Mapping the co-benefits of climate change action to issues of public concern in the UK: a narrative review

To avoid a 1·5°C rise in global temperatures above preindustrial levels, the next phase of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will need to be comparatively rapid. Linking the co-benefits of climate action to wider issues that the public are concerned about can help decision makers to prioritise decarbonisation options that increase the chance of public support for such changes, while ensuring that a just transition is delivered. We identified key issues of concern to the UK public by use of Ipsos MORI public opinion data from 2007 to 2020 and used these data to guide a narrative review of academic and grey literature on the co-benefits of climate change action for the UK. Correspondence with civil servants, third sector organisations, and relevant academics allowed us to identify omissions and to ensure policy relevance of the recommendations. This evidence-based Review of the various co-benefits of climate change action for the UK identifies four main areas: health and the National Health Service; security; economy and unemployment; and poverty, housing, and inequality. Associated trade-offs are also discussed. City-level and regional-level governments are particularly well placed to incorporate co-benefits into their decision making because it is at this scale that co-benefits most clearly manifest, and where interventions can have the most immediate effects

Design and Development of the Engine Unit for a Twin-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Advanced computer-aided technologies played a crucial role in the design of an unconventional Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV), developed at the Turin Technical University and the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. The engine unit of the vehicle is made of a complex system of three two stroke piston engines coupled with two counter-rotating three-bladed rotors, controlled by rotary PWM servos. The focus of the present paper lies on the enabling technologies exploited in the framework of activities aimed at designing a suitable and reliable engine system, capable of performing the complex tasks required for operating the proposed rotorcraft. The synergic use of advanced computational tools for estimating the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle, solid modeling for mechanical components design, and rapid prototyping techniques for control system logic synthesis and implementation will be presented.

INTERACTION BETWEEN GENETIC AND OCCUPATIONAL FACTORS IN LUNG CANCER ETIOLOGY.A POPULATION-BASED CASE-CONTROL STUDY.

Background: Exposure to occupational carcinogens is an important preventable cause of lung cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported in association with lung cancer risk, in particular for tobacco smoking exposure. However, few studies have evaluated the interaction between genetic variants and occupational carcinogens in the etiology of lung cancer risk. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the interaction between exposures to selected known/suspected occupational carcinogens and phase II metabolic gene polymorphisms for lung cancer risk. Methods: In the Environment And Genetics in Lung cancer Etiology (EAGLE) population-based case-control study (Lombardy region, Italy, 2002-2005), lifetime work-histories were collected by personal interview and coded according to the International Standard Classification for Occupations (ISCO). A job-exposure matrix (JEM) was applied to translate the ISCO codes into never, low, and high exposure levels for six known/suspected occupational lung carcinogens. 293 SNPs tagging 23 phase II metabolic genes were selected to conduct a candidate gene association study based on SNP, gene, haplotype and pathway analyses. Gene expression data were used to evaluate the function of the selected genetic variants. An unconditional logistic regression model, adjusted for potential confounders including smoking, was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) among never and ever exposed to occupational carcinogens. Interactions between genetic variants and occupational carcinogens were tested on the multiplicative scale using 2-df likelihood ratio tests (LRT). The large sample size allowed subgroup analyses by gender and histology. All estimates were corrected for multiple testing using a False Discovery Rate (FDR) method. Results: Men showed an increased lung cancer risk even at low exposure to asbestos (OR: 1.76; 95%CI: 1.42-2.18), crystalline silica (OR: 1.31; 95%CI: 1.00-1.71), and nickel-chromium (OR: 1.18; 95%CI: 0.90-1.53); risk increased with exposure level. The population attributable fractions for any exposure to asbestos, silica and nickel-chromium were 18.1%, 5.7%, and 7.0%, respectively. Given the high impact of asbestos in our study, it was the only carcinogen tested for interactions with the selected candidate genes. Polymorphisms of the GSTM4 gene consistently showed, across different levels of analysis, a positive interaction with asbestos exposure for lung cancer risk. However, only at the gene level analysis did the interaction pass the FDR correction (LRT p-value <0.001). Discussion: In a large population-based case-control study, polymorphisms of the GSTM4 gene have been found in association with asbestos exposure for lung cancer risk. This finding is biologically plausible, has never previously been reported, and should be validated in further studies. Strengths of this study were its large sample size, the validity of its occupational exposure and genotype assessment, and its systematic and integrated analyses. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest a possible role of GSTM4 polymorphisms in the etiology of asbestos-related lung cancer. Further studies are required to evaluate this gene as a target of future molecular diagnostic tests and genetic therapies, given the potential high impact at a public health level

Contemporary Prevalence of Byssinosis in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

We aimed to identify the contemporary prevalence of byssinosis through a systematic review. Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and Global Health databases were used to identify studies published in any language between 2000 and 2019, reporting primary data on byssinosis among adults. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist to estimate the risk of bias in studies and undertook a qualitative, narrative data analysis. The review considered the prevalence of byssinosis, chest tightness, and airflow obstruction in textile workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We found 26 relevant studies that included 6930 workers across 12 countries. Most of the studies (n = 19) were from Asia, and seven from African countries. Twenty-five studies were cross-sectional surveys while one was a cohort study. The prevalence of byssinosis was reported by 18 studies, and ranged from 8% to 38%, without any clear associations, at the group level, between the prevalence of byssinosis and durations of workers’ exposures. Prevalence of chest tightness ranged between 4% and 58% and that of airflow obstruction between 10% and 30%. A strong correlation (r = 0.72) was found between prevalence of byssinosis and cotton dust levels. Our findings indicate that byssinosis remains a significant, contemporary problem in some parts of the textile sector in LMICs

Potentially toxic elements speciation in bottom ashes from a municipal solid waste incinerator: A combined SEM-EDS, µ-XRF and µ-XANES study

Bottom Ashes from Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators and Waste to Energy plants represent an interesting source of secondary raw materials for many applications, like urban mining and inclusion in concrete, and road pavement. However, Bottom Ashes may contain potentially toxic elements, whose actual toxicity depends essentially on their oxidation state and mineralogical environment. For this reason, a representative sample of bottom ashes from Parma Waste to Energy plant has been selected to investigate the chemical speciation of Cr, Ni, Pb, Co, Zn and Cu by means of complementary techniques: Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), micro X-Ray Fluorescence (µ-XRF) mapping and X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) measurements by synchrotron radiation. This multi-technique approach allowed to obtain a general image of the mineralogical and chemical environment in which these elements are found. SEM-EDS analyses show the presence of Zn and Pb both in minerals and in glass matrix. Cr has been detected in the form of oxide and in spinel structure (chromite) whereas Co and Cu are found as alloy or metal inclusions. µ-XRF mapping reveals that Cu, Ni and Cr are generally associated to Na, K and Si suggesting their presence in glass matrix. XANES investigations exhibit that Cu has a variable oxidation state that suggesting its presence in the form of oxide, hydroxide, acetate and metal. Zn is mainly found as +II and in a number of different phases (including Zn-carbonates, in agreement with SEM-EDS data). Cr has been found only as +III, with XANES features resembling those of chromite, whereas as +VI was never identified. Ni and Co were found either as metal form and oxides. Pb spectra show a good match with oxides

Cell biology:Collagen secretion explained

Cells package proteins into vesicles for secretion to the extracellular milieu. A study shows that an enzyme modifies the packaging machinery to encapsulate unusually large proteins such as collagen

A new spirometry-based algorithm to predict occupational pulmonary restrictive impairment

Background Spirometry is often included in workplace-based respiratory surveillance programmes but its performance in the identification of restrictive lung disease is poor, especially when the prevalence of this condition is low in the tested population. Aims To improve the specificity (Sp) and positive predictive value (PPV) of current spirometry-based algorithms in the diagnosis of restrictive pulmonary impairment in the workplace and to reduce the proportion of false positives findings and, as a result, unnecessary referrals for lung volume measurements. Methods We re-analysed two studies of hospital patients, respectively used to derive and validate a recommended spirometry-based algorithm [forced vital capacity (FVC) &lt; 85% predicted and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/FVC &gt; 55%] for the recognition of restrictive pulmonary impairment. We used true lung restrictive cases as a reference standard in 2×2 contingency tables to estimate sensitivity (Sn), Sp and PPV and negative predictive values for each diagnostic cut-off. We simulated a working population aged &lt;65 years and with a disease prevalence ranging 1–10% and compared our best algorithm with those previously reported using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results There were 376 patients available from the two studies for inclusion. Our best algorithm (FVC &lt; 70% predicted and FEV1/FVC ≥ 70%) achieved the highest Sp (96%) and PPV (67 and 15% for a disease prevalence of 10 and 1%, respectively) with the lowest proportion of false positives (4%); its high Sn (71%) predicted the highest proportion of correctly classified restrictive cases (91%). Conclusions Our new spirometry-based algorithm may be adopted to accurately exclude pulmonary restriction and to possibly reduce unnecessary lung volume testing in an occupational health setting