Effects of Air Pollutants on Summer Precipitation in Different Regions of Beijing

Many studies have shown that air pollutants have complex impacts on urban precipitation. Meteorological weather station and satellite Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) product data from the last 20 years, combined with simulation results from the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem), this paper focuses on the effects of air pollutants on summer precipitation in different regions of Beijing. These results showed that air pollution intensity during the summer affected the precipitation contribution rate (PCR) of plains and mountainous regions in the Beijing area, especially in the plains. Over the past 20 years, plains PCR increased by ~10% when the AOD augmented by 0.15, whereas it decreased with lower pollution levels. In contrast, PCR in mountainous areas decreased with higher pollution levels and increased with lower pollution levels. Our analysis from model results indicated that aerosol increases reduce the effective particle size of cloud droplets and raindrops. Smaller cloud raindrops more readily transport to high air layers and participate in the generation of ice-phase substances in the clouds, increasing the total amount of cloud water in the air in a certain time, which ultimately enhanced precipitation intensity on the plains. The removal of pollutants caused by increased precipitation in the plains decreased rainfall levels in mountainous areas.

“I thought that I had to be alive to repay my parents”: Filial piety as a risk and protective factor for suicidal behavior in a qualitative study of Chinese women

Filial piety involves the Confucian view that children always have a duty to be obedient and to provide care for their parents. Filial piety has been described as both a risk and a protective factor in depression and suicide. This qualitative study aimed to explore the role of filial piety in the suicidal behavior of Chinese women. Qualitative interviews were conducted with Chinese women with a history of suicidal behavior living in the Beijing area ( n = 29). Filial piety data were extracted and analyzed in accordance with constructivist grounded theory. The women described five specific family and filial piety factors and how they influenced their ability to fulfill family role obligations, which was described as a nexus connecting these factors to depression, suicidal behavior, and recovery. The five factors were: 1) rigidity of parental filial expectations, 2) perception of family relationships as positive/supportive or negative/harsh, 3) whether filial piety is of high or low personal value in the woman's life, 4) any experiences of rebellion leading to punitive consequences, and 5) how much filial piety she receives from her children. These factors could inform suicide risk assessments in this population. They can be harnessed as part of recovery and protect against future suicidal behavior.

Examination of aerosol impacts on convective clouds and precipitation in two metropolitan areas in East Asia; how varying depths of convective clouds between the areas diversify those aerosol effects?

This study examines the role played by aerosols in the development of clouds and precipitation in two metropolitan areas in East Asia that has experienced substantial increases in aerosol concentrations over the last decades. These two areas are the Seoul and Beijing areas and the examination has been done by performing simulations using a cloud-system resolving model (CSRM). Aerosols are advected from the continent to the Seoul area and this increases aerosol concentrations in the Seoul area. These increased aerosol concentrations induce the enhancement of condensation that in turn induces the enhancement of deposition and precipitation amount in a system of less deep convective clouds as compared to those in the Beijing area. In a system of deeper clouds in the Beijing area, increasing aerosol concentrations also enhance condensation but reduce deposition. This leads to aerosol-induced negligible changes in precipitation amount. Also, in the system, there is a competition for convective energy among clouds with different condensation and updrafts. This competition results in different responses to increasing aerosol concentrations among different types of precipitation, which are light, medium and heavy precipitation in the Beijing area. In both of the areas, aerosol-induced changes in freezing play a negligible role in aerosol-precipitation interactions as compared to the role played by aerosol-induced changes in condensation and deposition.

Predictive Analysis of Factors Influencing Depression Status of Nurses in the COVID-19 Pandemic Intensive Care Unit

Purpose: Understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on depression in intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, analyze high-risk factors, and propose appropriate measures to maintain physical and mental health.Methods: A total of 78 nurses in ICU of Beijing Ditan Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University (Beijing area, COVID-19 patient designated hospital) were investigated with self-rating depression scale (SDS). The Cronbach'sαcoefficient was 0.874, the content validity was 0.853, and the internal consistency was good. General information for the questionnaire: gender, marriage, education, age, title, length of service, ICU years of service, COVID-19 pandemic training, concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, and current health status.Results: According to the SDS scale score, ICU nurses had a total depression score of 51.36 ± 11.667, and the prevalence rate of depression was 44.9% (35/78). Multi-line regression analysis shows that stress perception, work experience in critical diseases, education and other total scores are risk factors for the occurrence of depression.Conclusion: Work experience in critical illness (β = 9.930, P < 0.001) had a positive predictive effect on the total score of depression, while stress perception (β = −0.884, P < 0.001) and education (β = −6.061, P < 0.001) had a negative predictive effect on the total score of depression, and explained 52.7% variation. These findings point to the need for interventions to address psychological distress and provide the necessary support.

Motivations behind individuals’ energy efficiency investments and daily energy-saving behavior: The case of China

The impact of environmental motivations on the individual’s decisions regarding investments in energy efficiency and the adoption of energy-saving habits are analyzed for a representative sample of Chinese inhabitants from the larger Beijing area, replicating a comparative study on Western Europe. For the considered type of energy efficiency investments and daily energy-saving activities similarities and discrepancies between the two regions are discussed in regard to their sociocultural background as well as governmental regulations. The study provides empirical evidence that for Chinese environmental issues if all only play a tertiary role after monetary and regulatory incentives. The findings could suggest that in China policy programs aimed at raising environmental awareness and forming pro-environmental motivations might not lead to an increase in energy efficiency investments and daily energy-saving activities and the Chinese government’s interests in this regard might be better served by implementing corresponding incentives via regulations. In the long-term. However, social peer pressure might affect a change in the Chinese mentality.

Aerosol effects on electrification and lightning discharges in a multicell thunderstorm simulated by the WRF-ELEC model

To investigate the effects of aerosols on lightning activity, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model with a two-moment bulk microphysical scheme and bulk lightning model was employed to simulate a multicell thunderstorm that occurred in the metropolitan Beijing area. The results suggest that under polluted conditions lightning activity is significantly enhanced during the developing and mature stages. Electrification and lightning discharges within the thunderstorm show characteristics distinguished by different aerosol conditions through microphysical processes. Elevated aerosol loading increases the cloud droplets numbers, the latent heat release, updraft and ice-phase particle number concentrations. More charges in the upper level are carried by ice particles and enhance the electrification process. A larger mean-mass radius of graupel particles further increases non-inductive charging due to more effective collisions. In the continental case where aerosol concentrations are low, less latent heat is released in the upper parts and, as a consequence, the updraft speed is weaker, leading to smaller concentrations of ice particles, lower charging rates and fewer lightning discharges.

Concentration and Physical Characteristics of Black Carbon in Winter Snow of Beijing in 2015

In Beijing, the probability of snowfall is decreasing as a result of global warming. At the same time, Beijing has suffered severe air pollution. In this paper, the concentration and particle size characteristics of BC (Black Carbon) in snow during the winter of 2015 in Beijing were analyzed by the SP2 method. The average concentration of BC in snow meltwater in Beijing is 82 ng/mL, with a minimum value of 62.9 ng/mL and a maximum of 210.6 ng/mL. The BC particle size in snow and ice in the Beijing area is mostly concentrated in the range of 70–400 nm. After log-normal, the BC particle size above 600 nm is still small, which should be closely related to the nature of the local BC emission source. The concentration of BC in snow is highly susceptible to meteorological conditions and local pollution levels. When Beijing is under the control of the east wind or the southeast wind, aerosols in the urban areas can easily accumulate in the northwestern mountains and then settle or participate in the snowfall process, resulting in an increase in BC aerosol accumulation in the snow, thus further changing the optical properties of snow in the Beijing area.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BETWEEN CHINA AND JAPAN IN TERMS OF LISTENING COMPREHENSION

This research is a comparative study of college entrance examination for English listening test in China and Japan. The comparison will be conducted between China’s CEEBA (College Entrance Examination in Beijing Area) and Japan’s NCT (National Center Test of Japan) in terms of difficulty of the tests and validity by checking whether or not they are measuring the items that are intended to measure. And according to the analysis and study some suggestions to improve the both tests are expected to be found out.

Boundary layer structure characteristics under objective classification of persistent pollution weather types in the Beijing area

Different types of pollution boundary layer structures form via the coupling of different synoptic systems and local mesoscale circulation in the boundary layer; this coupling contributes toward the formation and continuation of haze pollution. In this study, we objectively classify the 32 heavy haze pollution events using integrated meteorological and environmental data and ERA-Interim analysis data based on the rotated empirical orthogonal function method. The thermodynamic and dynamic structures of the boundary layer for different pollution weather types are synthesized, and the corresponding three-dimensional boundary layer conceptual models for haze pollution are constructed. The results show that four weather types mainly influence haze pollution events in the Beijing area: (a) type 1 – southerly transport, (b) type 2 – easterly convergence, (c) type 3 – sinking compression, and (d) type 4 – local accumulation. The explained variances in the four pollution weather types are 43.69 % (type 1), 33.68 % (type 2), 16.51 % (type 3), and 3.92 % (type 4). In persistent haze pollution events, type 1 and type 2 surpass 80 % on the first and second days, while the other types are present alternately in later stages. The atmospheric structures of type 1, type 2, and type 3 have typical baroclinic characteristics at mid–high latitudes, indicating that the accumulation and transport of pollutants in the boundary layer are affected by coupled structures in synoptic-scale systems and local circulation. The atmospheric structure of type 4 has typical barotropic characteristics, indicating that the accumulation and transport of pollutants is primarily affected by local circulation. In type 1, southerly winds with a specific thickness and intensity prevail in the boundary layer, which is favorable for the accumulation of pollutants in plain areas along the Yan and Taihang Mountains, whereas haze pollution levels in other areas are relatively low. Due to the interaction between weak easterly winds and the western mountains, pollutants accumulate mainly in the plain areas along the Taihang Mountains in type 2. The atmospheric vertical structure is not conducive to upward pollutant diffusion. In type 3, the heights of the inversion and boundary layers are the lowest due to a weak sinking motion while relative humidity is the highest among the four types. The atmosphere has a small capacity for pollutant dispersion and is favorable to particulate matter hygroscopic growth; as a result, type 3 has the highest PM2.5 concentration. In type 4, the boundary layer is the highest among the four types, the relative humidity is the lowest, and the PM2.5 concentration is relatively lower under the influence of local mountain–plain winds. Different weather types will shape significantly different structures of the pollution boundary layer. The findings of this study allow us to understand the inherent difference among heavy pollution boundary layers; in addition, they reveal the formation mechanism of haze pollution from an integrated synoptic-scale and boundary layer structure perspective. We also provide scientific support for the scientific reduction of emissions and air quality prediction in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region of China.