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This research analysed the tendencies of carbon efficiency of the section I (Accommodation and food service activities) in Hungary, broken down to the individual greenhouse gases listed in the Kyoto Protocol. Eurostat Database data have been used to calculate the carbon efficiency. The emitted quantity of greenhouse gas per unit of gross value added (carbon efficiency) has decreased significantly over the period (1995-2021) for carbon dioxide, with a significant improvement for methane emissions. Nitrous gases, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride, nitrogen trifluoride showed no significant change, while emissions of hydrofluorocarbons showed an increasing trend. These gases replaced the former ozone depleting substances as refrigerants after the Montreal Convention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rating scales are ubiquitous in the social sciences, yet may present practical difficulties when response formats change over time or vary across surveys. To allow researchers to pool rating data across alternative question formats, the article provides a generalization of the ordered logit model that accommodates multiple scale formats in the measurement of a single rating construct. The resulting multiscale ordered logit model shares the interpretation as well as the proportional odds (or parallel lines) assumption with the standard ordered logit model. A further extension to relax the proportional odds assumption in the multiscale context is proposed, and the substitution of the logit with other convenient link functions is equally straightforward. The utility of the model is illustrated from an empirical analysis of the determinants of respondents' confidence in democratic institutions that combines data from the European Social Survey, the General Social Survey, and the European and World Values Survey series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the long-term (1952–2020) hydrometeorological observation dataset collected at the Lammin-Suo mire, Leningrad region, Russia. The Lammin-Suo mire is an active (currently peat forming) ombrotrophic mire with intensive peat accumulation and pine - shrub - Sphagnum microtopes, and is thus an example of the most common type of peatland in Eastern Fennoscandia. The data are representative of the wetland taiga region of north-west Russia and can be used to characterise the hydrometeorology and climate of peatland basins and to assess the response of hydrological cycling in peatland basins to changes in climate. The research at the Lammin-Suo Peatland Station focuses on hydrology, meteorology, soil processes and the landscape evolution of the peatland. The dataset includes air temperature, air humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, cloudiness, precipitation, evaporation, snow depth, peat temperature, peatland water level, groundwater level and temperature. Trend analysis shows a statistically significant warming of the air, peat and groundwater, an increase in precipitation, trends of increasing flow in some peatland streams and a decrease in snow cover duration and thickness. The article also provides an assessment of the water balance of the Lammin-Suo mire based on observational data. The database presented and described here is available for download at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5060039.

Exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace can result in injuries and fatalities. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and trend of occupational exposures reported to the Dutch Poisons Information Centre and to investigate whether the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the trend. A retrospective analysis of all acute occupational exposures reported to the Dutch Poisons Information Centre between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2022 was performed. Data on patient and exposure characteristics, symptoms and treatment recommendations were analyzed. Between 2016 and 2022, the Dutch Poisons Information Centre received 5,508 calls regarding acute occupational exposures. The annual number of calls on acute occupational exposures almost doubled over the years studied (from 475 in 2016 to 936 in 2022). During and after the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-December 2022), the number of calls stabilized, but the upward trend was not significantly affected. There were an estimated 0.20 calls per 1,000 human exposure calls per month (95 per cent confidence interval: −0.14; 0.53). Victims were often exposed through multiple routes, with inhalation being the most common route (44 per cent), followed by ocular (32 per cent) and dermal contact (30 per cent). Acids (1,138 exposures) and alkalis (912 exposures) were often involved. The Dutch Poisons Information Centre had information on 6,334 patients, although the total number of exposed patients was not known as some victims did not seek medical assistance, or were treated by healthcare professionals who did not consult our Centre. At the time of contact, 13 per cent (n = 795) of the patients reported no symptoms, 76 per cent (n = 4,805) reported mild to moderate symptoms and 3 per cent (n = 183) reported potentially severe symptoms. Information on symptoms was missing for 9 per cent (n = 551) of the patients. Hospital observation and treatment were recommended for 5 per cent (n = 325) of the patients. This study highlights the necessity for poisoning prevention strategies to reduce the number of work-related incidents involving hazardous substances. The continuing increase in the number of workplace incidents involving hazardous substances is of concern. A comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach should be taken to gain a full understanding of occupational exposure to hazardous substances and to identify risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 lockdowns had strong positive and negative effects on the environment and biodiversity. The most evident effects were the occurrence of wildlife in the middle of urban settlements, the reduction of noise, and the improvement in air quality. However, other effects on species are less well known. Our main question is: did species habitat suitability increase during lockdowns? Here, we analysed trends in species habitat suitability over time by modelling the species distributions with a time series of environmental variables obtained from satellite remote sensing. We modelled the habitat suitability of 381 species of vascular plants, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, before, during, and after the lockdowns in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain), from July 2017 to August 2022 with the Maxent presence-background algorithm and five MODIS variables (Albedo, Evapotranspiration, LST, NDVI, and Surface reflectance) with a periodicity of 8 days, and analysed their trends with the Mann-Kendall test. We compared our results with air quality data (PM10, CO, and NO2) from ground stations and Sentinel 5 P and with mobility data from Google mobility reports. Habitat suitability increased during both lockdowns when considering all species together. The peak in species' habitat suitability trends during the first lockdown was coincident with air quality and mobility trends: air pollution decreased when people stayed at home. Reduction in human mobility during COVID-19 lockdowns revealed positive effects on species’ habitat quality, highlighting the importance of reducing human activities as the only solution for nature conservation.

Background In descriptive epidemiology, there are strong similarities between incidence and survival analyses. Because of the success of multidimensional penalized splines (MPSs) in incidence analysis, we propose in this pedagogical paper to show that MPSs are also very suitable for survival or net survival studies. Methods The use of MPSs is illustrated in cancer epidemiology in the context of survival trends studies that require specific statistical modelling. We focus on two examples (cervical and colon cancers) using survival data from the French cancer registries (cases 1990–2015). The dynamic of the excess mortality hazard according to time since diagnosis was modelled using an MPS of time since diagnosis, age at diagnosis and year of diagnosis. Multidimensional splines bring the flexibility necessary to capture any trend patterns while penalization ensures selecting only the complexities necessary to describe the data. Results For cervical cancer, the dynamic of the excess mortality hazard changed with the year of diagnosis in opposite ways according to age: this led to a net survival that improved in young women and worsened in older women. For colon cancer, regardless of age, excess mortality decreases with the year of diagnosis but this only concerns mortality at the start of follow-up. Conclusions MPSs make it possible to describe the dynamic of the mortality hazard and how this dynamic changes with the year of diagnosis, or more generally with any covariates of interest: this gives essential epidemiological insights for interpreting results. We use the R package survPen to do this type of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the demand for healthy consumption and the use of alternatives to dairy proteins for the development of foods with good nutritional value are growing. Quinoa has received much attention because it contains a high content of proteins, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, dietary fibers, and bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, this content and the bioavailability of specific compounds of interest are related to the genotype, the agri‐environmental conditions, and management practices where quinoa is grown and postharvest management. This article aimed to analyze the research trends for three knowledge areas: quinoa plant breeding for nutraceutical properties, plant–soil relations focused on abiotic stresses, and postharvest and value‐added transformation activities. To this end, a specific methodological design based on bibliometrics and scientometrics methods was used. Through these analyses based on publications' keywords, titles, abstracts, and conclusions sections, for each knowledge area, the key research trends (scope and main topics), the classification of trends based on their development and relevance degree, and the core of knowledge were established. The trends comprise the current state of research. Finally, analyzing the conclusions, recommendations, and future research sections of key publications, a strong correlation among plant breeding research to obtain varieties with tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, nutritional and functional compounds of interest for food safety, and the development of products with higher added value established interest in further research on the potential bioactivity of quinoa and the verification of health benefits to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires are important natural drivers of forest stands dynamics, strongly affecting their natural regeneration and providing important ecosystem services. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of spatiotemporal burnt area (BA) patterns in the Middle Volga region of the Russian Federation from 2000 to 2022, using remote sensing time series data and considering the influence of climatic factors on forest fires. To assess the temporal trends, the Mann–Kendall nonparametric statistical test and Theil–Sen's slope estimator were applied using the LandTrendr algorithm on the Google Earth Platform (GEE). The accuracy assessment revealed a high overall accuracy (>84%) and F-score value (>82%) for forest burnt area detection, evaluated against 581 reference test sites. The results indicate that fire occurrences in the region were predominantly irregular, with the highest frequency recorded as 7.3 over the 22-year period. The total forest BA was estimated to be around 280 thousand hectares, accounting for 1.7% of the land surface area or 4.0% of the total forested area in the Middle Volga region. Coniferous forest stands were found to be the most fire-prone ecosystems, contributing to 59.0% of the total BA, while deciduous stands accounted for 25.1%. Insignificant fire occurrences were observed in young forests and shrub lands. On a seasonal scale, temperature was found to have a greater impact on BA compared with precipitation and wind speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the problem of interrelations between economic factors and military conflicts, examining the role of econometric forecasting in the context of academic management during periods of uncertainty surrounding hostilities. It delves into the two principal theories of classical macroeconomics – neutrality and dichotomy – and explores their applicability to the complex interplay between economic forces and military dynamics. In doing so, it challenges the conventional binary view of conflicts as either war or peace, emphasizing the nuanced gradations that emerge over time. The study highlights the significance of economic advantages in shaping decisions related to military conflicts and underscores the role of econometric forecasting as a critical factor in academic institutions navigating the indirect repercussions of hostilities. The article also presents a comprehensive examination of strategic interactions, introducing distinctions between moves, rounds, and plays in conflict scenarios. Drawing on recent research and publications, the article underscores the importance of understanding the economic principles governing the preservation of peace and forecasting the consequences of such decisions. It references seminal work by economists P. Romer, R. Lucas, R. Barro, I. Salla y Martin, and R. Levine, who laid the foundation for the study of endogenous economic development. The theories of trade and military conflict are two distinct branches in economic analysis and prediction. Trade theory is founded on contractual agreements and mutual benefits, while the military conflict theory centers on competition for dominance. It's important to recognize that various analytical methods exist for modeling equilibrium in such situations, whether they involve active hostilities or the coexistence of armed forces during economic stagnation due to anticipated conflicts. It becomes evident that the decision to initiate or de-escalate a military conflict is primarily driven by economic advantages, even in the domain of academic management. In this context, econometric forecasting techniques play a role in the economic activities of academic institutions, which may experience direct or indirect consequences of hostilities. This is because various sectors must compete for their survival amidst these dynamics. Purpose. The study's objectives include assessing the impact of military budgeting productivity on economic growth using economic and mathematical modeling techniques, with a focus on countries facing uncertainties related to hostilities, evolving budget and tax regulations, and inflation. The article adapts the models of J. Battis and T. Koeli to facilitate this analysis. Methods Macroeconomic Analyses, Economentric Analyses, Trend Analyses Results. Determining the optimal level of taxation to obtain the necessary income for the budgets of academic institutions in conditions of uncertainty in the conduct of hostilities. In conclusion, the study challenges classical economic doctrines by establishing a strong connection between military budget allocation and the real sectors of the economy. It underscores that a nation's economic growth is contingent upon the productivity and effectiveness of its military budgeting, even in a globalized world economic system. This study opens the door to further research in this interdisciplinary field. Keywords: Econometric forecasting, Academic management, Uncertainty, Hostilities, Economic modeling, Endogenous economic development, Academic institutions, Budgeting, Military conflicts, Financial impact, Economic growth, Strategic decision-making, Budget optimization, Risk assessment, Financial efficiency. Methods Macroeconomic Analyses, Economentric Analyses, Trend Analyses fig .: ; tab .: ; bibl .: 9.

Prioritization of groundwater (GW) blocks and identification of factors affecting declining trends (DTs) in seasonal GW are essential to know where and why GW management strategies need to be applied. GW scarcity is observed in the eastern part of Rajasthan, India, in which the Bharatpur division is situated. Thus, in the present study, two innovative approaches are applied for the prioritization of GW blocks and identifying factors affecting DTs in seasonal GW (1994-2018) of each block in districts of the Bharatpur division, Rajasthan. Prioritization of aforesaid GW blocks is performed by using trend analyses in aforesaid TS, while identification of factors affecting DTs in aforesaid TS is performed by analyzing trends in mean temperature (MNTEMP) and rainfall (RF). The results showed that in most of the blocks, GW is found to be declining due to decreasing RF and increasing MNTEMP. The aforesaid approaches are universally applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For proper management of groundwater (GW) resources, appropriate management strategies are necessary. It is essential to know where and why these management strategies need to be applied. For this prioritization of GW blocks and identification of factors affecting declining trends in GW are essential and for addressing these issues, two innovative approaches are applied in the present study. In the first approach, prioritization of GW blocks is performed by employing trend analysis in seasonal groundwater levels (GWLs) while identification of factors affecting declining trends in GW is performed in second approach by analyzing trends in climatic parameters, namely MNTEMP and rainfall (RF). Stage of GW development in most of the blocks in districts of the Ajmer division has already exceeded 100%, which indicated that the scope of GW development is already exhausted. Thus, in the present study, aforesaid approaches are applied at every block in districts of the Ajmer division for proper management of GW resources. Results showed that, in some blocks, GW is found to be significantly declining due to significantly incrementing MNTEMP and declining RF. Also, GW is found to be declining due to declining RF at few blocks and due to significantly incrementing MNTEMP at some blocks in districts of the Ajmer division. HIGHLIGHT Two innovative approaches are suggested and applied in the present study.; First innovative approach is applied for the prioritization of blocks in the Ajmer division.; Also, it is applied for identification of blocks having declining (significant and non-significant) trends in seasonal GW.; The second innovative approach is applied for the identification of factor(s) affecting aforesaid declining trends.; Concurrently analyzing four aspects of trends in seasonal groundwater levels, rainfall and mean temperature.;

Finding the right journal for a manuscript to be submitted is difficult and often time-consuming because authors take into account some criteria while searching for the appropriate journal for their manuscript. One of the most important criteria is the content similarity of the journals and manuscript. For this purpose, the subject of the manuscript should be in accordance with the scope of the journal. Also, the manuscript content should be closed to the journals’ trend for higher chance of acceptance. Second criterion is to take into account the impact-factor, acceptance-rate, review-time and publishing houses of the journal, which are suitable for the author’s past publication profile. In this study, a novel method is proposed in which both the content of the article and the author / authors profile are considered together to find the appropriate journal. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first effort in this direction. Experimental results conducted on real data sets have shown that the proposed method is applicable and performs high accuracy values.

The role of sense of belonging within an educational context has been well-documented. Previous studies on belongingness using OECD-PISA data showed that the degree to which students feel a sense of belongingness to their school varies across countries. The current study extents the prior findings by analyzing the relationship between the sense of belonging and perceived competitiveness and cooperation in schools using the 2018 PISA cycle, including data from 76 countries. Perceived cooperation across all countries and aggregated on the country level was significantly and positively correlated with belongingness. Belongingness regressed on perceived competitiveness and perceived cooperativity results in both variables being significant predictors in the expected directions. Together, the two climate variables explained 18.8% of the variance on belongingness between countries. Thus, there is robust cross-cultural evidence that sense of belongingness is negatively affected by a competitive and positively by a cooperative classroom climate.

Abstract Gaining knowledge of what contextual factors may contribute to changes in student achievement across cycles of international large-scale assessments (ILSA), is important for educational policy and practice. Addressing this necessitates advanced methodology that utilizes the trend design of the ILSAs. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data is suitable for such analyses as it measures students’ competence based on the participating countries curricula. In Norway, students’ performance in mathematics decreased from 2015 to 2019 as evidenced by TIMSS. During this time-period, there are indications that also school climate, student motivation and self-concept decreased. This study investigates whether school climate (including bullying, a safe environment, school emphasis on academic success, and students’ sense of school belonging and well-being), student motivation (including interest-enjoyment and utility value), and self-concept declined from 2015 to 2019, and whether this possible decline is related to the decline in mathematics performance in Norway. The present study utilized a trend approach with mediation structural equation modelling. The results showed that school climate, the utility value of the subject and students’ self-concept declined during this period, and that a safe environment and student self-concept mediated the changes in achievement from TIMSS 2015 to 2019. Hence, declines in a safe school climate and student self-concept were associated with declining achievements. While the study cannot prove a causal relation, it is discussed whether this could indicate that the decline in these predictors may explain the decline in mathematics achievement. The usefulness of the methodological approach for other countries, as well as the implications of the results for policy, practice, and research are discussed.

• A new agro-meteorological drought index (AMDI) is proposed at a local scale. • Precipitation, ET and RH demonstrated increasing seasonal trends with afforestation. • Streamflow and temperature depicted a decreasing trend in the vicinity of forest cover. • The severity and frequency of AMDI decreases at the pixels with dense forest cover. • Elasticities illustrated a significant impact of forest cover on the environment. Changes in forest cover are closely associated with the variability in meteorological and hydrological variables. Therefore, this study delves into investigating how forest cover changes impact the environment (i.e., hydro-meteorological variables, including precipitation, streamflow, relative humidity (RH), evapotranspiration (ET), and temperature) using Trend Projection (TP) methods during 1980–2019. The study is carried out in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan, which witnessed deforestation between 1980 and 2010 followed by afforestation (through billion tree tsunami project, BTTP) initiated in 2014. A new drought index, named as agro-meteorological drought index (AMDI), is developed in this study using the remotely sensed data to analyze the impact of forest cover on drought severity. The robust least square regression (RLSR) model is used to regress the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with AMDI at various time scales to investigate the impact of forest cover on drought severity. The RLSR and paired t -test are used to quantify the impact of forest cover and BTTP, in particular, on the environment. Land use maps prepared for KP province over a span of the past four decades revealed significant deforestation during 1985–2005, transitioning gradually to afforestation in the past decade. Results indicated a decline in streamflow throughout different seasons with an increase in forest cover, particularly during the period of afforestation (i.e., 2015–2019). The precipitation, RH (maximum/minimum), and ET displayed an increasing trend over time, whereas a decrease trend is observed in Tmax/Tmin and streamflow at most of the stations. The trend analyses depicted a significant change before and after the BTTP. The paired t -test results revealed that BTTP has statistically significant impact on the environmental variables. Furthermore, the time series plots of AMDI at different time scales indicated that drought events were frequent and severe prior to 2003, whereas significant decrease in both the frequency and severity of drought was observed in the last decade (2010–2019). The RLSR results at pixel scales demonstrated the crucial role of forest covers in alleviating both the frequency and severity of drought events. The elasticities revealed that increase in the forest cover resulted in substantial increase/decrease in each hydro-meteorological variable. Overall, the results highlighted a positive and statistically significant impact of forest cover (i.e., BTTP) on both the environment and drought variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Cardiovascular health is linked to sugar- and artificially-sweetened beverages (SSBs and ASBs). Prior studies document declines in SSB purchases. However, it is unclear if similar trends exist at convenience and other small food outlets, which often serve lower-income communities and where objective point-of-sales data are difficult to obtain. We examined trends (2014–2017) in observed SSB, ASB, and water purchases at convenience and other small stores as well as differences in purchasing by customer characteristics. Methods We used observational purchase data collected annually (2014–2017) from 3010 adult customers at 147 randomly-sampled stores in Minneapolis/St. Paul, USA. SSB sub-types included any ready-to-drink sweetened soda, fruit, sport, energy, tea, or other drink, and ASBs included artificially-sweetened versions. Unsweetened water included ready-to-drink water. Mixed regression models examined trends over time and associations with customer characteristics, accounting for customers nested within stores and stores repeatedly measured over time. Results Nearly 50% of purchases included an SSB. Approximately 10% included an ASB. There was no evidence of change over time in SSB or ASB purchasing. Customer purchasing of unsweetened water significantly increased over time (5.7 to 8.4%; P for trend = 0.05). SSB purchasing was highest among men, young adults, customers with lower education/ income, and customers that shopped frequently. ASB purchasing was highest among women, those 40–59 years, non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, and customers with higher education/ income. Conclusions Despite research suggesting previous declines in SSB consumption and purchasing in the US, we identified a persistent, high trend of SSB purchasing overtime at convenience and other small food stores. Consumption of SSBs and water are growing targets for public policy and health campaigns. Results demonstrate additional work is needed curb sweetened beverage purchasing and promote water purchasing at convenience and other small food stores, which are often prevalent in low-income and marginalized communities.

• Atmospheric decay of CH materials in a climate change scenario. • Atmospheric deposition trend analysis. • Variability of deposition composition in the last decade. • Updated synthetic hydrometeors for ageing material testing. Outdoor Cultural Heritage (CH) suffers severe damage due to the interaction amongst physical and chemical atmospheric factors. To study the mechanisms of degradation and to test the effectiveness of experimental protective treatments, accelerated ageing tests and artificial rains are widely used. In a scenario where climate and tropospheric composition are changing, the compositional variation of atmospheric deposition might strongly contribute to a gap between the results obtained in laboratory and real-world outdoor exposure. To reduce this gap, updated synthetic solutions, representative of changed deposition, seem necessary for material testing so to set up better conservative strategies. This study provides new formulations of ageing solutions representative of changed deposition in southern Europe, obtained through the analysis of trends and sources of ions in atmospheric bulk depositions (1997–2019 period) collected in a highly polluted area (Po Valley, Italy). [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analysed trends and variability in extreme precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) indices across Uganda. We made use of daily precipitation and temperature datasets from 1979 to 2013 obtained from the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) products of the National Centres for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The PET was estimated using the Hargreaves method based on the minimum and maximum temperature. Analysis was focused on the level of Water Management Zones (WMZs). Examples of the extracted extreme climatic indices included the annual maximum number of consecutive days with precipitation intensity < 1 mm/day (CDD1) or < 5 mm/day (CDD5), annual sum of PET for days with PET rate > 5 mm/day (SPETD5), and spell of high evaporative demand (or annual maximum number of consecutive days with PET > 5 mm/day) (CDPET5). Attributes of the variability in meteorological dry conditions were investigated. Trend and variability were investigated using an approach based on the cumulative sum of difference (CSD) between exceedance and non-exceedance counts of data points. The magnitudes of the linear decrease or increase in the precipitation and PET indices were determined using Sen's method. To apply these methods, the CSD-based Sub (Trend) and Variability Analysis Tool (CSD-VAT) was used. The long-term mean of the extracted indices showed Kyoga and Victoria to be the driest and wettest WMZs, respectively. An increase in the number of dry days (indicating increasing severity of meteorological dry conditions) was confined to the Karamoja region or the eastern parts of the Upper Nile and Kyoga WMZs. However, the rest of the country generally experienced negative trends in the precipitation and PET indices. Extreme precipitation indices of Kyoga and the Upper Nile WMZs exhibited consecutive positive and negative sub-trends over the early 1980s and from 1985 to 2013, respectively. Victoria and Albert WMZs mainly exhibited negative sub-trends for both precipitation and PET indices especially from the mid-1980s to the end of the data. Across Victoria and Albert WMZs, we found that the variability in extreme precipitation indices such as CDD1 and CDD5 was significant (p<0.05). However, these WMZs were characterized by insignificant (p>0.05) variability of the PET indices such as SPETD5 and CDPET5. Changes in the precipitation and PET indices were significantly (p<0.05) found to be positively linked to the quasi-biennial oscillation. The meteorological drought indicators were significantly (p<0.05) negatively correlated with the Indian Ocean dipole and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation. Our findings based on NCEP's CFSR data show that variation in sub-trends of the meteorological dry conditions across Uganda resonates well with the changes in some indicators of large-scale ocean-atmosphere conditions. This is important for planning predictive adaptation to the impacts of climate variability on water resources applications which are sensitive to the severity of meteorological dry conditions. Apart from our findings, we introduced a number of extreme PET indices which can be used for analysis of meteorological dry conditions or drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

So often we seem to speak in abstracts about marketing. We may all nod our heads when it comes to the importance of the basics of digging and delving into the marketplace and thoroughly researching the competition and looking at trend analyses. When we moreover talk about the importance of positioning our brand and differentiating it by means of both an impactful name and packaging that really do express the brand’s character, its DNA, we may all nod our heads again.

Gaining knowledge of what contextual factors may contribute to changes in student achievement across cycles of international large-scale assessments (ILSA), is important for educational policy and practice. Addressing this necessitates advanced methodology that utilizes the trend design of the ILSAs. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data is suitable for such analyses as it measures students' competence based on the participating countries curricula. In Norway, students' performance in mathematics decreased from 2015 to 2019 as evidenced by TIMSS. During this time-period, there are indications that also school climate, student motivation and self-concept decreased. This study investigates whether school climate (including bullying, a safe environment, school emphasis on academic success, and students' sense of school belonging and well-being), student motivation (including interest-enjoyment and utility value), and self-concept declined from 2015 to 2019, and whether this possible decline is related to the decline in mathematics performance in Norway. The present study utilized a trend approach with mediation structural equation modelling. The results showed that school climate, the utility value of the subject and students' self-concept declined during this period, and that a safe environment and student self-concept mediated the changes in achievement from TIMSS 2015 to 2019. Hence, declines in a safe school climate and student self-concept were associated with declining achievements. While the study cannot prove a causal relation, it is discussed whether this could indicate that the decline in these predictors may explain the decline in mathematics achievement. The usefulness of the methodological approach for other countries, as well as the implications of the results for policy, practice, and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) coronavirus pandemic has represented an emergency not only from a clinical point of view, but also for the environment due to the largely increased waste disposal. This study aimed at estimating, in the context of current trends, the increase in healthcare waste (HW) generation during the outbreak, based on data from a tertiary hospital. From the purveying office statements of 'SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo' Hospital of Alessandria (Italy), monthly HW generation data from January 2015 to March 2021 were retrospectively retrieved. Trends and COVID's impact were evaluated by Interrupted Time Series (ITS) design with linear regression models. Locally Weighted Scatterplot Smoothing was used to model the relation between infectious HW generation and proportion of COVID-related bed days. HW generation rose from 35.9 ± 3.8 tonnes month−1 (2.4 ± 0.2 kg per patient-day, kg PD−1) in 2015–2019, to 46.3 ± 6.0 tonnes month−1 (3.3 ± 0.7 kg PD−1) during the outbreak. The increasing trend was not appreciably modified as for its slope (p = 0.363), while a significant level change was found between baseline and outbreak (+ 0.72 kg PD−1, p < 0.001). The proportion of COVID-related bed days non-linearly affected the infectious HW generated per patient-day, with steeper increases for proportions above 20%. The study showed a significant rise in HW generation in 2020–2021, reasonably due to the COVID outbreak; in addition, the generally increasing trend was not affected. Therefore, urgent measures are needed to conciliate safety requirements with HW generation issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of variations in annual, seasonal, and extreme precipitation in the Han River Basin (HRB) were explored using innovative trend analysis, Spearmen's rho test, and Mann-Kendall test. Extreme-value precipitation was analyzed using various precipitation categories (light, low, moderate, high, and extreme). Stations in the north and northeast parts of the basin were more sensitive to precipitation inconsistencies. Hydrologically extreme events such as flood and drought were associated with extreme (> 90th percentile) and light (< 10th percentile) precipitation categories. Significant variability was detected in summer precipitation, whereas annual and extreme precipitation trends were more sensitive in the northeastern parts of the basin, signifying possible flooding aggregation. However, a decrease in flooding in the southern HRB indicated a shift in the precipitation regime from south to north. Overall results suggest that the eastern and northwestern regions were more likely to experience extreme floods during the summer and severe droughts during the fall and winter. An increase in precipitation was observed over time from the south to the north. A warming and wetting trend was observed in the north, while a warming-drying trend was evident in the south. Mitigating hydro-meteorological disasters such as flood and drought in the HRB will require more research attention to these trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular health is linked to sugar- and artificially-sweetened beverages (SSBs and ASBs). Prior studies document declines in SSB purchases. However, it is unclear if similar trends exist at convenience and other small food outlets, which often serve lower-income communities and where objective point-of-sales data are difficult to obtain. We examined trends (2014–2017) in observed SSB, ASB, and water purchases at convenience and other small stores as well as differences in purchasing by customer characteristics. Methods: We used observational purchase data collected annually (2014–2017) from 3010 adult customers at 147 randomly-sampled stores in Minneapolis/St. Paul, USA. SSB sub-types included any ready-to-drink sweetened soda, fruit, sport, energy, tea, or other drink, and ASBs included artificially-sweetened versions. Unsweetened water included ready-to-drink water. Mixed regression models examined trends over time and associations with customer characteristics, accounting for customers nested within stores and stores repeatedly measured over time. Results: Nearly 50% of purchases included an SSB. Approximately 10% included an ASB. There was no evidence of change over time in SSB or ASB purchasing. Customer purchasing of unsweetened water significantly increased over time (5.7 to 8.4%; P for trend = 0.05). SSB purchasing was highest among men, young adults, customers with lower education/ income, and customers that shopped frequently. ASB purchasing was highest among women, those 40–59 years, non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, and customers with higher education/ income. Conclusions: Despite research suggesting previous declines in SSB consumption and purchasing in the US, we identified a persistent, high trend of SSB purchasing overtime at convenience and other small food stores. Consumption of SSBs and water are growing targets for public policy and health campaigns. Results demonstrate additional work is needed curb sweetened beverage purchasing and promote water purchasing at convenience and other small food stores, which are often prevalent in low-income and marginalized communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study assessed trends in gridded (0.25° × 0.25°) Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PET), and precipitation minus PET (PMP) across the four water management zones (WMZs) in Uganda including Kyoga, Victoria, Albert, and Upper Nile. The period considered was 1979–2013. Validation of CFSR datasets was conducted using precipitation observed at eight meteorological stations across the country. Observed precipitation trend direction was satisfactorily reproduced by CFSR data extracted at five out of eight stations. Negative (positive) values of long‐term PMP mean were considered to indicate areas characterized by water scarcity (surplus). Areas with large positive PMP were confined to Lake Victoria and mountains such as Rwenzori and Elgon. The largest negative PMP values were in the arid and semi‐arid areas of north and northeastern Uganda. The null hypothesis H0 (no trend) was rejected (p

This study assessed trends in gridded (0.25° × 0.25°) Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PET), and precipitation minus PET (PMP) across the four water management zones (WMZs) in Uganda including Kyoga, Victoria, Albert, and Upper Nile. The period considered was 1979–2013. Validation of CFSR datasets was conducted using precipitation observed at eight meteorological stations across the country. Observed precipitation trend direction was satisfactorily reproduced by CFSR data extracted at five out of eight stations. Negative (positive) values of long‐term PMP mean were considered to indicate areas characterized by water scarcity (surplus). Areas with large positive PMP were confined to Lake Victoria and mountains such as Rwenzori and Elgon. The largest negative PMP values were in the arid and semi‐arid areas of north and northeastern Uganda. The null hypothesis H0 (no trend) was rejected (p < 0.05) for increasing annual precipitation trends across the various WMZs except in the extreme eastern parts of the Upper Nile, Kyoga, and Victoria WMZs (or areas along the boundary of Uganda and Kenya). The H0 (no trend) was rejected (p < 0.05) for decreasing trends in annual PET over West Nile region of the Upper Nile, western parts of Victoria, and the Albert WMZs. For increasing trend in PMP, the H0 (no trend) was rejected (p < 0.05) across the various WMZs except around the Mount Elgon area. The study findings are relevant for planning of water resources management across the different WMZs in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest fires are significant ecological and environmental phenomena that can be influenced by various climatic factors. This study used fire point records from the Canadian National Fire Database (CNFDB) and interpolated climate data, which include the minimum and maximum air temperature, the average relative humidity, and the precipitation for each subregion of Alberta, Canada, to analyze the patterns and relationships of forest fires and climate variables using trend analysis and anomaly detection methods. The trend analysis was based on the Mann-Kendall test and Sen's slope, which were used to detect the presence and magnitude of monotonic trends in the monthly aggregated data from 1955 to 2022. The anomaly detection is based on the RobustSTL method, which was used to decompose the monthly aggregated data into seasonal, trend, and remainder components, and to identify the periods of significantly high or low values for each component. Most subregions showed a significant increase in temperature and a decrease in humidity, indicating a warming and drying trend due to climate change. Precipitation change was variable across subregions. Human-caused or prescribed forest fires increased significantly in Central Mixedwood, Dry Mixedwood, Lower Foothills, Montane, and Upper Foothills, while lightning-caused forest fires had mixed trends in Dry Mixedwood, Upper Foothills, Central Mixedwood, and Lower Boreal Highlands. The fire occurrence and source were affected by the climate variables in different ways across subregions. The fire occurrence in the Athabasca Plain subregion changed with the air temperature. It was low when the temperature was significantly low, and it was high due to lightning when the temperature was significantly high. The Central Mixedwood subregion had three peaks of lightning-induced fires when the relative humidity was significantly low, and several peaks of fires from human activities and lightning when the air temperature was significantly high. The study also revealed some other interesting patterns and relationships between the climate and fire variables and the forest fire distribution in different subregions, which may help to understand and manage the climate and fire interactions and their implications for forest fire understanding and management in the context of climate change. • Determined the relations between climate and forest fire patterns in Alberta. • Observed warming and drying trends in most of the forested natural subregions. • Applied RobustSTL to detach climate data seasonality before applying trend analyses. • Spotted anomalies in climatic conditions in relation to forest fire occurrences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the extent to which health inequalities among children and adolescents in Germany have developed over the past decade. The analyses are based on data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), which are representative of the 0- to 17-year-old population in Germany. The KiGGS data were collected in three waves: the KiGGS baseline study (2003-2006), KiGGS Wave 1 (2009-2012) and KiGGS Wave 2 (2014-2017). Prevalences of five health outcomes are considered: general health, mental health problems, physical activity, the consumption of sugary soft drinks, and smoking. Moreover, it defines health inequalities in relation to differences in the socioeconomic status of the family (SES), an index derived from the parents’ level of education, occupation and income, and considers both absolute and relative health inequalities. In order to do so, the Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and the Relative Index of Inequality (RII) were calculated using linear probability or log-binomial models. Significant inequalities were identified to the detriment of young people from families with a low SES. These inequalities were particularly pronounced in the KiGGS Wave 2 data with regard to general health and the consumption of sugary soft drinks. Additionally, evidence from trend analyses for these two outcomes suggests that relative inequalities have increased. However, absolute inequalities decreased during the same period, and this also applies to smoking. The persistently high and, in some cases, widened levels of health inequalities indicate that adolescents from families with a low SES do not benefit to the same extent from disease prevention and health promotion measures for children and adolescents as young people from families with a higher SES.

Abstract Background To analyse the psychometric properties of the HBSC Symptom Checklist (HBSC-SCL) on psychosomatic symptoms with a focus on the operating characteristics of the items, and on the impacts of measurement distortions on the comparisons of person measures across time and between countries. Methods Data were collected in 1993/94, 1997/98, 2001/02, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2013/14 in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Data comprised 116,531 students 11, 13 and 15 years old. Rasch analysis was conducted of the HBSC-SCL consisting of eight items with a focus on Differential Item Functioning (DIF) and item threshold ordering. The impacts of DIF and threshold disordering on trend analyses were analysed in a subsample consisting of 15 years old students. Results One item shows evidence of severe DIF and the categorisation of some items does not seem to work as intended. Analyses of changes based on proportions of psychosomatic symptoms show that bad item functioning affects some comparisons between countries across time: A four percentage point difference between 15 years old girls in Finland and Sweden concerning the rate of increase of psychosomatic symptoms from 1994 to 2014 disappears when the problems with DIF and disordered item thresholds are taken into account. Although the proportions of students with psychosomatic symptoms are clearly higher 2014 than 1994 in all four countries the shape of most trends is nonlinear. Conclusions Some of the cross-country comparisons were distorted because of DIF and problems related to disordering of the item thresholds. The comparisons among girls between Finland and Sweden were affected by the problems pertaining to the original measure of psychosomatic symptoms, while the trend patterns among boys were not much affected. In addition to confirming increasing rates of adolescent mental health problems in the Nordic countries, the substantive analyses in the current study show that Finland is joining Sweden in having the sharpest increase among older adolescents, in particular among girls. To improve the functioning of the scale the DIF item could be removed or replaced and response categories collapsed in post hoc analyses.

Research aim: This paper examines the trend of integrated capitals reporting in Asia, given the introduction of the integrated reporting (IR) framework in some of the countries across the continent. Design/ Methodology/ Approach: Using content analysis, the study examines the quality and extent of IR capital reporting based on IR capitals checklist developed based on the International Integrated Reporting Council’s (IIRC) framework. The data were drawn from 332 integrated reports hosted on the website of IIRC related to listed companies across the Asian continent over a four-year period (2015-2018). Research finding: The findings indicate a significant increase in the extent and quality of IR capitals disclosure. It also shows significant improvements in each element of IR capitals such as human capital, intellectual capital, social and relationship capital and natural capital based on the sampled integrated reports. Furthermore, financial capital is the most disclosed capital, while manufactured capital is the least disclosed. Though there is a significant increase in the level of disclosure, the extent of disclosure is more pronounced compared to that of the quality of disclosure. Theoretical contribution/ Originality: This study provides a scientific conclusion on the trend of IR capitals disclosure in the Asian continent using most recent integrated reports. Practitioner/ Policy implication: The findings would assist those charged with governance to monitor their reporting strategies about the IR capitals. It helps to point out the areas of improvement in disclosing each element of the IR capitals. The IIRC would also appreciate the trend of quality and extent of IR capital reporting in the Asian continent. This would, in turn, help in the review for any improvement needed to the framework. Keywords: Asia, Integrated Reporting, Multiple Capitals, Content Analyses, Trend Analyses Type of article: Research Paper JEL Classification: M41, M42

Climate change information at the scale of basin is vital for planning, development and use of water. The Tapi basin is climatically responsive. Hydrological response of a basin is based mainly on rainfall and temperature. Variations in climate at regional scales impacts fundamental features of our life. Thus, in the present work, trend analyses of regional time series (1971-2004) of minimum, mean, maximum temperatures and rainfallis performed for monthly, annual and seasonal scales for the Tapi basin. Correlogram is utilized for evaluation of dependence of data. Mann-Kendall test and Mann-Kendall test with block bootstrapping are applied for the evaluation of trend significance. Sen’s slope test is applied for the evaluation of trend magnitude. Sequential Mann-Kendall test is applied for assessment of beginning and end of the trend. Statistically significant positive trends are detected in regional annual and winter Tmean time series with their beginning in years 1974 and 1972, respectively.

The Mann-Kendall (MK) statistical test has been widely applied in the trend detection of the hydrometeorological time series. Previous studies have mainly focused on the null hypothesis of “no trend” or the “Type I Error.” However, few studies address the capability of the MK test to successfully recognize the trends. In some cases, especially when the trend test is jointly applied with hydropower station design, flood risk assessment, and water quality evaluation, the “Type II error” is equally important and should not be neglected. To cope with this problem, we carry out Monte Carlo simulations and the results indicate that in addition to the significance level and the sample length, the MK test power has a close relationship with the sample variance and the magnitude of the trend. For a given time series with fixed length, the power of the MK test increases as the slope increases and declines with increasing sample variance. A deterministic relationship between the slope and the standard deviation of the white noise that can be used for evaluating the power of the MK test has also been detected. Furthermore, we find that a positive autocorrelation contained in the time series will increase both the Type I and the Type II errors due to the enlargement of the variance in the MK statistics. Finally, we recommend that researchers slightly increase the significance level and lengthen the time series sample to improve the power of the MK test in future studies.

Evaluating and exploring regional eco-environmental quality (EEQ), economic development equality (EDE) and the coupling coordination degree (CCD) at multiple scales is important for realizing regional sustainable development goals. The CCD can reflect both the development level and the interaction relationship of two or more systems. However, relevant previous studies have ignored non-statistical data, lacked multiscale analyses, misused the coupling coordination degree model or have not sufficiently considered economic development equality. In response to these problems, this study integrated multisource remote sensing datasets to calculate and analyse the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) and then used nighttime light data and population density data to calculate the proposed nighttime difference index (NTDI). Next, a modified coupling coordination degree (MCCD) index was proposed to analyse the MCCD between EEQ and EDE. Then, spatiotemporal and multiscale analyses at the county, city, province, urban agglomeration and country levels were performed. Global and local spatial autocorrelation and trend analyses were performed to evaluate the spatial aggregation degree and change trends from 2001 to 2020. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The EEQ of China displayed a fluctuating upwards trend (0.0048 a−1), with average RSEI values of 0.5950, 0.6277, 0.6164, 0.6311 and 0.6173; the EDE of China showed an upwards trend (0.0298 a−1), with average NTDI values of 0.1271, 0.1635, 0.1642, 0.2181 and 0.2490; and China’s MCCD indicated an upwards trend (0.0220 a−1), with values of 0.4614, 0.5027, 0.4978, 0.5401 and 0.5525. (2) The highest global Moran’s I of NTDI and MCCD was achieved at the city scale, while the highest RSEI was achieved at the county scale. From 2001 to 2020, the spatial agglomeration effect of the RSEI decreased, while that of the NTDI and MCCD increased. (3) A power function relationship occurred between NTDI and MCCD at different scales. Furthermore, the NTDI had a higher contribution to improving the MCCD than the RSEI and the R2 of the fitted curve at different scales ranged from 0.8183 to 0.9915.

Social epidemiological research has consistently demonstrated that people with a low socioeconomic status are particularly at risk of diseases, health complaints and functional limitations, and die at younger ages than those with a higher socioeconomic status. Greater stresses and strains in the workplace, family and living environment are under discussion as possible explanations. Health-related behaviours, psycho-social factors and personal resources, which are important in coping with everyday demands, certainly also play a role. From a public health and health policy perspective, reducing these health inequalities is an important goal. Insights into developments and trends in health inequalities over time can contribute towards highlighting new and emerging problems, and can thus help identify possible target groups and settings for relevant interventions. At the same time, these insights provide a basis upon which the success of policies and programmes that have already been implemented can be analysed and measured. Against this background, this review examines how health inequalities in Germany have developed over the last 20 to 30 years and places its findings within the context of the latest international research in this field.

Region: East Africa. Focus: A review of catchment studies (n = 37) conducted in East Africa evaluating the impacts of Land Use and Land Cover Changes (LULCC) on discharge, surface runoff, and low flows. New hydrological insights: Forest cover loss is accompanied by increased stream discharges and surface runoff. No significant difference in stream discharge is observed between bamboo and pine plantation catchments, and between cultivated and tea plantation catchments. Trend analyses show that despite forest cover loss, 63% of the watersheds show non-significant changes in annual discharges while 31% show increasing trends. Half of the watersheds show non-significant trends in wet season flows and low flows while 35% reveal decreasing trends in low flows. Modeling studies estimate that forest cover loss increases annual discharges and surface runoff by 16 ± 5.5% and 45 ± 14%, respectively. Peak flows increased by a mean of 10 ± 2.8% while low flows decreased by a mean of 7 ± 5.3%. Increased forest cover decreases annual discharges and surface runoff by 13 ± 1.9% and 25 ± 5%, respectively. Weak correlations between forest cover and runoff (r = 0.42, p

Determining water level changes in lakes is significant for sustainable water supply planning, flood control, water resource management, and economic development with ecosystem sustainability. Trend analysis is a commonly used tool for detecting changes in hydrologic time series of quantities such as lake level, precipitation and temperature. Trend analysis of meteorological variables is very important for assessing the long-term changes in lake levels. This study examines long-term changes in the lakes in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Kızören and Timraş sinkhole lakes and Lakes Tuz and Beyşehir are some of the lakes located in this region. Changes in these lakes were examined along with changes in precipitation trends and human effects. The precipitation stations representing these lakes were determined using Thiessen polygons. In this study, the well-known nonparametric Mann–Kendall trend test (MK) was used. Before performing trend analysis, homogeneity and autocorrelation tests were applied for the time series. The standard normal homogeneity test (SNHT) was used to evaluate homogeneity. Trend analysis was performed before and after the change points the inhomogeneous series for the period of the homogeneous series. In addition, the modified Mann–Kendall method (MMK) was performed to examine the strong autocorrelations seen in the entire time series. The results showed that precipitation station data are homogeneous and lake levels are inhomogeneous. Trend analysis was performed by determining the change points for the inhomogeneous lakes. There were no significant trends after the change points for the Lake Tuz and Timraş sinkhole lake. These results are supported by the insignificant trends in precipitation stations. Contrary to the trend analysis results, the increase in the water level of Beyşehir Lake was determined to increment from the water transferred to the lake. The decrease in the water level of Kızören sinkhole was a result of anthropogenic effect rather than precipitation. The results confirm that lake levels have been affected by precipitation trends and anthropogenic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer-incidence and mortality-trend analyses require appropriate statistical modelling. In countries without a nationwide cancer registry, an additional issue is estimating national incidence from local-registry data. The objectives of this study were to (i) promote the use of multidimensional penalized splines (MPS) for trend analyses; (ii) estimate the national cancer-incidence trends, using MPS, from only local-registry data; and (iii) propose a validation process of these estimates.Methods: We used an MPS model of age and year for trend analyses in France over 1990-2015 with a projection up to 2018. Validation was performed for 22 cancer sites and relied essentially on comparison with reference estimates that used the incidence/health-care ratio over the period 2011-2015. Alternative estimates that used the incidence/mortality ratio were also used to validate the trends.Results: In the validation assessment, the relative differences of the incidence estimates (2011-2015) with the reference estimates were <5% except for testis cancer in men and < 7% except for larynx cancer in women. Trends could be correctly derived since 1990 despite incomplete histories in some registries. The proposed method was applied to estimate the incidence and mortality trends of female lung cancer and prostate cancer in France.Conclusions: The validation process confirmed the validity of the national French estimates; it may be applied in other countries to help in choosing the most appropriate national estimation method according to country-specific contexts. MPS form a powerful statistical tool for trend analyses; they allow trends to vary smoothly with age and are suitable for modelling simple as well as complex trends thanks to penalization. Detailed trend analyses of lung and prostate cancers illustrated the suitability of MPS and the epidemiological interest of such analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change information at the scale of basin is vital for planning, development and use of water. The Tapi basin is climatically responsive. Hydrological response of a basin is based mainly on rainfall and temperature. Variations in climate at regional scales impacts fundamental features of our life. Thus, in the present work, trend analyses of regional time series (1971-2004) of minimum, mean, maximum temperatures and rainfallis performed for monthly, annual and seasonal scales for the Tapi basin. Correlogram is utilized for evaluation of dependence of data. Mann-Kendall test and Mann-Kendall test with block bootstrapping are applied for the evaluation of trend significance. Sen's slope test is applied for the evaluation of trend magnitude. Sequential Mann-Kendall test is applied for assessment of beginning and end of the trend. Statistically significant positive trends are detected in regional annual and winter Tmean time series with their beginning in years 1974 and 1972, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of the survey on the needs and expectations of people affected by the tax reform so that to assess the tax reform in Slovak Republic along with the overall satisfaction with the tax & customs system and also to identify deficiencies in the area of tax and customs administration. We have started from the existing functional organizational structures and tax administration systems not only in Slovakia, but also in Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovenia, while the basic prerequisite for the study was to increase the efficiency of the tax system as a whole. Based on the trend analysis, we assume that the tax and customs reform will make a significant contribution to increasing the system efficiency and, ultimately, to a more positive perception of taxes.

Over recent decades, wildfire activity across western North America has increased in concert with summertime air quality degradation in western US urban centers. Using a Lagrangian atmospheric modeling framework to simulate smoke transport for almost 20 years, we quantitatively link decadal scale air quality trends with regional wildfire activity. Modeled smoke concentrations correlate well with observed fine-mode aerosol (PM _2.5 ) concentrations (R > 0.8) at the urban centers most impacted by smoke, supporting attribution of observed trends to wildfire sources. Many western US urban centers (23 of 33 total) exhibit statistically significant trends toward enhanced, wildfire-driven, extreme (98th quantile) air quality episodes during the months of August and September for the years 2003–2020. In the most extreme cases, trends in 98th quantile PM _2.5 exceed 2 μ g m ^−3 yr ^−1 , with such large trends clustering in the Pacific Northwest and Northern/Central California. We find that the Pacific Northwest is uniquely impacted by smoke from wildfires in the mountainous Pacific Northwest, California, and British Columbia, leading to especially robust degradation of air quality. Summertime PM _2.5 trends in California and the Intermountain West are largely explained by wildfires in mountainous California and the American Rockies, respectively. These results may inform regional scale forest management efforts, and they present significant implications for understanding the wildfire—air quality connection in the context of climate driven trends toward enhanced wildfire activity and subsequent human exposure to degraded air quality.

Toxic phytoplankton have been detrimental to the fishing and aquaculture industry on the east coast of Tasmania, causing millions of dollars in loss due to contaminated seafood. In 2012–2017, shellfish stocks were poisoned by Alexandrium catenella, a dinoflagellate species that produces paralytic shellfish toxins (PST). Remote sensing data may provide an environmental context for the drivers of PST events in Tasmania. We conducted spatial and temporal trend analyses of the Multi-Scale Ultra-High-Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (MUR SST) and Ocean Color Climate Change Initiative chlorophyll-a (OC-CCI chl-a) to determine if SST and chl-a correlated with the major toxin increases from 2012 to 2017. Along with the trends, we compare the remotely sensed oceanographic parameters of SST and chl-a to toxin events off the east coast of Tasmania to provide environmental context for the high-toxin period. Spatial and temporal changes for chl-a differ based on the north, central, and southeast coast of Tasmania. For sites in the north, chl-a was 5.3% higher from the pre-PST period relative to the PST period, 5.1% along the central part of the coast, and by 6.0% in the south based on deviations from the coastal study area time series. Overall, SST has slightly decreased from 2007 to 2020 (tau = −0.011, p = 0.827) and chl-a has significantly decreased for the east coast (tau = −0.164, p = 1.58 × 10−3). A negative relationship of SST and PST values occurred in the north (r = −0.530, p = 5.32 × 10−5) and central sites (r = −0.225, p = 0.157). The correlation between satellite chl-a (from OC-CCI, Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Aqua) and in situ data is weak, which makes it difficult to assess relationships present between chl-a and toxin concentrations. Moving forward, the development of a regional chl-a algorithm and increased in situ chl-a collection and plankton sampling at a species level will help to improve chl-a measurements and toxic phytoplankton production monitoring around Tasmania.

The article analyses the values of daily, monthly and annual precipitation measured during the period 1948–2019 at the following four stations: (1) Split, (2) Hvar, (3) Lastovo and (4) Zagreb. The first three stations are located in a Mediterranean climate, while the station in Zagreb is located in a continental climate. The aim of the performed analyses is to detect non-stationarity (trends, jumps, and seasonality) in the precipitation regime at three-time scales (day, month, and year) over the period of the last 72 years (1948–2020). Numerous previous analyses at all four stations showed statistically significant increases in air temperature, which were particularly amplified in the late 1980s by the effect of global warming. Expressed as a percentage of the total annual precipitation at all four analysed locations, the presence of an increasing trend was calculated. The analyses carried out in this work showed that there was a redistribution of precipitation during the year, a decrease in the number of days with precipitation and an intensification of precipitation in both climatic regions. Over the past 73 years, the number of days with precipitation per year has slowly decreased. The number of days with intense precipitation, P ≥ 32.0 mm, has become more frequent.

Hydrological and meteorological studies have showed that hydrological processes and water resources have been significantly affected by climate change and especially by increasing greenhouse gases and temperature. In this study, trend analysis of precipitation in Trabzon, which is the most important province of Eastern Black Sea Region, was carried out using Mann-Kendall and Şen's Innovative Trend methods. For this purpose; total precipitation time series on annual, seasonal and monthly basis for two meteorological stations in Trabzon (Trabzon and Akçaabat) were used. Prior to trend analysis, Standard Normal Homogeneity and Von-Neumann tests were performed on the annual total precipitation data so as to test whether the nonclimatic changes occurred in time. Before applying Mann-Kendall Method, serial dependence of the data was examined. The data having serial dependence were removed by using Trend Free Prewhitening Method. When the results are analyzed; while trends were generally not detected in the Mann- Kendall Method, according to, there were various trends in five different data ranges of the Şen's Innovative Trend Method. In both stations, increasing trends were generally observed in autumn and spring. While there was generally no trend in the Trabzon station for the summer, the decreasing trend appeared in the Akçaabat station. When the annual total precipitation of different data ranges was evaluated, generally increasing trends for Trabzon station, and no trends for Akçaabat station were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrological and meteorological studies indicate that hydrological processes and water resources are significantly affected by the climate change, particularly with increasing greenhouse gases and temperature. In this study, the trend analyses of the biggest precipitation intensity values in Trabzon, the most populous province of the Eastern Black Sea Basin in Turkey, have been carried out by using Mann-Kendall and Şen's Innovative Trend methods. In line with this purpose; the precipitation intensity data of standard time series from 5 minutes to 24 hours for two meteorological stations in Trabzon (Trabzon and Akçaabat) were used. Before carrying out trend analyses, the Run (Swed Eisenhart) Homogeneity Test was applied to all data and non-homogeneous data were not analysed. Before applying the Mann-Kendall Method, the internal dependency of the data was examined. When the analysis results are reviewed; in Trabzon Meteorology Station an increasing trend for intensities of all-time series has been detected, whereas in the Akçaabat Meteorology Station, a general result of the trend could not be obtained as most the data related to different time series were not homogeneous data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To analyse the psychometric properties of the HBSC Symptom Checklist (HBSC-SCL) on psychosomatic symptoms with a focus on the operating characteristics of the items, and on the impacts of measurement distortions on the comparisons of person measures across time and between countries.Methods: Data were collected in 1993/94, 1997/98, 2001/02, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2013/14 in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Data comprised 116,531 students 11, 13 and 15 years old. Rasch analysis was conducted of the HBSC-SCL consisting of eight items with a focus on Differential Item Functioning (DIF) and item threshold ordering. The impacts of DIF and threshold disordering on trend analyses were analysed in a subsample consisting of 15 years old students.Results: One item shows evidence of severe DIF and the categorisation of some items does not seem to work as intended. Analyses of changes based on proportions of psychosomatic symptoms show that bad item functioning affects some comparisons between countries across time: A four percentage point difference between 15 years old girls in Finland and Sweden concerning the rate of increase of psychosomatic symptoms from 1994 to 2014 disappears when the problems with DIF and disordered item thresholds are taken into account. Although the proportions of students with psychosomatic symptoms are clearly higher 2014 than 1994 in all four countries the shape of most trends is nonlinear.Conclusions: Some of the cross-country comparisons were distorted because of DIF and problems related to disordering of the item thresholds. The comparisons among girls between Finland and Sweden were affected by the problems pertaining to the original measure of psychosomatic symptoms, while the trend patterns among boys were not much affected. In addition to confirming increasing rates of adolescent mental health problems in the Nordic countries, the substantive analyses in the current study show that Finland is joining Sweden in having the sharpest increase among older adolescents, in particular among girls. To improve the functioning of the scale the DIF item could be removed or replaced and response categories collapsed in post hoc analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]