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Diesel engine exhausts from a common rail 3.0 L F1C diesel engine were analyzed at two different load conditions of the WLTC testing cycle downstream of both the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and selective catalytic reactor (SCR) to verify their effect on the characteristics of carbon particulate matter. An array of chemical, physical and spectroscopic techniques (gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), mobility analyzer, UV-Visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy) was applied for characterizing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), heavy aromatic compounds and soot, constituting the particulate matter (PM) sampled from the exhaust. The engine was operated in half load (HL) (188 Nm, representing the more common condition for engine in urban traffic) and full load (FL) (452 Nm, representing the best performance of the engine operation) conditions, at the same engine speed (2000 rpm). Soot formation was enhanced in HL condition, with respect to FL, but, just because of the much lower soot amount, the after-treatment systems in this last condition resulted to be less efficient in the soot abatement. Indeed, the abatement through DPF was about 40% lower in the FL condition with respect to HL condition, and any significant further concentration decrease was found after SCR, in both conditions. By contrast, PAH concentration after DPF abatement was found to be higher in the HL with respect to FL condition. A further PAH concentration decrease of about 30% was found after the SCR in the HL condition whereas in FL the reduction was only about 5-6%. Also the heavy aromatic compounds having molecular weight above the GC-MS detection limit (300 u), were mitigated by SCR. Therefore, SCR did not cause a further soot reduction, whereas it was effective in largely reducing PAH and heavy aromatics emissions, especially in the lower temperature condition featuring the half-load condition, when combustion efficiency is worse. Moreover, SCR system reduced the emission of small particles probably due to an enhanced agglomeration of particles, with beneficial effect on the harmfulness to human health.

A 67-year-old Caucasian male with lung cancer was presented to the Emergency Department with asthenia, anorexia, jaundice and choluria. The patient's lung cancer was being treated medically by a combination of paclitaxel/carboplatin with bi-monthly frequency. The patient was also self-medicating with several natural products, including Chlorella (520 mg/day), Silybum marianum (total of 13.5 mg silymarin/day), zinc sulphate (5.5 mg), selenium (50 μg) and 15 g/day of Curcuma longa. In first chemotherapy cycle no toxicity was observed even he was taking other medications as budesonide and sitagliptin. The toxic events started only after the introduction of the dietary products. Chlorella had contamination with cyanobacteria (Oscillatoriales) and 1.08 μg of cyanotoxin Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) per gram of biomass was found. Patient was consuming ca 0.01 μg MC-LR/kg/day. This case report describes the first known case of paclitaxel toxicity probably related to pharmacokinetic interaction with Turmeric and a contaminated Chlorella supplement resulting in an acute toxic hepatitis and the impact on oncologic patient health.

Abstract Electrolyte-free fuel cell (EFFC) which holds the similar function with the traditional solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) but possesses a completely different structure, has draw much attention during these years. Herein, we report a complex of MZSDC–LNCS (Mg 0.4 Zn 0.6 O/Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2 O 2− δ –Li 0.3 Ni 0.6 Cu 0.07 Sr 0.03 O 2− δ ) for EFFC that demonstrates a high electrochemical power output of about 600 mW cm −2 at 630 °C. The co-doped MZSDC is synthesized by a co-precipitation method. Semiconductor material of LNCS is synthesized by direct solid state reaction. The microstructure and morphology of the composite materials are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The performance of the cell with a large size (6 × 6 cm 2 ) is comparable or even better than that of the conventional solid oxide fuel cells with large sizes. The maximum power output of 9.28 W is obtained from the large-size cell at 600 °C. This paper develops a new functional nanocomposite for EFFC which is conducive to its commercial use.

In the last ten years, the research of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) or ceramic fuel cells (CFC) had focused on reducing the working temperature through the development of novel materials, especially the high ionic conductive electrolyte materials. Many progresses on single-phase electrolyte materials with the enhanced ionic conductivity have been made, but they are still far from the criteria of commercialization. The studies of ceria oxide based composite electrolytes give an alternative solution to these problems because of their impressive ionic conductivities and tunable ionic conduction behaviors. Significant advances in the understanding the ceria based composite material and construction of efficient fuel cell systems have been achieved within a short period. This report reviews recent developments of ceria-based composite from different aspects: materials, fundamentals, technologies, fabrication/construction parameters, electrochemistry and theoretical studies. Particular attention is given to ceria-carbonate (nano)composite, including its fuel cell performance, multi-ionic transport properties, advanced applications, corresponding electrode material and stability concerning. Besides, several novel fuel cell (FC) concepts like nanowire FC, all-nanocomposite FC and single-component/electrolyte-free fuel cell (SC-EFFC) are presented. This mini-review emphasizes the promise of ceria-based composites for advanced FC application and highlights the breakthrough of SC-EFFC research for high efficient energy conversion.

Although several studies show the vulnerability of human health to climate change, a clear comprehensive quantification of the increased health risks attributable to climate change is lacking. Even more complicated are assessments of adaptation measures for this sector. We discuss the impact of climate change on diarrhoea as a representative of a waterborne infectious disease affecting human health in the Ganges basin of northern India. A conceptual framework is presented for climate exposure response relationships based on studies from different countries, as empirical studies and appropriate epidemiological data sets for India are lacking. Four climate variables are included: temperature, increased/extreme precipitation, decreased precipitation/droughts and relative humidity. Applying the conceptual framework to the latest regional climate projections for northern India shows increases between present and future (2040s), varying spatially from no change to an increase of 21% in diarrhoea incidences, with 13.1% increase on average for the Ganges basin. We discuss three types of measures against diarrhoeal disease: reactive actions, preventive actions and national policy options. Preventive actions have the potential to counterbalance this expected increase. However, given the limited progress in reducing incidences over the past decade consorted actions and effective implementation and integration of existing policies are needed.

Nanocrystalline TiO2 films were co-sensitized with CdS and CdSe, deposited using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process. These films were used to make optimized solar cell devices using polysulfide electrolyte and gold counter electrodes with the highest efficiency of 3.60% recorded under AM 1.5G 1 sun illumination using 6 cycles of CdS and 8 cycles of CdSe. CdS(6)/CdSe(8) co-sensitized devices were compared to devices containing only CdS and CdSe with the co-sensitized cells being superior in terms of photocurrent, cell voltage and overall efficiency. Photo-induced processes were investigated using both Transient Absorption Spectroscopy and Transient Photovoltage measurements. Transient absorption kinetics show that following electron injection from CdS/CdSe into the TiO2 film, the polysulfide electrolyte regenerates holes in the CdS/CdSe layer resulting in a long-lived species which lives up to several hundreds of milliseconds. Comparison with transient photovoltage decays indicates that this long-lived species is due to electrons in the TiO2 that eventually recombine with the polysulfide electrolyte. Electron lifetimes are also shown to be longest in the co-sensitized devices in agreement with the larger Voc observed for these cells.

ABSTRACTAims  To describe three aspects of the epidemiology of alcohol‐attributable deaths in Europe, dose, demography and place, and to illustrate how such knowledge can better be used to inform alcohol policy formulation and implementation.Design  epidemiological and population health modeling.Setting  Europe.Participants  Based on country‐specific aggregate statistics.Measurements  Exposure: country‐specific adult per capita consumption triangulated with survey data; outcomes: mortality statistics.Findings  The absolute risk of dying from an alcohol‐attributable disease and injury (accounting for a protective effect for ischaemic diseases) increases with increasing daily alcohol consumption beyond 10g alcohol per day, the first data point. Over 2/3 of all alcohol‐attributable deaths occurring amongst the 20–64 year old population of the European Union (minus Cyprus and Malta) occur in the 45–64 year olds. About 25% of the difference in life expectancy between western and eastern Europe for men aged 20–64 years in 2002 can be attributed to alcohol, largely, but not exclusively, as a result of differences in heavy episodic drinking patterns.Conclusions  Any reduction in the dose of alcohol consumed, at least down to 10g/day, will reduce the annual and lifetime risk of an alcohol‐related death. There is a need for alcohol policy to focus on measures in reducing alcohol consumption, throughout middle age, with immediacy of impact. Policy should strive to reduce alcohol‐related health inequalities, with the specific recommendations for policy depending on the cost‐effectiveness of interventions related to the epidemiological profile of the country or region under consideration. Fortunately, there are evidence‐based policy options that reduce the amount of alcohol consumed and many alcohol‐related harms with immediate effect, that reduce the risk of an alcohol‐related death in middle age, and that would help to close the health gap between eastern and western Europe.

AbstractAdopting eco‐friendly diets will demand the consumption of more plant‐based protein food sources such as legumes. However, assessing the impact of such a dietary shift on the dietary and nutritional intake of traditionally omnivorous populations is needed. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of substituting a traditional omnivorous‐based lunch for a vegetarian, legume‐based meal on the daily dietary and nutritional intake in a group of omnivorous adults in the city of Porto, Portugal. Nineteen, non‐vegetarian, healthy young adults consumed a vegetarian, legume‐based meal from Monday to Friday, for 8 consecutive weeks. Socio‐demographic data, health status, lifestyle‐related information and anthropometric parameters were recorded. Three‐day food records were used to collect food intake at baseline and week 8. European Food Safety Authority and World Health Organization reference values were used to assess nutritional inadequacies. Variables were described as medians (P25 and P75). Wilcoxon signed‐rank and Mann–Whitney tests were used for statistical comparisons. A p‐value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Participants consumed 38.0 (P25 = 35.0; P75 = 40.0) meals, resulting in an intake of 84.5 g (P25 = 74.9; P75 = 98.4) of cooked legumes per meal, meaning 11 subjects (57.9%) met the Portuguese guidelines for legume consumption (≥80 g/day of legumes). The current dietary intervention did not seem to aggravate the prevalence of nutritional inadequacies for the macro‐ and micronutrients tested, except for the case of vitamin B12 (52.6% [95% CI: 28.9–75.6] vs. 78.9% [95% CI: 54.4–94.0]). This could be linked to the reduction of dietary sources of this vitamin which is an expected consequence of vegetarian meals. Dietary changes towards grain legume‐based diets are desirable yet need to be carefully implemented to prevent exacerbating potential nutrient inadequacies, especially of vitamin B12.