scholarly journals Subjective wellbeing at different spatial scales for individuals satisfied and dissatisfied with life

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Kubiszewski ◽  
Nabeeh Zakariyya ◽  
Diane Jarvis

Indicators that attempt to gauge wellbeing have been created and used at multiple spatial scales around the world. The most commonly used indicators are at the national level to enable international comparisons. When analyzing subjective life satisfaction (LS), an aspect of wellbeing, at multiple spatial scales in Australia, variables (drawn from environmental, social, and economic domains) that are significantly correlated to LS at smaller scales become less significant at larger sub-national scales. The reverse is seen for other variables, which become more significant at larger scales. Regression analysis over multiple scales on three groups (1) all individuals within the sample, (2) individuals with self-reported LS as dissatisfied (LS ≤ 5), and (3) individuals self-reporting LS as satisfied (LS > 5), show that variables critical for LS differ between subgroups of the sample as well as by spatial scale. Wellbeing measures need to be created at multiple scales appropriate to the purpose of the indicator. Concurrently, policies need to address the factors that are important to wellbeing at those respective scales, segments, and values of the population.

Author(s):  
Robert Francis ◽  
David Berg ◽  
Neil Ford ◽  
Ashley Walters

Few ecological niche models (ENM) incorporate the Eltonian niche or examine a population’s niche at multiple spatial scales. We used Bayesian Joint Species Distribution Models (JSDMs) across multiple spatial scales to examine whether freshwater mussel communities in east Texas adhered to the Eltonian Noise Hypothesis, which asserts that species interactions exert greater influence on conspecific species at finer spatial scales. For both abundance and presence data, we observed a statistically greater number of strong interactions at the finest spatial scale compared to larger spatial scales. While 34% of abundance interactions and 24% of presence interactions showed strong positive relationships, only 6% of abundance interactions and 0% of presence interactions showed strong negative relationships. We found that freshwater mussel communities conform to the Eltonian Noise Hypothesis. Inclusion of the Eltonian niche and consideration of spatial scale are necessary to accurately model niches and increase efficacy of ENMs as conservation tools.


Author(s):  
Lauren Grant ◽  
Chris Gennings ◽  
Edmond Wickham ◽  
Derek Chapman ◽  
Shumei Sun ◽  
...  

In public health research, it has been well established that geographic location plays an important role in influencing health outcomes. In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on the impact of neighborhood or contextual factors as potential risk factors for childhood obesity. Some neighborhood factors relevant to childhood obesity include access to food sources, access to recreational facilities, neighborhood safety, and socioeconomic status (SES) variables. It is common for neighborhood or area-level variables to be available at multiple spatial scales (SS) or geographic units, such as the census block group and census tract, and selection of the spatial scale for area-level variables can be considered as a model selection problem. In this paper, we model the variation in body mass index (BMI) in a study of pediatric patients of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Medical Center, while considering the selection of spatial scale for a set of neighborhood-level variables available at multiple spatial scales using four recently proposed spatial scale selection algorithms: SS forward stepwise regression, SS incremental forward stagewise regression, SS least angle regression (LARS), and SS lasso. For pediatric BMI, we found evidence of significant positive associations with visit age and black race at the individual level, percent Hispanic white at the census block group level, percent Hispanic black at the census tract level, and percent vacant housing at the census tract level. We also found significant negative associations with population density at the census tract level, median household income at the census tract level, percent renter at the census tract level, and exercise equipment expenditures at the census block group level. The SS algorithms selected covariates at different spatial scales, producing better goodness-of-fit in comparison to traditional models, where all area-level covariates were modeled at the same scale. These findings underscore the importance of considering spatial scale when performing model selection.


10.1068/d9s ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Swyngedouw

In this paper I critically assess the alleged process of globalisation of the world economy. Five interrelated themes are addressed. First, I argue that the ‘real’ myth of the globalisation discourse is part of an intensifying ideological, political, socioeconomic, and cultural struggle over the organisation of society and the position of the citizen therein. Second, the ‘mythical’ resurrection of the ‘local’ or ‘regional’ scale—both in theory and in practice—is an integral part of the ‘myth’ of globalisation. Third, the preeminence of the ‘global’ in much of the literature and political rhetoric obfuscates, marginalises, and silences an intense and ongoing sociospatial struggle in which the reconfiguration of spatial scales of governance takes a central position. Fourth, the ‘rhetoric’ of globalisation is paralleled by and facilitates the emergence of more authoritarian or at least autocratic forms of governance. Fifth, the proliferation of new modes and forms of resistance to the restless process of deterritorialisation-reterritorialisation of capital requires greater attention to ‘spatial scale’ in order to assess how the emerging new ‘gestalt of scale’ could be turned into an emancipatory and empowering process.


The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua J. Lawler ◽  
Thomas C. Edwards

Abstract The recognition of the importance of spatial scale in ecology has led many researchers to take multiscale approaches to studying habitat associations. However, few of the studies that investigate habitat associations at multiple spatial scales have considered the potential effects of cross-scale correlations in measured habitat variables. When cross-scale correlations in such studies are strong, conclusions drawn about the relative strength of habitat associations at different spatial scales may be inaccurate. Here we adapt and demonstrate an analytical technique based on variance decomposition for quantifying the influence of cross-scale correlations on multiscale habitat associations. We used the technique to quantify the variation in nest-site locations of Red-naped Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) and Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus) associated with habitat descriptors at three spatial scales. We demonstrate how the method can be used to identify components of variation that are associated only with factors at a single spatial scale as well as shared components of variation that represent cross-scale correlations. Despite the fact that no explanatory variables in our models were highly correlated (r < 0.60), we found that shared components of variation reflecting cross-scale correlations accounted for roughly half of the deviance explained by the models. These results highlight the importance of both conducting habitat analyses at multiple spatial scales and of quantifying the effects of cross-scale correlations in such analyses. Given the limits of conventional analytical techniques, we recommend alternative methods, such as the variance-decomposition technique demonstrated here, for analyzing habitat associations at multiple spatial scales.


2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1470-1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colden V Baxter ◽  
F Richard Hauer

The distribution and abundance of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) spawning were affected by geomorphology and hyporheic groundwater - stream water exchange across multiple spatial scales in streams of the Swan River basin, northwestern Montana. Among spawning tributary streams, the abundance of bull trout redds increased with increased area of alluvial valley segments that were longitudinally confined by geomorphic knickpoints. Among all valley segment types, bull trout redds were primarily found in these bounded alluvial valley segments, which possessed complex patterns of hyporheic exchange and extensive upwelling zones. Bull trout used stream reaches for spawning that were strongly influenced by upwelling. However, within these selected reaches, bull trout redds were primarily located in transitional bedforms that possessed strong localized downwelling and high intragravel flow rates. The changing relationship of spawning habitat selection, in which bull trout selected upwelling zones at one spatial scale and downwelling zones at another spatial scale, emphasizes the importance of considering multiple spatial scales within a hierarchical geomorphic context when considering the ecology of this species or plans for bull trout conservation and restoration.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-48
Author(s):  
A. Iraji ◽  
A. Faghiri ◽  
Z. Fu ◽  
S. Rachakonda ◽  
P. Kochunov ◽  
...  

Abstract We introduce an extension of independent component analysis (ICA), called multiscale ICA (msICA), and design an approach to capture dynamic functional source interactions within and between multiple spatial scales. msICA estimates functional sources at multiple spatial scales without imposing direct constraints on the size of functional sources, overcomes the limitation of using fixed anatomical locations, and eliminates the need for model-order selection in ICA analysis. We leveraged this approach to study sex-specific and -common connectivity patterns in schizophrenia. Results show dynamic reconfiguration and interaction within and between multi-spatial scales. Sex specific differences occur (1) within the subcortical domain, (2) between the somatomotor and cerebellum domains, and (3) between the temporal domain and several others, including the subcortical, visual, and default mode domains. Most of the sex-specific differences belong to between-spatial scale functional interactions and are associated with a dynamic state with strong functional interactions between the visual, somatomotor, and temporal domains and their anticorrelation patterns with the rest of the brain. We observed significant correlations between multi-spatial scale functional interactions and symptom scores,highlighting the importance of multiscale analyses to identify potential biomarkers for schizophrenia. As such, we recommend such analyses as an important option for future functional connectivity studies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Iraji ◽  
A. Faghiri ◽  
Z. Fu ◽  
S. Rachakonda ◽  
P. Kochunov ◽  
...  

AbstractWe introduce an extension of independent component analysis (ICA), called multiscale ICA (msICA), and design an approach to capture dynamic functional source interactions within and between multiple spatial scales. msICA estimates functional sources at multiple spatial scales without imposing direct constraints on the size of functional sources, overcomes the limitation of using fixed anatomical locations, and eliminates the need for model-order selection in ICA analysis. We leveraged this approach to study sex-specific and -common connectivity patterns in schizophrenia.Results show dynamic reconfiguration and interaction within and between multi-spatial scales. Sex-specific differences occur (1) within the subcortical domain, (2) between the somatomotor and cerebellum domains, and (3) between the temporal domain and several others, including the subcortical, visual, and default mode domains. Most of the sex-specific differences belong to between-spatial scale functional interactions and are associated with a dynamic state with strong functional interactions between the visual, somatomotor, and temporal domains and their anticorrelation patterns with the rest of the brain. We observed significant correlations between multi-spatial-scale functional interactions and symptom scores, highlighting the importance of multiscale analyses to identify potential biomarkers for schizophrenia. As such, we recommend such analyses as an important option for future functional connectivity studies.


Author(s):  
Jakob Wildraut ◽  
Marco Basile

ABSTRACT Landscape configuration can influence the distribution of species across multiple spatial scales. The primary factors related to this process are connectivity, the size and position of habitat patches, and edge effects. These factors together determine the overall fragmentation of a landscape, which in turn influences species occurrence. Although some species show a negative response to fragmentation, others benefit from it. Potential effects may act over multiple spatial scales, possibly with contrasting effects on species occurrence. We chose the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), a ubiquitous and generalist species, to study the influence of fragmentation on species occurrence and to identify relevant landscape metrics, using multi-scale hierarchical modelling. Between 2016 and 2018, we recorded Tawny Owls on 64 sampling sites located in a forested landscape. We used a space-for-time substitution in the framework of occupancy modelling to assess Tawny Owl responses to landscape fragmentation. We found that the Tawny Owl is widespread in the study area. Its distribution across the landscape (larger spatial scale) was related to a heterogeneous configuration of forest patches, while high connectivity of coniferous forest influenced its occurrence at a smaller spatial scale (sites). Overall, the Tawny Owl prefers landscapes with well-connected forest patches and an uneven patch distribution in the surrounding area.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasida Ben-Zur

Abstract. The current study investigated the associations of psychological resources, social comparisons, and temporal comparisons with general wellbeing. The sample included 142 community participants (47.9% men; age range 23–83 years), who compared themselves with others, and with their younger selves, on eight dimensions (e.g., physical health, resilience). They also completed questionnaires assessing psychological resources of mastery and self-esteem, and three components of subjective wellbeing: life satisfaction and negative and positive affect. The main results showed that high levels of psychological resources contributed to wellbeing, with self-enhancing social and temporal comparisons moderating the effects of resources on certain wellbeing components. Specifically, under low levels of mastery or self-esteem self-enhancing social or temporal comparisons were related to either higher life satisfaction or positive affect. The results highlight the role of resources and comparisons in promoting people’s wellbeing, and suggest that self-enhancing comparisons function as cognitive coping mechanisms when psychological resources are low.


2019 ◽  
Vol 612 ◽  
pp. 29-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
NR Evensen ◽  
C Doropoulos ◽  
KM Morrow ◽  
CA Motti ◽  
PJ Mumby

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