Search results for "fire"
showing 10 items of 463 documents
Air Quality during New Year’s Eve: A Biomonitoring Study with Moss
2021
Mosses are one of the best bioindicators in the assessment of atmospheric aerosol pollution by heavy metals. Studies using mosses allow both short- and long-term air quality monitoring. The increasing contamination of the environment (including air) is causing a search for new, cheap and effective methods of monitoring its condition. Once such method is the use of mosses in active biomonitoring. The aim of the study was to assess the atmospheric aerosol pollution with selected heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb) from the smoke of fireworks used during New Year’s Eve in the years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021. In studies a biomonitoring moss-bag method with moss Pleurozium schreberi (Willd. e…
Mortality risk attributable to wildfire-related PM2·5 pollution: a global time series study in 749 locations
2021
Summary Background Many regions of the world are now facing more frequent and unprecedentedly large wildfires. However, the association between wildfire-related PM2·5 and mortality has not been well characterised. We aimed to comprehensively assess the association between short-term exposure to wildfire-related PM2·5 and mortality across various regions of the world. Methods For this time series study, data on daily counts of deaths for all causes, cardiovascular causes, and respiratory causes were collected from 749 cities in 43 countries and regions during 2000–16. Daily concentrations of wildfire-related PM2·5 were estimated using the three-dimensional chemical transport model GEOS-Chem …
Trends in soil mercury stock associated with pollution sources on a Mediterranean island (Majorca, Spain)
2021
8 Pág. Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas
Mucoadhesive PEGylated inulin-based self-assembling nanoparticles: In vitro and ex vivo transcorneal permeation enhancement of corticosteroids
2019
Abstract As transcorneal drug delivery is still a challenge, the scope of the present study was to prepare useful nanosystems able to enhance transcorneal permeation/penetration of drugs. Moreover, this work aims to evaluate the effectiveness of inulin-based nanosystems in the specific field of ocular drug delivery and the effect of PEG chains to promote mucoadhesion, stability and transcorneal penetration/permeation enhancer effect of self-assembling nanoparticles in vitro (transwell systems and HCE) and ex vivo (Franz cells and bovine cornea). In particular, inulin was chosen as the starting natural polysaccharide polymer to design a novel amphiphilic derivative named INU-EDA-RA-PEG capab…
Sulfur’s role in the flame retardancy of thio-ether–linked hyperbranched polyphosphoesters in epoxy resins
2020
Abstract Hyperbranched polyphosphoesters are promising multifunctional flame retardants for epoxy resins. These polymers were prepared via thiol-ene polyaddition reactions. While key chemical transformations and modes of actions were elucidated, the role of sulfur in the chemical composition remains an open question. In this study, the FR-performance of a series of phosphorus-based flame retardant additives with and without sulfur (thio-ethers or sulfones) in their structure are compared. The successful synthesis of thio-ether or sulfone-containing variants is described and verified by 1H and 31P NMR, also FTIR and MALDI-TOF. A decomposition process is proposed from pyrolytic evolved gas an…
Modification of carboxyl groups of poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) via facile wet chemistry method: A kinetic study
2010
Abstract In this work, we present the results of a kinetic study of the surface modification of the carboxyl group of poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) into acyl chloride. Reaction temperature and time, concentration of the reactants, kind of agitation have been changed in order to understand their effect on the conversion. A study on the penetration of the reaction inside the sample bulk was also performed. The results indicate that, when short reaction times are adopted, the reaction limits to the outer layers of the samples and, in this case, on increasing the temperature, the concentration of the reactants and the stirring allows having a faster kinetic. At longer reaction times, the react…
Compared effects of synthetic and natural bile acid surfactants on xenobiotic absorption I. Studies with polysorbate and taurocholate in rat colon
1991
Some expected differences between synthetic and natural bile acid surfactants relative to their influences on xenobiotic absorption are briefly outlined on the basis of literature data. Then, experimental work is presented which shows that these differences exist and that they can be even more relevant than suspected. Absorption tests were developed in rat colon in situ with polysorbate (synthetic) and sodium taurocholate (natural) surfactants, using a homologous series of phenylalkylcarboxylic acids as test compounds. At the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the two previously reported actions of synthetic surfactants on xenobiotic absorption (i.e. the increase in absorbing membrane po…
Some Features of Polymeric Membranes for Water Purification via Membrane Distillation
2011
Polymeric membranes are currently adopted in water purification processes, such as reverse osmosis (RO) and membrane distillation (MD). This latter technique is very promising for separation effectiveness and energy savings. A valuable and effective MD unit must be equipped with polymeric membranes that exhibit specific properties, for example, hydrophobicity, a narrow pore size range, a high water penetration pressure, and a large vapor permeability. In this work, we present and examine the main features of membranes for MD processes, with the aim of experimentally evaluating the related performances. Scanning electron microscopy analysis was carried out for a first estimate of the pore si…
Loop seals in circulating fluidized beds – Review and parametric studies using CPFD simulation
2020
Abstract Loop seal is a robust particle recycling technique used in circulating fluidized bed (CFB) reactors. The rate and the location of the loop seal aeration exert a significant impact on the rate of particle circulation (GS). The standpipe balances the cumulative pressure drop across the rest of the CFB by adjusting its particle height or gas-particle slip velocity. Higher fraction of the loop seal aeration naturally flows down to riser. Increased pressure drop in the standpipe results in high rate of particle circulation. Computational-particle-fluid-dynamic (CPFD) code is customized for multiphase flow modelling. The inbuilt tool of “BC connectors” was incorporated to downsize a CFB …
Initial training and professionalization process of volunteer firefighters
2023
The aim of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of the initial training of volunteer firefighters, with a particular focus on the process of appropriation of this training, the process of professionalization and the obstacles encountered by this population.Using a mixed-methods approach, 330 volunteer firefighters still in service were interviewed by questionnaire as part of a longitudinal survey, while 42 individuals who had ended their involvement during their initial training were consulted by means of semi-structured interviews. Sixteen direct observation sessions supplemented the data collection.Firstly, several types of appropriation of initial training have been h…