Article
Ecology
Emily Minor, Bianca Lopez, Alexis Smith, Philip Johnson
Summary: This study examined the diversity and spatial patterns of front yard vegetation in 870 yards in Chicago, Illinois using fieldwork, GIS, and spatial statistics. The results showed that there were diverse plant communities and distinct spatial patterns across different neighborhoods, with some differences explained by socioeconomic factors. While there was significant spatial autocorrelation in front-yard plant communities, this autocorrelation did not generally influence neighborhood-scale diversity. Understanding these spatial patterns and their socioeconomic drivers could help promote environmentally-friendly yard management practices citywide.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Tong Zhang, Xiaoqi Duan, David W. S. Wong, Yashan Lu
Summary: This study utilizes a graph embedding approach to analyze income segregation in Shenzhen, China, identifying four types of communities based on house value, population distribution, and mobility patterns. The research reveals rich descriptions about the connections between income segregation patterns, population dynamics, and neighborhood characteristics. Results show that more segregated communities tend to be located in the city's peripheral regions, while the inner city has lower levels of segregation due to differences in transit accessibility.
COMPUTERS ENVIRONMENT AND URBAN SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Business
Davide Nicolini, Igor Pyrko, Omid Omidvar, Agnessa Spanellis
Summary: This paper provides a comprehensive review of work on communities of practice, examining different perspectives on their intended purposes and effects and suggesting new research opportunities and conceptual combinations.
ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT ANNALS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yueming Liang, Fujing Pan, Jiangming Ma, Zhangqi Yang, Peidong Yan
Summary: The study found significant differences in soil bacterial community diversity and structure among different stand ages, but no differences between two seasons. Soil bacterial community diversity increased with stand age. The dominant phyla in the soil bacterial community were Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Changes in soil bacterial community structure were influenced by soil pH, available phosphorus content, and litter phosphorus content.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Matthew C. Simon, Jaime E. Hart, Jonathan I. Levy, Trang VoPham, Andrew Malwitz, Daniel Nguyen, Matthew Bozigar, L. Adrienne Cupples, Peter James, Francine Laden, Junenette L. Peters
Summary: This study found that communities with lower socioeconomic status and higher racial/ethnic minority populations are more likely to be exposed to aircraft noise in the United States. These findings suggest sociodemographic disparities in noise exposures across airports.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Honghyok Kim, Natalia Festa, Kate Burrows, Dae Cheol Kim, Thomas M. Gill, Michelle L. Bell
Summary: The study examines the association between residential exposure to petroleum production and refining and stroke prevalence in the southern United States. The findings suggest a significant relationship between residential exposure to petroleum pollutants and stroke, with the prevalence of stroke increasing with proximity to petroleum refineries. Socioeconomic factors were found to influence the increased prevalence of stroke due to petroleum production and refining.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Deborah Salvo, Alejandra Jauregui, Deepti Adlakha, Olga L. Sarmiento, Rodrigo S. Reis
Summary: This article introduces the necessity-versus choice-based physical activity models framework to ensure that physical activity and public health research and promotion efforts in low- and middle-income countries are relevant and respectful to local contexts.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Cassandra L. Raby, Joah R. Madden
Summary: In a recent medium-sized online conference, delegates exhibited varying levels of engagement with different components of the meeting. Talks were popular, but participation in social and networking opportunities was inconsistent. To enhance effective communication and networking, future online conference organizers may consider implementing the six recommendations provided.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Lauren Pinault, Tanya Christidis, Olaniyan Toyib, Dan L. Crouse
Summary: Residential greenness in urban areas of Canada varies across socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, with immigrants, lower-income households, and tenants having lower levels of greenness, while White non-immigrants and higher-income households have higher levels. These inequalities in greenness may contribute to health disparities in the Canadian population.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Muhammad Zohaib Nawaz, Raghul Subin Sasidharan, Huda Ahmed Alghamdi, Hongyue Dang
Summary: Microbial interactions in environmental communities, especially in deep-sea habitats, play a crucial role in shaping community structure, functioning, and adaptation. Recent advancements in technology and knowledge contribute to the understanding of these interactions and their potential applications in biotechnology. Cooperative microbial interactions can drive the degradation of complex organic matter and inspire innovative designs in various applied sciences. Microbial community engineering shows great potentials in the production of antibiotics, biofuels, and other valuable chemicals, as well as waste processing and environmental remediation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rachana Rao, Teresa Alcoverro, Phoolmani Kongari, Saw Yoayela, Rohan Arthur, Elrika D'Souza
Summary: The distribution patterns of seagrass species in the intertidal meadows of the Andaman archipelago are influenced by aerial exposure. Some species are found in submerged or subtidal areas, while others can tolerate partial or complete aerial exposure during low tide. However, even though H. beccarii and H. uninervis have a higher tolerance for aerial exposure, they do not dominate the entire meadow.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Makoto M. Kelp, Matthew C. Carroll, Tianjia Liu, Robert M. Yantosca, Heath E. Hockenberry, Loretta J. Mickley
Summary: Smoke from wildfires poses a major threat in the US, especially in the West. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of prescribed burning as a method to reduce smoke exposure. The analysis suggests that focusing on controlled burning interventions in northern California and the Pacific Northwest can mitigate future smoke exposure.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tianyu Xia, Bing Zhao, Zheng Xian, Jinguang Zhang
Summary: A systematic framework for evaluating the quantity and quality of residential green spaces based on 3-D point clouds generated by UAV-DAP was proposed. Nine indices were calculated using classified point clouds from different residential communities, demonstrating the ability of this method to identify differences in green space exposure within urban residential areas.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kunal Palawat, Robert A. Root, Luz Imelda Cortez, Theresa Foley, Victoria Carella, Charles Beck, Monica D. Ramirez-Andreotta
Summary: As climate change worsens water scarcity, the practice of rainwater harvesting for household irrigation and gardening has become more common. However, the quality and use of harvested rainwater have not been extensively studied, and the potential exposure to pollutants is largely unknown. This study, called Project Harvest, aimed to address this knowledge gap by examining the quality of harvested rainwater in four environmental justice communities in Arizona, USA. The results showed that the concentrations of arsenic and lead in the rainwater varied seasonally and were influenced by the proximity to industrial sites.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Xinbo Zhang, Sicong Zuo, Songya Li, Yutong Shang, Qing Du, Huizhong Wang, Wenshan Guo, Huu Hao Ngo
Summary: The characteristics of bacterial community in a hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor-membrane bioreactor system treating domestic wastewater containing sulfadiazine were investigated. The results showed that the presence of antibiotics reduced total nitrogen removal, but increased the abundance of nitrogen removal-related bacteria with increasing carbon to nitrogen ratios.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Keith R. Spangler, Jonathan Levy, M. Patricia Fabian, Beth M. Haley, Fei Carnes, Prasad Patil, Koen Tieskens, R. Monina Klevens, Elizabeth A. Erdman, T. Scott Troppy, Jessica H. Leibler, Kevin J. Lane
Summary: Infectious disease surveillance often lacks complete information on race and ethnicity, hindering the identification of health disparities. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought greater attention to this issue, revealing significant missing demographic details in reported cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. This study analyzed individual-level data on confirmed COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts from March 2020 to February 2021 and found that missing race and ethnicity data varied over time, showed nonrandom distribution across towns, and were associated with various individual- and town-level characteristics.
JOURNAL OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC HEALTH DISPARITIES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jonathan I. Levy, Lisa Bowleg
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tracey J. Woodruff, Swati D. G. Rayasam, Daniel A. Axelrad, Patricia D. Koman, Nicholas Chartres, Deborah H. Bennett, Linda S. Birnbaum, Phil Brown, Courtney C. Carignan, Courtney Cooper, Carl F. Cranor, Miriam L. Diamond, Shari Franjevic, Eve C. Gartner, Dale Hattis, Russ Hauser, Wendy Heiger-Bernays, Rashmi Joglekar, Juleen Lam, Jonathan I. Levy, Patrick M. MacRoy, Maricel V. Maffini, Emily C. Marquez, Rachel Morello-Frosch, Keeve E. Nachman, Greylin H. Nielsen, Catherine Oksas, Dimitri Panagopoulos Abrahamsson, Heather B. Patisaul, Sharyle Patton, Joshua F. Robinson, Kathryn M. Rodgers, Mark S. Rossi, Ruthann A. Rudel, Jennifer B. Sass, Sheela Sathyanarayana, Ted Schettler, Rachel M. Shaffer, Bhavna Shamasunder, Peggy M. Shepard, Kristin Shrader-Frechette, Gina M. Solomon, Wilma A. Subra, Laura N. Vandenberg, Julia R. Varshavsky, Roberta F. White, Ken Zarker, Lauren Zeise
Summary: The manufacture and production of industrial chemicals continues to increase, leading to widespread population exposures and resultant health impacts. Low-wealth communities and communities of color often bear disproportionate burdens of exposure and impact. Multiple authoritative bodies and scientific consensus groups have called for actions to prevent harmful exposures via improved policy approaches. We developed consensus recommendations for health-protective, scientific approaches to reduce harmful chemical exposures, which can be applied to current US policies governing industrial chemicals and environmental pollutants.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Greylin H. Nielsen, Wendy J. Heiger-Bernays, Jonathan I. Levy, Roberta F. White, Daniel A. Axelrad, Juleen Lam, Nicholas Chartres, Dimitri Panagopoulos Abrahamsson, Swati D. G. Rayasam, Rachel M. Shaffer, Lauren Zeise, Tracey J. Woodruff, Gary L. Ginsberg
Summary: Human health risk assessment currently uses the reference dose or reference concentration approach to describe the level of exposure to chemical hazards without appreciable risk for non-cancer health effects in people. However, this approach has limited utility for decision-making and can benefit from incorporating probabilistic methods to estimate risk across a wide range of exposures.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniel D. Nguyen, Eric A. Whitsel, Gregory A. Wellenius, Jonathan Levy, Jessica H. Leibler, Stephanie T. Grady, James D. Stewart, Matthew P. Fox, Jason M. Collins, Melissa N. Eliot, Andrew Malwitz, JoAnn E. Manson, Junenette L. Peters
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the association between long-term aircraft noise exposure and the risk of hypertension among post-menopausal women. The findings showed no relationship between aircraft noise exposure and incident hypertension among older women in the U.S.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jacob O. Bor, Sabrina Assoumou, Kevin I. Lane, Yareliz Diaz, Bisola Ojikutu, Julia Raifman, Jonathan Levy
Summary: This study examined the vaccination and booster coverage across different ZIP codes in Massachusetts and found significant inequities in coverage. The share of children vaccinated ranged from under 40% to over 90% across ZIP codes, while the share of elderly adults boosted ranged from under 60% to 100%. Education levels were the strongest predictor of vaccine and booster uptake. After adjusting for age and education levels, vaccine and booster uptake was higher in ZIP codes with many Black/Latino/Indigenous residents or essential workers. These inequities may lead to disparities in morbidity, mortality, and economic losses due to COVID-19.
Editorial Material
Energy & Fuels
Jonathan I. Levy
Summary: Historically redlined communities have faced disproportionate environmental and social challenges due to lower housing values and unequal access to investments and resources. New research examines the potential correlation between redlining and the location of fossil fuel power plants, and how this relationship has evolved over time.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Prasad Patil, Xiaojing Peng, Beth M. Haley, Keith R. Spangler, Koen F. Tieskens, Kevin J. Lane, Fei Carnes, MPatricia Fabian, R. Monina Klevens, T. Scott Troppy, Jessica H. Leibler, Jonathan I. Levy
Summary: Researchers compared the use of finer-resolution data with coarser-resolution data to study the predictors of COVID-19. The results showed changes in estimates and tighter confidence intervals at the census-tract level. Conclusions based on town or county-resolution data may be misleading when studying high-risk populations.
ANNALS OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chloe S. Chung, Kevin J. Lane, Flannery Black-Ingersoll, Eric Kolaczyk, Claire Schollaert, Sijia Li, Matthew C. Simon, Jonathan I. Levy
Summary: Aircraft emissions, especially during arrival periods, contribute to elevated levels of ultrafine particle concentration (PNC) in communities near airports. This study evaluated the impact of arrival aircraft on PNC across six study sites near Boston Logan International Airport. The findings showed that PNC was higher at sites closer to the airport and during hours with high aircraft activity, with arrival aircraft accounting for up to 50% of the total PNC at the nearest monitoring site. This highlights the intermittent but significant contributions of arrival aircraft to ambient PNC.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kevin J. Lane, Jonathan I. Levy, Allison P. Patton, John L. Durant, Wig Zamore, Doug Brugge
Summary: This study used structural equation modeling to assess the association between traffic-related air pollution and social stressors with inflammation. The results showed a strong correlation between traffic-related air pollution and inflammation, and a negative correlation between socio-economic status and inflammation. Structural equation modeling played an important role in the analysis.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Amelia K. Wesselink, Perry Hystad, Kipruto Kirwa, Joel D. Kaufman, Mary D. Willis, Tanran R. Wang, Adam A. Szpiro, Jonathan I. Levy, David A. Savitz, Kenneth J. Rothman, Elizabeth E. Hatch, Lauren A. Wise
Summary: This study found that ambient concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, and O3 were not significantly associated with reduced fecundability in both the U.S. and Canada. Different concentrations of these pollutants also had varying impacts on fecundability.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Sarabeth Buckley, Catherine L. Connolly, Pamela H. Templer, Jacqueline Ashmore, Luis Carvalho, Nathan Phillips, Patricia Fabian
Summary: Simultaneous rooftop garden and ventilation upgrades can reduce CO2 emissions, save energy, and decrease costs.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Beth M. Haley, Prasad Patil, Jonathan I. Levy, Keith R. Spangler, Koen F. Tieskens, Fei Carnes, Xiaojing Peng, R. Monina Klevens, T. Scott Troppy, M. Patricia Fabian, Kevin J. Lane, Jessica H. Leibler
Summary: Occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 varies by profession, but essential workers are often considered in aggregate in COVID-19 models. We used census tract-resolution American Community Survey data to develop novel essential worker categories among the occupations designated as COVID-19 Essential Services in Massachusetts. Our findings show elevated COVID-19 case incidence in census tracts with higher proportions of workers in construction/transportation/buildings maintenance, production, and public-facing sales and services occupations. We also found that a greater percentage of essential workers able to work from home was associated with reduced case incidence. Estimating industry-specific risk for essential workers is important in targeting interventions for COVID-19 and other diseases.
JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY HEALTH
(2023)
