scholarly journals Long-Term Variation of Black Carbon Aerosol in China Based on Revised Aethalometer Monitoring Data

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Guo ◽  
Yaqiang Wang ◽  
Xiaoye Zhang ◽  
Huizheng Che ◽  
Jing Ming ◽  
...  

Black carbon (BC) aerosol, as a typical optical absorption aerosol, is of great significance to the study of climate and radiation. The China Atmosphere Watch Network (CAWNET), established by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), contains 35 BC-monitored stations, which have been collecting data using commercial Aethalometer instruments (AEs) since 2006. Element carbon (EC) data measured from the thermal/optical reflectance (TOR) method was used to correct the BC monitoring data from the AEs, which are affected by various sampling and analytical artifacts. The average difference before and after the revision was about 17.3% (±11.5%). Furthermore, we analyzed the variations of BC in China from 2006 to 2017 using a revised dataset. The ten-year averaged concentration of BC would have been applicable for climate analysis, and can be a comparison sample in future research. The concentrations of BC across the stations in China showed a general downward trend, with occasional fluctuations, and the concentrations at urban sites decreased more significantly. The average concentrations of BC in urban sites are higher than rural and remote sites. The 10-year averaged concentration of BC ranges from 11.13 μg m−3 in Gucheng to 0.19 μg m−3 in Shangri-La, showing a strong spatial variation; the proportion of BC aerosol in PM2.5 is generally less than 20%. The BC showed obvious seasonal and diurnal variation; and the highest concentration occurred in winter, with more dramatic diurnal variation, followed by autumn and spring. There was a significant increase in concentration between local time 7:00–9:00 and 18:00–0:00. The distribution and trend of BC concentration in China showed a consistency with emissions of BC.

Author(s):  
Kylie Litaker ◽  
Christopher B. Mayhorn

People regularly interact with automation to make decisions. Research shows that reliance on recommendations can depend on user trust in the decision support system (DSS), the source of information (i.e. human or automation), and situational stress. This study explored how information source and stress affect trust and reliance on a DSS used in a baggage scanning task. A preliminary sample of sixty-one participants were given descriptions for a DSS and reported trust before and after interaction. The DSS gave explicit recommendations when activated and participants could choose to rely or reject the choice. Results revealed a bias towards self-reliance and a negative influence of stress on trust, particularly for participants receiving help from automation. Controlling for perceived reliability may have eliminated trust biases prior to interaction, while stress may have influenced trust during the task. Future research should address potential differences in task motivation and include physiological measures of stress.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-113
Author(s):  
Farrah Neumann ◽  
Matthew Kanwit

AbstractSince many linguistic structures are variable (i. e. conveyed by multiple forms), building a second-language grammar critically involves developing sociolinguistic competence (Canale and Swain. 1980. Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics 1(1). 1–47), including knowledge of contexts in which to use one form over another (Bayley and Langman. 2004. Variation in the group and the individual: Evidence from second language acquisition. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 42(4). 303–318). Consequently, researchers interested in such competence have increasingly analyzed the study-abroad context to gauge learners’ ability to approximate local norms following a stay abroad, due to the quality and quantity of input to which learners may gain access (Lafford. 2006. The effects of study abroad vs. classroom contexts on Spanish SLA: Old assumptions, new insights and future research directions. In Carol Klee & Timothy Face (eds.), Selected proceedings of the 7th conference on the acquisition of Spanish and Portuguese as first and second languages, 1–25. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project). Nevertheless, the present study is the first to examine native or learner variation between imperative (e. g. ven ‘come’) and optative Spanish commands (e. g. que vengas ‘come’). We first performed a corpus analysis to determine the linguistic factors to manipulate in a contextualized task, which elicited commands from learners before and after four weeks abroad in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Their overall rates of selection and predictive factors were compared to local native speakers (NSs) and a control group of at-home learners.Results revealed that the abroad learners more closely approached NS rates of selection following the stay abroad. Nonetheless, for both learner groups conditioning by independent variables only partially approximated the NS system, which was more complex than previously suggested.


2021 ◽  
pp. 095679762097056
Author(s):  
Morgana Lizzio-Wilson ◽  
Emma F. Thomas ◽  
Winnifred R. Louis ◽  
Brittany Wilcockson ◽  
Catherine E. Amiot ◽  
...  

Extensive research has identified factors influencing collective-action participation. However, less is known about how collective-action outcomes (i.e., success and failure) shape engagement in social movements over time. Using data collected before and after the 2017 marriage-equality debate in Australia, we conducted a latent profile analysis that indicated that success unified supporters of change ( n = 420), whereas failure created subgroups among opponents ( n = 419), reflecting four divergent responses: disengagement (resigned acceptors), moderate disengagement and continued investment (moderates), and renewed commitment to the cause using similar strategies (stay-the-course opponents) or new strategies (innovators). Resigned acceptors were least inclined to act following failure, whereas innovators were generally more likely to engage in conventional action and justify using radical action relative to the other profiles. These divergent reactions were predicted by differing baseline levels of social identification, group efficacy, and anger. Collective-action outcomes dynamically shape participation in social movements; this is an important direction for future research.


Author(s):  
Zaky Machmuddah ◽  
St. Dwiarso Utomo ◽  
Entot Suhartono ◽  
Shujahat Ali ◽  
Wajahat Ali Ghulam

The coronavirus pandemic has spread all over the world, affecting both the health and economic sectors. The aim of this research was to observe stock prices of customer goods before and after the COVID-19 pandemic using event study and the comparison test. The sample included data of daily closing stock prices and volume of stock trade during the three months before (−90 days) and after (+90 days) the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, totaling 2670 observation data both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, for a total of 5340. The research findings indicate a significant difference between the daily closing stock price and volume of stock trade before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The current research has both theoretical and practical implications: the findings strengthen the efficient market hypothesis, which states that the more complete the provided information, the more efficient the market. The practical implication is that investors should be careful when choosing to invest. Investors should choose customer goods sector companies that provide products that are much needed by customers, for example, pharmacy, food, beverages, etc. Future research is needed to investigate the long-term impact of the pandemic on the economy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Possamai Sergipe ◽  
Yára Regina Marangoni ◽  
Roberto Paulo Zanon dos Santos ◽  
Denise Silva de Moura ◽  
Luigi Jovane

AbstractThe diurnal variation of the magnetic field cannot be predicted or modeled and for that reason, it is monitored during the magnetic surveys, usually by a stationary magnetometer. However, marine surveys have a practical issue with diurnal monitoring, owing to the distance between the survey, stationary magnetometers, and magnetic observatories. This work aims to verify the use of nearby magnetic observatories to estimate the diurnal variation correction in different marine surveys and evaluate its effectiveness. In this study, we selected surveys at the continental shelf near Santos city (Survey 1), continental slope next to the first survey location (Survey 2), continental shelf near Ubatuba city (Survey 3), and Mamanguá ria in the Paraty city (Survey 4), all southeast to the Brazilian coast. The crossing points were implemented to compare the magnetic field values at different times and days at the same measurement point, before and after the correction. Afterwards, we measure the Pearson’s Correlation of the raw data and the diurnal corrected data in all crossing points of each survey which showed an improvement after correction by the value approximating to 1, which indicates a very well correlation. The Ubatuba and Mamanguá surveys allowed comparing the observatory correction results with the base magnetometer results that were rather similar. Our analyses indicate a satisfactory diurnal correction using the observatory data and the crossing points approach, which can be used for every marine magnetometric survey worldwide placed near the coast (< 280 km) that do not have a stationary magnetometer available.


2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie M. Clem ◽  
Thomas E. Smith ◽  
Kristin V. Richards

Substance abuse researchers identify self-efficacy and group cohesion as important components in alcohol and other drug-dependency treatment. Objectives: The purpose of this single-group, pretest–posttest study is to explore the therapeutic value of a challenge course intervention on the self-efficacy and group cohesion of nine chemically dependent, adult females. Methods: Data were collected using two validated outcome measures administered before and after the intervention. Focus groups provided insight into the experiences of participants and were examined using manifest and latent theme analysis. Results: Findings indicate statistically significant improvements on both outcome measures with medium to large effect sizes. Several themes were identified including group unity, trust, interpersonal growth, and self-confidence. Conclusions: Suggestions for practice and future research are provided.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 222-222
Author(s):  
Noriko Suzuki ◽  
Masahiko Hashizume ◽  
Hideyuki Shiotani

Abstract Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is an unrecognized sudden drop of blood pressure (BP) after meals and a hidden problem among older people including those living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Though PPH causes dizziness, falls, and syncope, it has received little attention from¬¬¬ healthcare workers (HCW) including caregivers, nurses and physicians, and risk factors of PPH should be carefully assessed to improve quality of life. Therefore, we aimed to examine the prevalence and risk factors of PPH in a LTCF in Japan. Participants were 114 older adults living in a LTCF in Japan (mean age 85.9 years old; 85 female (74%)). To examine PPH, blood pressure (BP) was measured before and after lunch. BP after meal was measured four times every 30 minutes. PPH is defined as a BP drop of 20 mmHg or more and we also defined a BP drop within a range of 19 to 15 mmHg as potential-PPH. As risk factors, we compared systolic and diastolic BP at baseline, body mass index, pulse rate, disease and complications between groups with/without PPH. The prevalence of PPH was 41% (47/114) and 52% with potential-PPH; 11% (13/114) added. Among risk factors, systolic BP was significantly higher in those with PPH (142.6 vs 123.5 mmHg, p &lt;0.001). This study revealed that PPH & potential-PPH occurred in half of the subjects in a LTCF in Japan. HCW need to focus on high systolic BP to predict PPH and future research is necessary to prevent and cope with PPH for older people.


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