Understanding the human dimensions of a sustainable energy transition

Global climate change threatens the health, economic prospects, and basic food and water sources of people. A wide range of changes in household energy behavior is needed to realize a sustainable energy transition. We propose a general framework to understand and encourage sustainable energy behaviors, comprising four key issues. First, we need to identify which behaviors need to be changed. A sustainable energy transition involves changes in a wide range of energy behaviors, including the adoption of sustainable energy sources and energy-efficient technology, investments in energy efficiency measures in buildings, and changes in direct and indirect energy use behavior. Second, we need to understand which factors underlie these different types of sustainable energy behaviors. We discuss three main factors that influence sustainable energy behaviors: knowledge, motivations, and contextual factors. Third, we need to test the effects of interventions aimed to promote sustainable energy behaviors. Interventions can be aimed at changing the actual costs and benefits of behavior, or at changing people's perceptions and evaluations of different costs and benefits of behavioral options. Fourth, it is important to understand which factors affect the acceptability of energy policies and energy systems changes. We discuss important findings from psychological studies on these four topics, and propose a research agenda to further explore these topics. We emphasize the need of an integrated approach in studying the human dimensions of a sustainable energy transition that increases our understanding of which general factors affect a wide range of energy behaviors as well as the acceptability of different energy policies and energy system changes

Molecular characterization of a recombinant HLA-DR1/DR2 haplotype

Serologic analysis of two families identified an HLA-DR haplotype in which DR1 and DR2 cosegregated. DNA-RFLP analysis of these families with an HLA-DRB probe revealed a pattern of hybridization suggestive of a recombination between DR1 and DR15. Following amplification, cloning, and nucleotide sequencing of HLA-DRB-gene second-exon DNA sequences, three DRB amplification products associated with the novel haplotype were identified: these correspondend to DRB1*0101, DR2 pseudogene, and DRB5*0101. Clones representing the DRB1*1501 and DR1 psuedogenes were not identified: oligonucleotide typing with DRB1*1501-specific probes confirmed the absence of this gene within the DR1/DR2 haplotype. We postulate that the DR1/DR2 haplotype represents a recombinant between those of DR1-Dw1 and DR15-Dw2, and that the crossing-over may have been between the DRB1*0101 gene and the DR2 pseudogene. This is further supported by DNA-RFLP analysis with HLA-DQB and DQA CDNA probes, which revealed conserved linkage between the DQB1*0501, DQA1*0101, and DRB1*0101 genes. © 1992.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

More than a Tripledemic: Influenza A Virus, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, SARS-CoV-2, and Human Metapneumovirus in Wastewater during Winter 2022–2023

Wastewater monitoring can provide insights into respiratory disease occurrence in communities that contribute to the wastewater system. Using daily measurements of RNA of influenza A (IAV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and human metapneumovirus (HMPV), as well as SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater solids from eight publicly owned treatment works in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area of California between July 2022 and early July 2023, we identify a “tripledemic” when concentrations of IAV, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 peaked at approximately the same time. HMPV was also widely circulating. We designed novel hydrolysis probe RT-PCR assays for different IAV subtype markers to discern that the dominant circulating IAV subtype was H3N2. We show that wastewater data can be used to identify the onset and offset of wastewater disease occurrence events. This information can provide insight into disease epidemiology and timely, localized information to inform hospital staffing and clinical decision making to respond to circulating viruses. Whereas RSV and IAV wastewater events were mostly regionally coherent, HMPV events displayed localized occurrence patterns

Human viral nucleic acids concentrations in wastewater solids from Central and Coastal California USA.

We measured concentrations of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), mpox virus, human metapneumovirus, norovirus GII, and pepper mild mottle virus nucleic acids in wastewater solids at twelve wastewater treatment plants in Central California, USA. Measurements were made daily for up to two years, depending on the wastewater treatment plant. Measurements were made using digital droplet (reverse-transcription-) polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) following best practices for making environmental molecular biology measurements. These data can be used to better understand disease occurrence in communities contributing to the wastewater