In Reply to Birkeland, Greene, and Logan

Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
Author(s): Brian Jekich, Jacob Nacht, Kurt Eifling, Martin Musi, Christopher Davis




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Scientific Writing

Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
Author(s): Neal W. Pollock




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Factors increasing the risk for psychosocial stress among Korean adults living in rural areas: using generalized estimating equations and mixed models

This study was conducted to analyze the distribution of the psychosocial well-being index among adults living in two rural communities in Korea and to examine its correlation with lifestyle variables such as s...

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The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the construction industry: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose

Although individual studies have reported high prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) among construction workers, no systematic review has summarized their prevalence rates. Accordingly, this systematic review/meta-analysis aimed to synthesize MSS prevalence in different construction trades, gender and age groups, which may help develop specific ergonomic interventions.

Methods

Nine databases were searched for articles related to the research objective. Two reviewers independently screened citations, extracted information and conducted quality assessment of the included studies. Meta-analyses were conducted on clinical and statistical homogenous data.

Results

Thirty-five out of 1130 potential citations were included reporting diverse types of period prevalence and case definitions. Only the 1-year prevalence rates of MSS (defined as at least one episode of pain/MSS in the last year) at nine anatomical regions had sufficient homogeneous data for meta-analysis. Specifically, the 1-year prevalence of MSS was 51.1% for lower back, 37.2% for knee, 32.4% for shoulder, 30.4% for wrist, 24.4% for neck, 24.0% for ankle/foot, 20.3% for elbow, 19.8% for upper back, and 15.1% for hip/thigh. Female workers demonstrated a higher prevalence of MSS while there was insufficient information on the prevalence of trade-specific or age-related MSS. The quality assessments revealed that many included studies estimated prevalence solely based on self-reported data, and did not report non-respondents' characteristics.

Conclusions

Lumbar, knee, shoulder, and wrist MSS are the most common symptoms among construction workers. Future studies should standardize the reporting of period prevalence of MSS in different construction trades to allow meta-analyses and to develop relevant MSS prevention program.

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Factors increasing the risk for psychosocial stress among Korean adults living in rural areas: using generalized estimating equations and mixed models

Abstract

Background

This study was conducted to analyze the distribution of the psychosocial well-being index among adults living in two rural communities in Korea and to examine its correlation with lifestyle variables such as sleep duration, regular exercise, and sedentary time.

Methods

Using the cohort data of the Atherosclerosis Risk of a Rural Area Korean General Population, this study examined 3631 participants living in Wonju and Pyeongchang in Gangwon Province; their preliminary data were established from 2005 to 2007 while their follow-up data were collected 3 years later. This study investigated demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, disease history, Psychosocial Well-being Index-Short Form (PWI-SF) scores, sleep duration, regular exercise, and sedentary time during work. Using repeated measures ANOVA, this study examined how the variables and PWI-SF scores changed over the course of 3 years and identified the correlation between them based on mixed model analysis. Afterwards, using the generalized estimation equation, this study identified each variable's risk towards the PWI-SF high-risk group and performed a stratified analysis by occupation after dividing the participants into farmers and non-farmers.

Results

The PWI-SF high-risk group was found to be 18.9% of the participants from preliminary data and 15.5% from follow-up data. The odds ratio towards the PWI-SF high-risk group was 1.503 (95% CI 1.241–1.821) in the short sleep duration group and 1.327 (95% CI 1.136–1.550) in the non-regular exercise group. A stratified analysis by occupation showed that middle and long sedentary time in the white-collar group increased the risk toward the PWI-SF high-risk group.

Conclusions

Short sleep duration, no regular exercise, and long sedentary time in the white-collar group were identified as risk factors toward the PWI-SF high-risk group in the rural communities, and policy interventions are needed to address this issue.

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The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the construction industry: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose

Although individual studies have reported high prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) among construction workers, no systematic review has summarized their prevalence rates. Accordingly, this systematic review/meta-analysis aimed to synthesize MSS prevalence in different construction trades, gender and age groups, which may help develop specific ergonomic interventions.

Methods

Nine databases were searched for articles related to the research objective. Two reviewers independently screened citations, extracted information and conducted quality assessment of the included studies. Meta-analyses were conducted on clinical and statistical homogenous data.

Results

Thirty-five out of 1130 potential citations were included reporting diverse types of period prevalence and case definitions. Only the 1-year prevalence rates of MSS (defined as at least one episode of pain/MSS in the last year) at nine anatomical regions had sufficient homogeneous data for meta-analysis. Specifically, the 1-year prevalence of MSS was 51.1% for lower back, 37.2% for knee, 32.4% for shoulder, 30.4% for wrist, 24.4% for neck, 24.0% for ankle/foot, 20.3% for elbow, 19.8% for upper back, and 15.1% for hip/thigh. Female workers demonstrated a higher prevalence of MSS while there was insufficient information on the prevalence of trade-specific or age-related MSS. The quality assessments revealed that many included studies estimated prevalence solely based on self-reported data, and did not report non-respondents' characteristics.

Conclusions

Lumbar, knee, shoulder, and wrist MSS are the most common symptoms among construction workers. Future studies should standardize the reporting of period prevalence of MSS in different construction trades to allow meta-analyses and to develop relevant MSS prevention program.

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Comparative study of elemental mercury flux measurement techniques over a Fennoscandian boreal peatland

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 172
Author(s): S. Osterwalder, J. Sommar, S. Åkerblom, G. Jocher, J. Fritsche, M.B. Nilsson, K. Bishop, C. Alewell
Quantitative estimates of the land-atmosphere exchange of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) are biased by the measurement technique employed, because no standard method or scale in space and time are agreed upon. Here we present concurrent GEM exchange measurements over a boreal peatland using a novel relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) system, a rectangular Teflon^® dynamic flux chamber (DFC) and a DFC designed according to aerodynamic considerations (Aero-DFC). During four consecutive days the DFCs were placed alternately on two measurement plots in every cardinal direction around the REA sampling mast. Spatial heterogeneity in peat surface characteristics (0–34 cm) was identified by measuring total mercury in eight peat cores (57 ± 8 ng g⁻¹, average ± SE), vascular plant coverage (32–52%), water table level (4.5–14.1 cm) and dissolved gaseous elemental mercury concentrations (28–51 pg L⁻¹) in the peat water. The GEM fluxes measured by the DFCs showed a distinct diel pattern, but no spatial difference in the average fluxes was detected (ANOVA, α = 0.05). Even though the correlation between the Teflon^® DFC and Aero-DFC was significant (r = 0.76, p < 0.05) the cumulative flux of the Aero-DFC was a factor of three larger. The average flux of the Aero-DFC (1.9 ng m⁻² h⁻¹) and REA (2 ng m⁻² h⁻¹) were in good agreement. The results indicate that the novel REA design is in agreement for cumulative flux estimates with the Aero-DFC, which incorporates the effect of atmospheric turbulence. The comparison was performed over a fetch with spatially rather homogenous GEM flux dynamics under fairly consistent weather conditions, minimizing the effect of weather influence on the data from the three measurement systems. However, in complex biomes with heterogeneous surface characteristics where there can be large spatial variability in GEM gas exchange, the small footprint of chambers (<0.2 m²) makes for large coefficients of variation. Thus many chamber measurement replications are needed to establish a credible biome GEM flux estimate, even for a single point in time. Dynamic flux chambers will, however, be able to resolve systematic differences between small scale features, such as experimentally manipulated plots or small scale spatial heterogeneity.



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The association between inhalable particulate matter and YLL caused by COPD in a typical city in northern China

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 172
Author(s): Qiang Zeng, Ziting Wu, Guohong Jiang, Pei Li, Yang Ni, Guoxing Li, Xiaochuan Pan
BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has become the fourth-leading cause of death. The association between air pollution and years of life lost (YLL) caused by COPD is currently a hot topic; however, few studies have been published regarding COPD YLL around the world, especially in China, a highly polluted area.AimWe investigated the exposure-response association between ambient particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm (PM10) and COPD YLL.MethodsWe applied a generalized additive model (GAM) to estimate the short-term effects of PM10 on COPD YLL and mortality from 2002 to 2010 in Tianjin.ResultsThe annual mean concentration of PM10 was 111.6 μg/m³. An increase in PM10 was significantly associated with daily YLL and mortality in a single pollutant model. A 10 μg/m³ increase in the two-day moving average of PM10 was associated with the maximum YLL increment of 0.30 (95% confidence interval: 0.06, 0.54) person-years and an excess risk (ER) of mortality of 0.60% (0.20%, 1.01%). For YLL increases, the association is stronger in elderly (0.27 (0.06, 0.48), the cumulative effect) populations than in younger populations.ConclusionsAn increment of COPD YLL is associated with an increased PM10 concentration. Elderly groups are more susceptible to air pollution. Strict air pollutant emission control is needed to protect public health.



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Performance evaluation of dispersion parameterization schemes in the plume simulation of FFT-07 diffusion experiment

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 172
Author(s): Gavendra Pandey, Maithili Sharan
Application of atmospheric dispersion models in air quality analysis requires a proper representation of the vertical and horizontal growth of the plume. For this purpose, various schemes for the parameterization of dispersion parameters σ′s are described in both stable and unstable conditions. These schemes differ on the use of (i) extent of availability of on-site measurements (ii) formulations developed for other sites and (iii) empirical relations. The performance of these schemes is evaluated in an earlier developed IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) dispersion model with the data set in single and multiple releases conducted at Fusion Field Trials, Dugway Proving Ground, Utah 2007. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the relative performance of all the schemes is carried out in both stable and unstable conditions in the light of (i) peak/maximum concentrations, and (ii) overall concentration distribution. The blocked bootstrap resampling technique is adopted to investigate the statistical significance of the differences in performances of each of the schemes by computing 95% confidence limits on the parameters FB and NMSE. The various analysis based on some selected statistical measures indicated consistency in the qualitative and quantitative performances of σ schemes. The scheme which is based on standard deviation of wind velocity fluctuations and Lagrangian time scales exhibits a relatively better performance in predicting the peak as well as the lateral spread.



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Source identification of individual soot agglomerates in Arctic air by transmission electron microscopy

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 172
Author(s): S. Weinbruch, N. Benker, K. Kandler, K. Schütze, K. Kling, B. Berlinger, Y. Thomassen, T. Drotikova, R. Kallenborn
Individual soot agglomerates collected at four different locations on the Arctic archipelago Svalbard (Norway) were characterised by transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. For source identification of the ambient soot agglomerates, samples from different local sources (coal burning power plants in Longyearbyen and Barentsburg, diesel and oil burning for power generation in Sveagruva and Ny Ålesund, cruise ship) as well as from other sources which may contribute to Arctic soot concentrations (biomass burning, aircraft emissions, diesel engines) were investigated.Diameter and graphene sheet separation distance of soot primary particles were found to be highly variable within each source and are not suited for source identification. In contrast, concentrations of the minor elements Si, P, K, Ca and Fe showed significant differences which can be used for source attribution. The presence/absence of externally mixed particle groups (fly ashes, tar balls, mercury particles) gives additional hints about the soot sources.Biomass/wood burning, ship emissions and coal burning in Barentsburg can be excluded as major source for ambient soot at Svalbard. The coal power plant in Longyearbyen is most likely a major source of soot in the settlement of Longyearbyen but does not contribute significantly to soot collected at the Global Atmosphere Watch station Zeppelin Mountain near Ny Ålesund. The most probable soot sources at Svalbard are aircraft emissions and diesel exhaust as well as long range transport of coal burning emissions.



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Tuneable diode laser spectroscopy correction factor investigation on ammonia measurement

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 172
Author(s): Nilton Li, Ashraf El-Hamalawi, Jim Baxter, Richard Barrett, Andrew Wheatley
Current diesel engine aftertreatment systems, such as Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) use ammonia (NH3) to reduce Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) into Nitrogen (N2) and water (H2O). However, if the reaction between NH3 and NOx is unbalanced, it can lead either NH3 or NOx being released into the environment. As NH3 is classified as a dangerous compound in the environment, its accurate measurement is essential. Tuneable Diode Laser (TDL) spectroscopy is one of the methods used to measure raw emissions inside engine exhaust pipes, especially NH3. This instrument requires a real-time exhaust temperature, pressure and other interference compounds in order to adjust itself to reduce the error in NH3 readings. Most researchers believed that exhaust temperature and pressure were the most influential factors in TDL when measuring NH3 inside exhaust pipes. The aim of this paper was to quantify these interference effects on TDL when undertaking NH3 measurement. Surprisingly, the results show that pressure was the least influential factor when compared to temperature, H2O, CO2 and O2 when undertaking NH3 measurement using TDL.



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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1328: The Gulf Coast Health Alliance: Health Risks Related to the Macondo Spill (GC-HARMS) Study: Self-Reported Health Effects

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1328: The Gulf Coast Health Alliance: Health Risks Related to the Macondo Spill (GC-HARMS) Study: Self-Reported Health Effects

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111328

Authors: Sharon Croisant Yu-li Lin Joseph Shearer John Prochaska Amanda Phillips-Savoy James Gee Daniel Jackson Reynold Panettieri Marilyn Howarth John Sullivan Bishop Black Joi Tate Dustin Nguyen Amber Anthony Asim Khan Harshica Fernando G. Ansari Gilbert Rowe Bret Howrey Chantele Singleton Cornelis Elferink

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) explosion in 2010 is the largest oil spill (Macondo) in U.S. history. We focused on gaining an understanding of the physical health and mental health effects attributable to the Macondo oil spill. This is a report of a cross-sectional cohort study (wave 1) to establish 'baseline' findings and meant to provide descriptive information to be used for a multi-wave, longitudinal study. Gulf Coast Health Alliance: health Risks related to the Macondo Spill (GC-HARMS) uses a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, thus including multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional academic partners and representatives of three communities impacted by the spill. Three research sites were selected for human sampling along the Gulf of Mexico coast including two from Mississippi and one from Louisiana, with Galveston, Texas, serving as a comparison site, given that it was not directly impacted by the spill. One hundred participants were selected from each community, representing adults, seniors and children, with approximately equal numbers of males and females in each group. Participants completed initial assessments including completion of a 'baseline' survey and, rigorous physical assessments. Results from wave 1 data collection reported herein reveal changes in self-reported physical health and mental health status following the oil spill, disparities in access to healthcare, and associations between mental health and emotional conditions related to displacement/unemployment. Few environmental health studies have been conducted in communities impacted by significant oil spills. Results imply potential prolonged effects on mental health and community vulnerability.

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"κλιματική αλλαγή" - νέα αποτελέσματα

[PDF] Δείκτες απόδοσης στις εταιρίες μεταφορών και η εφαρμογή τους στη ναυτιλία

Β Βαρβιτσιώτη - 2017

Page 1. ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΠΕΙΡΑΙΑ ΤΜΗΜΑ ΝΑΥΤΙΛΙΑΚΩΝ ΣΠΟΥΔΩΝ ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ
ΜΕΤΑΠΤΥΧΙΑΚΩΝ ΣΠΟΥΔΩΝ στην ΝΑΥΤΙΛΙΑ ΔΕΙΚΤΕΣ ΑΠΟΔΟΣΗΣ ΣΤΙΣ ΕΤΑΙΡΙΕΣ ΜΕΤΑΦΟΡΩΝ
ΚΑΙ Η ΕΦΑΡΜΟΓΗ ΤΟΥΣ ΣΤΗ ΝΑΥΤΙΛΙΑ KPI'S FOR TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES ...

[PDF] Τα μεγάλα έργα υποδομών στην Ελλάδα. Μελέτη περίπτωσης: Ρίο-Αντίρριον

Π Καδόγλου - 2017

Page 1. 1 ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΑΙΓΑΙΟΥ ΣΧΟΛΗ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΩΝ ΔΙΟΙΚΗΣΗΣ ΤΜΗΜΑ ΔΙΟΙΚΗΣΗΣ
ΕΠΙΧΕΙΡΗΣΕΩΝ «ΤΑ ΜΕΓΑΛΑ ΕΡΓΑ ΥΠΟΔΟΜΩΝ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ-ΜΕΛΕΤΗ ΠΕΡΙΠΤΩΣΗΣ:ΡΙΟ
ΑΝΤΙΡΡΙΟΝ» Διπλωματική Εργασία Παναγιώτης Καδόγλου Α.Μ:2112013089 ΧΙΟΣ 2017 ...

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"Περιβαλλοντικά προβλήματα" - νέα αποτελέσματα

[PDF] Τα μεγάλα έργα υποδομών στην Ελλάδα. Μελέτη περίπτωσης: Ρίο-Αντίρριον

Π Καδόγλου - 2017

Page 1. 1 ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΑΙΓΑΙΟΥ ΣΧΟΛΗ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΩΝ ΔΙΟΙΚΗΣΗΣ ΤΜΗΜΑ ΔΙΟΙΚΗΣΗΣ
ΕΠΙΧΕΙΡΗΣΕΩΝ «ΤΑ ΜΕΓΑΛΑ ΕΡΓΑ ΥΠΟΔΟΜΩΝ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ-ΜΕΛΕΤΗ ΠΕΡΙΠΤΩΣΗΣ:ΡΙΟ
ΑΝΤΙΡΡΙΟΝ» Διπλωματική Εργασία Παναγιώτης Καδόγλου Α.Μ:2112013089 ΧΙΟΣ 2017 ...

[PDF] Μελέτη ενεργειακής διαχείρισης θερμοκηπίου

Π ΚΥΡΙΑΚΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ - 2017

Page 1. ΣΔΥΝΟΛΟΓΙΚΟ ΔΚΠΑΙΓΔΤΣΙΚΟ ΙΓΡΤΜΑ ΓΤΣΙΚΗ΢ ΔΛΛΑΓΑ΢ ΢ΥΟΛΗ ΣΔΥΝΟΛΟΓΙΚΧΝ
ΔΦΑΡΜΟΓΧΝ ΣΜΗΜΑ ΜΗΥΑΝΟΛΟΓΧΝ ΜΗΥΑΝΙΚΧΝ Σ.Δ. ΠΣΤΥΙΑΚΗ ΔΡΓΑ΢ΙΑ ΜΔΛΔΣΗ
ΔΝΔΡΓΔΙΑΚΗ΢ ΓΙΑΥΔΙΡΙ΢Η΢ ΘΔΡΜΟΚΗΠΙΟΤ ΚΤΡΙΑΚΟΠΟΤΛΟ΢ ΠΑΝΑΓΙΧΣΗ΢ (5312) ...

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"Ατμοσφαιρική ρύπανση" : επιπτώσεις στην υγεία - νέα αποτελέσματα

[PDF] Δείκτες απόδοσης στις εταιρίες μεταφορών και η εφαρμογή τους στη ναυτιλία

Β Βαρβιτσιώτη - 2017

... προσωπικού, η ναυσιπλοΐα, η επιχειρησιακή απόδοση και οι περιβαλλοντικές επιπτώσεις είναι
σημαντικά ζητήματα που πρέπει να ληφθούν υπόψη. ... εκφράσουν την απόδοση στους εξής
βασικούς τομείς: ➢ Υγεία και Ασφάλεια (Health and Safety Performance) ...

[PDF] Η αξία της θεραπευτικής επικοινωνίας και της συμβουλευτικής σε ασθενείς με χρόνιο νόσημα

Α ΚΑΤΗΦΟΡΗ, Ν ΚΟΡΚΟΛΗ - 2017

... Υπάρχει πληθώρα βιβλιογραφικών αναφορών που στηρίζουν τις αρνητικές επιπτώσεις του
καπνίσματος στην υγεία. Ο κίνδυνος αυξάνει δραματικά όταν η έναρξη του καπνίσματος γίνεται
πριν από ... Οι πάσχοντες υφίστανται δραματικές συνέπειες στην προσωπική, οικογενειακή, ...

[PDF] Διαχείριση συνδρόμου οξείας αναπνευστικής δυσχέρειας στους βαρέως πάσχοντες ασθενείς

Χ ΚΑΤΡΙΒΕΣΗ - 2017

... συστήματος, κ.λπ. (World Health Organization, 2007). ... (Ρούσσος, 2003). Σύμφωνα με στοιχεία
του Παγκόσμιου Οργανισμού Υγείας (Π.Ο.Υ.), το 1/6 των θανάτων σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο,
σημειώνεται από ... όπως ήδη αναφέρθηκε, η ατμοσφαιρική ρύπανση, η ατμοσφαιρική ...

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"κοινωνική οικολογία" - νέα αποτελέσματα

[PDF] Περιβαλλοντικές επιπτώσεις απο την διαχείριση αστικών αποβλήτων. Μελέτη περίπτωσης βιολογικού καθαρισμού στην πόλη της Αμφιλοχίας

Σ ΚΑΡΑΜΠΑΛΗΣ, Α ΚΟΜΠΟΤΗΣ - 2017

Page 1. 1 ΣΕΧΝΟΛΟΓΙΚΟ ΙΔΡΤΜΑ ΔΤΣΙΚΗ΢ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ΢ ΔΤΣΙΚΗ΢ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ΢ ΢ΧΟΛΗ
ΣΕΧΝΟΛΟΓΙΚΩΝ ΕΦΑΡΜΟΓΩΝ ΣΜΗΜΑ ΜΗΧΑΝΟΛΟΓΩΝ ΜΗΧΑΝΙΚΩΝ Σ.Ε. ΠΣΤΧΙΑΚΗ
ΕΡΓΑ΢ΙΑ Περιβαλλοντικζσ επιπτώςεισ από την διαχείρηςη αςτικών αποβλήτων. ...

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1329: Cross-Sectional Associations between Home Environmental Factors and Domain-Specific Sedentary Behaviors in Adults: The Moderating Role of Socio-Demographic Variables and BMI

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1329: Cross-Sectional Associations between Home Environmental Factors and Domain-Specific Sedentary Behaviors in Adults: The Moderating Role of Socio-Demographic Variables and BMI

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111329

Authors: Sofie Compernolle Cedric Busschaert Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij Greet Cardon Sebastien Chastin Jelle Van Cauwenberg Katrien De Cocker

Despite the negative health effects of too much sitting, the majority of adults are too sedentary. To develop effective interventions, insight is needed into home environmental correlates of adults' sedentary behaviors, and into the susceptibility of population subgroups to these home environmental cues. In total, 559 Flemish adults reported socio-demographics, weight and height, home environmental factors and domain-specific sedentary behaviors. Generalized linear modeling was conducted to examine main associations between home environmental factors and domain-specific sedentary behaviors, and to test the moderating role of socio-demographics and BMI on these associations. In case of significant interactions, stratified analyses were performed. Results showed that, among those who did use a computer/laptop during the last week, a one-unit increase in the number of computers or laptops was associated with 17% (OR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.34) and 24% (OR = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.08, 1.43) more minutes computer time per day, respectively. The proximity of the remote controller (p &lt; 0.001) and the number of televisions (p = 0.03) were positively associated with television time, and the number of motorized vehicles (95% CI = 0.001, 0.12) was positively associated with the odds of participation in transport-related sitting time. The latter two associations were moderated by BMI, with significant positive associations limited to those not overweight. To conclude, home environmental factors were associated with domain-specific sedentary behaviors, especially in healthy weight adults. If confirmed by longitudinal studies, public health professionals should encourage adults to limit the number of indoor entertainment devices and motorized vehicles.

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1324: Self-Determination in Health Research: An Alaska Native Example of Tribal Ownership and Research Regulation

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1324: Self-Determination in Health Research: An Alaska Native Example of Tribal Ownership and Research Regulation

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111324

Authors: Vanessa Hiratsuka Julie Beans Renee Robinson Jennifer Shaw Ileen Sylvester Denise Dillard

Alaska Native (AN) and American Indian (AI) people are underrepresented in health research, yet many decline to participate in studies due to past researcher misconduct. Southcentral Foundation (SCF), an Alaska Native-owned and operated health care organization, is transforming the relationship between researchers and the tribal community by making trust and accountability required features of health research in AN/AI communities. In 1998, SCF assumed ownership from the federal government of health services for AN/AI people in south central Alaska and transformed the health system into a relationship-based model of care. This change reimagines how researchers interact with tribal communities and established community oversight of all health research conducted with AN/AI people in the region. We describe the SCF research review process, which requires tribal approval of the research concept, full proposal, and dissemination products, as well as local institutional review board approval, and a researcher-signed contract. This review evaluates research through the lens of tribal principles, practices, and priorities. The SCF example provides a framework for other tribes and organizations seeking to reshape the future of health research in AN/AI communities.

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1325: Chronic Stress in Young German Adults: Who Is Affected? A Prospective Cohort Study

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1325: Chronic Stress in Young German Adults: Who Is Affected? A Prospective Cohort Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111325

Authors: Ronald Herrera Ursula Berger Jon Genuneit Jessica Gerlich Dennis Nowak Wolff Schlotz Christian Vogelberg Erika von Mutius Gudrun Weinmayr Doris Windstetter Matthias Weigl Katja Radon

We aimed to prospectively assess changes in chronic stress among young adults transitioning from high school to university or working life. A population-based cohort in Munich and Dresden (Germany) was followed from age 16–18 (2002–2003) to age 20–23 (2007–2009) (n = 1688). Using the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress, two dimensions of stress at university or work were assessed: work overload and work discontent. In the multiple ordinal generalized estimating equations, socio-demographics, stress outside the workplace, and job history were additionally considered. At follow-up, 52% of the population were university students. Work overload increased statistically significantly from first to second follow-up, while work discontent remained constant at the population level. Students, compared to employees, reported a larger increase in work overload (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.33; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.07, 1.67), while work discontent did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, work overload increases when young adults transition from school to university/job life, with university students experiencing the largest increase.

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1327: History of Asbestos Ban in Hong Kong

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1327: History of Asbestos Ban in Hong Kong

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111327

Authors: Chun-Kwan Wong Sabrina Wan Ignatius Yu

As millions of immigrants moved to Hong Kong (HK) from China in the recent decades, large amount of residential housings were built in the early years and a substantial proportion of those buildings used asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). Since the number of new cases of ARDs diagnosed has increased year by year since 1990's, the remarkable increase of incidences had drawn the attention of the public and most importantly the HK government. It became one of the trigger points leading to asbestos ban in HK history. Comparatively, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), labor unions and patients' self-help organizations demonstrated a more aggressive and proactive attitude than the HK government and have played a key role in the development of asbestos banning policy in HK. After numerous petitions and meetings with the government representatives by those parties in the past decade, the HK government eventually changed its attitude and started to consider terminating the endless threat from asbestos by amending the policy, and the new clause of legislation for banning of all forms of asbestos was enacted on 4 April 2014. Other than the restriction of asbestos use, the compensation system about ARDs has also made some great moves by the effort of those parties as well. Based on the experience we learnt through the years, efforts from different stakeholders including patients' self-help organizations, NGOs, legislative councilors, and media power are absolutely essential to the success of progression and development in today's asbestos banning in HK.

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On the significance of the climate-dataset time resolution in characterising wind-driven rain and simultaneous wind pressure. Part I: scalar approach

Abstract

The joint action of wind-driven rain and wind pressure is the main cause of water penetration in building facades, which causes various habitability and durability problems. The most widespread characterisation of both climate factors is based on exposure indices calculated in free-field conditions from records of precipitation—wind speed (scalar indices), adding wind direction for directional indices. The time resolution of this climate dataset defines the calculation effort and the accuracy obtained, and average daily, monthly, or annual records are typical due to their greater availability. This paper investigates the influence of this time resolution on the accuracy of these scalar exposure indices (driving rain index, hereafter aDRI, and driving-rain wind pressure, hereafter DRWP) by assessing the nature and magnitude of errors associated with different averaged records. For this purpose, 10-min, hourly, daily, monthly and annual meteorological data collected over 15 years in 6 Spanish weather stations at locations characterised by different environments and topography are analysed. In addition, relationships capable of adjusting indices of any time resolution to an accuracy similar to that reached through 10-min records are proposed. In general, the value of driving-rain wind pressure exhibits greater sensitivity than the driving rain index at this time resolution, incorporating significant errors even with daily datasets. In turn, the use of monthly and annual records should be reconsidered, given their high uncertainty. The results demonstrate how the daily datasets for aDRI indices and hourly datasets for DRWP values are sufficient to characterise these exposures with errors of less than 11%.

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1326: Geographical Variations in the Environmental Determinants of Physical Inactivity among U.S. Adults

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1326: Geographical Variations in the Environmental Determinants of Physical Inactivity among U.S. Adults

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111326

Authors: Ruopeng An Xinye Li Ning Jiang

Physical inactivity is a major modifiable risk factor for morbidity, disability and premature mortality worldwide. This study assessed the geographical variations in the impact of environmental quality on physical inactivity among U.S. adults. Data on county-level prevalence of leisure-time physical inactivity came from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. County environment was measured by the Environmental Quality Index (EQI), a comprehensive index of environmental conditions that affect human health. The overall EQI consists of five subdomains—air, water, land, social, and built environment. Geographically weighted regressions (GWRs) were performed to estimate and map county-specific impact of overall EQI and its five subdomains on physical inactivity prevalence. The prevalence of leisure-time physical inactivity among U.S. counties was 25% in 2005. On average, one standard deviation decrease in the overall EQI was associated with an increase in county-level prevalence of leisure-time physical inactivity by nearly 1%. However, substantial geographical variations in the estimated environmental determinants of physical inactivity were present. The estimated changes of county-level prevalence of leisure-time physical inactivity resulted from one standard deviation decrease of the overall EQI ranged from an increase of over 3% to a decrease of nearly 2% across U.S. counties. Analogous, the estimated changes of county-level prevalence of leisure-time physical inactivity resulted from one standard deviation decrease of the EQI air, water, land, social, and built environment subdomains ranged from an increase of 2.6%, 1.5%, 2.9%, 3.3%, and 1.7% to a decrease of 2.9%, 1.4%, 2.4%, 2.4%, and 0.8% across U.S. counties, respectively. Given the substantial heterogeneities in the environmental determinants of physical inactivity, locally customized physical activity interventions are warranted to address the most concerning area-specific environmental issue.

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Sequential information gathering schemes for spatial risk and decision analysis applications

Abstract

Several risk and decision analysis applications are characterized by spatial elements: there are spatially dependent uncertain variables of interest, decisions are made at spatial locations, and there are opportunities for spatial data acquisition. Spatial dependence implies that the data gathered at one coordinate could inform and assist a decision maker at other locations as well, and one should account for this learning effect when analyzing and comparing information gathering schemes. In this paper, we present concepts and methods for evaluating sequential information gathering schemes in spatial decision situations. Static and sequential information gathering schemes are outlined using the decision theoretic notion of value of information, and we use heuristics for approximating the value of sequential information in large-size spatial applications. We illustrate the concepts using a Bayesian network example motivated from risks associated with CO2 sequestration. We present a case study from mining where there are risks of rock hazard in the tunnels, and information about the spatial distribution of joints in the rocks may lead to a better allocation of resources for choosing rock reinforcement locations. In this application, the spatial variables are modeled by a Gaussian process. In both examples there can be large values associated with adaptive information gathering.

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1318: Molecular Analysis of the SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 Genes in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with Regard to Metabolic Parameters and Selected Hormone Levels

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1318: Molecular Analysis of the SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 Genes in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with Regard to Metabolic Parameters and Selected Hormone Levels

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111318

Authors: Aleksandra Rył Iwona Rotter Anna Grzywacz Iwona Małecka Karolina Skonieczna-Żydecka Katarzyna Grzesiak Marcin Słojewski Aleksandra Szylińska Olimpia Sipak-Szmigiel Małgorzata Piasecka Kinga Walczakiewicz Maria Laszczyńska

Introduction: The etiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has not so far been fully explicated. However, it is assumed that changes in the levels of hormones associated with aging can contribute to the development of prostatic hyperplasia. Dihydrotestosterone combines with the androgen receptor (AR) proteins of the prostate gland. Enzyme activity is based on two isoenzymes: type 1 and type 2. 5α-reductase type 1 is encoded by the SRD5A1 gene, and type 2 is encoded by the SRD5A2 gene. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of the SRD5A1 (rs6884552, rs3797177) and SRD5A2 (rs523349, rs12470143) genes' polymorphisms, and to assess the relationships between the genotypes of the tested mutations, and the levels of biochemical and hormonal parameters in patients with BPH. Material and Methods: The study involved 299 men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. We determined the serum levels of particular biochemical parameters—fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides (TG)—by the spectrophotometric method, using ready reagent kits. The ELISA method was used to determine the levels of the following hormonal parameters and proteins: total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), insulin (I), luteinizing hormone (LH), and sex hormone binding protein (SHBG). Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed. Genotyping was performed by real-time PCR. Results: We analyzed the relationships between the incidence of particular diseases and the genotypes of the SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 polymorphisms among patients with BPH. The BPH patients with the CC genotype of the SRD5A2 rs523349 and rs12470143 polymorphisms were considerably less frequently diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MetS) (p = 0.022 and p = 0.023 respectively). Our analysis revealed that homozygotes with the CC of the SDR5A2 rs12470143 polymorphism had visibly higher HDL levels than those with the TT and CT genotypes (p = 0.001). Additionally, we found that the patients with the CC genotype of the SDR5A2 rs12470143 polymorphism had considerably higher FT levels (p = 0.001) than the heterozygotes with the CT and the homozygotes with the TT of the genetic variant analyzed in our study. Furthermore, the patients with at least one G allele of the SRD5A2 rs523349 polymorphism had significantly lower SGBG levels (p = 0.022) compared with the homozygotes with the CC genotype. The presence of at least one A allele (AA + AG genotypes) of the SRD5A1 rs3797177 polymorphism entailed notably lower serum insulin levels than those observed in homozygotes with the GG genotype (p = 0.033). Conclusions: The study described in this article shows that selected SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 polymorphisms can alter the levels of metabolic and hormonal parameters in patients with BPH. Special attention should be paid to the SDR5A2 rs12470143 polymorphism, which is associated with a change in lipid profile, as well as with the inheritance and incidence rate of MetS among these patients. An analysis of the frequency of this polymorphism among BPH patients could be useful in estimating the risk of getting ill, and planning therapies of concomitant diseases for BPH patients.

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1322: Association between Eating Out and Socio-Demographic Factors of University Students in Chongqing, China

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1322: Association between Eating Out and Socio-Demographic Factors of University Students in Chongqing, China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111322

Authors: Ping Hu Tingting Wu Fan Zhang Yan Zhang Lu Lu Huan Zeng Zu-min Shi Manoj Sharma Lei Xun Yong Zhao

(1) Objective: We aimed to explore the current situation of eating out and the association with socio-demographic factors of university students in Chongqing, China. (2) Methods: We used self-administered questionnaires to collect information. There are 14 universities in Chongqing; four (Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing University, Chongqing Normal University, and Chongqing University of Science &amp; Technology) were randomly selected. In each selected university, two disciplines were randomly selected. (3) Results: 4595 university students participated in the study. The frequency of eating out was relatively high. The frequency of eating out among females was higher than that among males during weekdays. The two main reasons for eating out were having an opportunity to meet friends (56.0%) and improving diet (39.6%). Bistros (61.7%) and hot-pot restaurants (41.1%) were the favorite places for eating out. Only 36.0% of the participants said they considered nutrition and food safety when selecting restaurants. The majority of the participants demonstrated a high demand for nutrition and food safety knowledge when eating out (77.7%). (4) Conclusions: The higher the monthly living expenses were, the higher the frequency of eating out was. An intervention strategy to reduce the frequency or change the behavior of eating out should be formulated by considering the students' perspectives.

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1321: Spatiotemporal Changes in Fine Particulate Matter Pollution and the Associated Mortality Burden in China between 2015 and 2016

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1321: Spatiotemporal Changes in Fine Particulate Matter Pollution and the Associated Mortality Burden in China between 2015 and 2016

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111321

Authors: Luwei Feng Bo Ye Huan Feng Fu Ren Shichun Huang Xiaotong Zhang Yunquan Zhang Qingyun Du Lu Ma

In recent years, research on the spatiotemporal distribution and health effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been conducted in China. However, the limitations of different research scopes and methods have led to low comparability between regions regarding the mortality burden of PM2.5. A kriging model was used to simulate the distribution of PM2.5 in 2015 and 2016. Relative risk (RR) at a specified PM2.5 exposure concentration was estimated with an integrated exposure–response (IER) model for different causes of mortality: lung cancer (LC), ischaemic heart disease (IHD), cerebrovascular disease (stroke) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The population attributable fraction (PAF) was adopted to estimate deaths attributed to PM2.5. 72.02% of cities experienced decreases in PM2.5 from 2015 to 2016. Due to the overall decrease in the PM2.5 concentration, the total number of deaths decreased by approximately 10,658 per million in 336 cities, including a decrease of 1400, 1836, 6312 and 1110 caused by LC, IHD, stroke and COPD, respectively. Our results suggest that the overall PM2.5 concentration and PM2.5-related deaths exhibited decreasing trends in China, although air quality in local areas has deteriorated. To improve air pollution control strategies, regional PM2.5 concentrations and trends should be fully considered.

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Operationalizing Stakeholder Engagement in CSR: A Process Approach

Abstract

Stakeholder engagement is an important aspect of an organization's corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, but little theorizing informs its implementation. In this paper, the authors relate data from stakeholder engagement activities undertaken by nine Australian organizations as part of their CSR efforts, to an existing process model of engagement. The original framework is extended and enhanced into a process model of the operationalization of stakeholder engagement. Practically, this research identifies the steps within the operationalization of stakeholder engagement, allowing engagement practitioners to track the progress of their work, and to identify and respond to any impediments. Theoretically, the proposed process model approach presents a new perspective on operationalizing stakeholder engagement. The revised model of stakeholder engagement therefore provides a lens that gives deeper insights into how engagement is carried out; as well as a practical framework through which this implementation can be understood and managed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

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Corporate Social Responsibility Excites ‘Exponential’ Positive Employee Engagement: The Matthew Effect in CSR and Sustainable Policy

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) captures an organization's commitment to and engagement with multiple stakeholders; integrates economic, social, and environmental concerns into sustainable policies; and enhances employee perceptions, emotions, long-term value creation, and financial success. Most researchers have reported linear relationships between CSR and employee attitudes. Here, we test a new theory: After surpassing an upper bar, employee-perceived CSR exponentially stimulates their organizational pride. Organizational pride has a positive and linear direct impact on job satisfaction and affective commitment, respectively. Perceived CSR exponentially excites job satisfaction and affective commitment indirectly through organizational pride. Data collected from 296 managers and employees in 12 diverse companies in China support our theory. Policymakers must develop a sustainable policy, nourish a conducive environment, and pursue CSR as a competitive advantage because at a high level, perceived CSR exponentially reaps intangible rewards, creating the positive Matthew Effect in CSR and sustainable policy. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1316: Sensitizing Black Adult and Youth Consumers to Targeted Food Marketing Tactics in Their Environments

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1316: Sensitizing Black Adult and Youth Consumers to Targeted Food Marketing Tactics in Their Environments

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111316

Authors: Katherine Isselmann DiSantis Shiriki Kumanyika Lori Carter-Edwards Deborah Rohm Young Sonya Grier Vikki Lassiter

Food marketing environments of Black American consumers are heavily affected by ethnically-targeted marketing of sugar sweetened beverages, fast foods, and other products that may contribute to caloric overconsumption. This qualitative study assessed Black consumers' responses to targeted marketing. Black adults (2 mixed gender groups; total n = 30) and youth (2 gender specific groups; total n = 35) from two U.S. communities participated before and after a sensitization procedure—a critical practice used to understand social justice concerns. Pre-sensitization focus groups elicited responses to scenarios about various targeted marketing tactics. Participants were then given an informational booklet about targeted marketing to Black Americans, and all returned for the second (post-sensitization) focus group one week later. Conventional qualitative content analysis of transcripts identified several salient themes: seeing the marketer's perspective ("it's about demand"; "consumers choose"), respect for community ("marketers are setting us up for failure"; "making wrong assumptions"), and food environments as a social justice issue ("no one is watching the door"; "I didn't realize"). Effects of sensitization were reflected in participants' stated reactions to the information in the booklet, and also in the relative occurrence of marketer-oriented themes and social justice-oriented themes, respectively, less and more after sensitization.

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1313: Diet Quality and Satisfaction with Life, Family Life, and Food-Related Life across Families: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study with Mother-Father-Adolescent Triads

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1313: Diet Quality and Satisfaction with Life, Family Life, and Food-Related Life across Families: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study with Mother-Father-Adolescent Triads

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111313

Authors: Berta Schnettler Germán Lobos Edgardo Miranda-Zapata Marianela Denegri Gastón Ares Clementina Hueche

Family is a major determinant of children's and adolescents' eating behavior. The objectives of the present study were to assess diet quality, eating habits, satisfaction with life, family life, and food-related life in mother–father–adolescent triads, and to identify profiles of families according to family members' diet quality. Questionnaires were administered to a sample of 300 two-parent families with one child over the age of 10 in the city of Temuco (Chile), including the Adapted Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Satisfaction with Food-related Life (SWFoL) scale, Satisfaction with Family Life (SWFaL) scales, and questions relating to their eating habits. Positive relationships were found between the diet quality of the family members, particularly between mothers and adolescents. Three family profiles with different diet qualities were identified: "families with an unhealthy diet" (39.3%), "families in which mothers and adolescents have healthy diets, but the fathers' diets require changes" (14.3%), and "families that require changes in their diet" (46.4%). These findings stress the key role of mothers in determining family diet quality and suggest a positive relationship between diet quality and satisfaction with life.

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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1317: Seasonal Patterns of Japanese Encephalitis and Associated Meteorological Factors in Taiwan

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1317: Seasonal Patterns of Japanese Encephalitis and Associated Meteorological Factors in Taiwan

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111317

Authors: Che-Liang Lin Hsiao-Ling Chang Chuan-Yao Lin Kow-Tong Chen

The persistent transmission of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in Taiwan necessitates exploring the risk factors of occurrence of Japanese encephalitis (JE). The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between meteorological factors and the incidence of JE in Taiwan. We collected data for cases of JE reported to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) from 2000 to 2014. Meteorological data were obtained from the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau. The relationships between weather variability and the incidence of JE in Taiwan were determined via Poisson regression analysis and a case-crossover methodology. During the 15-year study period, a total of 379 cases of JE were reported. The incidence of JE showed significant seasonality, with the majority of cases occurring in summertime (for oscillation, p &lt; 0.001). The number of JE cases started to increase at temperatures of 22 °C (r2 = 0.88, p &lt; 0.001). Similarly, the number of JE cases began to increase at a relative humidity of 70–74% (r2 = 0.75, p &lt; 0.005). The number of JE cases was positively associated with mean temperature and relative humidity in the period preceding the infection. In conclusion, the occurrence of JE is significantly associated with increasing temperature and relative humidity in Taiwan. Therefore, these factors could be regarded as warning signals indicating the need to implement preventive measures.

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In Reply to Drs Lipman and Hackett

Publication date: Available online 28 October 2017
Source:Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
Author(s): Nicholas C. Kanaan, Alicia L. Peterson, Matiram Pun, Ghan B. Thapa, Aditya Tiwari, Bikash Basyal, Peter S. Holck, Jennifer Starling, Thomas F. Freeman, Jessica R. Gehner, Linda Keyes, Dana R. Levin, Catherine J. O'Leary, Katherine E. Stuart, Jared L. Velgersdyk, Ken Zafren, Buddha Basnyat




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The influence of continental air masses on the aerosols and nutrients deposition over the western North Pacific

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 172
Author(s): Jiangping Fu, Bo Wang, Ying Chen, Qingwei Ma
The air masses transported from East Asia have a strong impact on the aerosol properties and deposition in the marine boundary layer of the western North Pacific (WNP) during winter and spring. We joined a cruise between 17 Mar. and 22 Apr. 2014 and investigated the changes of aerosol composition and size distribution over the remote WNP and marginal seas. Although the secondary aerosol species (SO4²⁻, NO3⁻ and NH4⁺) in remote WNP were influenced significantly by the continental transport, NH4⁺ concentrations were lower than 2.7 μg m⁻³ in most sampling days and not correlated with non-sea-salt (nss)-SO4^2- suggesting that the ocean could be a primary source of NH4⁺. Moderate Cl⁻ depletion (23%) was observed in remote WNP, and the inverse relationship between Cl⁻ depletion percentages and nss-K⁺ in aerosols suggested that the transport of biomass burning smoke from East Asia might be a vital extra source of Cl⁻. Both Asian dust and haze events were encountered during the cruise. Asian dust carried large amounts of crustal elements such as Al and Ti to the WNP, and the dusty Fe deposition may double its background concentration in seawater. Differently, a dramatic increase of dry deposition flux of dissolved particulate inorganic nitrogen was observed during the haze event. Our study reveals that the transport of different continental air masses may have distinct biogeochemical impacts on the WNP by increasing the fluxes of different nutrient elements and potentially changing the nutrient stoichiometry.



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Assessment of the impact of climate change on flow regime at multiple temporal scales and potential ecological implications in an alpine river

Abstract

The source region of Yellow river is an alpine river sensitive to climate changes, but the potential effects of climate change on hydrological regime characteristics and ecological implications are less understood. This study aims to assess the response of the alterations in the flow regimes over the source region of Yellow river to climate change using Soil and Water Integrated Model driven by different Global Circulation Models (GFDL-ESM2M, IPSL-CM5A-LR and MIROC-ESM-CHEM) under three Representative Concentration Pathway emission scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Indicators of hydrological alteration and River impact index are employed to evaluate streamflow regime alterations at multiple temporal scales. Results show that the magnitude of monthly and annual streamflow except May, the magnitude and duration of the annual extreme, and the number of reversals are projected to increase in the near future period (2020–2049) and far future period (2070–2099) compared to the baseline period (1971–2000). The timing of annual maximum flows is expected to shift backwards. The source region of Yellow river is expected to undergo low change degree as per the scenarios RCP2.6 for both two future periods and under the scenarios RCP4.5 for the near future period, whereas high change degree under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 in the far period on the daily scale. On the monthly scale, climate changes mainly have effects on river flow magnitude and timing. The basin would suffer an incipient impact alteration in the far period under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, while low impact in other scenarios. These changes in flow regimes could have several positive impacts on aquatic ecosystems in the near period but more detrimental effects in the far period.

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Source apportionment and health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in road dust from urban industrial areas of Ahvaz megacity, Iran

Abstract

This study investigates the occurrence and spatial distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (Hg, Cd, Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Al, Fe, Mn, V and Sb) in 67 road dust samples collected from urban industrial areas in Ahvaz megacity, southwest of Iran. Geochemical methods, multivariate statistics, geostatistics and health risk assessment model were adopted to study the spatial pollution pattern and to identify the priority pollutants, regions of concern and sources of the studied PTEs. Also, receptor positive matrix factorization model was employed to assess pollution sources. Compared to the local background, the median enrichment factor values revealed the following order: Sb > Pb > Hg > Zn > Cu > V > Fe > Mo > Cd > Mn > Cr ≈ Co ≈ Al ≈ Ni. Statistical results show that a significant difference exists between concentrations of Mo, Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Sb, V and Hg in different regions (univariate analysis, Kruskal–Wallis test p < 0.05), indicating the existence of highly contaminated spots. Integrated source identification coupled with positive matrix factorization model revealed that traffic-related emissions (43.5%) and steel industries (26.4%) were first two sources of PTEs in road dust, followed by natural sources (22.6%) and pipe and oil processing companies (7.5%). The arithmetic mean of pollution load index (PLI) values for high traffic sector (1.92) is greater than industrial (1.80) and residential areas (1.25). Also, the results show that ecological risk values for Hg and Pb in 41.8 and 9% of total dust samples are higher than 80, indicating their considerable or higher potential ecological risk. The health risk assessment model showed that ingestion of dust particles contributed more than 83% of the overall non-carcinogenic risk. For both residential and industrial scenarios, Hg and Pb had the highest risk values, whereas Mo has the lowest value.

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Risk assessment and ranking of heavy metals concentration in Iran’s Rayen groundwater basin using linear assignment method

Abstract

Groundwater is an important source of freshwater for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses in Iran. Groundwater quality assessment and environmental evaluation are considered as critical issues in recent years. Intensive human activities have resulted in significant changes in environment leading to serious groundwater contamination. This research proposes a two-part systematic approach to tackle heavy metals contamination problem in Rayen Basin (southeast Iran). The first part consists of determining geochemical characteristics and evaluating groundwater quality through application of water quality index and heavy metal pollution indices (i.e. HPI and MI). The second part includes ranking sampling stations based on heavy metals concentration in groundwater using linear assignment method. Six types of water could be identified according to the dominant cations and anions in samples: Ca–HCO₃, Ca–SO₄, Na–Cl, Na–HCO₃, Na–SO₄ and mixed water type. Calculation of indices revealed that natural and anthropogenic activities are playing a vital role in degrading groundwater quality in the study area. The proposed methodology can help in groundwater resource management and preventative activities by identifying risk factors and recognizing their pollution level. The results of this research provide useful and effective information for water pollution control and management and can be used in environmental studies in order to protect groundwater resources in the future.

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UPTAKE AND DISSIPATION OF NEONICOTINOID RESIDUES IN NECTAR AND FOLIAGE OF SYSTEMICALLY–TREATED WOODY LANDSCAPE PLANTS

Abstract

Systemic neonicotinoid insecticides used in urban arboriculture could pose a risk to bees and other pollinators foraging on treated plants. We measured uptake and dissipation of soil–applied imidacloprid and dinotefuran in nectar and leaves of two woody plant species, a broadleaf evergreen tree (Ilex × attenuata) and a deciduous shrub (Clethra alnifolia) to assess concentrations to which pollinators and pests might be exposed in landscape settings. Three application timings, autumn (post–bloom), spring (pre–bloom), or summer (early post–bloom), were evaluated to see if taking advantage of differences in the neonicotinoids' systemic mobility and persistence might enable pest control while minimizing transference into nectar. Nectar and tissue samples were collected from in–ground plants and analyzed for residues by HPLC–MS/MS in two successive years. Concentrations found in nectar following autumn or spring applications ranged from 166–515 ng/g for imidacloprid, and from 70–1235 ng/gg for dinotefuran, depending on plant and timing. These residues exceed concentrations shown in to adversely affect individual and colony–level traits of bees. Summer application mitigated concentrations of imidacloprid (8–31 ng/g), but not dinotefuran (235–1191 ng/g), in nectar. Our data suggest that dinotefuran may be more persistent than is generally believed. Implications for integrated pest and pollinator management in urban landscapes are discussed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

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DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF A BIOTIC LIGAND MODEL FOR PREDICTING THE CHRONIC TOXICITY OF DISSOLVED AND PRECIPITATED ALUMINUM TO AQUATIC ORGANISMS

Abstract

Aluminum (Al) toxicity to aquatic organisms is strongly affected by water chemistry. Toxicity modifying factors such as pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), hardness, and temperature have a large impact on the bioavailability and toxicity of Al to aquatic organisms. The importance of water chemistry on the bioavailability and toxicity of Al suggests that interactions between Al and chemical constituents in exposures to aquatic organisms can affect the form and reactivity of Al thereby altering the extent to which it interacts with biological membranes. These types of interactions have previously been observed in the toxicity data for other metals where they have been well-described by the biotic ligand model (BLM) framework. In BLM applications to other metals (including cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead, nickel, silver, and zinc), these interactions have focused on dissolved metal. A review of Al toxicity data shows that concentrations of Al that cause toxicity are frequently in excess of solubility limitations. Aluminum solubility is strongly pH dependent, with a solubility minimum near pH 6 and increasing at both lower and higher pH values. For the Al BLM, the mechanistic framework has been extended to consider toxicity resulting from a combination of dissolved and precipitated Al to recognize the solubility limitation. The resulting model can effectively predict toxicity to fish, invertebrate, and algae over a wide range of conditions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

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