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1. Developing an SDSS for optimal sustainable roof covering planning based on UHI variation at neighborhood scale.

Author

Mostofi N, Aghamohammadi Zanjirabad H, Vafaeinejad A, Ramezani M, and Hemmasi A

Subjects
Cities, Environmental Monitoring, Iran, Islands, Hot Temperature, Quality of Life
Abstract

Nowadays, academics have paid special attention to global warming, because it has several issues such as urban heat island (UHI) related to the quality of life. For this purpose, a spatial decision support system (SDSS) has been developed to investigate the effect of parcels' roof covering type on surface heat island (SHI) values and its variation at the neighborhood scale in Tehran, Iran. This SDSS, as the innovation of the present research, consists of two main steps including estimating the UHI value in the study area and adopting the optimum set of parcels to change their roofs' cover with three types of vegetation, high-albedo material, and flagstone. The first step is accomplished by aggregating various indices related to land cover obtained from Landsat 8 images. The aggregation is done by linear regression method (LRM) with an RMSE and R 2 equal to 0.942 and 0.897, respectively. Then, the genetic algorithm was used to select the optimal subset, including 10% of the parcels in the area, to change their roof covering type based on minimizing the UHI's variation. The standard deviation obtained after the changes improved from 13.222 to 10.781 °C. The results indicate that to control UHI in the center of the region, it is necessary to inhibit UHI effects at the boundary of the study area with vegetation roof covering since flagstone and high-albedo materials have local effects on controlling the UHI effects.

Published
2021
Full Text
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2. Is Teacher Pay 'Adequate?'

Author

University of Arkansas, Education Working Paper Archive and Podgursky, Michael

Abstract

In school finance lawsuits plaintiffs often claim that pay levels are not sufficient to recruit teachers who can deliver constitutionally-mandated levels of educational services. In this paper I consider several ways in which one might bring economic theory and data to bear on that question. I conclude that at present, and at least for the near term, education research cannot prescribe an "adequate" level of school spending on teachers, whether in the form of pay, benefits, or professional training, that can reliability predict a target level of student performance. If courts are predisposed to intervene in this matter, a more reasonable standard for "adequacy" is whether available revenues, when spent in an efficient manner, are sufficient to staff classrooms with appropriately-certified teachers in a flexible licensing regime that satisfies both state and federal teacher quality standards. (Contains 6 figures, 7 tables and 15 endnotes.)

Published
2006

3. Therapeutic Benefits of Balneotherapy on Quality of Life of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review

Author

Fernandez-Gonzalez, Maria, Fernandez-Lao, Carolina, Martin-Martin, Lydia, Gonzalez-Santos, Angela, Lopez-Garzon, Maria, Ortiz-Comino, Lucia, Lozano-Lozano, Mario, [Fernandez-Gonzalez,M, Fernandez-Lao,C, Martin-Martin,L, Gonzalez-Santos,A, Lopez-Garzon,M, Ortiz-Comino,L, Lozano-Lozano,M] Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. [Fernandez-Lao,C, Lozano-Lozano,M] Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain. [Fernandez-Lao,C, Lozano-Lozano,M] 'Cuídate' Support Unit for Oncology Patients, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Granada, Spain., and This paper has external funding for publication from the 'Cátedra Hammam Al Andalus I + D + I en Bienestar Humano' (Hammam Al Andalus Chair in Human Well-being), University of Granada, Spain.

Subjects
Quality of life, Balneología, Balneotherapy, Calidad de vida, Artritis reumatoide, Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Therapeutics::Balneology [Medical Subject Headings], Organisms::Eukaryota::Animals::Chordata::Vertebrates::Mammals::Primates::Haplorhini::Catarrhini::Hominidae::Humans [Medical Subject Headings], Hidroterapia, Diseases::Immune System Diseases::Autoimmune Diseases::Arthritis, Rheumatoid [Medical Subject Headings], Anthropology, Education, Sociology and Social Phenomena::Social Sciences::Quality of Life [Medical Subject Headings], Chemicals and Drugs::Inorganic Chemicals::Hydroxides::Water::Mineral Waters [Medical Subject Headings], Diseases::Musculoskeletal Diseases::Rheumatic Diseases [Medical Subject Headings], Systematic review, Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Therapeutics::Hydrotherapy [Medical Subject Headings], Rheumatoid arthritis, Phenomena and Processes::Physical Phenomena::Thermodynamics::Temperature [Medical Subject Headings]
Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory rheumatic disease. RA symptoms make the disease disabling and strongly impact the quality of life of patients. Among the available forms of treatment, balneotherapy seems to be one of the most common forms of nonpharmacological treatment for rheumatic disease. The aim was to explore the effectiveness of balneotherapy for improving the quality of life of patients with RA. Methods: Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and The Cochrane library were searched for randomized or clinical controlled trials published in English or Spanish until May 2021. Risk of bias of included articles were assessed using the Cochrane tool. A total 535 records were retrieved, and seven met the inclusion criteria. All the included studies showed statistically significant improvements in the quality of life of patients who received balneotherapy treatment despite differences in treatment administration. Sessions should be approximately 20 min long and use natural mineral waters enriched with elements, or mud, at a water temperature between 35–38 ◦C. Conclusions: Balneotherapy benefits the quality of life of people with RA. The obtained results show positive effects for both mineral bathing and immersion in sand or mud on the quality of life of people who suffer from RA. Yes

Published
2021

4. Low health-related quality of life in school-aged children in Tonga, a lower-middle income country in the South Pacific

Author

Boyd Swinburn, Helen Mavoa, Marjory Moodie, Gavin Faeamani, Caroline Tupoulahi-Fusimalohi, Solveig Petersen, Kalesita Fotu, and the Wellcome Trust (UK), the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), the Health Research Council (New Zealand), the current paper also by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research and the Olle Engkvist Foundation (Sweden)

Subjects
Male, Economic growth, Epidemiology, Health Status, Distribution (economics), Quality of life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Child, community health, Psychiatry, education.field_of_study, Health Policy, lcsh:Public aspects of medicine, Tonga, 1. No poverty, Public Health, Global Health, Preventive Medicine, Community Health, Population Health, Gender Studies, Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology, adolescent health, humanities, 3. Good health, Mental Health, Community health, Income, child health, Original Article, Female, low-income population, mental health, quality of life, Adolescent health, medicine.medical_specialty, Adolescent, Population, Developing country, Psykiatri, RA1-1270, RA407-409.5, RA421-790.95, RA790-790.95, RC49-52, RJ101-103, medicine, Humans, education, Developing Countries, business.industry, Public health, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, lcsh:RA1-1270, Mental health, Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi, Cross-Sectional Studies, business, Demography, New Zealand
Abstract

Background : Ensuring a good life for all parts of the population, including children, is high on the public health agenda in most countries around the world. Information about children’s perception of their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its socio-demographic distribution is, however, limited and almost exclusively reliant on data from Western higher income countries. Objectives : To investigate HRQoL in schoolchildren in Tonga, a lower income South Pacific Island country, and to compare this to HRQoL of children in other countries, including Tongan children living in New Zealand, a high-income country in the same region. Design : A cross-sectional study from Tonga addressing all secondary schoolchildren (11–18 years old) on the outer island of Vava’u and in three districts of the main island of Tongatapu (2,164 participants). A comparison group drawn from the literature comprised children in 18 higher income and one lower income country (Fiji). A specific New Zealand comparison group involved all children of Tongan descendent at six South Auckland secondary schools (830 participants). HRQoL was assessed by the self-report Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0. Results : HRQoL in Tonga was overall similar in girls and boys, but somewhat lower in children below 15 years of age. The children in Tonga experienced lower HRQoL than the children in all of the 19 comparison countries, with a large difference between children in Tonga and the higher income countries (Cohen’s d 1.0) and a small difference between Tonga and the lower income country Fiji (Cohen’s d 0.3). The children in Tonga also experienced lower HRQoL than Tongan children living in New Zealand (Cohen’s d 0.6). Conclusion : The results reveal worrisome low HRQoL in children in Tonga and point towards a potential general pattern of low HRQoL in children living in lower income countries, or, alternatively, in the South Pacific Island countries. Keywords : adolescent health; child health; community health; Epidemiology; low-income population; mental health; quality of life (Published: 20 August 2014) Citation : Glob Health Action 2014, 7 : 24896 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/gha.v7.24896

Published
2014