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The intensification of global heat wave events is seriously affecting residents' emotional health. Based on social media big data, our research explored the spatial pattern of residents' sentiments during heat waves (SDHW). Besides, their association with urban functional areas (UFAs) was analyzed using the Apriori algorithm of association rule mining. It was found that SDHW in Beijing were characterized by obvious spatial clustering, with hot spots predominately dispersed in urban areas and far suburbs, and cold spots mainly clustered in near suburbs. As for the associations with urban function areas, green space and park areas had significant effects on the positive sentiment in the study area, while a higher percentage of industrial areas had a greater impact on negative SDHW. When it comes to combined UFAs, our results revealed that the green space and park area combined with other functional areas was more closely related to positive SDHW, indicating the significance of promoting positive sentiment. Subdistricts with a lower percentage of residential and traffic areas may have a more negative sentiment. There were two main combined UFAs that have greater impacts on SDHW: the combination of residential and industrial areas, and the combination of residential and public areas. This study contributes to the understanding of improving community planning and governance when heat waves increase, building healthy cities, and enhancing urban emergency management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy inside the Earth can not only be released outward through earthquakes and volcanoes but also can be used by humans in the form of geothermal energy. Is there a correlation between different forms of energy release? In this contribution, we perform detailed seismic and geothermal research in the Beijing area. The results show that the geothermal resources in Beijing belong to typical medium-low temperature geothermal resources of the sedimentary basin, and some areas are controlled by deep fault activities (e.g., Xiji geothermal well (No. 17)). The heat sources are upper mantle heat, radioactive heat in granite, and residual heat from magma cooling. The high overlap of earthquakes and geothermal field locations and the positive correlation between the injection water and earthquakes indicate that the exploitation and injection water will promote the release of the earth's energy. The energy releases are partitioned into multiple microearthquakes, avoiding damaging earthquakes (ML ≥ 5) due to excessive energy accumulation. Therefore, the exploitation of geothermal resources may be one way to reduce destructive earthquakes. Furthermore, the use of geothermal resources can also reduce the burning of fossil energy, which is of great significance in dealing with global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban resilience assessment is crucial to guarantee the safe and stable operation of our cities. Looking at the whole process of emergencies from the occurrence, development, causing disaster losses to taking emergency response measures, we combine the danger of urban accident and disaster, the capacity of disaster-bearing carriers, and the emergency management capacity as the influencing factors. Taking Beijing as an example, considering the completeness of the relevant indicators and the difficulty of obtaining data, TOPSIS is used to construct a multi-factor comprehensive assessment model of urban safety resilience; At the same time, the important factors constraining the improvement of safety resilience are further analyzed by using the obstacle degree model. The results show that: among the 16 districts in Beijing, Chaoyang and Haidian districts have the highest level of safety resilience; the level of the degree of disaster tolerance among the multi-factors has the greatest impact on the level of urban safety resilience in Beijing; and the multifactorial comprehensive assessment model of urban resilience is able to reflect the urban resilience distribution, discover the weaknesses that exist in the development of urban safety and provide decision-making aids for the relevant city managers to carry out urban resilience construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating heavy metal(oid)s (HMs) in urban soils is vital to safeguarding human life and health. This study investigated HMs in soils in urban areas of Beijing, assessed their ecological and health risks, and combined principal component analysis, geostatistical analysis, and positive definite matrix factor decomposition models to analyze them retrospectively. Although the Cu, Zn, and Pb in the soils of the study area were all below national quality standards, the average levels were 1.55, 1.17, and 1.21 times higher than the background values for HMs in Beijing soils, respectively, indicating the presence of HMs enrichment in the surface soils. Neither of the nine HMs in this study caused ecological risk. The health risk assessment results show that the nine HMs in this study do not yet pose a non-carcinogenic risk. Ni and Cu have significant carcinogenic effects on humans, and children are more susceptible to carcinogenic risks, with direct ingestion being the main route of HMs exposure. The main sources of HMs pollution in soils are industrial activities, soil-forming matrices and historical sites, which account for 32.89%, 44.16%, and 22.95% of total HMs accumulation respectively. We have found that V, Mn, Co, As, Ni, and Cr are mainly from parent material, Zn and Pb are mainly from industrial emissions, and Cu is from historical remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Artemisia pollen is the most prevalent outdoor aeroallergen causing respiratory allergies in Beijing, China. Pollen allergen concentrations have a direct impact on the quality of life of those suffering from allergies. Artemisia pollen deposition grading predictions can provide early warning for the protection and treatment of patients as well as provide a scientific basis for allergen specific clinical immunotherapy. Objective: To develop a model of Artemisia pollen grading to predict development in patients with pollen allergy. Methods: Artemisia pollen data from four pollen monitoring stations in Beijing as well as the number of Artemisia pollen allergen serum specific immunoglobulin E positive cases in Beijing Tongren Hospital from 2014 to 2016 were used to develop a statistical model of pollen deposition and provide optimised threshold values. Results: A logarithmic correlation existed between the number of patients with Artemisia pollen allergy and Artemisia pollen deposition, and the average pollen deposition for three consecutive days was most correlated with the number of allergic patients. Based on the threshold of the number of patients and the characteristics of Artemisia pollen, a five‐stage pollen deposition grading model was developed to predict the degree of pollen allergy. Conclusions: Graded prediction of pollen deposition may help pollen allergic populations benefit from preventive interventions before onset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is a significance source of freshwater in both urban and rural areas of the world. With the increasing groundwater pollution, it is essential to analysis of groundwater chemical characteristics and evaluate groundwater quality for water supply purpose. The study proposes basic water quality index module (BWQIM) and integrated water quality index module (IWQIM) by combining indictors, weights and model on water quality index (WQI)-based, and evaluated the groundwater quality in Chaoyang District, Beijing. The IWQIM and BWQIM were compared. Fe, HCO3−, TDS and TH were identified as key parameters of groundwater quality assessment. The water quality assessment results of BWQIM are scattered. However, the evaluation results of IWQIM are basically consistent and not influenced by indicators and weights. This module solves the problem that the weight of over standard indexes is submerged when multiple indexes are used, it is more reasonable and effective for groundwater quality evaluation, and overall situation of groundwater in the study area was concentrated in good level. Groundwater in aquifers in the study area is weakly alkaline. The Ca–HCO3 type characterized the general hydrogeochemical composition of Chaoyang district groundwater. Most samples fall in the rock dominance zone, suggesting that rock weathering and rock-water interactions are the primary sources controlling groundwater chemistry and hydrochemical evolution. These findings can provide an effective tool for the groundwater management for drinking and the sustainable development of water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban artificial water dissipation is a concomitant process of human water use in built‐up areas that can absorb heat through evapotranspiration, reduce air temperature, transfer surface water to the atmosphere, and participate in the urban water cycle. In the context of increased urbanization, the impact of artificial water dissipation on urban climates cannot be ignored. In this study, calculation models for artificial water dissipation from different underlying surface types (buildings, hardened ground, soil, and vegetation) were introduced into an urban canopy model and coupled with the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model for mesoscale weather simulations of the Beijing area. Observational datasets of temperature and humidity from automatic weather stations in Beijing were used for validation. Results showed that the coupled model could reproduce the temperature and humidity of urban weather stations in Beijing more accurately compared to simulations that did not employ an urban canopy model or that adopted a traditional urban canopy model. In the Beijing urban area, the latent heat flux of NON, urban canopy model, and artificial water dissipation into the UCM are approximately 0, 35, and 65 W/m2, respectively, and the anthropogenic latent heat is about 30 W/m2. Incorporating urban artificial water dissipation into the urban canopy model reduced the urban air temperature by 0.2°C and increased the specific humidity by 0.6 g/kg, alleviating urban heat island effects and increasing humidity. These findings indicate that artificial urban water dissipation plays an important role in urban weather and climate that should be considered by urban canopy models. In the future, this model can be coupled into WRF for more accurate mesoscale weather simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the government behavior of leasing different land use rights in Beijing, China, is analyzed using data analysis based on the multinomial logit model. The factors that lead the government to lease different land use rights are considered from the aspects of the land features, geographical location of the land, district economic development, government finance and political tenure of the district head, etc. Considering the factors as the variables, the multinomial logit model is presented to analyze the factors that affect the district government behavior on leasing different land use rights. The data of the variables are obtained in Beijing at the district level from 2004 to 2015. From the results, we can see that the area and price of the land, gross domestic product, foreign direct investment, distance of the land from airport, distance of the land from city center, distance of the land from the nearest industrial park, government fiscal deficit and tenure of the district head all influence the district government behavior on leasing land. Finally, the policy implications are proposed. The results and implications can be referenced by other metropolises in China and other developing countries with public ownership of land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diatoms have been proven to be good indicators of natural stream conditions, but little is known about the seasonal variability of diatom communities in megacity streams. We investigated the spatial and temporal variation of diatom communities along an urban-to-rural gradient in megacity streams, Beijing, China. We found that the composition and diversity of diatom community was significantly different along the urban-to-rural gradient in streams of Beijing city. The diatom community was subtle temporal variation in the reference stream and urban upstream, but the temporal variation of diatoms was relatively greater in the urban downstream. Overall, the composition of the diatom community was relatively stable in the streams among different seasons, and the dominant species did not change much over seasons. For example, during the sampling periods, the species Achnanthidium minutissimum in reference streams had the average relative abundance of 20.3 ± 3.5%; the species Pseudostaurosira brevistriata and Staurosira construens var. venter in urban upstream had average relative abundances of 17.0% ± 0.9% and 17.3% ± 1.2%, respectively; and the species Nitzschia palea in urban downstream had average relative abundances of 18.8 ± 4.7%. There were significant correlations between the relative abundances of the dominant species and environmental variables, suggesting that the environmental variables had significant effects on the diatom distribution. Our results demonstrate that the diatom communities are relatively stable among seasons in different sampling areas, suggesting that diatoms can be used as reliable indicators for the biological monitoring of water quality in megacity streams across seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The symptoms of patients with respiratory disease are influenced by local environmental factors. The incidence of allergic rhinitis in grassland areas was significantly higher than that in non-grassland areas. We aimed to compare the profiles of chronic rhinitis patients obtained during the autumn pollen season in Baotou (grassland city) and Beijing (non-grassland city), China. Methods: Questionnaire surveys and allergen testing were conducted on 1170 and 1232 patients with chronic rhinitis visiting the Second Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College and Beijing Tongren Hospital, respectively, during the autumn pollen period. Information regarding medical history, severity of symptoms, and diagnosis and treatment was collected. Results: More patients with moderate to severe chronic rhinitis and asthma (both, P < 0.001) were present in Baotou than in Beijing. Mugwort was the most abundant allergen in both regions, but the number of patients sensitized to outdoor allergens in Baotou was higher than that in Beijing (P < 0.001). Indoor allergens in Beijing represented a considerable proportion of allergens, especially dust mites (33.4%). For patients with allergic rhinitis, nasal congestion, nasal itching, and runny nose were more severe in Baotou than in Beijing (P < 0.001). In both Baotou and Beijing, allergy (P < 0.001 vs. P = 0.004) and combined asthma (P = 0.049 vs. P = 0.005) were common factors affecting the severity of the clinical symptoms chronic rhinitis. In Baotou, age (rs = 0.195, P < 0.001) and family allergy history (P = 0.010) were also associated with symptom severity. Although significantly more patients in Baotou received oral antihistamines, nasal corticosteroids, and surgical treatment than in Beijing (P < 0.001), the number of people receiving allergy immunotherapy in Baotou was lower (P = 0.004) and post-treatment symptom control was worse (P < 0.001) that that in Beijing. Conclusions: During the pollen period, there were significant differences in the allergen spectrum between Baotou and Beijing. Allergy and combined asthma were common factors affecting the severity of clinical symptoms. Patients in Baotou presented with more severe clinical symptoms that were not satisfactorily managed due to the impact of pollen exposure, inconsistent access to care, and differing treatment modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beijing, the capital of China, has a fast-growing economy but is known for water scarcity. Therefore, relieving plans such as wastewater utilization and South-to-North-Transfer are implemented. Therefore, relationships are complicated among components in Beijing's water supply-and-demand system. Maintaining the water balance in Beijing is crucial both economically and politically. However, few have directly addressed the problem systematically recently. Therefore, the system dynamics (SD) approach is applied for modeling of the water supply-and-demand system. The objective is to investigate and forecast water balance, and to identify and propose solutions for potential challenges. The SD approach is a popular computer-aided systematic method for investigating intricate behaviors of complicated systems. A serious water shortage in Beijing in a few years is forecast because current relieving plans will reach their limits. Restricting certain water demands and improving water reclamation is recommended. There is an urgent need to develop and implement sustainable methods for Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airborne particulate matter (PM) was collected in Beijing between 24 February and 12 March 2014 to investigate chemical characteristics and potential industrial sources of aerosols along with health risk of haze events. Results showed secondary inorganic aerosol was the major contributor to PM 2.5 during haze days. Utilizing specific elements, including Fe, La, Tl and As, as fingerprinting tracers, four emission sources, namely iron and steel manufacturing, petroleum refining, cement plant, and coal combustion were explicitly identified; their elevated contributions to PM during haze days were also estimated. The average cancer risk from exposure to inhalable PM toxic metals was 1.53 × 10 −4 on haze days, which is one order of magnitude higher than in other developed cities. These findings suggested heavy industries emit large amounts of not only primary PM but also precursor gas pollutants, leading to secondary aerosol formation and harm to human health during haze days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors that influence the dynamics of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in soils around the watersheds of Beijing reservoirs were examined. Compared with other studies on HCH and DDT in soils and established reference values, the concentrations of HCH and DDT in soils around our study area were relatively low. The relationships between HCH and DDT concentrations and land use, soil texture, and soil properties were discussed. HCH and DDT concentrations were higher in arable soils than those in uncultivated fallow soils. Although land use was the most important factor affecting HCH and DDT residues, additional factors such as soil texture and soil total organic carbon were also involved in pesticide retention in soils. The results indicated that the historical agricultural applications of HCH and DDT were the major source of their residues. Atmospheric deposition, as well as long-distance transportation and inputs from surrounding weathered agricultural soils may also serve as important sources of HCH and DDT residues in the watersheds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the environmental implications of food consumption, from the viewpoint of carbon consumption in Beijing urban households, considering the effects of increasing carbon flux on the environment and alterations in food systems in terms of the carbon cycle. The average food carbon consumption was calculated and analysed in terms of household socioeconomic variables. Several patterns of food carbon consumption with definite socioeconomic characteristics were identified. An average of 279.3 kg food carbon was consumed by households per annum, and was dominated by grain carbon (34.3%). The number of household members, average household age, proportion of male members, education and occupation influence total food carbon consumption of a household. Income influenced consumption of certain foods, thus causing differences in the structure of food carbon consumption. High food carbon consumption patterns tend to emerge in large-size, medium-age, high-male, high-income, medium-education families. Among these, households with a higher age and higher education level have a higher vegetarian carbon dietary pattern, while other households have a higher meat carbon dietary pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The determination of both stable nitrogen (δ15N–NO 3 -) and stable oxygen (δ18O–NO 3 -) isotopic signatures of nitrate in PM 2.5 has shown potential for an approach of assessing the sources and oxidation pathways of atmospheric NO x (NO+NO 2). In the present study, daily PM 2.5 samples were collected in the megacity of Beijing, China during the winter of 2017–2018, and this new approach was used to reveal the origin and oxidation pathways of atmospheric NO x. Specifically, the potential of field δ15N–NO 3 - signatures for determining the NO x oxidation chemistry was explored. Positive correlations between δ18O–NO 3 - and δ15N–NO 3 - were observed (with R 2 between 0.51 and 0.66, p < 0.01), and the underlying environmental significance was discussed. The results showed that the pathway-specific contributions to NO 3 − formation were approximately 45.3% from the OH pathway, 46.5% from N 2 O 5 hydrolysis, and 8.2% from the NO 3 +HC channel based on the δ18O-δ15N space of NO 3 −. The overall nitrogen isotopic fractionation factor (εN) from NO x to NO 3 − on a daily scale, under winter conditions, was approximately +16.1‰±1.8‰ (consistent with previous reports). Two independent approaches were used to simulate the daily and monthly ambient NO x mixtures (δ15N-NO x), respectively. Results indicated that the monthly mean values of δ15N-NO x compared well based on the two approaches, with values of −5.5‰ ± 2.6‰, −2.7‰ ± 1.9‰, and −3.2‰ ± 2.2‰ for November, December, and January (2017–2018), respectively. The uncertainty was in the order of 5%, 5‰ and 5.2‰ for the pathway-specific contributions, the εN, and δ15N-NO x , respectively. Results also indicated that vehicular exhaust was the key contributor to the wintertime atmospheric NO x in Beijing (2017–2018). Our advanced isotopic perspective will support the future assessment of the origin and oxidation of urban atmospheric NO x. [Display omitted] • Positive correlations between δ18O–NO 3 - and δ15N–NO 3 - were observed in PM 2.5 during winter in Beijing. • Contribution of daytime (45.3%) and nocturnal channels (54.7%) to NO 3 − formation was comparable. • The mean nitrogen isotopic fractionation factor from NO x to NO 3 − in winter Beijing was +16.1‰ ±1.8‰. • Vehicular exhaust dominated the wintertime NO x emissions in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PM2.5 level has decreased significantly in Beijing in recent years due to the strict air quality control measures taken in Jingjinji Region and the surrounding areas. However, the variation characteristics of the concentrations of PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Beijing in recent years are still not so clear. In order to understand the pollution status of PM2.5-bound PAHs in Beijing, fifteen PAHs were measured in a typical urban area of Beijing from 1 March to 20 March 2018. The average mass concentration of the 15 PAHs was 21 ng/m3 and higher in the nighttime than that in the daytime. The proportion of 4-ring PAHs in 15 PAHs was highest (43%), while 6-ring PAHs was lowest (10%). The levels of PAHs were higher during heavy pollution episodes than those in non-heavy pollution episodes, and the proportions of 5- and 6-ring PAHs were increased during a heavy pollution episode. PAHs posed obvious carcinogenic risks to the exposed populations, and the risk was higher during heavy pollution episodes than the average value of the whole monitoring period. The main sources of PAHs were traffic emissions and coal/biomass burning. Air masses from the south-southeast had a great influence on the PM2.5 levels during a heavy pollution episode. It is recommended that not only the PM2.5 levels but also the PAHs levels bounded in PM2.5 should be controlled to protect human health in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological advances have led to numerous developments in data sources. Geo-tagged photo metadata has provided a new source of mass research data for tourism studies. A series of data processing methods centering on the various types of information contained in geo-tagged photo metadata have thus been proposed; as a result, the development of tourism studies based on such data has advanced. However, an in-depth study of the data processing methods designed to conduct tourist flow prediction based on geo-tagged photo metadata has not yet been conducted. In order to acquire accurate substitutive data regarding inbound flows in cities, this paper introduces and designs several methods, including data screening, text data similarity calculation, geographical location clustering, and time series data modelling, in order to realize a data preprocessing model for inbound tourist flows in cities based on geo-tagged photo metadata. Wherein, the entropy filtering method was introduced to aid in determining whether the data were posted by inbound tourists; whether the inbound persons' activities were related to tourism was judged through the calculation of tag text similarity; an efficient clustering method based on geographic grid partition was designed for cases in which the tag values were empty; finally, the time series of the inbound tourist flows of a certain region and period were obtained through data statistics and normalization. For the empirical research, Beijing City in China was selected as the research case, after which the feasibility and accuracy of the methods proposed in this paper were verified through data correlation analysis between Flickr data and real statistical yearbook data, as well as analysis of the prediction results based on a machine learning algorithm. The data preprocessing method introduced and designed in this paper provides a reference for the study of geo-tagged photo metadata in the field of tourism flow prediction. These methods can effectively filter out inbound tourist flow data from geotag photo metadata, thus providing a novel, reliable, and low-cost research data source for urban inbound tourism flow forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Trichomonas gallinae is a globally distributed protozoan parasite, mainly affect the upper avian digestive tract and can bring huge economic losses to pigeon industry. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence and genotypes of T. gallinae in Beijing, China. A total of 569 samples of throat swabs of pigeon were collected from pigeon farms in Shunyi District, Fangshan District, Daxing District and Miyun District of Beijing. The overall prevalence was 28.30%. The significant difference in infection rates was not observed between regions, but was found between age groups. The highest prevalence was nestling pigeons (33.16%), followed by adolescent pigeons (30.05%) and breeding pigeons (20.59%). Moreover, genotype A and B of T. gallinae were identified by sequencing the ITS1/5.8S/ITS2 regions and phylogenetic analysis. To our knowledge, this is the first report to display the prevalence and genotype of T. gallinae from Beijing, China. Highlights • First survey of the prevalence and genotyping of T. gallinae in domestic pigeons in Beijing, China. • The average infection rate is 28.30% and the highest prevalence was discovered in nestling pigeons. • Both genotype A and genotype B were identified in the present study. • The results of the present study will enrich the epidemiological data of T. gallinae infection in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference period, Beijing's air quality was greatly improved as a result of a series of tough emission control measures being implemented in Beijing and its surrounding provinces. However, a moderate haze occurred during the period of 4–5 November. In order to evaluate the emission control measures and study the formation mechanism of the haze, a comprehensive field observation based on a supersite and a lidar network was carried out from 25 October 2014 to 20 January 2015. By investigating the variations in aerosol number concentration and mean backscattering coefficient before, during and after the APEC period, it was found that number concentration of accumulation mode and coarse mode particles experienced the most significant decrease by 47% and 68%, and mean backscattering coefficient below 1 km decreased by 34% during the APEC period. Being characterized as “rapidly accumulating and rapidly dispersing”, the moderate haze occurred during the APEC period was probably initiated by a wind direction change to south and an increase of wind speed to 4 m/s. Sulfur dioxide involved plume nucleation without growth in size as well as a burst of particles ranging between 100 and 300 nm were observed simultaneously during the haze episode. The elevation of sulfur dioxide concentration and particle number concentration was highly correlated with the southerly wind, signifying the contribution of regional transport. It was observed by the lidar network that the aerosol backscattering coefficient increased in sequence among three sites along the southwest pathway, suggesting that aerosols might be transported from the southwest to the northeast of Beijing with a speed of approximately 17 km/h, which agreed with the movement of air masses modeled by Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT). The dual-wavelength lidar (355 and 532 nm) observation suggested that transportation of fine particles from high-level atmosphere (approximately 2 km) could be the potential sources of the haze. Our result showed that regional transport would contribute to haze formation in Beijing under such meteorological conditions, thus, to maintain the “APEC blue”, significant attention should be paid to controlling regional transport through the southwest pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beijing suffered from serious air pollution in October, 2011 with the occurrence of three continuous episodes. Here we analyze the pollution status of particulate matter, the relationship between the gaseous pollutants, physical and chemical properties of single particles, and the profile of water-soluble ions in PM 2.5 during the three episodes. Regional and photochemically aged air masses, which were characterized as having high values of O 3 and SO 2 , were hypothesized to have played a dominant role in the first episode. After mixing local air masses with freshly-emitted primary pollutants, the concentration of NO x continued to increase and the size of SO 4 2– NO 3 − and NH 4 + in the particle population continued to become smaller. The amount of elemental carbon-rich and organic carbon-rich particles in the scaled single particles (0.2–2 μm) and water-soluble K + in PM 2.5 also increased in the episodes. All the available information suggests that the biomass or fuel burning sources in or around Beijing may have had a huge impact on the last two episodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To investigate the lag effects and seasonal differences of urban air quality change on human health, we carried out a time-series analysis of daily general practitioner consultations for allergic rhinitis (AR) in Beijing, China. In earlier publications we had assessed the relative risks of air pollutants on AR in Beijing during the period 2009–2010. This article analyzes for the same time period the lag effects of air pollutants and the seasonal effects on daily number of outpatient with allergic rhinitis; differences among age groups and gender groups were also taken into consideration. The results show that, the largest effect RRs of PM10 were at lag01, lag0, lag01, lag01, and lag01 for the total population, male, female, young/middle aged people (20–60years age group), and old people (more than 60years age group), respectively. The largest associations of SO2 were observed at lag3, lag1, lag3, lag0 and lag0 for the total population, male, female, young people/middle aged people (20–60years age group), and old people (more than 60years age group), respectively. The strongest effects of NO2 were found at lag03 for the total population, female and the young/middle aged people; at lag0 for male and lag03 for elder people. RRs of the three pollutants for AR have shown a decreasing relevance from NO2 to PM10 to SO2. The seasonal effect models show that PM10, SO2, and NO2 had higher risk for AR in the warm season than in the cold season. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Extreme temperature-related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have become a growing public health concern. However, the impact of temperature on the cause of specific CVDs has not been well studied in the study area. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of temperature on cause-specific cardiovascular hospital admissions in Beijing, China. We obtained data from 172 large general hospitals from the Beijing Public Health Information Center Cardiovascular Case Database and China. Meteorological Administration covering 16 districts in Beijing from 2013 to 2017. We used a time-stratified case crossover design with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) to derive the impact of temperature on CVD in hospitals back to 27 days on CVD admissions. The temperature data were stratified as cold (extreme and moderate) and hot (moderate and extreme). Within five years (January 2013–December 2017), a total of 460,938 (male 54.9% and female 45.1%) CVD admission cases were reported. The exposure-response relationship for hospitalization was described by a "J" shape for the total and cause-specific. An increase in the six-day moving average temperature from moderate hot (30.2 °C) to extreme hot (36.9 °C) resulted in a significant increase in CVD admissions of 16.1%(95% CI = 12.8%–28.9%). However, the effect of cold temperature exposure on CVD admissions over a lag time of 0–27 days was found to be non significant, with a relative risk of 0.45 (95% CI = 0.378–0.55) for extreme cold (−8.5 °C)and 0.53 (95% CI = 0.47–0.60) for moderate cold (−5.6 °C). The results of this study indicate that exposure to extremely high temperatures is highly associated with an increase in cause-specific CVD admissions. These finding may guide to create and raise awareness of the general population, government and private sectors regarding on the effects of current weather conditions on CVD. • Extreme temperature-related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have become a growing public health concern. • Exposure to extreme high temperatures is strongly associated an increase in cause-specific CVD admissions. • Higher susceptibility for the elderly people (≥65 years old) to the extremely high temperature. • Provide suggestions for public health intervention policy making, adjusting strategy planning, and communicating high risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]