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Fonseca-Rodríguez O, Adams RE, Sheridan SC, Schumann B. Projection of extreme heat- and cold-related mortality in Sweden based on the spatial synoptic classification. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 239:117359. [PMID: 37863163 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Climate change is projected to result in increased heat events and decreased cold events. This will substantially impact human health, particularly when compounded with demographic change. This study employed the Spatial Synoptic Classification (SSC) to categorize daily weather into one of seven types. Here we estimated future mortality due to extremely hot and cold weather types under different climate change scenarios for one southern (Stockholm) and one northern (Jämtland) Swedish region. METHODS Time-series Poisson regression with distributed lags was used to assess the relationship between extremely hot and cold weather events and daily deaths in the population above 65 years, with cumulative effects (6 days in summer, 28 days in winter), 1991 to 2014. A global climate model (MPI-M-MPI-ESM-LR) and two climate change scenarios (RCP 4.5 and 8.5) were used to project the occurrence of hot and cold days from 2031 to 2070. Place-specific projected mortality was calculated to derive attributable numbers and attributable fractions (AF) of heat- and cold-related deaths. RESULTS In Stockholm, for the RCP 4.5 scenario, the mean number of annual deaths attributed to heat increased from 48.7 (CI 32.2-64.2; AF = 0.68%) in 2031-2040 to 90.2 (56.7-120.5; AF = 0.97%) in 2061-2070, respectively. For RCP 8.5, heat-related deaths increased more drastically from 52.1 (33.6-69.7; AF = 0.72%) to 126.4 (68.7-175.8; AF = 1.36%) between the first and the last decade. Cold-related deaths slightly increased over the projected period in both scenarios. In Jämtland, projections showed a small decrease in cold-related deaths but no change in heat-related mortality. CONCLUSIONS In rural northern region of Sweden, a decrease of cold-related deaths represents the dominant trend. In urban southern locations, on the other hand, an increase of heat-related mortality is to be expected. With an increasing elderly population, heat-related mortality will outweigh cold-related mortality at least under the RCP 8.5 scenario, requiring societal adaptation measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osvaldo Fonseca-Rodríguez
- Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden; Centre for Demographic and Ageing Research, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Ryan E Adams
- Department of Geography, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Scott C Sheridan
- Department of Geography, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Barbara Schumann
- Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden; Centre for Demographic and Ageing Research, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden; Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
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Antwi-Amoabeng D, Neelam V, Ulanja MB, Beutler BD, Gbadebo TD, Sugathan P. Association between Psychiatric Disorders and the Incidence of Heart Failure in Women. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2023; 10:491. [PMID: 38132659 PMCID: PMC10743548 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd10120491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression and anxiety occur more frequently in women and are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVES Data on the association between these psychiatric conditions and the incidence of acute heart failure (HF) and how they influence heart failure outcomes in women are lacking. We investigated this potential relationship using data from the National Inpatient Sample. METHODS We used ICD-10 codes to extract encounters for acute heart failure and/or the acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure, anxiety, and depression from the discharge data of the NIS from 2019 to 2020. We compared baseline characteristics and length of stay (LOS), cost of care (COC) and acute HF by depression/anxiety status for males and females and employed regression models to assess the influence of these psychiatric conditions on the outcomes. RESULTS There were 6,394,136 encounters involving females, which represented 56.6% of the sample. The prevalence of depression and anxiety were 15.7% and 16.8%, respectively. Among females, the occurrence of acute CHF did not differ by depression or anxiety status. However, Takostubo cardiomyopathy was more prevalent in those with depression (0.3% vs. 0.2%, p = 0.003) and anxiety (0.3% vs. 0.2%, p = 0.03) compared to those without these conditions. Among those with depression, LOS was significantly longer (3 days IQR: 2-6, vs. 3 days IQR:2-5 days, p < 0.001). The COC was USD 1481 more in patients with depression. On the contrary, LOS and COC were significantly lower in those without anxiety. CONCLUSIONS Depression was associated with an increased LOS among both men and women and an increased cost of care among women. Anxiety was associated with a decreased LOS and cost of care among women, which may be related to an increased rate of against medical advice (AMA) discharges among this population. Further research is necessary to identify optimal management strategies for depression and anxiety among patients hospitalized with HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Antwi-Amoabeng
- Christus Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital, Lake Charles, LA 70602, USA; (V.N.); (M.B.U.); (P.S.)
| | - Vijay Neelam
- Christus Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital, Lake Charles, LA 70602, USA; (V.N.); (M.B.U.); (P.S.)
| | - Mark Bilinyi Ulanja
- Christus Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital, Lake Charles, LA 70602, USA; (V.N.); (M.B.U.); (P.S.)
| | - Bryce David Beutler
- Department of Radiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA;
| | | | - Prasanna Sugathan
- Christus Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital, Lake Charles, LA 70602, USA; (V.N.); (M.B.U.); (P.S.)
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Zhang Y, Luo X, Ma L, Ding G, Zhang B. Effect of Ambient Temperature on Hospital Admissions for Respiratory Disease in Suburban Rural Villages of a Semi-Arid Region in Northwest China. J Occup Environ Med 2023; 65:1023-1031. [PMID: 37705416 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000002962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effects of extreme temperatures on hospital admissions for respiratory diseases (RDs) in a semi-arid region in the Northwest of China. METHODS Distributed lag nonlinear model was constructed, and stratified analysis by gender and age was performed. RESULTS The exposure-response curve between temperature and RD hospital admissions was almost W-shaped. Either extremely cold temperatures or moderately cold temperatures presented a short-term acute harmful effect, and the relative risks were higher among males (1.976, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.773-2.203; 1.242, 95% CI: 1.203-1.282) and the elderly (2.363, 95% CI: 1.724-3.240; 1.267, 95% CI: 1.154-1.390). Both extreme and moderately hot temperatures had higher risks among females (2.040, 95% CI: 1.815-2.292; 1.328, 95% CI: 1.276-1.381). CONCLUSIONS The relationship between air temperature and RD hospital admissions was nonlinear. Vulnerable populations varied according to extreme temperature conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Zhang
- From the School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
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Antwi-Amoabeng D, Sathappan S, Firzli TR, Beutler BD, Ulanja MB, Gbadebo TD. A nationwide analysis of the outcomes in hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation and temperature-related illnesses. Clinics (Sao Paulo) 2023; 78:100269. [PMID: 37557004 PMCID: PMC10432905 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinsp.2023.100269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The authors evaluated mortality and indices of cost of care among inpatients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and a diagnosis of a Temperature-Related Illness (TRI). The authors also assessed trends in the prevalence of TRIs among AF hospitalizations. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, the authors used discharge data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) collected between January 2005 and September 2015 to identify patients with a diagnosis of AF and TRI. Outcomes of interest included in-hospital mortality, invasive mechanical ventilation, hospital length of stay, and cost of hospitalization. RESULTS A total of 37,933 encounters were included. The median age was 79 years. Males were slightly overrepresented relative to females (54.2% vs. 45.8%, respectively). Although Blacks were only 6.6% of the cohort, they represented 12.2% of the TRI cases. Compared to non-TRI-related hospitalizations, a diagnosis of a TRI was associated with an increased likelihood of invasive mechanical ventilation (16.5% vs. 4.1%, p < 0.001), longer length-of-stay (5 vs. 4 days, p < 0.001), higher cost of care (10,082 vs. 8,607, in US dollars p < 0.001), and increased mortality (18.6% vs. 5.1%, p < 0.001). Compared to non-TRI, cold-related illness portends higher odds of mortality 4.68, 95% Confidence Interval (4.35-5.04), p < 0.001, and heat-related illness was associated with less odds of mortality, but this was not statistically significant 0.77 (0.57-1.03), p = 0.88. CONCLUSION The occurrence of TRI among hospitalized AF patients is small but there is an increasing trend in the prevalence, which more than doubled over the decade in this study. Individuals with AF who are admitted with a TRI face significantly poorer outcomes than those admitted without a TRI including higher mortality. Cold-related illness is associated with higher odds of mortality. Further research is required to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms underlying these findings and identify strategies to prevent TRIs in AF patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tarek R Firzli
- University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, USA
| | - Bryce D Beutler
- University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA.
| | - Mark B Ulanja
- Christus Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital, Lake Charles, USA
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Wang Y, Gong G, Shi X, Huang Y, Deng X. Investigation of the effects of temperature and relative humidity on the propagation of COVID-19 in different climatic zones. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-28237-x. [PMID: 37341939 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28237-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
This study aims to evaluate the effects of temperature and relative humidity on the propagation of COVID-19 for indoor heating, ventilation, and air conditioning design and policy development in different climate zones. We proposed a cumulative lag model with two specific parameters of specific average temperature and specific relative humidity to evaluate the impact of temperature and relative humidity on COVID-19 transmission by calculating the relative risk of cumulative effect and the relative risk of lag effect. We considered the temperature and relative humidity corresponding to the relative risk of cumulative effect or the relative risk of lag effect equal to 1 as the thresholds of outbreak. In this paper, we took the overall relative risk of cumulative effect equal to 1 as the thresholds. Data on daily new confirmed cases of COVID-19 since January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, for three sites in each of four climate zones similar to cold, mild, hot summer and cold winter, and hot summer and warm winter were selected for this study. Temperature and relative humidity had a lagged effect on COVID-19 transmission, with peaking the relative risk of lag effect at a lag of 3-7 days for most regions. All regions had different parameters areas with the relative risk of cumulative effect greater than 1. The overall relative risk of cumulative effect was greater than 1 in all regions when specific relative humidity was higher than 0.4, and when specific average temperature was higher than 0.42. In areas similar to hot summer and cold winter, temperature and the overall relative risk of cumulative effect were highly monotonically positively correlated. In areas similar to hot summer and warm winter, there was a monotonically positive correlation between relative humidity and the overall relative risk of cumulative effect. This study provides targeted recommendations for indoor air and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system control strategies and outbreak prevention strategies to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. In addition, countries should combine vaccination and non-pharmaceutical control measures, and strict containment policies are beneficial to control another pandemic of COVID-19 and similar viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Wang
- College of Civil Engineering of Hunan University (HNU), Changsha, 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangcai Gong
- College of Civil Engineering of Hunan University (HNU), Changsha, 410082, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xing Shi
- College of Civil Engineering of Hunan University (HNU), Changsha, 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuting Huang
- College of Civil Engineering of Hunan University (HNU), Changsha, 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaorui Deng
- College of Civil Engineering of Hunan University (HNU), Changsha, 410082, People's Republic of China
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Khraishah H, Alahmad B, Ostergard RL, AlAshqar A, Albaghdadi M, Vellanki N, Chowdhury MM, Al-Kindi SG, Zanobetti A, Gasparrini A, Rajagopalan S. Climate change and cardiovascular disease: implications for global health. Nat Rev Cardiol 2022; 19:798-812. [PMID: 35672485 DOI: 10.1038/s41569-022-00720-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Climate change is the greatest existential challenge to planetary and human health and is dictated by a shift in the Earth's weather and air conditions owing to anthropogenic activity. Climate change has resulted not only in extreme temperatures, but also in an increase in the frequency of droughts, wildfires, dust storms, coastal flooding, storm surges and hurricanes, as well as multiple compound and cascading events. The interactions between climate change and health outcomes are diverse and complex and include several exposure pathways that might promote the development of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease. A collaborative approach is needed to solve this climate crisis, whereby medical professionals, scientific researchers, public health officials and policymakers should work together to mitigate and limit the consequences of global warming. In this Review, we aim to provide an overview of the consequences of climate change on cardiovascular health, which result from direct exposure pathways, such as shifts in ambient temperature, air pollution, forest fires, desert (dust and sand) storms and extreme weather events. We also describe the populations that are most susceptible to the health effects caused by climate change and propose potential mitigation strategies, with an emphasis on collaboration at the scientific, governmental and policy levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haitham Khraishah
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Barrak Alahmad
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.,Environmental & Occupational Health Department, Faculty of Public Health, Kuwait University, Hawalli, Kuwait
| | | | - Abdelrahman AlAshqar
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mazen Albaghdadi
- Division of Cardiology, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nirupama Vellanki
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mohammed M Chowdhury
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sadeer G Al-Kindi
- University Hospitals, Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Antonella Zanobetti
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Antonio Gasparrini
- Centre for Statistical Methodology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.,Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.,Department of Public Health Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Sanjay Rajagopalan
- University Hospitals, Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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Du Y, Jing M, Lu C, Zong J, Wang L, Wang Q. Global Population Exposure to Extreme Temperatures and Disease Burden. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:13288. [PMID: 36293869 PMCID: PMC9603138 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The frequency and duration of extreme temperature events continues to increase worldwide. However, the scale of population exposure and its quantitative relationship with health risks remains unknown on a global scale, limiting our ability to identify policy priorities in response to climate change. Based on data from 171 countries between 2010 and 2019, this study estimated the exposure of vulnerable populations to extreme temperatures, and their contemporary and lag associations with disease burden attributed to non-optimal temperatures. Fixed-effects models and dynamic panel models were applied. Increased vulnerable population exposure to extreme temperatures had adverse contemporary effects on the burden of disease attributed to non-optimal temperature. Health risks stemming from extreme cold could accumulate to a greater extent, exhibiting a larger lag effect. Population exposure to extreme cold was mainly distributed in high-income countries, while extreme heat occurred more in low-income and middle-income countries. However, the association between population exposure to extreme cold and burden of disease was much stronger in low-income and middle-income countries than in high-income countries, whereas the effect size of population exposure to extreme heat was similar. Our study highlighted that differential strategies should be determined and implemented according to the characteristics in different countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajie Du
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- National Institute of Health Data Science of China, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Ming Jing
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Science), Jinan 250353, China
| | - Chunyu Lu
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- National Institute of Health Data Science of China, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Jingru Zong
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- National Institute of Health Data Science of China, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Lingli Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- National Institute of Health Data Science of China, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- National Institute of Health Data Science of China, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
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Chen D, Zhang F, Zhang M, Meng Q, Jim CY, Shi J, Tan ML, Ma X. Landscape and vegetation traits of urban green space can predict local surface temperature. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 825:154006. [PMID: 35192831 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Societal and technological advances have triggered demands to improve urban environmental quality. Urban green space (UGS) can provide effective cooling service and thermal comfort to alleviate warming impacts. We investigated the relative influence of a comprehensive spectrum of UGS landscape and vegetation factors on surface temperature in arid Urumqi city in northwest China. Built-up area range was extracted from Luojia 1-01 (LJ1-01) satellite data, and within this range, the landscape metric information and vegetation index information of UGS were obtained based on PlanetScope data, and a total of 439 sampling grids (1 km × 1 km) were generated. The urban surface temperature of built-up areas was extracted from Landsat8-TIRS images. The 12 landscape metrics and 14 vegetation indexes were assigned as independent variables, and surface temperature the dependent variable. Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gradient Boost Regression Tree (GBRT) and Random Forest (RF) were enlisted to establish numerical models to predict surface temperature. The results showed that: (1) It was feasible to predict local surface temperature using a combination of landscape metrics and vegetation indexes. Among the three models, RF demonstrated the best accuracy. (2) Collectively, all the factors play a role in the surface-temperature prediction. The most influential factor was Difference Vegetation Index (DVI), followed by Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Class Area (CA) and AREA. This study developed remote sensing techniques to extract a basket of UGS factors to predict the surface temperature at local urban sites. The methods could be applied to other cities to evaluate the cooling impacts of green infrastructures. The findings could provide a scientific basis for ecological spatial planning of UGS to optimize cooling benefits in the arid region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daosheng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Wisdom City and Environment Modeling of Higher Education Institute, College of Resources and Environmental Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China; Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
| | - Fei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Wisdom City and Environment Modeling of Higher Education Institute, College of Resources and Environmental Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China; Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China.
| | - Mengru Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Wisdom City and Environment Modeling of Higher Education Institute, College of Resources and Environmental Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China; Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
| | - Qingyan Meng
- Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chi Yung Jim
- Department of Social Sciences, Education University of Hong Kong, Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jingchao Shi
- Departments of Earth Sciences, the University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Mou Leong Tan
- GeoInformatic Unit, Geography Section, School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
| | - Xu Ma
- Key Laboratory of Wisdom City and Environment Modeling of Higher Education Institute, College of Resources and Environmental Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China; Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
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Chen L, Zhang Y, Luo Z, Yao F. Optimization Design of the Landscape Elements in the Lhasa Residential Area Driven by an Orthogonal Experiment and a Numerical Simulation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19106303. [PMID: 35627840 PMCID: PMC9141495 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19106303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Landscape elements have become an important means to improve the quality of life of residents because of their direct influence on the thermal environment, but the selection and configuration of landscape elements have different effects on human thermal comfort in different climate conditions. In this research, the typical residential area of Lhasa in Tibet was taken as the research object, the experimental scheme was prepared using an orthogonal test, and the simulation was carried out using ENVI-met to explore the influences of the green configuration, water area, and ground reflectance, as well as their interaction with the thermal environment in winter and summer under alpine climate conditions. Taking the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) as the optimization index, the optimal design scheme for the synergistic effect of the residential landscape elements was determined. The results were as follows. (1) The order of the landscape configuration factors was as follows: green configuration > water area > leaf area index > ground reflectance in summer. In winter, the order was green configuration > water area > ground reflectance > leaf area index (LAI). (2) With the combined driving of the orthogonal test and the numerical simulation, the optimal scheme of the landscape elements was determined, which was “tree shrub lawn, water area ratio 16%, ground reflectance 0.5, and LAI = 3 m2/m3”. (3) Finally, the optimal design strategy of the landscape configuration was proposed for the typical outdoor active space of the Lhasa residential area.
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Changes in Weather-Related Fatalities in the Czech Republic during the 1961–2020 Period. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13050688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Fatalities associated with severe weather, collected from newspapers and other documentary sources, were used to create a corresponding database for the 1961–2020 period for the Czech Republic. Fatalities attributed to floods, windstorms, convective storms, snow and glaze ice, frost, fog, and other severe weather, on the one hand, and vehicle accident fatalities connected with rain, snow, glaze ice, fog, and inclement weather, on the other, were analysed separately for two standard periods, 1961–1990 and 1991–2020. The number of weather-related fatalities between these two periods increased in the flood, windstorm, and especially frost categories, and decreased for the convective storm and fog categories. For snow and glaze ice they were the same. Despite significant differences in both 30-year periods, the highest proportions of fatalities corresponded to the winter months, and in individual fatality characteristics to males, adults, direct deaths, deaths by freezing or hypothermia, and to hazardous behaviour. A statistically significant (p < 0.05) Spearman rank correlation between fatalities and climate variables was only found in the 1991–2020 period for snow/glaze ice-related fatalities, with the number of days with snow cover depth and frost-related fatalities having days with daily minimum temperatures below −5 °C or −10 °C. Despite the highest proportions of the rain and wet road categories being in the number of vehicle accident fatalities, a statistically significant correlation was only found for the category of snow-related fatalities in the number of days with snowfall. The results and conclusions of this study have to be evaluated in the broader context of climatological, political, economic, and societal changes within the country, and have the potential to be used in risk management.
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