and non effective financial management and financial performance） as regards： （a） the biggest problems faced by the citizens in their Municipality, and （b） the biggest personnel problems faced by their Municipality. Concluding, the prioritization of both problems seems to be the same for both groups of Municipalities. The frequency of responses differs slightly and differences are not so large that financial performance can be considered to affect respondents＇ opinions.展开更多
Municipalities are autonomous economic and administrative entities, with common actions and responsibilities. Additionally, all Municipalities are quite different considering specific characteristics, such as geograph...Municipalities are autonomous economic and administrative entities, with common actions and responsibilities. Additionally, all Municipalities are quite different considering specific characteristics, such as geographic, demographic, and economic. The aim of this research is to separate the entire sample of Municipalities in Greece into categories, based on the effectiveness of financial management and financial performance into effective and ineffective ones. This investigation is substantial because it is very interesting in-depth observation of current situation of the financial management capabilities of Municipalities, and additionally because it is crucial to extract the differences in specific characteristics between economical efficient and inefficient Municipalities. For the separation of the sample into groups, cluster analysis was preferred. For this reason, three variables were used： the lending capacity of the municipality, flexibility in making non-investment costs, and flexibility in investment spending. These three variables were considered to be the key dimensions of effectiveness in financial management and therefore their use, representatively describes the effectiveness or not of Greek Municipalities. In this study, it investigated the existence of differences between the characteristics of these two categories. The features are ＂how Municipalities are working with specialist consultants＂ and ＂how Municipalities are using modem technologies＂. The main objective is to investigate the influence of these two characteristics in the efficiency of managing financial resources.展开更多
Accurate measurement of urban sprawl is vital for urban planning and management.Urban planning-induced internal structure complexity affects the extent of urban sprawl.In addition,urban sprawl is closely linked to eco...Accurate measurement of urban sprawl is vital for urban planning and management.Urban planning-induced internal structure complexity affects the extent of urban sprawl.In addition,urban sprawl is closely linked to economic development.The study attempts to explore the impact of urban sprawl from an economic-dominated perspective.Thus a City-Ring road-County(CRC)scale framework based on top-down administrative divisions for urban sprawl measurement is proposed:1)the single-index measurement based on economic activity is applied to calculate urban sprawl;2)the spatiotemporal pattern of urban sprawl is investigated through a case study in 31 economy-dominated provincial capital cities across China from 2005 to 2015;3)the impact of economy and land on urban sprawl is explored using correlation analysis.The results indicate that the degree of urban sprawl at the city scale shows an“inverted U-shaped”curve from 2005 to 2015,which represents that the phenomenon of urban sprawl was most severe in 2010.It finds that urban sprawl was more severe in the east and central regions relative to the provincial capitals in the western region,with the situation being most severe in the northeast region.Regions that have been transformed from suburban to urban built-up areas need to be given priority attention by the local government,including population movement,land layout,and fiscal policy,to meet the criteria of the urbanization process.Through correlation analysis,we also found that urban sprawl was influenced by the industry structure and the form of built-up area.The outcome of the study suggests that the data scale is sufficiently small in granularity to provide geographic boundaries for systematic analysis of urban sprawl in multiple administrative regions.Thus,the study helps provide a reference for differential planning policy formulation by governments at diverse economic levels.展开更多
Introduction: This research, conducted in the municipalities of Aguégués, Sô-Ava, and N’dali in Benin, focused on identifying socio-demographic and economic factors associated with urinary bilharzia in...Introduction: This research, conducted in the municipalities of Aguégués, Sô-Ava, and N’dali in Benin, focused on identifying socio-demographic and economic factors associated with urinary bilharzia in 415 school-aged children from 8 to 14 years. Using urine test strips and filtration techniques, the study found prevalences ranging from 11.88% to 34.53% across the municipalities. Method: Epidemiological data (urine) were collected and examined with test strips to assess the presence of terminal haematuria: the prevalence of infestation and parasite density was quantified using the filtration technique. Socio-demographic and economic factors were recorded using a questionnaire to assess the correlation with disease. Results: Prevalences of 34.53% (N = 48 out of 139), 13.53% (N = 18 out of 133) and 11.88% (N = 17 out of 143) respectively for the municipalities of Aguégués, N’dali and Sô Ava were calculated. The study showed that the variables “age”, “sex”, “religion” and “socio-professional” activity were not significantly correlated with bilharziasis (p > 0.05) and it appears that these factors are not related to bilharziasis in the surveyed households. While age, sex, religion, and socio-professional activity showed no significant correlation with bilharziasis, factors like agriculture, fishing, and place of residence were statistically significant in relation to the disease. Conclusion: The findings suggest that these socio-demographic and economic factors impede the elimination of schistosomiasis in the examined areas.展开更多
The objective of this study is to analyze the ability of the public management of environmental problems faced by the municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The theoretical elements that underlie this ar...The objective of this study is to analyze the ability of the public management of environmental problems faced by the municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The theoretical elements that underlie this article are related to environmental management and municipal public administration. We used the results of the natural vulnerability and the social potential of the indicator of municipal environmental management, as well as data on sanitation and waste disposal. The weaknesses of public administration are located in the counties of low population group. These municipalities do not have suitable structure, formal organization and power of decisiveness in dealing with environmental problems.展开更多
The aim of the study was landscape evaluation of municipalities located in Ciezkowice-Roznow regional park in the southern part of Poland. The methodology includes field and indoor studies. Plant communities, natural ...The aim of the study was landscape evaluation of municipalities located in Ciezkowice-Roznow regional park in the southern part of Poland. The methodology includes field and indoor studies. Plant communities, natural 2,000 habitats, protected areas, and cultural elements have been identified. The study area has been divided into study units/plots. The next stage of research was the evaluation of landscape elements on every study unit. It distinguished areas with very high, high and moderate landscape values： Directions for shaping the landscape were formulated in the final part of the study.展开更多
Mining activity in Brazil has significantly contributed to the country development.However,this contribution is not always fully noticed by society.This study aims to bring more evidence to this mining activity contri...Mining activity in Brazil has significantly contributed to the country development.However,this contribution is not always fully noticed by society.This study aims to bring more evidence to this mining activity contribution,based on highly regarded development indicators,such as the HDI(Human Development Index),created by the UNDP(United Nations Development Programme).The HD1 was traditionally designed as an instrument to evaluate the degree of countries development and was subsequently deployed to states and municipalities(IDHM(Municipal Human Development Index)for Brazilian municipalities).In addition to lDHM released by the UNDP,FIRJAN(Federation of the Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro)developed its own IFDM(FIR JAN Municipal Development Index).The statistical analysis shows that the average of the municipalities with mining activities has superior development indices than those with non-mining activities,especially in the two major mining states:Minas Gerais and Parfi.展开更多
<span style="font-family:Verdana;">Energy demand overall the world increas</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span sty...<span style="font-family:Verdana;">Energy demand overall the world increas</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">es</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> rapidly in various sectors, one of the highest energy consumption sector is the building sector. Installation of PV systems is one of the solutions to cover this demand and will serve in promoting energy efficiency in the Palestinian municipalities in decreasing the electricity bill, and using the saved money in constructing new projects and improving the level of services provided to citizens. In this work, Al-Dahriya municipality has been taken as a case study. The municipality installed 20 KW of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the main building in 2015. The cumulative values for one year after installation the PV system represent a total consumed electricity by the main building was 71,506 kw, while the total generated power by the PV system that transferred to building was 32,664 kw, and 5323 kw exported to the grid with total generated power by PV system was 37,987 kw</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> The participation of energy that produced by the photovoltaic system is 53.12% of the total power demand of the building. The value of generated power varies between the summer months and winter months through the difference of the solar radiation intensity and the number of shinning hours, the largest reading of solar radiation intensity </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">i</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">s in the summer months. The study ensures the importance of applying selected thermal insulation materials in order to decrease the heat transfer through the boundary wall of the building. Furthermore, this study covers the other buildings and utilities of municipality and recommended </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">with </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">certain issues in order to promote energy efficiency.</span></span></span>展开更多
The Digital Earth vision foresees the availability and accessibility of geospatial information to achieve the goals of sustainable development,economic growth and social well-being.In the case of urban areas,upto-date...The Digital Earth vision foresees the availability and accessibility of geospatial information to achieve the goals of sustainable development,economic growth and social well-being.In the case of urban areas,upto-date geospatial information is essential for managing a city towards achieving these goals.The rapid shift from rural to urban areas globally puts pressure on local governments and they often struggle to find and organise the resources required to collect and maintain geospatial information that can help to address urban growth challenges.A spatial data infrastructure(SDI)can facilitate the availability and accessibility of geospatial information towards addressing national objectives,however,the involvement of local governments in an SDI can be a challenge.In this paper,we critique the role of municipalities against the backdrop of the developments of the South African SDI(SASDI)to date.The critique identifies five high-level shortcomings of the SASDI that have led to the limited participation of municipalities.Based on the shortcomings,we provide recommendations for capacitating municipalities through SASDI so that the Digital Earth vision can also be achieved for municipalities.These recommendations are aimed at involving the local sphere of government in a national SDI and are equally applicable to other countries.展开更多
China’s economy has developed rapidly since its reform and opening-up.However,the different rates of development in various places due to location and policies have led to significant economic differences.Based on th...China’s economy has developed rapidly since its reform and opening-up.However,the different rates of development in various places due to location and policies have led to significant economic differences.Based on the nighttime lighting data of 281 municipal spatial units in China from 2013 to 2021,this study uses spatial autocorrelation,center of gravity shift,and standard deviation ellipse(SDE)analysis to examine the evolution of the spatial pattern of China’s municipal economy.Based on these,it uses a geographically weighted regression(GWR)model to explore the factors influencing the differences in China’s municipal economy and its spatial heterogeneity.The paper reveals the following results.First,China’s municipal economy as a whole shows a growing trend.Second,the SDE shows a“north-south”distribution pattern,and the concentration of China’s economic development has slightly increased,with a significant centripetal distribution.Third,spatial correlation shows spatial positive correlation,the degree of which is increasing,with strong spatial heterogeneity and regional agglomeration.Finally,measuring the influencing factors according to GWR,the industrial structure and education expenditure coefficients generally show a decreasing trend from the southeast coast to the northwest and inland due to the degree of transformation of industrial structure and the lagging effect of education expenditure on economic growth.Conversely,the innovation driver and urban area coefficients show a decreasing trend from the northwest inland to the southeast coast due to the law of diminishing marginal utility of innovation drivers and differences in urbanization development.Government expenditure coefficients show a higher trend in the East and a lower trend in the West due to policy favoritism and market development level.This research can serve as a theoretical reference for China to achieve high-quality development and move toward common prosperity.展开更多
The rapidly growing demand for lithium iron phosphate(LiFePO_(4))as the cathode material of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)has aggravated the scarcity of phosphorus(P)reserves on Earth.This study introduces an environment...The rapidly growing demand for lithium iron phosphate(LiFePO_(4))as the cathode material of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)has aggravated the scarcity of phosphorus(P)reserves on Earth.This study introduces an environmentally friendly and economical method of P recovery from municipal wastewater,providing the P source for LiFePO_(4) cathodes.The novel approach utilizes the sludge of Fe-coagulant-based chemical P removal(CPR)in wastewater treatment.After a sintering treatment with acid washing,the CPR sludge,enriched with P and Fe,transforms into purified P-Fe oxides(Fe2.1P1.0O5.6).These oxides can substitute up to 35%of the FePO_(4) reagent as precursor,producing a carbon-coated LiFePO_(4)(LiFePO_(4)/C)cathode with a specific discharge capacity of 114.9 mA·h·g^(-1)at current density of 17 mA·g^(-1)),and cycle stability of 99.2%after 100 cycles.The enhanced cycle performance of the as-prepared LiFePO_(4)/C cathode may be attributed to the incorporations of impurities(such as Ca^(2+)and Na^(+))from sludge,with improved stability of crystal structure.Unlike conventional P-fertilizers,this P recovery technology converts 100%of P in CPR sludge into the production of value-added LiFePO_(4)/C cathodes.The recovered P from municipal wastewater can meet up to 35%of the P demand in the Chinese LIBs industry,offering a cost-effective solution for addressing the pressing challenges of P scarcity.展开更多
基金funding received from UNESCO-SIDA Project as well as Professor Martine Leermakers and Professor Willy Baeyens for their financial help to analyze the water samples in their laboratory at VUB.Acknowledgements
文摘Groundwater and surface water contamination by PTE(Potentially Toxic Elements)was assessed in Ruashi and Annexe municipalities of Lubumbashi city.Analyses of seventy water samples collected from six drilled wells,eight spade-sunk wells,one river and one spring in both municipalities in 2017 and 2018 were carried out by ICP-SF-MS(Inductively Coupled Plasma-Sector Field Mass Spectrometry).Twenty PTEs including aluminum,arsenic,barium,bismuth,cadmium,cesium,chromium,cobalt,copper,iron,lead,manganese,molybdenum,nickel,strontium,thallium,tungsten,uranium,vanadium and zinc were detected at various concentrations in each one of the samples.Many samples had concentrations and mean concentrations of PTEs,such as aluminum,cadmium,copper,iron,lead,manganese,nickel and zinc,higher than the respective acceptable limits set for drinking water by the EU(European Union),the USEPA(United States Environmental Protection Agency),and the WHO(World Health Organization)standards.Most PTEs being deleterious to human health even at very low concentrations,people who use the groundwater and surface water to meet their water needs in both Ruashi and Annexe municipalities are at risk.
基金supported by the National Research Council of Thailand(NRCT)and Biodiversity-Based Economy Development Office(Public Organization)(BEDO),[Grant number.49/2559]。
文摘As an important sustainable development goal,the creation of low-carbon cities(LCCs)has become crucial to creating livable cities and environmental sustainability.Thus,we aimed to understand the factors that support the transition of traditional cities to LCCs,by analyzing and synthesizing how to promote practical LCC across 15 pilot municipalities in four regions of Thailand,covering four strategies:City of Trees,City of Waste Minimization,City of Energy Efficiency,and City of Sustainable Consumption.Literature research,in-depth interviews,and observations were employed for data collection,while the 5W(who,says what,in which channel,to whom,and with what effect)and SMCR(sender,message,channel,and receiver)models were used to create a communication analysis framework.Results revealed that the effective activities of municipalities should increase tree planting and implement more serious regulations for the conservation of existing trees.Making compost and establishing waste recycling banks are recommended for rural municipalities,while optimization of garbage and wastewater management systems and facilities should be highlighted in urban municipalities.Moreover,recycling,low-carbon agriculture,second-hand shops/markets,green markets,and homegrown vegetables should be encouraged for sustainable consumption.Working with local municipalities,credible leaders and representatives were the key senders.Additionally,message design should compare the pros and cons of behaviors,connect with local health and tourism,and promote dialogue in easy-to-understand and thought-provoking language.Receivers that drive LCC should have an excellent understanding of LCC practice and its benefits,be public-minded,and have a desire to live in a good environment.
文摘Climate change and population growth have led to the increase and/or intensification of flooding becoming a major issue. The objective of this study is to visualize flooding risk of municipalities at the intersection of the coastal sedimentary zone and the crystalline surface. The methodology adopted is based on geomatic approach, which involves documentary research, processing and assisted classification using remote sensing images and multi-criteria analysis of the Geographic Information System (GIS). Flooding risk is very high at 8.85% in Djidja, Toffo, Zè and Bonou municipalities. In other municipalities such as Agbangnizoun, Abomey, Bohicon, Za-Kpota and Cove, it is high of 46.85%. To the Southeast of the study area, it is located on the eastern and western banks of Oueme Valley. The medium risk represents 26.35% and is located in the municipalities of Ouinhi and Adjohoun. The other municipalities have a low rate of 17.95%. Risk modeling has made it possible to access the various levels of rising water that can cause flooding. Land-use planning decisions can be influenced by the results of this study.
文摘An important research field in public and private sectors,accounting is the identification of the factors of financial strength that affect the control and decision-making process.The paper examines the financial strength of the municipalities in Greece and their possible bankruptcy.In literature,important examples of forecasting and estimating financial strength for public sector have been presented,such as the Brown’s 10-point test which measures the financial condition in the case of municipalities.The present survey focuses on the liquidity of the Greek municipalities using data for the financial year 2014 from all over the Greek territory.By implementing Brown’s 10-point test for Greek municipalities and using quantitative methods,each point is becoming a separate independent variable which affects,with different estimator,the total score of financial condition.The model that has been developed appears to be effective in the case of Greek municipalities by providing a rating for their financial strength.The use of the proposed methodology can be used by both funding institutions(banks,grant providers,relevant ministry)on a programmatic basis to address liquidity problems.
文摘The aim of this research is to separate the entire sample of Municipalities in Greece into categories, based on the effectiveness of financial management and financial performance into effective and ineffective ones. In this study, it investigated the existence of differences between the characteristics of these two categories. The main objective is to investigate the influence of financial effectiveness regarding those areas falling under state jurisdiction with the greatest room for improvement. Specifically, in Municipalities with ineffective financial management, local employment was notably considered to be the area with the greatest margin for improvement. Additionally, 21% of mayors of Municipalities with effective fmancial management consider that the state area of responsibility with the greatest capacity for improvement is that of attracting private investment. Moreover, the influence of financial effectiveness regarding the areas of competence of Greek Municipalities with the greatest room for improvement has a similar pattern. According to responses from mayors in Municipalities with ineffective fmancial administration, the areas of competence with the greatest room for improvement are provision and maintenance of infrastructure （23% of responses） and attraction of private investment （19% of responses）. Accordingly, responses from mayors in Municipalities with the highest financial performance indicate that the areas of competence with the greatest room for improvement are provision and maintenance of infrastructure （21% of responses） and attraction of private investment （20% of responses）.
文摘Municipalities are autonomous economic and administrative entities, with common actions and responsibilities. Moreover, all Municipalities are quite different considering specific characteristics, such as geographic, demographic, and economic. The aim of this research is to separate the entire sample of Municipalities in Greece into categories, based on the effectiveness of financial management and financial performance into effective and ineffective ones. For the separation of the sample into groups, cluster analysis was preferred. For this reason, three variables were used： the lending capacity of the Municipality, flexibility in making non-investment costs, and flexibility in investment spending. These three variables were considered to be the key dimensions of effectiveness in financial management and therefore their use, representatively describes the effectiveness of Greek Municipalities. Thus, this paper presents the literature review of the financial effectiveness of Municipalities and the methodology of an empirical research through structured questionnaire that was sent to the entire population of Greek Municipalities, characterized in this way with considerable heterogeneity. In this way, it investigates the views of Mayors in the two categories of Municipalities （effective and non effective financial management and financial performance） as regards： （a） the biggest problems faced by the citizens in their Municipality, and （b） the biggest personnel problems faced by their Municipality. Concluding, the prioritization of both problems seems to be the same for both groups of Municipalities. The frequency of responses differs slightly and differences are not so large that financial performance can be considered to affect respondents＇ opinions.
文摘Municipalities are autonomous economic and administrative entities, with common actions and responsibilities. Additionally, all Municipalities are quite different considering specific characteristics, such as geographic, demographic, and economic. The aim of this research is to separate the entire sample of Municipalities in Greece into categories, based on the effectiveness of financial management and financial performance into effective and ineffective ones. This investigation is substantial because it is very interesting in-depth observation of current situation of the financial management capabilities of Municipalities, and additionally because it is crucial to extract the differences in specific characteristics between economical efficient and inefficient Municipalities. For the separation of the sample into groups, cluster analysis was preferred. For this reason, three variables were used： the lending capacity of the municipality, flexibility in making non-investment costs, and flexibility in investment spending. These three variables were considered to be the key dimensions of effectiveness in financial management and therefore their use, representatively describes the effectiveness or not of Greek Municipalities. In this study, it investigated the existence of differences between the characteristics of these two categories. The features are ＂how Municipalities are working with specialist consultants＂ and ＂how Municipalities are using modem technologies＂. The main objective is to investigate the influence of these two characteristics in the efficiency of managing financial resources.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant number 42271413]the Key Lab of Spatial Data Mining&Information Sharing of Ministry of Education[grant number 2022LSDMIS09]+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant number 41971356]the Open Fund of Key Laboratory of Urban Land Resources Monitoring and Simulation,Ministry of Natural Resources[grant number KF-2022-07-001].
文摘Accurate measurement of urban sprawl is vital for urban planning and management.Urban planning-induced internal structure complexity affects the extent of urban sprawl.In addition,urban sprawl is closely linked to economic development.The study attempts to explore the impact of urban sprawl from an economic-dominated perspective.Thus a City-Ring road-County(CRC)scale framework based on top-down administrative divisions for urban sprawl measurement is proposed:1)the single-index measurement based on economic activity is applied to calculate urban sprawl;2)the spatiotemporal pattern of urban sprawl is investigated through a case study in 31 economy-dominated provincial capital cities across China from 2005 to 2015;3)the impact of economy and land on urban sprawl is explored using correlation analysis.The results indicate that the degree of urban sprawl at the city scale shows an“inverted U-shaped”curve from 2005 to 2015,which represents that the phenomenon of urban sprawl was most severe in 2010.It finds that urban sprawl was more severe in the east and central regions relative to the provincial capitals in the western region,with the situation being most severe in the northeast region.Regions that have been transformed from suburban to urban built-up areas need to be given priority attention by the local government,including population movement,land layout,and fiscal policy,to meet the criteria of the urbanization process.Through correlation analysis,we also found that urban sprawl was influenced by the industry structure and the form of built-up area.The outcome of the study suggests that the data scale is sufficiently small in granularity to provide geographic boundaries for systematic analysis of urban sprawl in multiple administrative regions.Thus,the study helps provide a reference for differential planning policy formulation by governments at diverse economic levels.
文摘Introduction: This research, conducted in the municipalities of Aguégués, Sô-Ava, and N’dali in Benin, focused on identifying socio-demographic and economic factors associated with urinary bilharzia in 415 school-aged children from 8 to 14 years. Using urine test strips and filtration techniques, the study found prevalences ranging from 11.88% to 34.53% across the municipalities. Method: Epidemiological data (urine) were collected and examined with test strips to assess the presence of terminal haematuria: the prevalence of infestation and parasite density was quantified using the filtration technique. Socio-demographic and economic factors were recorded using a questionnaire to assess the correlation with disease. Results: Prevalences of 34.53% (N = 48 out of 139), 13.53% (N = 18 out of 133) and 11.88% (N = 17 out of 143) respectively for the municipalities of Aguégués, N’dali and Sô Ava were calculated. The study showed that the variables “age”, “sex”, “religion” and “socio-professional” activity were not significantly correlated with bilharziasis (p > 0.05) and it appears that these factors are not related to bilharziasis in the surveyed households. While age, sex, religion, and socio-professional activity showed no significant correlation with bilharziasis, factors like agriculture, fishing, and place of residence were statistically significant in relation to the disease. Conclusion: The findings suggest that these socio-demographic and economic factors impede the elimination of schistosomiasis in the examined areas.
文摘The objective of this study is to analyze the ability of the public management of environmental problems faced by the municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The theoretical elements that underlie this article are related to environmental management and municipal public administration. We used the results of the natural vulnerability and the social potential of the indicator of municipal environmental management, as well as data on sanitation and waste disposal. The weaknesses of public administration are located in the counties of low population group. These municipalities do not have suitable structure, formal organization and power of decisiveness in dealing with environmental problems.
文摘The aim of the study was landscape evaluation of municipalities located in Ciezkowice-Roznow regional park in the southern part of Poland. The methodology includes field and indoor studies. Plant communities, natural 2,000 habitats, protected areas, and cultural elements have been identified. The study area has been divided into study units/plots. The next stage of research was the evaluation of landscape elements on every study unit. It distinguished areas with very high, high and moderate landscape values： Directions for shaping the landscape were formulated in the final part of the study.
文摘Mining activity in Brazil has significantly contributed to the country development.However,this contribution is not always fully noticed by society.This study aims to bring more evidence to this mining activity contribution,based on highly regarded development indicators,such as the HDI(Human Development Index),created by the UNDP(United Nations Development Programme).The HD1 was traditionally designed as an instrument to evaluate the degree of countries development and was subsequently deployed to states and municipalities(IDHM(Municipal Human Development Index)for Brazilian municipalities).In addition to lDHM released by the UNDP,FIRJAN(Federation of the Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro)developed its own IFDM(FIR JAN Municipal Development Index).The statistical analysis shows that the average of the municipalities with mining activities has superior development indices than those with non-mining activities,especially in the two major mining states:Minas Gerais and Parfi.
文摘<span style="font-family:Verdana;">Energy demand overall the world increas</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">es</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> rapidly in various sectors, one of the highest energy consumption sector is the building sector. Installation of PV systems is one of the solutions to cover this demand and will serve in promoting energy efficiency in the Palestinian municipalities in decreasing the electricity bill, and using the saved money in constructing new projects and improving the level of services provided to citizens. In this work, Al-Dahriya municipality has been taken as a case study. The municipality installed 20 KW of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the main building in 2015. The cumulative values for one year after installation the PV system represent a total consumed electricity by the main building was 71,506 kw, while the total generated power by the PV system that transferred to building was 32,664 kw, and 5323 kw exported to the grid with total generated power by PV system was 37,987 kw</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> The participation of energy that produced by the photovoltaic system is 53.12% of the total power demand of the building. The value of generated power varies between the summer months and winter months through the difference of the solar radiation intensity and the number of shinning hours, the largest reading of solar radiation intensity </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">i</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">s in the summer months. The study ensures the importance of applying selected thermal insulation materials in order to decrease the heat transfer through the boundary wall of the building. Furthermore, this study covers the other buildings and utilities of municipality and recommended </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">with </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">certain issues in order to promote energy efficiency.</span></span></span>
文摘The Digital Earth vision foresees the availability and accessibility of geospatial information to achieve the goals of sustainable development,economic growth and social well-being.In the case of urban areas,upto-date geospatial information is essential for managing a city towards achieving these goals.The rapid shift from rural to urban areas globally puts pressure on local governments and they often struggle to find and organise the resources required to collect and maintain geospatial information that can help to address urban growth challenges.A spatial data infrastructure(SDI)can facilitate the availability and accessibility of geospatial information towards addressing national objectives,however,the involvement of local governments in an SDI can be a challenge.In this paper,we critique the role of municipalities against the backdrop of the developments of the South African SDI(SASDI)to date.The critique identifies five high-level shortcomings of the SASDI that have led to the limited participation of municipalities.Based on the shortcomings,we provide recommendations for capacitating municipalities through SASDI so that the Digital Earth vision can also be achieved for municipalities.These recommendations are aimed at involving the local sphere of government in a national SDI and are equally applicable to other countries.
基金funded by the Project of Philosophy and Social Science Key Research Base−Industrial Transformation and Innovation Research Center of Zigong Municipal Federation of Social Sciences[Grant No.CZ23B02].
文摘China’s economy has developed rapidly since its reform and opening-up.However,the different rates of development in various places due to location and policies have led to significant economic differences.Based on the nighttime lighting data of 281 municipal spatial units in China from 2013 to 2021,this study uses spatial autocorrelation,center of gravity shift,and standard deviation ellipse(SDE)analysis to examine the evolution of the spatial pattern of China’s municipal economy.Based on these,it uses a geographically weighted regression(GWR)model to explore the factors influencing the differences in China’s municipal economy and its spatial heterogeneity.The paper reveals the following results.First,China’s municipal economy as a whole shows a growing trend.Second,the SDE shows a“north-south”distribution pattern,and the concentration of China’s economic development has slightly increased,with a significant centripetal distribution.Third,spatial correlation shows spatial positive correlation,the degree of which is increasing,with strong spatial heterogeneity and regional agglomeration.Finally,measuring the influencing factors according to GWR,the industrial structure and education expenditure coefficients generally show a decreasing trend from the southeast coast to the northwest and inland due to the degree of transformation of industrial structure and the lagging effect of education expenditure on economic growth.Conversely,the innovation driver and urban area coefficients show a decreasing trend from the northwest inland to the southeast coast due to the law of diminishing marginal utility of innovation drivers and differences in urbanization development.Government expenditure coefficients show a higher trend in the East and a lower trend in the West due to policy favoritism and market development level.This research can serve as a theoretical reference for China to achieve high-quality development and move toward common prosperity.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52100093,52270128,and 52261135627)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2023A1515011734 and 2021B1515120068)+2 种基金the Municipal Science and Technology Innovation Council of the Shen-zhen Government(KCXFZ20211020163556020 and SGDX20230116092359002)the Research Grants Council(17210219)the Innovation and Technology Fund(ITS/242/20FP)of the Hong Kong SAR Government。
文摘The rapidly growing demand for lithium iron phosphate(LiFePO_(4))as the cathode material of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)has aggravated the scarcity of phosphorus(P)reserves on Earth.This study introduces an environmentally friendly and economical method of P recovery from municipal wastewater,providing the P source for LiFePO_(4) cathodes.The novel approach utilizes the sludge of Fe-coagulant-based chemical P removal(CPR)in wastewater treatment.After a sintering treatment with acid washing,the CPR sludge,enriched with P and Fe,transforms into purified P-Fe oxides(Fe2.1P1.0O5.6).These oxides can substitute up to 35%of the FePO_(4) reagent as precursor,producing a carbon-coated LiFePO_(4)(LiFePO_(4)/C)cathode with a specific discharge capacity of 114.9 mA·h·g^(-1)at current density of 17 mA·g^(-1)),and cycle stability of 99.2%after 100 cycles.The enhanced cycle performance of the as-prepared LiFePO_(4)/C cathode may be attributed to the incorporations of impurities(such as Ca^(2+)and Na^(+))from sludge,with improved stability of crystal structure.Unlike conventional P-fertilizers,this P recovery technology converts 100%of P in CPR sludge into the production of value-added LiFePO_(4)/C cathodes.The recovered P from municipal wastewater can meet up to 35%of the P demand in the Chinese LIBs industry,offering a cost-effective solution for addressing the pressing challenges of P scarcity.
