scholarly journals Deadly Tornadoes in Poland from 1820 to 2015

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (4) ◽  
pp. 1221-1243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusz Taszarek ◽  
Jakub Gromadzki
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
South Central ◽  
Tornado Damage ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Using historical sources derived from 12 Polish digital libraries, an investigation into killer tornado events was carried out. Although some of the cases took place more than 150 years ago, it was still possible to identify tornado phenomena and the course of events. This study has shown that historical sources contain dozens of tornado reports, sometimes with information precise enough to reconstruct the tornado damage paths. In total, 26 newly identified deadly tornado cases were derived from the historical sources and the information on 11 currently known was expanded. An average of 1–2 killer tornadoes with 5 fatalities may be depicted for each decade and this rate is decreasing over time. It was estimated that 5%–10% of significant tornadoes in Poland have caused fatalities and the average number of fatalities per significant tornado was roughly 0.27. Most of the cases were reported in late July and early August. The majority of deaths and injuries were associated with victims being lifted or crushed by buildings (usually a wooden barn). Most of these cases took place in rural areas but some tornadoes hit urban areas, causing a higher number of fatalities. The spatial distribution of cases included maxima in the central lowland and south-central upland of Poland. In a noticeable fraction of cases (38%), large hail occurred either before or after passage of the tornado.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Community Resilience in Rural China—Taking Licheng Subdistrict, Guangzhou as an Example

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5827
Author(s):  
Jianhong Fan ◽  
You Mo ◽  
Yunnan Cai ◽  
Yabo Zhao ◽  
Dongchen Su
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Social Resilience ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Guangzhou City ◽  
Local Sustainability

Resilience of rural communities is becoming increasingly important to contemporary society. In this study we used a quantitative method to measure the resilience regulating ability of rural communities close to urban areas—in Licheng Subdistrict, Guangzhou City, China. The main results are as follows: (1) Rural systems close to urban areas display superior adapting and learning abilities and have a stronger overall resilience strength, the spatial distribution of which is characterized by dispersion in whole and aggregation in part; (2) the resilience of most rural economic subsystems can reach moderate or higher levels with apparent spatial agglomeration, whilst the ecological subsystem resilience and social resilience are generally weaker; the spatial distribution of the former shows a greater regional difference while the latter is in a layered layout; (3) some strategies such as rebuilding a stable ecological pattern, making use of urban resources and cultivating rural subjectivity are proposed on this basis, in order to promote the sustainable development of rural areas and realize rural revitalization. This work also gives suggestion for the creation of appropriate and effective resilience standards specifically targeted for rural community-aiming to achieve the delivery of local sustainability goals.

scholarly journals Seasonal variation and spatial distribution of carbonaceous aerosols in Taiwan

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 9563-9578 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. C.-K. Chou ◽  
C. T. Lee ◽  
M. T. Cheng ◽  
C. S. Yuan ◽  
S. J. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Carbonaceous Aerosols ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Southern Taiwan ◽  
Northern Taiwan

Abstract. To investigate the physico-chemical properties of aerosols in Taiwan, an observation network was initiated in 2003. In this work, the measurements of the mass concentration and carbonaceous composition of PM10 and PM2.5 are presented. Analysis on the data collected in the first 5-years, from 2003 to 2007, showed that there was a very strong contrast in the aerosol concentration and composition between the rural and the urban/suburban stations. The five-year means of EC at the respective stations ranged from 0.9±0.04 to 4.2±0.1 μgC m−3. In rural areas, EC accounted for 2–3% of PM10 and 3–5% of PM2.5 mass loadings, comparing to 4–6% of PM10 and 4–8% of PM2.5 in the urban areas. It was found that the spatial distribution of EC was consistent with CO and NOx across the network stations, suggesting that the levels of EC over Taiwan were dominated by local sources. The measured OC was split into POC and SOC counterparts following the EC tracer method. Five-year means of POC ranged from 1.8±0.1 to 9.7±0.2 μgC m−3 among the stations. It was estimated that the POM contributed 5–17% of PM10 and 7–18% of PM2.5 in Taiwan. On the other hand, the five-year means of SOC ranged from 1.5±0.1 to 3.8±.3 μgC m−3. The mass fractions of SOM were estimated to be 9–19% in PM10 and 14–22% in PM2.5. The results showed that the SOC did not exhibit significant urban-rural contrast as did the POC and EC. A significant cross-station correlation between SOC and total oxidant was observed, which means the spatial distribution of SOC in Taiwan was dominated by the oxidant mixing ratio. Besides, correlation was also found between SOC and particulate nitrate, implying that the precursors of SOA were mainly from local anthropogenic sources. In addition to the spatial distribution, the carbonaceous aerosols also exhibited distinct seasonality. In northern Taiwan, the concentrations of all the three carbonaceous components (EC, POC, and SOC) reached their respective minima in the fall season. POC and EC increased drastically in winter and peaked in spring, whereas the SOC was characterized by a bimodal pattern with the maximal concentration in winter and a second mode in summertime. In southern Taiwan, minimal levels of POC and EC occurred consistently in summer and the maxima were observed in winter, whereas the SOC peaked in summer and declined in wintertime. The discrepancies in the seasonality of carbonaceous aerosols between northern and southern Taiwan were most likely caused by the seasonal meteorological settings that dominated the dispersion of air pollutants. Moreover, it was inferred that the Asian pollution outbreaks could have shifted the seasonal maxima of air pollutants from winter to spring in the northern Taiwan, and that the increases in biogenic SOA precursors and the enhancement in SOA yield were responsible for the elevated SOC concentrations in summer.

scholarly journals Analyses of Nocturnal Temperature Cooling-Rate Response to Historical Local-Scale Urban Land-Use/Land Cover Change

2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 1872-1883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winston T. L. Chow ◽  
Bohumil M. Svoma
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Cooling Rate ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Cooling Rates ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Over Time

AbstractUrbanization affects near-surface climates by increasing city temperatures relative to rural temperatures [i.e., the urban heat island (UHI) effect]. This effect is usually measured as the relative temperature difference between urban areas and a rural location. Use of this measure is potentially problematic, however, mainly because of unclear “rural” definitions across different cities. An alternative metric is proposed—surface temperature cooling/warming rates—that directly measures how variations in land-use and land cover (LULC) affect temperatures for a specific urban area. In this study, the impact of local-scale (<1 km2), historical LULC change was examined on near-surface nocturnal meteorological station temperatures sited within metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, for 1) urban versus rural areas, 2) areas that underwent rural-to-urban transition over a 20-yr period, and 3) different seasons. Temperature data were analyzed during ideal synoptic conditions of clear and calm weather that do not inhibit surface cooling and that also qualified with respect to measured near-surface wind impacts. Results indicated that 1) urban areas generally observed lower cooling-rate magnitudes than did rural areas, 2) urbanization significantly reduced cooling rates over time, and 3) mean cooling-rate magnitudes were typically larger in summer than in winter. Significant variations in mean nocturnal urban wind speeds were also observed over time, suggesting a possible UHI-induced circulation system that may have influenced local-scale station cooling rates.

scholarly journals THE INFLUENCE OF LONELINESS AND RURAL RESIDENCE ON DEPRESSION IN LATER LIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S828-S828
Author(s):  
Na Sun ◽  
Cassandra Hua ◽  
Xiao Qiu ◽  
J Scott Brown
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Rural Residence ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Latent Curve ◽  
Rural Residency ◽  
Latent Curve Models ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Loneliness is associated with depression among older adults. Limited research has examined the role of rurality in relationship to loneliness and depression; the extant research has mixed findings. The socioemotional selectivity theory states that as people age the quality of relationships become more important than the quantity (English & Carstensen, 2016). Individuals in rural areas may have a low quantity of relationships but deeper social ties within the community; thus, they may be less likely to become depressed over time. The association between loneliness and depression may be amplified for people in non-rural areas because they are surrounded by other people but lack close relationships that are most important during the aging process. This study examines the effect of living in rural areas on loneliness on predicting baseline depression and loneliness, as well as changes in these outcomes over time. Data are from the 2006-2014 waves of Health Retirement Study. Regression models examine the relationship between depression loneliness and rural residence controlling for health conditions and demographic characteristics. Latent curve models examine the disparity in trajectories of loneliness and depressive symptoms by urban and rural residence. Older adults who feel lonely (p&lt;.001) and in urban areas (p&lt;.0.05) are more likely to be depressed. Furthermore, the effect of loneliness on depression is weakened by rural residence (p&lt;.05). It is salient to understand the protective effect of rural residency on depression among older adults in the U.S. We discuss implications for policy.

scholarly journals The synchronicity of COVID-19 disparities: Statewide epidemiologic trends in SARS-CoV-2 morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality among racial minorities and in rural America

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0255063
Author(s):  
Brian E. Dixon ◽  
Shaun J. Grannis ◽  
Lauren R. Lembcke ◽  
Nimish Valvi ◽  
Anna R. Roberts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Racial Minorities ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Over Time

Background Early studies on COVID-19 identified unequal patterns in hospitalization and mortality in urban environments for racial and ethnic minorities. These studies were primarily single center observational studies conducted within the first few weeks or months of the pandemic. We sought to examine trends in COVID-19 morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality over time for minority and rural populations, especially during the U.S. fall surge. Methods Data were extracted from a statewide cohort of all adult residents in Indiana tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 1 and December 31, 2020, linked to electronic health records. Primary measures were per capita rates of infection, hospitalization, and death. Age adjusted rates were calculated for multiple time periods corresponding to public health mitigation efforts. Comparisons across time within groups were compared using ANOVA. Results Morbidity and mortality increased over time with notable differences among sub-populations. Initially, hospitalization rates among racial minorities were 3–4 times higher than whites, and mortality rates among urban residents were twice those of rural residents. By fall 2020, hospitalization and mortality rates in rural areas surpassed those of urban areas, and gaps between black/brown and white populations narrowed. Changes across time among demographic groups was significant for morbidity and hospitalization. Cumulative morbidity and mortality were highest among minority groups and in rural communities. Conclusions The synchronicity of disparities in COVID-19 by race and geography suggests that health officials should explicitly measure disparities and adjust mitigation as well as vaccination strategies to protect those sub-populations with greater disease burden.

Mapping plastic greenhouses with satellite imagery in Valparaiso, Chile: development of a new methodology through data cloud platform

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Aguirre ◽  
Javier Lozano-Parra
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
The Government

&lt;p&gt;During the last decades, there has been a strong increase around the globe in the use of plastic greenhouses (PGs) which respond to the need to provide better water security, overcome adverse weather events, or elude pests. The central valley of Chile has not been an exception and the surface covered by greenhouses has also experienced an increase over the years. In the Valparaiso region, the surface increased from 1122 ha to 1180 ha throughout the decade 1997-2007. However, on one hand, there has not been a new PGs census since 2007 and, on the other hand, its spatial distribution has not ever been mapped. Considering that agriculture in this region employs more than 60000 people and moves 4% of regional GPD, this information should be available to be included in land planning and to be incorporated into hydrological, economic, and food security models. To overcome this, we propose a new method for monitoring the variations of the surface covered by PGs based on the intersection of normalized difference indexes and areas excludes by masks. For this, free Landsat 8 multi-temporal cloud-free images were used, from which five indexes were obtained (Modified Soil-adjusted Vegetation Index, Temperature Brightness Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index - Green, Normalized Difference Built-up Index, and Plastic Surface Index). These indexes were then reclassified in binary form and added up. Finally, urban areas and high slope zones were excluded to obtain the final output. This procedure was run in Google Earth Engine, which allowed easy replication and automation for longer time series or in other study sites. Results proved this methodology was able to successfully discriminate the 86% of PG, which suppose 1410 ha. This surface is consistent with the agricultural census developed in 2007 and with the increase of more than 900 subsidies granted by the government for installing PGs. Its performance also supports our confidence to discriminate PGs in areas with different land covers such as reservoirs, rural areas, open crops, bare soil, and roads. Future studies will allow us to estimate the surface of plastic greenhouses in Chile, mapping its spatial distribution in all the country, and monitor changes over time.&lt;/p&gt;

Quechua

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Durston
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Early History ◽  
Andes Mountains ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Gradual Decline ◽  
Northwestern Argentina ◽  
Peruvian Andes ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Over Time

The Quechua languages are spoken today by several million people in the Andes Mountains and adjacent lowlands, from northwestern Argentina to southwestern Colombia. Quechua historical sources and scholarship, are heavily concentrated in the southern Peruvian Andes. While key aspects of Quechua’s early history remain unclear, both Inca and Spanish rule appear to have resulted in the spread of varieties of Quechua. Large regions of the Andes, including urban areas and nonindigenous social strata, were almost entirely Quechua speaking well into the 20th century. “Quechua” embraces a tremendous diversity of dialects, sociolects, and contexts of use, and it has experienced surprising transformations over time. Its post-conquest history cannot be envisioned in terms of gradual decline; there have been retreats but also resurgences, and losses in one arena have been offset by gains in another.

scholarly journals Opioid Misuse in Missouri: Analyzing Emergency Department Use in Urban/Rural Areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan Mobley ◽  
Andrew Hunter ◽  
Whitney Coffey
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The State ◽  
Opioid Overdose ◽  
Metro Area ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

ObjectiveCompare rate changes over time for Emergency Department (ED) visits due to opioid overdose in urban versus rural areas of the state of Missouri.IntroductionLike many other states in the U.S., Missouri has experienced large increases in opioid abuse resulting in hundreds dying each year and thousands of ED visits due to overdose. Missouri has two major urban areas, St. Louis and Kansas City and a few smaller cities, while the remainder of the state is more rural in nature. The opioid epidemic has impacted all areas in the state but the magnitude of that impact varies as well as the type of opioid used. Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MODHSS) maintains the Patient Abstract System (PAS) which contains data from hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers throughout the state. PAS includes data from ED visits including information on diagnoses, patient demographics, and other information about the visit. MODHSS also participates in the Enhanced State Surveillance of Opioid-involved Morbidity and Mortality project (ESOOS). One major aspect of this surveillance project is the collection of data on non-fatal opioid overdoses from ED visits. Through this collection of data, MODHSS analyzed opioid overdose visits throughout the state, how rates compare across urban and rural areas, and how those rates have changed over time.MethodsThe 115 counties in Missouri were organized into the six-level urban-rural classification scheme developed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The attached table shows the breakout of counties into the six different categories. The data years analyzed were 2012 through 2016. ED visits due to opioid overdose were identified using case definitions supplied by ESOOS. Overdoses were analyzed in three different categories—all opioids, heroin, and non-heroin opioids. The all opioid category combines heroin and non-heroin opioids. Non-heroin opioids includes prescription drugs such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and fentanyl analogues. Annual rates per 10,000 were calculated for each county classification using population estimates. Confidence intervals (at 95%) were then calculated using either inverse gamma when the number of ED visits was under 500, or Poisson when the number was 500 or more. Changes over time were calculated using both a year over year method and a 5 year change method.ResultsOverall opioid rates have increased in all geographic areas during the 5 year period analyzed. Large Central Metro and Large Fringe Metro counties had the highest rates of ED visits due to opioid overdose. These two classifications also saw the largest increases in rates. The Large Central Metro counties collectively increased over 125%, while the Large Fringe Metro area increased 130%. Both areas experienced statistically significant increases year-to-year between 2014 and 2016 in addition to the overall 5 year period of 2012-2016.Analysis was also conducted for heroin and non-heroin subsets of opioid abuse. There were important differences in these two groups. For heroin ED visits, the highest rates were found in the Large Central Metro and Large Fringe Metro regions. However, the largest increase in percentage terms were found in the Medium Metropolitan, Micropolitan and Noncore regions which all saw increases of over 300%. Notably, every region experienced increases of over 150%. The Medium Metro had two consecutive years (2013/2014 and 2014/2015) where the heroin ED rate more than doubled.In contrast, non-heroin ED visits did not experience such a large increase over time. Most areas saw small fluctuations year-to-year with moderate overall increases over the 5-year time period. The exception to this trend is the Large Fringe Metro area, which saw increases every year most notably between 2014 and 2015 and had by far the largest 5 year increase at 82%.ConclusionsThe urban areas in Missouri continue to have the highest rates of opioid overdose, however all areas within the state have experienced very large increases in heroin ED visits within the past five years. The increase in heroin ED visits in the rural areas suggests the abuse of heroin has now spread throughout the state, as rates were much lower in 2012. The steady increase in non-heroin opioids unique to the Large Fringe Metro may be due to the availability of fentanyl in urban areas especially the St. Louis area. This possible finding would correspond with the increased deaths due to fentanyl experienced in and around the St. Louis urban area that has been identified through analysis of death certificate data. 

scholarly journals The COVID-19 health equity twindemic: Statewide epidemiologic trends of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes among racial minorities and in rural America

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian E. Dixon ◽  
Shaun J. Grannis ◽  
Lauren Lembcke ◽  
Anna Roberts ◽  
Peter J. Embi
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Racial Minorities ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Over Time

AbstractBackgroundEarly studies on COVID-19 identified unequal patterns in hospitalization and mortality in urban environments for racial and ethnic minorities. These studies were primarily single center observational studies conducted within the first few weeks or months of the pandemic. We sought to examine trends in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality over time for minority and rural populations, especially during the U.S. fall surge.MethodsStatewide cohort of all adult residents in Indiana tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 1 and December 31, 2020, linked to electronic health records. Primary measures were per capita rates of infection, hospitalization, and death. Age adjusted rates were calculated for multiple time periods corresponding to public health mitigation efforts.ResultsMorbidity and mortality increased over time with notable differences among sub-populations. Initially, per capita hospitalizations among racial minorities were 3-4 times higher than whites, and per capita deaths among urban residents were twice those of rural residents. By fall 2020, per capita hospitalizations and deaths in rural areas surpassed those of urban areas, and gaps between black/brown and white populations narrowed. Cumulative morbidity and mortality were highest among minority groups and in rural communities.ConclusionsBurden of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality shifted over time, creating a twindemic involving disparities in outcomes based on race and geography. Health officials should explicitly measure disparities and adjust mitigation and vaccination strategies to protect vulnerable sub-populations with greater disease burden.

scholarly journals Assessing the Spatial Distribution of Soil PAHs and their Relationship with Anthropogenic Activities at a National Scale

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (24) ◽  
pp. 4928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siyan Zeng ◽  
Jing Ma ◽  
Yanhua Ren ◽  
Gang-Jun Liu ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Multiple Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Characteristic Ratio

Soil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution is a major concern due to its negative impact on soil quality around the world. In China, accurate data on soil PAHs and information on the relationship with anthropogenic activities are limited. In this study, about 30,800 samples from 1833 soil sample sites were reviewed from 306 published reports to build a soil PAHs database. Based on the data obtained, the results demonstrated that 24.11% of surface soils in China are heavily contaminated. Meanwhile, the concentration of soil PAHs varied, in the order of independent mining and industrial areas (IMIA) > urban areas > suburban areas > rural areas, and the spatial distribution in China demonstrated a descending trend from north to south. Moreover, the characteristic ratio and PCA-MLR (principal component analysis-multiple linear regression) analysis demonstrated that coal combustion and vehicular exhaust emissions were the main sources of soil PAH pollution in China. On the other hand, provincial total Σ16PAHs in surface soil were significantly correlated with the per square kilometer GDP (gross domestic product) of industrial land, the per capita GDP, as well as the production and consumption of energy. These results indicate that anthropogenic factors have greatly affected the levels of soil PAHs in China. This study improves our understanding on the status and sources of soil PAH contamination in China, thereby facilitating the implementation of strategies of prevention, control, and remediation of soils.

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