Relationships between Potential Risk of Hazardous Material Releases and Socio-Economic Demographic Characteristics Using Geospatial Analysis

The problem investigated in this research is about the potential risk of technological hazards, which poses a perilous threat to humankind and the environment. Rapid urbanization has been increasing the population density in an area, elevating the risk of exposure to technological disasters. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the areas with higher chemical risk to spread awareness about the potential risk zones and reduce actual damage and casualties resulting from the hazardous substance events. The basic design of the study utilizes geospatial analysis to map the TRI (Toxics Release Inventory) facilities in the communities of Texas to establish a relationship between potential hazardous material release zones and the human population at risk. The study identified the vulnerable counties as well as investigated how those risk areas are related to race/ethnicity, income and education. The research would contribute to the policymakers acting on the hazard situation and keep them better prepared for chemical hazards. In addition, it would help the residents and emergency managers to better understand the circumstance to mitigate the consequences as well as increase their awareness to be ready for the uncertainties in the hotspots involved in high risk of the hazards.

Association between people’s attitudes towards human-elephant conflict and their locational,demographic,and socio-economic characteristics in Buxa Tiger Reserve and its adjoining area,India

“Human-elephant conflict(HEC)”,the alarming issue,in present day context has attracted the attention of environmentalists and policy makers.The rising conflict between human beings and wild elephants is common in Buxa Tiger Reserve(BTR)and its adjoining area in West Bengal State,India,making the area volatile.People’s attitudes towards elephant conservation activity are very crucial to get rid of HEC,because people’s proximity with wild elephants’habitat can trigger the occurrence of HEC.The aim of this study is to conduct an in-depth investigation about the association of people’s attitudes towards HEC with their locational,demographic,and socio-economic characteristics in BTR and its adjoining area by using Pearson’s bivariate chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis.BTR is one of the constituent parts of Eastern Doors Elephant Reserve(EDER).We interviewed 500 respondents to understand their perceptions to HEC and investigated their locational,demographic,and socio-economic characteristics including location of village,gender,age,ethnicity,religion,caste,poverty level,education level,primary occupation,secondary occupation,household type,and source of firewood.The results indicate that respondents who are living in enclave forest villages(EFVs),peripheral forest villages(PFVs),corridor village(CVs),or forest and corridor villages(FCVs),mainly males,at the age of 18–48 years old,engaged with agriculture occupation,and living in kancha and mixed houses,have more likelihood to witness HEC.Besides,respondents who are illiterate or at primary education level are more likely to regard elephant as a main problematic animal around their villages and refuse to participate in elephant conservation activity.For the sake of a sustainable environment for both human beings and wildlife,people’s attitudes towards elephants must be friendly in a more prudent way,so that the two communities can live in harmony.

Demographic characteristics of convicted child sexual abusers in South of Sweden,between 2013 and 2018:a pilot study

This study evaluates variables concerning demographic characteristics for all adult male offenders convicted of Child Sexual Abuse(CSA)aged 0–17 in Malmö,Sweden between 2013 and 2018.All convictions(n=18)based on court documents from the District Court,the Court of Appeals and information from the Swedish Tax Agency were reviewed.A total of 30 victims were identified.Frequency analyses show that the most common features were that of a single offender,averaging 25 years old,with a non-Swedish background and a high school degree.The predominately extrafamilial CSA(i.e.committed by an acquaintance to the family)occurred in a private setting and consisted of penetrative acts.Girls averaging 13years old were abused multiple times,under fear and pressure.Although assumptions based on these results are preliminary,they provide a clearer image of the typical circumstances under which CSA occurred within this time frame and geographical location.This study is a first attempt to construct an overview of demographic characteristics of CSA.As more data are gathered from this region,more sophisticated analyses can be conducted,providing stronger generalizations.Information of this kind may be important for research,classification of offender profiling and in case linking.

An investigation on the link between driver demographic characteristics and distracted driving by using the SHRP 2 naturalistic driving data

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of driver demographic characteristics on the driving safety involving cell phone usages.Design/methodology/approach–A total of 1,432 crashes and 19,714 baselines were collected for the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 naturalistic driving research.The authors used a case-control approach to estimate the prevalence and the population attributable risk percentage.The mixed logistic regression model is used to evaluate the correlation between different driver demographic characteristics(age,driving experience or their combination)and the crash risk regarding cell phone engagements,as well as the correlation among the likelihood of the cell phone engagement during the driving,multiple driver demographic characteristics(gender,age and driving experience)and environment conditions.Findings–Senior drivers face an extremely high crash risk when distracted by cell phone during driving,but they are not involved in crashes at a large scale.On the contrary,cell phone usages account for a far larger percentage of total crashes for young drivers.Similarly,experienced drivers and experienced-middle-aged drivers seem less likely to be impacted by the cell phone while driving,and cell phone engagements are attributed to a lower percentage of total crashes for them.Furthermore,experienced,senior or male drivers are less likely to engage in cell phone-related secondary tasks while driving.Originality/value–The results provide support to guide countermeasures and vehicle design.

Clinical characteristics and clinicopathological correlations of bilateral breast cancer in China:A multicenter study from Chinese Society of Breast Surgery(CSBrS-006)

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and clinicopathological correlations of bilateral breast cancer(BBC)in China.Methods:Data of 440 patients diagnosed with BBC in 2018 were collected from 33 centers of the Chinese Society of Breast Surgery.Demographic characteristics,bilateral tumor characteristics,and comprehensive treatment data were obtained.Correlations between the clinicopathological characteristics of bilateral tumors were analyzed.Results:The proportion of BBC was 0.22%-3.08%.A total of 33(7.5%)patients had a family history of malignant tumors,304(69.1%)patients had synchronous BBC.Only 1(0.2%)patient was male.More than half of all patients received concurrent or asynchronous endocrine/chemotherapy,32.5%of all human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-positive patients received HER2-targeted therapy,and approximately 21.6%of all patients received radiotherapy.The most common pathological cancer type was invasive ductal cancer(>60%).Approximately 70%of all patients had bilateral hormone receptor(HR)-positive tumors and presented with a single breast mass.Significant correlations were found with pathological type,histological grade,locations of tumor,molecular subtype,Ki-67 index,tumor site and size of bilateral tumors.Results of the subgroup analysis showed more clinicopathological characteristics when synchronous BBC was compared with metachronous BBC.Conclusions:In China,the clinicopathological characteristics of bilateral tumors showed significant correlations,and more significant clinicopathological correlations were observed when synchronous BBC was compared with metachronous BBC.

Spatio-temporal characteristics and influencing factors of urban floating population in China from 2011 to 2015

Although China’s urban floating population is mainly concentrated in developed cities,from the central and western cities to the eastern developed cities,but the characteristics of the floating population in different cities are significantly different.This paper systematically investigates the spatiotemporal characteristics and influencing factors of the floating population in different levels of cities.The results show that the regional imbalance to further strengthen,accumulation and dispersion trend has become increasingly obvious,liquidity is positively correlated and city level scale,and urban agglomeration and the core city is still polarization center of floating population.Flow range is closely related to urban hierarchy:the higher the intra-urban grade,the more tend to inter-provincial flow;the lower the city grade,the more tend to intra-urban mobility.Short-term(1-2 years)and long-term(more than 7 years)flow-time coexist.The short-term liquidity increases with the city grade,and the long-term liquidity decreases with the city level.Farmers are still the main body of the floating population.Younger age,lower education level,low-skilled,high gender ratio employees are the most basic demographic characteristics of the floating population,although there are differences between different cities.The main reason for affecting the floating population is seeking jobs and doing business.

Evaluation and treatment of altered mental status patients in the emergency department:Life in the fast lane

BACKGROUND： Altered mental status （AMS） is a very common emergency case, but the exact etiology of many AMS patients is unknown. Patients often manifest vague symptoms, thus, AMS diagnosis and treatment are highly challenging for emergency physicians. The aim of this study is to provide a framework for the assessment of AMS patients. This assessment should allow providers to better understand the etiology of mental status changes and therefore improve diagnostic skills and management.METHODS： This is a prospective cohort observational study. We recruited all adult patients with undifferentiated AMS at a single center tertiary care academic emergency department over 24 months （June 2009 to June 2011）. Demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, assessment approaches, causative factors, emergency treatments and outcomes were collected prospectively.RESULTS： In 1934 patients with AMS recruited, accounting for 0.93% of all emergency department （ED） patients, 1 026 （53.1%） were male, and 908 （46.9%） female. Their average age was 51.95±15.71 years. Etiologic factors were neurological （n=641; 35.0%）, pharmacological and toxicological （n=421; 23.0%）, systemic and organic （n=266; 14.5%）, infectious （n=167; 9.1%）, endocrine/metabolic （n=145; 7.9%）, psychiatric （n=71; 3.9%）, traumatic （n=38; 2.1%）, and gynecologic and obstetric （n=35; 1.9%）. Total mortality rate was 8.1% （n=156）. The death rate was higher in elderly patients （≥60） than in younger patients （10.8% vs. 6.9%, P=-0.003）.CONCLUSION： Patients with AMS pose a challenge for ED physicians. The most frequently encountered diagnostic categories causing AMS were primary CNS disorders, intoxication, organ system dysfunction, and endocrine/metabolic diseases. AMS has a high fatality rate in the ED. AMS is an important warning signal for ED patients because of its potentially fatal and reversible effects. Prompt evaluation and treatment are essential to decreasing morbidity and mortality associated with AMS.

The Ontogenesis and Ontogenetic Structure of Lagochilus proskorjakovii Ikram (Lamiaceae) Coenopopulations in Nuratau Mountain Range (Uzbekistan)

Lagochilus proskorjakovii Ikram is a strict endemic in Nuratau ridge (north-western spurs of the mountain range of the Pamir-Alai). It grows as a part of Amygdalus bucharica and Perovskia scrophulariifolia formation, where the total projective cover of grass does not exceed 20%. In natural conditions growth, ontogeny of L. proskorjakovii is simple and complete. The duration of ontogenesis in the condition of Nuratau is no more than 22 - 23 years. Studied coenopopulations are normal, but are not complete. Coenopopulation self-maintenance is carried out by the seed of renewal. The characteristic spectrum of coenopopulation centered, with a peak in the middle-generative individuals. In most cases, specific developmental spectrum of coenopopulation coincides with the characteristic ones. The absence or small proportion of the young fraction in surveyed of coenopopulation is related to the elimination of young fragile individuals. According to the classification of “delta-omega”, the most of coenopopulations are maturing which confirms the positive state of coenopopulation demography. Studied the ontogeny and structure of adult endemic Nuratau established that the species belongs to caudexum shrubs, perennial that forms the axis of the short multicipital caudex. Buds renewal is at a height of 2 - 3 cm above the substrate. Investigated coenopopulations L. proskorjakovii are successiveness conditions. In addition to the Artemisia juncea + Perovskia scrophulariifolia + Ferula ovina + Stipa hohenackeriana community 1st coenopopulation (CP) mature;the 2nd CP is mature which was a part of the Amygdalus bucharica + Perovskia scrophulariifolia + Prangos pobularia + Bromus scoparius community;3rd CP is maturing being a part of Lonicera nummulariifolia + Perovskia scrophulariifolia + Hypericum scabrum + Bromus danthoniae community and the 4th CP is mature which occurred in Amygdalus bucharica + Ferula varia + Acroptilon repens + Taeniatherum crinitum plant community.

How do Users Evaluate Service Quality of the Dockless Bicycle Sharing System?

In order to improve the public transit’s accessibility and promote service quality of the public transit,it is necessary to alleviate the“last⁃mile”problem.The combination of the public transit and bicycle⁃sharing system is competitive compared with the private car.In 2016,the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system has been undergoing tremendous development.Because the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system is different from previous bicycle⁃sharing systems,components of service quality of the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system differ.However,there are few articles about the service quality of the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system.This paper examined the evaluation of service quality of the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system along with a measurement of users’satisfaction.A questionnaire about service quality was designed,which includes 15 factors.Through the analysis of travelers’evaluation of factors of the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system with Rasch Model,these original ordinal data(Likert data)was transformed to the interval data:the person parameter(ability)and the item parameter(difficulty).Through the analysis of interviewees’abilities,it was found that only education and monthly consumption have significant influence on interviewees’evaluation of service quality of the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system,while there is no significant influence of gender,weekly use of dockless shared⁃bicycle,private car ownership,or monthly income on the evaluation.Furthermore,it was found that users were dissatisfied with cycling under the adverse weather,disturbance from pedestrians and cars,continuity of the bicycle lane,complaint channel,and staff service the most.

The Characteristic Differences between Ecological Culture and Low-carbon Tourism Cognition under the Vision of Carbon Neutrality

Ecological culture has a low-carbon attribute,which coincides with the concepts of energy conservation and emission reduction in low-carbon tourism.Analyzing the differences in the public perception of the two is of great significance for achieving the carbon neutral goal of tourism.Firstly,the views of nature,equality and ecology in ecological culture,as well as the cognition and participation willingness for low-carbon tourism were identified by using the principal component analysis method.Secondly,all samples were divided into four types of ecological culture cognition:sufficient,relatively sufficient,general and poorer,by the K-means clustering method.Thirdly,significant differences in the low-carbon tourism cognition among different types were revealed by using the ANOVA method.Finally,the influences of the main demographic characteristics on the low-carbon tourism cognition were analyzed.This analysis showed that gender,age,education level and income level had significant differences in some aspects of low-carbon tourism cognition and participation willingness,especially education level.On this basis,several corresponding strategies were put forward for managing the cognitive differences of the different types,which could contribute to the realization of the carbon neutral vision of tourism.

Sex,but not age and bone mass index positively impact on the development of osteochondral micro-defects and the accompanying cellular alterations during osteoarthritis progression

Background:Osteoarthritis(ΟΑ)is characterized by cartilage breakdown and subchondral sclerosis.Micro-fractures of the calcified tissues have been,also,detected,but their exact role has not been elucidated yet.This study was to examine the frequency of cracks during OA progression and to correlate them with the underlying cellular modifications and matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2)expression using histological/immunohistological methods.Methods:Overall,20 patients and 3 controls(9 specimens per patient),aged 60-89 years,diagnosed with hip/knee OA were included.The development of cracks was examined in 138 sections,whereas the expression of MMP-2 was examined in 69 additional sections.Results:Based on Mankin score,three groups of OA severity were analyzed:Group I(mild)was constituted of sections with score 1-5 while Groups II(moderate)and III(severe)with score 6-7 and greater or equal to 8,respectively.Demographic characteristics did not reveal any association between the number of microdefects and age or body mass index(BMI).Cartilage micro-cracks were increased during moderate and severe OA,while bone cracks were increased during mild and severe OA.In knee OA,cartilage cracks were not correlated with Mankin score,whereas in hip OA they appeared association with severity score.Bone cracks were positively correlated with matrix apoptotic osteocytes and osteoblastic cells,but not with osteoclasts.MMP-2 immunostaining was increasing by OA severity in the osteochondral unit.Similarly,MMP-2 was expressed on the microcracks’wall mainly in Group III.Conclusion:Our data displayed that bone cracks during primary OA stages,represent an early adaptative mechanism aiming to maintain cartilage integrity.Accumulation of bone defects and concomitant increase of apoptotic osteocytes activated an abnormal remodeling due to osteoblastic activity,in which MMP-2 played a pivotal role,leading to subchondral sclerosis promoting further osteochondral deformities.