Exposure to fine and ultrafine particles from secondhand smoke in public places before and after the smoking ban, Italy 2005

Background

A smoking ban in all indoor public places was enforced in Italy on 10 January 2005.

Methods

We compared indoor air quality before and after the smoking ban by monitoring the indoor concentrations of fine (<2.5 μm diameter, PM_2.5) and ultrafine particulate matter (<0.1 μm diameter, UFP). PM_2.5 and ultrafine particles were measured in 40 public places (14 bars, six fast food restaurants, eight restaurants, six game rooms, six pubs) in Rome, before and after the introduction of the law banning smoking (after 3 and 12 months). Measurements were taken using real time particle monitors (DustTRAK Mod. 8520 TSI; Ultra‐fine Particles Counter‐TRAK Model 8525 TSI). The PM_2.5 data were scaled using a correction equation derived from a comparison with the reference method (gravimetric measurement). The study was completed by measuring urinary cotinine, and pre‐law and post‐law enforcement among non‐smoking employees at these establishments

Results

In the post‐law period, PM_2.5 decreased significantly from a mean concentration of 119.3 μg/m³ to 38.2 μg/m³ after 3 months (p<0.005), and then to 43.3 μg/m³ a year later (p<0.01). The UFP concentrations also decreased significantly from 76 956 particles/cm³ to 38 079 particles/cm³ (p<0.0001) and then to 51 692 particles/cm³ (p<0.01). Similarly, the concentration of urinary cotinine among non‐smoking workers decreased from 17.8 ng/ml to 5.5 ng/ml (p<0.0001) and then to 3.7 ng/ml (p<0.0001).

Conclusion

The application of the smoking ban led to a considerable reduction in the exposure to indoor fine and ultrafine particles in hospitality venues, confirmed by a contemporaneous reduction of urinary cotinine.     

Evaluation of different advanced finite element concepts for detailed stress analysis of laminated composite structures

Despite their high specific stiffness and strength, laminated composite materials, e.g. fibre-reinforced plastic plies stacked at different fibre orientations, are susceptible to damage. Damage can be divided into interalaminar damage and interlaminar damage. Delamination is a typical kind of interlaminar damage which occurs in laminated composite materials, often accompanied with intralaminar damage, and may lead to a catastrophic structural collapse. The first and most crucial step in the prediction of failure of Laminated Composite Structures (LCS) is to accurately determine the stresses, particularly the three transverse stress components, also called the interlaminar stresses. It is proposed in the present paper that the integration of a displacement based solid-shell formulation and partial-hybrid stress formulation will lead to an accurate and robust solid-shell element, suitable for the efficient and detailed interlaminar stress calculation.     

The Effect of Antibrowning Agents on Inhibition of Potato Browning,Volatile Organic Compound Profile,and Microbial Inhibition

Abstract: Burbank and Norkotah potato slices were dipped into 3% sodium acid sulfate (SAS), citric acid (CA), sodium erythorbate (SE), malic acid (MA), sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP), or a combination of SAS‐CA‐SE. Browning by polyphenol oxidase (PPO) obtained from potato extract with 0.04 to 0.016 g/mL of antibrowning solutions at pH 2.0 to 6.9 were measured by UV‐Vis spectroscopy. The color of slices dipped in antibrowning solutions at pHs 2 to 7 and stored at 4 °C for 15 d was measured every 5 d by colorimeter. Headspace analysis of volatiles in raw and cooked potato samples was performed by selected ion flow tube mass spectrometer (SIFT‐MS) and soft independent modelling by class analogy (SIMCA) analysis of the calculated odor activity values (OAV) determined interclass distances. Microbial growth was measured at 15 d. At unadjusted pHs (1.1 to 7.1), the PPO browning of the control and samples with SAPP was not significantly different, SAS, CA, and MA produced some inhibition and SE and SAS‐CA‐SE prevented browning. At pH 5 to 7, only SE and SAS‐CA‐SE were effective browning inhibitors. Based on the color of potato slices, SE was the most effective at pH 2 to 7, but SAS was most effective at unadjusted pH. Cooking increased volatile levels in the treated potatoes and decreased differences between volatile profiles. Differences between cooked samples may not be noticeable by the consumer because volatiles with high discriminating powers have low OAVs. SAS, CA, and SAS‐CA‐SE treatments inhibited microbial growth but SAPP, control, and SE did not, most likely due to pH. Practical Application: Antibrowning agents inhibit polyphenol oxidase, increasing shelf life and consumer acceptability of processed raw potato products by preserving the color. Their effectiveness was shown to be mainly due to a pH effect, except SE, which was not pH dependent. MA, CA, and SAS‐CA‐SE are better acidulants for inhibition of color change as well as growth of spoilage bacteria, yeast, and mold than SAPP, the industry standard.     

Synthesis and characterization of calcium phosphate loaded with Ho-166 and Sm-153: a novel biomaterial for treatment of spine metastases

Spine metastases are a common and painful complication of cancer. A novel concept of treatment combines the in situ vertebroplasty with radiotherapy employing radioactive bone cement into the human vertebrae. Thus, investigations concerning possible bioactive and radioactive cements become a relevant theme. In this work, we have synthesized calcium phosphate bioceramics incorporated with Ho and Sm nuclides using sol–gel technique. Characterizations were performed using X-ray diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, instrumental neutron activation analysis, and gamma spectroscopy. Results showed bioceramics composed by multiphasic calcium phosphates along with holmium and samarium phosphates, with 8.9 and 13.7 % of Sm and Ho in weight, respectively. After neutron activation, the Ho-166 and Sm-153 beta-emitters were identified and quantified on the bioceramics with activities estimated at 32.5 and 14.5 MBq/mg of Sm-153 and Ho-166 bioceramic powder, respectively. These radioactive calcium phosphate bioceramics can compose suitable radioactive cements to radiovertebroplasty.     

Performance of anaerobic bioreactor treating fish-processing plant wastewater pre-hydrolyzed with a solid enzyme pool

The effect of a lipase-rich enzyme preparation produced by the fungus Penicillium simplicissimum on solid-state fermentation was evaluated in a 4.9 L up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket bioreactor (UASB) treating fish-processing plant wastewater containing 1500 mg oil and grease (O&G)/L. The oil and grease hydrolysis step was carried out with 0.5% or 0.2% (w/v) of the solid enzyme preparation (SEP) at 30 °C for 8 h. The bioreactor operated at 30 °C with a hydraulic retention time of 10 h for a period of over 100 days, showed high total COD removal efficiencies (85.3% for 0.5% SEP and 90.9% for 0.2% SEP), when fed with pre-hydrolyzed wastewater, compared to a Control bioreactor fed with raw wastewater (79.9%). The Control bioreactor also showed high oil and grease accumulation in the biomass throughout the operational period (the O&G content reached 1.7 times that found in the inoculum of the UASB bioreactor), intensive scum formation, and several episodes of cessation of treatment to clean the three-phase separator. Thus it can be concluded that the enzyme pre-hydrolysis step together with anaerobic treatment of the fish-processing plant wastewater improved the quality of the treated effluent and reduced operational problems.     

A dependency constraint language to manage object‐oriented software architectures

This paper presents a domain‐specific dependency constraint language that allows software architects to restrict the spectrum of structural dependencies, which can be established in object‐oriented systems. The ultimate goal is to provide architects with means to define acceptable and unacceptable dependencies according to the planned architecture of their systems. Once defined, such restrictions are statically enforced by a tool, thus avoiding silent erosions in the architecture. The paper also presents results from applying the proposed approach to different versions of a real‐world human resource management system. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of thrombolytic therapy on platelet expression and plasma concentration of PECAM-1 (CD31) in patients with acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE: Cholelithiasis is a common problem in hospitals of the Peruvian Andes; however, its prevalence in Andean communities is unknown. To estimate the prevalence of gallstone disease in this locale, we conducted a cross-sectional community study in three high-altitude Peruvian rural villages (i.e., > 3000 m above sea level). METHODS: We examined 911 volunteers > 15 yr of age from three villages for gallstone disease by history and ultrasonography. Risk factors for gallstone disease were examined in 382 volunteers from one village. RESULTS: The age-adjusted prevalence of gallstone disease ranged from 4-10% in men and from 18-20% in women. Women had significantly higher age-adjusted prevalence rates than did men. The prevalence of gallstone disease increased significantly with age and decreased significantly with alcohol consumption. Although not statistically significant, we found a positive association between gallstone disease and body mass index. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that gallstone disease, commonly perceived as a disease of the developed world, is also a common problem in high-altitude Peruvian communities.     

Developmentally regulated expression of persyn, a member of the synuclein family, in skin

Synucleins constitute a group of unique, evolutionarily conserved proteins that are expressed predominantly in neurons of the central and peripheral nervous system. Although the normal cellular functions of synucleins are not clear, these proteins have been implicated in various neurodegenerative conditions in humans. We found that persyn, a recently characterized member of the synuclein family, is expressed not only in the nervous system but also in the stratum granulosum of the epidermis of neonatal and adult mice. This finding together with our recent observations that persyn influences neurofilament network integrity in sensory neurons raises the possibility that persyn in skin could be involved in modulation of the keratin network.     

Identification of seven Treponema species in health- and disease-associated dental plaque by nested PCR

Species-specific nested PCR was used to detect Treponema amylovorum, Treponema denticola, Treponema maltophilum, Treponema medium, Treponema pectinovorum, Treponema socranskii, and Treponema vincentii in dental plaque. Subjects with periodontitis harbored all species, but T. pectinovorum and T. vincentii were not found in plaque from disease-free subjects.