Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xavier Rodo, Adria San-Jose, Karin Kirchgatter, Leonardo Lopez
Summary: Climate change can impact disease transmission and needs to be considered in pandemic forecasting models, along with human behavior and awareness.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Girish Rughoobur, Lay Jain, Akintunde Akinwande
Summary: Experimental demonstration of electron transmission through suspended graphene layers with significant increase in current, possibly due to generation of secondary electrons by primary electrons. Monolayer graphene shows highest output current at approximately 90 eV, up to 1.7 times the incident current, offering potential for low-voltage field emission electron sources in less stringent vacuum environments.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Nicholas Clements, Ilan Arvelo, Phil Arnold, Nicholas J. Heredia, Ulrike W. Hodges, Stan Deresinski, Peter W. Cook, Kerry A. Hamilton
Summary: Using aerosol-based tracers, a method is proposed to scale a SARS-CoV-2 bulk aerosol quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model, allowing estimation of risk of infectious aerosol transmission and evaluating the impact of risk mitigation efforts. By measuring aerosolized synthetic DNA tracer concentrations and accounting for pathogen infectivity loss over time, the inhaled pathogen dose and risk of infection can be scaled with time-integrated tracer concentrations. Scenario testing is conducted to assess the effectiveness of ventilation, occupancy, masking, and layering interventions on infection risk.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Takuhiro Kakiuchi, Tomoki Matoba, Daisuke Koyama, Yuki Yamamoto, Akitaka Yoshigoe
Summary: The oxidation mechanism of hafnium overlayers on an Si(111) substrate was investigated, showing that metallic hafnium and interfacial HfSi were oxidized via different pathways.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Yangfei Zhu, Yong Wu, Fa Cao, Xiaohong Ji
Summary: In this study, Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films with excellent transparent conductive properties were prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at low-temperature. The influence of doping concentration on film performance was investigated, and it was found that the surface morphology, orientation, and electrical properties of the GZO thin films were highly dependent on Ga concentration. The GZO film with a Ga doping concentration of 1.16 at.% exhibited the highest carrier concentration, lowest resistivity, and highest quality factor.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE-MATERIALS IN ELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patrick Armand, Jeremie Tache
Summary: Even though the Covid-19 pandemic seems to be stagnating or decreasing, the occurrence of other epidemics caused by airborne transmission cannot be ruled out. Previous research used a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to simulate particle dispersion in ventilated spaces, and showed the value of wearing masks in limiting particle dissemination. This research can be applied to various public or private ventilated spaces to estimate the criticality of occupancy and recommend measures to limit airborne contamination.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Johannes Fiedler, Kristian Berland, Stefan Yoshi Buhmann
Summary: We investigate the influence of a dielectric medium on the electromagnetic responses of a molecule, and propose a theory based on the dipole-dipole coupling between the molecule and the environment. This theory allows us to predict the excitation lifetimes of single and few molecules attached to a dielectric surface by considering the quantum-mechanical properties of the molecules. Furthermore, we analyze the possibility of superradiance between two molecules bound to a dielectric sphere and find a change in the relevant length scale due to the binding distance.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Luo Mingyu, Liu Shelan, Zhu Liebo, Wang Fengying, Wu Kunyang, He Hanqing, Qi Xiaohua, Pang Zhifeng, Dong Xuanjun, Gong Zhenyu, Yu Min
Summary: This observational study on the Qingkou night market found that aerosol transmission of the new strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is significant. The virus can remain suspended in ambient air for up to 1 hour and 39 minutes and still retain its contagiousness.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joshua L. Santarpia, Vicki L. Herrera, Danielle N. Rivera, Shanna Ratnesar-Shumate, St. Patrick Reid, Daniel N. Ackerman, Paul W. Denton, Jacob W. S. Martens, Ying Fang, Nicholas Conoan, Michael V. Callahan, James V. Lawler, David M. Brett-Major, John J. Lowe
Summary: The study found evidence of viral replication in submicron aerosol samples from COVID-19 patients, further confirming the potential for airborne transmission of COVID-19. Therefore, it emphasizes the importance of using efficient respiratory protection in healthcare and public settings to limit transmission.
JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Keyang Lyu, Siyang Feng, Xia Li, Qin Wang, Xiaoning Zhao, Shuyuan Yu, Ping Zheng, Jiajia Ji, Guomin Chen, Jing Liang, Tao Lan, Jinshu Feng, Shuai Jiang, Jianhua Lu, Tianlong Xia, Chaoqiong Peng, Tiejian Feng, Dongqun Xu
Summary: This study provides experimental evidence for the existence of vertical aerosol transmission pathway through sanitary pipelines in high-rise buildings, highlighting the risk of infectious pathogen transmission in buildings. Therefore, measures should be taken to prevent such vertical transmission.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhixin Wang, Filippos Kapsalidis, Ruijun Wang, Mattias Beck, Jerome Faist
Summary: In this study, the authors designed a circular subwavelength metallic aperture in a quantum cascade laser to adjust its phase front, control diffraction losses, and achieve lower threshold power dissipation, enabling the fabrication of shorter cavities.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Haibin Sun, Dijing Pan, Dong Wang, Ziran Meng
Summary: This paper proposes an efficient routing protocol, LPLL-LEACH, to address problems such as uneven energy consumption and long packet forwarding time in LEACH. The protocol calculates the optimal number of cluster heads (CHs) and redefines the threshold for electing CHs. Ordinary nodes join clusters based on a cost function, and the optimal next hop CH is determined using a forwarding function. A hybrid mechanism of CSMA_TDMA is applied to minimize time delay. Experimental results show improved efficiency in terms of extended node lifetimes and reduced latency.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Wilson Ha, Trina F. Zabarsky, Elizabeth C. Eckstein, Heba Alhmidi, Annette L. Jencson, Jennifer L. Cadnum, Curtis J. Donskey
Summary: Poorly ventilated indoor spaces can increase the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. We measured carbon dioxide levels in multiple areas of an acute care hospital and found that some areas exceeded 800 ppm. Measuring carbon dioxide levels could provide a simple way for healthcare facilities to assess ventilation.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INFECTION CONTROL
(2022)
Review
Environmental Studies
Ingmar Lippert, Siddharth Sareen
Summary: With the appearance of Green Deals and competitive techno-economic basis, the change in energy infrastructure is becoming more intense. However, it is important to consider how justice can be applied to the complex socio-technical changes in energy infrastructure. Our synthesis review argues that focusing on alleviating energy poverty can enable the policy-oriented mobilization of energy justice.
ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marie-Eve Benoit, Michele Prevost, Antonella Succar, Dominique Charron, Eric Deziel, Etienne Robert, Emilie Bedard
Summary: A study evaluated the impact of ten different types of faucet aerators on aerosol production and contamination levels, revealing variations in aerosol particle density and size distribution with different aerator models and their relationship with bacterial load. Aerator models with aeration showed significant differences in aerosol production, while a new low-flow aerator was found to produce significantly fewer contaminated aerosol particles.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Chenxi Li, Ruth Signorell
Summary: Gas phase nucleation is a universal phenomenon that plays a crucial role in both natural settings and industrial processes. Despite more than 100 years' work to decipher this highly dynamic process, our understanding of nucleation remains incomplete. Techniques offering molecular level insight into nucleation have limitations in terms of applicable scope and measurement uncertainties.
JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Evelyne A. Parmentier, Gregory David, Pablo Corral Arroyo, Simone Bibawi, Kivanc Esat, Ruth Signorell
Summary: The photodegradation of optically trapped oleic acid droplets by visible light was studied, showing that the oxygen amount and droplet size have minimal influence on the reaction rate. However, higher laser power and shorter wavelength significantly increased the reaction rate, suggesting that mechanisms involving the photoexcitation of oleic acid are dominant pathways. This study highlights the importance of considering direct photodegradation when using optical traps or spectroscopic methods to study aerosol particles containing fatty acids.
JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chenxi Li, Jan Krohn, Martina Lippe, Ruth Signorell
Summary: This research used a specially designed experiment to directly measure the chemical composition and concentration of nucleating clusters in various binary CO2-containing vapors, finding that CO2 can catalyze nucleation of the low vapor pressure component by forming transient heteromolecular clusters, providing alternative pathways for more efficient nucleation. This work opens up new avenues for quantitatively assessing nucleation mechanisms involving transient species in multicomponent vapors.
Correction
Engineering, Chemical
Evelyne A. Parmentier, Gregory David, Pablo Corral Arroyo, Simone Bibawi, Kivanc Esat, Ruth Signorell
JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
John W. Niman, Benjamin S. Kamerin, Vitaly V. Kresin, Jan Krohn, Ruth Signorell, Roope Halonen, Klavs Hansen
Summary: The abundance spectra of (CO2)(N) clusters were analyzed under a wide range of adiabatic expansion conditions, revealing a universal pattern in cluster stability functions. Individual cluster properties, size-dependent cluster binding energies, shell and subshell closing sizes, and cuboctahedral packing ordering for larger sizes were identified through the analysis. The study demonstrates that even a small variation in dissociation energies can lead to significant abundance variations, especially for larger clusters.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pablo Corral Arroyo, Gregory David, Peter A. Alpert, Evelyne A. Parmentier, Markus Ammann, Ruth Signorell
Summary: Direct evidence of optical confinement-induced patterning inside aerosol particles is provided using x-ray spectromicroscopic imaging and modeling. The study found that photochemical reactions in most aerosol particles are accelerated by optical confinement effects, with rotation of free aerosol particles and intraparticle molecular transport further enhancing the photochemistry. Atmospheric models should consider the influence of optical confinement effects on aerosol particle photochemistry.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Evelyne A. Parmentier, Pablo Corral Arroyo, Richard Gruseck, Loren Ban, Gregory David, Ruth Signorell
Summary: The influence of electric charges on the photodegradation of oleic acid droplets was investigated, and it was found that the charge did not affect the chemical composition or kinetics.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Stefan Feusi, Jan Krohn, Chenxi Li, Ruth Signorell
Summary: The interaction of water with different substances in the earth's atmosphere and its contribution to the water vapor phase transition is still unclear. This study provides the first measurements of water-nonane binary nucleation and unary nucleation data in the 50-110 K temperature range. The experiments show that hetero-molecular clusters do not play a role during nucleation, and the nucleation rates of water and nonane are not significantly affected by the presence of the other species.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sebastian Hartweg, Jonathan Barnes, Bruce L. Yoder, Gustavo A. Garcia, Laurent Nahon, Evangelos Miliordos, Ruth Signorell
Summary: Low-energy electrons dissolved in liquid ammonia or aqueous media can serve as powerful reducing agents but can also cause radiation damage to biological tissue. The mechanistic processes underlying electron transfer steps are still not fully understood. This study demonstrates how ultraviolet (UV) photoexcitation of metal-ammonia clusters can be used to generate tunable low-energy electrons. The UV light-induced generation of spin-paired solvated dielectrons and their subsequent relaxation through unconventional electron transfer-mediated decay offer an efficient source of low-energy electrons. This process has the potential to improve our understanding of radiation damage and facilitate mechanistic studies of solvated electron reduction reactions.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jonathan V. Barnes, Dominique P. Borgeaud Dit Avocat, Edith Simmen, Huanyu Yang, Bruce L. Yoder, Ruth Signorell
Summary: Using experimental and simulation methods, this study compares the magnetic properties of different neutral sodium-doped solvent clusters. It is found that clusters with longer spin transition times exhibit better deflection, while other clusters show reduced deflection. The observed magnetic deflection behavior is correlated to the number of excited rotational states in the clusters.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Oliver Reich, Michael J. J. Gleichweit, Gregory David, Nicole Leemann, Ruth Signorell
Summary: Sea salt aerosol is abundant in the atmosphere and its hygroscopicity plays a crucial role in its interaction with solar radiation. Conflicting values for its hygroscopic growth have been reported, impacting the accuracy of climate modeling. We present new values of hygroscopic growth for atmospheric sea salt, obtained through optical trapping and single particle mass measurement. Our findings reconcile discrepancies in previous studies and also reveal the crystallization of gypsum at higher relative humidity.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiangrui Kong, Suyun Zhu, Andrey Shavorskiy, Jun Li, Wanyu Liu, Pablo Corral Arroyo, Ruth Signorell, Sen Wang, Jan B. C. Pettersson
Summary: Salt aerosols play important roles in atmospheric chemistry and climate systems. This study used ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to characterize Martian salt analogues and their responses to varying relative humidities. The results showed that the surface chemical environment of the salts is similar to ion chromatography results, but differences exist for species that preferentially partition to the surface or the bulk. The study also found that changes in relative humidity do not have a major impact on the surface chemical environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ruth Signorell, Bernd Winter
Summary: This perspective article reviews the specific challenges of photoemission spectroscopy in studying bulk liquid water, aqueous solutions, water droplets, and water clusters. The focus is on accurately retrieving energetics and photoelectron angular information from measured spectra and understanding the differences in different aqueous environments. Various phenomena, such as multiple energy-dependent electron scattering and different energy referencing methods, are discussed. Recommendations on accounting for or minimizing the influence of electron scattering are provided.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Loren Ban, Hanchao Tang, Bruce L. Yoder, Ruth Signorell
Summary: In this study, photoemission from submicrometer droplets containing a mixture of dioctyl phthalate and dioctyl sebacate was investigated using femtosecond and nanosecond photoionization techniques. The results showed significant differences in the photoelectron spectra between ionization with nanosecond and femtosecond laser pulses, attributed to ionization of long-lived states within the duration of the nanosecond pulse. The decay dynamics of these long-lived states were investigated using a nanosecond-femtosecond pump-probe scheme, and an accelerated decay rate was observed at higher dioctyl phthalate concentrations. Additionally, the decay dynamics were found to be faster in smaller droplets and neutral droplets compared to charged droplets, suggesting the influence of droplet size and charge.
FARADAY DISCUSSIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
J. V. Barnes, M. Beck, S. Hartweg, A. Luski, B. L. Yoder, J. Narevicius, E. Narevicius, R. Signorell
Summary: In this study, the setup and performance of a new pulsed Stern-Gerlach deflector for small sodium-doped ammonia clusters have been described. NaNH3 showed expected deflection, while larger clusters displayed smaller deflections, with intracluster relaxation times estimated to be around 200 microseconds. This research aims to improve understanding of the magnetic properties of isolated, weakly-bound clusters.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
