Demographic and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 epidemic in Albania.

Introduction: This study provides a general overview of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Albania. The aim was to assess the spread of COVID-19 in the country by describing the demographic and epidemiological characteristics.

Methodology: We performed a 12-month national observational, epidemiological study.

Towards context-independent indicators for an unbiased assessment of environmental sustainability in higher education: An application to Italian universities.

Higher education institutes (HEIs) are important drivers for the development and implementation of best practices for environmental sustainability. However, reliable indicators are needed to objectively evaluate the environmental performance of HEIs and their policies. The present paper aims at identifying suitable indicators for unbiased comparisons among different HEIs and for the identification of temporal trends in terms of environmental sustainability performance.

Microplastics removal in wastewater treatment plants: A review of the different approaches to limit their release in the environment.

In last 10 years, the interest about the presence of microplastics (MPs) in the environment has strongly grown. Wastewaters function as a carrier for MPs contamination from source to the aquatic environment, so the knowledge of the fate of this emerging contaminant in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is a priority. This work aims to review the presence of MPs in the influent wastewater (WW) and the effectiveness of the treatments of conventional WWTPs.

Overview of the Sustainable Valorization of Using Waste and By-Products in Grain Processing.

In an increasingly resource-constrained era, using waste and by-products from grain processing has a wide appeal. This is due to the nutritive value and economic aspects of this process and due to its compatibility with the trend towards more sustainable food systems. Following the fundamentals of circular economy, a current need is the effective utilization of grain waste and by-products for conversion into value-added products in the food industry.