Asthma and PM10

PM(10) (the mass of particles present in the air having a 50% cutoff for particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm) is the standard measure of particulate air pollution used worldwide. Epidemiological studies suggest that asthma symptoms can be worsened by increases in the levels of PM(10). Epidemiological evidence at present indicates that PM(10) increases do not raise the chances of initial sensitisation and induction of disease, although further research is warranted. PM(10) is a complex mixture of particle types and has many components and there is no general agreement regarding which component(s) could lead to exacerbations of asthma. However pro-inflammatory effects of transition metals, hydrocarbons, ultrafine particles and endotoxin, all present to varying degrees in PM(10), could be important. An understanding of the role of the different components of PM(10) in exacerbating asthma is essential before proper risk assessment can be undertaken leading to advice on risk management for the many asthmatics who are exposed to air pollution particles

Critical Mentoring in Urban Contexts: Culturally Embracing School-Community Collaborative Partnerships

Mentoring programs regularly discuss the positive academic, developmental, and socioemotional outcomes for young people who are being supported. Research around school-based mentoring shows that it has the potential to increase mentees’ self-perception, interest in academic pursuit, motivation to learn, and academic performance, prosocial attachments and trust, as well as their interpersonal skills and their ability to deal with social and emotional difficulties. However, much less attention is paid to preparing mentors who can support students, particularly marginalized and minoritized students of color, in an asset-based, equity-framed manner. This research study evaluates fifteen school-based mentors (the Heinz Fellows) who work for the Center for Urban Education at the University of Pittsburgh, supporting students in Pittsburgh Public Schools in the Hill District. Using the Opportunity Gap Framework developed by Milner (2010, 2012) to structure the program, train and develop the mentors, and evaluate findings, pre-and post-survey results showed that the Fellows’ perceived attitudes, beliefs, thoughts, and dispositions as a group increased in alignment with the Opportunity Gap Framework. These perceived mindset shifts occurred due to five major activities in the program: (1) critical race reflection, (2) context observations of cultural discontinuity, (3) critical institutionalism, (4) critical mentoring practices, and (5) exposure to research and lectures around equity and culturally relevant practices

Formal specification of QoS properties

We describe the specification of communication services, with special emphasis being placed on the use of the Temporal Logic of Actions (TLA) to describe the behaviours involved. We show how, startingfrom Message Sequence Charts, this temporal logic may be used to describe The Joint Viewing and Tele Operating Service (JVTOS) and its associated functions; and so lead on to the specification of QoS parameters. We discuss the approach that was taken to determine the exact nature of the Quality of Service parameters, and how the method may be used to extend the specification, and probe further aspects of the services and protocols involved

Prototype performance evaluation of multimedia service components

This paper deals with a formal approach for decomposition and description of multimedia service components and their performance analysis. Our approach is based on the Temporal Logic of Actions (TLA) specifications. A TLA based specification of multimedia components is transformed into process prototypes described with the SPIMS (SICS Protocol Implementation Measurement System) application language. The multimedia component prototype derived in this way is then evaluated with the SPIMS tool for different QoS parameters. The proposed approach using TLA based specifications, transformations in SPIMS application prototypes, and performance analysis provides the background for an computer based system for test specification and performance analysis which is currently under development. We present and discuss practical test scenarios derived from the proposed method for performance analysis of the Audio-Visual Communication (AVC)component of the Joint-Viewing and Tele-Operation Service (JVTOS). The multimedia test scenarios shown use the TCP/IP and XTP protocols on top of FORE ATM networks

Mechanisms of action of inhaled fibers, particles and nanoparticles in lung and cardiovascular diseases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A symposium on the mechanisms of action of inhaled airborne particulate matter (PM), pathogenic particles and fibers such as silica and asbestos, and nanomaterials, defined as synthetic particles or fibers less than 100 nm in diameter, was held on October 27 and 28, 2005, at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Conference Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The meeting was the eighth in a series of transatlantic conferences first held in Penarth, Wales, at the Medical Research Council Pneumoconiosis Unit (1979), that have fostered long-standing collaborations between researchers in the fields of mineralogy, cell and molecular biology, pathology, toxicology, and environmental/occupational health.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The goal of this meeting, which was largely supported by a conference grant from the NHLBI, was to assemble a group of clinical and basic research scientists who presented and discussed new data on the mechanistic effects of inhaled particulates on the onset and development of morbidity and mortality in the lung and cardiovascular system. Another outcome of the meeting was the elucidation of a number of host susceptibility factors implicated in adverse health effects associated with inhaled pathogenic particulates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>New models and data presented supported the paradigm that both genetic and environmental (and occupational) factors affect disease outcomes from inhaled particulates as well as cardiopulmonary responses. These future studies are encouraged to allow the design of appropriate strategies for prevention and treatment of particulate-associated morbidity and mortality, especially in susceptible populations.</p

Equally Safe in Higher Education Research Toolkit : Guidance for Conducting Research into Gender-based Violence in Scottish Higher Education Institutions

The Scottish Government is committed to eradicating violence against women and girls (VaWG). Equally Safe outlines the current strategic policy for the prevention and elimination of VaWG and all forms of gender-based violence (GBV). The Equally Safe in Higher Education (ESHE) project was funded by the Scottish Government to implement Equally Safe in a pilot university and produce a National Toolkit for challenging GBV in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). Research on staff and student attitudes to, and experiences of, GBV in higher education (HE) was a key work stream of the ESHE project. The research workstream was implemented between 2016 and 2018 using the University of Strathclyde as the pilot site. The intention was to generate data on: views and perceptions of campus safety; attitudes to, and experiences of GBV; the impact of GBV; report and support pathways for victims/survivors; and broader issues of gender inequality and sexism in higher education. The overall aim of the research methodology outlined in this Toolkit is to provide Scottish Higher Education Institutions with a means of creating an evidence base to inform the development of their GBV prevention strategies. The project utilised a mixed-methods approach consisting of an online campus-wide survey sent to all university staff and students as well as follow-up in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews and focus groups

A single-particle characterization of a mobile Versatile Aerosol Concentration Enrichment System for exposure studies

BACKGROUND: An Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS) was used to investigate the size and chemical composition of fine concentrated ambient particles (CAPs) in the size range 0.2–2.6 μm produced by a Versatile Aerosol Concentration Enrichment System (VACES) contained within the Mobile Ambient Particle Concentrator Exposure Laboratory (MAPCEL). The data were collected during a study of human exposure to CAPs, in Edinburgh (UK), in February-March 2004. The air flow prior to, and post, concentration in the VACES was sampled in turn into the ATOFMS, which provides simultaneous size and positive and negative mass spectral data on individual fine particles. RESULTS: The particle size distribution was unaltered by the concentrator over the size range 0.2–2.6 μm, with an average enrichment factor during this study of ~5 (after dilution of the final air stream). The mass spectra from single particles were objectively grouped into 20 clusters using the multivariate K-means algorithm and then further grouped manually, according to similarity in composition and time sequence, into 8 main clusters. The particle ensemble was dominated by pure and reacted sea salt and other coarse inorganic dusts (as a consequence of the prevailing maritime-source climatology during the study), with relatively minor contributions from carbonaceous and secondary material. Very minor variations in particle composition were noted pre- and post-particle concentration, but overall there was no evidence of any significant change in particle composition. CONCLUSION: These results confirm, via single particle analysis, the preservation of the size distribution and chemical composition of fine ambient PM in the size range 0.2–2.6 μm after passage through the VACES concentration instrumentation