Publications by authors named "J E Fitchett"

Questionnaires exploring tourists' perceptions of ideal climatic conditions are argued to be a more suitable data source for the development of tourism climate indices than the utilization and integration of expert opinion and pre-established thresholds. This assumes that those tourist respondents can accurately quantify meteorological conditions at a given point in time, and effectively discriminate between meteorological thresholds of suitable and unsuitable conditions. For variables such as rainfall and sunshine hours, this assumption is fairly reasonable.

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Article Synopsis
  • Research over the past decade shows a correlation between weather and climate factors (like temperature and sunlight) and mental health issues, including hospital admissions.
  • A study involving 50 mental health practitioners in South Africa revealed that all participants recognized a link between climate variables and mental health, particularly through the lens of seasonal affective disorder.
  • Most practitioners agreed that sunlight positively impacts mental health, while many also noted that higher temperatures negatively affect mental health symptoms; however, the influence of precipitation was less commonly acknowledged.
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Vaccines based on messenger RNA technology have been tremendously successful, but their properties are not necessarily ideal for all pathogens. There is a risk that concentration on that technology alone for new vaccine development will ignore older technologies that have properties giving broader and more persistent protection.

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There is growing concern over the increased risk of heat stress induced by the changing climate, with increased global temperatures expected to exacerbate conditions. Heat stress in school sports is a critically understudied research area in South Africa (SA). As demonstrated by several studies conducted in the global north, the stress elicited by meteorological conditions on students participating in physical education lessons and after-school sports activities could have serious consequences on their health.

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