Thermal performance of a PCM firefighting suit considering transient periods of fire exposure, post - fire exposure and resting phases

Firefighting scenarios may be characterized by various transient periods (i.e. phases), which consist of diverse environmental conditions. Firefighters usually encounter fire exposure, post fire exposure and resting phases. Development of new and improved protective clothing must be able to provide protection throughout all these phases, as burnouts may still occur after fire exposure due to accumulation of heat in the garment. The incorporation of phase change materials (PCMs) in firefighting garments has been shown to minimize the potential of heat hazards only during fire exposure. Thus to get more knowledge on their thermal performance, in the present study, the effect of PCM incorporation in post fire and resting phases were also numerically studied. The numerical code was validated for all phases. Five potential PCM candidates were considered. Exposure phases were characterized by high- medium and low- heat flux intensities (84, 12 and 5 kW.m(-2)) with variable exposure times whilst post -exposure and resting phases where characterized by different wind speeds (i.e. ambient convective coefficients). Optimal PCM masses, times to second and third - degree burns as well as PCM suit cooling times were calculated to reflect thermal protective performance in each respective phase. The data generated allows for PCM short-listing from a set of potential PCM candidates along with its geometrical parameters, considering a wide range of characteristics of the various phases that consist a typical firefighting scenario

The impact of water on firefighter protective clothing thermal performance and steam burn occurrence in firefighters

Exposure to oscillating heat fluxes while having variable water contents in the thermal protective clothing (T.P. C) is possible in a real firefighting scenario. The occurrence of steam burns becomes inevitable in certain conditions which are still unidentified in the literature. In light of such, in this study, the effect of water distribution on thermal protective clothing (T.P.C) performance is studied for various environmental conditions (i.e., fixed and transient values of heat flux). A numerical approach is used to simulate heat and mass transport in the T.P.C.. Parametric studies are performed, where the exposure heat flux (0-80 kW/m(2)) and initial quantities of water in the T.P.C. are varied and correlated with second-degree burn times. The presence of water in the outer shell increases second-degree burn times, while water in the inner layer has the opposite effect for high heat fluxes. For the tested heat fluxes, burns obtained are majorly of a scald nature. The results generated allow for identifying environmental and protective clothing conditions where steam burns may become a potential hazard. This study can directly impact the proceedings for firefighters to take in certain environmental conditions and aid in the design of more effective firefighting protective suits

Estrogen protection in Parkinson´s disease – a GDNF role?

Estrogen protection in Parkinson´s disease – a GDNF role

C-Reactive protein predicts acute myocardial infarction during high-risk noncardiac and vascular surgery

BACKGROUND: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein predicts cardiovascular events in a wide range of clinical contexts. However, the role of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein as a predictive marker for perioperative acute myocardial infarction during noncardiac surgery is not yet clear. The present study investigated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels as predictors of acute myocardial infarction risk in patients undergoing high-risk noncardiac surgery. METHODS: This concurrent cohort study included patients aged >50 years referred for high-risk noncardiac surgery according to American Heart Association/ACC 2002 criteria. Patients with infections were excluded. Electrocardiograms were performed, and biomarkers (Troponin I or T) and/or total creatine phosphokinase and the MB fraction (CPK-T/MB) were evaluated on the first and fourth days after surgery. Patients were followed until discharge. Baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were compared between patients with and without acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, including 33 vascular procedures (17 aortic and 16 peripheral artery revascularizations), were studied. Sixty of the patients were men, and their mean age was 66 years. Baseline levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were higher in the group with perioperative acute myocardial infarction than in the group with non-acute myocardial infarction patients (mean 48.02 vs. 4.50, p = 0.005). All five acute myocardial infarction cases occurred in vascular surgery patients with high CRP levels. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing high-risk noncardiac surgery, especially vascular surgery, and presenting elevated baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels are at increased risk for perioperative acute myocardial infarction

The MINOUWApp: a web-based tool in support of by-catch and discards management

Current fishing practices often do not allow adequate selection of species or sizes of fish, resulting in unwanted catches, subsequently discarded, with the consequent negative effects on both marine communities and fisheries profitability. The cross-analysis of density patches of potential unwanted catches and distribution of fishing effort can support the identification of spatial-temporal hot-spots in which the fishing pressure should be reduced to limit the amount of discards. The MinouwApp represents a technological and methodological framework to bring different, and structurally complex, sources of georeferenced data together into a simple visual interface aiming to interactively explore temporal ranges and areas of interest. The objective is to improve the understanding of fisheries dynamics, including discards, thus contributing to the implementation of discard management plans in a context of participative, ecosystem-based fisheries management strategies

Atas das 8as Jornadas de Segurança aos Incêndios Urbanos e as 3as Jornadas de Proteção Civil (8JORNINC-3JORPROCIV)

Este livro de ATAS contém os artigos apresentados às 8as Jornadas de Segurança aos Incêndios Urbanos e às 3as Jornadas de Proteção Civil (8JORNINC-3JORPROCIV), que decorreram no Porto, Portugal. Na presente edição das 8JORNINC-3JORPROCIV foram submetidos 50 trabalhos, tendo sido aceites 42. Os trabalhos foram distribuídos em 8 sessões paralelas temáticas, em adição a 2 sessões plenárias, apresentados no dia 2 de junho de 2023. O evento foi iniciado e promovido em Portugal, sob a organização do professor Doutor João Paulo Rodrigues, com as 1as Jornadas de Segurança aos Incêndios Urbanos, em 2005, na Universidade de Coimbra, bem como nos anos seguintes, as 2as Jornadas de Segurança aos Incêndios Urbanos em 2011 e as 3as Jornadas de Segurança aos Incêndios Urbanos em 2013, também na Universidade de Coimbra. As edições seguintes aconteceram em diferentes locais: as 4as Jornadas de Segurança aos Incêndios Urbanos em 2014, no Instituto Politécnico de Bragança; as 5as Jornadas de Segurança aos Incêndios Urbanos em 2016, no Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil em Lisboa; as 6as Jornadas de Segurança aos Incêndios Urbanos e 1as Jornadas de Proteção Civil em 2018, na Universidade de Coimbra; e as 7as Jornadas de Segurança aos Incêndios Urbanos e 2as Jornadas de Proteção Civil, em 2021, no Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco. As 8JORNINC apresentam grande importância num contexto atual de vários e graves incêndios urbanos, florestais e de interface em Portugal. A pertinência do tema da segurança na prevenção e no combate a incêndios, quer pelas consequências emergentes deste tipo de acidentes, quer pela necessidade de redução das ocorrências, do número de vítimas mortais, feridos, prejuízos materiais, patrimoniais, ambientais e sociais, leva a que as Jornadas se destinem a um leque alargado de profissionais e público em geral. As 3JORPROCIV têm como objetivo promover conhecimentos nas áreas da prevenção civil, de riscos e planos de emergência. Pretendem assim, contribuir para a atualização dos conhecimentos técnicos e científicos da segurança e proteção civil, no âmbito do planeamento e prevenção perante cenários de crise e emergência. As Jornadas de Proteção Civil permitem partilhar um leque de conhecimentos multidisciplinares suscetíveis de impulsionar uma intervenção por parte de técnicos, especialistas e dos agentes da proteção civil. A visão interdisciplinar e integradora dos problemas e desafios que a proteção civil apresenta será refletida na prevenção e mitigação dos riscos inerentes a uma situação de acidente. Os trabalhos apresentados nesta edição, permitirão o avanço das 8JORNINC-3JORPROCIV, através da divulgação dos recentes desenvolvimentos e do conhecimento nos domínios da segurança ao incêndio e proteção civil. Por fim, a comissão organizadora das 8JORNINC-3JORPROCIV gostaria de agradecer: - o apoio dos patrocinadores e das instituições do Sistema Científico e Tecnológico; - a todos os autores que partilharam os seus excelentes trabalhos; - e aos elementos da Comissão Científica que auxiliaram no processo de revisão. Todos em conjunto, tornaram possível a realização destas Jornadas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio