scholarly journals Factors Underlying Spatiotemporal Variations in Atmospheric PM2.5 Concentrations in Zhejiang Province, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3011
Author(s):  
Xuan Li ◽  
Chaofan Wu ◽  
Michael E. Meadows ◽  
Zhaoyang Zhang ◽  
Xingwen Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Zhejiang Province ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variations ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Atmospheric Pm2.5

Fine particulate matter in the lower atmosphere (PM2.5) continues to be a major public health problem globally. Identifying the key contributors to PM2.5 pollution is important in monitoring and managing atmospheric quality, for example, in controlling haze. Previous research has been aimed at quantifying the relationship between PM2.5 values and their underlying factors, but the spatial and temporal dynamics of these factors are not well understood. Based on random forest and Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) algorithms, this study analyses the spatiotemporal variations in selected key factors influencing PM2.5 in Zhejiang Province, China, for the period 2000–2019. The results indicate that, while factors influencing PM2.5 varied significantly during the period studied, SHAP values suggest that there is consistency in their relative importance as follows: meteorological factors (e.g., atmospheric pressure) > socioeconomic factors (e.g., gross domestic product, GDP) > topography and land cover factors (e.g., elevation). The contribution of GDP and transportation factors initially increased but has declined in the recent past, indicating that economic and infrastructural development does not necessarily result in increased PM2.5 concentrations. Vegetation productivity, as indicated by changes in NDVI, is demonstrated to have become more important in improving air quality, and the area of the province over which it constrains PM2.5 concentrations has increased between 2000 and 2019. Mapping of SHAP values suggests that, although the relative importance of industrial emissions has declined during the period studied, the actual area positively impacted by such emissions has actually increased. Despite developments in government policy, greater efforts to conserve energy and reduce emissions are still needed. The study further demonstrates that the combination of random forest and SHAP methods provides a valuable means to identify regional differences in key factors affecting atmospheric PM2.5 values and offers a reliable reference for pollution control strategies.

Consumers‟ Acceptance of „Halal‟ Credit Card Services: An Empirical Analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaimy Johana Johan ◽  
Lennora Putit
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Control ◽  
Credit Card ◽  
Credit Cards ◽  
Product Knowledge ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Developing Nation ◽  
Business Transactions ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Financial Credit ◽  
Survey Questionnaires

Many past researches have been carried out in an attempt to continuously understand individuals‟ consumption behaviour. This study was conducted to investigate key factors influencing consumers‟ potential acceptance of halal (or permissible) financial credit card services. Specifically, it anticipated the influence of attitude, social influences and perceived control on consumers‟ behavioural intention to accept such services. In addition, factors such as religiosity and product knowledge were also postulated to affect consumers‟ attitude towards the act of using halal credit cards for any retail or business transactions. Using non-probability sampling approach, a total of 500 survey questionnaires was distributed to targeted respondents in a developing nation but only 220 usable feedbacks were received for subsequent data analysis. Regression results revealed that religiosity and product knowledge significantly influence consumers‟ attitude toward using halal credit card services.  Attitude in turn, subsequently has a significant impact on consumers‟ intention to accept halal financial credit card services. Several theoretical and managerial contributions were observed in this study.   

METHOD SUGGESTING CITY WALKING ROUTES FOR PEDESTRIANS USING AN EXAMPLE OF SAINT-PETERSBURG

2019 ◽  
pp. 71-76
Author(s):  
A.E. Semenov
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
Develop Model ◽  
Random Forest Algorithm ◽  
Saint Petersburg ◽  
Pedestrian Navigation ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
The City

The method of pedestrian navigation in the cities illustrated by the example of Saint-Petersburg was investigated. The factors influencing people when they choose a route for their walk were determined. Based on acquired factors corresponding data was collected and used to develop model determining attractiveness of a street in the city using Random Forest algorithm. The results obtained shows that routes provided by the method are 14% more attractive and just 6% longer compared with the shortest ones.

scholarly journals Perspectives of Healthcare Professionals Regarding Factors Associated with Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Their Consequences: A Cross Sectional Study in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 878
Author(s):  
Mohamed A. Baraka ◽  
Amany Alboghdadly ◽  
Samar Alshawwa ◽  
Asim Ahmed Elnour ◽  
Hassan Alsultan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Inappropriate Prescribing ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Eastern Province ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Factors Influencing

Factors reported in the literature associated with inappropriate prescribing of antimicrobials include physicians with less experience, uncertain diagnosis, and patient caregiver influences on physicians’ decisions. Monitoring antimicrobial resistance is critical for identifying emerging resistance patterns, developing, and assessing the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. Improvement in prescribing antimicrobials would minimize the risk of resistance and, consequently, improve patients’ clinical and health outcomes. The purpose of the study is to delineate factors associated with antimicrobial resistance, describe the factors influencing prescriber’s choice during prescribing of antimicrobial, and examine factors related to consequences of inappropriate prescribing of antimicrobial. A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare providers (190) in six tertiary hospitals in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The research panel has developed, validated, and piloted survey specific with closed-ended questions. A value of p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. All data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS version 23.0). 72.7% of the respondents have agreed that poor skills and knowledge are key factors that contribute to the inappropriate prescribing of antimicrobials. All of the respondents acknowledged effectiveness, previous experience with the antimicrobial, and reading scientific materials (such as books, articles, and the internet) as being key factors influencing physicians’ choice during antimicrobial prescribing. The current study has identified comprehensive education and training needs for healthcare providers about antimicrobial resistance. Using antimicrobials unnecessarily, insufficient duration of antimicrobial use, and using broad spectrum antimicrobials were reported to be common practices. Furthermore, poor skills and knowledge were a key factor that contributed to the inappropriate use and overuse of antimicrobials, and the use of antimicrobials without a physician’s prescription (i.e., self-medication) represent key factors which contribute to AMR from participants’ perspectives. Furthermore, internal policy and guidelines are needed to ensure that the antimicrobials are prescribed in accordance with standard protocols and clinical guidelines.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic Risks and Their Impacts on Ecological River Health in South Korea: An Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6287
Author(s):  
Suyeon Kim ◽  
Sang-Woo Lee ◽  
Se-Rin Park ◽  
Yeeun Shin ◽  
Kyungjin An
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Ecosystem Health ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
River Ecosystem ◽  
River Health ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Hierarchy Process

It is imperative to develop a methodology to identify river impairment sources, particularly the relative impact of socioeconomic sources, to enhance the efficiency of various river restoration schemes and policies and to have an internal diagnosis system in place. This study, therefore, aims to identify and analyze the relative importance of the socioeconomic factors affecting river ecosystem impairment in South Korea. To achieve this goal, we applied the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate expert judgement of the relative importance of different socioeconomic factors influencing river ecosystem impairment. Based on a list of socioeconomic factors influencing stream health, an AHP questionnaire was prepared and administered to experts in aquatic ecology. Our analysis reveals that secondary industries form the most significant source of stream ecosystem impairment. Moreover, the most critical socioeconomic factors affecting stream impairment are direct inflow pollution, policy implementation, and industrial wastewater. The results also suggest that the AHP is a rapid and robust approach to assessing the relative importance of different socioeconomic factors that affect river ecosystem health. The results can be used to assist decision makers in focusing on actions to improve river ecosystem health.

scholarly journals Pollution status of volatile organic sulfur compounds causing odor in Xi River and factors influencing spatial distribution

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1264-1270
Author(s):  
Xiang Tu ◽  
Shaohua Chen ◽  
Siyu Wang ◽  
Haiqing Liao ◽  
Xuejiao Deng
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Sulfur Compounds ◽  
Organic Sulfur ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Diethyl Sulfide ◽  
Organic Sulfur Compounds ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Pollution Status ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Volatile Organic Sulfur Compounds

Abstract This study investigated the pollution status of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) and the factors influencing their spatial distribution in the Xi River in Shenyang, China. A method for simultaneous determination of 14 VOSCs that cause odor in water samples was developed by using purge and trap coupled with gas chromatography and a flame photometric detector. The results indicated that each target compound could be identified from 15 sampling sites, and the total concentration of 14 VOSCs ranged from 2.575 to 52.981 μg L−1. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) was the most important contaminant with an average concentration of 4.029 μg L−1, a detection rate of 93.33% and a variation coefficient of 0.72. The VOSCs were primarily distributed in suburban and rural sections, and the suburban section was the worst in regard to pollution by VOSCs. Dimethyl trisulfide was primarily distributed in urban and suburban sections of the Xi River due to industrial emissions. Ethanethiol, DMS, and ethyl methyl sulfide, which are typical by-products of microbial anaerobic decomposition from domestic wastewater, were found in abundance in the suburban section. Diethyl sulfide, diethyl disulfide, methyl propyl disulfide, and 1-propyl disulfide representing agricultural nonpoint source pollution were mostly distributed in the rural section.

Small Bowel Obstruction

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-194
Author(s):  
Colleen Trevino
Keyword(s):  
Small Bowel ◽  
Physical Examination ◽  
Surgical Intervention ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Bowel Ischemia ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
The Past ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Imaging Response

Strategies for the management of small bowel obstructions have changed significantly over the years. Nonoperative medical management has become the mainstay of treatment of many small bowel obstructions. However, the key to the management of small bowel obstructions is identifying those patients who need surgical intervention. Identification of those at risk for bowel ischemia and bowel death is an art as much as it is a science. Using the current literature and the past knowledge regarding small bowel obstructions, the clinician must carefully identify the signs and symptoms that suggest the need for operative intervention. Classification of the obstruction, history and physical examination, imaging, response to decompression and resuscitation, and resolution or progression of symptoms are the key factors influencing the management of small bowel obstructions.

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