Search results for " health."

Preliminary results on the influence of car characteristics on their gases emissions using gas sensors

2018

Abstract A method, based on the use of monitoring portable sensors, has been successfully employed for the determination of the composition of car exhausts from 11 diesel and 5 gasoline cars. These emissions include nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The measures were taken in different places where each car was parked. In this study it has been tried to correlate the emitted gases with some of the car characteristics, such as the power (varied from 68 to 143 HP), the number of kilometers traveled and the age of the car (between 2 and 19 years). Results found show a significant variation of the emission values, which rang…

ATR–FTIR Spectral Analysis and Soluble Components of PM10 And PM2.5 Particulate Matter over the Urban Area of Palermo (Italy) during Normal Days and …

2019

Several epidemiological studies have shown a close relationship between the mass of particulate matter (PM) and its effects on human health. This study reports the identification of inorganic and organic components by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis in PM10 and PM2.5 filters collected from three air quality monitoring stations in the city of Palermo (Sicily, Italy) during non-Saharan dust events and Saharan events. It also provides information on the abundance and types of water-soluble species. ATR-FTIR analysis identified sulfate, ammonium, nitrate, and carbonate matter characterized by vibrational frequencies at 603, 615, 670, and …

Microbiology and atmospheric processes: biological, physical and chemical characterization of aerosol particles

2008

Abstract. The interest in bioaerosols has traditionally been linked to health hazards for humans, animals and plants. However, several components of bioaerosols exhibit physical properties of great significance for cloud processes, such as ice nucleation and cloud condensation. To gain a better understanding of their influence on climate, it is therefore important to determine the composition, concentration, seasonal fluctuation, regional diversity and evolution of bioaerosols. In this paper, we will review briefly the existing techniques for detection, quantification, physical and chemical analysis of biological particles, attempting to bridge physical, chemical and biological methods for …

Pneumothorax and the environment: A systematic review of the impact of air pollution and meteorology, and a meta-analysis on meteorology factors.

2021

Abstract A relationship between the occurrence of spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) and meteorological factors has been observed but with contradictory results. The objectives of this systematic review was to synthesis the current body of evidence to the relationships between the occurrence of SP and environmental determinants such as meteorological factors and air pollutants. We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane Library and gray literature from inception up to 31st December 2020, to find published scientific research articles based on the following eligibility criteria: original studies and population-based articles describing the relationship between meteorological fa…

Flares from small to large: X-ray spectroscopy of Proxima Centauri with XMM-Newton

2003

(Abridged) We report results from a comprehensive study of the nearby M dwarf Proxima Centauri with the XMM-Newton satellite. We find strongly variable coronal X-ray emission, with flares ranging over a factor of 100 in peak flux. The low-level emission is found to be continuously variable. Several weak flares are characteristically preceded by an optical burst, compatible with predictions from standard solar flare models. We propose that the U band bursts are proxies for the elusive stellar non-thermal hard X-ray bursts suggested from solar observations. A very large X-ray flare was observed in its entirety, with a peak luminosity of 3.9E28 erg/s [0.15-10 keV] and a total X-ray energy of 1…

Steroid Biomarkers Revisited - Improved Source Identification of Faecal Remains in Archaeological Soil Material.

2017

Steroids are used as faecal markers in environmental and in archaeological studies, because they provide insights into ancient agricultural practices and the former presence of animals. Up to now, steroid analyses could only identify and distinguish between herbivore, pig, and human faecal matter and their residues in soils and sediments. We hypothesized that a finer differentiation between faeces of different livestock animals could be achieved when the analyses of several steroids is combined (Δ5-sterols, 5α-stanols, 5β-stanols, epi-5β-stanols, stanones, and bile acids). We therefore reviewed the existing literature on various faecal steroids from livestock and humans and analysed faeces …

Strategies for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in Urban Areas: The Erice 50 Charter

2018

A review of mental health and wellbeing under climate change in small island developing states (SIDS)

2021

AbstractSmall island developing states (SIDS) are often at the forefront of climate change impacts, including those related to health, but information on mental health and wellbeing is typically underreported. To help address this research lacuna, this paper reviews research about mental health and wellbeing under climate change in SIDS. Due to major differences in the literature’s methodologies, results, and analyses, the method is an overview and qualitative evidence synthesis of peer-reviewed publications. The findings show that mental health and wellbeing in the context of climate change have yet to feature prominently and systematically in research covering SIDS. It seems likely that m…

Reactive oxygen species formed in aqueous mixtures of secondary organic aerosols and mineral dust influencing cloud chemistry and public health in th…

2017

Mineral dust and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) account for a major fraction of atmospheric particulate matter, affecting climate, air quality and public health. How mineral dust interacts with SOA to influence cloud chemistry and public health, however, is not well understood. Here, we investigated the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are key species of atmospheric and physiological chemistry, in aqueous mixtures of SOA and mineral dust by applying electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometry in combination with a spin-trapping technique, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and a kinetic model. We found that substantial amounts of ROS includi…

Modified climate with long term memory in tree ring proxies

2015

ABSTRACT : A contribution to the PAGES Asia2k Working Group. ABSTRACT: Long term memory (LTM) scaling behavior in worldwide tree ring proxies and subsequent climate reconstructions is analyzed for and compared with the memory structure inherent to instrumental temperature and precipitation data. Detrended fluctuation analysis is employed to detect LTM and its scaling exponent a is used to evaluate LTM. The results show that temperature and precipitation reconstructions based on ring width measurements (mean \alpha =0.8) contain more memory than records based on maximum latewood density (mean \alpha =0.7). Both exceed the memory inherent to regional instrumental data (\alpha =0.6 for tempera…