Učestalost subjektivnih simptoma i nekih objektivnih nalaza u radnika zaposlenih na preradi krutog otpada u sekundarni otpad

We conducted this study to address concerns regarding a perceived increase in bronchitis, skin rashes, and diarrhea and long term health effects in workers at two Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) processing plants. We abstracted medical records to assess symptom occurrence, and to identify spirometry and lab abnormalities overall FEV, and FVC showed no decrease over time for workers with more than five years of exposure. The primary self reported symptoms were low back pain and headaches followed by skin rashes, colds, \u27flu\u27, hay fever and ear problems. Conclusions from this analysis are limited by lack of standardized protocols or a control group. However, results from this analysis pointed out potential occupational health problems among RDF workers for future epidemiological and environmental studies.Istratraživanje je provedeno u dva pogona za preradu krutog otpada, prikupljanog iz velikog urbanog područja, u sekundarni otpad. U pogonu koji je u funkciji od 1988. poroizvodi se 400-500 tona, a u nešto starijem (u funkciji od 1986.) 800-900 tona takvog otpada na dan. U otpadu za preradu, sastav kojeg varira ovisno o tome što se odlaže, dominiraju papir i kartonski proizvodi. Ti materijali uz druge organske materijale poput dvorišnog otpada, predmeta od plastike i ostataka hrane čine energetsku vrijednost proizvedenog sekundarnog otpada. Pregledom koji je bio usmjeren na respiratorne smetnje, kožne iritacije, probavne poremećaje te neke moguće kronične učinke obuhvaćena su 92 radnika koji su se odazvali ispitivanju (od ukupno 108 zaposlenih). Forsirani respiratorni volumeni (FEV, i FVK) u radnika s pet i više godina izloženosti nisu pokazali tendenciju smanjenja u odnosu na očekivane vrijednosti. Među registriranim smetnjama izdvajaju se bol u križima, glavobolje, slijede zatim kožni osipi, prehlade, influenca, hunjavica. Autori ističu da je mogućnost sigurnijeg zaključivanja o zdravstvenim rizicima bila ograničena činjenicom da ispitivanje nije provedeno uporabom standardiziranog protokola te da je nedostajala kontrolna skupina. Rezultati ipak upućuju na to da ovoj vrsti profesionalne aktivnosti treba obratiti potrebnu pozornost kako u ocjeni izloženosti tako i u epidemiološkim istraživanjima

Condition Assessment and Analysis of Bearing of Doubly Fed Wind Turbines Using Machine Learning Technique

Condition monitoring of wind turbines is progressively increasing to maintain the continuity of clean energy supply to power grids. This issue is of great importance since it prevents wind turbines from failing and overheating, as most wind turbines with doubly fed induction generators (DFIG) are overheated due to faults in generator bearings. Bearing fault detection has become a main topic targeting the optimum operation, unscheduled downtime, and maintenance cost of turbine generators. Wind turbines are equipped with condition monitoring devices. However, effective and reliable fault detection still faces significant difficulties. As the majority of health monitoring techniques are primarily focused on a single operating condition, they are unable to effectively determine the health condition of turbines, which results in unwanted downtimes. New and reliable strategies for data analysis were incorporated into this research, given the large amount and variety of data. The development of a new model of the temperature of the DFIG bearing versus wind speed to identify false alarms is the key innovation of this work. This research aims to analyze the parameters for condition monitoring of DFIG bearings using SCADA data for k-means clustering training. The variables of k are obtained by the elbow method that revealed three classes of k (k = 0, 1, and 2). Box plot visualization is used to quantify data points. The average rotation speed and average temperature measurement of the DFIG bearings are found to be primary indicators to characterize normal or irregular operating conditions. In order to evaluate the performance of the clustering model, an analysis of the assessment indices is also executed. The ultimate goal of the study is to be able to use SCADA-recorded data to provide advance warning of failures or performance issues

Identity Foreclosure, Athletic Identity, and College Sport Participation

A study was conducted with 502 college students (246 non-athletes, 90 intramural athletes, and 166 intercollegiate athletes) to investigate the relationship between self-identity variables (i.e., identity foreclosure and athletic identity) and college sport participation. The researchers used two scales, the foreclosure subscale of the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (OM-EIS, Adams et al., 1979) and the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS, Brewer et al., 1993). Results indicated that identity foreclosure and athletic identity increase with level of sport participation. Identity foreclosure was significantly lower for upperclass students than for underclass students among non-athletes, but not among intramural and intercollegiate student-athletes. No gender differences were found. These findings suggested that intercollegiate student-athletes may commit to the role of "athlete" without exploring alternative identities. Implications of the results for the academic and career development of student-athletes were discussed. "The results of this study imply that college student-athletes may identify strongly with the athlete role to the extent that they fail to explore alternative identities." - p.

Tectonomagmatic Evolution of Southwestern Laurentia: Insights from Zircon U-Pb Geochronology and Hafnium Isotopic Composition of the Red Bluff Granite Suite, West Texas, USA

We provide laser ablation–multicollector–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) and high-precision chemical abrasion–isotope dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic compositions of zircons from the Red Bluff Granite Suite and mafic dikes in the Franklin Mountains of El Paso, Texas, USA. Granitoids exposed in the Franklin Mountains were previously divided into five magmatic stages based on cross-cutting relationships. Major and trace element compositions showed that these granitoids are ferroan, alkaline, and A2 type. Homogeneity in the whole-rock geochemistry suggests that the granite stages are genetically related and share similar petrogenetic histories. Weighted mean zircon 206Pb/238U dates from the older magmatic stage 1 alkali-feldspar quartz syenite and stage 2 alkali-feldspar granite are 1112.36 ± 0.35 and 1112.46 ± 0.37 Ma, respectively. The weighted mean εHf(t) values varying from +5.3 to +7.2 are similar to those of other regional ca. 1.1 Ga magmatic rocks throughout southwestern Laurentia. Geochemical characteristics, petrological modeling, and enriched Hf isotopic composition suggest fractional crystallization of a basaltic magma that was produced by melting of an enriched mantle reservoir. However, zircon inheritance ages of ca. 1.3 Ga and 1.26–1.15 Ga are consistent with a minor contribution from felsic crustal basement. Our data and regional geology are consistent with a post-collisional slab break-off that facilitated asthenospheric upwelling and partial melting of the enriched mantle, possibly subcontinental lithospheric mantle, extending from Llano Uplift, Texas, in the southeast to California to the northwest. Magma thus generated upon differentiation produced ferroan and A-type granitoids

Diabetes Prevalence Survey of Pakistan (DPS-PAK): prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and prediabetes using HbA1c: a population-based survey from Pakistan

Objectives: We conducted a Pakistan-wide community-based survey on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes using glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) as the screening test. The aim was to estimate diabetes prevalence across different demographic groups as well as all regions of Pakistan. Design, settings and participants: Multistaged stratified cluster sampling was used for the representative selection of people aged ≥20 years, residing in 378 sampled clusters of 16 randomly selected districts, in this cross-sectional study. Eligible participants had blood drawn for HbA1c analyses at field clinics near to their homes. The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted on a subsample of the participants. Overall and stratified prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its association with risk factors were estimated using logistic regression models. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Results: Of 18 856 eligible participants the prevalence of prediabetes was 10.91% (95% CI 10.46 to 11.36, n=2057) and type 2 diabetes was 16.98% (95% CI 16.44 to 17.51, n=3201). Overall, the mean HbA1c level was 5.62% (SD 1.96), and among newly diagnosed was 8.56% (SD 2.08). The prevalence was highest in age 51–60 years (26.03%, p\u3c0.001), no formal education (17.66%, p\u3c0.001), class III obese (35.09%, p\u3c0.001), family history (31.29%, p\u3c0.001) and female (17.80%, p=0.009). On multivariate analysis, there was a significant association between type 2 diabetes and older age, increase in body mass index and central obesity, positive family history, and having hypertension and an inverse relation with education as a categorical variable. On a subsample (n=1027), summary statistics for diagnosis of diabetes on HbA1c showed a sensitivity of 84.7%, specificity of 87.2% and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.86, compared with OGTT. Conclusions: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes is much higher than previously thought in Pakistan. Comprehensive strategies need to be developed to incorporate screening, prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes at a community level

The glycolytic enzyme phosphofructokinase-1 assembles into filaments.

Despite abundant knowledge of the regulation and biochemistry of glycolytic enzymes, we have limited understanding on how they are spatially organized in the cell. Emerging evidence indicates that nonglycolytic metabolic enzymes regulating diverse pathways can assemble into polymers. We now show tetramer- and substrate-dependent filament assembly by phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK1), which is considered the "gatekeeper" of glycolysis because it catalyzes the step committing glucose to breakdown. Recombinant liver PFK1 (PFKL) isoform, but not platelet PFK1 (PFKP) or muscle PFK1 (PFKM) isoforms, assembles into filaments. Negative-stain electron micrographs reveal that filaments are apolar and made of stacked tetramers oriented with exposed catalytic sites positioned along the edge of the polymer. Electron micrographs and biochemical data with a PFKL/PFKP chimera indicate that the PFKL regulatory domain mediates filament assembly. Quantified live-cell imaging shows dynamic properties of localized PFKL puncta that are enriched at the plasma membrane. These findings reveal a new behavior of a key glycolytic enzyme with insights on spatial organization and isoform-specific glucose metabolism in cells

Faecal virome of the Australian grey-headed flying fox from urban/ suburban environments contains novel coronaviruses, retroviruses and sapoviruses

Bats are important reservoirs for viruses of public health and veterinary concern. Virus studies in Australian bats usually target the families Paramyxoviridae, Coronaviridae and Rhabdoviridae, with little known about their overall virome composition. We used metatranscriptomic sequencing to characterise the faecal virome of greyheaded flying foxes from three colonies in urban/suburban locations from two Australian states. We identified viruses from three mammalian-infecting (Coronaviridae, Caliciviridae, Retroviridae) and one possible mammalianinfecting (Birnaviridae) family. Of particular interest were a novel bat betacoronavirus (subgenus Nobecovirus) and a novel bat sapovirus (Caliciviridae), the first identified in Australian bats, as well as a potentially exogenous retrovirus. The novel betacoronavirus was detected in two sampling locations 1375 km apart and falls in a viral lineage likely with a long association with bats. This study highlights the utility of unbiased sequencing of faecal samples for identifying novel viruses and revealing broad-scale patterns of virus ecology and evolution