scholarly journals Short-Term Responses of Air Quality to Changes in Emissions under the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 Scenario over Brazil

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 799
Author(s):  
Daniel Schuch ◽  
Maria de Fatima Andrade ◽  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Edmilson Dias de Freitas ◽  
Michelle L. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Representative Concentration Pathway ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Emission Scenarios ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Maximum Improvement ◽  
Health Burdens ◽  
Short Time

Brazil, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, is the fifth most populous country and is experiencing accelerated urbanization. This combination of factors causes an increase in urban population that is exposed to poor air quality, leading to public health burdens. In this work, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Chemistry is applied to simulate air quality over Brazil for a short time period under three future emission scenarios, including current legislation (CLE), mitigation scenario (MIT), and maximum feasible reduction (MFR) under the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5), which is a climate change scenario under which radiative forcing of greenhouse gases (GHGs) reach 4.5 W m−2 by 2100. The main objective of this study is to determine the sensitivity of the concentrations of ozone (O3) and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter 2.5 µm or less (PM2.5) to changes in emissions under these emission scenarios and to determine the signal and spatial patterns of these changes for Brazil. The model is evaluated with observations and shows reasonably good agreement. The MFR scenario leads to a reduction of 3% and 75% for O3 and PM2.5 respectively, considering the average of grid cells within Brazil, whereas the CLE scenario leads to an increase of 1% and 11% for O3 and PM2.5 respectively, concentrated near urban centers. These results indicate that of the three emission control scenarios, the CLE leads to poor air quality, while the MFR scenario leads to the maximum improvement in air quality. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first to investigate the responses of air quality to changes in emissions under these emission scenarios for Brazil. The results shed light on the linkage between changes of emissions and air quality.

World Economy: Prospects and Barriers for Recovery

2012 ◽  
pp. 61-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ershov
Keyword(s):  
World Economy ◽  
Western World ◽  
Short Time Period ◽  
Market Segments ◽  
Junk Bonds ◽  
The Past ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Us ◽  
Global Liquidity ◽  
Short Time

According to the latest forecasts, it will take 10 years for the world economy to get back to “decent shape”. Some more critical estimates suggest that the whole western world will have a “colossal mess” within the next 5–10 years. Regulators of some major countries significantly and over a short time‑period changed their forecasts for the worse which means that uncertainty in the outlook for the future persists. Indeed, the intensive anti‑crisis measures have reduced the severity of the past problems, however the problems themselves have not disappeared. Moreover, some of them have become more intense — the eurocrisis, excessive debts, global liquidity glut against the backdrop of its deficit in some of market segments. As was the case prior to the crisis, derivatives and high‑risk operations with “junk” bonds grow; budget problems — “fiscal cliff” in the US — and other problems worsen. All of the above forces the regulators to take unprecedented (in their scope and nature) steps. Will they be able to tackle the problems which emerge?

Effect of short-term use of oral contraceptive pills on intraocular pressure

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tayyaba Gul Malik ◽  
Hina Nadeem ◽  
Eiman Ayesha ◽  
Rabail Alam
Keyword(s):  
Oral Contraceptive ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Oral Contraceptive Pills ◽  
Contraceptive Pills ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
Short Time

Objective: To study the effect of short-term use of oral contraceptive pills on intra-ocular pressures of women of childbearing age.   Methods: It was a comparative observational study, conducted at Arif memorial teaching hospital and Allied hospital Faisalabad for a period of six months. Hundred female subjects were divided into two groups of 50 each. Group A, included females, who had been taking oral contraceptive pills (OCP) for more than 6 months and less than 36 months. Group B, included 50 age-matched controls, who had never used OCP. Ophthalmic and systemic history was taken. Careful Slit lamp examination was performed and intraocular pressures (IOP) were measured using Goldman Applanation tonometer. Fundus examination was done to rule out any posterior segment disease. After collection of data, we analyzed and compared the intra ocular pressures between the two groups by using ANOVA in SPSS version 21.   Results: Average duration of using OCP was 14.9 months. There was no significant difference of Cup to Disc ratios between the two groups (p= 0.109). However, significant difference was noted between the IOP of OCP group and controls. (p=0.000). Conclusion: OCP significantly increase IOP even when used for short time period.

scholarly journals Political ideology and vaccination willingness: implications for policy design

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Debus ◽  
Jale Tosun
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Individual Freedom ◽  
Short Time Period ◽  
Successful Development ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Short Time

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments to impose major restrictions on individual freedom in order to stop the spread of the virus. With the successful development of a vaccine, these restrictions are likely to become obsolete—on the condition that people get vaccinated. However, parts of the population have reservations against vaccination. While this is not a recent phenomenon, it might prove a critical one in the context of current attempts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, the task of designing policies suitable for attaining high levels of vaccination deserves enhanced attention. In this study, we use data from the Eurobarometer survey fielded in March 2019. They show that 39% of Europeans consider vaccines to cause the diseases which they should protect against, that 50% believe vaccines have serious side effects, that 32% think that vaccines weaken the immune system, and that 10% do not believe vaccines are tested rigorously before authorization. We find that—even when controlling for important individual-level factors—ideological extremism on both ends of the spectrum explains skepticism of vaccination. We conclude that policymakers must either politicize the issue or form broad alliances among parties and societal groups in order to increase trust in and public support for the vaccines in general and for vaccines against COVID-19 in particular, since the latter were developed in a very short time period and resulted—in particular in case of the AstraZeneca vaccine—in reservations because of the effectiveness and side effects of the new vaccines.

scholarly journals Platypnoea–orthodeoxia syndrome induced by short-term weight loss: a case series

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yudai Tamura ◽  
Tomohiro Sakamoto
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Septal Defect ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Transoesophageal Echocardiography ◽  
Sitting Position ◽  
Short Time Period ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Uncommon Condition ◽  
The Right ◽  
Short Time

Abstract Background Platypnoea–orthodeoxia syndrome (POS) is an uncommon condition characterized by dyspnoea and arterial desaturation in the standing or sitting position that improves in the supine position. Case summary We report two cases of POS caused by an atrial septal defect (ASD) and a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Both cases reported a recent decrease in body weight of more than 10 kg in a short time period. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) with agitated saline bubble study revealed and a large amount of contrast bubble through the ASD (Patient 1) or the PFO (Patient 2) from the right atrium to the left atrium in the sitting position. Both patients were diagnosed by the finding of positional dyspnoea and the results of TOE using agitated saline bubble contrast. Discussion Taken together, their presentations suggest that weight loss in a short time period could be a pathogenic factor for POS.

Origins and Destinations – Social Security Claimant Dynamics

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL NOBLE ◽  
SIN YI CHEUNG ◽  
GEORGE SMITH
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Income Support ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Lone Parents ◽  
Lone Mothers ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Short Time

This article briefly reviews American and British literature on welfare dynamics and examines the concepts of welfare dependency and ‘dependency culture’ with particular reference to lone parents. Using UK benefit data sets, the welfare dynamics of lone mothers are examined to explore the extent to which they inform the debates. Evidence from Housing Benefits data show that even over a relatively short time period, there is significant turnover in the benefits-dependent lone parent population with movement in and out of income support as well as movement into other family structures. Younger lone parents and owner-occupiers tend to leave the data set while older lone parents and council tenants are most likely to stay. Some owner-occupier lone parents may be relatively well off and on income support for a relatively short time between separation and a financial settlement being reached. They may also represent a more highly educated and highly skilled group with easier access to the labour market than renters. Any policy moves paralleling those in the United States to time limit benefit will disproportionately affect older lone parents.

scholarly journals Characterization of Air-Quality Degradation Episodes of PM10 in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo and Their Relationship with Meteorological Conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Maria C. Q. D. Oliveira ◽  
Luciana V. Rizzo ◽  
Anita Drumond
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Duration Distribution ◽  
Air Quality Monitoring Stations

Air pollution is one of the main environmental problems in large urban centers, affecting people’s health and impacting quality of life. The Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) presents frequent exceedances of air-quality standards in inhalable particulate matter (PM10), a consequence of pollutant emissions modulated by meteorological conditions. This study aims to identify and characterize PM10persistent exceedance events (PEE) inthe MASP between 2005 and 2017, relating them to meteorological conditions. The criteria used to select the events were: (i) events that occurred in at least 50% of the air-quality monitoring stations chosen for this study and, (ii) among the events that met the first criterion, those with a duration equal to or greater than five days, which correspond to the 80% percentile of the event duration distribution. A total 71 persistent episodes of exceedance were selected. The results show that the exceedance of PM10 lasted up to 14 consecutive days and was predominant in the austral winter, accompanied by an increase in maximum temperature (T), a decrease in wind speed (WS) and relative humidity (RH), and a wind direction predominantly from the northwest during the peak concentration of the pollutant. On average, a concentration increase of 60% was observed at the peak of the PEE.

scholarly journals Retention Of Cardiac Auscultation Skill Requires Paired Visual And Audio Information In New Learners

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Nordehn ◽  
Spencer Strunic ◽  
Tom Soldner ◽  
Nicholas Karlisch ◽  
Ian Kramer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Heart Sound ◽  
Heart Sounds ◽  
Sound Recognition ◽  
Cardiac Auscultation ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Audio Information

Introduction: Cardiac auscultation accuracy is poor: 20% to 40%. Audio-only of 500 heart sounds cycles over a short time period significantly improved auscultation scores. Hypothesis: adding visual information to an audio-only format, significantly (p<.05) improves short and long term accuracy. Methods: Pre-test: Twenty-two 1st and 2nd year medical student participants took an audio-only pre-test. Seven students comprising our audio-only training cohort heard audio-only, of 500 heart sound repetitions. 15 students comprising our paired visual with audio cohort heard and simultaneously watched video spectrograms of the heart sounds. Immediately after trainings, both cohorts took audio-only post-tests; the visual with audio cohort also took a visual with audio post-test, a test providing audio with simultaneous video spectrograms. All tests were repeated in six months. Results: All tests given immediately after trainings showed significant improvement with no significant difference between the cohorts. Six months later neither cohorts maintained significant improvement on audio-only post-tests. Six months later the visual with audio cohort maintained significant improvement (p<.05) on the visual with audio post-test. Conclusions: Audio retention of heart sound recognition is not maintained if: trained using audio-only; or, trained using visual with audio. Providing visual with audio in training and testing allows retention of auscultation accuracy. Devices providing visual information during auscultation could prove beneficial.

scholarly journals The Impact of Future Emission Policies on Tropospheric Ozone using a Parameterised Approach

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Turnock ◽  
Oliver Wild ◽  
Frank Dentener ◽  
Yanko Davila ◽  
Louisa Emmons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Tropospheric Ozone ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Source Attribution ◽  
The Future ◽  
Future Emission ◽  
Tropospheric O3 ◽  
Near Term ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Surface O3

Abstract. This study quantifies future changes in tropospheric ozone (O3) using a simple parameterisation of source-receptor relationships based on simulations from a range of models participating in the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollutants (TF-HTAP) experiments. Surface and tropospheric O3 changes are calculated globally and across 16 regions from perturbations in precursor emissions (NOx, CO, VOCs) and methane (CH4) abundance. A source attribution is provided for each source region along with an estimate of uncertainty based on the spread of the results from the models. Tests against model simulations using HadGEM2-ES confirm that the approaches used within the parameterisation are valid. The O3 response to changes in CH4 abundance is slightly larger in TF-HTAP Phase 2 than in the TF-HTAP Phase 1 assessment (2010) and provides further evidence that controlling CH4 is important for limiting future O3 concentrations. Different treatments of chemistry and meteorology in models remains one of the largest uncertainties in calculating the O3 response to perturbations in CH4 abundance and precursor emissions, particularly over the Middle East and South Asian regions. Emission changes for the future ECLIPSE scenarios and a subset of preliminary Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) indicate that surface O3 concentrations will increase by 1 to 8 ppbv in 2050 across different regions. Source attribution analysis highlights the growing importance of CH4 in the future under current legislation. A global tropospheric O3 radiative forcing of +0.07 W m−2 from 2010 to 2050 is predicted using the ECLIPSE scenarios and SSPs, based solely on changes in CH4 abundance and tropospheric O3 precursor emissions and neglecting any influence of climate change. Current legislation is shown to be inadequate in limiting the future degradation of surface ozone air quality and enhancement of near-term climate warming. More stringent future emission controls provide a large reduction in both surface O3 concentrations and O3 radiative forcing. The parameterisation provides a simple tool to highlight the different impacts and associated uncertainties of local and hemispheric emission control strategies on both surface air quality and the near-term climate forcing by tropospheric O3.

scholarly journals How much should we believe correlations between Arctic cyclones and sea ice extent?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie G. L. Rae ◽  
Alexander D. Todd ◽  
Edward W. Blockley ◽  
Jeff K. Ridley
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Reanalysis Dataset ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Temporal Sampling ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Short Time

Abstract. This paper presents an analysis of Arctic summer cyclones in a climate model and in a reanalysis dataset. A cyclone identification and tracking algorithm is run for output from model simulations at two resolutions, and for the reanalysis, using two different tracking variables (mean sea-level pressure and 850 hPa vorticity) for identification of the cyclones. Correlations between characteristics of the cyclones and September Arctic sea ice extent are investigated, and the influence of the tracking variable, the spatial resolution of the model, and spatial and temporal sampling, on the correlations is explored. We conclude that the correlations obtained depend on all of these factors, and that care should be taken when interpreting the results of such analyses, especially when the focus is on one reanalysis, or output from one model, analysed with a single tracking variable for a short time period.

scholarly journals Potential impact of a US climate policy and air quality regulations on future air quality and climate change

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (21) ◽  
pp. 31385-31432
Author(s):  
Y. H. Lee ◽  
D. T. Shindell ◽  
G. Faluvegi ◽  
R. W. Pinder
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Climate Policy ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Surface Ozone ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
The Us ◽  
Indirect Forcing

Abstract. We have investigated how future air quality and climate change are influenced by the US air quality regulations that existed or were proposed in 2013 and a hypothetical climate mitigation policy that reduces 2050 CO2 emissions to be 50 % below 2005 emissions. Using NASA GISS ModelE2, we look at the impacts in year 2030 and 2055. The US energy-sector emissions are from the GLIMPSE project (GEOS-Chem LIDORT Integrated with MARKAL for the Purpose of Scenario Exploration), and other US emissions and the rest of the world emissions are based on the RCP4.5 scenario. The US air quality regulations are projected to have a strong beneficial impact on US air quality and public health in the future but result in positive radiative forcing. Surface PM2.5 is reduced by ~ 2 μg m−3 on average over the US, and surface ozone by ~ 8 ppbv. The improved air quality prevents about 91 400 premature deaths in the US, mainly due to the PM2.5 reduction (~ 74 200 lives saved). The air quality regulations reduces the light-reflecting aerosols (i.e., sulfate and organic matter) more than the light-absorbing species (i.e., black carbon and ozone), leading a strong positive radiative forcing (RF) by both aerosols direct and indirect forcing: total RF is ~ 0.04 W m−2 over the globe; ~ 0.8 W m−2 over the US. Under the hypothetical climate policy, future US energy relies less on coal and thus SO2 emissions are noticeably reduced. This provides air quality co-benefits, but it leads to climate dis-benefits over the US. In 2055, the US mean total RF is +0.22 W m−2 due to positive aerosol direct and indirect forcing, while the global mean total RF is −0.06 W m−2 due to the dominant negative CO2 RF (instantaneous RF). To achieve a regional-scale climate benefit via a climate policy, it is critical (1) to have multi-national efforts to reduce GHGs emissions and (2) to target emission reduction of light-absorbing species (e.g., BC and O3) on top of long-lived species. The latter is very desirable as the resulting climate benefit occurs faster and provides co-benefits to air quality and public health.

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