Lead-based paint is a main source of lead exposure to paint industry workers and causes an imbalance of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and antioxidants, causing a genotoxic effect. Pb in the blood (PbB) level and DNA damage are frequently used as exposure and effect biomarker of lead. The purpose of this study to determine the relationship between PbB level and DNA damage due to occupational lead exposure in paint industry workers. The research design uses a cross-sectional epidemiological study involving 52 workers from three paint manufacturers in Indonesia. Blood samples were taken for PbB analysis using ICP-MS, while DNA damage was analyzed using the Comet Assay method. The PbB average obtained was 4.36±1.60 µg.dL-1, where 17 workers (32.69%) exceeded the safe limit value of PbB (5 µg.dL-1). Meanwhile, the influential factors of PbB are the working period and alcohol consumption (p=0.029). The level of DNA damage was represented as Tail DNA (%), and the average was 9.62±0.19 %. All respondents in this study were categorized as under low damage (Class 2). There was no significant relationship between PbB and Tail DNA (%) and has a negative correlation (p=0.878; r=-0.022). The study concludes that there was no difference in Tail DNA (%) between PbB ≥ 5 µg.dL-1 and PbB < 5 µg.dL-1 (p=0.876). It means that lead exposure in this finding has not reached a level that can significantly cause DNA damage. However, it is necessary to monitor PbB levels in workers to minimize genotoxic or other effects.

We have advanced the heterogeneous silicon nitride photonic platform, enabling operation at the 780 nm wavelength range for rubidium sensors and other applications while remaining operable at high temperatures up to 110∘C. This platform surpasses other existing technologies with the superior integration of a comprehensive set of active building-block devices to enable fully integrated high-performance systems-on-a-chip.

Lead is a heavy metal that can pose various health risks to humans. One of the effects of lead exposure is the inhibition of the delta-ALAD enzyme which plays a role in the heme synthesis process. Blood lead levels and delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity are considered biomarkers of lead exposure and lead toxicity respectively. The inhibition of ALAD can cause in accumulation of ALA in urine and also inhibit the heme synthesis pathway that plays a role in hemoglobin production. The present study was designed to investigate the association between the BLLs and the heme synthesis process, which is detected by the accumulation of urinary ALA (ALA-U) and decreasing hemoglobin, in paint industry workers from Indonesia. A total of 52 paint industry workers participated in this study. Blood lead was measured using ICP-MS and ALA-U was measured using spectrophotometer method. Mean blood lead was 4.213±1.6 mg/L; and 17 workers (32.7%) crossed the recommended level of 5 mg/L. Mean urinary ALA level was 3.712±2.5 mg/L; and 11 workers (11.54%) crossed the normal level of 6 mg/L but still classified as acceptable. Mean hemoglobin level was 15.273±1.03 g/L. The correlation between the BLL and ALA-U was found to be positive but not significant. Meanwhile, the correlation between the ALA-U and the hemoglobin levels was found to be negative but also not significant.

This paper proposes an effective (FRT) strategy to improve the performance of grid-tied microgrid systems during short-circuit faults. FRT capabilities play a critical role in meeting stringent requirements imposed by grid codes under high penetration rates of renewable energy sources (RES). A protection device is proposed to protect converters near the location from transient overvoltages after fault clearance. The protection consists of a modified thyristor-based (FCL) with Mutual Inductance FCL integration. The system is modeled in a MATLAB/Simulink environment. From the results, the proposed protection device ensures the safe connection of RES and DC loads to the corresponding bus and maintains a safe connection to the utility grid during faults.

Cogeneration/combined heat and power (CHP) is the sequentialuse of one fuel source to produce power and thermal energy. The en-ergy cascade provided avoids losses that occur when power is tradition-ally generated at a central station power plant and thermal energy isconsumed on-site in a boiler. CHP can be used in either a topping cycleor bottoming cycle mode with topping cycles being the most dominantapplication.CHP was used at the beginning of the 20th century, primarily forindustrial uses. With the expansion of the electric grid and cheap rawenergy, its use declined. A major expansion of the technology occurredin the eighties as a result of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act of1978. As a result of heavy opposition by the electric utility industry, theinterest in CHP declined towards the end of the eighties. High energyprices and constrained generating capacity has renewed interest in thetechnology in 2002.

Abstract. A new version of the Earth system model of intermediate complexity (CANOPS-GRB) was developed for use in quantitatively assessing the dynamics and stability of atmospheric and oceanic chemistry over geologic timescales. The new release is designed to represent the coupled major element cycles of C, N, P, O, and S, as well as the global redox budget (GRB) in Earth’s exogenic (ocean-atmosphere-crust) system, using a process-based approach. This framework provides a mechanistic model of the evolution of atmospheric and oceanic O2 levels on geologic timescales and enables comparison with a wide variety of geological records to further constrain the processes driving Earth’s oxygenation. A complete detailed description of the resulting Earth system model and its new features are provided. The performance of CANOPS-GRB is then evaluated by comparing a steady-state simulation under present-day conditions with a comprehensive set of oceanic data and existing global estimates of bio-element cycling. The dynamic response of the model is also examined by varying phosphorus availability in the exogenic system. CANOPS-GRB reliably simulates the short- and long-term evolution of the coupled C-N-P-O2-S biogeochemical cycles and is generally applicable across any period of Earth’s history given suitable modifications to boundary conditions and forcing regime. The simple and adaptable design of the model also makes it useful to interrogate a wide range of problems related to Earth’s oxygenation history and Earth-like exoplanets more broadly. The model source code is available on GitHub, and represents a unique community tool for investigating the dynamics and stability of atmospheric and oceanic chemistry on long timescales.

This work addresses the design, development and implementation of a 4.0-based wearable soft transducer for patient-centered vitals telemonitoring. In particular, first, the soft transducer measures hypertension-related vitals (heart rate, oxygen saturation and systolic/diastolic pressure) and sends the data to a remote database (which can be easily consulted both by the patient and the physician). In addition to this, a dedicated deep learning algorithm, based on a Long-Short-Term-Memory Autoencoder, was designed, implemented and tested for providing an alert when the patient’s vitals exceed certain thresholds, which are automatically personalized for the specific patient. Furthermore, a mobile application (EcO2u) was developed to manage the entire data flow and facilitate the data fruition; this application also implements an innovative face-detection algorithm that ensures the identity of the patient. The robustness of the proposed soft transducer was validated experimentally on five individuals, who used the system for 30 days. The experimental results demonstrated an accuracy in anomaly detection greater than 93%, with a true positive rate of more than 94%.

Virtual reality is a growing platform for live entertainment, offering the feeling of embodiment and immersion that is central to storytelling for both audience and performers. Find out how several different artists are bringing the magic of theater to digital playhouses around the world.