Elsevier,
Genomics, Volume 113, November 2021
The high rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection poses a serious threat to public health. Previous studies have suggested that SARS-CoV-2 can infect human ovary, the core organ of the female reproductive system. However, it remains unclear which type of ovarian cells are easily infected by SARS-CoV-2 and whether ovarian infectivity differs from puberty to menopause.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated energy insecurity and economic hardship among vulnerable populations. This paper provides robust empirical evidence of the degree to which COVID-19 mitigation measures, especially the mandates of school closure and limiting business operations, have impacted electricity consumption behavior in low-income and ethnic minority groups in the United States. We use a regression discontinuity design applied to individual-consumer-level high-frequency smart meter data in Arizona and Illinois to highlight the disparities in mitigation measure impacts.
Elsevier,
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 114, 1 November 2021
The authors' goals of this study (associated with 13 dietary patterns or scenarios) are to assess 1) to what extent current food utilization in Indonesia (2 patterns) provides for meeting health and nutrition targets and how its GHGe (greenhouse gas emissions) and water footprints compare to global targets; and 2) how alternative dietary scenarios, optimized to meet nutrient needs at the lowest possible cost (7 scenarios) or designed to be more healthy and environmentally friendly (4 scenarios), compare to current food patterns for nutrient content, agricultural contributions to climate change, and freshwater conservation, as well as cost.
The Lancet Public Health, Volume 6, November 2021
A Viewpoint on Europe's response to climate change, in the context of SDGs 12, 13, and 17, focusing specifically on the use of region-specific indicators to address the main challenges and opportunities of Europe's response in the context of public and planetary health.
Elsevier, Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters, Volume 2, November 2021
Hazard classifications have recently been introduced for persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT) and very persistent and very mobile (vPvM) substances, which are those that negatively impact water resources if substantially emitted into the environment. Many pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) may meet this classification. Our study focused on 169 detected PPCPs in surface water, groundwater and drinking water in China among a total of 432 PPCPs that were monitored for across 75 studies.
To prevent exposure of millions of people living near thousands of contaminated sites to asbestos, the sites are typically capped with soil and amendments, assuming asbestos mobility underground is negligible in all conditions. Here, we disprove this long-standing assumption and showed that the presence of certain types of dissolved organic matter (DOM) can facilitate the transport of the asbestos fibers through packed sand or soil columns.
Vinyl chloride (VC) and 1,4-dioxane (DX) are carcinogens and co-occurring groundwater pollutants. Co-contaminants often affect the ability of microorganisms to biodegrade individual constituents. One of the mechanisms by which microbial cells overcome toxic inhibition is by transforming the inhibitory compounds. In this study, while VC inhibited DX biodegradation, it was surprisingly utilized as a growth substrate by Pseudonocardia dioxanivorans CB1190. Increasing concentrations of VC decreased DX biodegradation rates, whereas increasing DX did not have a strong effect on VC biodegradation.
Elsevier, Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters, Volume 2, November 2021
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a family of emerging persistent organic pollutants. Cost-effective remediation of PFAS contamination via chemical or biochemical degradation is challenging due to their extremely high stability. This study reports the removal of two representative PFAS species, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), from water by adsorption using aluminum-based water treatment residuals (Al-WTR), a non-hazardous waste generated during the process of drinking water treatment by alum salts.
This article examines the role of empathy for outgroup helping, collective action and political activism among youth in Northern Ireland, a setting of protracted conflict. Integrating the Empathy-Attitudes-Action model with the Developmental Peacebuilding Model, a two-wave study was conducted to assess youth's behavioural intentions and actual behaviours toward refugees.
