Comment on ‘The latency period of mesothelioma among a cohort of British asbestos workers (1978–2005)': the effect of left censoring

none4noWe read with extreme interest the article by Frost on mesothelioma latency period among asbestos workers (Frost, 2013). Despite the main aim of the study being to investigate ‘the determinants of mesothelioma latency among a cohort of asbestos workers, paying particular attention to indicators of intensity of asbestos exposure’ (Frost, 2013), the reported lack of evidence of an association between duration of exposure and latency attracted some attention. Commenters argued that right censoring occurring in the underlying cohort could have biased an analysis restricted to cases (Consonni et al, 2014; Mirabelli and Zugna, 2014).openFarioli, A; Mattioli, S; Curti, S; Violante, F SFarioli, A; Mattioli, S; Curti, S; Violante, F

Flood Historical Data for Flood Risk Estimation in Coastal Areas, Eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy

A reconstruction of historical floods occurred along the Amalfi coast, during the last five 7 centuries is presented. The analysis of historical sources allowed to achieve a chronological 8 reconstruction of more than 100 floods, four of which classified as catastrophic events. In this 9 task, the level of information was decisive to carry out space–time identification, estimate the 10 affected area and define the type of damage to the structures, and the environment (e.g. mud 11 flow, debris flow, rock falls, shoreline progradation, fan deltas), which may be relevant for the 12 recognition of similar events within the geologic record. The magnitude of the events was 13 finally estimated, taking into account the size of the areas affected by flooding as well as the 14 type of effects induced on the urban and physical environment and the recurrence intervals

Quantitative Assessment of Asbestos Fibers in Normal and Pathological Pleural Tissue—A Scoping Review

Background: pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer in the general population, but it is more common in subjects occupationally exposed to asbestos. Studies with asbestos fiber quantification in pleural tissue are scarce: for this reason, we aimed at undertaking a scoping review to summarize the evidence provided by studies in which asbestos fibers were determined by electron microscopy (SEM or TEM) in human pleural tissues, whether normal or pathologic. Materials and methods: A scoping review of articles that quantified asbestos fibers in human pleural tissue (normal or pathologic) by electron microscopy (SEM or TEM), in subjects with asbestos exposure (if any) was performed. Results: The 12 studies selected comprised 137 cases, out of which 142 samples were analyzed. Asbestos fibers were detected in 111 samples (78%) and were below the detectable limit in 31 samples (22%). The concentration of asbestos fibers detected in the positive samples was distributed from as low as 0.01 mfgdt (millions of fibers per gram of dry tissue) up to 240 mfgdt. However, the minimum concentration of fibers overlaps in the three types of tissues (normal pleura, pleural plaque, mesothelioma) in terms of magnitude; therefore, it is not possible to distinguish a definite pattern which differentiates one tissue from the other. Conclusions: The studies included were heterogeneous as to the representativeness of the samples and analytical techniques; the possibility of false negatives must be considered. It would be desirable to systematically search for asbestos fibers to fill the knowledge gap about the presence of asbestos fibers in normal or pathological pleural tissue in order to better understand the development of the different pleural diseases induced by this mineral

The geological record of storm events over the last 1000 years in the Salerno Bay (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea): new proxy evidences

International audienceThe shallow marine Late Holocene wedge of the northern Salerno Bay shelf (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) discloses the presence of four decimetric shelf-tapering sand beds. Their internal features, depicted by cores analysis and their stratigraphic position, revealed by VHR seismic investigations, inferred sandy layers as being the result of flash deposition, storm controlled, thus episodic. Stratigraphic correlations among cores lead to constrain sandy layers deposition to storm events falling in the 11th, 16th, 19th and 20th centuries. A certain attribution of the most recent event bed to the major cloudburst that hit the Salerno region in 1954A.D. and resulted in a disastrous flood of the Bonea stream, was formerly achieved. A tentative link with two sea-storms that occurred in the 1544A.D. and in the 1879A.D. and well documented by historical sources is here proposed to explain the deposition of the two previous event beds. The deposition of these sandy layers must be related to major storm events, since their preservation in the stratigraphic record is not common. Lithostratigraphic and textural differences between flood and sea-storm emplacement emerge from the study of sandy layers in cores and point to a prevalence of sea-storm deposits in the middle shelf compared to flood deposits. Seismic stratigraphic evidence lead us to suppose that the style of episodic flash deposition has been running on for the last 2-3kyr and is probably linked to a climatic trend of the region

Electrocatalytic properties of Pd-based nano-structured material for application in fuel cells

Fuel cells, especially low temperature fuel cells, are clean-energy devices that have high potentiality for use in electric power production and non-polluting vehicles. Platinum is commonly used as electrocatalysts in fuel cell electrodes, because of its excellent electrocatalytic activity and chemical stability. But, because of its high cost and limited resources, its use represents a bottleneck for large-scale application and commercialization of fuel cells. Palladium could be a good substitute for Pt, because of its similar chemical and physical properties, lower cost and higher abundance. Main challenges concern the development of Pd-based materials with high catalytic activity and durability at a reduced cost (i.e. metal content). Crucial technological issue is the optimization of the active surface of the catalysts, by the control of the morphology, shape and dispersion of the metal particles. The talk will describe the main results of the research activity carried out during the second year of the Italia-USA Bilateral Project in ENEA, concerning the fabrication and characterization of different kinds of nanostructured Pd-based electrocatalysts, by using both electrochemical and vacuum thin film deposition techniques

Search for Neutron Flux Generation in a Plasma Discharge Electrolytic Cell

Following some recent unexpected hints of neutron production in setups like high-voltage atmospheric discharges and plasma discharges in electrolytic cells, we present a measurement of the neutron flux in a configuration similar to the latter. We use two different types of neutron detectors, poly-allyl-diglicol-carbonate (PADC, aka CR-39) tracers and Indium disks. At 95% C.L. we provide an upper limit of 1.5 neutrons cm^-2 s^-1 for the thermal neutron flux at ~5 cm from the center of the cell. Allowing for a higher energy neutron component the largest allowed flux is 64 neutrons cm^-2 s^-1. This upper limit is two orders of magnitude smaller than what previously claimed in an electrolytic cell plasma discharge experiment. Furthermore the behavior of the CR-39 is discussed to point our possible sources of spurious signals.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

La constitution de l'enfance dans la société occidentale

A Infância na História veio a constituir-se, como tema e objecto epistémico, desde inícios do período moderno, ainda que a História da Infância, como conhecimento e narrativa, seja mais recente. A constituição histórica da Infância inclui distintos modos de representar e de significar, assinalando tempos de convergência e tempos de divergência ou mesmo contradições e rupturas. Na religião, na civilidade, na arte, na literatura, na pedagogia, a Infância resulta de uma constelação, que congrega dimensões demográficas, económicas, afectivas, socioculturais. A Infância teve infâncias que se traduzem em novos espaços, novas manifestações de afectividade e de relação nos quadros públicos, privado e doméstico, e a que foram sendo destinados espaços, tempos e meios de ser ensinada e de aprender. A Infância emergiu e foi constituída como campo de ciência e de educação. De motivo e tema, a Infância e particularmente a criança tornaram-se objecto de investigação, cruzando diferentes domínios científicos, e designadamente a psicologia, a medicina, a pediatria, a pedagogia e mais recentemente a sociologia e a história. A escola surgiu como lugar e tempo da infância. Desde o século XVIII, a historiografia regista aspectos estruturais de duração longa e conjunturas onde a evolução sofreu acelerações e rupturas. A Infância congrega e representa crianças, consignando homogeneidade e admitindo a diversidade e a especificidade. Assim, a escola surgiu como lugar e tempo da infância, mas não foi cumprida de modo uniforme. Neste artigo procurar-se-á problematizar, documentar e entender a Infância como conceito e como categoria epistémica, com um passado recente, mas nem por isso, isento de controvérsia, denso, cumulativo, muito particularmente no Mundo Ocidental. Tomando como principal referência a Europa, dar-se-á particular atenção aos aspectos de natureza conceptual e à sistematização das principais linhas histórico-pedagógicas de constituição da Infância. No fundamental, o método utilizado é o historiográfico, combinando diacronia e sincronia e recorrendo a um exercício hermenêutico dos principais textos e teses sobre o tema. É, no entanto, uma abordagem aberta à interdisciplinaridade que procura abranger a constelação de vectores de natureza substantiva, teórica e metodológica, constitutivos da Infância na Sociedade Ocidental.Childhood in History came to constitute, as theme and subject, from the beginning of the modern period, although the History of Childhood, as knowledge and narrative, is more recent. The historical constitution of childhood includes different ways of representing and signifying, indicating times of convergence and times of divergence or even contradictions and ruptures. In religion, civility, art, literature, pedagogy, Childhood results from a constellation that brings together demographic, economic, affective, sociocultural dimensions. Childhood has had childhoods that translate into new spaces, new manifestations of affectivity and relationship in the public, private and domestic settings, and to which spaces, times and means of being taught and learning have been destined. Childhood emerged and was constituted as a field of science and education. From motive and theme, Childhood and particularly the child have become the object of investigation, crossing different scientific domains, namely psychology, medicine, pediatrics, pedagogy and, more recently, sociology and history. The school emerged as the place and time of childhood. Since the eighteenth century historiography records structural aspects of long duration and conjunctures where evolution has suffered accelerations and ruptures. Childhood brings together and represents children, consigning homogeneity and admitting diversity and specificity. Thus, school emerged as the place and time of childhood, but was not uniformly fulfilled. In this article we will try to problematize, document and understand Childhood as a concept and epistemic category, with a recent past, but not without controversy, dense, cumulative, particularly in the Western World. Taking Europe as its main reference, particular attention will be paid to aspects of a conceptual nature and to the systematization of the main historical and pedagogical lines of the constitution of childhood. In the fundamental, the method used is the historiographic, combining diachrony and synchrony and resorting to a hermeneutical exercise of the main texts and theses on the subject. It is, however, an open-ended approach to interdisciplinarity that seeks to encompass the constellation of substantive, theoretical, and methodological vectors of Childhood in Western Society.L’enfance dans l’histoire a commencé à se constituer, comme thème et subject, depuis le début de la période moderne, bien que l’histoire de l’enfance, en tant que savoir et récit, soit plus récente. La constitution historique de l'enfance comprend différentes manières de représenter et de signifier, indiquant des temps de convergence et des temps de divergence ou même de contradictions et de ruptures. Dans religion, civilité, art, littérature, pédagogie, Enfance résulte d'une constellation qui associe des dimensions démographiques, économiques, affectives et socioculturelles. L'enfance a eu des enfances qui se traduisaient par de nouveaux espaces, de nouvelles manifestations de l'affectivité et des relations dans les contextes public, privé et domestique, et auxquelles des espaces, des époques et des moyens d'apprentissage et d'enseignement étaient destinés. L'enfance a émergé et a été constituée comme un domaine de la science et de l'éducation. De motif et de thème, l’enfance et en particulier l’enfant sont devenus des objets d’investigation, croisant différents domaines scientifiques, à savoir la psychologie, la médecine, la pédiatrie, la pédagogie et, plus récemment, la sociologie et l’histoire. L'école est apparue comme le lieu et l'époque de l'enfance. Depuis le XVIIIe siècle, l'historiographie enregistre des aspects structurels de longue durée et des conjonctures où l'évolution a subi des accélérations et des ruptures. L'enfance rassemble et représente des enfants, en homogénéisant et en admettant diversité et spécificité. Ainsi, l'école est apparue comme le lieu et l'époque de l'enfance, mais n'a pas été réalisée de manière uniforme. Dans cet article, nous allons essayer de problématiser, documenter et comprendre l'enfance en tant que concept et catégorie épistémique, avec un passé récent, non sans controverse, dense, cumulatif, en particulier dans le monde occidental. En prenant l'Europe comme référence principale, une attention particulière sera accordée aux aspects de nature conceptuels et à la systématisation des principales lignes historiques et pédagogiques de la constitution de l'enfance. La mréthode utilisée est fondamentalement la méthode historiographique, combinant diachronie et synchronie et faisant appel à un exercice herméneutique des principaux textes et thèses sur le sujet. Il s’agit toutefois d’une approche ouverte de l’interdisciplinarité qui vise à englober la constellation de vecteurs fondamentaux, théoriques et méthodologiques de l’enfance dans la société occidentale.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inhaled CO2 Concentration While Wearing Face Masks: A Pilot Study Using Capnography

Background: Face masks are recommended based on the assumption that they protect against SARS-CoV-2 transmission, however studies on their potential side effects are still lacking. We aimed to evaluate the inhaled air carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, when wearing masks. Methods: We measured end-tidal CO2 using professional side-stream capnography, with water-removing tubing, (1) without masks, (2) wearing a surgical mask, and (3) wearing a FFP2 respirator (for 5 minutes each while seated after 10 minutes of rest), in 146 healthy volunteers aged 10 to 90 years, from the general population of Ferrara, Italy. The inhaled air CO2 concentration was computed as: ([mask volume × end-tidal CO2] + [tidal volume − mask volume] × ambient air CO2)/tidal volume. Results: With surgical masks, the mean CO2 concentration was 7091 ± 2491 ppm in children, 4835 ± 869 in adults, and 4379 ± 978 in the elderly. With FFP2 respirators, this concentration was 13 665 ± 3655 in children, 8502 ± 1859 in adults, and 9027 ± 1882 in the elderly. The proportion showing a CO2 concentration higher than the 5000 ppm (8-hour average) acceptable threshold for workers was 41.1% with surgical masks, and 99.3% with FFP2 respirators. Adjusting for age, gender, BMI, and smoking, the inhaled air CO2 concentration significantly increased with increasing respiratory rate (mean 10 837 ±3712 ppm among participants ⩾18 breaths/minute, with FFP2 respirators), and among the minors. Conclusion: If these results are confirmed, the current guidelines on mask-wearing should be reevaluated

Flood Risk Estimation through Document Sources Analysis: the Case of the Amalfi Rocky Coast

In the last century the Amalfi Coast was affected by numerous severe floods in conjunction with exceptional rainfall that caused major damage in terms of lost lives and economic cost. Historical documentary sources are an important source of information for reconstructing exceptional flood events occurring prior to the instrumental era. Historical analysis also provides an opportunity to extend the time scale window for flood risk studies. To study historical floods we collected all the available information concerning the period between the 16th and the 20th centuries by analysing both published and unpublished sources. The great variety of historical sources made it necessary to formulate an ad hoc scientific procedure that takes into account not only the completeness and reliability of documents related to the period, but also the intrinsic quality of the material. Experience in historical data collection shows that not all documentary sources can provide useful information for flood characterization, but it is necessary to have a selective criteria in order to obtain the best information rather than the best dataset quality. Analysis of the data in question allowed us to achieve a chronological reconstruction of more than 100 floods. In this task, the level of information was decisive to carry out space–time identification, estimate the affected area and define type of damage to public and private structures, and the geological effects induced