scholarly journals Weak recovery of epiphytic lichen communities in Sweden over 20 years of rapid air pollution decline

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-213
Author(s):  
James Weldon ◽  
Ulf Grandin
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Dispersal Capacity ◽  
Sulphur Deposition ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Limited Dispersal ◽  
Using Data

AbstractEpiphytic lichens are sensitive to deteriorating air quality, but levels of nitrogen and especially sulphur deposition have been in decline over most of Europe in recent decades. We assessed the response of epiphytic lichens to this decline, using data from long-term monitoring sites in Sweden. We analyzed 20 years of data to investigate temporal trends in lichen communities’ sensitivity to sulphur, nitrogen preference, species richness and alpha and beta diversity. We found only limited and partial evidence of recovery in the area that previously had high levels of deposition, and a decline in mean sulphur sensitivity at a northern site with low deposition levels throughout the monitoring period. The slow recolonization of sensitive species, even where environmental conditions are now suitable, is probably a result of impoverished regional species pools and the inherent limited dispersal capacity of many lichen species. We suggest due consideration of these factors in the use of epiphytic lichens as environmental indicators in a period of improving air quality.

Air Pollution Influences Epiphytic Lichen Diversity in the Northeast of Thailand

2014 ◽  
Vol 1030-1032 ◽  
pp. 287-291
Author(s):  
Waewdao Dathong ◽  
Nathawut Thanee ◽  
Wanaruk Saipunkaew ◽  
Murray A. Potter ◽  
Thanapan Thanee
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Mangifera Indica ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Lichen Diversity

This work aimed to investigate epiphytic lichens on mango trees (Mangifera indica L.) in the municipality habitats of the Northeast of Thailand based on the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure protocol and define the factors that influence their diversity. Ninety-one taxa were observed, 21 of them are macrolichens, 87 species found outside municipality and 70 species found inside municipality. The factors that most affected epiphytic lichen diversity were tree circumference, days of rainfall, bark pH, area surrounding and annual rainfall and negatively affected by population size, temperature, and distance from road. This work concluded that traffic density and human population size reduce air quality and influenced epiphytic diversity in the municipal habitats in the Northeast of Thailand, and lichens are bioindicators of air pollution in this region.

Modelling In-Patient Bed Usage Behaviour in a Department of Geriatric Medicine

1993 ◽  
Vol 32 (01) ◽  
pp. 79-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Millard ◽  
S. McClean
Keyword(s):  
Census Data ◽  
Geriatric Medicine ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Exponential Model ◽  
Bed Occupancy ◽  
Lengths Of Stay ◽  
Geriatric Hospital ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Acute Patients

Abstract:The flow of patients through geriatric hospitals has been previously described in terms of acute and long-stay states where the bed occupancy at a census point is modelled by a mixed exponential model. Using data for sixteen years the model was fitted to successive annual census points, in order to provide a description of temporal trends. While the number of acute patients has remained fairly stable during the period, the model shows that there has been a decrease in the number of long-stay patients. Mean lengths of stay in our geriatric hospital before death or discharge have decreased during the study period for both acute and long-stay patients.Using these fits of the mixed exponential model to census data, a method is provided for predicting future turnover of patients. These predictions are reasonably good, except when the turnover patterns go through a period of flux in which assumption of stability no longer holds. Overall, a methodology is presented which relates census analysis to the behaviour of admission cohorts, thus producing a means of predicting future behaviour of patients and identifying where there is a change in patterns.

scholarly journals Evolution of Gaseous and Particulate Pollutants in the Air: What Changed after Five Lockdown Weeks at a Southwest Atlantic European Region (Northwest of Spain) Due to the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic?

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Jorge Moreda-Piñeiro ◽  
Joel Sánchez-Piñero ◽  
María Fernández-Amado ◽  
Paula Costa-Tomé ◽  
Nuria Gallego-Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Southwest Atlantic ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Air Quality Monitoring Stations ◽  
Almost All

Due to the exponential growth of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Spain (2020), the Spanish Government adopted lockdown measures as mitigating strategies to reduce the spread of the pandemic from 14 March. In this paper, we report the results of the change in air quality at two Atlantic Coastal European cities (Northwest Spain) during five lockdown weeks. The temporal evolution of gaseous (nitrogen oxides, comprising NOx, NO, and NO2; sulfur dioxide, SO2; carbon monoxide, CO; and ozone, O3) and particulate matter (PM10; PM2.5; and equivalent black carbon, eBC) pollutants were recorded before (7 February to 13 March 2020) and during the first five lockdown weeks (14 March to 20 April 2020) at seven air quality monitoring stations (urban background, traffic, and industrial) in the cities of A Coruña and Vigo. The influences of the backward trajectories and meteorological parameters on air pollutant concentrations were considered during the studied period. The temporal trends indicate that the concentrations of almost all species steadily decreased during the lockdown period with statistical significance, with respect to the pre-lockdown period. In this context, great reductions were observed for pollutants related mainly to fossil fuel combustion, road traffic, and shipping emissions (−38 to −78% for NO, −22 to −69% for NO2, −26 to −75% for NOx, −3 to −77% for SO2, −21% for CO, −25 to −49% for PM10, −10 to −38% for PM2.5, and −29 to −51% for eBC). Conversely, O3 concentrations increased from +5 to +16%. Finally, pollutant concentration data for 14 March to 20 April of 2020 were compared with those of the previous two years. The results show that the overall air pollutants levels were higher during 2018–2019 than during the lockdown period.

scholarly journals Temporal trends and variation in out-of-pocket expenditures and patient cost sharing: evidence from a Chinese national survey 2011–2015

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicky Mengqi Qin ◽  
Yuting Zhang ◽  
Kee Seng Chia ◽  
Barbara McPake ◽  
Yang Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Cost Sharing ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Absolute Amount ◽  
Financial Protection ◽  
Patient Cost ◽  
Older Chinese ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Reported Data ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objectives This study aims to examine: (1) temporal trends in the percentage of cost-sharing and amount of out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) from 2011 to 2015; (2) factors associated with cost-sharing and OOPE; and (3) the relationships between province-level economic development and cost-sharing and OOPE in China. Setting A total of 10,316 adults aged ≥45 years from China followed-up from 2011 to 2015 were included in the analysis. We measured two main outcome variables: (1) patient cost sharing, measured by the percentage of OOPE as total healthcare expenditure, and (2) absolute amount of OOPE. Results Based on self-reported data, we did not find substantial differences in the percentage of cost sharing, but a significant increase in the absolute amount of OOPE among the middle-aged and older Chinese between 2011 and 2015. The percentage of cost-sharing was considerably higher for outpatient than inpatient care, and the majority paid more than 80% of the total cost for prescription drugs. Provinces with higher GDP per capita tend to have lower cost-sharing and a higher OOPE than their counterparts, but the relationship for OOPE became insignificant after adjusting for individual factors. Conclusion Reducing out-of-pocket expenditure and patient cost sharing is required to improve financial protection from illness, especially for those with those with chronic conditions and reside in less developed regions in China. Ongoing monitoring of financial protection using data from various sources is warranted.

scholarly journals Application of combined model of stepwise regression analysis and artificial neural network in data calibration of miniature air quality detector

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing Liu ◽  
Qingbo Zhao ◽  
Yueqiang Jin ◽  
Jiayu Shen ◽  
Chaoyang Li
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Multilayer Perceptron ◽  
Stepwise Regression ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Mlp Model

AbstractIn this paper, six types of air pollutant concentrations are taken as the research object, and the data monitored by the micro air quality detector are calibrated by the national control point measurement data. We use correlation analysis to find out the main factors affecting air quality, and then build a stepwise regression model for six types of pollutants based on 8 months of data. Taking the stepwise regression fitting value and the data monitored by the miniature air quality detector as input variables, combined with the multilayer perceptron neural network, the SRA-MLP model was obtained to correct the pollutant data. We compared the stepwise regression model, the standard multilayer perceptron neural network and the SRA-MLP model by three indicators. Whether it is root mean square error, average absolute error or average relative error, SRA-MLP model is the best model. Using the SRA-MLP model to correct the data can increase the accuracy of the self-built point data by 42.5% to 86.5%. The SRA-MLP model has excellent prediction effects on both the training set and the test set, indicating that it has good generalization ability. This model plays a positive role in scientific arrangement and promotion of miniature air quality detectors. It can be applied not only to air quality monitoring, but also to the monitoring of other environmental indicators.

A retrospective study using epiphytic lichens as biomonitors of air quality: 1980 and 1996 (Tuscany, central Italy)

1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Loppi ◽  
Ettore Putortì ◽  
Chiara Signorini ◽  
Sara Fommei ◽  
Stergios A. Pirintsos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens

scholarly journals Pollution And Environmental Indicators Using A Multicriteria Analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1581
Author(s):  
Maria-Carmen Garcia-Centeno ◽  
Gema Fernandez-Aviles
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Decision Aid ◽  
Multicriteria Analysis ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Multicriteria Decision Aid ◽  
Multicriteria Decision

Pollution and environmental factors are a core topic because they influence in air quality of the different areas of a city. This is why in this article we propose to apply a multicriteria decision aid method (the Promethee) to establish a ranking among twenty one districts of Madrid city. To develop this ranking we use objective and subjective criteria that contain information about pollution and environmental indicators in these districts. The results show that some districts are the worse and the best regardless the used criteria.

scholarly journals Impact of Fraxinus excelsior dieback on biota of ash-associated lichen epiphytes at the landscape and community level

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 431-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Łubek ◽  
Martin Kukwa ◽  
Patryk Czortek ◽  
Bogdan Jaroszewicz
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Fraxinus Excelsior ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Ash Dieback ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Alternative Hosts ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Lichen Biota

Abstract The landscape-scale extinction of a tree species may have a negative impact on diversity of associated epiphytic species. We used ordination and hierarchical clustering methods to assess landscape and the community level effects of reduction in the abundance of European ash Fraxinus excelsior, caused by ash dieback, on the associated epiphytic lichen biota in Białowieża Forest (Poland)—the best preserved forest complex in Central Europe. At the landscape level ash decline impact on the biota of ash-associated epiphytic lichens was weak, due to the high diversity of tree species, which may serve as potential alternative hosts. At this level, oak and hornbeam are the most important alternative hosts, assuring the maintenance of ash-associated epiphytic lichens. Lime, alder, and hazel appeared to be less important but still may serve as substitute phorophytes to approximately 2/3 of the ash-associated lichen biota. About 90% of epiphytic biota are likely to survive on the landscape scale. However, at the community level of alder-ash floodplain forest, where ash was dominant, about 50% of ash-associated epiphytic lichen species are threatened by ash dieback. Our results highlight the importance of a spatial scale in conservation biology. Protection of large forest areas with rich diversity of phorophyte trees increases chances of survival of the associated epiphytic organisms.

scholarly journals Temporal Trends and Recent Correlates in Sedentary Behaviors among Chinese Adults from 2002 to 2010–2012

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caicui Ding ◽  
Ganyu Feng ◽  
Fan Yuan ◽  
Weiyan Gong ◽  
Yecheng Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Sedentary Behaviors ◽  
Chinese Adults ◽  
Nutrition And Health ◽  
Sociodemographic Correlates ◽  
Using Data

Evidence suggests that more time spent in sedentary behaviors (SB) increases health risk independent of physical activities. Trends in SB among adults have not been fully described in China, and the sociodemographic correlates of SB have not been systematically evaluated either. This study examined the temporal trends of SB among 184,257 adults (2002: n = 52,697, 2010–2012: n = 131,560) using data from the China National Nutrition and Health Survey in 2002 and 2010–2012, and analyzed the recent correlates of SB in Chinese adults. Overall, an increase (+0.29 h/d) was seen in total SB across the survey years, and there was a slight increase (+0.14 h/d) in leisure time SB and a decrease (−0.39 h/d) in occupational SB. From 2002 to 2012, the proportion of Chinese adults whose total SB time over 4 h/d increased from 35.4% to 43.0%, and the proportion of leisure SB time over 3 h/d increased from 42.0% to 48.0%, and the proportion of occupational SB time over 4 h/d decreased from 63.4% to 53.0%. Male, urban areas, employed, unmarried, and with higher educational and family economic level were all positively associated with high sedentary time (HST) in 2010–2012. These trends and correlates are important for health policy in China and other countries that are facing similar challenges.

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