Despite initial enthusiasm towards electronic noses and their possible application in different fields, and quite a lot of promising results, several criticalities emerge from most published research ...studies, and, as a matter of fact, the diffusion of electronic noses in real-life applications is still very limited. In general, a first step towards large-scale-diffusion of an analysis method, is standardization. The aim of this paper is describing the experimental procedure adopted in order to evaluate electronic nose performances, with the final purpose of establishing minimum performance requirements, which is considered to be a first crucial step towards standardization of the specific case of electronic nose application for environmental odor monitoring at receptors. Based on the experimental results of the performance testing of a commercialized electronic nose type with respect to three criteria (i.e., response invariability to variable atmospheric conditions, instrumental detection limit, and odor classification accuracy), it was possible to hypothesize a logic that could be adopted for the definition of minimum performance requirements, according to the idea that these are technologically achievable.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among men. It is an asymptomatic and slow growing tumour, which starts occurring in young men, but can be detected only around the age ...of 40-50. Although its long latency period and potential curability make prostate cancer a perfect candidate for screening programs, the current procedure lacks in specificity. Researchers are rising to the challenge of developing innovative tools able of detecting the disease during its early stage that is the most curable. In recent years, the interest in characterisation of biological fluids aimed at the identification of tumour-specific compounds has increased significantly, since cell neoplastic transformation causes metabolic alterations leading to volatile organic compounds release. In the scientific literature, different approaches have been proposed. Many studies focus on the identification of a cancer-characteristic "odour fingerprint" emanated from biological samples through the application of sensorial or senso-instrumental analyses, others suggest a chemical characterisation of biological fluids with the aim of identifying prostate cancer (PCa)-specific biomarkers. This paper focuses on the review of literary studies in the field of prostate cancer diagnosis, in order to provide an overview of innovative methods based on the analysis of urine, thereby comparing them with the traditional diagnostic procedures.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Indoor air quality influences people's lives, potentially affecting their health and comfort. Nowadays, ventilation is the only technique commonly used for regulating indoor air quality. CO₂ is the ...reference species considered in order to calculate the air exchange rates of indoor environments. Indeed, regarding air quality, the presence of pleasant or unpleasant odours can strongly influence the environmental comfort. In this paper, a case study of indoor air quality monitoring is reported. The indoor field tests were conducted measuring both CO₂ concentration, using a photoacoustic multi-gas analyzer, and odour trends, using an electronic nose, in order to analyze and compare the information acquired. The indoor air monitoring campaign was run for a period of 20 working days into a university room. The work was focused on the determination of both CO₂ and odour emission factors (OEF) emitted by the human activity and on the evaluation of the odour impact in a naturally ventilated room. The results highlighted that an air monitoring and recycling system based only on CO₂ concentration and temperature measurements might be insufficient to ensure a good indoor air quality, whereas its performances could be improved by integrating the existing systems with an electronic nose for odour detection.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The electronic nose is able to provide useful information through the analysis of the volatile organic compounds in body fluids, such as exhaled breath, urine and blood. This paper focuses on the ...review of electronic nose studies and applications in the specific field of medical diagnostics based on the analysis of the gaseous headspace of human urine, in order to provide a broad overview of the state of the art and thus enhance future developments in this field. The research in this field is rather recent and still in progress, and there are several aspects that need to be investigated more into depth, not only to develop and improve specific electronic noses for different diseases, but also with the aim to discover and analyse the connections between specific diseases and the body fluids odour. Further research is needed to improve the results obtained up to now; the development of new sensors and data processing methods should lead to greater diagnostic accuracy thus making the electronic nose an effective tool for early detection of different kinds of diseases, ranging from infections to tumours or exposure to toxic agents.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Hydrogen-sulfide (H2S) is a molecule of small dimensions typically present in the odor emissions from different plants. The European Standard EN 13725:2003 set a maximum storage time allowed of 30 ...hours, during which the sampling bag has to maintain the mixture of odorants with minimal changes. This study investigates the H2S losses through Nalophan bags and it shows that nonnegligible losses of H2S can be observed. The percent H2S loss after 30 hrs with respect to the initial concentration is equal to 33% ± 3% at a relative humidity of 20% and equal to 22% ± 1% at a relative humidity of 60%. The average quantity of adsorbed H2S at 30 h is equal to 2.17 105 gH2S/gNalophan at a storage humidity of 20% and equal to 1.79 105 gH2S/gNalophan at a storage humidity of 60%. The diffusion coefficients of H2S through Nalophan, for these two humidity conditions tested, are comparable (i.e., 7.5 10−12 m2/sec at 20% humidity and 6.6 10−12 m2/sec at 60% humidity).
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The ammonia loss through Nalophan bags has been studied. The losses observed for storage conditions and times as allowed by the reference standard for dynamic olfactometry (EN 13725:2003) indicate ...that odour concentration values due to the presence of small molecules may be significantly underestimated if samples are not analysed immediately after sampling. A diffusion model was used in order to study diffusion through the bag. The study discusses the effect of concentration gradient ( Δ C ) across the polymeric membrane of the analyte. The Δ C was controlled by using a setup bag called “double bags.” Experimental data show a reduction of ammonia percentage losses due to the effect of the external multibarrier. The expedient of the double bag loaded with the same gas mixture allows a reduced diffusion of ammonia into the inner bag. Comparing the inner bag losses with those of the single bag stored in the same conditions ( T , P , u ) and with equal geometrical characteristics ( S / V , z ), it was observed that the inner bag of the double bag displays a 16% loss while the single bag displays a 37% loss. Acting on the Δ C it is possible to achieve a gross reduction of 57% in the ammonia leakage due to diffusion.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Hydrogen-sulfide (H.sub.2S) is a molecule of small dimensions typically present in the odor emissions from different plants. The European Standard EN 13725:2003 set a maximum storage time allowed of ...30 hours, during which the sampling bag has to maintain the mixture of odorants with minimal changes. This study investigates the H.sub.2S losses through Nalophan bags and it shows that nonnegligible losses of H.sub.2S can be observed. The percent H.sub.2S loss after 30 hrs with respect to the initial concentration is equal to 33% + or - 3% at a relative humidity of 20% and equal to 22% + or - 1% at a relative humidity of 60%. The average quantity of adsorbed H.sub.2S at 30 h is equal to 2.17 10.sup.5 mathematical expression not reproducible at a storage humidity of 20% and equal to 1.79 10.sup.5 mathematical expression not reproducible at a storage humidity of 60%. The diffusion coefficients of H.sub.2S through Nalophan, for these two humidity conditions tested, are comparable (i.e., 7.5 10.sup.-12 m.sup.2/sec at 20% humidity and 6.6 10.sup.-12 m.sup.2/sec at 60% humidity).
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Hydrogen-sulfide (H
2
S) is a molecule of small dimensions typically present in the odor emissions from different plants. The European Standard EN 13725:2003 set a maximum storage time allowed of 30 ...hours, during which the sampling bag has to maintain the mixture of odorants with minimal changes. This study investigates the H
2
S losses through Nalophan bags and it shows that nonnegligible losses of H
2
S can be observed. The percent H
2
S loss after 30 hrs with respect to the initial concentration is equal to 33% ± 3% at a relative humidity of 20% and equal to 22% ± 1% at a relative humidity of 60%. The average quantity of adsorbed H
2
S at 30 h is equal to 2.17 10
5
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H
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N
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at a storage humidity of 20% and equal to 1.79 10
5
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H
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at a storage humidity of 60%. The diffusion coefficients of H
2
S through Nalophan, for these two humidity conditions tested, are comparable (i.e., 7.5 10
−12
m
2
/sec at 20% humidity and 6.6 10
−12
m
2
/sec at 60% humidity).
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
This study concerns flueless fireplaces powered by liquid or gel bioethanol based fuels. These devices have a pleasant aesthetic design and can be used in indoor environments; in particular, they do ...not need any connection to a stack to evacuate the flue gases.
This work evaluates the polluting impact of the mentioned fireplaces, with a special focus on their odour emissions, in order to assess the environmental impact of these items and to provide the European Commission information useful to define the guidelines for a dedicated legislation. For these reasons, a series of experimental tests, structured with well-defined steps, alternating operation (combustion) and shutdown phases, was performed for several fireplaces.
The concentration trends of both the main combustion products and by-products as well as the odour were monitored; furthermore, specific odour emission factors (OEFs) were calculated. The combustion pollutants were mainly released during the operation phase, while the most significant odour emissions occurred during shutdown. The average OEFs reached values between 40 and 110 *100 ouE kJ−1 during the shutdown, but they were below 10 *100 ouE kJ−1 during the operation periods. It was found that the extent of odour emissions depends crucially on the burner design and geometry of each fireplace; in particular, the air-fuel contact surface is the most relevant parameter.
Moreover, this study proved that the electronic nose can be a valid additional instrument in activities aimed at evaluating the indoor air quality, and considering its peculiarities, the idea of using it not only as an odour detector, but also as an integrated device in air ventilation systems for indoor environments, is both interesting and achievable.
•Flueless fireplaces fired by different bioethanol based fuels were tested.•Odour is one of the causes of bad indoor air quality as the pollutants.•Flueless fireplaces affect the indoor air quality.•Electronic-nose is an innovative instrument to evaluate indoor air quality.•Odour measurements revealed that the fireplace design influence the emissions.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Hydrogen-sulfide (H
S) is a molecule of small dimensions typically present in the odor emissions from different plants. The European Standard EN 13725:2003 set a maximum storage time allowed of 30 ...hours, during which the sampling bag has to maintain the mixture of odorants with minimal changes. This study investigates the H
S losses through Nalophan bags and it shows that nonnegligible losses of H
S can be observed. The percent H
S loss after 30 hrs with respect to the initial concentration is equal to 33% ± 3% at a relative humidity of 20% and equal to 22% ± 1% at a relative humidity of 60%. The average quantity of adsorbed H
S at 30 h is equal to 2.17 10
g
/g
at a storage humidity of 20% and equal to 1.79 10
g
/g
at a storage humidity of 60%. The diffusion coefficients of H
S through Nalophan, for these two humidity conditions tested, are comparable (i.e., 7.5 10
m
/sec at 20% humidity and 6.6 10
m
/sec at 60% humidity).
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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![S Loss through Nalophan[TM]...](http://api.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/image/issn/XR4PS5YY4K/1537-744X/small "S Loss through Nalophan[TM] Bags: Contributions of Adsorption and Diffusion")
