scholarly journals Exposures and behavioral responses to wildfire smoke

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshall Burke ◽  
Sam Heft-Neal ◽  
Jessica Li ◽  
Anne Driscoll ◽  
Patrick Baylis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
Wildfire Smoke ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The Face ◽  
Activity Yield ◽  
Self Protection

The impacts of environmental change on human outcomes often depend on local exposures and behavioral responses that are challenging to observe with traditional administrative or sensor data. We show how data from private pollution sensors, cell phones, social media posts, and internet search activity yield new insights on exposures and behavioral responses during large wildfire smoke events across the US, a rapidly-growing environmental stressor. Health-protective behavior, mobility, and sentiment all respond to increasing ambient wildfire smoke concentrations, but responses differ by income. Indoor pollution monitors provide starkly different estimates of likely personal exposure during smoke events than would be inferred from traditional ambient outdoor sensors, with similar outdoor pollution levels generating >20x differences in average indoor PM2.5 concentrations. Our results suggest that the current policy reliance on self protection to mitigate health risks in the face of rising smoke exposure will result in modest and unequal benefits.

NEW INSPIRATION FROM CHINA'S PHILOSOPHY OF "UNITY OF MAN AND HEAVEN": CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS UNDER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
pp. 21-34
Author(s):  
PU JINGXIN
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Human Society ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
New Type ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Ancient Chinese ◽  
Self Protection ◽  
Harmonious Community

Abstract: The danger of the novel coronavirus has not yet come to an end, and new variants have begun to attack the world. What philosophy should humankind’s strategy be based on when human society as a group is fighting against Covid-19, as the pandemic ravages the world? Unfortunately, political leaders of various countries have failed to achieve the overall awareness of attacking the pandemic for a shared future for mankind so far. In the face of the pandemic, mankind as a whole urgently needs to break through the narrow nation-oriented ideology of seeking only self-protection. The International Community should establish a new type of international cooperation featuring the concept of harmony of "all things under heaven as a unity". The international relations system dominated by the power ofwestern discourse is now in a bottleneck. The main aim of this article is to study the ancient Chinese wisdom of "the Unity of Man and Heaven" philosophy and build a global harmonious community. The author argues that the “export” of the aforementioned wisdom must be a priority for Chinese scholars. Keywords: Tao; Unity of Man and Heaven; Novel Coronavirus; Anthropocentrism; Harmony.

scholarly journals Exposures and Behavioral Responses to Wildfire Smoke

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshall Burke ◽  
Sam Heft-Neal ◽  
Jessica Li ◽  
Anne Driscoll ◽  
Patrick Baylis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Wildfire Smoke

To Confront or to Avoid

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 734-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan S. Kemper ◽  
Anna-Kaisa Newheiser
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Inference ◽  
Moral Judgment ◽  
Avoidance Response ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Moral Norm ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Moral Foundations Theory ◽  
Moral Norms ◽  
Strategic Action ◽  
The Face

What do people want to do in response to witnessing someone violate a moral norm? Prior research posits that violations of distinct norms elicit specific emotions, specifically anger and disgust. We examined whether moral violations analogously elicit distinct behavioral responses, focusing on desires to confront and avoid moral violators. Participants read scenarios depicting harmful and impure actions (Study 1) or violations of all six content domains proposed by Moral Foundations Theory (Study 2). Bayesian inference revealed that participants expressed distinctively high levels of desire to avoid (vs. confront) violators of purity norms. Violations of other moral norms did not similarly elicit unique patterns of avoidance or confrontation. Thus, behavioral responses to moral violators depend in part on which norm was violated, with impure acts eliciting a uniquely strong avoidance response. Moral judgment can serve as a precursor to strategic action in the face of perceived immorality.

scholarly journals Spatial Mapping of a Highly Non-Uniform Distribution of Particle-Bound PAH in a Densely Populated Urban Area

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 496
Author(s):  
Kyung Hwan Kim ◽  
Kyung-Hwan Kwak ◽  
Jae Young Lee ◽  
Sung Ho Woo ◽  
Jong Bum Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Exposure Assessment ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Exposure Level ◽  
Traffic Emission ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Monitoring Procedure

In this work, a 2-D gridded air pollution map with a high resolution of 50 × 50 m2 was proposed to help the exposure assessment studies focusing on the association between air pollutants and their health effects. To establish a reliable air pollution map in a 2 × 2 km2 urban area, a mobile monitoring procedure and a data process were developed. Among the various vehicle-related air pollutants, the particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (pPAH) was chosen as a sensitive indicator. The average pPAH concentration on major roads (293.1 ng/m3) was found to be 35 times higher than that at a background location (8.4 ng/m3). Based on the cell-based pPAH concentrations, the 50 × 50 m2 cells in the air pollution map were categorized into five pollution levels. The higher air pollution levels were generally shown by the cells close to the major traffic emission points. The proposed map can be used to make various policies regarding land use and traffic flow control in urban areas. Estimation of the personal exposure level to air pollutants is possible at a reliable location using the highly resolved 2-D gridded air pollution map in exposure assessment studies.

The organization and dynamics of corticostriatal pathways link the medial orbitofrontal cortex to future behavioral responses

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (10) ◽  
pp. 2457-2469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy D. Verstynen
Keyword(s):  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Color Word ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Behavioral Adaptation ◽  
Indirect Pathway ◽  
Adaptive Process ◽  
Corticostriatal Projections ◽  
Bold Responses ◽  
The Face

Accurately making a decision in the face of incongruent options increases the efficiency of making similar congruency decisions in the future. Contextual factors like reward can modulate this adaptive process, suggesting that networks associated with monitoring previous success and failure outcomes might contribute to this form of behavioral updating. To evaluate this possibility, a group of healthy adults ( n = 30) were tested with functional MRI (fMRI) while they performed a color-word Stroop task. In a conflict-related region of the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), stronger BOLD responses predicted faster response times (RTs) on the next trial. More importantly, the degree of behavioral adaptation of RTs was correlated with the magnitude of mOFC-RT associations on the previous trial, but only after accounting for network-level interactions with prefrontal and striatal regions. This suggests that congruency sequencing effects may rely on interactions between distributed corticostriatal circuits. This possibility was evaluated by measuring the convergence of white matter projections from frontal areas into the striatum with diffusion-weighted imaging. In these pathways, greater convergence of corticostriatal projections correlated with stronger functional mOFC-RT associations that, in turn, provided an indirect pathway linking anatomical structure to behavior. Thus distributed corticostriatal processing may mediate the orbitofrontal cortex's influence on behavioral updating, even in the absence of explicit rewards.

scholarly journals Effects of AIR pollution on cardiopuLmonary disEaSe in urban and peri-urban reSidents in Beijing: protocol for the AIRLESS study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (24) ◽  
pp. 15775-15792
Author(s):  
Yiqun Han ◽  
Wu Chen ◽  
Lia Chatzidiakou ◽  
Anika Krause ◽  
Li Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Urban Residents ◽  
Cardiopulmonary Disease ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Large Scale Field

Abstract. Beijing, as a representative megacity in China, is experiencing some of the most severe air pollution episodes in the world, and its fast urbanization has led to substantial urban and peri-urban disparities in both health status and air quality. Uncertainties remain regarding the possible causal links between individual air pollutants and health outcomes, with spatial comparative investigations of these links lacking, particularly in developing megacities. In light of this challenge, Effects of AIR pollution on cardiopuLmonary disEaSe in urban and peri-urban reSidents in Beijing (AIRLESS) was initiated, with the aim of addressing the complex issue of relating multi-pollutant exposure to cardiopulmonary outcomes. This paper presents the novel methodological framework employed in the project, namely (1) the deployment of two panel studies from established cohorts in urban and peri-urban Beijing, with different exposure settings regarding pollution levels and diverse sources; (2) the collection of detailed measurements and biomarkers of participants from a nested case (hypertensive) and control (healthy) study setting; (3) the assessment of indoor and personal exposure to multiple gaseous pollutants and particulate matter at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution with validated novel sensor technologies; (4) the assessment of ambient air pollution levels in a large-scale field campaign, particularly the chemical composition of particulate matter. Preliminary results showed that there is a large difference between ambient and personal air pollution levels, and the differences varied between seasons and locations. These large differences were reflected on the different health responses between the two panels.

scholarly journals Synergies between environmental pressures in the urban climate: combined air quality and noise exposure assessment in Thessaloniki, Greece

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-217 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Exposure Assessment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Heavy Traffic ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Pollution Levels

This study offers a combined analysis of personal exposure to noise and air pollution within the metropolitan centre of Thessaloniki, Greece. The area is selected on the grounds that it is considered as one of the most polluted cities in Europe, especially with respect to air pollution. An extensive survey has been designed to provide detailed information on CO and VOC concentrations and noise pollution levels in the main modes of transport and along heavy traffic routes inside the core of the urban area under consideration. Air pollution and noise measurements were performed simultaneously along several commuting routes, during morning and evening rush hours. Personal portable devices were used. The results highlight the magnitude of air and noise urban scale personal exposure, since they depict a considerable environmental burden for the citizens of Thessaloniki, especially for VOCs and noise pollution levels. Furthermore, they provide, for the first time, a combined exposure assessment to these environmental pollutants for Thessaloniki and in this sense they are of importance for local public authorities and decision makers. The material herein points out the importance of micro-environmental monitoring and the necessity of considering environmental pollution in urban areas in a more holistic way.

scholarly journals Feasibility and acceptability of monitoring personal air pollution exposure with sensors for asthma self-management

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherrie Xie ◽  
Jessica R. Meeker ◽  
Luzmercy Perez ◽  
Whitney Eriksen ◽  
Anna Localio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Battery Life ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Spatiotemporal Resolution ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Pollution Exposure

Abstract Background Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increases the risk of asthma exacerbations, and thus, monitoring personal exposure to PM2.5 may aid in disease self-management. Low-cost, portable air pollution sensors offer a convenient way to measure personal pollution exposure directly and may improve personalized monitoring compared with traditional methods that rely on stationary monitoring stations. We aimed to understand whether adults with asthma would be willing to use personal sensors to monitor their exposure to air pollution and to assess the feasibility of using sensors to measure real-time PM2.5 exposure. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 adults with asthma to understand their willingness to use a personal pollution sensor and their privacy preferences with regard to sensor data. Student research assistants used HabitatMap AirBeam devices to take PM2.5 measurements at 1-s intervals while walking in Philadelphia neighborhoods in May–August 2018. AirBeam PM2.5 measurements were compared to concurrent measurements taken by three nearby regulatory monitors. Results All interview participants stated that they would use a personal air pollution sensor, though the consensus was that devices should be small (watch- or palm-sized) and light. Patients were generally unconcerned about privacy or sharing their GPS location, with only two stating they would not share their GPS location under any circumstances. PM2.5 measurements were taken using AirBeam sensors on 34 walks that extended through five Philadelphia neighborhoods. The range of sensor PM2.5 measurements was 0.6–97.6 μg/mL (mean 6.8 μg/mL), compared to 0–22.6 μg/mL (mean 9.0 μg/mL) measured by nearby regulatory monitors. Compared to stationary measurements, which were only available as 1-h integrated averages at discrete monitoring sites, sensor measurements permitted characterization of fine-scale fluctuations in PM2.5 levels over time and space. Conclusions Patients were generally interested in using sensors to monitor their personal exposure to PM2.5 and willing to share personal sensor data with health care providers and researchers. Compared to traditional methods of personal exposure assessment, sensors captured personalized air quality information at higher spatiotemporal resolution. Improvements to currently available sensors, including more reliable Bluetooth connectivity, increased portability, and longer battery life would facilitate their use in a general patient population.

Approximate Consensus of Multiagent Systems With Inaccurate Sensor Measurements

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teymur Sadikhov ◽  
Wassim M. Haddad ◽  
Tansel Yucelen ◽  
Rafal Goebel
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Uncertainty ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Graph Laplacian ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Consensus Protocol ◽  
Location Uncertainty ◽  
The Face ◽  
Sensor Measurement ◽  
Norm Bound ◽  
Time Invariant

One of the main challenges in robotics applications is dealing with inaccurate sensor data. Specifically, for a group of mobile robots, the measurement of the exact location of the other robots relative to a particular robot is often inaccurate due to sensor measurement uncertainty or detrimental environmental conditions. In this paper, we address the consensus problem for a group of agent robots with a connected, undirected, and time-invariant communication graph topology in the face of uncertain interagent measurement data. Using agent location uncertainty characterized by norm bounds centered at the neighboring agent's exact locations, we show that the agents reach an approximate consensus state and converge to a set centered at the centroid of the agents' initial locations. The diameter of the set is shown to be dependent on the graph Laplacian and the magnitude of the uncertainty norm bound. Furthermore, we show that if the network is all-to-all connected and the measurement uncertainty is characterized by a ball of radius r, then the diameter of the set to which the agents converge is 2r. Finally, we also formulate our problem using set-valued analysis and develop a set-valued invariance principle to obtain set-valued consensus protocols. Two illustrative numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approximate consensus protocol framework.

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