Strong Upward Trend Research Articles

A Meta-Analysis of the Review Literature on Multiple-Criteria Decision Aids for Environmental Issues

Environmental decision making is a complex process that requires the consideration of multiple factors. Therefore, Multiple-Criteria Decision Aiding (MCDA) aims to address the challenges of environmental decision making. This paper analyses published review papers that discuss the use of MCDA in environmental problems, with the goal of drawing useful meta-level conclusions. The review papers were categorised by application field and sorted by various criteria. The main findings of each paper were also analysed. The analysis reveals that MCDA publications in the specific domain have shown a strong upward trend. Hybrid MCDA is increasingly being applied as it can cope with the multidimensional challenges of environmental decision making. AHP appears to be the most widespread method. The sustainable energy sector is particularly interested in the use of MCDA. However, while decision-makers extensively use MCDA in environmental problems, its corresponding application in real-world settings is not always satisfactory.

A bibliometric analysis of the relationship between traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's disease (1993-2023).

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), and a growing number of studies support a potential link between the two disorders. Therefore, the objective of this study is to systematically map the knowledge structure surrounding this topic over the past and to summarize the current state of research and hot frontiers in the field. Data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) starting from the beginning until December 31, 2023, focusing on articles and reviews in English. Bibliometric tools including Bibliometrix R, VOSviewer, and Microsoft Excel were utilized for data analysis. The analysis included citations, authors, institutions, countries, journals, author keywords, and references. A total of 1,515 publications were identified, comprising 872 articles (57.56%) and 643 reviews (42.44%). The annual number of publications increased steadily, especially after 2013, with an R2 value of 0.978 indicating a strong upward trend. The USA was the leading country in terms of publications (734 articles), followed by China (162 articles) and the United Kingdom (77 articles). Meanwhile Boston University was the most productive institution. Collaborative networks show strong collaborative author links between the USA and the United Kingdom, as well as China. The analysis also showed that the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease was the most productive journal, while the article authored by McKee achieved the highest local citations value. The top three author keywords, in terms of occurrences, were "Alzheimer's disease," "traumatic brain injury," and "neurodegeneration." Thematic mapping showed a consolidation of research themes over time, decreasing from 11 main themes to 8. Emerging themes such as "obesity" and "diffusion tensor imaging" indicate new directions in the field. The research on AD after TBI has attracted a great deal of interest from scientists. Notably, the USA is at the forefront of research in this field. There is a need for further collaborative research between countries. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive overview of developments in TBI and AD research, highlighting key contributors, emerging topics, and potential areas for future investigation.

Incompleteness of natural disaster data and its implications on the interpretation of trends

ABSTRACT We use data from a leading global database, primarily the reported numbers of fatal ‘hydrological’, ‘meteorological’ and ‘geophysical’ disasters and associated fatalities, to elucidate long-term trends in natural disaster impact. There are very strong upward trends in the number of reported disasters. However, we show that these trends are strongly biased by progressively improving reporting. We apply well-established methods based on analysing evolving differences in the patterns of large (many fatalities) to small (fewer fatalities) events to assess and quantify this bias. For all disaster types investigated, the long-term (multi-decade) true number of disasters appears to be unexpectedly stable over time. There was, however, a clear temporary increase between 1980 and 1990 for hydrological and meteorological disasters. Importantly, there has been a large long-term decline in total fatalities reported for weather-related disasters, attributable to very effective mitigation for larger disasters. Probably due to improved mitigation rather than reduced hazard, data for the most recent decades shows a systematic decrease in the number of larger (more fatality) weather-related disasters compared to smaller ones. In contrast, for the geophysical disasters, predominantly earthquakes, the relative numbers of larger versus smaller disasters, are fairly constant, as are total fatalities.

Polyolefin elastomer/cyclic olefin copolymer/multi‐walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposites: Rheological, morphological, electrical and mechanical study

AbstractThe subject of this research is a relatively detailed investigation of the rheological, morphological and electrical properties of nanocomposites based on polyolefin elastomer (POE), cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). To formulate a mixture of two polymers (COC and POE), the melt mixing method was used and their morphology was studied by SEM technique and it was found that the morphology is of co‐continuous type. When the weight percentage ratio of COC was between 40 and 60, the desired morphology (co‐continuous) appeared. Interfacial tension calculations and TEM images proved that the nanotube particles were stabilized both within the phase of POE as well as at the interface of the two polymer phases. The rheological behavior was analyzed for composite samples containing 0–3 wt % MWCNT. The electrical and rheological percolation thresholds appeared at 1 and a 0.5 percent by weight of nanotube particles, respectively, which may be better to consider as related to the phenomenon of dual percolation. The highest conductivity was obtained for the nanocomposite containing 3% MWCNT. The results of mechanical tests also showed a strong upward trend of properties due to the addition of nanotube.Highlights The effect of COC content on the morphology of POE/COC blend was investigated. The Morphology for the POE/COC blend at low COC content was droplet‐matrix type. MWCNT has a greater tendency to be in the POE phase than COC. Rheological behavior strongly depended on the amount of nanotube particles. The highest conductivity was obtained for the sample containing 3% MWCNT.

Mid- to long-term functional outcome and return to sport after elbow dislocation in bouldering: a clinical retrospective cohort study

IntroductionTraumatic elbow dislocations are among the most common injuries in sport climbing. They occur most frequently in bouldering (a climbing discipline with strong upward trend often performed indoors) due to the typical low-height backward fall into crashpads. There is still no data about the functional outcome and return to sport of this typical bouldering injury.Materials and methodsAll Patients with elbow dislocations due to a bouldering associated fall between 2011 and 2020 were identified retrospectively in our level I trauma centre. Trauma mechanisms, injury types and therapies were obtained. Follow-up was performed with an online questionnaire including sports-related effects, return to sport and the Elbow Self-Assessment Score (ESAS).Results30 patients with elbow dislocations after bouldering accidents were identified. In 22 (73.3%) patients the injury was a simple dislocation. The questionnaire was completed by 20 patients. The leading mechanism was a low-height fall into crashpads. Surgical procedures were performed in every second patient. 18 patients (90%) reported return to bouldering after 4.7 ± 2.1 months. 12 patients (66.7%) regained their pre-injury level. Mid-/Long-term follow-up (mean 105 ± 37.5 months) showed excellent results in ESAS score (97.2 ± 3.9 points). Persistent limited range of motion or instability was reported by only 3 patients (15%).ConclusionMost athletes are able to return to bouldering but only two thirds regain their pre-injury performance level in this demanding upper-extremity sport. The unique low-height trauma mechanism may create a false sense of security. Specific awareness and safety features should be placed for climbing athletes to reduce elbow injuries.

Corneal tissue engineering: From research to industry, quality of life impact, and Latin American ophthalmologists' perspectives

Background Tissue engineering research aims to address the global shortage of donated corneal tissue, yet challenges persist in clinical translation. This study assesses the pathway from basic research to clinical adoption in corneal tissue engineering. Methods Bibliometric and patent analyses were conducted using the Web of Science-Core Collection and Lens databases to identify top authors, countries, journals, publication trends, inventors, patent statuses, and affiliated companies. A quality-adjusted life year (QALY) analysis compared engineered corneal endothelium to full keratoplasty. A pilot study surveyed thirty ophthalmologist surgeons from eight Latin American countries. Results A strong upward publication trend (R2 = 0.89, p = 1.53x10^-9) in corneal endothelium engineering was observed over the past decade, led by the USA, China, and Japan. Among 614 research papers, 26 patents and 10 companies were identified. Engineered corneal endothelium showed a QALY gain of 0.74 versus 0.07 of corneal transplants. Most survey respondents (97%) expressed interest in adopting engineered corneal endothelium for transplantation if affordability, biocompatibility, and functionality were assured. Conclusions While tissue engineering offers promise in alleviating corneal scarcity, a significant gap remains between scientific advancements and clinical adoption, presenting “death valleys.” Addressing this requires more efficient navigation of the interplay between scientific progress, technology adoption, and clinical practice.

Forecasting Bitcoin Trends Based on the ARIMA Model

This research paper aims to conduct a time series forecasting of the bitcoin mean weighted price using the data from Kaggle. The data has a one-minute resolution and includes the following variables: timestamp, open, high, low, close, volume (BTC), volume (currency), and weighted price. Data analysis was achieved using R, a statistical computing and graphics programming language. The main findings of this research paper were that the bitcoin mean weighted price had a strong upward trend and exhibited high volatility over time. The time series also had weak seasonal and significant random components, indicating periodic fluctuations and noise in the data. Four years of data were used to estimate the mean change for the following month. The results indicate that while the expected value may rise somewhat, it will do so with significant variability and unpredictability. The main implications of this research paper were that there was a potential for profit or loss depending on the timing and strategy of buying or selling bitcoins.

Agricultural Yield Responses to Climate Variabilities in West Africa: A Food Supply and Demand Analysis

Agricultural productivity is expected to decrease under changing climate conditions that correspond to the stability of West African food systems. Although numerous studies have evaluated impacts of climate variability on crop yields, many uncertainties are still associated with climate extremes as well as the rapid population growth and corresponding dietary lifestyle. Here, we present a food supply and demand analysis based on the relationship between climate change, crop production, and population growth in three sites from southwestern Burkina Faso to southwestern Ghana. Climate and agricultural time series were analyzed by using boxplots mixed with a Mann–Kendall trend test and Sen’s slope. Food balance sheets were calculated by estimating the demand using a population growth model linked to food supply with local consumption patterns. We found almost insignificant rainfall and temperature trends for both sites in the Sudano-Guinean savannah. Conversely, the climate regime of southwestern Ghana revealed a strong significant increasing temperature over time. Crop yield trends demonstrated that maize and sorghum were significantly enhanced in both study areas of the Sudano-Guinean savannah. Southwestern Ghana depicted a different crop pattern where cassava and plantain showed a strong upward yield trend. The grouped food balance sheets across the regions illustrated a surplus for the Sudano-Guinean savannah while southwestern Ghana exhibited a deficit. Despite the growing yield of various crops, food demand is outpacing regional production.

A global landscape analysis of the impact, trends, and dissemination in oral and maxillofacial surgery research

ObjectiveThis study aims to comprehensively analyze the global landscape of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) literature through bibliometrics. The research focuses on evaluating publication trends, influential topics, and the impact of scholarly works within the field. MethodsFollowing the principles of the Leiden Manifesto, a literature search was conducted using the Web of Science database, encompassing seven OMFS journals. A total of 18,218 publications were analyzed, with indicators such as publication language, geographic location, specialty, year, citation, and authorship examined. Statistical analyses, including Pearson correlation tests and angular coefficient calculations, were performed in RStudio. ResultsThe study revealed a strong upward trend in publications related to orthognathic surgery, trauma, and infections. Geographic analysis indicated a dominance of European and Asian contributions, with the USA leading in overall publications. The impact of self-citations was explored, emphasizing nuanced perspectives on their role in scholarly impact metrics. The data provided insights into the scholarly impact of OMFS publications, including the H-index, number of citations, and citing articles. ConclusionThe findings underscored potential global discrepancies in OMFS research, both geographically and in terms of topics covered. The study discussed the influence of language and journal impact on citation counts, emphasizing the role of English publications. Specific topics, such as trauma and infections, exhibited high scholarly interest and citation rates. Recommendations were made to encourage submissions on specific topics, such as cosmetic surgery and pathology, to enhance the diversity of OMFS literature. The study aims to foster international collaboration and leverage bibliometrics for evidence-based decision-making, educational strategies, and advancements in the dynamic field of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Earthquake Disaster Fatality Data: Temporally Stable Power Law Behavior and Effects of Underreporting

Abstract We investigate changes in the global reported fatalities from earthquake disasters in the global Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT). Drawing parallels with the Gutenberg–Richter frequency–magnitude analysis, in terms of disaster frequency versus the number of casualties, we see a significant overlap of the curves and improving levels of completeness over six 20-year periods. This implies a decrease in underreporting with time. We find that the apparent strong upward trend in the number of (reported) earthquake disasters in EM-DAT is caused by a gradually improved reporting primarily of events killing fewer than 10 people. Our findings imply that the true (reported and unreported) number of earthquake disasters, according to the EM-DAT definition, has been surprisingly constant over, at least, the last 100 yr. We also show that the average annual number of people killed in earthquake disasters is relatively unaffected by spurious trends in reporting and has remained remarkably constant despite population increase. This implies an impressive reduced mortality risk roughly proportional to population increase since 1900. However, there is no indication in the data that the risk of future mega-disasters is negligible, and further major reductions in vulnerability should be actively pursued.

Long-range, time-varying statistical prediction of annual precipitation in a Mediterranean remote site

In the Mediterranean basin, climate change signals are often representative of atmospheric transients in precipitation patterns. Remote mountaintop rainfall stations are far from human influence and can more easily unveil climate signals to improve the accuracy of long-term forecasts. In this study, the world’s longest annual precipitation time-series (1884–2021) from a remote station, the Montevergine site (1284 m a.s.l.) in southern Italy, was investigated to explain its forecast performance in the coming decades, offering a representative case study for the central Mediterranean. For this purpose, a Seasonal AutoRegressive-exogenous Time Varying process with Exponential Generalised Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (SARX(TVAR)-EGARCH) model was developed for the training period 1884–1991, validated for the interval 1992–2021, and used to make forecasts for the time-horizon 2022–2051, with the support of an exogenous variable (dipole mode index). Throughout this forecast period, the dominant feature is the emergence of an incipient and strong upward drought trend in precipitation until 2035. After this change-point, rainfall increases again, more slightly, but with considerable values towards the end of the forecast period. Although uncertainties remain, the results are promising and encourage the use of SARX(TVAR)-EGARCH in climate studies and forecasts in mountain sites.

Ground-based climate data show evidence of warming and intensification of the seasonal rainfall cycle during the 1960–2020 period in Yangambi, central Congo Basin

Meteorological stations are rare in central Africa, which leads to uncertainty in regional climatic trends. This is particularly problematic for the Congo Basin, where station coverage decreased significantly during the last few decades. Here, we present a digitized dataset of daily temperature and precipitation from the Yangambi biosphere reserve, covering the period 1960–2020 (61 years) and located in the heart of the Congo Basin. Our results confirm a long-term increase in temperature and temperature extremes since the 1960s, with strong upward trends since the early 1990s. Our results also indicate a drying trend for the dry season and intensification of the wet season since the early 2000s. Ongoing warming and increasing precipitation seasonality and intensity already have a significant impact on crop yields in Yangambi. This calls for urgent development of climate-smart and dynamic agriculture and agroforestry systems. We conclude that systematic digitization and climate recording in the Congo Basin will be critical to improve much-needed gridded benchmark datasets of climatic variables.

Trends in pathology diagnoses during 10 years of a colorectal cancer screening programme.

We report pathology findings from the first 10 years of the faecal-occult blood-based Northern Ireland Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, presenting summary data and trends in pathology diagnoses and clinicopathological features of screen-detected cancers. Data were analysed from a comprehensive polyp-level pathology database representing all endoscopy specimens from programme inception in 2010 until 2021. A total of 9800 individuals underwent 13 472 endoscopy procedures, yielding 25 967 pathology specimens and 32 119 diagnoses. Index specimen diagnoses (4.1%) and index colonoscopies (10.4%) yielded a diagnosis of colorectal cancer, representing 1045 cancers from 1020 individuals (25 with synchronous cancers). A further 13 index cancers were identified via computed tomography colonography; 65.3% of cancer diagnoses were in males; 41.7% were stage I, 23.1% stage II, 25.8% stage III and 1.8% stage IV (7.6% unstaged). Of 233 pT1 cancers diagnosed within local excision specimens, 79 (33.9%) had completion surgery. Ten-year trends showed a steady decline in the proportion of index colonoscopies that yielded a diagnosis of cancer (14.7% in year 1; 4.8% in year 11) or advanced colorectal polyp. There was a strong upward trend in diagnoses of sessile serrated lesions, which overtook hyperplastic polyps in proportions of total index diagnoses by the end of the study time-frame (8.7% compared to 8.5%). Over the first 10 years of a population colorectal cancer screening programme, 'real world' pathology data demonstrate success in the form of reduced diagnoses of cancer and advanced colorectal polyp with passage of successive screening rounds. Interesting trends with respect to serrated polyp diagnoses are also evident, probably related to pathologist and endoscopist behaviour.

Some Stochastic Aspects of Safety Work of Steel Wire Ropes Used in Mining-Shaft Hoists

In most rope transport devices, the used steel wire ropes are replaced with new ones after working for a certain period of time, or after reaching the acceptable level of wear. The operational safety of the entire system depends on the correct diagnosis of the condition of the working wire rope. This is not easy, because the working lives of the ropes are varied, and their wear depends on many factors, including random ones. This article presents three different aspects of the work of steel ropes in mining-shaft hoists. What they have in common is a stochastic approach to interpreting the level of rope wear. The process of progressive wear due to fatigue breaking of wires is presented as the first example. This process is non-linear with a strong upward trend, which, in the final stage, turns into a phase often referred to as “explosive”. The rate at which subsequent wire breaks appear is influenced by numerous random factors, e.g., in the form of different methods and materials from which a given rope is constructed. However, the character of the progressing wear process is most affected by the random distribution of stresses experienced by individual wires and the randomly variable nature of the working environment. The second aspect presented in this article is an attempt to determine the probability of wire breaks of the rope. This was presented on the example of wear of the hoisting rope of a mining-shaft hoist. The last aspect of a stochastic nature, which is discussed in the article, is the issue of separating individual components of this distribution from the multimodal distribution describing the tensile strength of the rope wires, possibly of a normal character. Modern methods of analysis allow such distributions to be assigned to specific structural elements of the wire rope. This gives information about which structural elements of the rope wear faster or unusually and, consequently, determine its strength. This was presented on the basis of the results of strength tests of the wires of the mining-shaft hoist rope, which broke due to excessive corrosion wear of the inner strands. The presented examples explain only a short part of randomness in the description of working ropes, but the intention of the authors is to draw the attention of the personnel responsible for their safe operation to unavoidable random factors.

A simple diagnostic based on sea surface height with an application to central Pacific ENSO

Abstract. We use output from a freely running NEMO model simulation for the equatorial Pacific to investigate the utility of linearly removing the local influence of vertical displacements of the thermocline from variations in sea surface height. We show that the resulting time series of residual sea surface height, denoted ηnlti, measures variations in near-surface heat content that are independent of the local vertical displacement of the thermocline and can arise from horizontal advection, surface heat flux, and diapycnal mixing processes. We find that the variance of ηnlti and its correlation with sea surface temperature are focused on the Niño4 region. Furthermore, ηnlti averaged over the Niño4 region is highly correlated with indices of central Pacific El Niño–Southern Oscillation (CP ENSO), and its variance in 21-year running windows shows a strong upward trend over the past 50 years, corresponding to the emergence of CP ENSO following the 1976/77 climate shift. We show that ηnlti can be estimated from observations, using satellite altimeter data and a linear multi-mode model. The time series of ηnlti, especially when estimated using the linear model, show pronounced westward propagation in the western equatorial Pacific, arguing for an important role for zonal advective feedback in the dynamics of CP ENSO, in particular for cold events. We also present evidence that the role of the thermocline displacement in influencing sea surface height increased strongly after 2000 in the eastern part of the Niño4 region, at a time when CP ENSO was particularly active. Finally, the diagnostic is easy to compute and can be easily applied to mooring data or coupled climate models.

A bibliometric analysis and visualization of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease from 2012 to 2021.

As a common chronic liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has attracted increasing attention in the past decade. Nevertheless, there are few bibliometric analyses that systematically study this field as a whole. This paper explores the latest research progress and future research trends of NAFLD through the method of bibliometric analysis. The articles related to NAFLD, published from 2012 to 2021 in the Web of Science Core Collections, were searched on February 21, 2022, using relevant keywords. Two different scientometrics software tools were used to conduct the knowledge maps of NAFLD research field. A total of 7975 articles on NAFLD research were included. From 2012 to 2021, the publications related to NAFLD increased by year. China ranked on the top of the list with 2043 publications, and the University of California System emerged as the premier institution in this field. PLOs One, Journal of Hepatology and Scientific Reports became the prolific journals in this research field. Co-cited reference analysis revealed the landmark literature in this research field. In terms of potential hotspots, the burst keywords analysis revealed that liver fibrosis stage, sarcopenia, and autophagy will become the focus of future NAFLD research. The annual output of the global publications in the field of NAFLD research showed a strong upward trend. Research in the field of NAFLD in China and America is more mature than in other countries. Classic literature lays the foundation for research, and multi-field studies provide the new development directions. And besides, fibrosis stage, sarcopenia and autophagy research are the hot spots and frontiers of this field.

Hail climatology and its possible attributions in Beijing, China: 1980-2021

Hail hazards have caused severe losses and threatened the safety of residents in Beijing, the Chinese capital city. A refined analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of hailstorms in Beijing can help to evaluate the risk of hail and guide the operations of hail prevention. The distribution of weather stations is relatively sparse to figure out the fine distribution of hail events. Therefore, a quality-controlled dataset of disaster information data reported from information reporters is used to analyze the fine temporal and spatial distributions of hail days and events in Beijing from 1980 to 2021 in this study. Hail events and hail days show an obvious downward trend with years from 1981 to 2010, while hail events show a strong upward trend from 2011 to 2021. The seasonal pattern of hail events shows a unimodal distribution from March to October, and the peak appears in June. Most of the hail events occurred from 14:00 to 21:00, while the highest counts appeared from 15:00 to 17:00. More and larger hails occurred in the northwestern mountains rather than southeastern plains in Beijing, highly correlated with the topography. Both total and severe hails hit the mountain area statistically earlier than the plain area. The most frequent hours of hails in the northwestern area and southeastern area were concentrated in the range of 13:00—17:00 and 16:00—20:00 CST, respectively. This time delay is due to the initiation location and movement direction of the convective storms. The influence of ENSO on warm season hails is positive in Beijing, which has a lag of 3 months or longer. The arctic oscillation has a negative correlation with hail days in each month from May to September.

Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Carbon and Water Use Efficiency on the Loess Plateau and Their Influencing Factors

Quantitative assessment of the dynamics of carbon and water use efficiency on the Loess Plateau in the context of complex climate change and its driving mechanisms is important for the improvement of the regional ecological environment and the enhancement of ecological service functions. In order to assess the impact of climate change and human activities on the carbon and water use efficiency of the Loess Plateau, this study investigates the spatial and temporal rates of change in CUE, WUE, and meteorological factors at the image metric scale using one-dimensional linear fit regression, investigates the spatial correlation between CUE and meteorological factors using partial correlation analysis, and quantifies the relative contributions of human activities to CUE and WUE using residual analysis. The following are the study’s conclusions: (1) The CUE and WUE of the Loess Plateau decreased geographically from 2000 to 2020, and both the CUE and WUE of the Loess Plateau exhibited a non-significant declining trend (p > 0.05), with the CUE falling at a rate of 0.001/10a (a: year) and the WUE decreasing at a rate of 0.047/10a (a: year). (2) From 2000 to 2020, the mean values of the CUE and WUE of the Loess Plateau were 0.60 and 1.75, respectively, with a clear spatial difference. (3) CUE was favorably linked with precipitation in 56.51% of the Loess Plateau, dispersed throughout the south-central portion of the Loess Plateau and Inner Mongolia, whereas the biased association with temperature was not statistically significant and often negative. (4) An examination of residuals revealed that human activities affected the trend of CUE and WUE to some degree. Only the WUE residuals of evergreen broadleaf forests exhibited a strong upward trend that was considerably influenced by people. In conclusion, this study used remote sensing image data and meteorological data to systematically analyze the spatial and temporal dynamic patterns of carbon use efficiency and water use efficiency on the Loess Plateau over the past 21 years, as well as the characteristics of their responses to climate change and human activities, thereby providing theoretical guidance for the study of carbon and water cycles in terrestrial ecosystems on the Loess Plateau.

Land surface temperature and human thermal comfort responses to land use dynamics in Chittagong city of Bangladesh

Intense urbanization alters the microclimate and ecology of cities by converting naturally vegetated and permeable surfaces into impervious built-up surfaces. These artificial impermeable surfaces re-balance the surface energy budget by storing solar heat due to their higher thermal conductivity, and consequently, increase the Land Surface Temperature (LST). The higher LST affects the city dwellers' Human Thermal Comfort (HTC). To address these issues, unlike most prior research, we assess not only the influence of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) alterations on summer LST but also on winter LST in Chittagong City of Bangladesh between 1993 and 2020 by using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Additionally, the study evaluates the impact of LULC changes on the HTC during summer as LST substantially affects HTC in summer. The LULC analysis shows an increase in built-up area by 204% from bare lands, vegetated lands, lowlands, and water bodies between 1993 and 2020. In contrast, bare lands were converted from naturally vegetated surfaces, followed by lowlands and water bodies because of anthropogenic activities. The LSTs of Chittagong city, derived from remote sensing data, show a strong upward trend, with summer (winter) ranges of 20.62–34.07 °C (7.50–27.52 °C), 22.82–37.62 °C (14.92–29.32 °C), and 22.32–43.52 °C (17.08–31.83 °C) for 1993, 2007, and 2020, respectively. Between 1993 and 2020, the spatial mean winter and summer LSTs increased by 4.04 °C and 6.45 °C, respectively, or 0.15 °C and 0.24 °C per year. Chittagong had the highest mean LST in built-up areas for all the years. In addition, the study area's HTC gradually shifted to intense heat stress. The summer LST strongly correlated with normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), normalized difference built-up index (NDBI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI) while winter LST exhibited poor correlation with these indices.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychotropic medication uptake: time-series analysis of a population-wide cohort.

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns were predicted to have a major impact on mental health, however current studies have produced contradictory findings with limited longitudinal data. Nine years of linked, individual-level administrative data were used to examine changes in psychotropic medication uptake before and during the pandemic. Medication data from a population-wide prescribing database were linked to demographic and socioeconomic indicators from healthcare registration records (n = 1 801 860). Monthly prescription uptake was split (pre-restrictions: January 2012 to February 2020 and during restrictions: March to October 2020). Auto regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models were trained in R taking into consideration trends and seasonal effects. Forecast ('expected') monthly values were compared with 'actual' values, stratified by demographic factors. Over the study period 38.5% of the study population were in receipt of ≥1 psychotropic medication. Uptake of these medications have been following a strong upward trend since January 2012. In March 2020 uptake of all medications increased beyond expected values, returning to expected trends from May 2020 for antidepressants, anxiolytics and antipsychotics. In the 8 months during restrictions uptake of hypnotic medication was 12% higher than expected among those <18 years, and anxiolytic medication higher than expected in those >65 years. Results suggest an initial 'stockpiling' of medications in March 2020 before trends mostly returned to expected levels. The anticipated tsunami of mental ill health is not yet manifest in psychotropic medication uptake. There are indications of increased anxiety and sleep difficulties in some subgroups, although these conditions may resolve as we emerge from the pandemic without need for psychiatric intervention.