Potential benefits of public-private partnerships to improve the efficiency of urban wastewater treatment.

For emerging economies lacking public budgets, continuous improvement of urban wastewater treatment efficiency (UWTE) requires effective government supervision of wastewater treatment infrastructures (WTIs) and participation of private capital seeking to profit-maximising. However, to what extent this public-private partnership (PPP) model, aimed at a reasonable sharing of benefit and risk, in delivering WTIs can improve the UWTE is unknown. We evaluated the impact of the PPP model on the UWTE by collecting data from 1303 urban wastewater treatment PPP projects in 283 prefecture-level cities in China from 2014 to 2019 and used data envelopment analysis and Tobit regression model. The UWTE was significantly higher in prefecture-level cities that introduced the PPP model in the construction and operation of WTIs, particularly those with a feasibility gap subsidy, competitive procurement, privatised operation, and non-demonstration. Moreover, the effects of PPPs on UWTE were limited by the economic development level, marketisation, and climatic conditions.

COVID-19 Impact on the Tourism Accommodation and Restaurant Sectors of Sao Miguel (Azores)

The importance of tourism in the Azores' economy has been increasing over the years. In order to respond to higher tourist demand, new accommodation establishments and restaurants started activity in the region, creating new jobs and wealth. This trend of economic expansion has been slowed down, possibly reversed, since the COVID-19 pandemic and the various strategies adopted by the government to decrease the infection rate, which led to the arrival of fewer tourists. To assess the pandemic impact after the first lockdown on the economy of S & atilde;o Miguel, the biggest and most visited island of the Azores, surveys were designed for the tourism accommodation and restaurant sectors, both influenced by tourism activity.The main aim was to estimate the mean income drop in the 2020 tourism high season, in percentage, compared to the homologous pre-pandemic 2019 period. The results highlight an adverse impact on those sectors, with the greatest mean income drop being estimated for the local accommodation sector (78.7 +/- 3.6%), followed by the traditional hotel sector (74.7 +/- 4.6%) and the restaurant sector (58.5 +/- 6.5%). Moreover, an almost 60% drop in the mean occupancy rate during the 2020 tourism high season, compared to 2019, was estimated for the tourism accommodation sector.

True Reduction in the Air Pollution Levels in the Community of Madrid During the COVID-19 Lockdown

The coronavirus disease (COVID) lockdown was implemented in 2020, which included harsh restrictions on the amount of traffic. As a consequence, a low-emission scenario that could only be simulated before, actually occurred. This constituted a unique and valuable opportunity to study the effect of air quality pollutant concentrations. Although a direct comparison between the observed measured values given by reference air quality stations (AQSs) and values from before the COVID lockdown provides an idea of the pollution reduction, it cannot be separated from the meteorology, and hence, those studies could be misleading. This study used the approach of modeling a normal business day using both air quality and meteorological data from 2017 to 2019 to train machine-learning models to be able to predict what concentration of the three most concerning pollutants (NO2, O-3, and PM10) would be given by the meteorological conditions and the time of the year. The XGBoost and LightGBM gradient boosting decision tree-based models were applied to the time series recorded in Madrid and used to predict the expected concentrations in 2020 if no restrictions had been made. The predictions could then be compared to the real observed AQS data to determine the meteorological normalized reductions. The results showed around a 60% reduction in the NO2 at the three types of AQSs (traffic, suburban, and background) during the most restrictive months of the pandemic. The O-3 concentration showed a different behavior depending on the type of AQS, pointing to changes in the regime of other pollutants, such as VOCs. The PM10 was the most difficult case to analyze because of its dependence on external transport phenomena, which were difficult to consider in the models. A set of CTM simulations should be done in the future to assess the O3-VOCs-NOx chemistry.

Changes and Disparities in Nature Access During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Time in nature is associated with a range of physical and psychological benefits. These benefits tend to be unevenly distributed, with non-white and low-income communities often having lower access to nature than richer, more white neighborhoods. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in Spring 2020, changes in daily routines, restrictions on public nature access, and risk perceptions may have affected whether and how much people spent time in nature. We explore how nature access changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and how those changes were experienced by different demographic groups. We surveyed representative samples of California and New York residents (n = 2,036) in May and June of 2020 and examined differences in nature access and nature-related COVID restrictions and risks by gender, income and race. We find that, on average, the pandemic was associated with reductions in frequency of nature access and less time in nature for all respondents. However, these trends were greatest for women, people of color and people who are low-income. Moreover, the pandemic seems to have widened prior inequalities: low-income and non-white people accessed nature even less frequently and had fewer nature access options than they did prior to the pandemic. Given the disparities in broader pandemic impacts by gender, income, and race, these results further demonstrate the inequalities laid bare by COVID-19.

Characteristics of PM2.5 and PM10 Spatio-Temporal Distribution and Influencing Meteorological Conditions in Beijing

PM2.5 and PM10 in the atmosphere seriously affect human health and air quality, a situation which has aroused widespread concern. In this paper, we analyze the temporal and spatial distribution of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations from 2016 to 2021 based on real-time monitoring data. In addition, we also explore the influence of meteorological conditions on pollutants. The results show that PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are similarly distribution in temporal and spatial from 2016 to 2021, and the average concentrations of both show a decreasing trend. The ratio of PM2.5 to PM10 is decreasing, indicating that the proportion of fine particles is declining. PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are higher in spring and winter, but lower in summer. Spatially, it shows a gradual shift from the characteristic of "high in the south and low in the north" to a uniform homogenization across districts. The spatial distribution of PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations is synchronous by applying empirical orthogonal functions (EOF). The first EOF pattern exhibits a consistent characteristic of high in the southeast and low in the northwest. The second pattern EOF reflects the effect of impairing PM2.5 concentrations in the southeast during the winter of 2016-2018. The PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are significantly negatively correlated with wind speed and precipitation in both spring and winter. On the other hand, from the perspective of the circulation situation, the southeasterly and weak westerly wind in spring produce convergence resulting in higher particulate matter concentrations in the south than in the north in Beijing. The westerly wind is flatter at 700 hPa geopotential height, which is conducive to the formation of stationary weather. The vertical direction of airflow in spring and winter is dominated by convergence and sinking, indicating the weak dispersion ability of the atmosphere. The reason for the accumulation of particulate matter at the surface is investigated, which is beneficial to provide the theoretical basis for air quality management and pollution control in Beijing.

Clinical trial transparency regulations: Implications to various scholarly publishing stakeholders

As thousands of 2019 Corona virus disease (Covid-19) clinical trials are continuously getting added to various registries these days, good practices on data sharing and transparency have become one of the prime topics of discussion than ever before. Although trial registration is considered a crucial step, there is a lack of integration between registration and published literature. Trial outcomes are a matter of public interest, but sponsor compliances are not adequate with the recommended guidelines. Although the global recognition of data transparency increases day by day, there is still a long journey to travel. It is high time that scholarly publishing stakeholders should put in a collaborative effort to check author compliance. In this article, we aimed to comprehend and discuss the imperative roles of various scholarly publishing stakeholders in improving clinical trial transparency during this pandemic situation and highlight the changing paradigm towards the pressing need for reporting clinical trial data more effectively.

Identification of Face Mask Waste Generation and Processing in Tourist Areas with Thermo-Chemical Process

The very high need for personal protective equipment (PPE) impacts the waste generated after using these tools. Therefore, to deal with mask waste during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study was carried out on the processing of mask waste using a thermal process and studied how the potential of this process was for the effectiveness of mask waste processing during the pandemic. This research was conducted on Honeymoon Beach by collecting data on mask waste generated during the pandemic, then measuring the waste proximate, ultimate, and calorific value and testing the thermal process using TGA and Piro GC-MS measurements. Most waste masks found on Honeymoon Beach are non-reusable masks, 94.74%, while reusable masks are 5.26%. The waste is then subjected to thermal processing and analysis using TGA and Piro GC-MS. Based on the data obtained, the thermal process can reduce the mass of non-reusable and reusable mask samples by 99.236% and 88.401%, respectively. The results of the Piro GC-MS analysis show that the lit mask waste will produce fragments of compounds that can be reused as fuel. The process is simple and easy and produces residues that can be reused to reduce environmental pollution due to waste generation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effects of the COVID-19 lockdown in Hubei, China: cessation of incense burning reduces regional landscape fire

Both anthropogenic and climatic factors are important determinants of landscape fire. Because the two groups of factors are intertwined and often act simultaneously, dissecting their effects on landscape fire is challenging. We used the COVID-19 lockdown event in Hubei, in which all immediate influences of anthropogenic factors were effectively removed, to quantify the effects of anthropogenic factors on landscape fire occurrence. We hypothesized that outdoor incense burning is the main causal factor of landscape fire. To test the hypothesis, we used random forest algorithm to model fire occurrence, including fire frequency, total area burned, and area of forest burned, for the lockdown period. We then estimated the differences between historical, simulated, and observed values of landscape fire and used the differences to represent the effects of anthropogenic activities on landscape fire. Our results showed that during the lockdown, landscape fire frequency was reduced by 77%, total area burned by 80%, and area of forest burned by 63%. By month, fire frequency decreased the most in April (85%), followed by February (80%), coinciding with the Qingming and Spring Festivals of 2020. The cessation of outdoor incense burning during the festival season was likely to be the most important factor that decreased fire occurrence, confirming our hypothesis about the causal relationship between outdoor incense-burning and landscape fire. Thus, educational programs encouraging people to stop outdoor incense burning during the festival season could reduce the occurrence of landscape fire.

Resilience in the times of COVID: what the response to the COVID pandemic teaches us about resilience principles

Times of crisis offer a rare opportunity to understand the mechanisms underpinning the resilience of complex adaptive systems. The coronavirus pandemic that started in 2020 overwhelmed health systems worldwide and forced governments, businesses, and individuals to deploy a range of coping and adaptation strategies. Through an online survey targeting members of the Resilience Alliance and their collaborators, we examined 61 distinct strategies deployed in the initial months of the pandemic to assess empirically which resilience-building mechanisms were actually implemented to navigate the crisis. Our results show that managing connectivity, feedbacks, and learning were essential during the initial part of the pandemic. Other principles such as building diversity, redundancy, polycentricity, and inviting participation become important in rebuilding during the aftermath of a crisis, whereas keeping a systems view, monitoring slow variables, and practicing adaptive management are practices that should be incorporated during regular times.

Voicing resilience through subjective well-being: community perspectives on responding to water stressors and COVID-19

Interactions among social inequalities, environmental stressors, and shocks are illustrated through communities??? subjective experiences of water-related challenges and responses to crises. This situation is perhaps most visible in the COVID-19 pandemic???s impact on marginalized communities where climate change and systemic inequities are already threatening access to water and sanitation. It is critical to integrate dimensions related to well-being into research about vulnerable communities??? capacities and strategies for coping and adapting to such crises. Here, we investigate water-related risks to health and well-being using a subjectivity lens, a particularly useful tool for understanding community-level resilience to lesser-known stressors and crisis impacts. To inform this study, we used households??? self-reported water issues in Cape Town, South Africa???s low-income areas from before the pandemic, in addition to community responses during the pandemic. The findings show how inadequate access to water and sanitation affects people???s health and well-being, both directly by exposure to wastewater and impaired hygiene, and indirectly by creating stress and social conflict, and undermining subsistence gardening and medical self-care. However, our study also illustrates how grassroots-led responses to the COVID-19 crisis address these vulnerabilities and identify priorities for managing water to support well-being. The results demonstrate two ways that subjective perceptions of well-being can help to promote resilience: first, by identifying stressors that undermine community well-being and adaptive capacity;and second, by voicing community experiences that can help to guide crisis responses and initiatives critical for adapting to social-ecological shocks. The results have important implications for enabling transformative change that aligns efforts to address issues linked to poverty and inequality with those seeking to respond to environmental emergencies.

The benefits of counting butterflies: recommendations for a successful citizen science project

Citizen science (CS) projects, being popular across many fields of science, have recently also become a popular tool to collect biodiversity data. Although the benefits of such projects for science and policy making are well understood, relatively little is known about the benefits participants get from these projects as well as their personal backgrounds and motivations. Furthermore, very little is known about their expectations. We here examine these aspects, with the citizen science project "German Butterfly Monitoring" as an example. A questionnaire was sent to all participants of the project and the responses to the questionnaire indicated the following: center dot Most transect walkers do not have a professional background in this field, though they do have a high educational level, and are close to retirement, with a high number of females;center dot An important motivation to join the project is to preserve the natural environment and to contribute to scientific knowledge;center dot Participants benefit by enhancing their knowledge about butterflies and especially their ability to identify different species (taxonomic knowledge);center dot Participants do not have specific expectations regarding the project beyond proper management and coordination, but have an intrinsic sense of working for a greater good. The willingness to join a project is higher if the project contributes to the solution of a problem discussed in the media (here, insect decline). Based on our findings from the analysis of the questionnaire we can derive a set of recommendations for establishing a successful CS project. These include the importance of good communication, e.g., by explaining what the (scientific) purpose of the project is and what problems are to be solved with the help of the data collected in the project. The motivation to join a CS project is mostly intrinsic and CS is a good tool to engage people during difficult times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, giving participants the feeling of doing something useful.

Influence of the Total Consumption of Households on Municipal Waste Quantity in Romania

Sustainable development is a worldwide concern. This paper presents an analysis of the influence of the final consumption expenditure on the total consumption of households in Romania. The regression function of the association between "the amount of municipal waste" and "the total consumption of households" has a direct linear relationship. The regression variable "total household consumption" (X) has a regression coefficient of -0.03031, which indicates that the amount of municipal waste decreases by one unit as household consumption increases by 30.31 units. Therefore, this regression coefficient indicates that the volume of municipal waste decreases by 30.31 tons to an increase in the final consumption expenditure of households of EUR 1 million. The influence of the final consumption expenditure of households by consumption purpose on the quantity of municipal waste is in the following order: health;housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels;clothing and footwear;miscellaneous goods and services;recreation and culture;food and non-alcoholic goods;restaurants and hotels;furnishing and household equipment and routine household maintenance;alcoholic and tobacco goods;communications;and education. The value of the Significance F must be less than 0.05. In the case of the model, it is found that this value exceeds the threshold of 0.05 in the case of consumption generated by health services, recreation and culture, restaurants and hotels, alcohol and tobacco goods, and communications. Regarding the high value of Significance F in relation to consumption, we find the sectors that generate the least amount of waste (services). In the case of all of the independent variables, we can note that the relationship is a negative one, which proves that an increase in the quantity of any expenditure of the households generates a decrease of the municipal waste quantity.

Coping Strategies for Household Food Insecurity, and Perceived Health in an Urban Community in Southern Mozambique: A Qualitative Study

In low- and middle-income countries, food insecurity (FI) is a living reality for many households, particularly among the most vulnerable groups. The burden of household FI in Mozambique and how FI and coping strategies relate to perceived health are unknown. This study investigated the lived experiences and coping strategies of food-insecure households, along with their perceived health. Altogether, 16 in-depth interviews were performed, audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. A qualitative content analysis was carried out and five themes emerged: lived experiences of FI, coping strategies used in situations of FI, food choices, climate change and food security, and FI and perceived health. A wide range of lived experiences and coping strategies were reported, including cooking whatever is available, skipping meals, receiving money or food from friends and relatives, eating unsafe and low-quality foods, taking on additional work, cooking least-preferred foods, and having a monotonous and less-nutritious diet. Furthermore, the participants reported emotional distress, anxiety and depression, substance use, and other negative health outcomes. Some had diagnoses of hypertension, diabetes or HIV/AIDS. The findings suggest the need for employment creation and women's empowerment, as well as the implementation of appropriate policies and programmes to alleviate household FI.

Distance Education for Basic Surgical Skills Using Homemade Tools-DIY Methods for Emergency Situations

The aim of our research was to establish a reproducible curriculum that offers the possibility to gain basic surgical skills (knot tying, suturing, laparoscopy basics) through distance education in emergency situations by using tools available in the household. Forty-six volunteering third- and fourth-year medical students were involved in the study. The distance education system was set up using homemade or easily obtainable tools (an empty can, shoe box, sponge, etc.) to teach surgical knotting, suturing, and basic laparoscopic skills. The reachable learning objectives were contrasted with the original course plan. Feedback from the students has been collected. The students' results were compared to the regular course of the previous years. Seventy-nine percent of the original learning objectives could be reached completely, and 15% partially. The necessary tools were available for 82% of the students. The students evaluated the course for 4.26 in general and 4.86 considering the circumstances (on a 5-level-scale). The homemade trainers were assessed over four as an acceptable substitution. Students' exam results decreased only by 7% compared to the previous two years. Basic surgical skills can be educated with acceptable efficiency and student satisfaction using distance teaching and homemade tools. This is the first study where not only the simulators but the surgical instruments were replaced with household tools and evaluated by a reproducible curriculum.