Repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic on solid waste generation and management strategies

• Implication of COVID-19 on medical waste and MSW generation is studied. • Challenges and effective strategy of solid waste generation is reviewed. • 2.9 million tons of COVID-19 related medical waste has been generated until Sep. 22. • The pandemic has postponed policies related to the reduction of plastic use. • Blockade resulted in a significant drop in waste generation in some regions. It has been over ten months since the beginning of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-2019), and its impact on solid waste management, especially medical waste, is becoming clearer. This study systematically reviews the potential influences of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical waste, personal protection equipment waste and municipal solid waste (MSW), and discusses the corresponding measures and policies of solid waste management in typical countries. The results show that the generation of medical waste from the pandemic increased significantly, with 18%‒425% growth. It is estimated that the daily output of COVID-19 medical waste increased from 200 t/d on Feb. 22 to over 29000 t/d at the end of September 2020 throughout the world. The use of personal protective equipment will continue to grow in the long-term, while the blockade and isolation measures greatly reduced the volume of commercial waste, especially for tourist cities, and part of this waste was transferred to household waste. Residents’ attitudes and behavior toward food waste have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the pandemic, international organizations and several countries have issued new policies and guidelines and adjusted their management strategies for medical waste and MSW treatment. The pandemic has brought specific challenges to the disposal capacity of medical waste worldwide. It has also brought about the stagnation of policies related to the reduction of plastic products and waste recycling. This study will provide some useful information for managers and governmental officials on effective solid waste management during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.     

疫情背景下长江中游地区典型饮用水源中PPCPs分布特征与风险评估

对新冠疫情（COVID-19）背景下长江中游武汉段的18个集中式饮用水源地共26个采样点进行水体样品采集.采用超高效液相色谱三重四极杆串联质谱（UPLC-MS/MS）对样品中的药品与个人护理品（PPCPs）的31种物质进行检测,分析了PPCPs的污染特征和生态与健康风险.结果表明,在26个采样点中,共检出23种PPCPs,其中有5种物质在所有点位均有检出,ΣPPCPs浓度范围介于102.44~745.78 ng·L^-1,平均值为206.87 ng·L^-1.检出污染物浓度最高的物质为水杨酸和强力霉素,浓度范围介于28.24~534.24 ng·L^-1和28.72~416.60 ng·L^-1.从空间分布来看,汉江抗生素类PPCPs浓度整体高于长江,而其他种类PPCPs,则表现为长江较高于汉江.生态风险评价结果表明,汉江的生态风险高于长江,藻类风险水平高于无脊椎动物和鱼类,其中水杨酸、强力霉素、林可霉素和金霉素对藻类风险水平较高.健康风险评价结果表明,饮水途径对成人及儿童产生的风险范围分别介于1.14×10^-4~1.36×10^-1和1.04×10^-4~8.21×10^-1,风险水平总体较低,但儿童健康风险高于成人,需要引起重视.通过与近年来长江和汉江流域PPCPs的检出情况对比,疫情背景下长江武汉段PPCPs的污染水平属于中等水平,汉江武汉段的PPCPs污染水平较高.     

Screening maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and human parvovirus antibodies

The association between gestational infection with human parvovirus (B19) and fetal loss has increased interest in this virus and demand for diagnostic testing. However, serological assays for B19 are not yet widely available. Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) testing is commonly used during the second trimester to screen for various fetal defects. We attempted to determine whether an elevated level of MSAFP would be an appropriate indication for B19-specific tests. Over a 26-month period, MSAFP tests were performed at Michigan State University for 21 392 women. Sera remaining after that testing were stored frozen. Of these, 22 case samples—from women with MSAFP levels greater than 3·0 multiples of the median (MOM) and pregnancies that ended in fetal loss—and 44 matched control samples—from women with MSAFP levels greater than 0·4 and less than 2·2 MOM and live births at term—were tested for B19 antibodies. None of the 66 samples was IgM positive, while 33 (50 per cent) were IgG positive. The presence of IgG was not significantly associated with case or control status (matched odds ratio=0·77, 95 per cent confidence interval 0·28–2·11). These findings are consistent with other studies indicating prior infection in approximately half of adults and suggest that elevated screening MSAFP levels, in the absence of other evidence of B19 infection, should not prompt B19-specific testing.     

Ring 19 mosaicism detected during prenatal diagnosis

A ring chromosome 19 was found in 14 of 20 metaphases (67 per cent) derived from amniotic fluid cell cultures following amniocentesis because of increased maternal age. Elective termination of the pregnancy revealed a hypotrophic female fetus with mild dysmorphic signs, but no congenital malformations. The case is discussed in relation to three reports in the literature of ring chromosome 19 mosaicism in a phenotypically normal girl, a mentally retarded man, and a boy with normal psychomotor development and minor dysmorphic features.     

Environment and COVID-19 incidence: A critical review

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented worldwide health crisis. Many previous research studies have found and investigated its links with one or some natural or human environmental factors. However, a review on the relationship between COVID-19 incidence and both the natural and human environment is still lacking. This review summarizes the inter-correlation between COVID-19 incidence and environmental factors. Based on keyword searching, we reviewed 100 relevant peer-reviewed articles and other research literature published since January 2020. This review is focused on three main findings. One, we found that individual environmental factors have impacts on COVID-19 incidence, but with spatial heterogeneity and uncertainty. Two, environmental factors exert interactive effects on COVID-19 incidence. In particular, the interactions of natural factors can affect COVID-19 transmission in micro- and macro- ways by impacting SARS-CoV-2 survival, as well as human mobility and behaviors. Three, the impact of COVID-19 incidence on the environment lies in the fact that COVID-19-induced lockdowns caused air quality improvement, wildlife shifts and socio-economic depression. The additional value of this review is that we recommend future research perspectives and adaptation strategies regarding the interactions of the environment and COVID-19. Future research should be extended to cover both the effects of the environment on the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19-induced impacts on the environment. Future adaptation strategies should focus on sustainable environmental and public policy responses.     

Identifying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on driving behavior using naturalistic driving data and time series forecasting

Introduction: COVID-19 has disrupted daily life and societal flow globally since December 2019; it introduced measures such as lockdown and suspension of all non-essential movements. As a result, driving activity was also significantly affected. Still, to-date, a quantitative assessment of the effect of COVID-19 on driving behavior during the lockdown is yet to be provided. This gap forms the motivation for this paper, which aims at comparing observed values concerning three indicators (average speed, speeding, and harsh braking), with forecasts based on their corresponding observations before the lockdown in Greece. Method: Time series of the three indicators were extracted using a specially developed smartphone application and transmitted to a back-end platform between 01/01/2020 and 09/05/2020, a time period containing normal operations, COVID-19 spreading, and the full lockdown period in Greece. Based on the collected data, XGBoost was employed to identify the most influential COVID-19 indicators, and Seasonal AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) models were developed for obtaining forecasts on driving behavior. Results: Results revealed the intensity of the impact of COVID-19 on driving, especially on average speed, speeding, and harsh braking per 100 km. More specifically, speeds were found to increase by 2.27 km/h on average compared to the forecasted evolution, while harsh braking/100 km increased to almost 1.51 on average. On the bright side, road crashes in Greece were reduced by 49% during the months of COVID-19 compared to the non-COVID-19 period.     

甲型流感的流行与防控分析及其对新冠肺炎疫情的启示

目前新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）疫情在全球流行,对人类生命健康造成威胁.对甲型流感这一常见传染病进行流行特征、影响因素和防控措施分析,回顾总结全球为防控甲型流感做出的努力及相关科学研究成果,为新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情提供防控经验和研究思路.结果表明:①甲型流感呈季节性流行,受气候、社会、政治和文化等多因素影响,在低温低湿、人口密集的环境中表现出强流行性.②甲型流感防控研究工作主要包括季节性流感病毒监测、流感病毒的生态学研究、广谱中和抗体及通用疫苗的研究、应对流感大流行的病原学风险评估四方面,其中季节性流感病毒监测是制定公共卫生政策及后续研究的核心防控措施.③与甲型流感类似,新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情流行受温度等气候因素影响,同时社会、政治、文化等因素也影响其传播,亟需借鉴较成熟的甲型流感的防控经验、技术和平台.建议在加强病毒监测的同时,深入开展病毒生态学研究、病原学风险评估和药物开发,对完善疫情防控工作和预警预测未来可能出现的二次暴发及传播至关重要.研究结果将为新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情和未来传染病疫情的防控及预测预警提供参考和研究思路.      

Toxicity assays of ladybirds using natural predators

Nestling blue titsParus caeruleus L. were given diets containing homogenized ladybirds, to assess the effects of their chemical defences. The 2spot, 10spot and water ladybirds produced no apparent toxic effects when small numbers were given at regular intervals.The pine and kidney-spot ladybirds slightly inhibit growth and may be toxic to very young nestlings. The Water ladybird is extremely distasteful to this predator, despite its lack of toxicity. The results are discussed with reference to the proposed Müllerian and Batesian mimetic relationships between the ladybird species.     

一组表达安全创新的新概念及其关联问题

为提升安全创新能力和水平及公正评价安全成果,本文从表达安全创新的新概念创设开始,以科学学思想为指导,以元概念演绎法和双向思维法,创设了正负“元事物”“元创事物”“颠覆性元创事物”等系列新概念,将表达安全创新的“负元事物”“负元创事物”和“负颠覆性元创事物”等概念与商业和科技等颠覆性创新对等起来,并推论出正负两类“颠覆性元创事物”所涉及的重要科学问题。之后,通过正负两类“颠覆性元创事物”的比较,并以近期发生的新冠肺炎为典型案例,得到一些发展和鉴别“负颠覆性元创事物”的方法与途径。研究结果对安全科技创新发展和评价等具有重要的理论意义。     

新冠疫情下武汉典型饮用水水源中DBPs污染特征与风险评估

为了揭示新冠肺炎疫情下武汉典型饮用水水源中消毒副产物（DBPs）的污染特征与风险水平,选取武汉典型饮用水源地26个采样点位,采用N,N-二乙基-1,4-苯二胺分光光度法和气相色谱仪-微池电子捕获检测器（GC-μECD）法分别对水体中残余氯消毒剂和DBPs进行了检测,并开展健康与生态风险评估.结果表明,26个点位中有16个检出了游离氯或总余氯,检出最大浓度为0.04 mg·L^-1,部分点位游离氯超过了国家地表水标准,靠近城市污水厂排水口的点位浓度相对较高.对10个代表性点位进行了34种DBPs的检测,有24种物质被检出,检出率为10.00%～100.00%;ρ（总DBPs）浓度范围为0.11～104.73μg·L^-1,平均值为7.26μg·L^-1.三氯甲烷检出浓度最高,浓度范围为9.98～11.15μg·L^-1,平均值为10.47μg·L^-1;一溴一碘乙酰胺检出浓度最低,浓度范围为ND～0.11μg·L^-1,平均值为0.01μg·L^-1...