This study investigated the effects of particulate matter (PM) on human skin diseases by conducting a systematic review of existing literature and performing a meta-analysis. It considered articles ...reporting an original effect of PM on human skin. From among 918 articles identified, 13 articles were included for further consideration after manual screening of the articles resulted in the exclusion of articles that did not contain data, review articles, editorials, and also articles in languages other than English. Random-effects models and forest plots were used to estimate the effect of PM on the skin by Meta-Disc analysis. According to people's reports of exposure and negative skin effects (atopic dermatitis (AD), eczema, and skin aging, etc.) due to air pollution, the summary relative risk (odds ratio) of PM
was determined to be 0.99 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.89-1.11) whereas PM
was determined to be 1.04 (95% CI 0.96-1.12). Simultaneously, there was a different extent of impact between PM
and PM
on atopic dermatitis (AD) for those of young age: the odds ratio of PM
and PM
were 0.96 (95% CI 0.83-1.11; I² = 62.7%) and 1.05 (95% CI 0.95-1.16; I² = 46%), respectively. Furthermore, the results suggest an estimated increase of disease incidence per 10 μg/m³ PM of 1.01% (0.08-2.05) due to PM
and 1.60% (0.45-2.82) due to PM
. Following the results, PM
and PM
are associated with increased risks of human skin diseases, especially AD, whose risk is higher in infants and school children. With its smaller size and a high concentration of metals, PM
is more closely related to AD in younger people, compared to PM
.
Human activities, including walking, generate an airflow, commonly known as the slipstream, which can disperse contaminants indoors and transmit infection to other individuals. It is important to ...understand the characteristics of airflow to prevent the dissemination of contaminants such as viruses. A cylinder of diameter 500 mm, which is the average shoulder width of an adult male, was installed in a motorcar and moved at a velocity of 1.2 m/s, which is the walking speed of an adult male. The velocity profile of the slipstream generated during this movement was measured by locating the sensor support at 0.15–2.0 m behind the cylinder. The wind velocity was set to 1.2 m/s to conduct the numerical analysis. The measurement data revealed the velocity profile of the space behind the cylinder, and a comparison of the numerical analysis and the measurement results indicate very similar u (measured velocity)/U (moving velocity) results, with a maximum difference of 0.066, confirming that the measured values were correctly estimated from the results of the numerical analysis.
In the past decade, researchers in the fields of energy production have concentrated on the improvement of new energy storage devices. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and faradaic supercapacitors (FSs) ...have attracted special attention as a result of the rapid development of new electrode nanomaterials, especially hybrid nanomaterials, which can meet the increasingly higher requirements for future energy, such as the capability to deliver high-power performance and an extremely long life cycle. In these hybrid nanostructures, a series of synergistic effects and unique properties arising from the combination of individual components are a major factor leading to improved charge/discharge capability, energy density, and system lifetime. This paper describes the most recent progress in the growth of hybrid electrode materials for LIBs and FSs systems, focusing on the combination of zero-dimensional (0D), one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and three-dimensional (3D) nanomaterials, respectively.
Recent trends in electrode design arising from the combination of various dimensional materials are promising to improve the electrochemical performance of LIBs and FSs. This review summarizes the latest reports, along with important benefits of synergistic effects and unique architectures in each hybrid design, compared to traditional electrodes. Display omitted
In this study, we describe a novel peroxidase-like activity of Co-aminoclay CoAC present at pH ~5.0 and its application to fluorescent biosensor for the determination of H₂O₂ and glucose. It is ...synthesized with aminoclays (ACs) entrapping cationic metals such as Fe, Cu, Al, Co., Ce, Ni, Mn, and Zn to find enzyme mimicking ACs by sol-gel ambient conditions. Through the screening of catalytic activities by the typical colorimetric reaction employing 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)diammonium salt (ABTS) as a substrate with or without H₂O₂, Fe, Cu, and CoACs are found to exhibit peroxidase-like activity, as well as oxidase-like activity was observed from Ce and MnACs. Among them, CoAC shows exceptionally high peroxidase-like activity, presumably due to its ability to induce electron transfer between substrates and H₂O₂. CoAC is then used to catalyze the oxidation of Amplex
UltraRed (AUR) into a fluorescent end product, which enables a sensitive fluorescent detection of H₂O₂. Moreover, a highly sensitive and selective glucose biosensing strategy is developed, based on enzyme cascade reaction between glucose oxidase (GOx) and CoAC. Using this strategy, a highly linear fluorescence enhancement is verified when the concentration of glucose is increased in a wide range from 10 μM to 1 mM with a lower detection limit of 5 μM. The practical diagnostic capability of the assay system is also verified by its use to detect glucose in human blood serum. Based on these results, it is anticipated that CoAC can serve as potent peroxidase mimetics for the detection of clinically important target molecules.
This study deals with the diagenesis of steep-slope glutenites in the view of relationship between depositional facies and diagenetic alterations. The Lower Member of Shahejie glutenites sit along ...steep slopes of an intracontinental lacustrine basin, which is an important area of hydrocarbon exploration in eastern China. This kind of reservoir rocks can be divided into three major depositional environments: transgressive fan deltas, channelized sediment flows and fluxoturbidite fans. The glutenites are lithic arkose and feldspathic litharenite having an average composition of Q35F36R29, rich in metamorphic rock fragments. Diagenetic processes that have affected the glutenites include mechanical and chemical compaction, dissolution of detrital grains, and cementation by quartz overgrowths, calcite, ankerite, kaolin, illite, chlorite, and mixed-layer illite-smectite clays, as well as formation of minor zeolite, epsomite, halite, and glauberite. Considering glutenites in different depositional environments experiencing different diagenetic evolution pathways along the lacustrine basin margin, a schematic model was constructed to predict diagenetic conditions within the defined depositional facies. This study reveals that the spatial and temporal distribution of diagenetic alterations within depositional facies, and provides important insights to the controls on reservoir quality evolution. In addition, findings of the study are applicable to other continental steep-slope glutenite reservoirs of lacustrine basins.
Hazards related to particulate matter (PM) in subway systems necessitate improvement of the air quality. As a first step toward establishing a management strategy, we assessed the physicochemical ...characteristics of PM in a subway system in Seoul, South Korea. The mean mass of PM
and PM
concentrations (
= 13) were 213.7 ± 50.4 and 78.4 ± 8.8 µg/m³, with 86.0% and 85.9% of mass concentration. Chemical analysis using a thermal⁻optical elemental/organic carbon (EC⁻OC) analyzer, ion chromatography (IC), and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy indicated that the chemical components in the subway tunnel comprised 86.0% and 85.9% mass concentration of PM
and PM
. Fe was the most abundant element in subway tunnels, accounting for higher proportions of PM, and was detected in PM with diameters >94 nm. Fe was present mostly as iron oxides, which were emitted from the wheel⁻rail⁻brake and pantograph⁻catenary wire interfaces. Copper particles were 96⁻150 nm in diameter and were likely emitted via catenary wire arc discharges. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) showed that the PM in subway tunnels was composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), quartz (SiO₂), and iron oxides (hematite (
-Fe₂O₃) and maghemite-C (
-Fe₂O₃)). Transmission electron microscopy images revealed that the PM in subway tunnels existed as agglomerates of iron oxide particle clusters a few nanometers in diameter, which were presumably generated at the aforementioned interfaces and subsequently attached onto other PM, enabling the growth of aggregates. Our results can help inform the management of PM sources from subway operation.
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•Particulate matter (PM) consists of α/ γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) in large quantities.•Synthetic α/γ-Fe2O3 NPs have properties similar to those of Fe2O3 presented in PM.•PM and the ...α-Fe2O3 NPs show considerable toxic effects, compared to the γ-Fe2O3 NPs.•α-Fe2O3 NPs show the closest correlation with PM harmful effects.
According to the increasing concern about particulate matter (PM) pollution at subway systems, particularly its potentially severe effects on human health, this study investigated the constituents, characteristics, and toxicity of PM collected at underground subway stations in Seoul, Korea. It was found that α/γ-Fe2O3 NPs, which are considered as thermal products derived from the brake-wheel-rail interface, were the main components of PM (57.6% and 48% of PM10 and PM2.5, respectively). In addition, hydrothermally synthesized α/γ-Fe2O3 NPs, proposing to possess similar properties to those of Fe2O3 contained in PM, were used to investigate the correlation of these oxides with PM toxicity. In particular, the synthesized γ-Fe2O3 NPs induced a negligibly toxic, while the synthesized α-Fe2O3 NPs and PM showed remarkably toxic effects on HeLa cells and zebrafish embryos, specifically in reducing cell proliferation to 85% and 72% survival, causing high apoptosis of 29.8% and 29.3%, and inhibiting the development of embryos up to 60% and 8% after prolonged exposure, respectively. It is considered that α-Fe2O3 NPs were primarily responsible for the harmful effects of PM, resulting in significant damage to DNA due to their capacity of producing high reactive oxygen species (ROS) and, thus, deleterious effects on the human body.
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•Non-contact ultrasound transducers send intense pressure in the air.•The transducers are used to inactivate filter-bound aerosolized virus.•MS2 bacteriophages were inactivated using ...different types of transducers.•Frequency, voltage and time affect virus inactivation.
The inactivation of viruses that retain their infectivity when transmitted through the air is challenging. To address this issue, this study used a non-contact ultrasound transducer (NCUT) to generate shock waves in the air at specific distances, input voltages, and exposure durations, targeting bacteriophage virus aerosols captured on to H14 HEPA filters. Initially, a frequency of 27.56 kHz (50V) at 25-mm distance was used, which yielded an inactivation efficiency of up to 32.69 ± 12.10%. Other frequencies at shorter distances were investigated, where 29.10 kHz had the highest inactivation efficiency (up to 81.95 ± 9.79% at 8.5-mm distance and 100 V). Longer exposure times also influenced virus inactivation, but the results were inconclusive because the NCUT overheated with time. Overall, NCUT appears to be a promising method for inactivating virus aerosols that may be safer than other forms of inactivation, which can cause genetic mutations or produce dangerous by-products.
Emission reduction is one of the most efficient control measures in fuel-powered locomotives. The purpose of this study was to determine the reduction in particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC) ...emissions following the installation of a fuel activation device (FAD). The FAD was developed to enhance fuel combustion by atomizing fuel and to increase the surface area per unit volume of injected fuel. Emission reduction by the FAD was evaluated by installing a FAD in an operating diesel locomotive in Mongolia. The test was conducted on a train operating on a round-trip 238-km route between Ulaanbaatar and Choir stations in Mongolia. The fuel consumption rate was slightly reduced following the FAD installation. The FAD installation decreased PM and BC emissions in the diesel locomotive, especially coarse PM. The PM10 reductions achieved after FAD installation were 58.0, 69.7, and 34.2% for the constant velocity, stopping, and acceleration stages of the train's operation, respectively. The BC reduction rates were 29.5, 52.8, and 27.4% for the constant velocity, stopping, and acceleration stages, respectively.
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•The FAD was developed to enhance fuel combustion by increasing the surface area per unit volume of injected fuel.•Emission reduction by the FAD was evaluated by installing a FAD in an operating diesel locomotive in Mongolia.•Under all operating conditions, the reduction efficiency increased as the particle diameter increased.•The FAD installation decreased PM and BC emissions from the diesel locomotives, especially for coarse PM.
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