DIOXINS / FURANS (PCDDs/PCDFs) CONTROL IN CEMENT INDUSTRY IN ROMANIA

The most important sources of dioxins are waste incineration, industrial (dioxins are by-products), volcanic eruptions, fire, etc. The Romanian law 278/2013 provides the air emissions limit of 0.1 ng/Nm3 gases for dioxins and furans emitted by the incineration and co-incineration plants. Some aspects regarding the control of these substances in the gases from a cement factory in Romania are presented in this paper. In incineration plant were used various fuels. However, the substances level mentioned above was within the allowed limits

EMISSIONS MONITORING OF HEAVY METALS AND THEIR COMPOUNDS RESULTED FROM COMBUSTION PROCESSES IN CLINKER KILNS IN ROMANIA

With the dust arising from the clinker kilns and grill coolers (the major pollution sources in a cement plant), also heavy metals and their compounds (in the form of powders and vaporous), originating from fuels and raw materials, are pumped into the air. The paper presents some aspects regarding the monitoring of heavy metals contained in the combustion gases from a Romanian cement factory. The fuels used in the incinerator varied from coal/petroleum coke, refuse oils (from waste oils and their emulsions, up to sludge, paraffin, tars, contaminated soil), rubber (including whole used tires), plastic, paper, leather, textiles, wood (including sawdust), as such or impregnated/contaminated with various substances from industrial sources or sorted household wastes, sludge (previously dried) from wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the list of over 100 types of waste that can be co-processed can be found in integrated authorizations of cement plants. However, the level of heavy metals in the combustion gases was in allowed limits

EMISSIONS MONITORING OF HEAVY METALS AND THEIR COMPOUNDS RESULTED FROM COMBUSTION PROCESSES IN CLINKER KILNS IN ROMANIA

With the dust arising from the clinker kilns and grill coolers (the major pollution sources in a cement plant), also heavy metals and their compounds (in the form of powders and vaporous), originating from fuels and raw materials, are pumped into the air. The paper presents some aspects regarding the monitoring of heavy metals contained in the combustion gases from a Romanian cement factory. The fuels used in the incinerator varied from coal/petroleum coke, refuse oils (from waste oils and their emulsions, up to sludge, paraffin, tars, contaminated soil), rubber (including whole used tires), plastic, paper, leather, textiles, wood (including sawdust), as such or impregnated/contaminated with various substances from industrial sources or sorted household wastes, sludge (previously dried) from wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the list of over 100 types of waste that can be co-processed can be found in integrated authorizations of cement plants. However, the level of heavy metals in the combustion gases was in allowed limits

EMISSIONS MONITORING OF HEAVY METALS AND THEIR COMPOUNDS RESULTED FROM COMBUSTION PROCESSES IN CLINKER KILNS IN ROMANIA

With the dust arising from the clinker kilns and grill coolers (the major pollution sources in a cement plant), also heavy metals and their compounds (in the form of powders and vaporous), originating from fuels and raw materials, are pumped into the air. The paper presents some aspects regarding the monitoring of heavy metals contained in the combustion gases from a Romanian cement factory. The fuels used in the incinerator varied from coal/petroleum coke, refuse oils (from waste oils and their emulsions, up to sludge, paraffin, tars, contaminated soil), rubber (including whole used tires), plastic, paper, leather, textiles, wood (including sawdust), as such or impregnated/contaminated with various substances from industrial sources or sorted household wastes, sludge (previously dried) from wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the list of over 100 types of waste that can be co-processed can be found in integrated authorizations of cement plants. However, the level of heavy metals in the combustion gases was in allowed limits

EMISSIONS MONITORING OF HEAVY METALS AND THEIR COMPOUNDS RESULTED FROM COMBUSTION PROCESSES IN CLINKER KILNS IN ROMANIA

With the dust arising from the clinker kilns and grill coolers (the major pollution sources in a cement plant), also heavy metals and their compounds (in the form of powders and vaporous), originating from fuels and raw materials, are pumped into the air. The paper presents some aspects regarding the monitoring of heavy metals contained in the combustion gases from a Romanian cement factory. The fuels used in the incinerator varied from coal/petroleum coke, refuse oils (from waste oils and their emulsions, up to sludge, paraffin, tars, contaminated soil), rubber (including whole used tires), plastic, paper, leather, textiles, wood (including sawdust), as such or impregnated/contaminated with various substances from industrial sources or sorted household wastes, sludge (previously dried) from wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the list of over 100 types of waste that can be co-processed can be found in integrated authorizations of cement plants. However, the level of heavy metals in the combustion gases was in allowed limits

DIOXINS / FURANS (PCDDs/PCDFs) CONTROL IN CEMENT INDUSTRY IN ROMANIA

The most important sources of dioxins are waste incineration, industrial (dioxins are by-products), volcanic eruptions, fire, etc. The Romanian law 278/2013 provides the air emissions limit of 0.1 ng/Nm3 gases for dioxins and furans emitted by the incineration and co-incineration plants. Some aspects regarding the control of these substances in the gases from a cement factory in Romania are presented in this paper. In incineration plant were used various fuels. However, the substances level mentioned above was within the allowed limits

The Crowdsourced Replication Initiative: Investigating Immigration and Social Policy Preferences. Executive Report.

In an era of mass migration, social scientists, populist parties and social movements raise concerns over the future of immigration-destination societies. What impacts does this have on policy and social solidarity? Comparative cross-national research, relying mostly on secondary data, has findings in different directions. There is a threat of selective model reporting and lack of replicability. The heterogeneity of countries obscures attempts to clearly define data-generating models. P-hacking and HARKing lurk among standard research practices in this area.This project employs crowdsourcing to address these issues. It draws on replication, deliberation, meta-analysis and harnessing the power of many minds at once. The Crowdsourced Replication Initiative carries two main goals, (a) to better investigate the linkage between immigration and social policy preferences across countries, and (b) to develop crowdsourcing as a social science method. The Executive Report provides short reviews of the area of social policy preferences and immigration, and the methods and impetus behind crowdsourcing plus a description of the entire project. Three main areas of findings will appear in three papers, that are registered as PAPs or in process

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Investigating Vibration Transmission in Cargo Containers During Heavy-Duty Off-Road Transport

This article focuses on the investigation and analysis of vibrations transmitted to cargo during off-road transportation, with particular emphasis on the impact of vehicle and road surface interactions. The primary objective of the research is to quantify and characterize the amplitudes of vibrations generated by the interaction between heavy-duty truck tires and rough terrain, and their subsequent transmission to cargo containers. To achieve this, a virtual model of a tactical transportation truck was created using TruckSim software. Two characteristic off-road tracks were simulated, based on driving conditions typically experienced by heavy-duty vehicles in demanding logistical scenarios. The experimental validation of the virtual model was conducted using a heavy-duty truck outfitted with a 20 ft (6096 mm) cargo container. The results of the work include recorded acceleration data, suspension behavior, and the maximum driving speed at which the vehicle remained stable on both tracks. Moreover, the work is a direct response to the needs of the automotive industry and the military