This study aims to investigate the concentration levels, pollution characteristics and the associated potential ecological risks of the heavy metals found in dust in the metropolitan area of Beijing, China during the winter. Dust samples were collected at 49 different spatial locations of Beijing's metropolitan area from November 2013 to January 2014, in which the concentration levels of Cd, Cr...

Received 11 January 2013, Revised 25 June 2013, Accepted 30 June 2013 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract Dust samples were collected from roadside houses of seven major locations in Kathmandu metropolitan area and trace element compositions was determined by atomic absorption spectro...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of occupational and domestic exposure to dust in the aetiology of cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis. DESIGN Matched case-control study. SUBJECTS 40 Patients with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis and 106 community controls matched for age and sex who responded to a questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Responses to self administered questionnaire asking about...

Compared to starburst galaxies, normal star forming galaxies have been shown to display a much larger dispersion of the dust attenuation at fixed reddening through studies of the IRX-β diagram (the IR/UV ratio “IRX” versus the UV color “β”). To investigate the causes of this larger dispersion and attempt to isolate second parameters, we have used GALEX UV, ground-based optical, and Spitzer infr...

We present a time-dependent photoionization code that combines self-consistently metal evolution and dust destruction under an intense X-ray UV radiation field. Firstly, we extend the mathematical formulation of the time-dependent evolution of dust grains under an intense radiation flux with the inclusion of the process of ion field emission (IFE). We determine the relative importance of IFE wi...

BACKGROUND Work related dust exposure is a risk factor for acute and chronic respiratory irritation and inflammation. Exposure to dust and cigarette smoke predisposes to exogenous viral and bacterial infections of the respiratory tract. Respiratory infection can also act as a risk factor in the development of atherosclerotic and coronary artery disease. AIMS To investigate the association of ...

The aim of this study was to find out if occupational exposure to dust, fumes or gases, especially among never-smokers, increased the mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A cohort of 317,629 Swedish male construction workers was followed from 1971 to 1999. Exposure to inorganic dust (asbestos, man-made mineral fibres, dust from cement, concrete and quartz), gases and irr...

Aims. To study chemical composition of metal-rich absorbers at high redshifts in order to understand their nature and to determine sources of their metal enrichment. Methods. From six spectra of high-z QSOs, we select eleven metal-rich, Z >∼ Z⊙, and optically-thin to the ionizing radiation, N(H i) < 10 cm , absorption systems ranging between z = 1.5 and z = 2.9 and revealing lines of different ...

Abstract. We investigate the generation of charge due to collision between projectiles with sizes below ∼1 µm and metal surfaces at speeds ∼0.1 10 km s−1. This corresponds above elastic limit well where volume ionization can occur. Impact production these low intermediate has traditionally been described by invoking theory shock wave ionization. By looking thermodynamics low-velocity solution i...