Article
Microbiology
Olympia E. Anastasiou, Anika Huesing, Johannes Korth, Fotis Theodoropoulos, Christian Taube, Karl-Heinz Joeckel, Andreas Stang, Ulf Dittmer
Summary: Coronavirus infections follow a seasonal pattern, with variations in impact on different populations, and are influenced by meteorological factors such as temperature, relative humidity, cloud cover, and precipitation.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Yu Wang, Di Wu, Qinghao Yu, Daiyin Zhu, Fanwang Meng
Summary: A new algorithm is proposed to detect weather signals in airborne weather radar systems, utilizing spatial location information and eigenvalue decomposition. By analyzing the statistics of the second eigenvalue in complex Gaussian distributed components, a CFAR detector is designed to improve detection capability. Experimental results demonstrate increased detection performance and robustness compared to current approaches.
DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhaolin Gu, Jie Han, Liyuan Zhang, Hongliang Wang, Xilian Luo, Xiangzhao Meng, Yue Zhang, Xinyi Niu, Yang Lan, Shaowei Wu, Junji Cao, Eric Lichtfouse
Summary: Policies and measures to control pandemics often fail, as the environmental drivers of transmission and infection are not well understood. This review explores the effects of atmospheric particulate properties, vortex zones, and air pollution on virus survivability and transmission. Factors such as particle size, chemical constituents, electrostatic charges, and moisture content of airborne particles have notable effects on virus transmission. Additionally, vortex zones and human thermal plumes greatly influence the aerodynamics of airborne particles, impacting virus transport. Understanding these factors may explain the positive correlations between COVID-19 infection and mortality with air pollution.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hongying Li, Fong Yew Leong, George Xu, Chang Wei Kang, Keng Hui Lim, Ban Hock Tan, Chian Min Loo
Summary: The study suggests that larger droplets may have higher viral content and be more infectious. Wearing face masks is recommended to reduce transmission risk, while social distancing is effective at reducing potential transmission. Additionally, the presence of a human body 1 meter away can enhance downstream droplet dispersion, impacting safe distancing in queues.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Claudia Del Vecchio, Bethan Cracknell Daniels, Giuseppina Brancaccio, Alessandra Rosalba Brazzale, Enrico Lavezzo, Constanze Ciavarella, Francesco Onelia, Elisa Franchin, Laura Manuto, Federico Bianca, Vito Cianci, Anna Maria Cattelan, Ilaria Dorigatti, Stefano Toppo, Andrea Crisanti
Summary: Antigen tests are widely used for COVID-19 population testing, but they have limitations in detecting variant strains of the virus. Molecular testing should be retained alongside antigen testing for surveillance purposes to improve detection accuracy.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Simon F. B. Tett, Young Hwa Cha, Kate Donovan, Gina-Maria Geffers, Ed Hawkins
Summary: This passage indicates that an extreme cloudburst on 4 July 2021 caused damage to Edinburgh Castle, and based on the results from a convective permitting model, the observed warming increased the risk by approximately 30% compared to preindustrial levels, which further increases to about 70% in a +2°C world.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amar Aganovic, Yang Bi, Guangyu Cao, Jarek Kurnitski, Pawel Wargocki
Summary: Using a modified Wells-Riley model, this study investigated the infection risk of different respiratory viruses under various relative humidity and ventilation conditions. The results showed that increasing indoor humidity could potentially increase the infection risk for rhinovirus and adenovirus, while it may benefit influenza virus. Increasing ventilation rate could decrease the infection risk, especially when the rate is increased from low to high levels.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michael A. Kelly, James L. Carr, Dong L. Wu, Arnold C. Goldberg, Ivan Papusha, Renee T. Meinhold
Summary: The Compact Midwave Imaging System (CMIS) is a versatile and high-resolution imager that can obtain stereo observations of atmospheric clouds and particles through the forward motion of the satellite. With the use of new focal plane array (FPA) technology, CMIS offers better sensitivity than traditional technologies, enabling cost-effective measurements of atmospheric motion vectors and cloud heights. Compared to other space-based earth science instruments, CMIS demonstrates competitive multi-spectral capability. Its applications include observations of the planetary boundary layer, severe weather, and wildfires, among others.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hongchen Shen, Zhe Zhou, Haihuan Wang, Jiahao Chen, Mengyang Zhang, Minghao Han, Yun Shen, Danmeng Shuai
Summary: Photosensitized electrospun nanofibrous membranes were developed to capture and inactivate airborne coronavirus aerosols. The membranes with ultrafine fiber diameter and small pore size effectively filtered and killed the viruses. Singlet oxygen generated by the photosensitizer damaged the virus genome and prevented virus binding to host cells. This study holds promise for applications in personal protective equipment and indoor air filters.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antonio Picornell, Jesus Rojo, M. Mar Trigo, Rocio Ruiz-Mata, Beatriz Lara, Jorge Romero-Morte, Alicia Serrano-Garcia, Rosa Perez-Badia, Montserrat Gutierrez-Bustillo, Patricia Cervigon-Morales, Zuzana Ferencova, Julia Morales-Gonzalez, Estefania Sanchez-Reyes, Sergio Fuentes-Anton, Jose Sanchez-Sanchez, Ignacio Davila, Jose Oteros, Moises Martinez-Bracero, Carmen Galan, Herminia Garcia-Mozo, Purificacion Alcazar, Santiago Fernandez, Monica Gonzalez-Alonso, Estrella Robles, Anabel Perez de Zabalza, Arturo H. Arino, Marta Recio
Summary: This study analyzed the concentrations of airborne Alternaria spores at 18 sampling locations in Spain, and studied the optimal weather conditions for spore production. The results showed that temperature was the most relevant variable for Alternaria spore dispersion, with extremely warm temperatures in summer splitting the favorable period for spore production and dispersion into two separate seasons.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Jamie Leonard, Lea Ann El Rassi, Mona Abdul Samad, Samantha Prehn, Sanjay K. Mohanty
Summary: Increasing concentrations of microplastics in the Earth's atmosphere could have adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. The deposition rate of airborne microplastics is influenced by both land use and climate, and a global analysis suggests that climate may have a greater impact on the concentration and deposition rate of microplastics than land use.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Economics
Xiaobao Yang, Xianfei Yue, Huijun Sun, Ziyou Gao, Wencheng Wang
Summary: Research shows that intercity travel demand is sensitive to adverse weather conditions, especially fog, heavy rain, and snow. Differences in rainfall and snowfall between OD points, as well as adverse weather on weekends and in the afternoon, have significant impacts on intercity travel demand. Travelers with less experience are more sensitive to adverse weather.
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART A-POLICY AND PRACTICE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Ganslmeier, Davide Furceri, Jonathan D. Ostry
Summary: The paper investigates the impact of weather on the COVID-19 pandemic using a dataset of over 1.2 million daily observations across 3700 counties in nine countries for all seasons of 2020. Results show that temperature and wind speed have a robust negative effect on virus spread, with effects being larger during mealtimes and periods of high mobility and low containment, suggesting a crucial role for social behavior.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Susana Furman, Kim Green, Thomas E. Lane
Summary: COVID-19 has the potential to affect the brain and may contribute to the onset or worsening of Alzheimer's disease. The shared pathological features and risk factors between COVID-19 and AD, along with their global impact, could have significant public health consequences.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Olivier Damette, Clement Mathonnat, Stephane Goutte
Summary: The study found that temperature, humidity, and solar radiation significantly reduce the number of Covid-19 cases and fatalities. The indirect effects of human behavior on these meteorological variables should be considered because they are positively correlated with Covid-19 cases and fatalities.
Article
Mechanics
Talib Dbouk, Dimitris Drikakis
Summary: This study presents a computational fluid dynamics-based epidemic model that explores the relationship between weather conditions and airborne virus transmission dynamics. The model examines the impact of weather seasonality on airborne virus transmission and pandemic outbreaks, using multiple scenarios of the COVID-19 fifth wave in London, United Kingdom to demonstrate potential peak and occurrence period. The study highlights the significance of fluid dynamics and computational modeling in advancing epidemiological models.
Article
Mechanics
Ioannis W. Kokkinakis, Dimitris Drikakis
Summary: We investigated the impact of rocket exhaust gases on atmospheric pollution through computational fluid dynamics simulations, and found that the cumulative effect of frequent rocket launches on climate should not be underestimated.
Article
Mechanics
George Khujadze, Dimitris Drikakis, Konstantinos Ritos, Ioannis W. Kokkinakis, S. Michael Spottswood
Summary: This paper presents a study of high speed boundary layers using the wavelet method. The analysis of direct numerical simulation data reveals that the coherent parts of the flow are close to the statistics of the total flow, while the incoherent parts show equidistributed energy. Furthermore, the study finds that the incoherent vorticity correlates with the near-wall pressure fluctuations, suggesting its importance in understanding compressible boundary layers.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Robin Kamenicky, Michael Frank, Dimitris Drikakis, Konstantinos Ritos
Summary: This paper presents a computational fluid dynamics approach for accurately modeling heat transfer and flow phenomena during immersion quenching. The method couples solid and fluid regions with different physics and considers different heat transfer regimes and phase changes between fluid phases.
Editorial Material
Mechanics
Dimitris Drikakis, Talib Dbouk
Article
Mechanics
Ioannis W. Kokkinakis, Dimitris Drikakis
Summary: This study examines the effects of nuclear blasts on humans inside buildings in moderately damaged areas. The results show that the forces exerted by the gusts of wind created inside the rooms can lift and throw a person off the ground, posing a risk of severe injury or death. However, there are specific areas within the rooms where individuals can avoid exposure to the highest wind forces.
Article
Mathematics
Konstantinos Poulinakis, Dimitris Drikakis, Ioannis W. Kokkinakis, Stephen Michael Spottswood
Summary: This study compares machine-learning methods and cubic splines on their ability to handle sparse and noisy training data. The results show that cubic splines provide more precise interpolation than deep neural networks and multivariate adaptive regression splines with very sparse data. However, machine-learning models show robustness to noise and can outperform splines after reaching a threshold of training data. The study aims to provide a general framework for interpolating one-dimensional signals, often obtained from complex scientific simulations or laboratory experiments.
Article
Mechanics
Ioannis W. Kokkinakis, Dimitris Drikakis
Summary: This study investigates indoor explosions and their impact on humans. It challenges the standard approach that blast overpressure is the main determinant of trauma and injury. Instead, it shows that the wind force generated behind the blast can have a greater effect on humans, even at low blast overpressures.
Article
Mechanics
Ioannis W. Kokkinakis, George Khujadze, Dimitris Drikakis, S. Michael Spottswood
Summary: We conducted a wavelet analysis on supersonic shock-boundary-layer interaction using orthogonal anisotropic wavelets. By decomposing the flow vorticity field into coherent and incoherent contributions through thresholding of the wavelet coefficients, we found that the statistics of the coherent part of vorticity are similar to the statistics of the total field. Our study aims to enhance understanding of the shock-boundary-layer interaction, the role of vorticity, and the relationship between the flow's coherent and incoherent vorticity components with the near-wall sound. Our analysis reveals a significant correlation between the incoherent part of vorticity components and wall-pressure fluctuations.
Article
Mechanics
Ioannis W. Kokkinakis, Dimitris Drikakis, S. Michael Spottswood, Kirk R. Brouwer, Zachary B. Riley
Summary: This paper investigates the interaction between an oblique shock wave and a supersonic turbulent boundary layer over a thin panel surface, focusing on shock-boundary layer interaction and panel buckling. High-order numerical simulations were conducted to examine various static two-dimensional surface deformations commonly encountered in experiments. The results show that the mean and root mean square pressure are affected by about 10% at the maximum deformation amplitude location along the panel midspan. The deformation modes disrupt the spanwise distribution of the mean pressure and induce a characteristic bending of the spanwise distribution.
Article
Mechanics
Konstantinos Ritos, Dimitris Drikakis, Ioannis W. Kokkinakis
Summary: This paper presents simulations of virus droplets in a typical cruiser's cabin and investigates the effects of ventilation rates and positions of the coughing person. The study highlights the importance of accurate simulation by including evaporation models. It suggests that a higher ventilation rate may not always be the best strategy to prevent the spread of airborne diseases, and proposes using ventilation systems with medium flow rates for occupied cabins to minimize droplet spreading while maintaining good ventilation.
Article
Mathematics
Nicholas Christakis, Dimitris Drikakis
Summary: This paper discusses the use of unsupervised learning to classify particle-like dispersion and its relevance to various applications such as virus transmission and atmospheric pollution. The RUN-ICON algorithm of unsupervised learning is applied to classify particle spread with higher confidence and lower uncertainty compared to other algorithms, even in the presence of noise. The combination of unsupervised learning and the RUN-ICON algorithm provides a tool for studying particle dynamics and their impact on air quality, health, and climate.
Article
Mathematics
Nicholas Christakis, Dimitris Drikakis
Summary: This paper presents the development of a novel algorithm called RUN-ICON for unsupervised learning. It aims to improve the reliability and confidence of unsupervised clustering by leveraging the K-means++ method and introducing novel metrics. The algorithm has notable characteristics such as robustness, high-quality clustering, automation, and flexibility, and extensive testing has demonstrated its capability to determine the optimal number of clusters under different scenarios. It will soon undergo rigorous testing in real-world scenarios to further prove its effectiveness.
Review
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Dimitris Drikakis, Filippos Sofos
Summary: The significant growth of artificial intelligence methods in machine learning and deep learning has created opportunities for the application of fluid dynamics in science, engineering, and medicine. However, developing AI methods for fluid dynamics poses challenges due to the limitations of data availability for scientific, engineering, and biomedical problems. This paper reviews the research on machine learning and deep learning for fluid dynamics, discusses algorithmic challenges, and explores potential future directions.
Review
Energy & Fuels
Dimitris Drikakis, Talib Dbouk
Summary: This paper discusses the technology challenges in the wind and solar sectors and the role of computational science in addressing them. The challenges in wind energy include understanding atmospheric flow physics, complex wakes, aeroelastic effects, and wind farm optimization. Concentrated solar power technologies require optimal configuration for efficiency, durability, and reducing heat losses. Computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer have advanced in terms of numerical methods and physics-based models. However, further development is needed to accurately and efficiently design complex systems and forecast performance.