Does the size of air pollution particles affect a person’s risk of death from stroke?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY

 

MINNEAPOLIS – Living in areas with higher air pollution is associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death from stroke, and the risk varies depending on the size of the air pollution particles, according to a new study published in the May 25, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study looked at three sizes of air pollution particulate matter. Particulate matter consists of liquids or solids suspended in air. Submicron particulate matter, PM1, is less than one micron in diameter and includes soot and smog. Fine particulate matter, PM2.5, is less than 2.5 microns in diameter and includes fly ash from coal combustion. Respirable particulate matter, PM10, is less than 10 microns in diameter and includes cement dust.

“Air pollution has been previously linked to a greater risk of stroke, and stroke is a leading cause of death worldwide,” said study author Hualiang Lin, PhD, of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. “What is lesser known is how the different sizes of particulate matter affect that risk. Our research found that the size of air pollution particles may affect a person’s risk of dying from stroke.”

For the study, researchers examined electronic medical records in China to identify over 3.1 million hospitalizations for stroke, both ischemic stroke caused by a blood clot, and hemorrhagic stroke caused by bleeding in the brain. Participants had an average age of 67. Of this group, 32,140 people, or 1%, died of stroke while hospitalized.

Researchers identified individual levels of air pollution exposure for each participant by using their home addresses and an air pollution data source that records daily concentrations of different types of particulate matter. Researchers then calculated seven-day air pollution exposure immediately before hospitalization for stroke, which was 31.38 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) of PM1, 45.43 µg/m3 of PM2.5 and 78.75 µg/m3 of PM10. They also calculated a person’s average daily exposure to pollution particles in the year before hospitalization, which was 32.98 µg/m3 of PM1, 49.08 µg/m3 of PM2.5 and 87.32 µg/m3 of PM10.

After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, socioeconomic status, diabetes and high blood pressure, researchers found each 10 μg/m3 increase in annual average exposure to particulate matter was associated with increased risk of dying of stroke while hospitalized, with a 24% greater risk for exposure to PM1, a 11% greater risk for exposure to PM2.5, and a 9% greater risk for exposure to PM10. The seven-day average exposure to particulate matter included a 6% increased risk for exposure to PM1, a 4% increased risk for exposure to PM2.5, and a 3% increased risk for exposure to PM10.

The risks were stronger in people with ischemic stroke than in people with hemorrhagic stroke. The greatest risk of death from stroke was in people with ischemic stroke and exposure to the smallest air pollution particles, PM1.

Yet researchers also found that a reduction in PM10 would have the largest impact on reducing overall deaths from stroke, reducing the number of hospital deaths by 10% for short-term exposure and 21% for long-term exposure.

Lin said it is important to note that the study results do not prove that air pollution causes stroke deaths, they only show an association.

“Our study includes measurements of PM1, which may be small enough to be inhaled deeply into lungs, pass through lung tissue, and circulate in the bloodstream,” said Lin. “Obtaining a deeper understanding of the risk factors of all particulate matter sizes and the magnitude of their possible effects may help reduce the number of deaths and improve the outcomes for people with stroke.”

A limitation of the study was that results were not adjusted for a person’s smoking status or the severity of stroke. Researchers also examined air pollution exposure only at a person’s current residence and not at previous residences.

Learn more about stroke at BrainandLife.org, home of the American Academy of Neurology’s free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life® on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

When posting to social media channels about this research, we encourage you to use the hashtags #Neurology and #AANscience.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 38,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit AAN.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

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JOURNAL

Neurology

Researchers use bacteria to enhance concrete resistance

Adding denitrifying bacteria to recycled coarse aggregate concrete could dramatically increase its freeze-thaw resistance

Peer-Reviewed Publication

XI'AN JIAOTONG-LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY

Concrete, with its low cost, good compressive strength, and manufacturing convenience, is one of the most widely used materials in construction. However, with accelerating urbanisation, natural aggregates for mixing with concrete, such as sand and gravel, are in short supply.

Although recycled substances can replace the natural mixture to produce recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RCAC), they may cause various problems – especially in cold regions, daily freeze-thaw cycles can damage concrete, leading to safety issues.

In a paper recently published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s Department of Civil Engineering applied denitrifying bacteria to recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) and enhanced the concrete’s strength and durability. The treated RCAC can withstand 225 freeze-thaw cycles, which is 75 more than those without treatment, making it suitable for widespread usage in cold areas.

 

TRADITIONAL METHODS

Professor Chee Seong Chin, the corresponding author of the paper, says the traditional ways to improve concrete’s freeze-thaw resistance are unsustainable in the long term.

“These methods, such as reducing the water-cement ratio and increasing the chemical admixtures, increase the usage of chemical substances, leaving adverse impacts on sustainability.

“In comparison, we offer an environmentally friendly solution. Our method uses denitrifying bacteria and doesn’t contain or create poisonous or polluting substances,” he says.

 

A DECREASE IN WATER ABSORPTION

Reducing water absorption is crucial to enhancing RCAC’s freeze-thaw resistance, explains Professor Chin.

During freeze-thaw cycles, water penetrates the concrete, creating cracks in the structure, and reducing its durability. When the water freezes, it expands. The more water, the more swelling, and the more swelling, the more damage.

“If not treated by bacteria, using RCA in concrete can increase water absorption due to its loose structure and high porosity, whereas denitrifying bacteria can block the holes where water gets in, effectively reducing the free water absorbed inside the concrete by 33%.

“It prevents the water absorption from outside, thus reducing the swelling from inside,” he says.

 

A STEADIER STRUCTURE

In addition, bacteria can also improve the capacity of concrete to resist water-freezing expansion by creating a steadier structure, says Professor Chin.

“The voids and pores of RCAC are filled with calcium carbonate crystals created by bacteria, making the structure denser and decreasing the expansion effect of frozen water.

“Based on our experiment, denitrifying bacteria can improve the compressive strength and tensile splitting strength by 30.3% and 20.3%, respectively.

“Moreover, bacteria consume excess calcium hydroxide during the biomineralisation process, making the concrete more frost-resistant. Calcium hydroxide between aggregates and the cement matrix are generally considered negative factors in terms of strength and durability,” he says.

Although this novel method has significantly increased the freeze-thaw resistance of RCAC, further research is needed to enhance the resistance by using nanomaterials or other cementitious materials with bio-mineralisation methods, says Professor Chin.

“Future research needs to investigate the economic cost and quantify the environmental impact with a life-cycle assessment,” he adds.

The research team consists of Zuowei Liu, Professor Chee Seong Chin and Dr Jun Xia from XJTLU’s Department of Civil Engineering.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Cleaner Production

DOI

10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131159 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Novel method for enhancing freeze–thaw resistance of recycled coarse aggregate concrete via two-stage introduction of denitrifying bacteria

Climate change threatens people's health dramatically but solutions are within reach, say the world’s academies in a new report

New global report of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP)

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE INTERACADEMY PARTNERSHIP (IAP)

Climate change is having a range of impacts on health today that will become more severe unless urgent action is taken. Vulnerable populations will see their health increasingly undermined by both direct impacts, such as from extreme heat, and indirect ones, e.g. from reduced food and nutrition security. To produce science-based analysis and recommendations on a global scale, outstanding scientists from around the world – brought together by the world’s science academies under the umbrella of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) – have teamed up to collect and evaluate relevant evidence. The three-year project involving well over 80 experts from all world regions also examined a number of climate mitigation and adaptation actions that could bring significant improvements to health and health equity.

Trieste, 24 May 2022. Climate change threatens the health of billions of people, especially those who contribute least to climate change, but many strategies to cut greenhouse gas emissions can improve health in the near-term. The new report 'Health in the climate emergency – a global perspective', launched today by the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), examines how the climate crisis is affecting health worldwide and calls for urgent action: "Billions of people are at risk, therefore we call for action against climate change to benefit health and also advance health equity", says Robin Fears, IAP project coordinator and co-author of the IAP report.

In a three-year global project, IAP has worked together with its regional networks in Africa (NASAC), Asia (AASSA), the Americas (IANAS) and Europe (EASAC) to capture diversity in evaluating evidence from their own regions to inform policy for collective and customised action at national, regional and global levels. A team of more than 80 scientists from all regions of the world has contributed to the project.

Analysing extensive scientific evidence, the recent report offers a global review of the current knowledge and examines how climate change and its drivers are acting through a range of direct and indirect pathways to impact, for example:

• heat-related mortality and morbidity
• extreme events such as floods and droughts
• decreases in crop yield in some regions
• changes in the distribution of vector-borne diseases
• wildfires causing widespread exposure to air pollution

Generally, a wide range of health outcomes are affected including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, water and food-borne diseases, undernutrition and mental health. There is also growing risk of forced migration with its attendant adverse health consequences.

An article published in Nature Climate Change, summarised in the IAP report, shows for example that one third of heat related deaths over recent decades can be attributed to climate change according to analysis of data from over 700 sites in 43 countries (Vicedo-Cabrera et al, 2021). Moreover, other studies have found that extreme heat exposure reduces the ability to undertake physical labour, with a Lancet Planetary Health paper stating that approximately one billion people globally projected to be unable to work safely for part of the year (even in the shade) after an increase in the global temperature of about 2.5o C above pre-industrial (Andrews et al, 2018).

“Many policies and actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions also benefit health in the near term as well as reducing the risks of dangerous climate change", says Andrew Haines, Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and co-chair of the IAP project. Haines is the winner of the 2022 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement – often regarded as the ‘Nobel Prize for the Environment’.

For instance, fine particulate air pollution arises from many of the same sources as emissions of greenhouse gases. Fossil fuel- and biomass-related emissions account for a substantial proportion of the total health burden from ambient pollution. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), phasing out these anthropogenic sources of air pollution is projected to avert millions of premature deaths worldwide each year (Lelieveld et al, 2019).

Climate change is already reducing food and nutrition security and, unless tackled, will have ever greater impacts on undernutrition and deaths. IAP underlines that promoting dietary change – increasing consumption of fruit, vegetables and legumes and reducing red meat intake, where that is excessive – could have major health and environmental benefits. Such diets would enable significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from food systems as well as reducing water and land use demands. Furthermore, through the reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and other conditions, there would be major reductions in non-communicable disease burden.

Climate action could also avert a significant increase in the spread of infectious diseases. For example, a study published in the Lancet Planetary Health estimates that the population at risk of both dengue and malaria might increase by up to 4.7 billion additional people by 2070 relative to 1970-99, particularly in lowlands and urban areas (Colon-Gonzalez et al, 2021). Thus IAP calls for strengthening communicable disease surveillance and response systems that should be a priority for improving adaptation to climate change worldwide.

The IAP report stresses that climate change affects the health of all people, but the burden is not distributed evenly or fairly.

"Instead, it falls most heavily on those in low socio-economic conditions and marginalized people, and is influenced by intersecting factors such as health status, social, economic, and environmental conditions, and governance structures. Climate change impacts exacerbate inequities and injustices already experienced by vulnerable populations, many of which are founded in colonialism, racism, discrimination, oppression, and development challenges", says Sherilee Harper, Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada and Co-author of the report.

"We emphasise that health-related adaptation efforts must prioritize Indigenous Peoples, ageing populations, children, women and girls, those living in challenging socioeconomic settings, and geographically vulnerable populations."

Globally, groups that are socially, politically and geographically excluded are at the highest risk of health impacts from climate change, yet they are not adequately represented in the evidence base.

"Therefore, equity at the local, regional and international scale must be at the forefront of research and policy responses", says Volker ter Meulen co-chair of the IAP project. "Equity is at the core of effective responses."

IAP calls all stakeholders to take action in building climate–health resilience that will limit future risks. The very wide geographical coverage of IAP is invaluable in helping to communicate the voices of those – from low- and middle-income countries and vulnerable populations – who are not always heard during the processes whereby evidence informs international policy.

"Investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, healthcare systems, and policies will support adaptation and decrease future health risks from climate change", adds ter Meulen. "A 'health in all policies' response will support climate change adaptation and mitigation actions to help meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, will have co-benefits for health, and will support the achievement of key international initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals."

The report is available for download here: https://www.interacademies.org/publication/health-climate-emergency-global-perspective and will be discussed in an open public webinar on 25 May, 2-4 PM CEST. Registration here: https://tinyurl.com/CCHLAUNCH

For more information and interview requests please contact:

Giovanni Ortolani
IAP Communication Assistant
gortolani@twas.org

Johanna Mogwitz
IAP project assistant
+49 171 2156945

IAP representatives and experts from more than 50 countries are available for country-specific interviews.

About the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP)

Under the umbrella of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), more than 140 national, regional and global member academies work together to support the vital role of science in seeking evidence-based solutions to the world’s most challenging problems. In particular, IAP harnesses the expertise of the world's scientific, medical and engineering leaders to advance sound policies, improve public health, promote excellence in science education, and achieve other critical development goals.

IAP’s four regional networks – AASSA, EASAC, IANAS and NASAC – are responsible for managing and implementing many IAP-funded projects and help make IAP’s work relevant around the world. More information about IAP can be found at https://www.interacademies.org, on Twitter at @IAPartnership, on LinkedIn and YouTube.

Notes for editors

There are about 600 research references discussed in the IAP global report. Studies referred to in this press release should not be taken to mean IAP endorsement but rather as exemplifying key points. The following studies were referred to:

• Andrews et al (2018). Implications for workability and survivability in populations exposed to extreme heat under climate change: a modelling study. Lancet Planetary Health 2, e540-547.
• Colón-González et al (2021). Projecting the risk of mosquito-borne diseases in a warmer and more populated world: a multi-model, multi-scenario intercomparison modelling study. Lancet Planetary Health 5, e404-414.
• Lelieveld et al (2019). Effects of fossil fuel and total anthropogenic emission removal on public health and climate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 116, 7192-7197.
• Vicedo-Cabrera et al (2021). The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change. Nature Climate Change 11, 492-500.

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

Disclaimer: A

How to tie-dye cotton with acorns and rust

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

 

IMAGE: TIE-DYEING COTTON FABRIC WITH ACORN AND RUST SOLUTIONS TURNS IT BROWN, ORANGE, BLUE AND BLACK. view more 

CREDIT: ADAPTED FROM JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION 2022, DOI: 10.1021/ACS.JCHEMED.2C00086

Tie-dyeing is a fun activity that can spice up clothes with colorful patterns. Although kits are available in stores, nature provides dyes that can be extracted from items found in one’s yard — for example, acorns and rust. In ACS’ Journal of Chemical Education, researchers present a “green” process for tie-dyeing cotton with renewable resources and wastes that undergraduate students can easily do under minimal supervision. The activity links together science, art and sustainability.

For thousands of years, materials found in nature have been used as dyes and mordants, which are substances that help affix compounds to fibers. And brown-colored tannins from acorns can bind to orange-colored iron mordant, generating a dark blue, or almost black, color on fabrics. So, Julian Silverman and colleagues wanted to show how these natural dyes can be used in tie-dyeing to produce designs of white, brown, orange and bluish-black colors on cotton napkins. The resulting patterns depended on how the napkins were wrapped in rubber bands and the order in which they were soaked in an acorn dye bath and dipped in a rust and vinegar solution. Even though all of the dyeing solutions are safe to dump down the drain, the researchers say that gloves, lab coats and goggles will keep the dyes from staining skin or other clothing.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Manhattan College School of Science.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Follow us: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

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JOURNAL

Journal of Chemical Education

DOI

10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c00086 

ARTICLE TITLE

Tie-Dyeing with Foraged Acorns and Rust: A Workshop Connecting Green Chemistry and Environmental Science

Tsunami threats underestimated in current models, new research shows

An analysis of historical seismic events by a USC Dornsife scientist finds the near-trench region affects tsunami severity

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

 

IMAGE: USC RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT LARGE EARTHQUAKE-GENERATED TSUNAMIS EMERGE AFTER HORIZONTAL OCEANIC WATER MOVEMENT IS TRANSFERRED TO UPLIFT IN THE TSUNAMI EXCITATION ZONE, THE OUTER WEDGE OF SEDIMENT BETWEEN THE CONTINENTAL SHELF AND THE DEEP OCEAN TRENCH. view more 

CREDIT: MESA SCHUMACHER AND EDWARD SOLETO

The 2004 Sumatra earthquake generated one of the most destructive tsunamis ever recorded, with 100-foot waves that killed nearly 230,000 and resulted in an estimated $10 billion in damage. It also ushered in a new understanding that potent tsunamis are triggered by shallow earthquake ruptures of underwater fault lines. Future tsunamis are likely to be just as severe, if not worse, potentially killing even more people and wiping out whole communities. Although current research points to rupture depth as a key factor in predicting tsunami severity, those models fail to explain why large tsunamis still occur following relatively small earthquakes.

Now, USC researchers have found a correlation between tsunami severity and the width of the outer wedge — the area between the continental shelf and deep trenches where large tsunamis emerge — that helps explain how underwater seismic events generate large tsunamis. Drawing insights from a survey of previous tsunamis, the authors analyzed the geophysical, seismic and bathymetric data of global subduction zones to identify and discuss potential tsunami hazards.

Their latest study revealed that current predictive models underestimate tsunami severity by as much as 100%. The work appears in the journal Earth-Science Reviews.

“Close to half of the human population is coastal, leaving our population and infrastructure vulnerable to seismic and tsunami hazards,” said USC’s Sylvain Barbot, associate professor of Earth sciences at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Science sand co-author of the study. “To maintain our livelihoods and our economy, we need to protect ourselves from these very violent hazards that are relatively infrequent but still happen. We cannot stop this hazard, so we need to mitigate its effects.

“That means having evacuation plans for tsunamis and developing an urban development plan to avoid having schools and hospitals in inundation regions. There are preemptive measures we can take to protect ourselves against tsunamis and flooding long-term, and our study provides a description of how to define the area affected by these hazards.”

Tsunami threat: Excitation zone width highly correlated with severity

To develop their new model, Barbot and co-author Qiang Qiu, now at the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, analyzed the structural and tectonic settings of nearly a dozen global earthquake-generated tsunamis. Varying in location and intensity, the analysis found that particularly large tsunamis emerge after horizontal movement is transferred to uplift in the outer wedge of sediment located between the continental shelf and the deep ocean trench. The many faults and folds of the outer wedge of accretionary prisms efficiently redirect the sub-oceanic horizontal motion generated by great and giant trench-breaking earthquakes into potentially devastating tsunamis.

“We can very quickly determine where and how big earthquakes are at subduction zones,” Barbot said. “If they happen to be fairly shallow, our results can quickly determine what tsunami height they can generate. This can help improve already existing short-term mitigation strategies for early warning systems.”

The survey of earthquake-generated tsunamis illuminated a correlative relationship between the width of the outer wedge and maximum tsunami strength resulting from earthquakes measuring 7.1 to 8.2 in moment magnitude (Mw). In doing so, the researchers were able to generate estimates of future tsunami severity generated by a range of seismic events.

Middle East, Alaska and Pacific Northwest among regions facing tsunami threat

The authors investigated another 30 active subduction zones. Utilizing the correlation between the width of the outer wedge with tsunami run-ups, they shed light on the threat posed by potential tsunamis. The authors identified the Western Makran (Iran), Western Aleutian, Lesser Antilles, Hikurangi (New Zealand) and Cascadia subduction zones as having the potential to produce the highest tsunami run-ups. For instance, the Cascadia subduction zone — located off the U.S. West Coast near Oregon and Washington — could suffer tsunamis 160 feet high in the wake of a major quake, double what current models project.

“The region that should be the most alert to this is Iran and Pakistan,” Barbot said. “Much of their industry and population is located on their southern coast, exposing them to the largest potential tsunami run-up hazard — perhaps up to 90 meters [nearly 300 feet] in the event of a 9.0 Mw earthquake. However, the threat is nearly as bad in other subduction zones. In the Pacific Northwest, they already have tsunami mitigation measures in place, but they may be preparing for a lower run-up than will happen.”

While these findings better explain how severe tsunamis result from shallow seismic events, future efforts should incorporate three-dimensional imaging of the outer wedge, according to the authors. Understanding the pathway from earthquake to tsunami depends on identifying the structural and rheological controls that turn a rupture into a trench-breaking earthquake.

“With this study, we were able to find this correlation simply because we have a lot of data now,” Barbot said. “It’s the benefit of hindsight that allowed us to discover this really very simple correlation. There is much of this we don’t know yet, so it needs more detailed research, but the relationship between outer-wedge width and tsunami run-up is clear enough that it can be extrapolated.”

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JOURNAL

Earth-Science Reviews

DOI

10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104054 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Tsunami excitation in the outer wedge of global subduction zones

Critical global water questions

New research has drawn together expert voices from across the globe to help address current and future water challenges

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

Recent intense heatwaves in India and widespread US droughts have highlighted the need for a global approach to tackling chronic water shortages.

Now, new research has drawn together expert voices from across the globe to help address current and future water challenges.

Key areas identified include water scarcity, sanitation and climate dynamics. But the main concern is the way governments are equipped to deal with these challenges.

“One of the key issues raised was governance,” said report co-author Dr Alesia Ofori, a Research Fellow in Water and Sanitation Governance at the University of Leeds’ School of Politics and International Studies.

“In the Global South, respondents are asking why they have to listen to the Global North. Those in the Global South know what the issues are, and they are calling for big changes in access to data so they can better prepare for extreme weather.”

More than 400 respondents took part in the study, in which questions about global water challenges were submitted from countries across the globe including the UK, , India, Spain, Colombia, Peru,

Mexico, Argentina, South Africa and Tanzania.

“A recurring theme was the call for water justice,” said Dr Ofori. “They want justice for the marginalised populations who suffer from the excess consumption and pollution of the rich.

“There is also a call for justice for the local and planetary ecosystems that have been despoiled through a failure of governance on a global level.”

The study, ‘The top 100 global water questions: results of a scoping exercise’, has just been published in One Earth and includes co-authors from the University of York, University of Bradford and Global Water Partnership-Tanzania.

The research team collected more than 4,000 responses from the 400 respondents, which were then narrowed down to 100 crucial water questions facing the planet today.

The 100 questions were grouped under the themes of water and sanitation for human settlements; water and sanitation safety risk management; water security and scarcity; hydroclimate-ecosystem- Anthropocene dynamics; multi-level governance; and knowledge production.

According to the research team, water sector partnerships are needed on a global scale to inform government decision-making on water issues that range from household to planetary levels.

Co-author Professor Anna Mdee, also at Leeds’ School of Politics and International Studies, said: “The 100 top global water questions demonstrate a demand from the global water sector to address the consequences of human governance failure of water resources.

"These failures are evident on a daily basis across the planet - from ongoing droughts in the US to the catastrophic effects of heatwaves in India - and highlight the need for concerted efforts in interdisciplinary research and action.

“These 100 questions also highlight the importance of justice for marginalised human populations and the need for cooperation to ensure water and sanitation policies align with the current needs of individuals, populations at different scales.”

Co-author Dr Victor Kongo, from the Global Water Partnership Tanzania, said: “This study provides a good platform for reflecting and internalizing our research trajectory - what we know, what we don’t know and what we urgently need to know.”

Further information

“The top 100 global water questions: results of a scoping exercise”, was published in One Earth on 20 May, 2022.

The study was funded by water@leeds (water.leeds.ac.uk) at the University of Leeds as part of its 10th anniversary in leading interdisciplinary global water research.

Respondents included United Kingdom (79), India (71), Spain (31), Colombia (19), Peru (18), Mexico (17), Argentina (15), South Africa (13) and Tanzania (13), representing more than 60% of total survey participants.

For further details, contact University of Leeds media relations manager Ian Rosser via i.rosser@leeds.ac.uk.

ENDS

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JOURNAL

One Earth

DOI

10.1016/j.oneear.2022.04.009 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

The top 100 global water questions: results of a scoping exercise

A quarter of the world's Internet users rely on infrastructure that is susceptible to attacks

Reports and Proceedings

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN DIEGO

 

IMAGE: FRACTION OF EACH COUNTRY'S IP ADDRESSES THAT ARE EXPOSED TO OBSERVATION OR SELECTIVE TAMPERING BY COMPANIES THAT CONNECT INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS TO THE GLOBAL INTERNET. COUNTRIES ARE SHADED IN PROGRESSIVE SHADES OF BLUE, WITH WOST EXPOSED COUNTRIES IN THE DARKEST BLUE. COUNTRIES IN GRAY EXCLUDED FROM THE STUDY. view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO

About a quarter of the world’s Internet users live in countries that are more susceptible than previously thought to targeted attacks on their Internet infrastructure. Many of the at-risk countries are located in the Global South. 

That’s the conclusion of a sweeping, large-scale study conducted by computer scientists at the University of California San Diego. The researchers surveyed 75 countries. 

“We wanted to study the topology of the Internet to find weak links that, if compromised, would expose an entire nation’s traffic,” said Alexander Gamero-Garrido, the paper’s first author, who earned his Ph.D. in computer science at UC San Diego. 

Researchers presented their findings at the Passive and Active Measurement Conference 2022 online this spring.

The structure of the Internet can differ dramatically in different parts of the world. In many developed countries, like the United States, a large number of Internet providers compete to provide services for a large number of users. These networks are directly connected to one another and exchange content, a process known as direct peering. All the providers can also plug directly into the world’s Internet infrastructure.

“But a large portion of the Internet doesn’t function with peering agreements for network connectivity,” Gamero-Garrido pointed out. 

In other nations, many of them still developing countries, most users rely on a handful of providers for Internet access, and one of these providers serves an overwhelming majority of users. Not only that, but those providers rely on a limited number of companies called transit autonomous systems to get access to the global Internet and traffic from other countries. Researchers found that often these transit autonomous system providers are state owned. 

This, of course, makes countries with this type of Internet infrastructure particularly vulnerable to attacks because all that is needed is to cripple a small number of transit autonomous systems. These countries, of course, are also vulnerable if a main Internet provider experiences outages. 

In the worst case scenario, one transit autonomous system serves all users. Cuba and Sierra Leone are close to this state of affairs. By contrast, Bangladesh went from only two to over 30 system providers, after the government opened that sector of the economy to private enterprise. 

This underlines the importance of government regulation when it comes to the number of Internet providers and transit autonomous systems available in a country. For example, researchers were surprised to find that many operators of submarine Internet cables are state-owned rather than privately operated.

Researchers also found traces of colonialism in the topology of the Internet in the Global South. For example, French company Orange has a strong presence in some African countries. 

Researchers relied on Border Gateway Protocol data, which tracks exchanges of routing and reachability information among autonomous systems on the Internet. They are aware that the data can be incomplete, introducing potential inaccuracies, though these are mitigated by the study’s methodology and validation with real, in-country Internet operators. 

Next steps include looking at how critical facilities, such as hospitals, are connected to the Internet and how vulnerable they are. 

Quantifying Nations’ Exposure to Traffic Observation and Selective Tampering (PDF)

 Alberto Dainotti (now at Georgia Institute of Technology),  Alexander Gamero-Garrido (now at Northeastern University), Bradley Huffaker and Alex C. Snoeren, University of California San Diego Esteban Carisimo, Northwestern University 
Shuai Hao, Old Dominion University 

 

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Quantifying nations’ exposure to traffic observation and selective tampering

University of Surrey launches Future of Work Research Centre

Business Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF SURREY

The new Research Centre will focus on people management and job quality in a rapidly changing working environment characterised by rapid technological advancements, economic developments, and societal value changes. These changes have transformed the nature and organisation of work, as well as conditions of employment.  

Professor Ying Zhou, Director of the Future of Work Research Centre at the University of Surrey, said: 

“With so much uncertainty in our work environment, we’ll be looking at the critical questions facing the future workplace – from analysis of job quality and digital technologies through to the hopes and perils of hybrid working. 

“Artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics technologies are changing the nature of jobs, with massive implications for training, skills, and careers. Our new Future of Work Research Centre will draw on world-leading expertise across the University of Surrey, covering artificial intelligence, digital technology, and human resource management, as well as working alongside industry and policy partners. Across our work, we’ll be looking to offer advice on how fairness and justice can be secured in an increasingly diverse workforce.” 

Furthermore, the Research Centre is being established just as the UK Government launches its own Future of Work Review headed by MP Matt Warman. 

The launch event will feature Professor Glenn Parry, Head of the Department of Digital Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Professor Francis Green, Professor of Work and Education Economics at UCL Institute of Education, and Jonny Gifford, Senior Advisor for Organisational Behaviour at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. 

More details on the Future of Work Research Centre can be found here. 

[Ends] 

The University of Surrey is a research-intensive university and has been ranked in the top 20 in the UK for the overall quality of research outputs in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 - the UK’s system for independently assessing the quality of research in higher education institutions. 

This year, the University of Surrey launched an ambitious new global campaign – The Future Says Surrey. The campaign will aim to raise £60 million in three years to invest in the University’s leading research and to support students from diverse backgrounds to thrive at Surrey – securing its place as one of the UK’s leading research and educational institutions.  

Note to Editors 

• Professor Ying Zhou is available for interview upon request 
• For media enquiries, please contact the University of Surrey’s press office at mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk

New Work Foundation Index reveals UK

 workers suffering most from insecure

 employment

New in-depth analysis of UK job market data reveals women, disabled people, ethnic minorities and young workers have been consistently trapped in insecure employment over the last twenty years.

Reports and Proceedings

LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: BEN HARRISON, DIRECTOR OF THE WORK FOUNDATION view more 

CREDIT: WORK FOUNDATION

New in-depth analysis of UK job market data reveals women, disabled people, ethnic minorities and young workers have been consistently trapped in insecure employment over the last twenty years.

The Work Foundation, a leading think-tank dedicated to improving work in the UK, today launches its new ‘UK Insecure Work Index’ that details the prevalence of in-work insecurity felt by workers across the UK, and reveals how this insecurity has changed over the last two decades.

Using ONS labour market data from 2000 to 2021, the Work Foundation index focuses on three elements that can constitute insecurity at work – employment contracts, personal finances and access to workers’ rights.

Results reveal four groups of workers consistently trapped in the most severe category of in-work insecurity over the last twenty years, which has affected 20-25% of workers every year on average and an estimated 6.2 million employees just last year:

• Young workers who are two and half times more likely to be in severely insecure work than those in the middle of their working lives (43% of 16-24-year olds vs. 17% of 25-65-year olds)
• Women who are 10% more likely to be in severely insecure work than men (25% compared to 15%)
• Ethnic minority workers are more likely to be in severely insecure work than white workers (24% versus 19%). Men from ethnic minority backgrounds are 10% more likely to experience severely insecure work compared to white men (23% versus 13%)
• Disabled workers who are 6% more likely to suffer severely insecure work, compared to non-disabled workers (25% compared to 19%).

Data also reveals the sectors most at risk of severe in-work insecurity are hospitality, services and agriculture, which see one in three workers affected, compared to one in five nationally.

Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, said, “At a time of a cost of living crisis, those in insecure and low paid work are among the groups at most risk. Wages have stagnated and while millions more people may be in employment, the quality and security of the jobs they are in often means they are unable to make ends meet.”

Job market data captured during the pandemic demonstrates that those in severely insecure work face the biggest risks in a crisis. During Covid-19, these workers were at greater risk of losing their jobs, were ten times more likely to receive no sick pay, were more likely to lose out on support through furlough or other schemes.

 “Our analysis shows that job insecurity is impacting certain groups more than others – in particular if you are a young person, a woman in work, from an ethnic minority background or have disabilities, you are more likely to experience severe insecurity in work,” Harrison continues. “With the Bank of England predicting inflation could potentially rise to 10% by the end of 2022, workers may be facing the largest real-term wage cut we’ve seen in generations.”

Former Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, Rt Hon. Alan Milburn, said: “The challenges facing millions of UK families due to job insecurity, low pay and lack of full-time work shouldn’t be underestimated. As the country faces the worst cost of living crisis in living memory, it is clear that more urgently needs to be done.

 “Social mobility has stagnated over recent decades and the UK Insecure Work Index confirms that severely insecure work significantly reduces people’s chances of escaping poverty. It is a stark reminder of the need to focus on access to more secure, better paid and higher quality jobs if we are to truly level-up the UK.”

TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady, welcomed the UK Insecure Work Index. She said: “Up and down the country, millions are trapped in jobs that have wildly unpredictable hours, low pay, and limited rights.

“For years working people were promised improved rights and protections. But ministers have now shelved the Employment Bill, which they said would help make Britain the best place in the world to work. 

 “Instead of tackling insecure work, ministers have sat on their hands and allowed it to flourish. In the midst of a cost-of-living emergency, it’s more important than ever that the government clamps down on low-paid precarious work.

“The time for excuses is over. We need to see government action to boost workers’ rights and end exploitative practices like zero hours contracts.”

Lord Gavin Barwell, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister (2017-19) said: "Today for the first time ever, we have fewer people out of work than job vacancies. But, if low unemployment is a UK success story, the government and employers now face two challenges. First, how do we encourage people back into the market to meet the demand for labour? And second, how do we improve the security of those jobs and thereby level up the country?

“This timely report provides recommendations for what the government can do to improve security while maintaining the benefits of the UK's current approach. The government is on the search for ways to use the regulatory freedom we now enjoy outside the EU: building on the success of the UK economy in creating jobs by ensuring those jobs are secure in the broadest sense of the word would be a great place to start."

Ben Harrison adds: “In the immediate term, the Chancellor must raise Universal Credit in line with predicted inflation to ensure support through this cost of living crisis is targeted to those in low-paid and insecure work.

“And while plans for an Employment Bill that could have addressed many of these issues appear to have been shelved, the fact remains Government cannot hope to deliver on its ambition to Level Up the country without driving up employment standards and increasing the number of higher quality, better paid and more secure jobs on offer.”

The launch of the UK Insecure Work Index is the benchmark for the Work Foundation’s Insecure Work Research Programme, which aims to produce timely insights on insecure work in the UK going forward.

The UK Insecure Work Index report is published and available in full on the Work Foundation’s website on 26 May 2022: www.theworkfoundation.com.             

Ends

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People