Urban climate is the most immediate manifestation of the warming global climate for the majority of people on earth. Nearly half of those people live in small to medium sized cities, an understudied scale in urban cli...Urban climate is the most immediate manifestation of the warming global climate for the majority of people on earth. Nearly half of those people live in small to medium sized cities, an understudied scale in urban climate research. Widespread characterization would be useful to decision makers in planning and design for land use decisions. Using a multi-method approach, the mesoscale UHI in the study region is characterized and the secular trend over the last sixty years evaluated. Under isolated ideal conditions the findings indicate a UHI of 5.3℃ ± 0.97℃ to be present in the study area, the magnitude of which is growing over time.展开更多
Introduction: Arsenic, beryllium, cadmium and nickel have been associated with the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in populations exposed to these elements. However, diabetes mortality has not been evaluated. This eco...Introduction: Arsenic, beryllium, cadmium and nickel have been associated with the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in populations exposed to these elements. However, diabetes mortality has not been evaluated. This ecological study correlated airborne concentrations of these metals with diabetes mortality in North Carolina counties. Methods: County level data were extracted from the 2000 US Census, the 1999 US Environmental Protection Agency National Air Toxins Assessment, and 2001-2005 diabetes mortality rates by county from the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. Multivariable linear regression correlated airborne concentrations of each element with diabetes mellitus mortality rates in all 100 North Carolina counties controlling for county-level characteristics. Airborne concentrations were logarithmically transformed to normalize their distribution. Results: The lowest air concentrations detected were beryllium and cadmium, with nickel showing the highest concentration. Logarithmic concentrations spanned from 3.74 to 4.02 orders of magnitude. County-level diabetes mortality rates were negatively associated with median county income, but positively associated with county-level air concentrations of arsenic, beryllium, cadmium and nickel. Conclusions: These results support diabetes mortality effects of air pollution, and agree with other studies correlating arsenic, beryllium, cadmium and nickel with diabetes prevalence. Policy implications include regulating point source air pollution.展开更多
Bloodroot distribution and abundance were assessed in the Waynesville watershed in Western North Carolina. This high quality site provides a benchmark for bloodroot populations in the region. Summary data from an inve...Bloodroot distribution and abundance were assessed in the Waynesville watershed in Western North Carolina. This high quality site provides a benchmark for bloodroot populations in the region. Summary data from an inventory of nine stands of bloodroot in the watershed are presented. Analysis of inventory data reveals that both petiole height and petiole diameter are negatively associated with overstory tree DBH, suggesting that there is an optimal overstory structure for bloodroot. In the Waynesville watershed, seven out of nine stands have an average tree DBH between 27.38 cm and 36.17 cm. Allometric equations re-lating belowground biomass to bloodroot petiole height and diameter have strong explanatory power, indicating that harvesters could selectively harvest large rhizomes by targeting plants with larger petioles. These results in combination with natural history, field observations and literature provide insights on the sustainability of bloodroot harvest in Southern Appalachia. Wild bloodroot is likely becoming scarce due to loss of favorable sites, such as rich cove forests, as well as harvest pressure.展开更多
Worldwide, over 250 million people live with diabetes mellitus, a disease which has been described as an epidemic. While much is known about the cardiovascular risks associated with this condition, its association wit...Worldwide, over 250 million people live with diabetes mellitus, a disease which has been described as an epidemic. While much is known about the cardiovascular risks associated with this condition, its association with cancer has been less appreciated at the population level. This study assessed the relationship between colo-rectal, breast and prostate cancer mortality, and diabetes prevalence measured years earlier at the county level in the 100 counties of North Carolina. Methods: County level data were obtained from the 2000 US Census, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. The 2004 diabetes prevalence data by county and county level mortality from 2005 to 2009 for colorectal, breast and prostate cancer mortality were analyzed descriptively. Then multivariate linear regression was carried out to evaluate the contribution of pre-existing diabetes prevalence to cancer mortality, controlling county level covariates. Results: Average North Carolina county level prevalence of diabetes mellitus in 2004 (9%) was higher than the average prevalence of diabetes nationally in 2004 (7%). Mortality rates for breast, colorectal and prostate cancers at the county level were also higher than those nationally. In multivariate analysis, county level 2005-2009 total cancer mortality as well as mortality from colon and prostate cancers (but not breast cancer) correlated with county level 2004 diabetes prevalence rates. Diabetes mellitus prevalence in 2004 explained 31%, 34% and 42% of the variance of mortality from prostate, colorectal and total cancers. Conclusions: These findings support the relationship between diabetes mellitus and cancer at the population level. Direct and indirect costs of cancer care in North Carolina in 2004 were $5.57 billion. Because diabetes explained 42% of the variance of total county level cancer mortality, prevention and control of diabetes could save the state over $2 billion.展开更多
从“两山理论”到“双碳”目标,国家对生态环境保护及其高层次人才的需求日益提升,提高研究生培养质量,已成为我国创新型国家建设和人才强国战略实施的重要课题之一。以美国北卡罗来纳州立大学(North Carolina State University)为例,...从“两山理论”到“双碳”目标,国家对生态环境保护及其高层次人才的需求日益提升,提高研究生培养质量,已成为我国创新型国家建设和人才强国战略实施的重要课题之一。以美国北卡罗来纳州立大学(North Carolina State University)为例,从研究生培养学制、目标、课程设置与要求等方面,对环境工程类研究生人才培养模式进行深入剖析,对比探讨中美研究生培养的异同。研究认为,科学的培养目标、完善的课程体系和密切的产学结合是美国公立研究型大学环境工程类研究生培养的有效经验。研究结果对提升我国环境工程类高层次人才培养质量和科技创新创造能力具有重要的现实价值。展开更多
文摘Urban climate is the most immediate manifestation of the warming global climate for the majority of people on earth. Nearly half of those people live in small to medium sized cities, an understudied scale in urban climate research. Widespread characterization would be useful to decision makers in planning and design for land use decisions. Using a multi-method approach, the mesoscale UHI in the study region is characterized and the secular trend over the last sixty years evaluated. Under isolated ideal conditions the findings indicate a UHI of 5.3℃ ± 0.97℃ to be present in the study area, the magnitude of which is growing over time.
文摘Introduction: Arsenic, beryllium, cadmium and nickel have been associated with the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in populations exposed to these elements. However, diabetes mortality has not been evaluated. This ecological study correlated airborne concentrations of these metals with diabetes mortality in North Carolina counties. Methods: County level data were extracted from the 2000 US Census, the 1999 US Environmental Protection Agency National Air Toxins Assessment, and 2001-2005 diabetes mortality rates by county from the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. Multivariable linear regression correlated airborne concentrations of each element with diabetes mellitus mortality rates in all 100 North Carolina counties controlling for county-level characteristics. Airborne concentrations were logarithmically transformed to normalize their distribution. Results: The lowest air concentrations detected were beryllium and cadmium, with nickel showing the highest concentration. Logarithmic concentrations spanned from 3.74 to 4.02 orders of magnitude. County-level diabetes mortality rates were negatively associated with median county income, but positively associated with county-level air concentrations of arsenic, beryllium, cadmium and nickel. Conclusions: These results support diabetes mortality effects of air pollution, and agree with other studies correlating arsenic, beryllium, cadmium and nickel with diabetes prevalence. Policy implications include regulating point source air pollution.
文摘Bloodroot distribution and abundance were assessed in the Waynesville watershed in Western North Carolina. This high quality site provides a benchmark for bloodroot populations in the region. Summary data from an inventory of nine stands of bloodroot in the watershed are presented. Analysis of inventory data reveals that both petiole height and petiole diameter are negatively associated with overstory tree DBH, suggesting that there is an optimal overstory structure for bloodroot. In the Waynesville watershed, seven out of nine stands have an average tree DBH between 27.38 cm and 36.17 cm. Allometric equations re-lating belowground biomass to bloodroot petiole height and diameter have strong explanatory power, indicating that harvesters could selectively harvest large rhizomes by targeting plants with larger petioles. These results in combination with natural history, field observations and literature provide insights on the sustainability of bloodroot harvest in Southern Appalachia. Wild bloodroot is likely becoming scarce due to loss of favorable sites, such as rich cove forests, as well as harvest pressure.
文摘Worldwide, over 250 million people live with diabetes mellitus, a disease which has been described as an epidemic. While much is known about the cardiovascular risks associated with this condition, its association with cancer has been less appreciated at the population level. This study assessed the relationship between colo-rectal, breast and prostate cancer mortality, and diabetes prevalence measured years earlier at the county level in the 100 counties of North Carolina. Methods: County level data were obtained from the 2000 US Census, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. The 2004 diabetes prevalence data by county and county level mortality from 2005 to 2009 for colorectal, breast and prostate cancer mortality were analyzed descriptively. Then multivariate linear regression was carried out to evaluate the contribution of pre-existing diabetes prevalence to cancer mortality, controlling county level covariates. Results: Average North Carolina county level prevalence of diabetes mellitus in 2004 (9%) was higher than the average prevalence of diabetes nationally in 2004 (7%). Mortality rates for breast, colorectal and prostate cancers at the county level were also higher than those nationally. In multivariate analysis, county level 2005-2009 total cancer mortality as well as mortality from colon and prostate cancers (but not breast cancer) correlated with county level 2004 diabetes prevalence rates. Diabetes mellitus prevalence in 2004 explained 31%, 34% and 42% of the variance of mortality from prostate, colorectal and total cancers. Conclusions: These findings support the relationship between diabetes mellitus and cancer at the population level. Direct and indirect costs of cancer care in North Carolina in 2004 were $5.57 billion. Because diabetes explained 42% of the variance of total county level cancer mortality, prevention and control of diabetes could save the state over $2 billion.
文摘从“两山理论”到“双碳”目标,国家对生态环境保护及其高层次人才的需求日益提升,提高研究生培养质量,已成为我国创新型国家建设和人才强国战略实施的重要课题之一。以美国北卡罗来纳州立大学(North Carolina State University)为例,从研究生培养学制、目标、课程设置与要求等方面,对环境工程类研究生人才培养模式进行深入剖析,对比探讨中美研究生培养的异同。研究认为,科学的培养目标、完善的课程体系和密切的产学结合是美国公立研究型大学环境工程类研究生培养的有效经验。研究结果对提升我国环境工程类高层次人才培养质量和科技创新创造能力具有重要的现实价值。
