Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Troy McMahon, Adrian Chan, Shlomo Havlin, Lazaros K. Gallos
Summary: The global spread of COVID-19 pandemic is influenced by the infectivity of the virus, human travel patterns, and mitigation measures. Spatial correlations of new active cases in different time periods were analyzed at the county level in the USA. The results showed that the epidemic did not progress uniformly and the length of correlation varied significantly. Travel between cities played a significant role in long-range spreading, particularly during the initial months of the epidemic. The presence of percolation transitions in November 2020 and January 2021 corresponded to the peak of the epidemic in the country.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrea Brizzi, Charles Whittaker, Luciana M. S. Servo, Iwona Hawryluk, Carlos A. Prete Jr, William M. de Souza, Renato S. Aguiar, Leonardo J. T. Araujo, Leonardo S. Bastos, Alexandra Blenkinsop, Lewis F. Buss, Darlan Candido, Marcia C. Castro, Silvia F. Costa, Julio Croda, Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos, Christopher Dye, Seth Flaxman, Paula L. C. Fonseca, Victor E. V. Geddes, Bernardo Gutierrez, Philippe Lemey, Anna S. Levin, Thomas Mellan, Diego M. Bonfim, Xenia Miscouridou, Swapnil Mishra, Melodie Monod, Filipe R. R. Moreira, Bruce Nelson, Rafael H. M. Pereira, Otavio Ranzani, Ricardo P. Schnekenberg, Elizaveta Semenova, Raphael Sonnabend, Renan P. Souza, Xiaoyue Xi, Ester C. Sabino, Nuno R. Faria, Samir Bhatt, Oliver Ratmann
Summary: Analysis of individual-level patient records from Brazil reveals that COVID-19 mortality rates are significantly influenced by pre-pandemic geographic inequities and healthcare capacity during the pandemic. The study also documents the temporary shocks in hospital fatality rates following the spread of the Gamma variant in 14 state capitals, where more than half of hospitalized patients aged 70 years and older died. The fluctuations in Brazil's COVID-19 in-hospital fatality rates were primarily associated with geographic inequities and shortages in healthcare capacity. Approximately half of the COVID-19 deaths in hospitals in the 14 cities could have been avoided without pre-pandemic geographic inequities and healthcare pressure. Investments in healthcare resources, healthcare optimization, and pandemic preparedness are critical to minimize the impact of highly transmissible and deadly pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jiayu Pan, Ronita Bardhan, Ying Jin
Summary: This study investigated the impact of accessibility to public green spaces on the distribution of COVID-19 cases in London, revealing that highly connected green spaces with high choice measure were associated with a higher risk of infection transmission. Even in socially deprived areas with moderate connectivity to green spaces, there was a higher possibility of infection spread. The study suggests that a uniform social distancing measure without considering infrastructure and social conditions may lead to increased infection transmission.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Martin Zajac, Jiri Horak, Joaquin Osorio-Arjona, Pavel Kukuliac, James Haworth
Summary: Public transport can benefit from the feedback obtained through monitoring Twitter user messages. The analysis of Twitter user behavior in different cities provides insights into traffic-related topics and trends, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also reveals the influence of COVID-19 on discussions and the discovery of specific issues in different cities.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zeinab Hazbavi, Raoof Mostfazadeh, Nazila Alaei, Elham Azizi
Summary: The study revealed province-level variations in the COVID-19 epidemic across Iran in 2020 with different spatial and temporal patterns. The central, north, and northwest regions were initially most affected, but later, other parts of Iran, particularly the west and southwest, experienced significant increases in infected cases and deaths. This is evidenced by the rising numbers of provinces with over 1000 infected cases in subsequent study periods.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Abd El-Raheem Ghada Omer Hamad, Elamin Hind Eltayeb Salih, Zuhal Mohammednour Omer Ahmad, Mounkaila Noma
Summary: This study analyzed the infection and mortality rates of the COVID-19 pandemic in all states of Sudan and found that December 2020 and May 2020 had the highest incidence rates. The western and southern states had lower mortality rates compared to the middle states, which had the highest mortality rates. There was a strong positive correlation between infection and mortality.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew McKitrick, Nadine Schuurman, Valorie A. Crooks, Jeremy Snyder
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, online charitable crowdfunding has become increasingly popular in Canada as a way for individuals to handle expenses they cannot afford on their own. The study focused on Canadian crowdfunding campaigns related to COVID-19 on GoFundMe.com and observed emerging trends in the distribution of needs and financial support throughout the pandemic. Campaigns raising funds for established charities were the most common and generated the highest amount of funding, while campaigns for businesses were less frequent. Metropolitan areas were the main locations for campaigns, and most of the total funding was raised by campaigners in Ontario and British Columbia.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yoav Tsori, Rony Granek
Summary: This study proposes a novel mathematical framework for investigating the in-homogeneous spatial spreading of infectious diseases in human populations, with a focus on COVID-19. By dividing the study region and assuming infection kinetics within nodes and between nearest-neighbor nodes, a continuous reaction-diffusion spatial model is developed. The model considers the evolution of COVID-19 spreading and the impact of population density on infection transmission.
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
E. Pelinovsky, M. Kokoulina, A. Epifanova, A. Kurkin, O. Kurkina, M. Tang, E. Macau, M. Kirillin
Summary: The paper reports on the application of the Gompertz model for describing the growth dynamics of COVID19 cases during the first wave of the pandemic in various countries. The study modeled 23 countries and compared the accuracy of the Gompertz model with the simple logistic model using regression analysis. The results indicate that the Gompertz model performs better.
CHAOS SOLITONS & FRACTALS
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Yeran Sun, Ying Huang, Ke Yuan, Ting On Chan, Yu Wang
Summary: This study further examined the spatial association of COVID-19 infection rate and crime rate, finding that robbery rate, burglary rate, and theft and handling rate in London were statistically significantly and negatively associated with COVID-19 infection rate in April and May, supporting the speculation that an increase in COVID-19 cases is likely to reduce crime rate.
ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION
(2021)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Lasko Basnarkov
Summary: The study investigates the SEAIR epidemic spreading model of COVID-19, analyzing its infectious characteristics and the relationships between epidemic thresholds. The results show that the eigenvector centrality of a node approximately determines its risk to become infected.
CHAOS SOLITONS & FRACTALS
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Cybernetics
Yanggang Cheng, Chao Li, Yongtao Zhang, Shibo He, Jiming Chen
Summary: This study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban mobility networks in Beijing using large-scale anonymous mobility data. The results show an overall decrease in mobility, with spatial and temporal heterogeneity among different urban regions. The reduction in long-distance, nighttime, and non-essential travel is particularly significant.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTATIONAL SOCIAL SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Fei Zhou, Jerome Dyment
Summary: The heterogenous magma supply at ultraslow spreading ridges creates diverse seafloor morphologies and lithospheric structures, which lead to a large variability in marine magnetic anomalies. On the other hand, different magnetic signatures of different seafloors provide an opportunity to identify the modes of seafloor spreading on the ultraslow spreading ridges.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Terje Trasberg, James Cheshire
Summary: This study uses data on human mobility from mobile applications to examine activity patterns in the neighborhoods of Greater London during the summer of 2020 as the first wave of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were lifted. The research analyzes how the lockdown guidelines have revealed the socio-spatial fragmentation between urban communities. The findings suggest that activities in deprived areas with minority groups declined less compared to the overall average for Greater London, leaving those communities more exposed to the virus. In contrast, activity levels declined more in affluent areas dominated by white-collar jobs. Furthermore, the closure of non-essential stores resulted in greater declines in premium shopping destinations and less in suburban high streets.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Giacomo Barzon, Karan Kabbur Hanumanthappa Manjunatha, Wolfgang Rugel, Enzo Orlandini, Marco Baiesi
Summary: In many countries, there has been a deceleration in the time evolution of COVID-19 even before lockdowns, possibly due to increased social awareness. The susceptible-hidden-infected-recovered model introduced by Barnes explains this phenomenon.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS A-MATHEMATICAL AND THEORETICAL
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mengrong Yang, Fengxia Li, Cenyan Huang, Lei Tong, Xiaorong Dai, Hang Xiao
Summary: This study investigated the VOC emission characteristics and identified the main sources of VOC pollution. Biomass burning and secondary formation were found to be the major sources of VOCs, while industry-related sources contributed consistently throughout the year. The CPF and PSCF analyses revealed spatial distribution patterns of industry sources and sources related to biomass burning and biogenic emissions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Xuechun Luo, Xiao Tang, Haoyue Wang, Lei Kong, Huangjian Wu, Weiguo Wang, Yating Song, Hongyan Luo, Yao Wang, Jiang Zhu, Zifa Wang
Summary: In recent years, China has implemented measures to improve air quality, particularly in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region. This study uses data integration and simulation methods to assess changes in air pollutant emissions in the BTH region from 2014 to 2019. The results show a significant decrease in emissions, reduced uncertainty, and improved spatial distribution.
ADVANCES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qian Ye, Jie Li, Xiao Tang, Xueshun Chen, Lei Kong, Huansheng Chen, Wenyi Yang, Huiyun Du, Xiaole Pan, Wei Wang, Lili Zhu, Jianjun Li, Zhe Wang, Yele Sun, Lanzhong Liu, Junji Cao, Zifa Wang
Summary: The uncertainty in the quantitative estimates of long-range transport of pollutants in air quality models is large. This study aims to assess the impact of uncertainties in input parameters on the model estimates using the GNAQPMS-SM model and Latin hypercube sampling method. The uncertainties of input parameters are reasonably quantified and the multiple linear regression method is used to fit ensemble simulation results, providing more accurate estimates of pollutant transport.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Correction
Mathematics, Applied
Vinicius L. S. Silva, Claire E. Heaney, Yaqi Li, Christopher C. Pain
JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING
(2023)
Article
Mechanics
Xiaofei Wu, Hisham Abubakar-Waziri, Fangxin Fang, Claire Dilliway, Pin Wu, Jinxi Li, Runming Yao, Pankaj Bhavsar, Prashant Kumar, Christopher C. Pain, Kian Fan Chung
Summary: We modeled the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in an isolation room at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, using an adaptive mesh computational fluid dynamics model. The model was based on data collected during the patient's stay and aimed to optimize the design layout of the isolation room, considering the location of the air extractor, filtration rates, bed location of the patient, and the health and safety of the staff working in the area.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhilan Ye, Jie Li, Xueshun Chen, Wenyi Yang, Huiyun Du, Tao Wang, Qian Ye, Yujing Zhang, Zixi Wang, Zhe Wang, Zifa Wang
Summary: This study aims to establish an optimal emission reduction system through linear programming based on source analysis, PM2.5 sensitivity, emission status, and pollution conditions. Compared to the equal proportion scenario, the optimal proportion scenario not only has lower emission reduction ratios but also greater air quality improvement. Through technological upgrading and industrial transfer from North China to Northwest China, the goal of eliminating PMCPDs in North China can be achieved, and a zero-increase relative to the business as usual scenario can also be achieved in Northwest China.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jian-Rong Li, Jie Zheng, Kun Wu, Mengmeng He, Junyi Zhao, Yang Meng, Jun He, Hong-Yun Ren, Hang Xiao, Chi He
Summary: The study fabricated Mn-Al oxides with strengthened synergistic effects of Mn and Al species by adjusting the calcination temperature. Different temperatures effectively controlled the surface Mn/Al ratio and KMn8O16 phase, leading to significant changes in CO2 selectivity, reaction rate, and stability for catalytic oxidation. Mn5Al-350 catalyst exhibited the best performance with a high CO2 selectivity and superior catalytic stability. Reaction intermediates and theoretical calculations provided insights into the reaction mechanism.
ACS ES&T ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Meiling Cheng, Fangxin Fang, Ionel Michael Navon, Jie Zheng, Jiang Zhu, Christopher Pain
Summary: In this study, machine learning models were used to accurately predict the spatiotemporal ozone concentration in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2013 to 2018. The results showed that these models achieved better prediction performance under various meteorological conditions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
H. Woodward, A. Schroeder, A. de Nazelle, C. C. Pain, M. E. J. Stettler, H. ApSimon, A. Robins, P. F. Linden
Summary: The spatio-temporal variability of exposure to harmful pollutants in roadside areas is often neglected in assessments of pedestrian and cyclist exposures. This study aims to fully describe this variability and evaluate the benefits of high spatio-temporal resolution over high spatial resolution only. The study also compares high resolution vehicle emissions modeling to using a constant volume source. The findings highlight the impact of peak exposures and emphasize the importance of considering high resolution temporal air pollution variability for accurate characterization of pedestrian and cyclist exposures.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoyong Liu, Jun Yan, Zifa Wang, Xiaole Pan, Fangcheng Su, Junhui Yan, Jiqiang Niu
Summary: Surface ozone pollution is an important environmental problem in China. We conducted a study to investigate the influence of meteorological factors and emissions on ozone concentrations in coastal cities. The study found that ozone concentrations increased from 2015 to 2019 and decreased in 2020, and different components on different timescales had varying effects on ozone concentrations.
AIR QUALITY ATMOSPHERE AND HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lichao Yang, Wansuo Duan, Zifa Wang
Summary: This paper investigates how to refine the ground meteorological observation network to greatly improve the PM2.5 concentration forecasts. By identifying sensitive areas, a cost-effective observation network is formed, achieving forecasting skill comparable to and even higher than assimilating all ground station observations. The study reveals the uselessness of some current ground stations in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region for improving PM2.5 forecasts.
GEOSCIENTIFIC MODEL DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hang Liu, Xiaole Pan, Shandong Lei, Yuting Zhang, Aodong Du, Weijie Yao, Guiqian Tang, Tao Wang, Jinyuan Xin, Jie Li, Yele Sun, Junji Cao, Zifa Wang
Summary: In this study, vertical measurements of black carbon (BC) and other pollutants were conducted in the Beijing urban area. The vertical profiles showed different types of BC distribution, with uniform distribution during the day and gradual or sharp decrease at night. The study also found variations in the ozone concentration and the coating thickness of BC particles along the vertical direction. This research provides insights into the regional environmental effects of BC.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lei Kong, Xiao Tang, Jiang Zhu, Zifa Wang, Yele Sun, Pingqing Fu, Meng Gao, Huangjian Wu, Miaomiao Lu, Qian Wu, Shuyuan Huang, Wenxuan Sui, Jie Li, Xiaole Pan, Lin Wu, Hajime Akimoto, Gregory R. Carmichael
Summary: The lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in China had limited impact on air pollution, and traffic control alone cannot effectively address O-3 and PM2.5 pollution.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shujun Zhong, Shuang Chen, Junjun Deng, Yanbing Fan, Qiang Zhang, Qiaorong Xie, Yulin Qi, Wei Hu, Libin Wu, Xiaodong Li, Chandra Mouli Pavuluri, Jialei Zhu, Xin Wang, Di Liu, Xiaole Pan, Yele Sun, Zifa Wang, Yisheng Xu, Haijie Tong, Hang Su, Yafang Cheng, Kimitaka Kawamura, Pingqing Fu
Summary: Biomass burning is a key source of urban aerosols in the North China Plain, with limited knowledge on the influence of biogenic SOA loading on the molecular composition of wintertime organic aerosols. Water-soluble organic compounds in PM2.5 from urban Tianjin were analyzed, revealing that biomass burning contributes to the majority of CHO and CHON compounds. The chemistry and level of biogenic SOA loading plays a significant role in the formation of secondary compounds, including CHO, CHON, CHOS, and CHONS. The hydrolysis of nitrooxy-organosulfates is identified as a possible pathway for the formation of organosulfates.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)