Many epidemiological studies involve analysis of clusters of diseases to infer locations of environmental hazards that could be responsible for the disease. This approach is however only suitable for sedentary populations or diseases with small latency periods. For migratory populations and diseases with long latency periods, people may change their residential location between time of exposure and onset of ill health. For such situations, clusters are diffused and diluted by in- and out-migration and may become very difficult to detect. One way to address the problem of diffused clusters is to include in analyses not only current residential locations, but all past locations at which cases might have been exposed to environmental hazardous. In this paper, we assume that a persons residential history provides such information and represent it through a discrete geospatial lifeline data model. Clusters of similar geospatial lifelines represent individuals who have similar residential histories—and therefore represent people who are more likely to have had similar environmental exposure histories. We therefore introduce a lifeline distance (dissimilarity) measure to detect clusters of cases, providing a basis for revealing possible regions in space-time where environmental hazards might have existed in the past. The ability of the measure to distinguish cases from controls is tested using two sets of synthetically generated cases and controls. Results indicate that the measure is able to consistently distinguish between populations of cases and controls with statistically significant results. The lifeline distance measure consistently outperforms another measure which uses only the distance between subjects residences at time of diagnosis. However, the advantages of using the entire residential history are only partly realized, since the ability to distinguish between cases and controls is only moderately better for the lifeline distance function. Future work is needed to investigate modifications to the inter-lifeline distance measure in order to enhance the potential of this approach to detect locations of environmental hazards over the lifespan.This project is supported by grant number 1 R01 ES09816-01 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIEHS or NIH. We wish to thank Peter Rogerson for helpful discussions of the migration models, and the anonymous reviewers for pointing out areas where the paper could be improved. 相似文献
A working model of tectono-sedimentary evolution is proposed for the Cheb Basin, a polyhistory sedimentary basin formed between the late Oligocene and Pliocene by reactivation of basement fracture systems in the northwestern part of the Bohemian Massif. The basin is located at the intersection of the Ohe (Eger) Graben structural domain, characterized by dominance of NE-striking graben systems in present-day geology, and the NW-striking Cheb-Domalice Graben, a major strike-slip – dominated structure in Western Bohemia. The first significant depositional episode in the Cheb Basin coincides with the deposition of late Oligocene-Miocene clastics in the whole extensional system of the Ohe Graben, controlled by E-W – trending depocenters. The main structural feature of the Cheb Basin region at that time was a palaeohigh caused by a NW- trending accommodation zone separating minor E-W – trending depocentres. The second, late Pliocene, episode of sedimentation occurred under a very different kinematic regime than the Oligo-Miocene rift basin evolution. During this time, the present-day structure of the Cheb Basin and the Cheb-Domalice Graben formed as a consequence of sinistral displacement on the Mariánské Lázn Fault Zone. Reactivation of this strike-slip fault zone led to the formation of a horsetail splay of oblique-extensional faults at the northern termination of the Mariánské Lázn Fault Zone, which contained the present-day Cheb Basin.相似文献
Over recent decades, research has been directed to assessing the impacts of land uses on valuable natural assets, such as the Great Barrier Reef. Land managers in adjacent areas are expected to adopt practices to minimize any adverse affects on downstream environments. Conversely, researchers are being pressed to provide answers to the problems. In response, researchers and environmental managers are bombarding land managers with information regarding the potential environmental implications of their practices. Is this an effective mode to achieve on-ground change?
Collaboration between all groups – research, industry and extension – may be more effective in developing and implementing practical solutions to these more complex issues. A change from the research and extension models currently used may be needed to achieve positive resource management outcomes.
Research, development and extension initiatives underway in the Australian sugar industry to improve farm practice and reduce the potential for adverse impacts on downstream environments are discussed. Case studies provide some insights into how science and extension skills work best together and how an industry group can respond to a community concern. 相似文献
PETROLOGY AND AGE OF THE KINNAR KAILAS GRANITE:EVIDENCES FOR AN ORDOVICIAN POST-OROGENIC EXTENSION IN THE HIGHER HIMALAYAN CRYSTALLINE, SUTLEJ, INDIA 相似文献