The Science of the total environment
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Sci. Total Environ. · Feb 2021
The carbon footprint of a UK University during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to compare the carbon intensity of higher education delivered on- and off-campus. This is attributed to governmental lockdown orders that have forced Universities to close their campuses, ban business travel and move all teaching and learning activities online. ⋯ The study contributed to an emerging academic discourse on the carbon (dis)benefits of different models of higher education provision in the UK and beyond. The study suggested that policy and management decisions on transferring education online should carefully consider the carbon implications of this transfer.
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If we want to learn how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have to embrace the complexity of this global phenomenon and capture interdependencies across scales and contexts. Yet, we still lack systematic approaches that we can use to deal holistically with the pandemic and its effects. ⋯ With this work, we point out that the pandemic should be understood as the result of preconditions that led to depletion of human, biological, and geochemical diversity as well as of feedback that differentially impacted the three spheres. We contend that protecting and promoting diversity, is necessary to contribute to more effective decision-making processes and policy interventions to face the current and future pandemics.
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Sci. Total Environ. · Feb 2021
Regulation of soil aggregate size under different fertilizations on dissolved organic matter, cellobiose hydrolyzing microbial community and their roles in organic matter mineralization.
The mineralization of soil organic matter is closely related to climate change. Labile organic matter and microbial community are vital intrinsic factors in controlling the mineralization of soil organic matter. Regulation of soil aggregate size on dissolved organic matter (DOM), the cellobiose hydrolyzing microbial community, and their roles in organic matter mineralization remains unclear. ⋯ The relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Sordariomycetes, and Eurotiomycetes revealed significant differences among the aggregates. Redundancy analysis confirmed that microbial GH1 β-glucosidase community in the soil aggregates was primarily regulated by DOM concentration and pH. Structural equation modelling revealed that soil aggregates mainly regulated the β-glucosidase activity and DOM concentration and then the abundance and diversity of the GH1 microbial β-glucosidase genes in controlling organic matter mineralization.
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Sci. Total Environ. · Jan 2021
Toilets dominate environmental detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in a hospital.
Respiratory and fecal aerosols play confirmed and suspected roles, respectively, in transmitting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). An extensive environmental sampling campaign of both toilet and non-toilet environments was performed in a dedicated hospital building for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the associated environmental factors were analyzed. In total, 107 surface samples, 46 air samples, two exhaled condensate samples, and two expired air samples were collected within and beyond four three-bed isolation rooms. ⋯ Of the 46 air samples, one collected from a corridor was weakly positive. The two exhaled condensate samples and the two expired air samples were negative. The fecal-derived aerosols in patients' toilets contained most of the detected SARS-CoV-2 in the hospital, highlighting the importance of surface and hand hygiene for intervention.
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Sci. Total Environ. · Jan 2021
ReviewUnlocking the surge in demand for personal and protective equipment (PPE) and improvised face coverings arising from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic - Implications for efficacy, re-use and sustainable waste management.
Currently, there is no effective vaccine for tackling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 with the occurrence of repeat waves of infection frequently stretching hospital resources beyond capacity. Disease countermeasures rely upon preventing person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV2 so as to protect front-line healthcare workers (HCWs). COVID-19 brings enormous challenges in terms of sustaining the supply chain for single-use-plastic personal and protective equipment (PPE). ⋯ Use of 60 °C for 60 min (such as, use of domestic washing machine and spin dryer) has been advocated for face covering decontamination. Risk of virus infiltration in improvised face coverings is potentially increased by duration of wearing due to humidity, liquid diffusion and virus retention. Future sustained use of PPE will be influenced by the availability of recyclable PPE and by innovative biomedical waste management.