Improved estimation of the effective reproduction number with heterogeneous transmission rates and reporting delays.

In the face of an infectious disease, a key epidemiological measure is the basic reproduction number, which quantifies the average secondary infections caused by a single case in a susceptible population. In practice, the effective reproduction number, denoted as , is widely used to assess the transmissibility of the disease at a given time t. Real-time estimating this metric is vital for understanding and managing disease outbreaks.

[Comparative study of the level and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and new brominated flame retardants in the atmosphere of typical urban].

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are widely used in industrial and commercial products and are frequently detected in various environmental media. It might be potential harm to the environment and the human body. This study reported the levels of 8 kinds of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs: BDE-28, -47, -100, -99, -154, -153, -183, -209) and 3 kinds of new brominated flame retardants (NBFRs: PBT, PBEB, HBB) in the atmosphere of Binhai Development Zone, Weifang City, Shandong Province, which was taken as a BFR production source area and of Nanning City, Guangxi Province, which was taken as a contrast area.

[Vertical distribution of PBDEs and DL-PCBs in sediments of Taihu Lake].

Sediment core samples collected from the Zhushan Bay, Meiliang Bay, South Taihu of Taihu Lake were analyzed for 8 polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) and 12 dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs). The results revealed that the PBDEs levels were highest in the Zhushan Bay, followed by Meiliang Bay and South Taihu; and the DL-PCB levels were highest in the Meiliang Bay, followed Zhushan Bay and South Taihu. The vertical distribution of PBDEs level showed an exponential growth trend in Taihu Lake sediments, BDE-209 was the most abundant PBDEs congeners; and the vertical distribution of the DL-PCBs level in the sediments revealed that the contamination caused by DL-PCBs continued to increase in recent years, indicating that there were PCBs sources in the Taihu Lake region.