by Mieczysław Szyszkowicz

Received: 14 April 2021;  Published: 10 June 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102014

Each country has its own characteristics of COVID-19 infection trajectory and epidemic waves. Differences in government-implemented restrictions and social regulations result in variability of the virus transmissions and spread dynamics. This in turn results in various shapes of the growth function used to represent and describe the propagation of infection. Statistical methods are applied to fit non-linear functions to represent daily time-series data of the cumulative numbers of COVID-19 cases. The aim of this wo [...]

by Brian R. Stanmore

Received: 01 March 2021;  Published: 07 June 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102013

A set of empirical models which accounts for the formation of gas phase polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD and PCDF), and solid phase PCDD/F by the de novo mechanism is described.In each case, competing formation and destruction reactions are considered to operate.The effect of the time-temperature history on their formation is then examined.At high temperatures, steady-state is reached in fractions of a second, resulting in the observed low product concentrations.Rapid cooling as found in furnaces [...]

by Christopher H. Vane  , Alexander W. Kim  , Darren Beriro  , Mark R. Cave  , Stephen R. Lowe  , Raquel A. Lopes dos Santos  , Antonio M. P. J. Ferreira  , Christopher Collins  , C. Paul Mathanail  and Vicky Moss-Hayes

Received: 05 March 2021;  Published: 28 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102012

Total organic carbon (TOC), black carbon (BC), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were determined in 73 surface (0-2 cm) and subsurface (5-20 cm) soil samples taken from a 142 km2 area in Central London, UK. Soils were assessed to provide a baseline chemistry for site owners, developers, occupiers and regulators involved in understanding the potential risk to human health and the environment. TOC range was 1.75-11.85 % (mean 5.82 %), BC 3.7 [...]

by Gregory R. Goodwin  , Narges Sadat Shamabadi  , Pratima Pandey  , Ewen McLean  and Omar Bagasra

Received: 26 September 2020;  Published: 07 June 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102011

Regressive Autism [RA] is a subtype of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that manifests as the loss of previously acquired developmental milestones and skills. Early life dysregulation of neurodevelopment due to exposure to toxic metals has been associated with ASD, but the underlying biological mechanisms by which metals influence neurodevelopment remain unclear. We explored the potential role of thimerosal or ethylmercury on neurite formation and oxytocin receptor (OXTR) modulation in four human-developing neuronal [...]

by Eric P. Vejerano  , Jeonghyeon Ahn  , Junaid Latif  and Mustafa Mamun

Received: 17 January 2021;  Published: 13 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102010

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) are a new class organic pollutant sharing some of the attributes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This opinion/short review aims to describe the properties of EPFRs that merit their recognition as an additional and potentially significant source of POPs. EPFRs are ubiquitous in diverse environments because of multiple factors: (1) organic precursors from anthropogenic, biogenic, and other natural emission sources are abundant; multiple mechanisms in PM and so [...]

by Pratima Pandey  , Narges Sadat Shamabadi  , Ewen McLean  and Omar Bagasra

Received: 28 August 2020;  Published: 07 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102009

Normally we encounter a myriad of chemicals in our daily lives. Endocrine disrupting chemicals [EDCs] are ubiquitous in our environment and upon bodily entry many be stored in adipose tissue and, in pregnant woman, can reach the developing fetal brain, disrupting normal fetal brain development. EDC-induced aberrant levels of sex hormones can alter sexual dimorphism [i.e. degree of feminization or masculinization; sex differences in brain and behavior] and may contribute to the differential susceptibility of males a [...]

by Cosimo Magazzino  and Marco Mele

Received: 19 February 2021;  Published: 06 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102008

In this study, we used an image neural network model to assess the relationship between economic growth, pollution (PM2.5, PM10, and CO2), and deaths from COVID-19 in the Hubei area (China). Data analysis, neural network analysis, and deep learning experiments were carried out to assess the relationship among COVID-19 deaths, air pollution, and economic growth in China (Hubei province, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic). We collected daily data at a city level from January 20 to July 31, 2020. We used main cit [...]

by Christiana Polyzou  , Glykeria Loupa  and Spyridon Rapsomanikis

Received: 25 January 2021;  Published: 04 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102007

Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) was monitored in the atmosphere of a coastal site situated in the Northern Aegean Sea of Greece from August 2014 to January 2015. The selected sampling site is seldom impacted by human activities. Thus, it was possible to study the processes involved in natural terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments. The diurnal and monthly variations in the concentration of GEM as well as the factors influencing these variations were determined. The GEM concentrations were found to be in [...]

by Igor Travar  , Jean Noel Uwayezu  , Jurate Kumpiene  and Leo W.Y. Yeung

Received: 15 December 2020;  Published: 19 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102006

The use of per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has resulted in the contamination of different environmental matrices. In EU countries, the sites contaminated with PFAS are usually remediated by excavating the soil and disposing of it in a landfill, as no in-situ or on-site techniques capable of treating large quantities of soil cost-effectively have been developed. Landfilling of PFAS-contaminated soil is one of the sources of PFAS in landfill leachate. In this paper, the physical and chemical treatment meth [...]

by Lordwin Girish Kumar Jeyakumar  , David B. McKenzie  , Laura E. Christianson  and Evan Derdall

Received: 29 December 2020;  Published: 15 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102005

Denitrifying bioreactor technology, where a solid carbon source (woodchips) acts as a reactive medium to intercept agricultural tile drainage water, has been successfully used to convert N (NO3-) to di-nitrogen (N2) gas. Four replicated field-scale (24 m long × 3 m wide × 1 m deep), bioreactors were built and operated at the St. John's Research and Development Centre and were successful at removing a notable amount of nitrate (N) from agricultural subsurface drainage water. The objective of this study [...]