Worldwide coal is still used for household heating purposes not only because it is available and cheap but also due to behavioural issues. Regional variability in fuels and combustion appliances make ...accurate emission estimates from this source hard to achieve. In the present study, gaseous (CO, VOCs, SO2 and NOX) and particulate matter (TSP) emission factors (EFs) were determined for Spanish household coal combustion covering three commercial coals and distinct combustion stages and mimicking usage patterns in real households. TSP samples were analysed to determine water-soluble inorganic ions, metal(loid)s, and organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC). Additionally, the morphology of the emitted particles was also characterised.
CO (3.43–169 g kg−1), NOX (1.29–6.00 g kg−1) and SO2 (8.96–22.3 g kg−1) EFs showed no trend regarding the combustion stage or coal type tested. On the other hand, VOC, TSP and EC EFs were higher for the ignition/devolatilisation combustion stage, regardless of the fuel tested. TSP EFs (0.085–1.08 g kg−1) increased with increasing coal volatile matter while the opposite trend was recorded for VOC emissions (0.045–3.39 gC kg−1).
TSP carbonaceous matter was dominated by EC while OC represented a small fraction of the particulate mass emitted (less than 8 %wt.). Inorganic compounds composed an important fraction of the TSP samples. Sulphate particulate mass fractions (8.66–22.9 %wt.) appeared to increase with coal S-content. Coal combustion released particles with diverse morphologies, including silicate-rich particles, ferro- and glassy-spheres. This study provides novel emission factors to update emission inventories of residential coal combustion. Additionally, detailed chemical profiles were obtained for source apportionment.
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•Gaseous and particulate emissions from the combustion of 3 types of coal were studied•Different gaseous and PM emissions were recorded over distinct combustion stages•TSP emissions appeared to be related to the coal volatile matter content•Sulphate was the major water-soluble inorganic ion for all the coal types studied•Coal combustion released silicate-rich particles, ferro- and glassy-spheres
In the Panasqueira mine area of central Portugal, some environmental media show higher metal(loid) concentrations when compared with the local geochemical background and the values proposed in the ...literature for these environmental media. In order to evaluate the effect of the external contamination on selected indexes of internal dose, As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, S, Se, Si, and Zn were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry in blood, urine, hair and nail samples from individuals environmentally (N = 41) and occupationally exposed (N = 41). A matched control group (N = 40) was also studied, and data from the three groups were compared. Results obtained agreed with those reported by environmental studies performed in this area, pointing to populations living nearby and working in the mine being exposed to metal(loid)s originated from mining activities. Arsenic was the element with the highest increase in exposed populations. The concentration of other elements such as Cr, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, S, Se, and Zn was also increased, although at a lesser extent, specifically in the individuals environmentally exposed and in females. These findings confirm the need for competent authorities to act as soon as possible in this area and implement strategies aimed to protect exposed populations and the entire ecosystem.
Aljustrel mine is located in SW Portugal, in the western sector of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. The Aljustrel village was developed around the exploitations of massive polymetallic sulphides that occur ...in the area (4 orebodies mined, 2 in exploration phase). The pyrite ore was extensively exploited from 1850 to 1993, when production was discontinued. A mining restart occurred in 2008, only during a few months. The objectives of the study were to assess the levels of soil contamination, to determine associations between the different chemical elements and their spatial distribution, as well as to identify possible sources of contamination that can explain the spatial patterns of soil pollution in the area. Principal component analysis combined with spatial interpretation successfully grouped the elements according to their sources and provided evidence about their geogenic or anthropogenic origin. From this study, it is possible to conclude that soils around Algares/Feitais tailing deposits, Estéreis and Águas Claras mine dams and S. João mine show severe contamination. The highest concentrations of As (up to 3,936 mg kg
−1
) and certain heavy metals (up to 321.7 mg kg
−1
for Bi, 5,414 mg kg
−1
for Cu, 20,000 mg kg
−1
for Pb, 980.6 mg kg
−1
for Sb, and 22 mg kg
−1
Cd) were obtained near Algares area while the highest concentration of Cd (up to 61.6 mg kg
−1
) and Zn (up to 20,000 mg kg
−1
) were registered in samples collected in the S. João area. The highest pollution load index (>4.0) was recorded at the Algares area where the metal concentrations exceed typical soil background levels by as much as two orders of magnitude.
Road dust resuspension, especially the particulate matter fraction below 10 µm (PM
), is one of the main air quality management challenges in Europe. Road dust samples were collected from ...representative streets (suburban and urban) of the city of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. PM
emission factors (mg veh
km
) ranging from 49 (asphalt) to 330 (cobble stone) were estimated by means of the United Stated Environmental Protection Agency method. Two road dust fractions (< 0.074 mm and from 0.0074 to 1 mm) were characterised for their geochemical, mineralogical and morphological properties. In urban streets, road dusts reveal the contribution from traffic emissions, with higher concentrations of, for example, Cu, Zn and Pb. In the suburban area, agriculture practices likely contributed to As concentrations of 180 mg kg
in the finest road dust fraction. Samples are primarily composed of quartz, but also of muscovite, albite, kaolinite, microcline, Fe-enstatite, graphite and amorphous content. Particle morphology clearly shows the link with natural and traffic related materials, with well-formed minerals and irregular aggregates. The hazard quotient suggests a probability to induce non-carcinogenic adverse health effects in children by ingestion of Zr. Arsenic in the suburban street represents a human health risk of 1.58 × 10
.
Purpose
Ventilator associated-lower respiratory tract infections (VA-LRTIs), either ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) or tracheobronchitis (VAT), accounts for most nosocomial infections in ...intensive care units (ICU) including. Our aim was to determine if appropriate antibiotic treatment in patients with VA-LRTI will effectively reduce mortality in patients who had cardiovascular failure.
Methods
This was a pre-planned subanalysis of a large prospective cohort of mechanically ventilated patients for at least 48 h in eight countries in two continents. Patients with a modified Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (mSOFA) cardiovascular score of 4 (at the time of VA-LRTI diagnosis and needed be present for at least 12 h) were defined as having cardiovascular failure.
Results
VA-LRTI occurred in 689 (23.2%) out of 2960 patients and 174 (25.3%) developed cardiovascular failure. Patients with cardiovascular failure had significantly higher ICU mortality than those without (58% vs. 26.8%;
p
< 0.001; OR 3.7; 95% CI 2.6–5.4). A propensity score analysis found that the presence of inappropriate antibiotic treatment was an independent risk factor for ICU mortality in patients without cardiovascular failure, but not in those with cardiovascular failure. When the propensity score analysis was conducted in patients with VA-LRTI, the use of appropriate antibiotic treatment conferred a survival benefit for patients without cardiovascular failure who had only VAP.
Conclusions
Patients with VA-LRTI and cardiovascular failure did not show an association to a higher ICU survival with appropriate antibiotic treatment. Additionally, we found that in patients without cardiovascular failure, appropriate antibiotic treatment conferred a survival benefit for patients only with VAP.
Trial registry
ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01791530.
This work developed an effective and eco-friendly analytical method to support quality control for Brazilian Bill proposal No. 5332/2009. The bill advocates the creation of the “Brazilian bread” by ...mandating the incorporation of cassava byproducts into wheat flour, with the aim of reducing Brazil’s external dependency on wheat imports and promoting domestic cassava family farming. For this, a handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectrophotometer was utilized for on-site determination of cassava starch in commercial wheat flour. The quantitative analysis, which utilized NIR spectra preprocessed with offset correction (OFF) combined with linear baseline correction (LBC), alongside the successive projections algorithm for interval selection in partial least squares (iSPA-PLS), exhibited superior predictive capability, achieving a relative error of prediction below 8%. Furthermore, the classification process, which involved NIR spectra pre-processed with LBC and iSPA-PLS for discriminant analysis (iSPA-PLS-DA), yielded an impressive 94% overall accuracy, with only 3 misclassifications in the test set.
To describe atrial fibrillation (AF) management in member countries of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and to verify cardiology practices against guidelines.
Among 182 hospitals in 35 ...countries, 5333 ambulant and hospitalized AF patients were enrolled, in 2003 and 2004. AF was primary or secondary diagnosis, and was confirmed on ECG in the preceding 12 months. Clinical type of AF was reported to be first detected in 978, paroxysmal in 1517, persistent in 1167, and permanent in 1547 patients. Concomitant diseases were present in 90% of all patients, causing risk factors for stroke to be also highly prevalent (86%). As many as 69% of patients were symptomatic at the time of the survey; among asymptomatic patients, 54% were previously experienced symptoms. Oral anticoagulation was prescribed in 67 and 49% of eligible and ineligible patients, respectively. A rhythm control strategy was applied in 67% of currently symptomatic patients and in 44% of patients who never experienced symptoms.
This survey provides a unique snapshot of current AF management in ESC member countries. Discordance between guidelines and practice was found regarding several issues on stroke prevention and antiarrhythmic therapy.
V(D)J recombination assembles functional T-cell receptor (TCR) genes from V, D and J components in developing thymocytes. Extensive processing of V, D and J extremities before they are ligated ...creates a high degree of junctional diversity which results in the generation of a large repertoire of different TCR chains. In contrast, the extremities of the intervening DNA segment, which bear the recombination signal sequences, are generally held to be monomorphic, so that signal joints (SJs) consist of the perfect head-to-head juxtaposition of recombination signal extremities. We analyzed the structure of SJs generated during the recombination of TCRAD locus genes in murine and human thymocytes. Junctional diversity resulting from N nucleotide additions or from N nucleotide additions and base loss was found for each type of SJ examined. Different patterns of processing/modification were found, suggesting that different enzymatic activities operate during recombination of
TCRA and
TCRD genes, although they are located within the same genetic locus. Recombination of the
δRec-1 element generates a diverse repertoire of SJs exhibiting both combinatorial and junctional diversity in murine and human thymocytes. Therefore, SJ diversity appears to be an intrinsic feature of V(D)J recombination in unmanipulated thymocytes.
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