Article
Virology
Mara Elena Heinrichs, Daniele De Corte, Bert Engelen, Donald Pan
Summary: Flow cytometry has been used to understand the impact of viruses on shaping marine microbial communities and biogeochemical cycles in the pelagic zone. A new protocol has been developed for the enumeration of marine sediment viruses by flow cytometry, enabling fast and accurate quantification of viral abundances and opening up options for virus sorting, targeted viromics, and single-virus sequencing. Further optimization may be needed for sediments with low biomass or high organic content.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yan Zhang, Jun Wang, Xianhui Geng, Yong Jiang
Summary: This study experimentally demonstrated the negative impact of microplastics on the abundance, body size, and biomass of marine protozoan grazers. It showed that microplastics can be ingested by ciliate protozoa and affect their role in energy transfer within the microbial loop. The size of microplastics did not seem to significantly affect the response of protozoan grazers, indicating the need for further research in this area.
Article
Oceanography
Fan Liu, Yan Huang, Ling Zhang, Gen Li
Summary: Based on data from China's coastal areas, this paper constructs a model to study the relationship among marine environmental pollution, aquatic products trade, and marine fishery economy. The results show that marine environmental pollution and aquatic products trade have a certain inhibitory effect on the marine fishery economy, while the development of fishery economy and increase in aquatic products trade contribute to the improvement of marine environmental pollution.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Danny Dunbar, Dominic A. van der A, Tom O'Donoghue, Pietro Scandura
Summary: A novel empirical model for the streamwise velocity in oscillatory boundary layer flow in the rough turbulent regime is presented. The model is based on simple expressions that require only the free-stream velocity time-series and the equivalent sand-grain roughness length of the bed. The model assumes a frequency-independent attenuation and phase lead for all flow harmonics, and these expressions are obtained from previous experimental studies. Only the oscillating component of the flow is considered, and steady streaming is neglected. The model predicts kinematic errors that are typically two orders of magnitude smaller than the maximum oscillatory velocity in the free-stream, making it suitable for engineering applications.
COASTAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mingming Zhang, Fangting Chen, Liyun Liu, Dequn Zhou
Summary: Within the context of urban agglomeration, this study investigates the impact of functional division on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions using a spatial Durbin model and parallel multiple mediation model. Empirical analysis in the Yangtze River Delta region demonstrates that higher levels of functional division lead to lower CO2 emissions, while economic growth, industrial structure, and technological progress mediate this relationship.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Social Issues
Chia-Lin Hsu, Mu-Chen Chen
Summary: The concept of a circular economy focuses on reducing the use of new raw materials and waste disposal by promoting reuse and recycling to extend the life cycle of products and materials. Encouraging recycling and environmentally friendly habits can help consumers engage in sustainable thinking, with gamification being an effective means to promote such thinking and habits. The study applies gamification to conceptualize contributions to resource recycling and environmentally friendly habits, highlighting the importance of factors such as effectiveness, efficiency, playfulness, and confirmation in influencing users' attitudes and behaviors.
TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Heping Huang, Mengting Yi
Summary: This essay discusses the effect of different environmental regulations on carbon emissions reduction in China's prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2017. The low-carbon pilot (LCP) and carbon emission trading (CET) policies were examined, and it was found that both policies significantly reduced carbon emissions, with the CET having a greater effect. The LCP performed better in the central and western regions, while the CET worked better in the eastern region. The LCP reduced carbon emissions mainly through increased foreign direct investment, while green technology innovation had a negative mediating effect on the impact of the CET.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jing Miao, Zilin Wei, Shuqing Zhou, Jiaying Li, Danyang Shi, Dong Yang, Guangming Jiang, Jing Yin, Zhong Wei Yang, Jun Wen Li, Min Jin
Summary: The study developed multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models to predict enteric virus concentrations in urban rivers. The ANN models showed better performance and stronger correlation with measured outputs compared to MLR models. These findings suggest that ANN modeling can improve assessments of waterborne disease prevalence.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Nauman Hafeez Sultan, Kamran Karimi, Jorn Davidsen
Summary: This study investigates the frictional instability and dynamics of earthquakes through numerical simulations of a spring-slider experiment, and compares the results with experimental observations. The simulation results show that the experiment can reproduce seismic-like dynamics within certain parameter ranges, but there are fundamental differences between the simulated dynamics and tectonic seismicity.
Article
Urban Studies
Xiang Liu, Yichen Li, Xiaohong Chen, Jia Liu
Summary: Low-carbon city pilot policy in China has effectively promoted carbon emission reduction, but with varying effects in different regions. The superposition effect of different policies also differs. Energy structure, industrial structure, and innovation level have significant impacts on the effectiveness of low-carbon city pilot policies.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zeyu Zhao, Keyue Zhao, Taishuo Zhang, Yiwen Xu, Ronglong Chen, Sha Xue, Mengjuan Liu, Darrell Tang, Xiaomei Yang, Violette Giessen
Summary: This study investigated the transport of microplastics in contaminated surface soil driven by irrigation, and found that the microplastic content increased significantly in deeper soil depths with increased irrigation runs. The microplastic content in soil cracks was higher than in the soil matrix, and the total amount of transported microplastics increased 1.5 times after four irrigation runs.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
M. E. Whelan, Mingjie Shi, Wu Sun, Linda Kooijmans-de Vries, Ulli Seibt, Kadmiel Maseyk
Summary: This study presents an empirical model, SOCSEM, to assess the potential impact of soil OCS exchange on regional stomatal conductance. The model uses soil moisture and surface temperature as input data and characterizes soil OCS exchange. Comparisons with field-based observations reveal deviations due to missing complexity in the model design. The study also investigates the applicability of the model in agricultural regions with known net emissions and regions with unknown soil OCS responses, such as Arctic tundra. Further research on non-stomatal surfaces and different ecosystems will increase confidence in using OCS as a regional tracer for stomatal conductance.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Svenja Tidau, Tim Smyth, David McKee, Jorg Wiedenmann, Cecilia D'Angelo, David Wilcockson, Amy Ellison, Andrew J. Grimmer, Stuart R. Jenkins, Stephen Widdicombe, Ana M. Queiros, Elizabeth Talbot, Adam Wright, Thomas W. Davies
Summary: The increasing artificial light at night has impacts across taxa, biological ranks, and spatial scales. Marine ALAN research is rapidly growing, facing challenges due to technological limitations, complexities of coastal and marine ecosystems, and interdisciplinary nature. Expertise from various fields is essential for effective development of the field, with opportunities for improving understanding of this stressor and advancing marine ecology and biology.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Yao Tang, Dave H. Chan, David Z. Zhu
Summary: In this study, an analytical model based on particle-scale force equilibrium is developed to predict the formation of a free-fall arch through granular flow. The model calculates the size and location of the meta-stable arch and can predict the granular flow rate. It is found that the formation of the arch is independent of granular height and stress state above the arch, and only depends on granular particle size, aperture size, and granular friction. The model shows high accuracy in predicting the granular flow rate for uniform-sized granular flow.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zheng Zang
Summary: The distribution pattern and carbon sequestration value of blue carbon in coastal wetlands were analyzed to support vegetation restoration and protection. Analysis showed varying levels of carbon sequestration in different plant communities, with Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis wetlands being net outflow types, while Suaeda glauca wetland was a net inflow type.
Article
Ecology
Animesh Gupta, Shengyun Peng, Chung Yin Leung, Joshua M. Borin, Sarah J. Medina, Joshua S. Weitz, Justin R. Meyer
Summary: The study found that the coevolution of viruses and their hosts does not follow a predicted single trajectory, but rather involves hidden genetic variations that emerge and eventually supplant dominant lineages. This reveals the limitations of standard coevolutionary models in their predictive power.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Greg Gibson, Joshua S. Weitz, Michael P. Shannon, Benjamin Holton, Anton Bryksin, Brian Liu, Madeline Sieglinger, Ashley R. Coenen, Conan Zhao, Stephen J. Beckett, Sandra Bramblett, JulieAnne Williamson, Michael Farrell, Alexander Ortiz, Chaouki T. Abdallah, Andres J. Garcia
Summary: This study examined the effectiveness of a large-scale SARS-CoV-2 testing program in mitigating COVID-19 transmission at the Georgia Institute of Technology during the Fall 2020 semester. By testing samples from students, staff, and faculty, they found that the strategy was successful in rapidly responding to increases in cases and reducing transmission, leading to good control outcomes.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Adriana Lucia-Sanz, Andreea Magalie, Rogelio Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Chung-Yin Leung, Joshua S. Weitz
Summary: This study applies the principle of shield immunity to the network environment of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, finding that restructuring interactions between staff and residents can effectively reduce the outbreak size and transmission risk of COVID-19.
ANNALS OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Daniel A. Schwartz, William R. Shoemaker, Andreea Magalie, Joshua S. Weitz, Jay T. Lennon
Summary: Dormancy is an adaptation to fluctuating environments that allows individuals to reduce metabolic activity. It can influence species interactions by providing a refuge and retaining phenotypic and genetic diversity. This study demonstrates that dormancy modifies antagonistic coevolution patterns and processes by generating a seed bank that retains diversity and dampens coevolution.
Article
Biology
Henri Berestycki, Benoit Desjardins, Joshua S. Weitz, Jean-Marc Oury
Summary: We propose and analyze a family of epidemiological models that extend the classic SIR-like framework to account for dynamic heterogeneity in infection risk. These models describe the evolution of population-level macroscopic quantities S, I, R coupled with a microscopic variable f, giving the distribution of individual behavior in terms of exposure to contagion. We study the mathematical foundations of this system of reaction-diffusion equations, derive a simpler system with self-similar solutions, and discuss their potential applications in interpreting the dynamics of emerging infectious diseases.
JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Andreea Magalie, Daniel A. Schwartz, Jay T. Lennon, Joshua S. Weitz
Summary: Organisms have developed different strategies, including dormancy, to cope with environmental stress. Transitions to and from dormancy can be random or induced by environmental changes. Previous studies have shown that stochastic transitions between active and dormant states can enhance population fitness. However, these studies often neglect the physiological features of dormancy transitions, such as time lags. In this study, we construct a dynamic model to investigate the effects of time delays in dormancy transitions. Our results show that bet-hedging strategy probabilities inversely scale with mean environmental residence times in the absence of time lags. Increasing delays in dormancy decrease optimal transitioning probabilities, which can be influenced by the correlations of environmental noise. When environmental residence times are uncorrelated, low levels of transitioning between active and dormant states maximize population fitness. However, when residence times are correlated, optimal dormancy initiation and termination probabilities increase if the mean environmental persistent time is longer than the delay to reach dormancy. Bet hedging is no longer advantageous when delays to enter dormancy exceed mean environmental residence times. Overall, this study highlights how physiological limits and environmental dynamics shape the evolutionary benefits and viability of bet hedging strategies at population scales.
JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sang Woo Park, Kaiyuan Sun, Sam Abbott, Ron Sender, Yinon M. Bar-on, Joshua S. Weitz, Sebastian Funk, Bryan T. Grenfell, Jantien A. Backer, Jacco Wallinga, Cecile Viboud, Jonathan Dushoff
Summary: Estimating the differences in the incubation-period, serial-interval, and generation interval distributions of SARS-CoV-2 variants is critical to understanding their transmission. The growth-rate differences between the Delta and Omicron variants during the study period should be taken into account when analyzing the data. The higher transmissibility of the Omicron variant may lead to shorter realized generation intervals due to susceptible depletion among contact networks.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Jeremy D. Harris, Sang Woo Park, Jonathan Dushoff, Joshua S. Weitz
Summary: Asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections with different transmission time scales can affect outbreak dynamics and bias population-level estimates. Understanding these time-scale differences is crucial for accurately assessing the strength, speed, and controllability of epidemics.
Article
Microbiology
Daniel Muratore, Anthony D. Bertagnolli, Laura A. Bristow, Bo Thamdrup, Joshua S. Weitz, Frank J. Stewart
Summary: The genomes of marine microbes are influenced by nutrient cycles and ocean-scale gradients in nitrogen availability. This study investigated the effect of nutrient changes on genomic properties at smaller spatial scales, such as in oxygen minimum zones and detrital particles. The results showed that nitrogen availability shaped microbial and viral genome properties, with higher nitrogen content in particle-associated microbes and at depths with higher nitrogen availability. This discovery suggests that stoichiometry plays a role in microbial and viral evolution across different scales.
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Alyssa H. Sinclair, Morgan K. Taylor, Audra Davidson, Joshua S. Weitz, Stephen J. Beckett, Gregory R. Samanez-Larkin
Summary: Communicating health risks empowers individuals to make informed decisions. Specific scenarios are effective in motivating engagement, regardless of age and political attitudes. Personal relevance and emotional valence do not have an impact on interest in COVID-19 risks. Overall, evoking specific scenarios facilitates risk communication to a broad audience.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alyssa H. Sinclair, Morgan K. Taylor, Joshua S. Weitz, Stephen J. Beckett, Gregory R. Samanez-Larkin
MMWR-MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WEEKLY REPORT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sang Woo Park, Jonathan Dushoff, Bryan T. Grenfell, Joshua S. Weitz
Summary: Asymptomatic infections have made it difficult to understand and prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. While they reduce severity at an individual level, if asymptomatic individuals unknowingly transmit the virus, it can have worse outcomes at a population-level. Intermediate levels of asymptomatic infection lead to the highest levels of fatalities, especially when symptomatic transmission is reduced.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sang Woo Park, Benjamin M. Bolker, Sebastian Funk, C. Jessica E. Metcalf, Joshua S. Weitz, Bryan T. Grenfell, Jonathan Dushoff
Summary: Inferring the relative strength and speed of new SARS-CoV-2 variants is crucial for predicting and controlling the pandemic. Current analyses primarily focus on changes in variant proportions, but it is important to consider that relative speed and strength can vary over time and are influenced by different interventions. Neglecting differences in generation-interval distributions may lead to biased estimates of relative strength.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2022)
Article
Virology
Shashwat Shivam, Guanlin Li, Adriana Lucia-Sanz, Joshua S. Weitz
Summary: This article investigates the selective pressures on the switching mechanism of communication-based lysis-lysogeny response used by the SPbeta group. Using a nonlinear population model and a control-theoretic approach, it is found that optimal switching between lysis and lysogeny increases the near-term phage reproduction, supporting the hypothesis of molecular and model-based analyses. Furthermore, plastic responses are robust to cellular-level stochasticity, variation in life history traits, and variation in resource availability.