Rapid assessment of public interest in drought and its likely drivers in South Africa.

The monthly search volumes for drought were extracted from Google® for South Africa using the Keywordsevery-where.com plugin from January 2004 until June 2022. To identify the potential qualitative drivers for such public interest the following data extracted by the plugin were investigated and analysed: the drought-related keywords, the long-tail keywords similar to drought, and the "people also searched for category" from the South African users. The Google Trends monthly score was extracted for South Africa and the Eastern Cape Province, and specific local municipalities/towns/cities in the province. The aim was to assess the relative significance of the drought interest in comparison to public interest in other search terms. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis analyses of variance by ranks showed that there was a statistically significant difference between individual values of the monthly search volumes for drought in South Africa, as a function of time of data extraction (5 percent level of significance; p-value ≤ 4.7 × 10-14). The monthly search volumes increased with time, which is based on the results of the Mann-Kendall test at a 5 percent level of significance (p-value ≤ 0.0092). Analyses of the Google Trends scores indicate that the relative interest in drought in South Africa and the Eastern Cape Province increased with time between January 2004 and June 2022 (the Mann-Kendall test at a 5 percent level of significance; p-value = 0.0011). The population's searches for drought were relatively low when compared to other search terms on Google. Drought adaptation of the South African community could be considered a driver of the Google searches for drought, but it is a marginal topic compared to other topics in Google searches. It might be necessary to increase this significance by investigating the "Google-search patterns for droughts" in the areas of Tshikaro, Mafusini, Cofimvaba, and Nxotsheni in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Climate change and health: The case of mapping droughts and migration pattern in Iran (2011-2016).

INTRODUCTION: Migration and mobility of population have been reported as a common reaction to drought. There is historical evidence to suggest the health effects of droughts and human migration linkage in Iran. This study aimed to map the drought and migration patterns in Iran in 2011 and 2016 and explore their possible health impacts. METHODS: This sequential explanatory mixed-method study was done in two stages of spatial analysis and qualitative study. Data mapping was conducted through the equal interval classification and using drought, migration, and agriculture occupation data based on provincial divisions in Iran in 2011 and 2016. This qualitative study was conducted using the content analysis approach. RESULTS: The in-migration rate was higher in 2011 rather than 2016. Migration to cities was much higher than migration to villages in both years. The frequency of male migrants was higher than females in all provinces in 2011 and 2016. Physical and mental diseases as well as economic, sociocultural, education, and environment effects on health were extracted from the qualitative data. CONCLUSION: A holistic picture of droughts and migration issues in Iran and their health consequences were achieved by the present research. Further research is needed to explore the determinants of health impacts of climate change in vulnerable groups. Public health problems can be prevented by adaptive and preventive policy-making and planning. This can improve the coping capacity of the population facing droughts and enforced migration.

Taxonomic study of Hymenochaetaceae species (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) in the municipalities of Tomé-Açu and Bujaru, Pará, Brazil.

The family Hymenochaetaceae includes a diversity of 893 species described around the world. Its representatives are known by their usually rusty colored basidiomes with a poroid hymenial surface, hydnoid or smooth, woody consistency, and wide morphological variation regarding the arrangement on the substrate. They behave as saprophytic, parasitic, ectomycorrhizal and play a fundamental role in the decomposition of wood in forest ecosystems. In the Brazilian Amazonia region, approximately 40 species of Hymenochaetaceae are currently recorded. The main goal of this study was to increase the knowledge on Hymenochaetaceae from the Brazilian Amazonia. Collections were carried out between October 2021 and April 2022 in the state of Pará, municipalities of Tomé-Açu and Bujaru, to expanding the knowledge of this fungal family to the Brazilian Amazonia. A total of 15 specimens were identified, distributed in seven genera and 12 species. Four species are new records for the state of Pará (Fomitiporia apiahyna, Phellinus neocallimorphus, Phellinus sancti-georgii, and Sclerotus extensus) and two of them are new records for the Brazilian Amazonia (P. neocallimorphus and P. sancti-georgii). Our findings contribute to taxonomic knowledge of this family in the Brazilian Amazonia and reduce the information gaps about the diversity of species.

Contextual inequalities in specialized dental public health care in Brazil.

The present study aimed to investigate the contextual inequalities of specialized public dental care (SPDC) in Brazil. The outcome was the trajectory of dental specialized production in municipalities with SPDC (from 2015 to 2017) obtained by group-based trajectory modeling. A Poisson regression model was used to analyze the factors associated with the high trajectory of SPDC production. The inequality indicators for SPDC production were the slope index and the concentration index according to contextual factors. The study included 954 SPDC units distributed across 893 municipalities. Among the municipalities evaluated, 62.9% had a low trajectory of SPDC. Large-sized municipalities had the highest production (IRR = 2.84, 95%CI: 1.94-4.14) and the southern region had the lowest production (IRR = 0.73, 95%CI: 0.58-0.92). Municipalities presenting a very high human development index (HDI) showed the greatest SPDC production (IRR = 3.34, 95%CI: 1.09-10.24), as well as municipalities with the highest tertile of schooling rate (IRR = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.00-1.50). The absolute inequality was 52.1 percentage points for the average monthly wage (p < 0.001), 61.0 percentage points for the HDI (p < 0.001), -22.1 for infant mortality rate (p <0.001), and 14.8 for the schooling rate (p = 0.012). Thus, there are contextual inequalities in the Brazilian SPDC. Higher scores for social indicators were associated with better SPDC performance.

Methylated derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in road dust, green belt soil and parking lot dust: occurrence, spatial distribution and emission sources.

Convenient transportation facilities not only bring the higher standard of living to big cities, but also bring some environmental pollution problems. In order to understand the presence and sources of methylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Me-PAHs) in environmental samples and their association with total organic carbon (TOC), 49 Me-PAHs were analyzed in road dust, green belt soil and parking lot dust samples in Harbin. The results showed that the ranges of the total Me-PAHs (ΣMe-PAHs) content in road dust were 221-5826 ng/g in autumn and 697-7302 ng/g in spring, and those in green belt soil were 170-2509 ng/g and 155-9215 ng/g in autumn and spring, respectively. And ΣMe-PAHs content in parking lot dust ranged from 269 to 2515 ng/g in surface parking lots and from 778 to 10,052 ng/g in underground parking lots. In these samples, the composition profile of Me-PAHs was dominated by 4-ring Me-PAHs. The results of diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that petrogenic and pyrogenic sources were the main sources of Me-PAHs in the samples. Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was no correlation for Me-PAHs in road dust and green belt soil on the same road. Furthermore, there was a significant positive relationship (0.12 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.67, P < 0.05) between Me-PAHs concentrations and the TOC content. This study demonstrated the presence of Me-PAHs with high concentrations in the road environment samples of Harbin.

Research on the cascading mechanism of "urban built environment-air pollution-respiratory diseases": a case of Wuhan city.

Background: Most existing studies have only investigated the direct effects of the built environment on respiratory diseases. However, there is mounting evidence that the built environment of cities has an indirect influence on public health via influencing air pollution. Exploring the "urban built environment-air pollution-respiratory diseases" cascade mechanism is important for creating a healthy respiratory environment, which is the aim of this study. Methods: The study gathered clinical data from 2015 to 2017 on patients with respiratory diseases from Tongji Hospital in Wuhan. Additionally, daily air pollution levels (sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), and ozone (O3)), meteorological data (average temperature and relative humidity), and data on urban built environment were gathered. We used Spearman correlation to investigate the connection between air pollution and meteorological variables; distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was used to investigate the short-term relationships between respiratory diseases, air pollutants, and meteorological factors; the impacts of spatial heterogeneity in the built environment on air pollution were examined using the multiscale geographically weighted regression model (MGWR). Results: During the study period, the mean level of respiratory diseases (average age 54) was 15.97 persons per day, of which 9.519 for males (average age 57) and 6.451 for females (average age 48); the 24 h mean levels of PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2 and O3 were 78.056 µg/m3, 71.962 µg/m3, 54.468 µg/m3, 12.898 µg/m3, and 46.904 µg/m3, respectively; highest association was investigated between PM10 and SO2 (r = 0.762, p < 0.01), followed by NO2 and PM2.5 (r = 0.73, p < 0.01), and PM10 and PM2.5 (r = 0.704, p < 0.01). We observed a significant lag effect of NO2 on respiratory diseases, for lag 0 day and lag 1 day, a 10 µg/m3 increase in NO2 concentration corresponded to 1.009% (95% CI: 1.001, 1.017%) and 1.005% (95% CI: 1.001, 1.011%) increase of respiratory diseases. The spatial distribution of NO2 was significantly influenced by high-density urban development (population density, building density, number of shopping service facilities, and construction land, the bandwidth of these four factors are 43), while green space and parks can effectively reduce air pollution (R2 = 0.649). Conclusion: Previous studies have focused on the effects of air pollution on respiratory diseases and the effects of built environment on air pollution, while this study combines these three aspects and explores the relationship between them. Furthermore, the theory of the "built environment-air pollution-respiratory diseases" cascading mechanism is practically investigated and broken down into specific experimental steps, which has not been found in previous studies. Additionally, we observed a lag effect of NO2 on respiratory diseases and spatial heterogeneity of built environment in the distribution of NO2.

Secular changes in eruption of primary teeth in Chinese infants and young children from three national cross-sectional surveys.

The eruption of primary teeth is a basic event during physical development of children, which is affected by heredity and environment. This study aimed to analyze the changes in primary teeth eruption among Chinese children with social development. A total of 249,264 healthy children under 2 years were extracted from the 1995, 2005, and 2015 National Survey on the Physical Growth and Development of Children in Nine Cities of China. Their primary teeth were examined and percentiles of primary teeth eruption age were calculated by probit analysis. The median primary teeth eruption age were 6.8 months, 6.7 months, 6.6 months in 1995, 2005 and 2015. Primary teeth eruption age of boys was 0.2 months, 0.3 months, 0.3 months earlier than that of girls in 1995, 2005 and 2015. Primary teeth eruption age was the earliest in children from northern region and was the latest in children from southern region, and this regional difference did not change over time. These findings suggest that primary teeth eruption age slightly advanced with social development, and their gender difference and regional difference have always existed, which supplied some data for understanding the secular trend of primary teeth development in stomatology, pediatrics, anthropology, and other related fields.

Projection of Mortality Burden Attributable to Nonoptimum Temperature with High Spatial Resolution in China.

The updated climate models provide projections at a fine scale, allowing us to estimate health risks due to future warming after accounting for spatial heterogeneity. Here, we utilized an ensemble of high-resolution (25 km) climate simulations and nationwide mortality data from 306 Chinese cities to estimate death anomalies attributable to future warming. Historical estimation (1986-2014) reveals that about 15.5% [95% empirical confidence interval (eCI):13.1%, 17.6%] of deaths are attributable to nonoptimal temperature, of which heat and cold corresponded to attributable fractions of 4.1% (eCI:2.4%, 5.5%) and 11.4% (eCI:10.7%, 12.1%), respectively. Under three climate scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, and SSP585), the national average temperature was projected to increase by 1.45, 2.57, and 4.98 °C by the 2090s, respectively. The corresponding mortality fractions attributable to heat would be 6.5% (eCI:5.2%, 7.7%), 7.9% (eCI:6.3%, 9.4%), and 11.4% (eCI:9.2%, 13.3%). More than half of the attributable deaths due to future warming would occur in north China and cardiovascular mortality would increase more drastically than respiratory mortality. Our study shows that the increased heat-attributable mortality burden would outweigh the decreased cold-attributable burden even under a moderate climate change scenario across China. The results are helpful for national or local policymakers to better address the challenges of future warming.

Multisectoral interventions for urban health in Africa: a mixed-methods systematic review.

Increasing evidence suggests that urban health objectives are best achieved through a multisectoral approach. This approach requires multiple sectors to consider health and well-being as a central aspect of their policy development and implementation, recognising that numerous determinants of health lie outside (or beyond the confines of) the health sector. However, collaboration across sectors remains scarce and multisectoral interventions to support health are lacking in Africa. To address this gap in research, we conducted a mixed-method systematic review of multisectoral interventions aimed at enhancing health, with a particular focus on non-communicable diseases in urban African settings. Africa is the world's fastest urbanising region, making it a critical context in which to examine the impact of multisectoral approaches to improve health. This systematic review provides a valuable overview of current knowledge on multisectoral urban health interventions and enables the identification of existing knowledge gaps, and consequently, avenues for future research. We searched four academic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Global Health) for evidence dated 1989-2019 and identified grey literature from expert input. We identified 53 articles (17 quantitative, 20 qualitative, 12 mixed methods) involving collaborations across 22 sectors and 16 African countries. The principle guiding the majority of the multisectoral interventions was community health equity (39.6%), followed by healthy cities and healthy urban governance principles (32.1%). Targeted health outcomes were diverse, spanning behaviour, environmental and active participation from communities. With only 2% of all studies focusing on health equity as an outcome and with 47% of studies published by first authors located outside Africa, this review underlines the need for future research to prioritise equity both in terms of research outcomes and processes. A synthesised framework of seven interconnected components showcases an ecosystem on multisectoral interventions for urban health that can be examined in the future research in African urban settings that can benefit the health of people and the planet.Paper ContextMain findings: Multisectoral interventions were identified in 27.8% of African countries in the African Union, targeted at major cities with five sectors present at all intervention stages: academia or research, agriculture, government, health, and non-governmental.Added knowledge: We propose a synthesised framework showcasing an ecosystem on multisectoral interventions for urban health that can guide future research in African urban settings.Global health impact for policy and action: This study reveals a crucial gap in evidence on evaluating the long-term impact of multisectoral interventions and calls for partnerships involving various sectors and robust community engagement to effectively deliver and sustain health-promoting policies and actions.

A profile of urban agricultural growers, organizations, their needs, and challenges in the Northeastern United States.

Urban agriculture is increasingly valued as a strategy for improving quality of life in cities, but urban growers face challenges and often lack coordinated support from governments and the agricultural industry. We surveyed urban growers through an online survey, primarily in the Northeastern United States, to develop a profile of growers and associated organizations, assess the current state of urban agriculture, and determine how universities could help meet their needs. A total of 394 respondents completed the survey and most urban growers were white (non-Hispanic) and younger than 45 years old. Women and men were in almost equal proportion. Urban growers were well-educated, but most did not receive a degree in agriculture. Urban agriculture in our study area was dominated by relatively small non-profit organizations and home and community gardens were the most common types of organizations. Urban agricultural organizations want to improve environmental sustainability and socio-cultural conditions through food access and security, regardless of their tax status. Urban growers face diverse barriers and challenges and the most ubiquitous barriers and challenges reported by respondents were related to availability of land and long-term access in urban areas. Many respondents received low revenue or were operating at a net loss even though they reported diverse income streams. Respondents need a wide range of training, including in traditional agricultural topics as well as financial management and business trainings. Universities can play a key role in promoting urban agriculture by offering training and research. Workforce development is a large priority among universities, so urban growers should regularly be consulted, and the results shared with career and workforce development professionals and researchers in urban areas to identify training and research that meets the needs of stakeholders.

Digital economy, innovation factor allocation and industrial structure transformation-A case study of the Yangtze River Delta city cluster in China.

The attainment of regional high-quality development necessitates the critical role of the digital economy in facilitating the transformation of industrial structures. This study intends to investigate the effect of the digital economy on industrial structure transformation from the perspective of innovation factor allocation using a panel dataset of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region for the period from 2011 to 2020. This paper considers four dimensions to measure the level of industrial structure transformation i.e. industrial structure servitization, industrial structure upgradation, service industry structure upgradation and industrial interaction level. The results of the study suggest that the digital economy can significantly improve industrial structure transformation. The results remain consistent even after several robustness checks. Further, the analysis of the mechanism of action shows that the digital economy can promote industrial structure transformation by optimizing the innovation factor allocation. The study provides several policy implications for the digital economy and its role in the promotion of industrial structure transformation.

Using a combination of quantitative culture, molecular, and infrastructure data to rank potential sources of fecal contamination in Town Creek Estuary, North Carolina.

Estuarine water quality is declining worldwide due to increased tourism, coastal development, and a changing climate. Although well-established methods are in place to monitor water quality, municipalities struggle to use the data to prioritize infrastructure for monitoring and repair and to determine sources of contamination when they occur. The objective of this study was to assess water quality and prioritize sources of contamination within Town Creek Estuary (TCE), Beaufort, North Carolina, by combining culture, molecular, and geographic information systems (GIS) data into a novel contamination source ranking system. Water samples were collected from TCE at ten locations on eight sampling dates in Fall 2021 (n = 80). Microbiological water quality was assessed using US Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) approved culture-based methods for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), including analysis of total coliforms (TC), Escherichia coli (EC), and Enterococcus spp. (ENT). The quantitative microbial source tracking (qMST) human-associated fecal marker, HF183, was quantified using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). This information was combined with environmental data and GIS information detailing proximal sewer, septic, and stormwater infrastructure to determine potential sources of fecal contamination in the estuary. Results indicated FIB concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with precipitation and increased throughout the estuary following rainfall events (p < 0.01). Sampling sites with FIB concentrations above the U.S. EPA threshold also had the highest percentages of aged, less durable piping materials. Using a novel ranking system combining concentrations of FIB, HF183, and sewer infrastructure data at each site, we found that the two sites nearest the most aged sewage infrastructure and stormwater outflows were found to have the highest levels of measurable fecal contamination. This case study supports the inclusion of both traditional water quality measurements and local infrastructure data to support the current need for municipalities to identify, prioritize, and remediate failing infrastructure.

Spatial-temporal drivers and incidence heterogeneity of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome transmission in Shandong Province, China, 2016-2022.

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) signals a recurring risk in Eurasia in recent years owing to its continued rise in case notifications and the extension of geographical distribution. This study was undertaken to investigate the spatiotemporal drivers and incidence heterogeneity of HFRS transmission in Shandong Province. METHODS: The epidemiological data for HFRS, meteorological data and socioeconomic data were obtained from China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention, China Meteorological Data Sharing Service System, and Shandong Statistical Yearbook, respectively. The spatial-temporal multicomponent model was employed to analyze the values of spatial-temporal components and the heterogeneity of HFRS transmission across distinct regions. RESULTS: The total effect values of the autoregressive, epidemic, and endemic components were 0.451, 0.187, and 0.033, respectively, exhibiting significant heterogeneity across various cities. This suggested a pivotal role of the autoregressive component in propelling HFRS transmission in Shandong Province. The epidemic component of Qingdao, Weifang, Yantai, Weihai, and Jining declined sharply at the onset of 2020. The random effect identified distinct incidence levels associated with Qingdao and Weifang, signifying regional variations in HFRS occurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The autoregressive component emerged as a significant driver in the transmission of HFRS in Shandong Province. Targeted preventive measures should be strategically implemented across various regions, taking into account the predominant component influencing the epidemic.

Harnessing urban analytics and machine learning for sustainable urban development: A multidimensional framework for modeling environmental impacts of urbanization in Saudi Arabia.

Sustainable urban development is crucial for managing natural resources and mitigating environmental impacts induced by rapid urbanization. This study demonstrates an integrated framework using machine learning-based urban analytics techniques to evaluate spatiotemporal urban expansion in Saudi Arabia (1987-2022) and quantify impacts on leading land, water, and air-related environmental parameters (EPs). Remote sensing and statistical techniques were applied to estimate vegetation health, built-up area, impervious surface, water bodies, soil characteristics, thermal comfort, air pollutants (PM2.5, CH4, CO, NO2, SO2), and nighttime light EPs. Regression assessment and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were applied to assess the relationships between urban expansion and EPs. The findings highlight the substantial growth of urban areas (0.067%-0.14%), a decline in soil moisture (16%-14%), water bodies (60%-22%), a nationwide increase of PM2.5 (44 µg/m3 to 73 µg/m3) and night light intensity (0.166-9.670) concentrations resulting in significant impacts on land, water, and air quality parameters. PCA showed vegetation cover, soil moisture, thermal comfort, PM2.5, and NO2 are highly impacted by urban expansion compared to other EPs. The results highlight the need for effective and sustainable interventions to mitigate environmental impacts using green innovations and urban development by applying mixed-use development, green space preservation, green building technologies, and implementing renewable energy approaches. The framework recommended for environmental management in this study provides a robust foundation for evidence-based policies and adaptive management practices that balance economic progress and environmental sustainability. It will also help policymakers and urban planners in making informed decisions and promoting resilient urban growth.

Research on the spatial effect of digital economy development on urban carbon reduction.

Cities are one of the main sources of regional carbon emissions, and reducing urban carbon emission is the key to reducing emissions. The digital economy has transformed the economic operation mode, and it is a significant approach to support the "dual carbon goals" (carbon peaking and carbon neutrality). This article considers the externalities of the digital economy and carbon emissions. And we use spatial econometric models to analyze the effectiveness of digital economy in empowering carbon emissions reduction. Besides, we explore the static and dynamic spillover effects, and use spatial Durbin panel quantile model to analyze the digital economy's heterogeneity on carbon emissions. Research has shown that the digital economy has a remarkable carbon reduction effect, and the conclusion remains valid after considering robustness tests such as replacing the weight matrices, calculation methods, and proxy variables. The analysis of static and dynamic spillover effects indicates that the degree of the digital economy's impact on carbon emissions are significantly different. Heterogeneity analysis shows that as the digital economy develops from a low level to a high level, its impact on carbon emissions also shifts from positive promotion to negative suppression. This paper proposes a policy reference to help the development of digital economy and promote carbon neutrality in the face of severe environmental challenges.

Exploring optimal deep tunnel sewer systems to enhance urban pluvial flood resilience in the gangnam region, South Korea.

Urban pluvial flooding is becoming a global concern, exacerbated by urbanization and climate change, especially in rapidly developing areas where existing sewer systems lag behind growth. In order to minimize a system's functional failures during extreme rainfalls, localized engineering solutions are required for urban areas chronically suffering from pluvial floods. This study critically evaluates the Deep Tunnel Sewer System (DTSS) as a robust grey infrastructure solution for enhancing urban flood resilience, with a case study in the Gangnam region of Seoul, South Korea. To do so, we integrated a one-dimensional sewer model with a rapid flood spreading model to identify optimal routes and conduit diameters for the DTSS, focusing on four flood-related metrics: the total flood volume, the flood duration, the peak flooding rate, and the number of flooded nodes. Results indicate that, had the DTSS been in place, it could have reduced historical flood volumes over the last decade by 50.1-99.3%, depending on the DTSS route. Regarding the conduit diameter, an 8 m diameter was found to be optimal for minimizing all flood-related metrics. Our research also developed the Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) surfaces in three dimensions, providing a correlation between simulated flood-related metrics and design rainfall characteristics to distinguish the effect of DTSS on flood risk reduction. Our findings demonstrate how highly engineered solutions can enhance urban flood resilience, but they may still face challenges during extreme heavy rainfalls with a 80-year frequency or above. This study contributes to rational decision-making and emergency management in the face of increasing urban pluvial flood risks.

Multi-hazard assessment of climate-related hazards for European coastal cities.

The assessment of risk posed by climate change in coastal cities encompasses multiple climate-related hazards. Sea-level rise, coastal flooding and coastal erosion are important hazards, but they are not the only ones. The varying availability and quality of data across cities hinders the ability to conduct holistic and standardized multi-hazard assessments. Indeed, there are far fewer studies on multiple hazards than on single hazards. Also, the comparability of existing methodologies becomes challenging, making it difficult to establish a cohesive understanding of the overall vulnerability and resilience of coastal cities. The use of indicators allows for a standardized and systematic evaluation of baseline hazards across different cities. The methodology developed in this work establishes a framework to assess a wide variety of climate-related hazards across diverse coastal cities, including sea-level rise, coastal flooding, coastal erosion, heavy rainfall, land flooding, droughts, extreme temperatures, heatwaves, cold spells, strong winds and landslides. Indicators are produced and results are compared and mapped for ten European coastal cities. The indicators are meticulously designed to be applicable across different geographical contexts in Europe. In this manner, the proposed approach allows interventions to be prioritized based on the severity and urgency of the specific risks faced by each city.

[Evaluating the dietary quality of 454 rural elderly aged 65 years and above in Luzhou City in 2023].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dietary quality of the rural elderly aged 65 years and above. METHODS: In February-March 2023, a convenience sampling method was adopted to select 454 rural elderly aged 65 years and above in a township of Luzhou City. The dietary survey was conducted using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire(FFQ-25), and the questionnaire information was collected by face-to-face interviews. Dietary quality was evaluated using the Dietary Balance Index-16(DBI-16) score. RESULTS: The proportion of older people in the region with moderate and high dietary imbalances was 79.7%. Inadequate and excessive dietary intake coexisted. The average daily intake of cereals and potatoes and livestock and meat foods were 356.7 g and 76.2 g, exceeding the recommended intake. The average daily intake of fruit, milk and fish and shrimp intake was 22.8 g, 36 g and 3.7 g, respectively, which was only 10% of the recommended amount, and the intake was seriously insufficient. In addition, the degree of food diversity is relatively low, with most of the average daily intake of food types ranging from five to eight, and only 4.6% of the elderly having more than eight. A total of seven dietary patterns were found among the rural elderly in the region, including a certain degree of under-consumption pattern, a severe under-consumption pattern, a certain degree of over-consumption pattern, and a pattern of both under-consumption and over-consumption. That was dominated by the pattern of severe underconsumption and the pattern of some degree of underconsumption and higher degree of overconsumption, which accounted for 72.3% of the total. CONCLUSION: The rural elderly aged 65 years and above in Luzhou City have a serious dietary imbalance, with a high proportion of insufficient intake of vegetables, fruits and milk, as well as aquatic products and eggs; and excessive intake of livestock, poultry, meat and cereals and potatoes.

The Urban Environment and Cardiometabolic Health.

Urban environments contribute substantially to the rising burden of cardiometabolic diseases worldwide. Cities are complex adaptive systems that continually exchange resources, shaping exposures relevant to human health such as air pollution, noise, and chemical exposures. In addition, urban infrastructure and provisioning systems influence multiple domains of health risk, including behaviors, psychological stress, pollution, and nutrition through various pathways (eg, physical inactivity, air pollution, noise, heat stress, food systems, the availability of green space, and contaminant exposures). Beyond cardiometabolic health, city design may also affect climate change through energy and material consumption that share many of the same drivers with cardiometabolic diseases. Integrated spatial planning focusing on developing sustainable compact cities could simultaneously create heart-healthy and environmentally healthy city designs. This article reviews current evidence on the associations between the urban exposome (totality of exposures a person experiences, including environmental, occupational, lifestyle, social, and psychological factors) and cardiometabolic diseases within a systems science framework, and examines urban planning principles (eg, connectivity, density, diversity of land use, destination accessibility, and distance to transit). We highlight critical knowledge gaps regarding built-environment feature thresholds for optimizing cardiometabolic health outcomes. Last, we discuss emerging models and metrics to align urban development with the dual goals of mitigating cardiometabolic diseases while reducing climate change through cross-sector collaboration, governance, and community engagement. This review demonstrates that cities represent crucial settings for implementing policies and interventions to simultaneously tackle the global epidemics of cardiovascular disease and climate change.

Gentrification drives patterns of alpha and beta diversity in cities.

While there is increasing recognition that social processes in cities like gentrification have ecological consequences, we lack nuanced understanding of the ways gentrification affects urban biodiversity. We analyzed a large camera trap dataset of mammals (>500 g) to evaluate how gentrification impacts species richness and community composition across 23 US cities. After controlling for the negative effect of impervious cover, gentrified parts of cities had the highest mammal species richness. Change in community composition was associated with gentrification in a few cities, which were mostly located along the West Coast. At the species level, roughly half (11 of 21 mammals) had higher occupancy in gentrified parts of a city, especially when impervious cover was low. Our results indicate that the impacts of gentrification extend to nonhuman animals, which provides further evidence that some aspects of nature in cities, such as wildlife, are chronically inaccessible to marginalized human populations.