The Science of the total environment
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Sci. Total Environ. · May 2016
The association of weather on pediatric emergency department visits in Changwon, Korea (2005-2014).
It is widely believed that patients are less likely to visit hospitals during bad weather. We hypothesized that weather and emergency department (ED) visits are associated. Thus, we investigated the association between pediatric ED visits and weather, and sought to determine whether admissions to the ED are affected by meteorological factors. ⋯ The volume of ED visits decreased on days of rain or snow and the ED visits were increased 2days after rainy or snowy days. The volume of ED visits increased for every 1°C increase in DTR.
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Sci. Total Environ. · Feb 2016
The effect of ambient temperature on diabetes mortality in China: A multi-city time series study.
Few multi-city studies have been conducted to investigate the acute health effects of low and high temperatures on diabetes mortality worldwide. We aimed to examine effects of ambient temperatures on city-/gender-/age-/education-specific diabetes mortality in nine Chinese cities using a two-stage analysis. Distributed lag non-linear model was first applied to estimate the city-specific non-linear and delayed effects of temperatures on diabetes mortality. ⋯ In contrast, the pooled relative risks over lag 0-21 days were 1.44 (1.25-1.66) for extreme low (1st percentile of temperature) and 1.20 (1.12-1.30) for low temperature (10th percentile of temperature), compared to 25th percentile of temperature. The estimate of heat effects was relatively higher among females than that among males, with opposite trend for cold effects, and the estimates of heat and cold effects were particularly higher among the elderly and those with low education, although the differences between these subgroups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). These findings have important public health implications for protecting diabetes patients from adverse ambient temperatures.
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Many countries have environmental legislation to protecting natural resources on private property. In Brazil, the Brazilian Forestry Code determines specific areas to maintain with natural vegetation cover, known as areas of permanent preservation (APP). Currently, there are few studies that relate topographic variables on APP. ⋯ The most deforested areas are located at altitudes below 1100.00 m and on slopes less than 45°. All orientations of the sides were significant for APP conservation status, with the southern, southeastern, and southwestern sides showing the lower degrees of impact. The methodology can be adjusted to environmental legislation to other countries.
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Sci. Total Environ. · Nov 2015
An online spatial database of Australian Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge for contemporary natural and cultural resource management.
With growing international calls for the enhanced involvement of Indigenous peoples and their biocultural knowledge in managing conservation and the sustainable use of physical environment, it is timely to review the available literature and develop cross-cultural approaches to the management of biocultural resources. Online spatial databases are becoming common tools for educating land managers about Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge (IBK), specifically to raise a broad awareness of issues, identify knowledge gaps and opportunities, and to promote collaboration. Here we describe a novel approach to the application of internet and spatial analysis tools that provide an overview of publically available documented Australian IBK (AIBK) and outline the processes used to develop the online resource. ⋯ The database currently includes links to over 1500 publically available IBK documents, of which 568 are geo-referenced and were mapped. It is anticipated that as awareness of the online resource grows, more documents will be provided through the website to build the database. It is envisaged that this will become a well-used tool, integral to future natural and cultural resource management and maintenance.
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Sci. Total Environ. · Aug 2015
The first application of wastewater-based drug epidemiology in five South Korean cities.
Illicit drug consumption in five cities in South Korea was estimated by analyzing 17 drug residues in untreated wastewater samples collected during the Christmas and New Year period of 2012-13. Only methamphetamine, amphetamine, and codeine were detected at concentrations of tens of nanograms per liter or even lower concentrations in more than 90% of the samples. Other illicit drug residues (including cocaine, methadone, and benzoylecgonine) that have been detected frequently in wastewater from other countries were not found in this study. ⋯ This rate is, for example, 2-5 times lower than the estimated average consumption rates in Hong Kong and other parts of China and 4-80 times lower than the estimated average consumption rates in cities in Western countries. It should be noted that the wastewater samples analyzed in this study were collected during a holiday season, when daily consumption of illicit drugs is often higher than on an average day. The methamphetamine usage rates were calculated for different cities in South Korea, and the usage rates in smaller cities was higher (2-4 times) than the average.