scholarly journals The impact of climate variability and change on cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis rates in New Zealand

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 561-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Britton ◽  
Simon Hales ◽  
Kamalesh Venugopal ◽  
Michael G Baker
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Spatial Relationship ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
The Impact

Aim: To investigate the spatial relationship between climate variability and cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis notifications in New Zealand between 1997 and 2006. Methods: Negative binomial regression was used to analyse spatial relationships between cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis notifications in New Zealand between 1997 and 2006, and climatological average rainfall and temperature at the Census Area Unit (CAU) level. The quality of domestic water supplies, urban-rural status and deprivation were included as covariates. Main results: Giardiasis: There was a positive association between rainfall and giardiasis and between temperature and giardiasis. Cryptosporidiosis: There was a positive association between rainfall and cryptosporidiosis and a negative association between temperature and cryptosporidiosis. The effect of rainfall was modified by the quality of the domestic water supply. Conclusions: These findings suggest that climate variability affects protozoan disease rates in New Zealand. However, predicting the effect of climate change from this study is difficult, as these results suggest that the projected increases in temperature and rainfall may have opposing effects on cryptosporidiosis rates. Nevertheless, water supply quality appeared to modify the impact of increased rainfall on cryptosporidiosis rates. This finding suggests that improving water supply quality in New Zealand could reduce vulnerability to the impact of climate change on protozoan diseases.

scholarly journals Domestic Water Supply Vulnerability to Climate Change and the Role of Alternative Water Sources in Kingston, Jamaica

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1314
Author(s):  
Danneille A. Townsend ◽  
Janez Sušnik ◽  
Pieter van der Zaag
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Security Analysis ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
The Impact

Globally, freshwater resources are threatened, resulting in challenges for urban water supply and management. Climate change, population growth, and urbanization have only exacerbated this crisis. For the Caribbean, climate change through the impact of increasing temperatures and rainfall variability has resulted in more frequent and intense episodes of disasters including droughts and floods which have impaired the quantity and quality of freshwater supplies. Using Caribbean-specific climate forecasting, it is shown that rainfall totals in Kingston, Jamaica, are expected to reduce by 2030 and 2050 under two RCPs. In addition, the timing of the primary rainy season is expected to shift, potentially impacting water supply security. Analysis of the potential of rainwater harvesting (RWH) to augment supply and enhance water supply resilience shows that in two communities studied in Kingston, it can contribute up to 7% of total water supply. Household storage requirements are about 1 m3 per household, which is feasible. RWH offers the potential to contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation measures at a household level. Policy, incentives, and increased awareness about the potential of RWH to meet non-potable household demand in Kingston must be improved, as well as efforts to reduce the currently unreasonably high levels of non-revenue water in order to move towards an integrated, sustainable, and climate-resilient urban water supply strategy for the city.

scholarly journals Analysis of Pneumonia Occurrence in Relation to Climate Change in Tanga, Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4731
Author(s):  
Samweli Faraja Miyayo ◽  
Patrick Opiyo Owili ◽  
Miriam Adoyo Muga ◽  
Tang-Huang Lin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Severe Pneumonia ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
Health Management Information System ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Climate Indicators ◽  
And Control

In 2018, 70% of global fatalities due to pneumonia occurred in about fifteen countries, with Tanzania being among the top eight countries contributing to these deaths. Environmental and individual factors contributing to these deaths may be multifaceted, but they have not yet been explored in Tanzania. Therefore, in this study, we explore the association between climate change and the occurrence of pneumonia in the Tanga Region, Tanzania. A time series study design was employed using meteorological and health data of the Tanga Region collected from January 2016 to December 2018 from the Tanzania Meteorological Authority and Health Management Information System, respectively. The generalized negative binomial regression technique was used to explore the associations between climate indicators (i.e., precipitation, humidity, and temperature) and the occurrence of pneumonia. There were trend differences in climate indicators and the occurrence of pneumonia between the Tanga and Handeni districts. We found a positive association between humidity and increased rates of non-severe pneumonia (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.01–1.02; p ≤ 0.05) and severe pneumonia (IRR = 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01–1.03; p ≤ 0.05). There was also a significant association between cold temperatures and the rate of severe pneumonia in Tanga (IRR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.11–1.33; p ≤ 0.001). Other factors that were associated with pneumonia included age and district of residence. We found a positive relationship between humidity, temperature, and incidence of pneumonia in the Tanga Region. Policies focusing on prevention and control, as well as promotion strategies relating to climate change-related health effects should be developed and implemented.

LAND RECLAMATION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND IN THE REPUBLIC OF SAKHA (YAKUTIA) IN THE CONDITIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

2021 ◽  
pp. 14-20
Author(s):  
M. I. LOSKIN ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Rural Settlements ◽  
Water Pipelines ◽  
Group Water ◽  
Agricultural Water Supply ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

The current state of agricultural land reclamation in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), its role in agricultural production of the republic, taking into account the impact of climate change on irrigation facilities, is considered. It has been established that at present in the sphere of public administration in the field of land reclamation in the republic there are estuary irrigation systems, drainage systems and agricultural water supply facilities, as well as group water pipelines for water supply of rural settlements and irrigation of agricultural land.

scholarly journals Motivating Information Technology Professionals: The case of New Zealand

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoaib Ahmed ◽  
Nazim Taskin ◽  
David J. Pauleen ◽  
Jane Parker
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Turnover Intention ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
It Professionals ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
The Impact

IT professionals play a critical role in organizations. Research indicates that they may be unique in their attitudes toward motivation and job satisfaction. In New Zealand, a shortage of skilled professionals may contribute to or impact on motivation. Using a modified model of Herzberg’s two-factor theory by Smerek and Peterson (2007), this research seeks to answer the question: what motivates New Zealand IT professionals? In response, an online questionnaire was distributed to a population of New Zealand IT professionals and the data analysed using Partial Least Squares to understand the relationship between the various dimensions of job satisfaction, the impact of personal and job characteristics, and turnover intention. The findings show that the New Zealand IT professional is primarily motivated by the nature of his or her work, followed by perceptions of responsibility, and how supervisors encourage an environment for such. Satisfaction with salary is a predictor to a lesser degree. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, professional growth opportunities, career advancement, and recognition do not have a statistically-significant positive association with motivation. We conclude that, to motivate their IT workforce, organizations should: 1) focus on the nature of the jobs that IT professionals undertake; 2) train supervisors to provide an empowering environment; 3) offer competitive salaries to retain top talent; 4) not hesitate to employ IT professionals born outside New Zealand; and 5) take account of the singularities of the New Zealand labour market in seeking to attract, recruit and retain IT professionals. Implications for policy, practice and theory are discussed.

scholarly journals Effects of Climate Change on Grassland Biodiversity and Productivity: The Need for a Diversity of Models

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel van Oijen ◽  
Gianni Bellocchi ◽  
Mats Höglind
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Grassland Ecosystems ◽  
Climatic Impacts ◽  
Grassland Productivity ◽  
Climatic Responses ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Grassland Biodiversity

There is increasing evidence that the impact of climate change on the productivity of grasslands will at least partly depend on their biodiversity. A high level of biodiversity may confer stability to grassland ecosystems against environmental change, but there are also direct effects of biodiversity on the quantity and quality of grassland productivity. To explain the manifold interactions, and to predict future climatic responses, models may be used. However, models designed for studying the interaction between biodiversity and productivity tend to be structurally different from models for studying the effects of climatic impacts. Here we review the literature on the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and productivity of grasslands. We first discuss the availability of data for model development. Then we analyse strengths and weaknesses of three types of model: ecological, process-based and integrated. We discuss the merits of this model diversity and the scope for merging different model types.

scholarly journals Environmental Change Threatens Freshwater Insect Communities in Northwest Africa: A Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils Kaczmarek ◽  
Ralf B. Schäfer ◽  
Elisabeth Berger
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Insect Communities ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Temperature Conductivity ◽  
Northwest Africa ◽  
The Impact

A climatic shift from temperate to arid conditions is predicted for Northwest Africa. Water temperature, salinity, and river intermittency are likely to increase, which may impact freshwater communities, ecosystem functioning, and related ecosystem services. Quantitative data and information on the impact of climate change on insect communities (e.g., richness, taxonomic and trait composition) are still scarce for Northwest Africa. In this study, we extracted information on freshwater insect occurrence and environmental variables in Northwest Africa from the results of a literature search to study potential consequences of changing climatic conditions for these communities. Our data set covered 96 families in 165 sites in Morocco and Algeria. We quantified the impact of several explanatoryvariables (climate, altitude, water temperature, conductivity, intermittency, flow, aridity, dams, and land cover) on richness, taxonomic and functional trait composition using negative binomial regression models and constrained ordination. Family richness in arid sites was on average 37 % lower than in temperate sites in association with flow, river regulation, cropland extent, conductivity, altitude, and water temperature. With 36 % of the studied temperate sites predicted to turn arid by the end of the century, a loss of insect families can be predicted for Northwest Africa, mainly affecting species adapted to temperate environments. Resistance and resilience traits such as small body size, aerial dispersal, and air breathing promote survival in arid climates. Future research should report insect occurrences on species level to allow for better predictions on climate change effects.

scholarly journals Climate and hydrological variability: the catchment filtering role

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 379-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Andrés-Doménech ◽  
R. García-Bartual ◽  
A. Montanari ◽  
J. B. Marco
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Peak Flow ◽  
Flood Frequency ◽  
Annual Maximum ◽  
Return Periods ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Maximum Peak ◽  
Hydrological Variability ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Measuring the impact of climate change on flood frequency is a complex and controversial task. Identifying hydrological changes is difficult given the factors, other than climate variability, which lead to significant variations in runoff series. The catchment filtering role is often overlooked and thus may hinder the correct identification of climate variability signatures on hydrological processes. Does climate variability necessarily imply hydrological variability? This research aims to analytically derive the flood frequency distribution based on realistic hypotheses about the rainfall process and the rainfall–runoff transformation. The annual maximum peak flow probability distribution is analytically derived to quantify the filtering effect of the rainfall–runoff process on climate change. A sensitivity analysis is performed according to typical semi-arid Mediterranean climatic and hydrological conditions, assuming a simple but common scheme for the rainfall–runoff transformation in small-size ungauged catchments, i.e. the CN-SCS model. Variability in annual maximum peak flows and its statistical significance are analysed when changes in the climatic input are introduced. Results show that depending on changes in the annual number of rainfall events, the catchment filtering role is particularly significant, especially when the event rainfall volume distribution is not strongly skewed. Results largely depend on the return period: for large return periods, peak flow variability is significantly affected by the climatic input, while for lower return periods, infiltration processes smooth out the impact of climate change.

Music therapy effectiveness by duration in patients with cancer: a meta-regression

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2021-003163
Author(s):  
Ronald Chow ◽  
Robert Bergner ◽  
Elizabeth Prsic
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Therapy Effectiveness ◽  
Meta Regression ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
The Impact

ObjectivesSeveral reviews and meta-analyses have reported on music therapy for physical and emotional well-being among patients with cancer. However, the duration of music therapy offered may range from less than 1 hour to several hours. The aim of this study is to assess whether longer duration of music therapy is associated with different levels of improvement in physical and mental well-being.MethodsTen studies were included in this paper, reporting on the endpoints of quality of life and pain. A meta-regression, using an inverse-variance model, was performed to assess the impact of total music therapy time. A sensitivity analysis was conducted for the outcome of pain, among low risk of bias trials.ResultsOur meta-regression found a trend for positive association between greater total music therapy time and improved better pain control, but it was not statistically significant.ConclusionThere is a need for more high-quality studies examining music therapy for patients with cancer, with a focus on total music therapy time and patient-related outcomes including quality of life and pain.

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