First Steps in Air Quality for Built Environment Practitioners

Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to health. Globally, nine out of ten people live in a city that does not comply with WHO air quality standards. Within the UK, poor outdoor air quality is linked to 50,000 deaths each year. The most vulnerable are children, the elderly, or those with pre-existing medical conditions. The design of our urban infrastructure 13 including Green Infrastructure (GI) such as trees, parks, and green walls 13 determines where air pollution is produced, and how it disperses. Built environment professionals should consider air quality at all stages of urban design and development

First Steps in Air Quality for Built Environment Practitioners

Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to health. Globally, nine out of ten people live in a city that does not comply with WHO air quality standards. Within the UK, poor outdoor air quality is linked to 50,000 deaths each year. The most vulnerable are children, the elderly, or those with pre-existing medical conditions. The design of our urban infrastructure 13 including Green Infrastructure (GI) such as trees, parks, and green walls 13 determines where air pollution is produced, and how it disperses. Built environment professionals should consider air quality at all stages of urban design and development

First Steps in Air Quality for Built Environment Practitioners

Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to health. Globally, nine out of ten people live in a city that does not comply with WHO air quality standards. Within the UK, poor outdoor air quality is linked to 50,000 deaths each year. The most vulnerable are children, the elderly, or those with pre-existing medical conditions. The design of our urban infrastructure – including Green Infrastructure (GI) such as trees, parks, and green walls – determines where air pollution is produced, and how it disperses. Built environment professionals should consider air quality at all stages of urban design and development

Identifying and accounting for the Coriolis Effect in satellite NO2 observations and emission estimates

Recent developments in atmospheric remote sensing from satellites have made it possible to resolve daily emission plumes from industrial point sources, around the globe. Wind rotation aggregation coupled with statistical fitting is commonly used to extract emission estimates from these observations. These methods are used here to investigate how the Coriolis Effect influences the trajectory of observed emission plumes, and to assess the impact of this influence on satellite derived emission estimates. Of the 17 industrial sites investigated, nine showed the expected curvature for the hemisphere they reside in. Five showed no or negligible curvature, and two showed opposing or unusual curvature. The sites which showed conflicting curvature all reside in topographically diverse regions, where strong meso-gamma scale (2&ndash;20 km) turbulence dominates over larger synoptic circulation patterns. For high curvature cases the assumption that the wind-rotated plume aggregate is symmetrically distributed across the downwind axis breaks down, which impairs the quality of statistical fitting procedures. Using NOx emissions from Matimba power station as a test case, not compensating for Coriolis curvature resulted in an10 underestimation of &sim; 9 % on average for years 2018 to 2021. This study is the first formal observation of the Coriolis Effect and its influence on satellite observed emission plumes, and highlight both the variability of emission calculation methods and the need for a standardised scheme for this data to act as evidence for regulators.</p

Trees and urban air quality: a briefing note

Key messages 1. Trees alone are not the solution to air pollution. They can create a localised positive benefit for air quality by changing the dispersion of pollution, but the amount of pollution deposited onto trees is not significant on an urban scale. 2. Air pollution can damage trees. 3. Emissions of VOCs from trees can, under the correct conditions, create ozone pollution. This is only relevant when creating new woodlands

Associations of Blood Pressure and&nbsp;Cholesterol Levels During Young&nbsp;Adulthood With Later&nbsp;Cardiovascular Events.

BackgroundBlood pressure (BP) and cholesterol are major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but effects of exposures during young adulthood on later life CVD risk have not been well quantified.ObjectiveThe authors sought to evaluate the independent associations between young adult exposures to risk factors and later life CVD risk, accounting for later life exposures.MethodsThe authors pooled data from 6 U.S. cohorts with observations spanning the life course from young adulthood to later life, and imputed risk factor trajectories for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, systolic and diastolic BP starting from age 18 years for every participant. Time-weighted average exposures to each risk factor during young (age 18 to 39 years) and later adulthood (age ≥40 years) were calculated and linked to subsequent risks of coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF), or stroke.ResultsA total of 36,030 participants were included. During a median follow-up of 17 years, there were 4,570 CHD, 5,119 HF, and 2,862 stroke events. When young and later adult risk factors were considered jointly in the model, young adult LDL&nbsp;≥100&nbsp;mg/dl (compared with&nbsp;&lt;100&nbsp;mg/dl) was associated with a 64% increased risk for CHD, independent of later adult exposures. Similarly, young adult SBP&nbsp;≥130&nbsp;mm&nbsp;Hg (compared with&nbsp;&lt;120&nbsp;mm&nbsp;Hg) was associated with a 37% increased risk for HF, and young adult DBP&nbsp;≥80&nbsp;mm&nbsp;Hg (compared with&nbsp;&lt;80&nbsp;mm&nbsp;Hg) was associated with a 21% increased risk.ConclusionsCumulative young adult exposures to elevated systolic BP, diastolic BP and LDL were associated with&nbsp;increased CVD risks in later life, independent of later adult exposures

International multicentre observational study to assess the efficacy and safety of a 0·5 mg kg−1 per day starting dose of oral corticosteroids to treat bullous pemphigoid

BackgroundEuropean guidelines propose a 0 center dot 5 mg kg(-1) per day dose of oral prednisone as initial treatment for bullous pemphigoid (BP). We assessed the safety and efficacy of this regimen depending on BP extent and general condition of the patients.MethodsIn a prospective international study, we consecutively included all patients diagnosed with BP. Patients received a 0 center dot 5 mg kg(-1) per day dose of prednisone, which was then gradually tapered 15 days after disease control, with the aim of stopping prednisone or maintaining minimal treatment (0 center dot 1 mg kg(-1) per day) within 6 months after the start of treatment. The two coprimary endpoints were control of disease activity at day 21 and 1-year overall survival. Disease severity was assessed according to the Bullous Pemphigoid Disease Area Index (BPDAI) score.ResultsIn total, 198 patients were included between 2015 and 2017. The final analysis comprised 190 patients with a mean age of 80 center dot 9 (SD 9 center dot 1) years. Control of disease activity was achieved at day 21 in 119 patients [62 center dot 6%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 55 center dot 3-69.5]; 18 of 24 patients (75%, 95% CI 53 center dot 3-90 center dot 2), 75 of 110 patients (68 center dot 8%, 95% CI 59 center dot 2-77 center dot 3) and 26 of 56 patients (46.4%, 95% CI 33 center dot 0-60 center dot 3) had mild, moderate and severe BP, respectively (P = 0 center dot 0218). A total of 30 patients died during the study. The overall Kaplan-Meier 1-year survival was 82 center dot 6% (95% CI 76 center dot 3-87 center dot 4) corresponding to 90 center dot 9%, 83 center dot 0% and 80 center dot 0% rates in patients with mild, moderate and severe BP, respectively (P = 0 center dot 5). Thresholds of 49 points for BPDAI score and 70 points for Karnofsky score yielded maximal Youden index values with respect to disease control at day 21 and 1-year survival, respectively.ConclusionsA 0 center dot 5 mg kg(-1) per day dose of prednisone is a valuable therapeutic option in patients with mild or moderate BP whose general condition allows them to be autonomous.</p

Discourses of conflict and collaboration and institutional context in the implementation of forest conservation policies in Soria, Spain

This article examines the emergence of conflict and collaboration in the implementation of forest conservation policies in Soria, Spain. We draw insights from discursive institutionalism and use a comparative case study approach to analyse and compare a situation of social conflict over the Natural Park declaration in the Sierra de Urbión, and a civil society led collaborative process to develop management plans for the “Sierra de Cabrejas” in Soria. The implementation of the EU Habitats Directive generated different outcomes in these two cases, which unfolded in the context of the same nature conservation legislation and national and provincial administrative structures but differed in terms of types of forests involved, property rights arrangements and forest use histories. We critically examine the influence of the institutional context and dominant discourses on the emergence of outcomes: conflict emerged where local institutions and discourses were threatened by the EU directive, while collaboration was possible where local institutions and counter-discourses were weak. We find that the institutional context plays an important part in determining local discourses in the implementation of forest conservation policies. Yet local counter-discourses have limited influence in the implementation and policy processes in the face of contestation by the discourses of regional civil servants conservation activists

Bisphenol A-Mediated Suppression of LPL Gene Expression Inhibits Triglyceride Accumulation during Adipogenic Differentiation of Human Adult Stem Cells

The endocrine disrupting chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), has been shown to accelerate the rate of adipogenesis and increase the amount of triglyceride accumulation during differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The objective of this study was to investigate if that observation is mirrored in human primary cells. Here we investigated the effect of BPA on adipogenesis in cultured human primary adult stem cells. Continuous exposure to BPA throughout the 14 days of differentiation dramatically reduced triglyceride accumulation and suppressed gene transcription of the lipogenic enzyme, lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Results presented in the present study show for the first time that BPA can reduce triglyceride accumulation during adipogenesis by attenuating the expression of LPL gene transcription. Also, by employing image cytometric analysis rather than conventional Oil red O staining techniques we show that BPA regulates triglyceride accumulation in a manner which does not appear to effect adipogenesis per se

Innovation and Technology Adoption in Central America

In spite of deep structural reforms, Central American countries have failed to experience rapid and stable growth in recent years. This paper explores whether and to what extent we can consider lack of innovation and technology adoption as a main reason for this disappointing experience. The paper starts by documenting that technology adoption and innovation are indeed very low, and then turns to a more qualitative and eclectic analysis drawing on interviews and case studies to try to understand the reasons for this. Four hypotheses are explored: weak intellectual property rights, low competition, lack of finance and low levels of education. The conclusion that emerges is that the last two of these four hypotheses may be especially relevant for the region. The paper concludes with several policy recommendations