•Infection risk of household contacts is 10 times higher than other contacts.•Risk of household transmission in adults is about 3-times higher than that in children.•SARS-CoV-2 is much more ...transmissible than SARS-CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in households, which challenges the home isolation of COVID-19 patients.
Hydrogen peroxide (H
O
) is an effective green oxidant, which has been widely applied for environmental remediation. Here, we prepared a novel aluminum-graphite (Al-Gr) composite, which was capable ...of high-efficient production of H
O
through selective O
reduction via a two-electron pathway. We discovered the production of H
O
at a wide pH range, which could be enhanced by optimizing Al-Gr synthesis conditions. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) addition could promote the formation of a welding interface and porous structure between Al and Gr in the Al-Gr composite, which enhanced the galvanic corrosion of Al
, the selectivity of oxygen reduction via the two-electron pathway, and the mass transfer of O
in the Al-Gr/O
system. The formation of Al
C
could be regulated by sintering temperature and sintering time, which could promote the intergranular corrosion of Al
and enhance the mass transfer of O
by reaction with water to generate the porous structure in the Al-Gr composite. The concentration of H
O
reached 777.5 mg/L at an initial pH of 9.0, an Al-Gr dosage of 8 g/L, and an O
gas flow rate of 400 mL/min. The possible mechanisms of Al-Gr synthesis and H
O
production in the Al-Gr/O
system were proposed. The Al-Gr composite was effective for the in situ production of H
O
, which could be further decomposed into a hydroxyl radical (
OH) by Al
in the Al-Gr composite. This composite could be used not only to decolorize the Rhodamine B dye but also to degrade various organic contaminants in different water matrices, indicating its environmental significance.
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•Biosurfactants are becoming the specialty chemicals for many future industrial applications.•Solid-state fermentation can mitigate some drawbacks of submerged liquid ...fermentation.•Industry shows growing interest in biosurfactants for use in different markets.•Covid-19 may boost future inclusion of biosurfactants in personal care products.
Surfactants are multipurpose products found in most sectors of contemporary industry. Their large-scale manufacturing has been mainly carried out using traditional chemical processes. Some of the chemical species involved in their production are considered hazardous and some industrial processes employing them categorised as “having potential negative impact on the environment”. Biological surfactants have therefore been generally accepted worldwide as suitable sustainable greener alternatives. Biosurfactants exhibit the same functionalities of synthetic analogues while having the ability to synergize with other molecules improving performances; this strengthens the possibility of reaching different markets via innovative formulations. Recently, their use was suggested to help combat Covid-19. In this review, an analysis of recent bibliography is presented with descriptions, statistics, classifications, applications, advantages, and challenges; evincing the reasons why biosurfactants can be considered as the chemical specialities of the future. Finally, the uses of the solid-state fermentation as a production technology for biosurfactants is presented.
Biohydrogen is a clean and renewable source of energy. It can be produced by using technologies such as thermochemical, electrolysis, photoelectrochemical and biological, etc. Among these ...technologies, the biological method (dark fermentation) is considered more sustainable and ecofriendly. Dark fermentation involves anaerobic microbes which degrade carbohydrate rich substrate and produce hydrogen. Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundantly available raw material and can be utilized as an economic and renewable substrate for biohydrogen production. Although there are many hurdles, continuous advancements in lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment technology, microbial fermentation (mixed substrate and co-culture fermentation), the involvement of molecular biology techniques, and understanding of various factors (pH, T, addition of nanomaterials) effect on biohydrogen productivity and yield render this technology efficient and capable to meet future energy demands. Further integration of biohydrogen production technology with other products such as bio-alcohol, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and methane have the potential to improve the efficiency and economics of the overall process. In this article, various methods used for lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment, technologies in trends to produce and improve biohydrogen production, a coproduction of other energy resources, and techno-economic analysis of biohydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass are reviewed.
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•Application of advanced pretreatment methods decreases byproduct production.•Use of co-substrate, coculture, and supportive materials can increase H2 production.•Coproduction of other energy resources can improve the economics of the process.•Capital investment in fermentation technology is more economical than others.
The role of children in household transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains unclear. We describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of ...children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Catalonia, Spain, and investigate the household transmission dynamics.
A prospective, observational, multicenter study was performed during summer and school periods (1 July 2020-31 October 2020) to analyze epidemiological and clinical features and viral household transmission dynamics in COVID-19 patients aged <16 years. A pediatric index case was established when a child was the first individual infected. Secondary cases were defined when another household member tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 before the child. The secondary attack rate (SAR) was calculated, and logistic regression was used to assess associations between transmission risk factors and SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The study included 1040 COVID-19 patients. Almost half (47.2%) were asymptomatic, 10.8% had comorbidities, and 2.6% required hospitalization. No deaths were reported. Viral transmission was common among household members (62.3%). More than 70% (756/1040) of pediatric cases were secondary to an adult, whereas 7.7% (80/1040) were index cases. The SAR was significantly lower in households with COVID-19 pediatric index cases during the school period relative to summer (P = .02) and compared to adults (P = .006). No individual or environmental risk factors associated with the SAR.
Children are unlikely to cause household COVID-19 clusters or be major drivers of the pandemic, even if attending school. Interventions aimed at children are expected to have a small impact on reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Meta-analytic methods were used to empirically determine the association between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction. Dyadic coping is a systemic conceptualization of the processes partners ...use to cope with stressors, such as stress communication, individual strategies to assist the other partner cope with stress, and partners' strategies to cope together. A total of 72 independent samples from 57 reports with a combined sum of 17,856 participants were included. The aggregated standardized zero-order correlation (r) for total dyadic coping with relationship satisfaction was .45 (p=.000). Total dyadic coping strongly predicted relationship satisfaction regardless of gender, age, relationship length, education level, and nationality. Perceptions of overall dyadic coping by partner and by both partners together were stronger predictors of relationship satisfaction than perceptions of overall dyadic coping by self. Aggregated positive forms of dyadic coping were a stronger predictor of relationship satisfaction than aggregated negative forms of dyadic coping. Comparisons among dyadic coping dimensions indicated that collaborative common coping, supportive coping, and hostile/ambivalent coping were stronger predictors of relationship satisfaction than stress communication, delegated coping, protective buffering coping, and overprotection coping. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are provided.
•Meta-analysis of studies examining association between relationship satisfaction and dyadic coping•Dyadic coping and its different dimensions predicted relationship satisfaction.•No effect of gender, age, relationship length, education level, and nationality•Positive forms of dyadic coping were a stronger predictor of relationship satisfaction than negative forms.•Dyadic coping by partner and by both partners were stronger predictors of relationship satisfaction.
Given the powerful implications of relationship quality for health and well-being, a central mission of relationship science is explaining why some romantic relationships thrive more than others. ...This large-scale project used machine learning (i.e., Random Forests) to 1) quantify the extent to which relationship quality is predictable and 2) identify which constructs reliably predict relationship quality. Across 43 dyadic longitudinal datasets from 29 laboratories, the top relationship-specific predictors of relationship quality were perceived-partner commitment, appreciation, sexual satisfaction, perceived-partner satisfaction, and conflict. The top individualdifference predictors were life satisfaction, negative affect, depression, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety. Overall, relationship-specific variables predicted up to 45% of variance at baseline, and up to 18% of variance at the end of each study. Individual differences also performed well (21% and 12%, respectively). Actor-reported variables (i.e., own relationship-specific and individual-difference variables) predicted two to four times more variance than partner-reported variables (i.e., the partner’s ratings on those variables). Importantly, individual differences and partner reports had no predictive effects beyond actor-reported relationshipspecific variables alone. These findings imply that the sum of all individual differences and partner experiences exert their influence on relationship quality via a person’s own relationship-specific experiences, and effects due to moderation by individual differences and moderation by partner-reports may be quite small. Finally, relationship-quality change (i.e., increases or decreases in relationship quality over the course of a study) was largely unpredictable from any combination of self-report variables. This collective effort should guide future models of relationships.
Abstract
Background
Since December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has extended to most parts of China with >80 000 cases and to at least 100 countries with >60 000 international cases as of 15 March 2020. Here we ...used a household cohort study to determine the features of household transmission of COVID-19.
Methods
A total of 105 index patients and 392 household contacts were enrolled. Both index patients and household members were tested by SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR. Information on all recruited individuals was extracted from medical records and confirmed or supplemented by telephone interviews. The baseline characteristics of index cases and contact patients were described. Secondary attack rates of SARS-CoV-2 to contact members were computed and the risk factors for transmission within the household were estimated.
Results
Secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 developed in 64 of 392 household contacts (16.3%). The secondary attack rate to children was 4% compared with 17.1% for adults. The secondary attack rate to the contacts within the households with index patients quarantined by themselves since onset of symptoms was 0% compared with 16.9% for contacts without quarantined index patients. The secondary attack rate to contacts who were spouses of index cases was 27.8% compared with 17.3% for other adult members in the households.
Conclusions
The secondary attack rate of SARS-CoV-2 in household is 16.3%. Age of household contacts and spousal relationship to the index case are risk factors for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within a household. Quarantine of index patients at home since onset of symptoms is useful to prevent the transmission of SARS-Co-2 within a household.
The secondary transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2 in households is 16.3%. Age of contacts and spousal relationship to the index case are risk factors for transmission of coronavirus disease 2019. Quarantine of index patients since onset of symptoms is helpful to prevent COVID-19 spread.
Approximately one quarter of the food supplied for human consumption is wasted across the food supply chain. In the high income countries, the food waste generated at the household level represents ...about half of the total food waste, making this level one of the biggest contributors to food waste. Yet, there is still little evidence regarding the determinants of consumers' food waste behaviour. The present study examines the effect of psycho-social factors, food-related routines, household perceived capabilities and socio-demographic characteristics on self-reported food waste. Survey data gathered among 1062 Danish respondents measured consumers' intentions not to waste food, planning, shopping and reuse of leftovers routines, perceived capability to deal with household food-related activities, injunctive and moral norms, attitudes towards food waste, and perceived behavioural control. Results show that perceived behavioural control and routines related to shopping and reuse of leftovers are the main drivers of food waste, while planning routines contribute indirectly. In turn, the routines are related to consumers' perceived capabilities to deal with household related activities. With regard to intentional processes, injunctive norms and attitudes towards food waste have an impact while moral norms and perceived behavioural control make no significant contribution. Implications of the study for initiatives aimed at changing consumers' food waste behaviour are discussed.
•The best food waste model combined psychological factors and food-related routines.•Routines had an important impact on food waste in addition to the psychological factors.•The routines were related to the perceived capabilities of handling food at home.
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