A Community-Based Sensor Network for Monitoring the Air Quality in Urban Romania

Air quality, especially particulate matter pollution levels in urban areas, is an essential academic and social topic due to its association with health issues and climate change. In Romania, increasing awareness of urban communities and the availability of low-cost sensors has led to the development of an independent monitoring network currently distributed in over 194 cities and towns. The uRADMonitor((R)) network consists of 630 sensors measuring PM10 and PM2.5 concentration levels. The spatial distribution of the sensors complements the national air quality network with sensors in residential areas, intense traffic zones, and industrial areas. The data are available through a user-friendly web-based platform from uRADMonitor((R)). Based on data collected in 2021, we present an analysis of PM10 pollution levels in Romania's five most populated urban areas by employing five annual statistical indicators recommended by the European Environmental Agency. For the case of Timis,oara, we also compare the data measured by independent sensors with those from the national monitoring network. The results highlight the usefulness of our community-based network as it complements the national one

The roles of dispositional coping style and social support in helping people with respiratory disease cope with a breathlessness crisis

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: To explore the role of coping moderators in self-management of breathlessness crises by people with advanced respiratory disease. Design: A secondary analysis of semi-structured interview data. Methods: Interviews with patients who had advanced respiratory disease, chronic breathlessness and at least one experience where they considered presenting to Emergency but self-managed instead (a “near miss”). Participants were recruited from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia or Tasmania. Eligible caregivers were those who contributed to Emergency-related decision-making. Interviews were coded inductively and then deductively against the coping moderators social support and dispositional coping style, defined by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. Results: Interviews were conducted between October 2015 - April 2016 with 20 patients and three caregivers. Social networks offered emotional and practical support but also had potential for conflict with patients' ‘hardy’ coping style. Patient hardiness (characterized by a sense of ‘commitment’ and ‘challenge’) promoted a proactive approach to self-management but made some patients less willing to accept support. Information-seeking tendencies varied between patients and were sometimes shared with caregivers. An optimistic coping style appeared to be less equivocally beneficial. Conclusion: This study shows that social support and coping style may influence how people self-manage through their breathlessness crises and identified ways coping moderators can facilitate or hinder effective self-management. Impact: This study confers insights into how social-support and coping style can be supported and optimized to facilitate breathlessness self-management. Acknowledging coping moderator interactions is beneficial for developing resources and strategies that recognise patient mastery

Utilising light-emitting diodes of specific narrow wavelengths for the optimization and co-production of multiple high-value compounds in Porphyridium purpureum

The effect of specific narrow light-emitting diode (LED) wavelengths (red, green, blue) and a combination of LED wavelengths (red, green and blue - RGB) on biomass composition produced by Porphyridium purpureum is studied. Phycobiliprotein, fatty acids, exopolysaccharides, pigment content, and the main macromolecules composition were analysed to determine the effect of wavelength on multiple compounds of commercial interest. The results demonstrate that green light plays a significant role in the growth of rhodophyta, due to phycobiliproteins being able to harvest green wavelengths where chlorophyll pigments absorb poorly. However, under multi-chromatic LED wavelengths, P. purpureum biomass accumulated the highest yield of valuable products such as eicosapentaenoic acid (~2.9 %DW), zeaxanthin (~586 μg g− 1 DW), β-carotene (397 μg g− 1 DW), exopolysaccharides (2.05 g/L-1), and phycobiliproteins (~ 4.8 % DW). This increased accumulation is likely to be the combination of both photo-adaption and photo-protection, under the combined specific wavelengths employed

A Pre-Landing Assessment of Regolith Properties at the InSight Landing Site

This article discusses relevant physical properties of the regolith at the Mars InSight landing site as understood prior to landing of the spacecraft. InSight will land in the northern lowland plains of Mars, close to the equator, where the regolith is estimated to be ≥3--5 m thick. These investigations of physical properties have relied on data collected from Mars orbital measurements, previously collected lander and rover data, results of studies of data and samples from Apollo lunar missions, laboratory measurements on regolith simulants, and theoretical studies. The investigations include changes in properties with depth and temperature. Mechanical properties investigated include density, grain-size distribution, cohesion, and angle of internal friction. Thermophysical properties include thermal inertia, surface emissivity and albedo, thermal conductivity and diffusivity, and specific heat. Regolith elastic properties not only include parameters that control seismic wave velocities in the immediate vicinity of the Insight lander but also coupling of the lander and other potential noise sources to the InSight broadband seismometer. The related properties include Poisson’s ratio, P- and S-wave velocities, Young’s modulus, and seismic attenuation. Finally, mass diffusivity was investigated to estimate gas movements in the regolith driven by atmospheric pressure changes. Physical properties presented here are all to some degree speculative. However, they form a basis for interpretation of the early data to be returned from the InSight mission.Additional co-authors: Nick Teanby and Sharon Keda

IMPACT OF SOLUTE MOLECULAR PROPERTIES ON THE ORGANIZATION OF NEARBY WATER: A CELLULAR AUTOMATA MODEL

The goal of this study was the creation of a model to understand how solute properties influence the structure of nearby water. To this end, we used a two-dimensional cellular automaton model of aqueous solutions. The probabilities of translocation of water and solute molecules to occupy nearby sites, and their momentary distributions (including that of vacancies), are considered indicative of solute molecular mechanics and hydrophatic character, and are reflected in water molecules packing, i.e. 'organization'. We found that in the presence of hydrophilic solutes the fraction of water molecules with fewer neighbors was dominant, and inverse-proportionally dependent on their relative concentration. Hydrophobic molecules induced water organization, but this effect was countered by their own flexibility. These results show the emergence of cooperative effects in the manner the molecular milieu affects local organization of water, and suggests a mechanism through which molecular mechanics and crowding add a defining contribution to the way the solute impacts on nearby water

Age as an independent factor for the development of neuropathy in diabetic patients

Simona Popescu,1,2 Bogdan Timar,2,3 Flavia Baderca,4,5 Mihaela Simu,6,7 Laura Diaconu,1,2 Iulian Velea,8,9 Romulus Timar1,2 12nd Department of Internal Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2Clinic of Diabetes, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, Emergency Clinical County Hospital, 3Department of Functional Sciences, 4Department of Microscopic Morphology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 5Service of Pathology, Emergency City Hospital, 6Department of Neurosciences, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 7Clinic of Neurology, Emergency Clinical County Hospital, 8Department of Pediatrics, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 9Clinic of Pediatrics, Emergency Clinical County Hospital, Timisoara, Romania Abstract: Population aging is unprecedented, without parallel in the history of humanity. As type 2 diabetes mellitus is predominantly more prevalent in aging populations, this creates a major public health burden. Older adults with diabetes have the highest rates of major lower-extremity amputation, myocardial infarction, visual impairment, and end-stage renal disease of any age group. The aims of our study were to assess whether age is an independent factor for the occurrence of diabetic neuropathy (DN), and to evaluate the relationship between the presence and the severity of DN and the diabetes duration and blood glucose level. In this study, we enrolled 198 patients, previously diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. For all patients, we measured hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), lipid profile, and body mass index and we assessed the presence and severity of DN using the evaluation of clinical signs and symptoms. Patients had a median age of 62 years, with a median of diabetes duration of 7 years; 55.1% of the patients were men and the average HbA1c in the cohort was 8.2%. The prevalence of DN according to Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument was 28.8%, being significantly and positively correlated with higher age (65 vs 59 years; P=0.001) and HbA1c (8.6% vs 8.0%; P=0.027). No significant correlations were observed between the severity of DN and diabetes duration, body mass index (31.9 vs 29.9 kg/m2), or the number of centimeters exceeding the normal waist circumference (25.2 vs 17.3 cm; P=0.003). In conclusion, age influences the presence of DN, independent on other risk factors. This influence persists even after adjusting for other, very important risk factors, like blood glucose level or diabetes duration. Keywords: peripheral neuropathy, elderly patients, type 2 diabetes mellitus, body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, diabetic neuropath