Search results for "010501 environmental sciences"

MonteCarlo Methods

2016

Towards the Improvement of Citizen Communication Through Computational Intelligence

2016

When dealing with problems that arise from collective sharing of resources in metropolitan areas (i.e., energy, pollution, traffic, health) most of the interaction between citizens and local governance is usually carried out through the use of natural languages. Digital technologies allows smart cities residents to communicate with a broad range of experts (e.g. bureaucrats, legislators, urbanists, etc.) that routinely use technical terminology seldom accessible to the layperson, or linguistic styles that are not immediately understandable. Although information technology should encourage citizen participation in governance at many levels, the different levels of knowledge possessed by the …

Determination and Toxicology Studies of Quaternary Ammonium Salts in Solution after Organoclay Processing

2018

Organoclays have potential to be used as additives in various facade paints and other finishing materials. Such new innovative materials must be rigorously tested for them to have no impact on environment. Focus of this study was to develop HPLC – TOF/MS method for determining quaternary ammonium salts in various material washing solutions and to determine organoclay toxicity by performing acute toxicity test on Daphnia magna. From the obtained results, it was possible to conclude that organoclays can be safely used as additives in various materials with low or no impact on environment. We determined that organoclays are significantly less toxic then some quaternary ammonium salts on its ow…

Dietary and Household Sources of Prenatal Exposure to Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in the INMA Birth Cohort (Spain)

2016

This study looked at predictors of exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) with a focus on dietary and household-level factors. Concentrations of BDE-47, -99, -153, and -209 and their sum (∑PBDEs) were measured in cord serum. Spanish women (n = 541) completed two semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. The daily mean intake (grams) of eggs, dairy products, meat, cereals and pasta, vegetables and pulses, fruits, shellfish and cephalopods, and fish, and the weekly mean intake (servings) of lean, large oily, other oily, and other fish from both questionnaires were averaged. Information on house size, curtains and carpets at …

Analysis of psychoactive substances in water by information dependent acquisition on a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

2016

Emerging drugs of abuse, belonging to many different chemical classes, are attracting users with promises of “legal” highs and easy access via internet. Prevalence of their consumption and abuse through wastewater-based epidemiology can only be realized if a suitable analytical screening procedure exists to detect and quantify them in water. Solid-phase extraction and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC–QqTOF–MS/MS) was applied for rapid suspect screening as well as for the quantitative determination of 42 illicit drugs and metabolites in water. Using this platform, we were able to identify amphetamines, tryptamines, piperazines, p…

Computational Study of the Effect of Glyoxal–Sulfate Clustering on the Henry’s Law Coefficient of Glyoxal

2014

We have used quantum chemical methods to investigate the molecular mechanism behind the recently reported ( Kampf , C. J. ; Environ. Sci. Technol . 2013 , 47 , 4236 - 4244 ) strong dependence of the Henry's law coefficient of glyoxal (C2O2H2) on the sulfate concentration of the aqueous phase. Although the glyoxal molecule interacts only weakly with sulfate, its hydrated forms (C2O3H4 and C2O4H6) form strong complexes with sulfate, displacing water molecules from the solvation shell and increasing the uptake of glyoxal into sulfate-containing aqueous solutions, including sulfate-containing aerosol particles. This promotes the participation of glyoxal in reactions leading to secondary organic…

A trajectory-based classification of ERA-Interim ice clouds in the region of the North Atlantic storm track

2016

A two-type classification of ice clouds (cirrus) is introduced, based on the liquid and ice water content, LWC and IWC, along air parcel backward trajectories from the clouds. In situ cirrus has no LWC along the trajectory segment containing IWC; it forms via nucleation from the gas phase. In contrast, liquid-origin cirrus has both LWC and IWC along their backward trajectories; it forms via lifting from the lower troposphere and freezing of mixed-phase clouds. This classification is applied to 12 years of ERA-Interim ice clouds in the North Atlantic region. Between 400 and 500 hPa more than 50% are liquid-origin cirrus, whereas this frequency decreases strongly with altitude (<10% at 200 hP…

Surface sediment dynamics along the shore of Hammamet Gulf (Tunisia, southern Mediterranean)

2016

International audience; In the summer of 2015 the authors analysed grain size and surface sediment composition through high spatial resolution from samples taken at 53 stations along the Hammamet coast (southern Mediterranean Sea). The Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler deployed in this study showed that the surface current flows toward the north-east, parallel to the coast at a maximum speed along the main axis of about 5.9 cm s−1. Near the bottom the current flows toward the north-west at a maximum speed of 2.2 cm s−1. The tide plays a relatively small role in water circulation in Hammamet Gulf. Spatial distribution of particle size, along with speed and current direction analysis, furnish…

Who's better at spotting? A comparison between aerial photography and observer-based methods to monitor floating marine litter and marine mega-fauna.

2020

Pollution by marine litter is raising major concerns due to its potential impact on marine biodiversity and, above all, on endangered mega-fauna species, such as cetaceans and sea turtles. The density and distribution of marine litter and mega-fauna have been traditionally monitored through observer-based methods, yet the advent of new technologies has introduced aerial photography as an alternative monitoring method. However, to integrate results produced by different monitoring techniques and consider the photographic method a viable alternative, this ‘new’ methodology must be validated. This study aims to compare observations obtained from the concurrent application of observer-based and…

Associations between air pollution and pediatric eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma: A meta-analysis of European birth cohorts

2020

Background: Uncertainly continues to exist regarding the role of air pollution on pediatric asthma and allergic conditions, especially as air pollution levels have started to decrease in recent decades. Objective: We examined associations of long-term air pollution levels at the home address with pediatric eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma prevalences in five birth cohorts (BIB, EDEN, GASPII, RHEA and INMA) from seven areas in five European countries. Methods: Current eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma were assessed in children aged four (N = 6527) and eight years (N = 2489). A multi-morbidity outcome (≥2 conditions versus none) was also defined. Individual outdoor levels of nitrog…