Evaluation of Environmental Factor Effects on the Polyphenol and Flavonoid Content in the Leaves of Chrysanthemum indicum L. and Its Habitat Suitability Prediction Mapping.

The leaves of Chrysanthemum indicum L. are known to have various bioactive compounds; however, industrial use is extremely limited. To overcome this situation by producing high-quality leaves with high bioactive content, this study examined the environmental factors affecting the phytochemical content and antioxidant activity using C. indicum leaves collected from 22 sites in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. Total phenolic and flavonoid content in the dry leaves ranged between 15.0 and 64.1 (mg gallic acid g-1) and 2.3 and 11.4 (mg quercetin g-1), while the antioxidant activity (EC50) of the 50% ethanol extracts ranged between 28.0 and 123.2 (µg mL-1) in 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay. Among the identified compounds, chlorogenic acid and 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were the main constituents in C. indicum leaves. The antioxidant activity demonstrated a positive correlation with 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (R2 = 0.62) and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (R2 = 0.77). The content of chlorogenic acid and dicaffeoylquinic acid isomers varied significantly according to the effects of exchangeable magnesium, cation exchange capacity, annual temperature, and precipitation, based on analysis of variance. The habitat suitability map using the geographical information system and the MaxEnt model predicted very high and high regions, comprising 3.2% and 10.1% of the total area, respectively. These findings could be used in future cultivation to produce high-quality leaves of C. indicum.

Mapping of soil suitability for medicinal plants using machine learning methods.

Inadequate conservation of medicinal plants can affect their productivity. Traditional assessments and strategies are often time-consuming and linked with errors. Utilizing herbs has been an integral part of the traditional system of medicine for centuries. However, its sustainability and conservation are critical due to climate change, over-harvesting and habitat loss. The study reveals how machine learning algorithms, geographic information systems (GIS) being a powerful tool for mapping and spatial analysis, and soil information can contribute to a swift decision-making approach for actual forethought and intensify the productivity of vulnerable curative plants of specific regions to promote drug discovery. The data analysis based on machine learning and data mining techniques over the soil, medicinal plants and GIS information can predict quick and effective results on a map to nurture the growth of the herbs. The work incorporates the construction of a novel dataset by using the quantum geographic information system tool and recommends the vulnerable herbs by implementing different supervised algorithms such as extra tree classifier (EXTC), random forest, bagging classifier, extreme gradient boosting and k nearest neighbor. Two unique approaches suggested for the user by using EXTC, firstly, for a given subregion type, its suitable soil classes and secondly, for soil type from the user, its respective subregion labels are revealed, finally, potential medicinal herbs and their conservation status are visualised using the choropleth map for classified soil/subregion. The research concludes on EXTC as it showcases outstanding performance for both soil and subregion classifications compared to other models, with an accuracy rate of 99.01% and 98.76%, respectively. The approach focuses on serving as a comprehensive and swift reference for the general public, bioscience researchers, and conservationists interested in conserving medicinal herbs based on soil availability or specific regions through maps.

The correlation between small papillary thyroid cancers and gamma radionuclides Cs-137, Th-232, U-238 and K-40 using spatially-explicit, register-based methods.

A steep increase of small papillary thyroid cancers (sPTCs) has been observed globally. A major risk factor for developing PTC is ionizing radiation. The aim of this study is to investigate the spatial distribution of sPTC in Sweden and the extent to which prevalence is correlated to gamma radiation levels (Caesium-137 (Cs-137), Thorium-232 (Th-232), Uranium-238 (U-238) and Potassium-40 (K-40)) using multiple geospatial and geostatistical methods. The prevalence of metastatic sPTC was associated with significantly higher levels of Gamma radiation from Th-232, U-238 and K-40. The association is, however, inconsistent and the prevalence is higher in densely populated areas. The results clearly indicate that sPTC has causative factors that are neither evenly distributed among the population, nor geographically, calling for further studies with bigger cohorts. Environmental factors are believed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Analysis of the cancer occurrence related to natural radioactivity in the Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil.

The state of Rio Grande do Norte, located in the Northeast region of Brazil, has areas of granites and pegmatites with minerals that have varying concentrations of uranium. Consequently, high concentrations of radon gas, a carcinogenic substance for humans, can occur. The present study aimed to assess the occurrence of cancer and its association with exposure to sources of natural radioactivity using geological and geophysical information in the aforementioned state. The spatial dependence of pulmonary, breast, stomach, leukemia, and skin cancer cases with the location of radioisotope sources were analyzed using geoprocessing tools. The geoprocessing analysis showed a differential pattern of uranium emission throughout the state, with the highest emission from areas with pegmatites outcrops. A spatial dependency of cancer cases was shown (Moran index: 0.43; p < 0.01). Moreover, a higher rate of natural radioactivity-cancer cases was associated with the high-intensity natural radioactivity areas: odds ratio:1.21 (95% CI 1.20; 1.23), following the same pattern when separately compared the different related types of cancer. These results highlight the importance of natural radioactivity as a public health problem in the Brazilian environmental scenario, confirming the need for further studies as the first toward understanding and implementing health management strategies mitigating the exposures, especially in areas of environmental risk.

Iodine nutrition level and its spatial distribution in key populations in Hubei Province in 2020 / 中华地方病学杂志

Objective:To learn about the iodine nutrition level and its spatial distribution status in key populations in Hubei Province, so as to provide a basis for adjustment of iodine supplementation policy and the realization of scientific and accurate iodine supplementation.Methods:In 2020, a sampling was carried out in Hubei Province according to the "National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Monitoring Plan (2016 Edition)" to monitor the concentration of salt iodine and urinary iodine of key populations (children ages 8 - 10 years old and pregnant women). The spatial distribution of iodine nutrition levels was analyzed by spatial epidemiology.Results:The median salt iodine of 17 263 children's family salt samples was 25.0 mg/kg, and the median urinary iodine (MUI) was 217.0 μg/L. There was significant spatial aggregation in the distribution of urinary iodine level in children at the county level ( Moran's Index = 0.36, P < 0.001). The significant hot spot areas with high urinary iodine level among children were located in Shiyan City and Xiangyang City, while the significant cold spot areas with low urinary iodine level were mainly concentrated in Yichang City. The median salt iodine of 8 618 pregnant women's family salt samples was 25.1 mg/kg, the MUI was 176.3 μg/L. The urinary iodine level among pregnant women at the county level was spatially clustered ( Moran's Index = 0.22, P = 0.003) . The significant hot spot areas with high urinary iodine level among pregnant women were mainly in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, the significant cold spot areas were mainly concentrated in Yichang City. Conclusions:In 2020, the iodine nutrition of children in Hubei Province is at a super appropriate level (200 - 299 μg/L), and the iodine nutrition status of pregnant women is more sensitive, which is close to the lower limit of the appropriate level (150 μg/L). The urinary iodine level of children and pregnant women has significant spatial aggregation at the county level. Targeted intervention will be needed in counties (dictricts) where the urinary iodine level is lower or higher than the normal range, to achieve accurate and scientific iodine supplementation.

Study of anaemia in pregnancy and low birth weight in fluoride endemic area of Western Rajasthan: a cohort study.

Background: Fluoride is a noxious element known to destroy gastrointestinal mucosa, leading to erythrocytes' destruction and causing anaemia. The birth weight of newborn babies is a significant indicator of a child's vulnerability to the risk of childhood diseases and chances of existence. Methods: This prospective cohort study was planned to find linkages between fluorosis and the low-birth weight of newborn babies with anaemic mothers. Antenatal mothers until the 20th week of gestation were followed up till delivery in the Antenatal Clinic of a District Hospital in one of the known fluoride-endemic districts (Nagaur) and the other not-so-endemic district (Jodhpur) of Western Rajasthan. Results: Around 19% of the newborn in Jodhpur and around 22% in Nagaur had low birth weight. Mean fluoride values in water samples were measured to be 0.57 (range from 0.0 to 2.7 PPM) in Jodhpur and 0.7 (range from 0.0 to 3.4 PPM) in Nagaur. Conclusions: Thus, in fluoride endemic areas, other factors should be included besides iron and folic acid supplementation for improving anaemia in pregnant women. This calls for assessing the effectiveness of de-fluoridation activities along with the area's most common indigenous food practices.

Where to Invest Project Efforts for Greater Benefit: A Framework for Management Performance Mapping with Examples for Potato Seed Health.

Policymakers and donors often need to identify the locations where technologies are most likely to have important effects, to increase the benefits from agricultural development or extension efforts. Higher-quality information may help to target the high-benefit locations, but often actions are needed with limited information. The value of information (VOI) in this context is formalized by evaluating the results of decision making guided by a set of specific information compared with the results of acting without considering that information. We present a framework for management performance mapping that includes evaluating the VOI for decision making about geographic priorities in regional intervention strategies, in case studies of Andean and Kenyan potato seed systems. We illustrate the use of recursive partitioning, XGBoost, and Bayesian network models to characterize the relationships among seed health and yield responses and environmental and management predictors used in studies of seed degeneration. These analyses address the expected performance of an intervention based on geographic predictor variables. In the Andean example, positive selection of seed from asymptomatic plants was more effective at high altitudes in Ecuador. In the Kenyan example, there was the potential to target locations with higher technology adoption rates and with higher potato cropland connectivity, i.e., a likely more important role in regional epidemics. Targeting training to high management performance areas would often provide more benefits than would random selection of target areas. We illustrate how assessing the VOI can contribute to targeted development programs and support a culture of continuous improvement for interventions.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.

[Ecologically suitable areas for growing Scutellaria baicalensis worldwide: an analysis based on GMPGIS].

This paper explored the ecologically suitable areas for growing Scutellaria baicalensis using Geographic Information System for Global Medicinal Plants(GMPGIS), to figure out the resource distribution of S. baicalensis worldwide and provide a scientific basis for its scientific introduction. A total of 349 S. baicalensis sampling sites were selected all over the world for GMPGIS-based analy-sis of the ecologically suitable areas with six ecological factors including annual average temperature, average temperature during the coldest season, average temperature during the warmest season, average annual precipitation, average annual relative humidity, and annual average illumination and soil type as the ecological indexes. The results demonstrated that the ecologically suitable areas for growing S. baicalensis were mostly located in the Northern hemisphere, and the suitable areas in the United States, China, and Russia accounted for 19.25%, 18.66%, and 13.15% of the total area worldwide, respectively. In China, the Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang province, and Yunnan province occupied the largest proportions of the total area, namely 14.28%, 8.72%, and 6.18%, respectively. As revealed by ecological factors of each sampling site, S. baicalensis was resistant to low temperature but not to high temperature. The adaptive range of average annual precipitation is narrower than that of average annual air humidity. The suitable soils were mainly inceptisol, alfisol, and fluvisol. High temperature and rainy climate or excessively high soil bulk density was not conducive to the growth of S. baicalensis. The adoption of GMPGIS enabled to obtain areas with the greatest ecological similarity for S. baicalensis, which were reliable data supporting the exploration of resource distribution and reasonable introduction of S. baicalensis.

Modelling of possible tanker accident oil spills in the Istanbul Strait in order to demonstrate the dispersion and toxic effects of oil pollution.

Countries located on the Black Sea coast perform most of their sea trade through the Istanbul Strait (IS). Approximately 50,000 ships pass through the IS each year, with crude oil tankers making up the majority. Thus, the aim of the study is to determine the acute toxic effect of oil pollution that may occur as a result of crude oil tanker accidents in the IS. By utilising data related to accidents that have occurred in the IS, locations of concentrated tanker accidents, or "hot spots," were determined by Kernel Density Analysis. Subsequently, the distribution of potential leaks following an oil tanker accident, within these hot spots, is modelled with GNOME software. Finally, acute toxicity caused by oil pollution in the marine ecosystem is determined by Aliivibrio fischeri luminescent bacteria toxicity test. In this research, 5 hot spots are identified, where the maximum calculated amount of oil that can reach the coastline after 72 h is 3096 metric tons. Similarly, oil pollution can affect a total coastline of 30-35 km. Furthermore, it was determined that after the oil was diluted in seawater, at a ratio of 1:200,000, the toxic effects decrease (EC50 above 100 mg/L), yet the chronic effects may still continue. The results of this study may serve as a reference for coastal state authorities to develop emergency response plans. Having this valuable knowledge of where high-risk accidents are most concentrated, where the accidents occur intensely, which areas can be affected by the pollution, the duration of the pollution effects, and the distance between the areas, will help determine the number of intervention stations to be installed, their locations, and equipment to be installed to the stations.

Digitalization to achieve sustainable development goals: Steps towards a Smart Green Planet.

Digitalization provides access to an integrated network of unexploited big data with potential benefits for society and the environment. The development of smart systems connected to the internet of things can generate unique opportunities to strategically address challenges associated with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure an equitable, environmentally sustainable, and healthy society. This perspective describes the opportunities that digitalization can provide towards building the sustainable society of the future. Smart technologies are envisioned as game-changing tools, whereby their integration will benefit the three essential elements of the food-water-energy nexus: (i) sustainable food production; (ii) access to clean and safe potable water; and (iii) green energy generation and usage. It then discusses the benefits of digitalization to catalyze the transition towards sustainable manufacturing practices and enhance citizens' health wellbeing by providing digital access to care, particularly for the underserved communities. Finally, the perspective englobes digitalization benefits by providing a holistic view on how it can contribute to address the serious challenges of endangered planet biodiversity and climate change.

Analyzing Cost-Effectiveness of Allocating Neurointerventionist for Drive and Retrieve System for Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

OBJECTIVES: There are regional disparities in implementation rates of endovascular thrombectomy due to time and resource constraints such as endovascular thrombectomy specialists. In Hokkaido, Japan, Drive and Retrieve System (DRS), where endovascular thrombectomy specialists perform early endovascular thrombectomies by traveling from the facilities where they normally work to facilities closer to the patient. This study analyzed the cost-effectiveness of allocating a endovascular thrombectomy specialist for DRS to treat stroke patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: he number of ischemic stroke patients expected to receive endovascular thrombectomy in Hokkaido in 2015 was estimated. It was assumed that an additional neutointerventionist was allocated for DRS. The analysis was performed from the government's perspective, which includes medical and nursing-care costs, and the personnel cost for endovascular thrombectomy specialist. The analysis was conducted comparing the current scenario, where patients received endovascular thrombectomy in facilities where endovascular thrombectomy specialists normally work, with the scenario with DRS within 60 min drive distance. Patient transport time was analyzed using geographic information system, and patient severity was estimated from the transport time. The primary outcome was incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in each medical area which was calculated from the incremental costs and the incremental quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), estimated from patient severity using published literature. The entire process was repeated 100 times. RESULTS: DRS was most cost-effective in Kamikawachubu area, where the ICER was $14,173±16,802/QALY, significantly lower than the threshold that the Japanese guideline suggested. CONCLUSIONS: Since DRS was cost-effective in Kamikawachubu area, the area should be prioritized when a endovascular thrombectomy specialist for DRS is allocated as a policy.

Site selection for waste vegetable oil and waste battery collection boxes: a GIS-based hybrid hesitant fuzzy decision-making approach.

The amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) has been increasing rapidly in the urban centres of developing countries during the last few decades; however, municipal solid waste management (MSWM) remains inadequate. One of the largest aspects of cost of the MSWM system is the collection of waste. This paper describes a methodology that combines geographic information systems (GIS), hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set (HFLTS), and the full multiplicative form of multi-objective optimization by ratio analysis (MULTIMOORA), to determine suitable locations for waste collection boxes (named AYPIKUT), which have been designed specifically for collection of domestic waste vegetable oil and waste batteries. It takes as case study, Atakum, a district of Samsun city, Turkey. As a solution to the problem, first, a total of 88 items have been identified for consideration by seven criteria elicited from the insights of experts, and spatial analyses were performed. Multi-criteria HFLTS was then used to determine weights of the criteria. Population density was the most significant criterion affecting the selection process, and proximity to housing complexes with more than 150 dwellings was the least important. According to the weights of the seven criteria, and three rules determined by the experts, 15 AYPIKUT locations were identified using GIS. As a final step, the alternative locations (A1-A15) were ranked with the MULTIMOORA method. A5 was the most suitable site, and A6 was the least suitable site for an AYPIKUT. The results indicated the ability of the proposed model to select the suitable locations for waste collection box.

Application of a geographic information system-based fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model to locate potential municipal solid waste incineration plant sites: A case study of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality.

Locating candidate sites for municipal solid waste management facilities is a multi-criteria decision and involves spatial consideration that all municipalities have to deal with. This study aims to develop a holistic model for locating the most suitable facility sites in municipal solid waste management considering environmental and economic factors, and its application to an incineration facility in Izmir as a case study. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model was developed by integrating multi-criteria decision analysis methods and a geographic information system. A stepwise methodology was conducted, including generating a spatial database, exclusion analysis, preference analysis to determine spatial membership degrees and weights for each preference factor and generating the final land suitability map. A high-resolution land suitability map and the point vector format data of potential incineration plant sites were created as the model outputs. The case study results demonstrated that an incineration facility with a total capacity of 117 MWe could be established for energy recovery from 5649 tonnes day-1 municipal solid waste. Four locations were determined as potential incineration facility sites in the case study area. The model can be utilized for different study areas to aid decision-makers in the process of site selection for not only incineration facilities but also for other municipal solid waste management facilities.

Ecologically suitable areas for growing Scutellaria baicalensis worldwide: an analysis based on GMPGIS / 中国中药杂志

This paper explored the ecologically suitable areas for growing Scutellaria baicalensis using Geographic Information System for Global Medicinal Plants(GMPGIS), to figure out the resource distribution of S. baicalensis worldwide and provide a scientific basis for its scientific introduction. A total of 349 S. baicalensis sampling sites were selected all over the world for GMPGIS-based analy-sis of the ecologically suitable areas with six ecological factors including annual average temperature, average temperature during the coldest season, average temperature during the warmest season, average annual precipitation, average annual relative humidity, and annual average illumination and soil type as the ecological indexes. The results demonstrated that the ecologically suitable areas for growing S. baicalensis were mostly located in the Northern hemisphere, and the suitable areas in the United States, China, and Russia accounted for 19.25%, 18.66%, and 13.15% of the total area worldwide, respectively. In China, the Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang province, and Yunnan province occupied the largest proportions of the total area, namely 14.28%, 8.72%, and 6.18%, respectively. As revealed by ecological factors of each sampling site, S. baicalensis was resistant to low temperature but not to high temperature. The adaptive range of average annual precipitation is narrower than that of average annual air humidity. The suitable soils were mainly inceptisol, alfisol, and fluvisol. High temperature and rainy climate or excessively high soil bulk density was not conducive to the growth of S. baicalensis. The adoption of GMPGIS enabled to obtain areas with the greatest ecological similarity for S. baicalensis, which were reliable data supporting the exploration of resource distribution and reasonable introduction of S. baicalensis.

Multi-criteria assessment of the viability of valorising vegetable by-products from the distribution as secondary raw material for animal feed.

Approximately 33% of food produced around the world is wasted. In the distribution sector, erroneous orders or demand predictions result in products that cannot be sold before the expiration date. Despite its enormous potential, a low percentage of this food wastage is valorised causing negative social, economic and environmental impacts. Vegetable food waste has potential as raw material for animal feed. However, the profitability of its valorisation depends on several key factors and there is a risk of underestimating any of them making this valorisation technically, economically or environmentally unfeasible. Moreover, the geographical dispersion requires selecting the appropriate location for the processing plant and optimising the logistics routes to collect and transport them from the origin points to the processing plant. GISWASTE tool, which combines Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method with ArcGIS, has been used to simulate the viability of this valorisation alternative from a holistic point of view. In addition, a sensitivity analysis in the economic modelling has been carried out to determine the economic viability factors with more influence in the global profitability. The valorisation of vegetable food waste from distribution and retailing sector for animal feed has been considered feasible in the case study region: Basque Country (Spain). However, there are some economic uncertainties for the return of the investment. The variable with more influence over the profitability is by far the incomes from waste management (81.4%).

A holistic model to assess risk factors of fasciolosis in Ankole cattle.

In recent decades, remote sensing (RS) technology and geographical information systems (GIS) were increasingly used as tools for epidemiological studies and the control of zoonotic diseases. Fasciolosis, a zoonotic disease caused by a trematode parasite (Fasciola spp.), is a good candidate for the application of RS and GIS in epidemiology because it is strongly influenced by the environment, i.e. the habitat of the intermediate host. In this study, we examined variables which may increase the fasciolosis risk of Ankole cattle in the degraded and overgrazed Mutara rangelands of north-eastern Rwanda. The risk variables considered included three environmental variables (normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI; normalized difference moisture index, NDMI; normalized difference water index, NDWI), two landscape metric variables (rangeland proportion, building density), two geological variables (poorly-drained soil proportion, elevation) and three animal husbandry variables (herd size, adult proportion and the body condition score). Fasciola spp. prevalence was used as the dependent variable, sampling season as a fixed factor and four principal components (PCs, condensed from the ten risk variables) as covariates in a univariate General Linear Model. Fasciola spp. prevalence was positively correlated to rangeland proportion, cattle herd size in rural areas, adult proportion and individual body condition. Moreover, high Fasciola spp. prevalence was found in densely vegetated areas with high moisture (high values of NDVI and NDMI), in combination with large proportions of poorly-drained soil at low elevations. Future investigations should focus on increased sampling across the Mutara rangelands to prepare a predictive, spatial fasciolosis risk map that would help to further improve sustainable land-use management.

Cost Effectiveness of Drive and Retrieve System in Hokkaido for Acute Ischemic Stroke Patient Treatment Using Geographic Information System.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although endovascular thrombectomy combined with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator is effective for treatment of acute ischemic stroke, regional disparities in implementation rates of those treatments have been reported. Drive and retrieve system, where a qualified neurointerventionist travels to another primary stroke center for endovascular thrombectomy, has been practiced in parts of Hokkaido, Japan. This study aims to simulate the cost effectiveness of the drive and retrieve system, which can be a method to enhance equality and cost effectiveness of treatments for acute ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The number of patients who had acute ischemic stroke in 2015 is estimated. Those patients are generated according to the population distribution, and thereafter patient transport time is analyzed in the 3 scenarios (1) 60-minute drive scenario, (2) 90-minute drive scenario, in which the drive and retrieve system operates within 60-minute or 90-minute driving distance (3) without the system, using geographic information system. Incremental cost-effectiveness rate, quality-adjusted life years, and medical and nursing care costs are estimated from the analyzed transport time. FINDINGS: The incremental cost-effectiveness rate by implementing the system was dominant. Cost reductions of $213,190 in 60-minute drive scenario, and $247,274 in the 90-minute scenario were expected, respectively. Such benefits are the most significant in Soya, Emmon, Rumoi, and Kamikawahokubu medical areas. CONCLUSIONS: The drive and retrieve system could enhance regional equality and cost effectiveness of ischemic stroke treatments in Hokkaido, which can be achieved using existing resources. Further studies are required to clarify its cost effectiveness from hospital perspective.

GIS-based method to delimit spheres of influence for a medical consortium: Experience of a pediatric medical consortium, Shanghai.

BACKGROUND: To improve the utilization efficiency of health care services, the concept of a "regional medical consortium" has attracted more attention during the most recent round of health care reform in China. Shanghai, a municipality of China, has made many efforts to promote its regional medical consortium project. In this paper, the pediatric medical consortium of Shanghai will serve as an example to introduce the main tasks and groundwork of the Shanghai medical consortium and will underscore Shanghai's exploration of the vertical integration of medical resources. METHODS: This study delimits the service areas of leading hospitals, which can help determine the spheres of influence of top hospitals geographically. With this information, regional hospitals or community hospitals can find alliance hospitals and leading hospitals more easily. These efforts can be realized using ArcGIS for spatial data analysis. RESULTS: According to the locations of leading hospitals and actual patient distributions at these hospitals, the natural areas of influence of leading hospitals are illustrated. Then, hospitals other than leading hospitals can select allied hospitals in the same area of influence. In this way, connections in a medical consortium will be tighter, and hospitals will be better able to meet the actual demands of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper, we introduce a geographic method to delimit the spheres of influence of hospitals based on actual health-seeking behaviors of patients by analyzing the spatial distribution of hospitalization probability. Within the boundaries of a sphere of influence, a geographic connection between the leading hospital and the general hospital is established automatically. Based on this geographic connection, leading hospitals should provide technological support to general hospitals located in their sphere of influence, while the general hospitals should provide spare medical resources in return. Thus, the medical consortium can be formed geographically and operate more smoothly.

Global ecological regionalization of 15 Illicium species: nature sources of shikimic acid.

BACKGROUND: Illicium plants are relevant officinal and ornamental species that are native in Eastern Asia, and they are the main sources of shikimic acid. Shikimic acid is an important component of Tamiflu, which is recognized for its ability to resist avian influenza by the World Health Organization. To determine areas where 15 Illicium species can be grown and to understand the importance of species diversity, we should enhance the prediction of suitable areas. METHODS: In this study, the global potential distribution of 15 Illicium species was predicted using a geographic information system for global medicinal plants. RESULTS: Results showed that the possible suitable areas for these plants in China covered 1357.68 × 104 km2 (56%), and the second-largest area spanning 527.42 × 104 km2 was found in the United States. Illicium verum Hook, an edible species with the highest shikimic acid content among them, grew in areas of 59.92 × 104 (48%), 64.04 × 104 (19%), and 60.53 × 104 km2(18%) in China, the United States, and Brazil, respectively. Illicium.difengpi B. N. Chamg, an endangered species, was distributed in an area of 19.03 × 104 km2 or 95% of the total area in China. CONCLUSIONS: This research provided a guarantee for the demand of Tamiflu, presented strategies that helped protect endangered species, and provided a reference for species cultivation and introduction.

Predicting the Global Potential Distribution of Four Endangered Panax Species in Middle-and Low-Latitude Regions of China by the Geographic Information System for Global Medicinal Plants (GMPGIS).

Global biodiversity is strongly influenced by the decrease in endangered biological species. Predicting the distribution of endangered medicinal plants is necessary for resource conservation. A spatial distribution model-geographic information system for global medicinal plants (GMPGIS)-is used to predict the global potential suitable distribution of four endangered Panax species, including Panax japonicas (T. Nees) C. A. Meyer and Panax japonicas var. major (Burkill) C. Y. Wu & K. M. Feng distributed in low- and middle-latitude, Panax zingiberensis C. Y. Wu & K. M. Feng and Panax stipuleanatus C. T. Tsai & K. M. Feng in low-latitude regions of China based on seven bioclimatic variables and 600 occurrence points. Results indicate that areas of P. japonicus and P. japonicusvar. major are 266.29 × 105 and 77.5 × 105 km², respectively, which are mainly distributed in China and America. By contrast, the areas of P. zingiberensis and P. stipuleanatus are 5.09 × 105 and 2.05 × 105 km², respectively, which are mainly distributed in Brazil and China. P. japonicus has the widest distribution among the four species. The data also indicate that the mean temperature of coldest quarter is the most critical factor. This scientific prediction can be used as reference for resource conservation of endangered plants and as a guide to search for endangered species in previously unknown areas.